This was a really great graphic novel! I liked that it was a dark fantasy graphic novel about magic and the sea and ahh it was just so good! If you are into fantasy books then you will definitely like this one!

I'm extremely sad to rate this graphic novel only with 2 stars, but unfortunately I didn't like it.
I found it confused at the beginning and pretty boring. The illustrations are not bad at all, but did not find any connection with the story. I had difficulties to finish reading and I was not happy at all.

This is a tale of two sisters and their division.But it is also the tale of the great rising and destruction of their home. Dahut and Rozenn must both make sacrifices in their lives, but the true question is whether those sacrifices are worth what they receive.

Absolutely gorgeous! Loved the color and the style, everything. I'd never heard of the story of Ys, but the tale is both beautiful and horrifying.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I loved the haunting and atmospheric book and I look forward to more books from this author. It was much darker than I expected which was an interesting surprise. I wish the writing a a little more detailed though.

Based on a Briton folktale, this graphic novel takes us to the fantasy world of Ys. There, two sisters grow up together in a castle crafted by their mother at the edge of the sea. The two sisters each have elements of their mother’s personality, but when their mother dies the two drift apart. Rozenn, the eldest and heir, is most comfortable out on the moors with the animals. Dahut though enjoys the castle and figures out how to control the sea monster that protects their city from attacks from the sea. Dahut must make dark choices to keep her power flowing, something she resents as Rozenn spends her time away from court. When that darkness attacks Ys, secrets are revealed and battles waged.

Intriguing and fascinating, this graphic novel is marvelously dark and twisted. Anderson focuses on the two sisters, leaving the weak king to his own devices. The two are very different, one abandoning her station and the crown while the other sacrificed herself to keep Ys vibrant and safe. At the same time, Rozenn remains the pure and natural one while Dahut must do the dirty work of power. The question of who is the heroine of the book is haunting.

The art is equally unique, moving from brightness to almost murky underwater colors. The illustrations follow the story perfectly, becoming almost oppressive as the choices made come back to challenge both sisters. The two sisters on the page are depicted very differently too, showing one beautiful but plainly adorned while the other wears finery and jewels.

Rich, dramatic and wild. Appropriate for ages 13-16.

This is a graphic novel retelling of a Breton folktale from the incomparable M.T. Anderson so there are two things you can know right from the beginning - this story is very weird, and this story is magnificent.

Two sisters, the titular daughters of Ys, live a charmed life as princesses of a blessed kingdom with darkness hiding beneath the surface. In an exchange with the sea, their mother, part fay, raised the sea walls and gained power over the sea monsters who resided beyond the gates. Years later, sisters Rozenn and Dahut are mourning the untimely death of their beloved mother when they discover their father in all of his corruption. As the girls grow-up, they grow apart with Rozenn spending time on the moors -- disgusted by her father and now sister's actions, and Dahut becomes caught up in the murderous intrigues of court and the seduction and sacrifice of young men that gave her mother her power.

This book may have a hard time finding its audience, but those interested in celtic mythology and folklore will find a lot to like in this moralizing story and its dark, bloody artwork.

Award-winning author M.T. Anderson and illustrator Jo Rioux create a feminist fantasy with a Celtic influence with Daughters of Ys. Ys, a seaside kingdom, is shaken when its Queen, Malgven, passes away. Her two daughters, Rozenn and Dahut, are horrified to discover their father in the arms of other women so soon after their mother's passing, and grow apart. Rozenn, the heir to the throne, would rather be in the wild, surrounded by animals and nature; Dahut enjoys palace life and all the attention that comes with being the "beautiful daughter" - but she's got a secret directly connected to the monsters that threaten the Kingdom of Ys: the monsters that Queen Malgven used to be able to keep away.

Based on a classic folktale, The Daughters of Ys has M.T. Anderson's hallmark storytelling, with epic fantasy fleshed out with strong characters and complex relationships. Jo Rioux's artwork beautifully creates a Celtic-inspired world, and her lush artwork gives the fluid feeling of the seaside kingdom surreal life. She uses shadows and moody coloring to wonderfully dramatic effect. Hand this to any of your fantasy readers, and for anyone interested in more reading about Ys, this Wikipedia page has some very good information and links.

MT Anderson has won multiple literary awards, including the 2006 National Young People's Book Award for his book The Pox Party. His 2018 book with M.T. Anderson, The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, was nominated for the National Young People's Book Award.

The Daughters of Ys has a starred review from School Library Journal.

3.5 stars
Whoa what a dark and heartbreaking graphic novel. The Daughters of Ys follows two sisters who live on a seaside town, filled with beautiful illustrations and reminiscent of frozen I think many readers will enjoy.

I really like M. T. Anderson and this story did not disappoint. I enjoyed the sisters and how different they were from each other. You are completely entranced by the story and you have to continue until you get to the end. I highly recommend The Daughters of Ys to anyone,

Beautiful artwork and a dark enthralling fairy tale. A haunting story of two sisters, differently affected by their mother's absence and their father's neglect.

Queen Malgven was a sorceress who used magic to protect the city of Ys. After she dies, her two daughters grow apart. Rozenn, the heir, goes to live in the wild with nature, while Dahut stays home, taking over her mother’s magic. Dahut has to use magic to continue protecting the city from the monsters that threaten them.

This story is based on a Celtic legend. I didn’t know that story before reading it, so it was interesting to learn about. There were common elements of legends and myths, such as love, loss, magic, rebirth, and power.

At first, I thought this book is for younger readers, such as middle grade or young adult. With the illustrations and simple dialogue I thought this would teach younger readers about this legend. There were some depictions of sex, which surprised me. The illustrations were also graphic in some violent scenes. It should be read by an older young adult or adult audience.

I enjoyed this graphic novel.

Thank you First Second for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Darker than we see in fairy tales and folk tales as they are retold for modern audiences. Modern authors tend to soften the worst bits for us. Anderson certainly hasn't done that. Basically from the start we are presented with characters who have internal darkness. None of them are truly innocent. They manipulate others, use people for power or pleasure. One of the girls justifies cruelty as a means to achieving the greater good. The other denies responsibility, ignoring the darkness in her kingdom so she can follow her own interests. At every tear, every choice, the characters consistently choose wrong, make everything worse. And we are presented with choices made that can't be turned around, can't be undone or made right. They can only find a way forward, a way to cope with the consequences of their actions. It has something of a bleak outlook on life but that's not atypical of Anderson's work.

I really enjoyed this book and would consider sharing it with some of the more mature 8th graders in the mythology club I advise. However, it is definitely not middle grade appropriate. The art is beautiful, and the tale is one that is new to me!

With beautiful art and an encompassing atmosphere, this graphic novel isn't necessarily "easy," since there's a lot left unexplained and the ending's a real downer. An engaging story with interesting additional material at the end.

While I wasn't familiar with the original folk tale this story is based on, it has the unmistakable momentum of impending tragedy that I would expect from an old tale. But in that same vein, characters from folklore are often two-dimensional when they're truly faithful to source texts. The pacing was good - I never felt bogged down by the narrative, but I also didn't feel any need to linger. This graphic novel was solid, and certain audiences will probably enjoy it, but it's not one I feel compelled to rave about to everyone I know.

Based on a ancient Breton tale, this graphic novel makes the story of intrigue and deception accessible to a new audience. The illustrations have a mythical quality that lend a Celtic feel to the story. Perfectly paced to draw readers in until the very end.

This is one of the first graphic novels I've read of my own volition instead of being recommended by other people, and I was not disappointed. I really liked the story of the Daughters of Ys quite a lot. The summary didn't give away much of the plot, and I found that going in a bit blind as to what it may be about was actually quite thrilling. I'm not familiar with any Celtic tales, and I do find that now I want to go researching and reading more. I have very few critiques about this, actually, as I really enjoyed the storyline and characters and how they interacted with each other. The art style I wasn't a huge fan of, and sometimes there seemed to be gaps in the plot that were a bit jarring - like I wasn't ready to be finished with a scene, but it ended and moved on anyway. There also wasn't any specific chapters or indication of change of scene, which could be normal for graphic novels, I'm not sure. I'm not an expert on them but in my experience, they can be really helpful, especially when a lot happens in a short amount of time, and the author chooses pictures instead of words to depict a certain scene. Something I do think was done really well were the action scenes - I often find in graphic novels (or comics in general) they are cheesy and don't really give a sense of urgency like they intend to. I didn't find that here with this book, instead I felt like I could actually hear some of the sound effects and progression of the action. Again, this could be due to my relative inexperience with graphic novels, but a bonus in my reading nevertheless. I would recommend this to other people based on the story alone, however, which I thought was really interesting and made me wish it was longer and more fleshed out.

As a longtime fan of mythology and fables, this was a true treat to absorb. The art style combined with the story was beautiful and one I'll remember for a while yet.

The king is rescued by a magical woman. She asks him to help her kill her sorcerer husband, which he does. She then says she will marry the king and give him a great city from the ocean, Ys. The king agrees. The queen dies and leaves the king with two daughters. The elder daughter prefers nature and dislikes the feasts and parties held at the castle. The younger daughter follows in her mother's footsteps and delves deep into magic. Despite their best efforts, the city will soon fall.