*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free graphic novel*

Jane Austen meets Alice in Wonderland meets Fight Club meets Victorianism.

Artemisia is the product of colonisation, her father supposedly raped a Native somewhere and took the baby girl home with him. Now she is to be married off to a very old man, but when she steps to a mirror into the fairy realm, everything changes. She has to evolve to come back to the human world and fight the evil fairy queen that took her place. Artemisia also meets a morally dubios cat-like guide and the melancholic, unloved son of the evil fairy queen. (If this ever made into a movie, can we please have Tom Hiddleston for that? It would be perfect.)

Very gory, fast-paced, well-drawn and entertaining. I felt thoroughly entertained despite the lack of world-building. Especially the depiction of fairies as cunning, dangerous and evil is refreshing. It's not all flowers and sweet wine in Fairy!

4,5 Stars

Wow.
This book was a joy ride and the ending was so twisted. That I’m still in shock at it.
I rarely have ever read books with faeries in it. So this was a good starting point. The characters, the plot , the art art all came into one as it taught you to keep memories close and show that you can overcome the pain. Also what happens when you let others tell you what to do and think. I really loved this book. At first I didn’t think I was going to be given it. But yet I still wished for it. I have no regrets at all. Definitely going to buy a copy myself!

Fantastic fae graphic novel! Love the premise and the gutwrenching heartbreaking concept. The romance feels a bit rushed, though, and unrealistic. Too much too fast, but otherwise I like the idea of everything else.

When I saw faerie fight club in the description I assumed there'd be a lot of crazy fantasy violence, but what I didn't connect was that Fight Club the book/movie wasn't just actually about watching fights, it was about how fighting could change a person, free them or manipulate them, and how it really pulled at what is important in life. Sparrowhawk has plenty of gory, wicked fights between magical creatures, but it also spends a lot of time questioning when might is right and what death costs. There were times when I felt the plot seemed to glide over things or jump, but I mostly enjoyed the plot and the technicolor art.

Well, the very first thing I have to say about <i>Sparrowhawk</i> by Delilah S. Dawson--illustrated by Matias Basla and Rebecca Nalty--is <i>wow</i>, was that <i>dark</i>. I was really excited to read this rather brilliant-looking graphic novel from the very first moment I saw it, intrigued by what was described as a "teen Victorian fairy fight club" and eager to see what adventures would befall this illegitimate daughter of a naval captain whose never quite fit in with her father's very white, upper class family as she is pulled into the fairy realm by a voraciously conquer-minded queen. Artemisia would have to fight her way through the realms of the fairies in order to get back to her home and the ones who matter most to her, but with the way that this world she's been pulled into works, she may come out losing herself and all she holds dear along the way.

I was blown away by this story and by the artwork. Every second reading left me at the edge of my seat, waiting to find out what would happen next and cringing at each horrible thing that happened. Artemisia's fairy guide through the world was fascinating and terrifying all at once. I found it hilarious that he told her precisely how to tell if a creature within the world was evil, by looking at its eyes, and yet she still trusted him more than just about anyone else she came across. It was a brilliant and mind-altering story and the transformation of the main character, a very cautionary tale, was all at once marvelous and horrifying.

The conclusion was very much emotionally thrilling and dejecting, leaving you to watch in horror as the process through which you saw Artemisia go through, a sort of development backward begins anew. And I think that's the most fascinating piece of it all, really. I felt emotionally attacked at multiple points in the novel, despairing over unchangeable situations as both the story and the character delved even further into the darkness she was ultimately surrounded by, misguided by one faerie companion and given genuine good advice from another. I was little prepared for the way this tale would end, despite having seen it coming. Somehow the author managed to entrap me in this world, deepening my attachment bit by bit as the abyss of darkness opened up beneath and swallowed the story whole.

It's like those tales where you know the worst is yet to come, that it will come, and that the horrible truths of the story will repeat themselves time and time again with another as we are all innocent and naive enough to fall into such traps and there are plenty of us to go around. And in the end, I loved every second of it, which is thoroughly surprising since I am not typically one to enjoy a dark and depressing story such as this one. Yet something about Artemisia and Crispin and Warren that completely captivated me. And I believe it will captivate a great many of you, too.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I was so excited to be approved for this! This just looked right up my alley and I wasn't disappointed at all. I loved the art, story, and the characters! Would love to read more from this author in the future!

This was my first time reading a graphic novel and I was not disappointed! The artwork was dark, edgy and alluring! And while Artemisia may have been the main character, I couldn't help but love the supporting characters Crispin and the Beast of Dean.

Sparrowhawk is fun, full of adventures, and vivid in its imagery. I read the digital copy but would be glad to add a hard copy to my office, school library, or classroom collection. A very entertaining read!

Title: Sparrowhawk #1
Author: Delilah S. Dawson, Matias Basla
Genre: Fantasy, Graphic Novel
Publication Date: Out Now!
Copy provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.



Synopsis: "Teen Victorian fairy fight club! As the illegitimate daughter of a Naval Captain, Artemesia has never fit in with her father’s family, nor the high class world to which they belong. However, when she is targeted by the Faerie Queen and pulled into another realm, she has no choice but to try and save the world that has always hated her. Writer Delilah S. Dawson (Hellboy: An Assortment of Horror, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny) and artist Matias Basla (The Claw and Fang) present a beautiful, gripping tale perfect for fans of Labyrinth and Princeless." (Goodreads)



My Review:
This will be a shorter review since it is a graphic novel. But, I really enjoyed it! It is filled with a dark fairy world. The world has cute creatures and some that are just creepy and weird but so interesting!

Artemesia has had a rough life. She was raised away from her mother who was a slave and Artemesia feels caged in the world she lives in. She gets a break when she finds herself in this fairy land where the only way to get stronger is by killing. Two other characters who follow her around are like the little good angel and bad devil on her shoulder. Artesmesia has to make some hard decisions, but usually it always ends with death.

I enjoyed the world building and Artemesia's decent from innocent to killer. It was intriguing to watch the plot unfold and the illustrations are stunning! This is one series I am looking forward to finishing.

Despite the lack of world-building and the choppy beginning, Sparrowhawk builds up slowly to an explosive climax and conclusion. Artemisia's transformation from an innocent girl to a monster proved to be both a horrifying and thrilling experience and stands out from the rest of the fantasy genre. The colorful artwork creates an Alice in Wonderland vibe, which pairs nicely with the dark and chaotic atmosphere of the book. Dawson does an excellent job of portraying the manipulativeness of the faerie world through the use of Crispin, Artemisia's "guide." Majority of authors do not depict faeries as the cunning creatures they are, making Dawson's work all the more impressive. Although Sparrowhawk is structured like a short story due to the extremely fast pace of the plot, it was still a pleasant read.

And that ending was definitely worth it.

That was a fun and dark fairy tale. The main character is taken through the mirror by the Unseelie Queen where she meets a new advisor who helps her return to her land to kill the queen. She must kill to gain power along the way and as she kills, she loses much of what she hopes to gain. I recently read a more literal retelling of Alice in Wonderland recently that tried to be dark and failed miserably. This one takes the tropes including the Cheshire Cat and turns them on its head. The ending is powerful, and I will not ruin it here. This is not a comic for those who do not like violence or want a happy ending, but the violence is not graphic.

Written by Deliah S. Dawson, Illustrations by Matias Basla

4 stars. Best enjoyed on an empty stomach, and FAR from a mirror.

I had the opportunity to get one of my Netgalley wishes answered. Thanks to Boom Studios and Netgalley for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.

Sparrowhawk is a graphic novel detailing a young woman’s fall into faerie and the subsequent journey she had to take to escape it and save her own world from the Unseelie Queen who took her place. A picture is worth a thousand words, and this story is all pictures and color, portraying much, betraying little.

Artemisia is the adopted mixed race daughter in a family in dire straights. Although her father and sister love her, her stepmother is a complete pill, wishing to marry her off to her deceased older sister’s betrothed in order to save the family. If Artemisia disagrees, her stepmother has threatened to marry her beloved younger sister, Caroline, to a wealthy elderly Baron. However, before Artemisia can make a choice, the Unseelie Queen, bent on destroying the world (starting with Victorian England), reaches through the mirror and switches places with her.

Artemisia, now stuck in faerie with little knowledge on how to get out, is greeted by Crispin, an abomination created by the evil Unseelie queen. Crispin offers to strike a deal with Artemisia: to help her through faerie and get back home in exchange for her most treasured memory. Anyone who knows anything about faerie or faerie lore also knows how terrible of an idea this is, but Artemisia agrees. Crispin, in turn, tells her exactly what she needs to do to get out:

Grow Stronger. By Killing.

But she better hurry, because the Wild Hunt is on her trail.

During her journey, she struggles to remember the important memory she gave away to Crispin in exchange for guidance. Artemisia must kill other faeries in order to get back to her own world while also trying to maintain some semblance of her humanity. Along the way they meet an Unseelie prince who abhors the evil world his mother has created and detests that Artemisia must kill to save her own, and Dean, a giant pig like monster who, at times, is reminiscent of Falcore from Never-ending Story.

I enjoyed the illustrations. There were covers peppered throughout the sections which were illustrated by Miguel Mercado and absolutely enhanced the story. The story itself at times felt a little disjointed, but that’s to be expected when it comes to graphic novels about faerie there was a lot of ground to cover and you really need to rely on the illustrations to guide those missing pieces into place. There were some dream sequences that sometimes felt oddly situated and I didn’t really understand the rhythm of them until literally the last one, which was definitely jarring, but then I got that they were referencing the memory she had lost and does not regain until the end. But I won’t spoil it, you’ll need to pick this one up for yourself.

Overall, although I was expecting more and it felt a little shallow during the first read through the more I sat with it the better it got. It was a fun read and I think it’s well worth the time spent. I have a feeling I’m going to be dreaming in lime green, teal, and purple for awhile.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
The art! The art and the colors! This was magic.
I love fairy tales, and myths and this book read like a fairy tale retelling, using faeries as they were in their original stories, sneaky and unreliable and dangerous. It read like a story that would fit in the Alice in Wonderland world.
Art(emesia) is the illegitimate daughter of a Naval Captain chafing at a world that doesn’t want her to be an equal in it. Pulled into the faerie realm, by their queen, she makes questionable friendships (all friendships with faeries are questionable) and fights to make her way back to her world to fight off the queen.
The art, was gorgeous, I loved it. It fit the world and the coloring was perfect for the story and art. Magic happened in this book and the ending will make you go, “what?”

ARC Copy...I best describe as Alice in Wonderland meets the not so "peaches and cream" fairies of midsummers night's dream with one strange but strong female protagonist all mixed into one acid washed-coloured nightmare of a wonderland!

I heard about this book at Wondercon where the author was on a panel. The premise sounded fantastic and I knew that I had to get my hands on a copy! While the book started out interesting, I became very confused. The world-building happened so quickly that I never completely caught up from it. Additionally, the world seemed rather thin. The art was okay, but many of the images were a bit confusing as well. While I enjoyed the theme and premise of the story, it seemed quite lackluster and hackneyed.

Thrown into a twisted Faerieland where killing is the only survival skill, outcast and illegitimate daughter Artemesia is used to scrapping her way through life. This land is full of more than just monsters, however, and as Art fights to escape Faerieland, she may lose what makes her human in the first place. Dawson draws upon the darkest parts of Alice in Wonderland here, particularly with a Cheshire Cat-esque character with dark purpose and maniacal logic.