I love this book! I will most certainly add this to the library's collection. We need more LGBTQIA+ friendly content in the collection.

I loved this middle grade graphic novel about a kid struggling with gender identity who gets whisked away to a fantasy world that supposedly is girls only. Ash starts to believe that being in Koretris means that she (pronoun chosen at the end of the GN, so that's what I'm going with) really is a girl, but when an enemy group of boys shows up, she questions how she's supposed to know who she truly is. Along with her new friends from her middle school's Pride Club, Ash is tasked to rescue Queen Cassandra and save Koretris from the Scourge. The fantasy elements in this book are very reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia--in the best way. Definitely recommend for kids who love fantasy worlds, playing make believe, talking animals, and are looking for queer stories with multiple queer characters. It's heartwarming to see a group of queer kids come together, as friends and as supporters.

Huge thank you for Oni Press and NetGalley for granting me this ARC.

Y’all, I loved every minute of this book. Just by looking at the indie art style I knew I would like this. One of the authors worked on Lumberjanes, which I have not read yet, but heard great things about. I also just love the title. Based on these two I expected something good and feminist and possibly LGBTQIA+ and I was not disappointed.

The inner design sports a three colored flag-like set up, but I am unsure what these colors mean. It is closest to the trans flag, but this one has dark blue next to the pink and white-ish color. If this is symbolism I guess that is kinda cool but it definetely went over my head.

I love the character designs and the comic was very enjoyable. I felt that sometimes the backgrounds were a bit rushed, but I was happy with the art overall.

Content warnings
death mentioned but not shown, gender dysphoria, sexism (it is very frowned upon)

The plot
Ash is a lonely kid, who’s mom disappeared a few years ago. One day Ash sits next to the school’s tiny Pride Club at the cafeteria and ends up making friends with the members. Promptly joining them for the next club meeting. This was an adorable set up, the kids having fun and painting each other’s nails. Ash wanting to join in simply because it looks like fun. Later on, Ash invites the gang over to their house and shows them the shed where Ash’s mom left behind a treasure trove: books, art, costumes all made for an imaginary world, *looks at smudged handwriting*: T*tris. No, wait let me try again, Kore.. a, no, wait, it’s called Koretris actually.
The club is delighted by the idea of a magical land that only welcomes girls, regardless of your species. They get into a bit of roleplaying when suddenly, the magic spell written by Ash’s mom turns out to be real - and transports them all to Koretris. This is where their magical quest starts and among other things Ash has to fight the expectations everyone has of them.
I am using they/them pronouns for Ash in this review in an attempt to not sound too spoilery. As the blurbs promised this book is very much about gender and discovering who and what can decide your gender at the end of the day.

Junebug: Hey, look! I’m a flag!
Ash: I’m so jealous!

I loved the flow of the book. We start with a short introduction written by the author that offers a bit of an explanation about gender. There is a short glossary at the end of the book too. This is a great way to introduce gender discussions for people who are not very informed about the topic. I appreciated that instead of the generic LGBT acronym throughout the book the more inclusive LGBTQIA+ was used.

The main characters

Ash, like the tree
I absolutely loved our main character, Ash, and it was awesome to be a part of their journey. Honestly they were way too chill, given the stuff they had to deal with. I loved learning more about their thoughts and feelings. I was glad they could find someone to trust who helped them come to terms with their feelings.

Eleanor, like the president
She was just the nicest person in the book. She cares a lot about her friends. No wonder Ash immediately liked her. She was warm and welcoming, always trying to help Ash but never overstepping. I wish we learned a bit more about her.

Junebug, the awesome
What a super chill character. Though we don’t learn a lot about Junebug during the story, I enjoyed their spontaineity.

Chloe, the feminist killjoy
If the book had any downfall for me, it would be Chloe. From the first moment she has been hostile to Ash, for absolutely no reason. I get that informing others of sexist language they are using is important, but there is no reason to be rude about it if there is obviously no malicious intent. The joke about her being a “feminist killjoy” right after she bulldozes through the newest member of their pride club just felt super cringey.. I wish her behaviour towards Ash was reprimanded a bit.

Overall rating
I loved this book a lot. Gender was discussed in a natural way, focusing more on the feelings of the characters and not on the shiny glossary terms. There was a quest, magic and bonding time for the characters and it was just an overall uplifting read. I was surprised by the end reveal about Ash’s mom, not quite what I expected.
I felt like the whole of Koretris was a great commentary on how society views gender and how literally everyone has an opinion of what gender people should be and how they should act to fit this assigned role. As a cisgender woman (don’t worry there is a glossary that explains) I learned a lot about gender and how difficult it can be to learn your own preferences when literally everyone is shouting their own expectations at you.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
This is a really cute graphic novel! I loved the art style, the storyline (so important omg), and the creativity of it all! I really loved the way the concept of identity and gender is explored here, and we really need more representation like this just in books, graphic novels, comics, movies and tv-shows. Another thing I really appreciated was that it didn't make the boys the big bad wolves, but instead fear itself.
Would tbh read like 120 graphic novels with this lovely group of gals, so if there is ever more I WILL read.

I was sent an e-arc of this graphic novel via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Ash, who's mom left home and never came back. Living in the house where Ash's mother grew up, her old room is full of her old clothes, books and everything she made surrounding a fantasy world called Koretris. Ash had discovered that Koretris was a haven for girls where no men or boys were allowed. When Ash's friends find a spell to get to Koretris they think it's all a game. Until they discover that Koretris is real and they're trapped there without the book of spells. But if this place is real, how did Ash get there? Ash has always been called a boy and used he/him pronouns.

This discusses gender norms from the first page - boys can paint their nails and it doesn't have to black. It also shows Ash questioning his gender identity and how he truly feels with a supportive friend helping him process what is happening. I love how the progression showed all of the characters becoming more comfortable and accepting of theirselves and how they identify. Also the preface and endnote on identity are so important in not only educating readers but also helps to create a safespace within reading this graphic novel.

While I can't speak for the LGBTQIA+ representation personally, I hope that this is something that people in the community are able to relate to and feel represented in a positive way.

With that cliffhanger I hope there is more to come and I will be interested in reading future work by this author.

The illustrations of ”Girl Haven” were fine, but I didn’t love the story itself. I guess I’ll skip out on potential sequels.

<i>arc provided to me by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved this story so so much!!! I rarely read the synopsis to stories so I had no idea that this was about our main character Ash as they figured out their own identity throughout the story.

This graphic novel made me feel so many different things and I loved every second of it. I felt the loss that Ash felt losing her mother, to the joy everyone felt at their pride club and journey to this fantasy world, to how important love really is and how it can defeat any evil. I really appreciated that we got to see Ash’s struggle with figuring out that she was a girl and that that decision was hers to make, not anyone else’s. That she didn’t need anyone’s permission to be a girl, that it was up to her and her only. I think this story will be something a lot of younger kids will be able to relate to and see themselves in and maybe help them realize earlier that it is okay to be who they are in their hearts.

The way the fantasy world, Koretris was built up was also super fun and I loved hearing the stories about the world!

I just reallly enjoyed every aspect of this story and I desperately hope that we get more instalments because I would love to see more of these characters and their journey!

4/5 🌟

TW: loss of a parent, some violence

Girl Haven has potential, but I don't think it was realized in this book. For a book that speaks to gender, I find it curious that the title even decides to use the word "girl." Why couldn't it be the name of the world that they visit? the art felt a little too simplistic -- there aren't many details in any given image, and the characters are just specific personality traits rather than fully fleshed out characters. While I think it tells an important story of gender identity, the rest of the story was not compelling enough to make me feel connected at the end of the novel.

This book is one part suddenly discovering you're in a fantasy world, one part a search for mom, one part discovering who you really are. Ash has been told his entire life that he is a boy and, he was expected to do boy things and hang out with boys, but Ash is unsure. He makes friends with 3 girls who are the school's Pride Club. He invites them over to his house one day to see his mom's shed where she made art and wrote stories about her made up world of Koretris, a haven for girls. When one of the girls reads a spell that is supposed to transport them to Koretris, they discover that it isn't as made up as Ash thought and that Ash maybe isn't a boy after all.

Ash is a kid who is just getting to know some peers at school and winds up inviting them over and showing them Ash's mother's studio. Ash's mother has been gone for a few years, but this is where she'd written and painted, creating this whole awesome fantasy world, Koretris, where only girls are welcome. When all four friends get transported into Koretris, this raises some questions. Most obviously, how do they get back, but for Ash, this poses a greater identity question. Ash was born a boy and, at the time of being transported, Ash identifies as one. So was Ash included in the transport because they're actually a girl, and the magic knew it? Or was it just some glitch in the system? Since they need to locate Queen Cassandra to help save Koretris and get themselves back home, Ash can't really dwell on gender identity at the moment.

This was a pretty cute book. I like that the girls-only world didn't shy away from touching on non-binary identities, and the book has a fully-developed fantasy plot that exists alongside, but not dependent on, the gender storyline. It's a good book, definitely worth reading. There isn't really any objective area where it felt short for me...More background into the worldbuilding would help some, but it stands up on its own. It's a good book, but I guess it just didn't leave me feeling excited for more.