Sparrowhawk was a pretty interesting read. I will admit it started off a bit slow, but really got exciting once Atemisia got pulled into the other realm. Making an acquaintance of an odd looking creature gave her a purpose and hopefully a way back home. She will embark on a journey that will change her in many ways, and comes with plenty of risks. If you are looking for something different then this is a graphic novel you will want to check out.

Sparrowhawk was a trip into faerie Wonderland with a Cinderella spin. The cover art intrigued me and the story sucked me into a world where Artemesia (Art), looked down on by her family due to her mixed race and background, finds herself in the faerie world with no memory of the thing she loved most, her sister.

The story itself kept me hooked from start to finish as Art works to gain power so she can escape the faerie world and return to her own where the evil Unseelie Queen threatens to destroy everything. Art's growth and transformation from kind and merciful into the very monster she's attempting to destroy was eerie in its simplicity, how easily she drifted off the path once she loses any recollection of her sister's influence. There's definitely the question of morality from her first kill throughout her journey, especially with the trickster faerie Crispin justifying her actions.

But something was missing from Sparrowhawk. The most noticeable piece for me was the introduction of the Unseelie prince and the romance subplot that came from that. He acted as Art's moral compass, attempting to get her to see reason and have mercy, and I think that's where it needed to end. Let him be another companion in her journey, the voice of reason, because the romance was super rushed and wasn't really rooted in anything. 

The other part was this open-endedness of the world. With a graphic novel, the illustrations help fill in the blanks but the faerie world wasn't really crafted in a way that I understood why Art had to kill other creatures, why that gave her power especially when the prince mentions other ways to be powerful and it wasn't clear if he meant figuratively or literally. I just wanted things fleshed out a bit more.

As for the illustrations, like I said, I was hooked by the cover art, but it's different from the actual story graphics. Those aren't as polished and ranged from interesting and detailed to vague and almost messy. I don't think it's a bad illustration style but it's just not something I would pick up had I seen the book in person first.

Sparrowhawk was enjoyable overall and I felt like the ending really bought the rest of the story full circle. I'm not sure if other issues are in the works or not (this was a bind-up of the first 5), but with the way this book ends, I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to the story.

Then again, maybe it's best to end it as is. Leaves a little to the imagination I suppose.

I am such a fan of Faerie books and the premise of this drew me in right from the start. Faerie fight club? Yes please! I loved the intricate worldbuilding so much, and enjoyed following Artemisia's journey through the Faerie realm.

Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher, for granting this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Uh, well, hmm. I really didn’t like this one, which is very surprising to me. The five issues that make up Sparrowhawk, written by Delilah S. Dawson and illustrated by Matias Basla, seem like they would contain plenty of elements that I love: a diverse woman protagonist, a brutal world of faeries, and gorgeous art. The graphic novel certainly has some of these things, but the execution is definitely not to my tastes.

Artemisia Grey is born of a British naval captain and an African slave, and despite coming to live with her father’s family, she is treated with shame and disgust by everyone except her half-sister, Elizabeth. On the eve of being married off so she’ll “have some use” to her family, Art is pulled through a mirror by an evil faerie queen, effectively switching places with her. To survive in Faerie against the Unseelie, Art makes a bond with a mischievous fae who cannot lie to her but certainly has his own agenda. If she wants to return home and defeat the faerie queen that’s taken her place, Art must kill any evil faerie that stands in her way and absorb their power, but as she does, she starts to undergo her own strange metamorphosis.

Doesn’t this sound awesome? Why don’t I feel any kind of satisfaction or gladness upon reading it?

Let’s examine it a bit.

First off, I love the cover and all the title pages for each issue. They are stunning. Unfortunately, that quality does not transfer to the contents of the graphic novel. As the story is told, the illustrations are incredibly rough and basic despite the complicated character designs, often focusing more on the bizarre landscapes around the characters than the features of the characters themselves.

I won’t say the illustrations are bad, but this style just isn’t one I enjoy when I’m reading a comic. I want vividness. I want to be able to discern what characters look like and how they’re feeling by being able to see their faces in detail. So much goes untold by reading body language, and this style ensures you don’t get much of it. Also, shading goes a long way, and this comic doesn’t use much of that either, making characters and surroundings look flat on the page.

That said, I thought the color choices were interesting. They’re bright but are somewhat off-kilter, and they grow even more so as Art descends into Faerie. While they’re not what I would have chosen, they fit this strange world and its strange inhabitants. I only wish there had been different color choices made for Art’s world, to show how different the two are.

As for the characters themselves, I like Crispin, the Wolpertinger that Art makes a bond with. He’s my kind of trickster character for sure. Beyond that, though, there’s little to speak of. I like Art at first but my interest in her wanes as more of her story becomes as predictable as her choices are ridiculous. (And yep, I predicted the ending as early as the second issue’s beginning, which is a shame because nothing else happens to surprise me and make up for it. Everything just feels futile and inevitable as a result.)

Part of my disinterest comes from how much the story feels half-formed. Unfortunately, Dawson confirms in the Afterword that this story fizzled out after writing 16,000 words when she first conceived it, and even with pictures added to it, you can still tell that.

Art’s experience as a biracial, illegitimate daughter and how it affects her life is also dropped in favor of her going on killing sprees in Faerie for reasons that become more and more half-baked. In truth, Dawson doesn’t seem like the kind of person who should have tried to tackle a slave origin narrative, no matter how slight, especially given how it is treated and what Art becomes, but that’s really all I can say about that.

There is also an Unseelie prince love interest for some reason? Featuring probably the worst character design, he’s nice and doesn’t want to kill anyone, especially innocents, and Art ignores his advice at every turn to listen to Crispin instead. In fact, they barely talk yet somehow they fall in love with each other for reasons that simply don’t exist in the narrative. Don’t even get me started on that last scene/confrontation between them. It is laughably bad.

The other thing that works against Sparrowhawk rather than for it is the cyclical nature of its scenes. As Art continues changing, she has the same type of dream over and over again, except it’s with different characters and contains mirroring dialogue with what’s come before. It’s supposed to be clever but it comes across as tedious given how undeveloped this entire story feels. Dawson really didn’t have many ideas for it, whereas another writer could have truly made this concept shine—and it still could have been brutal and grimdark, but maybe I’d actually feel like I accomplished something by reading it.

I think there’s definitely people who will like this short graphic novel, but I don’t know who they are. Usually, I can recommend things I don’t like to someone in my circle because taste is so subjective, but I’m drawing a blank here. Sparrowhawk just is not my type of story, but it easily could have been with a different execution, and sometimes, knowing that is worse than just not liking something. The lost potential here is real.

I've been a fan of Delilah S. Dawson's writing for a while now, although before Sparrowhawk I hadn't had a chance to check out her comics. I've heard amazing things about her other series, Ladycastle, but somehow Sparrowhawk slipped past my radar while the single issues were releasing. So when I heard about this bind-up coming out, I knew I had to see what it was all about.

Sparrowhawk feels like a perfect mashup of several things I love deeply. It has the dark, gritty familiarity of the American McGee's Alice games, with the fun world building of the I Hate Fairyland comics.

Dawson has a knack for snappy humor, both in life and in her writing, and that trademark is definitely present here. Crispin the Wolpertinger was my favorite character, an ever-present devil on the shoulder of the main heroine, Artemisia. The retorts these two lobbed at each other were fantastic throughout. Humor isn't the only strength Dawson's writing boasts though. The storytelling through each issue was spot on, hitting the necessary beats while also carrying the overarching story at a pace that never lagged. My only issue was the attempt at a love story. It felt rushed and wholly unnecessary. I would have rather seen Art and Warren develop a truly strong friendship rather than a quick, see-through romantic relationship.

I've seen others complain about the art style in Sparrowhawk, but I personally loved it. And that's the thing about art, it's subjective and everyone has their own tastes. I enjoyed the simplicity of it. Paired with the colorful scenery and gorgeous world building it truly complemented the story. I love the way Art's transformations were illustrated, those panels being some of my absolute favorites overall. Overall the art was a great example of how there's both darkness and beauty to be found in the world.

Sparrowhawk is one of the best comics I've read this year. I don't know if it will continue, the ending seemed to wrap things up while also leaving definitely potential for more, but I've been unable to find anything that points toward future issues happening. I would love to see it continue though. The themes within were beautiful to read, and I think it has a lot of crossover appeal for YA readers. Dawson's storytelling paired with Basla's illustrations is a fantastic combo and really drives the message of this story home. And now I'll just leave you with my favorite passage, one that's stuck with me since I finished Sparrowhawk, words that I think all of us could do with hearing from time to time: "You are a creature of dark and light. You are a wonder. Never forget that."

"Teen Victorian Fairy Fightclub!" Well that description got me hooked. I wasn't disappointed either. Artemisia is a misfit in her own family, trying to fit in and be loved. That is, until she's pulled into Fairyland by the Fae Queen. Now she must fight her way back home. Will the twisted world of the Fae make her stronger? Or will she leave more ruthless than she began?

This graphic novel is a throw back to the classic girl goes to fairyland story, just don't expect a happy ending. The beautiful illustrations were a great juxtaposition to the darker tale. This was a great refreshing look at the Fae. The tale gets darker but is somehow still full of love and hope.

When I opened this and saw how different the inner artwork was from the cover, I didn't think I'd like it very much. While the artwork grew on me a bit after a few issues, it's still not my favorite. There was less detail than I would have preferred, and the fight scenes were often hard to follow (kind of important when you describe your story as "teen Victorian fairy fight club").

BUT. I'm still a sucker for any story inspired by Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass. And the darker and more gruesome the retelling, the better.

Artemisia is unceremoniously yanked through a mirror into Faerie by the Unseelie Queen. She spends the majority of the volume journeying through the unfamiliar world fighting fey and leveling up so she can return to earth and keep the twisted queen from taking over. On the way she manages to her bond herself to an untrustworthy wolpertinger (a Bavarian cryptid similar to a Jackalope), who guides her through grey areas that become increasingly dark as she nears the end of her journey.

In the end, she isn't the same girl who started out and the evolution exacts a high price. This volume doesn't have a "happy" ending. And I think that makes it better.

This was a decent fantasy adventure story. The art was good, the story was fun, but it was a bit gruesome. It did leave the end open for another book but if so I don't think I'll be reading it.

*Received via NetGalley for review*
Artemisia is the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of a naval captain, shunned by her family and destined for a life of more of the same. When the Unseelie queen appears in her mirror and switches places with her, Art is now in the fairy world while the queen wears her skin and plans to conquer the new world she finds herself in.

She meets a creature that offers to be her guide back home... for a price. One fond memory later, Art finds herself unraveling and forgetting why she wants to return home in the first place, slashing and killing all manner of creatures in order to grow powerful enough to defeat the queen. Art struggles against the darkness for a little bit, but is unceasingly drawn in.

Of course, this may not be the case. We learn almost immediately that her companions are manipulating her and, while not outright lying, disguising the truth in order to direct her to their goals. The Unseelie queen could be someone who went through something similar, but at the point of their meeting, Art is too far gone to care.

A truly beautiful and engaging graphic novel. The color palette is gorgeous, as are the characters (who are also all unique and well-realized), and the story leans hard into the mischievous and cruel nature of fairies.

I'm a sucker for a anti hero comic book.

You really get to see Artemisia's development, how easy it is to push others away and give in to darkness. She goes from making her first kill totske revenge on the brute force that kills the small inoccent creature into killing the inoccent herself while making a thousand excuses. The way her appearance reflects her kills is chilling as well. Especially they way she becomes the spitting image of the queen when she later returns.

That ending is golden in a miserable kind of way, did not see it coming and I have to say it leaves me wanting more.

This book was interesting. I found myself sucked in but also annoyed with some aspects of it. I loved the premise of the plot. It had a very Holly Black and Alice in Wonderland type feel, which are two favorites of mine. The characters, I found to be likeable enough, though I wish they had been developed a little further, and the voices and sentence structure of the characters got a little annoying sometimes. It almost felt like they were trying too hard to sound certain way and it felt forced at times. I loved the colors used in the illustrations, they really drew me in and gave a feeling of fantasy within the story. Although at times it felt the illustrations themselves were a little rushed and haphazard.

Overall, enjoyed it! If there's a second I would read it.

3.5 stars.

An interesting almost Alice In Wonderland meets The Cruel Prince mash up series.

I felt it lacked a little with regards to character development, I feel that each segment could have been a little longer. They could have gone into more detail, really woven the story together, making you feel a little more for the characters and the world itself.

But overall I enjoyed it.

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I love faeries. I love Delilah Dawson and her books. THIS COMIC WAS AMAZING. I can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands.

I've read one Delilah S. Dawson book and while the concept was interesting, the execution was not my cup of tea. This on the other hand, was right up my alley. Falling into a faerie world? Yes please! I really enjoyed this graphic novel, all of the faerie creatures, our MC Artemisia, and I hope there's more to come!

There is something about books with fairy tale influences that I find fascinating. Sparrowhawk shows what happens to a young lady after a Fairy Queen takes her place. I loved the setting within the fairy realm, where our heroine battles all sorts of creatures in an attempt to return to our world and defeat the queen. Despite the questionable decisions that she makes along her journey, it was satisfying to see the way various elements came together through the inevitable showdown.

The art is wonderful. Each of the creatures is unique. I particularly like the way the color palette contrasts with the content of the story. It adds to the tricky nature of the fairy realm. I also like the way that Artemisia changes visually as her journey progresses.

Victorian era stuff is my normal go-to, so I was a little unsure about this comic at first, but I really like Delilah S. Dawson so I was hoping she would win me over. Which she did. It starts off a little slow, seeming like a victorian plot about class struggle, but then it gets super interesting when Artemisia is pulled into Faerie and has to deal with the kill or be killed mentality of the UnSeelie Court. If you like mashup genres and like stories based in Faerie, I definitely recommend this one.

I really loved the artwork in this one, at times it was dark to reflect the UnSeelie Court, but other times it was done with really vibrant colors. It was definitely a fun comic to look through. Everything seemed to really pop off the pages.

The plot in this one is pretty dark, and we begin to see early on how Artemisia is lead astray by a little voice whispering in her ear. She never means to turn into what she does at the end, but she listens to the wrong advice and makes a horrible mistake, but feels like she had to press on just to reach her goal. To get home and destroy the evil Queen. With the final frame, it left me wanting more and to see how everything is going to play out.

The plot weaves Victorian society great with the Faerie folklore and some hints at Alice in Wonderland homage with Crispin the Abomination. I definitely want to read what happens next in this series.

*I received an eARC copy of this second look book via Netgalley and the publisher BOOM Studios. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sparrowhawk is a graphic novel which take the main character Artemisia into Faire, there she must kill to be able to go back home.

I really enjoyed this, the art beautiful and the story intriguing! I really liked the questions it rose about how you do evil for something good, and how one can change doing these actions. The end left me gasping, and I was very surprised how the overall dark the whole story was. It was trickery and clever, so of course I liked it! 4/5 stars.

Arc copy gladly received by netgalley.

Artemisia is a brave, smart, young mixed teen in a world not ready for what she has to offer. She was the heart & soul of her family, yet all but her step sister treated her like nothing more than a family servent. Her step mother would put her down every chance she got & her father was just worried about marrying her off. Her step mother is just prepping her to hopefully move out soon. Suddenly she's looking at a warped reflection of her own face & when she wakes up she's in a world not her own. Here she meets many new, fascinating, & quite scary creatures. She makes a deal with her Faerie guide but she doesn't really understand the idea behind the deal & just exactly what it is she's losing in return for going back home. She learn the warped imagine was the faerie queen breaking into her world. She must fight her way out of this world & in doing so it changes her drasticly both mentality & physically. She's transformed into something she doesn't recognize. She meets the love of her life & simultaneously loses him due to her growing strength. She's also lost part of her memory & as hard as she tries she can't for the life of her remember what else she's lost. Finally making it back home to save her world & as soon as she's done so it's just as it was before, with her critical step mother & careless father. But suddenly she remembers what she's lost, but yet again it's too late.

This graphic novel honestly had me put it down once or twice out of sheer anger & love for the characters. I truly loved Warren & I was very much hoping for q happy ending for him even though I knew he was from the Faerie world & he was an unseelie "monster". He deserved to escape & I'm happy Art made it back home but I can help but wonder if shell go back now knowing what she's lost & also knowing how to get around that world as well as what needs to be done there to gain power.

I think the concept of the story is really interesting and cool. The world that our main character gets thrown in is colorful and lively and the stakes are high, making the pacing feel urgent.
Overall I wasn't a fan of the art style, it felt very rough and forceful and it felt like it didn't really match the story all that much. I preferred the art on the covers throughout the book rather than the consistent art. Which was an entirely different style and varied, but it felt more impactful and meaningful than the rest of it.
It was a bit go a struggle to get through this one, even though it's a rather short graphic novel.
I was rather disappointed by the storyline and wished I cared for the characters and the outline more than I did.
I really did like the concept and the whole "victorian faerie fight club" idea sounded really cool, it was just in its execution that I was disappointed.

I liked that the story took a 'Alice In Wonderland' turn on the land of Faerie.
Main character and POC, Artemisia gets dropped in the land of Faerie and makes a trade with an 'abomination': a single memory for the information and assistance in getting out of Faerie.
Art journeys through the land, meets new 'allies?', and learns how values change as you yourself do.

I enjoyed the twist at the end, and would like to see a continuation of the series.