Ooh, I love a good folktale, and I hadn’t heard of this one before. Good storytelling, great art. Thanks to NetGalley and First Second for the eARC

I really enjoyed this take on Celtic Mythology. The story was creative and the illustrations were amazing.

Such a beautiful artwork with a heartbreaking but empowering take on classic legend. It was so dark but, like most folklore and fairy tales, it still has some relevance with our daily lives.

An interesting story of dark magic and its consequences. I wasn't a huge fan of the art style, but it was simple enough to read and quick. A bit predictable, but aren't all old legends anymore.

Amazing artwork and lyrical prose make this a memorable read. I did not know the myth prior to reading this book, but the art conveyed a heavily Celtic style giving a strong sense of time and place to the reader. The ending felt a bit flat, but it was definitely a unique and beautiful story

This graphic novel of an old folktale was good. There were parts that felt a bit rushed, but the art had a fluid feel that matched the kingdom by the sea aspect of the story. While reading, it isn’t quite clear what Dahut’s father was doing that drove her to make a deal with a demon and that could have been fleshed out better, along with the deal itself, and why Rozenn never gained any magic power.

Due to scenes of nudity, the graphic novel would be good for history lovers over the age of 14 years old.

Review from a Netgalley copy.

Hear me out: the artwork. Its amazed me so much, so pretty and dark at the same time!
The Daughters of Ys is one of the most beautiful and shocked graphic novels that I've read in a time.
I enjoyed how the story goes deeper every time that you turn the page. You will be able to find out about the darkest secrets of Ys without any warning, because this story is about dark and family and beautiful landscapes of Breton and be able to learn a little more about their folklore.

Rating: 4,5 stars

This was an amazing graphic novel! It is packed to the brim with folklore and magic (both of which I absolutely love!). I am not familiar with the original Celtic legend, but I imagine it will be even more wonderful for those who are. The artwork is amazing, the story is intriguing and reads like an old fairytale. The ~200 pages fly by as you become immersed in the world and lives of Rozenn and Dahut, and how they both struggle with their roles as princesses. This book honestly left me wishing there was a sequel, or at least something more!

For fans of old legends born anew, this is a must-read!

I really enjoyed this story. I do wish it were longer, but overall It was great. The artwork was really nice and the story itself had a couple twists that I didn't see coming at all.

This was a fascinating retelling of a Celtic folktale. The aforementioned daughters of the city of Ys couldn't be more different, and even their father states that each of them gained a part of their mother, Rozenn, the eldest, the love of wild things and Dahut, the youngest, the belief in miracles. After the death of their mother, their father falls into a state of despair while still wanting to maintain their city as it was created and expanded by their sorcery-wielding mother.

Rather than being able to face and deal with the politics of the court, Rozenn prefers to be out on the moors and in the wilds with the wild animals and her mother's faithful horse. On the other hand, Dahut takes of the mantle of maintaining the magic within Ys, learning her mother's craft and keeping the sea creatures tamed. However, there is a dark secret within the walls of Ys, and it isn't until a betrayal that both daughters realize what will happen in the city.

I've never heard of this folktale, yet there are familiar elements present. With Rozenn and Dahut, I couldn't help thinking of "Snow White and Rose Red" yet that's where the similarities to that story end. The art is quite beautiful and definitely feels appropriate to the story's underlying darkness. I think readers will enjoy this unique folktale. Definitely recommended.

The artwork and worldbuilding were really great. I think anything that M.T. Anderson writes is fabulous and was so excited about this graphic novel. Definitely recommended!

I had never heard of or read the folktale this graphic novel was based on, but I was instantly intrigued when I read the description of the story. It's a tale of how people can change depending on what they consider important. It also examines themes such as power, good and evil and family connections.

The art style was simple and more rustic, but it fit the theme and setting of the story perfectly. It definitely gave it the feel of the time period and the seaside setting. You could definitely see the influence of the original folktale and the time period that it came from.

All in all this is an enchanting tale that provides more than one good morality lesson woven into it.

A rich and wonderful retelling of the fantastic Celtic folktale filled with warm and magical illustrations and vibrant prose.

A very interesting tale that was favored by interesting graphic illustrations and wonderful writing. A real winner for me.

This is so stunningly beautiful! A gorgeous adaptation of an old Breton folk tale about two sisters who take very different paths in life and the sad story of a kingdom ruled by greed, madness and grief.

An enticing tale of two magical sisters and a wondrous, but corrupt kingdom. It is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that kept me engrossed from start to finish. Fantastically done!

A haunting and heartwrenching retelling, made incredibly immersive by the expressive art style and stunning use of colour. I was not familiar with the original folktale before picking this up but I was compelled to research it after reading to be able to better appreciate the many details of this retelling.

<I> An incredibly large thank you to First Second Books for providing me with an eARC of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is currently set to be published in May 2020</I>

4.5 stars

<U> The Daughters of Ys</u> is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel based on the original tale from Breton legends. I am in awe of the gorgeous, lush imagery in this version of the story. The style that the characters are depicted in remind me of a watercolour version of Kate Beaton's comics, which I am a total fan of. This retelling was succinctly paraphrased through dialogue and coloured imagery panels, but it was incredibly well done. I want a physical copy of this to add to my bookshelf.

The art style of this book is beautiful and unique and I found the aesthetics of this book to be consistent and engaging. The story itself was interesting and kept me engaged. However, what I struggled with when reading this was the font choice. Some of the lines of the letters were really faint, which made reading the smaller words difficult; I'm not sure if this is an ereader issue (I was trying to read this on my computer, but maybe the backlighting was impacting the readinbility?) or just the font choice itself, but it is worth mentioning as I found myself straining my eyes a lot more than I normally do when reading on an electronic device

Haunting

"...Princess, how do you think the city of Ys stands against the sea? How does it acquire its fabulous wealth? There must be a price paid."

This is a slow burn sort of book, which serves it and its source material very well. I did a little research into the Breton folktale about Ys after I'd read this book, and that enriched my understanding of the story, and led me back to a reread. There are a half dozen different versions of the original story, and Anderson does a marvelous job of reorganizing and reimagining it to add new levels of depth and drama. The emphasis on the conflict between the daughters seems mostly new, but that shift of focus away from the more obvious Sodom-and-Gomorrah message added a whole new level of interest and intrigue.

The book starts slowly, and initially feels a bit thin, and even childish. But don't despair. We soon move into much more intriguing territory and the story continues to develop in complexity and meaning right up to its final ripping conclusion. There are all sorts of loose ends and false trails and suggested side stories that add richness and mystery to the tale as it proceeds, which I think generally reflects the spirit and haphazardness of the best folktales. (I mean, do you really understand everything that happens in "Beowulf"?)

And, unlike some classic tales, this isn't a slog. This version is fast on its feet, briskly paced, touching, emotionally sound, romantic, and, not surprisingly, very funny in places. The deadpan "holy hermit" Corentin is worth the price of the book just on his own.

A word on the art. At first, as with the narrative, I was a bit disappointed and unengaged. The drawing seems to be pencil and crayon and often bordered on the edge of abstract. Not the easiest style for the eye. But after a while you are drawn into the panels and realize that the style is in fact perfect for an ancient tale - it feels like something that could have been painted on a cave wall or sewn into a tapestry, and it suddenly all makes sense.

So, as I said - a slow burn sort of book that will draw you in and captivate you. Like all good folktales.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)