Set in the Victorian era, this portal fantasy has Artemesia - an illegitimate child of a colonist and a slave living with her step family - travel to a dark fairyland where she must defeat monsters and conquer obstacles in order to return to her own world. The story is engaging right from the start and never loses pacing on its way to a twist conclusion. The artwork is good and I especially loved the different fonts used for each character which made following the comic a breeze. I had previously read the author’s other graphic novel Ladycastle and wasn’t as impressed by the execution as I was by the synopsis so this was a very pleasant surprise. Definitely recommend this to fantasy fans.

3.5/5 stars

Artemisia is the biracial daughter if a British naval captain and a slave. Asan infant, she was brought back to England, and raised with her father, stepmother, and 2 half-sisters. However, she was never fully accepted by society and certainly not be her stepmother. To cope, she adopted a thick skin and a penchant for following her own path, consequences be damned. When that path pulls her into the land of Faerie, she must kill others in order to gain her wings and the strength to go back to her own world a defeat the Unseelie Queen. On her journey, she is “aided” by a Cheshire-Cat-like jackelope and the pacifist Unseelie heir, Warren. Will she complete her journey? Will she get back to England and save everyone from the evil queen? Or will she be so transformed that her true self, her desire to Save the World is compromised?

Still plugging along, trying to learn to appreciate the graphic novel medium. Sparrow hawk was better in regards to the strong female protagonist and her journey from human to faerie and how her morals change over the course of the story. However, there are still some aspects of the graphic format that scream out at me as plot holes that we wouldn’t have if this were written as a narrative instead. For instance, Artemesia’s molting journey is too quick. It seems to happen in one day. Unlikely. Also: her instantaneous success with weapons? Like, I get that she could have had some training back in jolly old England, but not enough to make her successful in defeating hordes and monsters, but also great evil in the face of The Hunt. And, she and Warren fell in love??? When did that happen? The story, overall, was too rushed and doesn’t make sense time-wise.

It’s an exaggerated shoulder shrug from me…

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

Artemisia – “Art” for short – is the illegitimate daughter of a British Naval Captain and one of the indigenous women he colonized and enslaved. After her birth, Captain Grey kidnapped Artemisia and brought her back to his home in Victorian England, where she was begrudgingly “accepted” into the family. (As a servant, natch.) When Art’s half-sister Elizabeth is killed just before she’s to be wed to a Duke, thus snatching the Greys from the jaws of poverty, Mrs. Grey insists that Artemisia be auctioned off in Elizabeth’s place. It’s either agree to her stepmom’s demands, or see her younger sister Caroline given to a seventy-year-old Baronet. It’s kind of like Cinderella, except mom doesn’t give a shit about her biological daughters, either.

And then Artemisia’s problems go from bad to worse when she’s pulled into another realm by none other than the Faerie Queen herself. In turn, the Queen assumes Artemisia’s visage, with the intent of conquering earth. The only way that Art can get back to her world is by killing Faerie creatures to grow her own power and glamor. Can she slay the beast by becoming one herself? Does she even want to save earth, when her one good memory of it has been stripped away?

The “teen Victorian fairy fight club” descriptor is what really piqued my interest, but the actual story falls way short of this. Some of the finer plot points, like Warren’s relationship to Art, the significance of the flower, and just which memory Crispin traded Art for, are hecka confusing. I’m still not 100% sure I know what was going on there. The action only half kept my interest, at best. While there are quite a few fight scenes, the match-ups are uneven and so the battles are over before they even begin. (FIGHT CLUB? More like RAMBO.)

Honestly, the only redeeming things are a) the artwork, which is moody and gorgeous and b) the ending, which is just deliciously perfect in a TWILIGHT ZONE kind of way.

Artemisia belongs nowhere. As the bastard daughter of a naval officer and an enslaved woman, she grew up in England under her hateful stepmother's wing...neglected, disliked, mistreated. Until her older sister dies and Artemisia finds herself needed again—the only chance to save her father's reputation. That is, until she reaches out towards a mirror—and is pulled into faerie. Now Artemisia must kill to survive, and to save her world from the Unseelie Queen's destruction.

This is Alice in Wonderland meets Fight Club, with a biracial Victorian heroine who must kill to survive in fairy, all while trusting a rather untrustworthy guide.

The illustrations are excellent, and I liked the story. It was fast and clean and never super easy for Artemisia, and there were enough twists and turns that it felt predictable but not too predictable.

The world of faerie was weird and bloody, and I liked the correlation between killing in faerie and killing in the real world. Colonization is a theme that is explored to an extent in this book, with white Europeans coming to the Americas without understanding and murdering those they didn't understand without trying to know their supposed enemy—and also bringing along slaves to do their bidding for them. There is a power imbalance, which is mirrored in faeries as Artemisia gains power and is corrupted by that same power.

I wonder if there's an issue 6 or not, and where that will go. Will it be a cycle of violence and revenge? Or will mercy somehow win?

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

3.5✨
such an enjoyable read! it was really quick, it had some good quotes, it had twists and turns... i really liked this one! i was a little hesitant to start this because the art style wasnt my favorite but it grew on me and i felt like it really fit the story!

This was a refreshing twisty tale that had all the charm and whimsy of Alice in Wonderland but all the raw brutal consequences of traditional fairytales. I particularly loved the snarky and very sneaky Wolpertinger!

This is a great graphic novel! I appreciate the art work, and the story-telling. The cast of characters is unique, intriguing and fantastic to follow!

Artemisia is a mixed race girl living in Victorian England with her wicked step-mother and family. She gets pulled into a very dark version of faerie where she must kill to gain enough power to return home. I dug this macabre version of faerie. I find the best version of faerie are the ones where there's a bunch of ulterior motives and sly trickiness. There's also a lot about learning to accept one's self, faults and all. I loved the character designs but found the art itself to be too sloppy for my tastes.

Artemisia has never fit in her family since her father brought her back to England to be part of his English family. The only one who accepted her was her half-sister. Then she got dragged into Fairyland by the Queen who wanted to take and shape the World to her benefit. Artemisia got help from a fairy monster to develop into a creature who could in return to the World. And it only cost her a memory! The question has to be asked,what will that lost memory cost her in the end. Journey with Artemisia and find out!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title.

This was the second wish granted to me from NetGalley and I was so happy to get it. The artwork might have been better, though you eventually get used to it, but the story was awesome. I am a sucker for dark stories, and this story is very dark. It gives the feeling of a darker and creepier Alice in Wonderland for sure. It touches on many important topics like femenism and racism. The ending was so crazy but great! Wow it left me speechless. The characters are fun to read and even if the main character was annoying at times, overall I didn’t have a problem with her.

If you love twisted, dark stories, you are going to enjoy this graphic novel!

I had previously read the Ladycastle graphic novel by this author and found it to be cute but pretty lacking in both character development and subtlety, but I think this title shows a lot of growth in her as an author. I think it helped that this was five issues instead of just 4 [I always find 4 issue graphic novels to be so rushed], but the storyline about trying to find your place in the world and whether the ends truly justify the means was great and although it was very dark I loved it [especially the end]. The art is great as well and I really love all the character designs of the different faeries and how they change depending on their actions. Definitely worth a read for people who like faerie stories.

Ehhhh. This story fills half formed. A girl is pulled through a mirror into the fae world, where in order to return to her world she must gain power by killing. But she becomes a killing machine. Killing for the sake of power instead of seeing the beauty of the world she is in, or listening to the right people. She listens to a creature who can not lie to her, but can also trick her with the truth. She kills indiscriminately. As to the artwork, I like the cover and alternate cover illustrations much more than the illustrations in the panels. Overall this is a blah for this reader who will not be picking up any sequels.

Great artwork and a story filled with amazing twists. I like how the creators developed a story with so many references to faery folklore and myths!

Full review (July 22): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2019/07/comic-sparrowhawk.html

This collection of comics tells a story about a misfit longing for acceptance and dare I suggest love ? Artemisia doesn't quite fit in as she's a young woman of colour brought home by her naval father and obviously an embarrassment for her stepmother, not to mention a thorn in her side ! Artemisia finds herself pulled through the mirror and replaced in her own world by the fiercely ambitious Unseelie Queen. The place she finds herself in is both beautiful and inhospitable and to survive and find her way home Artemesia embraces a path of self destruction that was always bound to end in tragedy.
This dark tale is at odds with its colourful and sharply drawn images which strangely works as a distraction. The artwork on the covers within is absolutely stunning yet the graphics themselves are perhaps more simplistic, even garish.
Having seen the authors name I knew I had to read this and it doesn't disappoint. Ms Dawson paints a picture of truly cunning and manipulative Fae which is exactly how I imagine they would be. Yes there's beauty and throughout Artemisia reminded me of Dorothy in her quest to return home. Blinded by hate and so susceptible to persuasion this heroine turns her back on love only to fall prey to an evil that is pernicious and downright sneaky ! Fast paced and gory as Artemisia goes through a transformation that leaves her and indeed the reader with the reality that life doesn't always have a happy ending.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Disclaimer: I was given an advance reading copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to BOOM! Studios for the opportunity.

An adventure-filled plot with magical twists and turns that you won't see coming.

Sparrowhawk gave me the vibe of a vintage fantasy comic books that I loved when I was still a kid. The art style was given much importance as well as the plot. The world building was great, and it included magical creatures and beasts.

Ultimately, the fast-paced plot gave me the rush. I just wished it wasn't that fast-paced as it was so I could enjoy the story more. I would still recommend this to anyone who likes (a) comics, (b) fantasy, and (c) just pure fun and adventure!

Hmm... I'm not quite sure how to rate this. It's a fast paced, well drawn comic. The artwork is full of bold colors although the style itself is not one that I'm usually drawn to or prefer. That said, I thought it suited the strangeness of this story. I liked the artwork on the chapter/title pages more than I did the artwork throughout the comic, but I loved the contrast of the colorful against the brutal, gruesome and dark faerie world story. The plot itself reminded me of elements of Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland, which the author also mentioned as her inspiration in the afterword.

I found the story interesting. Artemesia is the daughter of a colonizer and a slave woman who grew up in a family that was cruel and didn't want her. After being forced into a situation she doesn't want to be in, Art finds herself being pulled into the faerie realm, having been replaced by the Faerie Queen in her world. In faerie, Art meets a demonic bunny (reminiscent of the cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland) who makes a pact to help her get back home, in exchange for one of Art's memories. Art must go through faerie slaying monstrosities in order to get back home, and along the way she encounters both the good and evil creatures of faerie, including the gentle faerie prince, whom she falls in love with. How far will she go to get back home?

Art was a strong willed character who was fiercely determined to go home. Her transformation from a thoughtful human, to a monster who enjoys killing as much as any unseelie, was disturbing. It begs the question: how far would you go to do what you think is right, even if it turns you into someone who you don't like. The side characters were all very interesting as well and although he was an evil, twisted thing I really enjoyed the demonic bunny's character.

I liked the sinister vibes of the ending and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next and how Art will deal with the repercussions of her actions. A review for Sparrowhawk will be posted on my blog closer to the release date.

Thanks to Netgalley and BOOM! Studios for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book but it was really rushed. Now I will say that Dawson did a good job of telling a story that doesn't leave anything related to said plot out leaving a short and well- rounded story. reading I got what Dawson was trying to do and what they were trying to make me feel. I understood that Artemesia was scared but hiding it, had very few people she could trust, and above al also was desperate to get back home. The only problem was that it was I didn't have time to get attached to anything or anyone in the story.

The art was pretty good. Saying it's is not well versed in the art. I can't really ever draw a stick figure. However, the backgrounds did a good job of staying familiar but still unworldly and you can easily understand what actions are going on in each frame. I think the only thing about Basla's art in this is that the character's expressions sometimes seemed wonky or just derpy. but I also think that this might just be a problem a lot of illustrators may have. Again not well versed in the art

Sparrowhawk holds the ticket to an expertly drawn fantasy world complete with fantastic creatures, terrifying beasts, and an alternate reality with whiffs of Wonderland. The art style is a perfect match with the surreal storytelling, giving us a colorful, somewhat blurred look at the beauty and peril of this strange world. With every panel, our protagonist finds herself descending deeper and deeper into this action-packed story, never backing down from the challenges that arise. She’s powerful beyond measure, and a fitting hero for this epic tale.

Review to be published 8/20: http://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/08/20/quick-review-sparrowhawk

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been thinking about this for awhile as I am very unsure how to rate this.

The bright art style does contradict the very dark tones to this story. This is the lengths that someone will go to for what they want even if it's wrong. This also shows how our own personality and beliefs can be hinged on the people in our lives and how the loss of someone can create ripples throughout you.

This was good, the art style was good. It was all just good and nothing really jumped out at me throughout. I think if the synopsis intrigues you give it a go.

This was a whimsical and dark fairy story. It was an enjoyable read. I liked the color scheme and the ending was really good.