Interesting graphic novel that adds small magical elements to what is really a story about the plight of blue collar workers in early 1900's France and the terrible working and living conditions they had to endure to keep their families fed (though poorly, for sure). The magic doesn't really even come into the story until near the very end, and it's very subtle, but it makes for a solid introduction to a promising series.

Hmmm… A graphic novel that's quite strong on the visual side (albeit the tails of the speech bubbles are a little hard to see at times), but not one with much that's really original to offer. Three children get placed in the sanctuary of a magical landscape at the request of an old biddy, but that's because they're destined to play a part in killing an evil king, and the old biddy and their dead father were warriors against him. Only the French would make one of the three kids such a rabble-rousing socialist aggravator, but that doesn't really make for an improvement to what is really a bunch of standard fantasy tropes. Yes, the final beat of this part of the story does suggest a different approach, but one was certainly needed.

Two and a half stars.

This was such a beautiful book!
The artwork is absolutely stunning. As an art educator, I could teach any number of artistic lessons using the book as an example.
The story, characters, and setting are all beautifully rendered. A truly gorgeous read.

This graphic novel was extremely hard to read. Not only was the print size small, the plot line was hard to follow. The illustrations were just not my style. Maybe for another reader, this would be really enjoyable; just not my cup of tea.

"Aristophania" is a fun graphic novel. It has great color work and art throughout. The story is interesting and engaging too.

"Aristophania" sports some beautiful illustrations and an intriguing setting. Sadly, the story was too dark for my liking and I found it difficult to connect with the characters or the story. Someone interested in historical fiction or magical realism may enjoy this piece!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

I wanted to love this. I mean look at the art so I just knew this would have great art work but I was very disappointed. The art wasn't the best and it was very hard to read and follow. The story was okay but I think I was just expecting more. It is an okay read so I suggest picking it up but just know I did find it hard to follow and read.

This was a delightful read. The author seemed to be very intuned with the characters. This, I very much enjoyed. would recommend this book.

I had some difficulty reading some of the text and so my review might be a bit biased. Overall, Aristophania was... okay. It didn't really charm me, the story felt a bit cliche and some of the characters annoyed me. As with every graphic novel/comic book art style is very important, in this case it wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't like the colour scheme nor the "grainy"(i don't know how to explain it otherwise) backgrounds.

IIf i’m being honest this wasn’t my favorite. I read a digital copy and while some of the words were crisp and easy to read others were very blurry. I didn’t particularly like the art and I struggled to like the story. I think because I was expecting something more whimsical like the cover art. It reminded my almost of nanny McPhee but this story was pretty brutal and the kids seemed unlikeable. The older boy with his nude photos and ect. It wasn’t for me. But I think maybe others might enjoy it more. I also think it was pretty short so maybe with further storyline or context it would be better.

The story - I liked it. It felt like the beginning of an interesting story. It's a bit dark and it feels like you need a lot of background story to actually understand it all, but all in all, a good beginning.

The illustrations - very fitting for the darkness of the story, but the copy I read on my computer was blurry and sometimes hard to get into for that. I also have difficulty reading graphic novels with so much text in the boxes. It takes some energy to figure out how to read and it, of course, made it more difficult when the text was blurry.

Recommend? Well, yes, sure. For someone who likes graphic novels and the beginning of a dark story, you can definitely pick this one up.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this story!

'Aristophania (The Kingdom of Azur #1) by Xavier Dorison with art by Joël Parnotte is about three children and a fantastical benefactor looking out for them.

It is the early 20th Century and three children live with their mother. Years before their father died, and an old woman gave the children a dice to use if they ever needed help. Now times are hard. One child works in the factory and plays confidence games. When their mother is taken, they have no choice but to call on the mysterious Countess Aristophania Bolt. She will help them, but what is the price they must pay.

I liked this story of fantasy and the setting it was in. I liked that all three kids had unique personalities. I thought the art was good as well as the story. I'm curious where this story will lead.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Received via Netgalley for review.

I'm not sure if it's because I was reading on a computer, but some of the text wasn't the easiest to read. The text boxes had a lot crammed into them, and the words became kind of blurry.

I don't mind that we didn't get a lot of background on the kingdom of Azur and the children's father and his place in the court - the context clues were enough to figure out what was going on. The artwork was beautifully matched to the tone of the story (drab and colorless for the slums, bright and beautiful for Azur), and the characters were distinct and well-realized.

‘Aristophania: 1. The Kingdom of Azur’ is a French graphic novel written by Xavier Dorison and illustrated by Joël Parnotte. It is published in English by Europe Comics. My thanks to them for a digital edition in exchange for an honest review.

In the early 1900s the three Francœur children are struggling to survive in the slums of Paris. Nine years previously their father was murdered and a mysterious stranger, the Countess Aristophania Bolt, came to their home and urged their mother to take them away from Marseille and never talk again about her relationship with Clement Francoeur.

When their mother is arrested on a trumped up charge, the Countess reappears and takes the children to a beautiful and mysterious estate in Provence. However, there are strict rules to follow that they rebel against and this brings them into danger.

This is the opening of a series that combines historical fiction with fantasy. I found it a compelling start that left me wanting to know what happens next. The artwork was exquisite; contrasting the gritty realistic urban scenes with the pastoral and fantastical in the countryside and Azur.

The children were all likeable, especially the youngest Calixe, who seemed more open than her brothers to the unseen. I found the Countess amazing and really hope to learn more about her and the legacy of both the Court of Azur and the Dark Court if further volumes are published in English.

the art in this is great, the way the colouring in every panels slowly change as the mood changed as well is impressive. Unfortunately, it doesnt go the same way with the story and characters.
the story didnt deliver. The plot dragged and didnt leave enough clues about the 'mysterious magic' to keep me invested. and there are few points were the it felt like some things werent givent enough context around it for me to care about it. basically it felt rushed for me.
The cover and description seemed like this would be exciting, but I was bored for most of it; until page 45 to the end where i felt like i was thrust into the main plot of the story. The earlier pages were meant to allow the readers to get to know the characters and environment and the story but those parts didnt really work up to the main point or mystery.

*I reiceved an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free comic.*

France, early 1900s. When their father is killed, the three Francœur children for years fully rely on their mother to support them in the slums of the city. When she has to leave too, a mysterious stranger who knew their father shows up. Aristophania takes the three children in whilst also employing her mysterious powers to fight against evil. Yet the children cannot accept the new boundaries as they want to know the truth: who killed their father and why? Where is their mother? And what is the Countess Aristophania really up to?

The story is a mixture of fantasy and realism, the comic is well drawn and interesting to read. (I had some problems reading the text of the comic which is why my rating is a bit lower than the story deserves.)

I think this is more a case of this book not being my personal preference than it actually being 'bad' in any way. I really like the idea of the story and the art is very good as well, but there is just a certain ratio of text to pictures in a graphic novel where if there is 'too much' text my brain just automatically shuts off and I can't focus on it anymore. I am just in a very specific head space when I read graphic novels and when the text is very small and dense it really turns me off of the whole thing. Obviously you still have to have words to tell a story, but graphic novels are by default a visual medium and I think that cluttering up the page with too many small text boxes really takes away from that and makes me feel like I am just plodding along instead of being carried away by the story. I've noticed that a lot of the translated European comics I get from NetGalley have this 'problem' though so maybe it's more of a cultural thing and what you are used to as a reader.

The story is one of wonder and fantasy. Countess Aristophania Bolt from the Kingdom of Azur was a friend of their father and explained his death their mother when they were too young to understand.
The consequences of him being killed was that they were close to discovering his family and so now they had to escape and remain hidden from these agents of the dark powers.
As the children grow older they struggle to live and have enough to eat and live safely. When events take another turn for the worse, they are separated from their mother and Aristophania intervenes and promises to care for them.
She takes them to aplace of great beauty but with strict rules and like any kids they do not like to be given boundaries. Their desire to find out the truth and see or themselves the secret places on the estate they cannot leave bring them more questions than answers.
They learn that Aristophania has cosmic connections with powers beyond their understanding but is she a force for good or evil. Can they truely trust her to have their best interests at heart.
Beautifully told and supported by exquisite artwork; the dialogue and illustrations capture these strange forces within and outside the chronology of the earth. This sense of mystery and enchantment is matched by the evil wrought against those who stand against the absolute power of the bannished king.
This is just the first episode of what promises to be a thrilling series with the three likeable children standing at a threshold. At a portal, open to knowledge beyond the natural world, from where they will cease to be children but may never reach adulthood. Is it a step too far? A leap of faith to find their mother and revenge their father? Or just the ramblings of an old woman with strange but waning powers who needs young blood for her own ends.
Don't you love cliff-hangers? No spoilers please!

An admirable attempt but unfortunately this book was unable to sustain my attention. Perhaps more attention needs to be paid to the narrative arc.

Thank you to netgalley for giving the opportunity to read and review this book. The cover and description were the first pieces that drew me into this world. As a reader, I felt as if I was inside a fairytale. It felt magical and dream-like. The writing was beautiful. I greatly enjoyed the inclusion of historical aspects as well-- the setting of the story was well researched. The illustrations gave me darker vibes which I loved!