Brindille is a beautiful story about a girl who is lost in the woods with no memory as to who she is. It follows her path as she comes to understand her place in the world and how she must fight back. The art of this story was breathtaking and I could tell that it was worked on for a long time. I loved how each page had a color theme to it and helped set the mood of what was happening in the story.

The plot itself was a little confusing at times. There are several characters that are introduced that we as the readers never know who they are and their meaning to the story. The dialogue was well done and I loved the wolf companion. I was very confused at the ending of the story and didn't really get a satisfying conclusion to what was going on during it. Was the main character just reliving her past life? Where does she go from there now that she's reached her final destination? It was never explained and while that could have been a creative choice to let the reader decide, it could have been done a bit better and provided just a bit more information.

Overall, I was still swept up into the world of Brindille and the gorgeous art work. Definitely a read!

4/5

Brindille is a graphic novel by Frederic Brremaud is about a girl who wakes up with no memories and mysterious fireflies that never seem to leave her. With unlikely friends and a story unraveling, she is challenged at every step of the way to discover who she is.

First of all, the art is absolutely gorgeous. Action is decently portrayed and character design is sooooo cool. The world and background is also, of course, beautiful. The moods of the areas the characters are in are well illustrated too.

The plot and pacing was interesting. Honestly I’m still pretty confused about a lot of what happened. I feel that a lot of the small bits of the story is “off-page” in a way. It’s a short book so really only important aspects of the story is shown. I almost wish the book was twice as long just to include the smaller, nuanced bits of character and relationship development.

Overall, a very enjoyable book. I think any middle-schooler to high schooler would find joy in this book. It’s fun and sweet and it left me with a warm and almost bittersweet feeling.

Here's another review via NetGalley.

As many reviewers mention and can be seen viewing even the smallest samples, the artwork is extraordinary. As artwork continues to spiral down in quality, it is refreshing to see actual skill in the effort to produce a graphic novel. Will Eisner would be proud.

However, the story is poorly laid out with shallow characters and odd editing. The ending explains a lot of the scattered threads throughout, but doesn't resolve just why the heck so many are mad at others and why they are battling or what the fox-like wolf is wound into it all. There wasn't a specific need to be blatant with explanations. Good storytelling would have revealed intent of all involved.

The artwork is the only compelling bit that had me turn pages. I'd suggest dumping the written story and have the whole pantomime. OR to purchase this for the artwork only and skip reading the text. The effort's conclusion is the same either way and makes as much sense. The dialogue only further confuses the messing storytelling.

This is the first time writing a review and recommending a book to look at and not read. So....

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 5 out of 5 points.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this review copy.

My thoughts are my own.

This book has very good illustrations and characters. The colour scheme is very good but I wish it was much better. The protagonist is nice enough.

The side characters support the protagonist and push the storyline in a very good way.

What I feel lacking is that the story had potential the way it was building everything up with all of the side-characters but in the end it didn't live upto it. The ending seems kinda off to me, doesn't make sense.

I was enjoying reading and seeing the visuals but the way things were supposed to be executed could have been so much better.

3.5/5 (rated up because of how much I love the art)

This graphic novel has such beautiful art especially the sketchbook portion at the end of the read. I think the story was a little confusing because of some plot holes, that could 100% be due to translation, but otherwise I really liked the story! Its an adventure fantasy with quite a bit of mystery, it reminds me a lot of fairy tails and the BONE series. I think if you like middle grade feeling series that are more on the violent side that you'll enjoy this book!

I read this on Netgally for free in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that drew me into this book was the cover. The illustrations in this graphic novel are absolutely beautiful! The story follows our main character has she is rescued by tiny little people who live in the forest after she forgot everything down to who she is. She then goes on an adventure filled with twists and turns to find herself, who she is and where she came from.

The story itself was okay in my opinion, It wasn't anything exceptional by any means. The main plot, the story of a girl who had forgotten who she was and went on a quest to figure it out was a promising one and could have been taking a little bit further.

Overall, I would have appreciated the story more if it had gone deeper than the surface and given us more substency. My favourite part definitely were the illustrations and the art style, they played a big role in my enjoyment of it.

I recommend if you want to enjoy some beautiful drawings, soothing colours and a quick read.
debating between a 2.5/5 or a 3/5 stars

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC

The story is a slowly unraveling mystery as we follow this young searching through the forest to discover her past. We see both the beauty on the land, farming villages growing crops as well as the destructive forces of the army and the lava spilling over onto the fertile lands.

I enjoyed the first half of the story more than the second. Discovering both the world and her memories through her eyes was lovely and the art style allows for enough detail to let the world feel lived in. The rising tension along with the change in colours worked beautifully to build up to the final chapter. I cannot say I found the final reveal to be overly satisfying. The memories were to sporadic to leave the impact I wanted and there were too many convenient and unexplained things for me to connect with the core message.

I do wish the protagonist showed more agency and introspection. She has no memories of her past, something is driving her forward and she often at the mercy of others. Her shift from confused to warrior was fast; knowing the ending does not truly alleviate my questions as to why it and how it happened.

The art is, as would expect from their previous work as a team, unbelievably beautiful. Lush trees, vast valleys, warm sunlight, and its fantastical inhabitants are all well created and make a stunning setting to this story. If you enjoy metaphorical writing and the exploration of life and memories, maybe give this a try.

Well the first that I can say is that the art is amazingly beautiful; its absolutely stunning in every way. I gave it 4 stars as an applauds to the illustrator. The story and pacing, however, is weak. It feels like a 90s epic, kind of like The Never Ending Story, but the pacing is so fast that it feels like you fast forwarded through the entire plot. It isn't even fast-paced in the good way, either.
Overall, art stunning, story not un-interesting, but the pacing is non-existent.

Whoa! The art and the story totally capture you within the first few pages. I felt immediately involved in the world, it totally sucked me in, The characters and the narrative were great, and this was a fun read.

Thank you for the e-arc!

When I started this graphic novel I didn't know what to expect, it looked like one of the many standard fantasy books: a protagonist and an epic journey in beautiful landscapes. And it has all that and at the same time much more. We follow this girl without memory through magical lands, we see how she tries to give meaning to fragments in her head and along the way we see her make friends, learn to fight and face an evil that seems to have the answer to her questions.

Simple.... but it's a book with moments that are very emotionally charged, with sacrifices and difficult decisions, and by the end I was surprised with an outcome that I never expected and that gives this graphic novel all my applause..

It's the sum of every little thing, every little detail that delivers a spectacular ending that I will think about for a while. It's beautiful as well as moving. Definitely a fantasy graphic novel that is going to be one of my favorites.

And I can't forget to mention how beautiful the illustrations are, it's the style that I love to see in fantasy. In which the beauty of magic is mixed with sinister illustrations. With striking colors that know how to highlight quiet moments with warm tones, tense moments with reds and browns, and nights and suspenseful scenes with a serene blue. Simply beautiful.

Absolutely Stunning! The Art is amazing! I love the colors that are used and the imaginative creatures. The little creatures that help her at first are adorable and I love the outfit that they put her in. The stag looked amazing and I have to say, I love the way the wolf looks.

The shadow hungers are awesome! Their style is fantastic and I love the dark atmosphere around them. Its strange to read something without knowing at all who the main character is but I love the story and how fast it is all unraveling.

I have to say though, my favorite part by far was the mermaid world! The art was amazing and I love the way everything looks.

The ending was unexpected. I loved the twist.

I felt like reading a fantasy story today, so by Frederic Brremaud definitely fit the bill. The first thing that hits you when digging through the gorgeous pages is just how warm and inviting the artwork is. While this story has a few rough moments, and is not necessarily for children, the artwork is reminiscent of a children’s picture book in many ways. The pages are full of fantastical creatures, perilous situations, and the sort of epic fantasy tone that reminds me of 80s fantasy films such as Legend or perhaps The Dark Crystal.

“A frail young girl flees a roaring forest fire in the middle of the night desperately taking refuge in a cave where she quickly loses consciousness. She wakes up in a strange, tiny village populated by fairy-like creatures. Her hosts seem intrigued by the sparkles of light that seem to surround her. The village chieftain explains that one of their hunters found her passed out in the forest and brought her back here for treatment. He asks who she is, but she remembers nothing except for a wall and flames.”

Truthfully, I wasn’t completely sure I was onboard with the book at first. The story starts with the amnesiac girl being taken in by some forest creatures (elves, goblins, imps? I’m not sure what they are) with the story revolving around the girl trying to go back to where she was found in order to get some clues about her identity. She is met with resistance, and ultimately has to venture out on her own. It is not until she comes across a cunning wolf companion and we learn of the impending peril that is unraveling throughout the forest that I was hooked.

The story takes some turns, and ultimately ends in a way that I didn’t really see coming, so that’s good. At least it wasn’t predictable like other fantasy comics. Even though I read this as an Ebook for evaluation purposes, I’ve seen pictures of the hardcover that this review is ultimately tied to, and it looks awesome. This would be a great book to have around if you are a fantasy fan, or a great gift for a older kid. I just wouldn’t traumatize a toddler with it! There is also a digital version of this on Amazon that is pretty fairly priced, if you aren’t into having physical books around, look into that instead.

The story is self contained, and I don’t see how there could be more unless they do a prequel, so getting this is not a commitment for getting the start of a series or anything. If you’re like me, sometimes you don’t want to wade into a new series very often.

All-in-all, I enjoyed Brindille, and despite my small quibbles with the pacing at the beginning, it was a thoroughly entertaining read. I will be reading another book by Frederic Brremaud pretty soon, so keep an eye out for that – let’s see if he can keep his winning record with me again!

I would first like to thank NetGalley for sending me an EARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't think was going to be a graphic novel but it was! I loved the style of the artwork reminds me of watercolors.

At first I didn't understand why there was a wall of fire until the ending. That wall of fire was their life ending and them having to assert their fear of dying.

The entire novel kind of gave me Lord of the Rings vibes in a good way. Like the horse and the Shadowhunters.

The Wolf was a cute protector in my mind. How they helped throughout the entire journey. At the end, when she remembered who she was, it was a sense of clarity. I understood the message as well. The knight learned to deal with their fear and movie onto death.

Cute, short, and pretty. Would totally recommend to a friend and would buy this if I saw it at the store!

The art style of this graphic novel was absolutely gorgeous. The story was very par for the course, though. It followed many tropes that already exist. The story was definitely elevated by the lush artwork, however. The pacing was quick, and I enjoyed the story for what it was. I would have liked a little bit more back story on the villains, but I don’t know if that would have worked in the story in general. Overall, this was solid!

This has the most beautiful illustrations and colors I have encountered, but everything seems to happen very fast. Most of the time I don't know what is happening and how and why it is happening. I felt like I was in a fever dream while reading this one and I don't like that we basically are thrown in without any clue as to what is happening.

The art style alone makes this story a worth while read!!


Pros:
Obviously the art is stunning
The story was fast pace and engaging
The few characters who interacted with Brindile were flushed out characters and unique
The world was vast and intriguing
I felt for the fox and the villagers who left because they were endanger - so that's a great sign of character development

Con:
It felt a little rushed - wish the story was told over a few volumes.
Also still unsure "why" the shadow hunters were chasing the sprint of the warrior. And how'd she get that spirit? What happened to her fairy village?
I still have lots of questions - wish we got more time to answer these questions.


Overall very enjoyable!

Absolutely gorgeous art and a quick, entertaining read. The ending was a little bit confusing though...

It was a beautiful short fantasy tale, I really liked the drawing and the plot twist at the end. The only thing I have not liked was that it was too short, I could have imagined the parts to be longer and more detailed. But for people who liked the Hobbit they will enjoy it.

I LOVED the art (though wolf looked more like a fox to me), but I didn't enjoy the story all that much. I felt that it was hard to follow at times, and that the images didn't show well what was going on here and again. But art for fabulous and for that alone, I give this read 3 stars.

Can we please talk about the beautiful illustrations first, like WOW!
They were epic, and well judge the book by it's cover, cause the graphic novel and its cover BOTH ARE AWESOME!
I love the end especially, when she discovers herself and finally remembers....
It's heart-touching the way she and the wolf bonded, though I do feel sad for the mermaid.......
This book is most certainly a must read, and one of my new favorites!