Unlike anything I've ever read before. Enchanting, magical and cosmic. This is a one of a kind graphic novel.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I remember seeing the animation a long time ago. The graphic novel was stunning as well to say the least.

Fawn, a photographer, travels through time and meets her ancestors. She is a witness to the many atrocities committed by the settlers to her ancestors as she weaves through time and learns who she is. The graphic novel encourages the reader to be a part of history that is usually ignored in ignorance. Definitely buying a hard copy for myself to keep on my shelf.

The uncanny valley-ness of the art threw me off from personally being able to fully enjoy this graphic novel but it is a valuable piece of art from an indigenous voice

Amanda Strong tells a personal journey in which she looks for a connection with her Métis heritage. When she became 14 years old, she was given a Métis name meaning Spotted Fawn. After that, she has a dream of a spotted fawn in a forest when another fawn runs being followed by an arrow. In this dream she realizes that she was chasing after her own spirit. In this dreamworld, she sees a pile of Buffalo skulls heaped into a high hill. Why? In Strong’s darkroom, photographs of her relatives emerge. The first one she sees is her grandmother who confronts and fights injustice. Despite the horrible treatment by the church, she still has a compassion and helps other and keeps her Métis spirit intact. As she continues her personal journey, she learns the history and values of the Métis.

This graphic novel is adapted from an animated film. There are several pages that give important background and circumstances. I wasn’t familiar with the history of Western Canada. It is a valuable graphic novel that has taught me much about the Métis too. This story includes the settlement and the railroad expansion. It is a. Story that gives more than history but also insight.

3.5 stars - I will start by saying that I watched the stop-motion short film that this film is adapted from (it was made by the author as well), and the art is absolutely amazing in the film. So, comparing the book to the film, of course the art looks a tad flatter on paper. It is a good length of a book and tells a full story.

What the book added to the show was a little more context about what was happening and who the people were - I thought that detail was helpful. The story is about colonizers and how they controlled the land and Buffalo to take control of the indigenous population. A story that needs to be told, but I think this book should be consumed along with the film.

Four Faces of the moon was totally different to what I normally read. It has an amazing but heartbreaking story about colonialism and connecting with the past.

The illustrations were beautiful and drew me into the story right away, as I understand there is also a stop-motion film and I definitely need to check that one out.

The story was so interesting for me, since in school we never talked about colonialism (we have our own dark past to cover…) and I think it’s a topic not talked about enough. It was very informative, and I actually learned some new things.

I wished it would have been a little longer and in depth, but since I’m not the primary target audience the length is probably more appropriate for younger children then a much longer book.
Overall a great story and beautiful images I recommend to everyone.

Adapted from the stop-motion animated film Four Faces of the Moon—this is a story about Spotted Fawn using her darkroom as a portal into the lives of her past relatives.

This graphic novel was visually stunning. The message and history it conveys is impactful. I also found the part of the book written by Dr. Sherry Farrell-Racette (Michif) to be educationally purposeful. I'm really interested in watching the stop-motion film now that I've read the graphic novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd. for the ARC!

I received an ebook copy of this graphic novel courtesy of Netgalley. This was a short story about Spotted Fawn, a Metis youth searching for meaning and understanding in her roots. The illustrations are stills from a stop-motion film created by the author. I like that qt the end there is a short written history of the Metis people of Canada, creating a timeline for further context. Im interested to see the film now that I've read this.

This book feels incredibly poignant given the media coverage and conversation regarding Residential Schools.

But for me, this book covered a topic that has specifically haunted me from a young age, which was the slaughter of an estimated 40 million Buffalo. I remember seeing a picture similar to Amanda Strong'sdepiction of a towering pile of buffalo skulls. I'm sure there was some 2 line blurb about it. Or maybe even a whole paragraph. But what I know is that it didn't address the fact that this was an attempt to starve the Indigenous peoples of America and Canada.

This book looks at the history that we aren't shown, and I honestly wish I could go back in time and hand this book to myself.

This book is gorgeous and informational. Strong provides so much knowledge as well as additional resources. I would honestly recommend it to everyone.

The history in this book was fascinating. I always love learning about Native American history. This is adapted from a short film and the art is very different than what you typically see in graphic novels. Definitely a unique book!

I had a lot of formatting issues with the ARC I received, but those will probably be fixed in the final proof so I didn't include them in my rating.

This graphic novel is beautifully illustrated with stop motion illustrations. That said, I wish it had been a bit longer as I really wanted to sink my teeth into the story.

3.5 ✨

Four Faces of the Moon by Amanda Strong is an essential retelling on the injustices of colonialism. In this graphic novel, Strong relives the stories of her ancestors and the cultural link that Michif, Cree, Nakoda and Anishinaabe Peoples had to the buffalo and the land.

Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of the art nor the font chosen for the text, but the story itself is amazing. I liked how Strong made the connection between the phases of the moon and the flow of the story. It really felt like our main character, Spotted Fawn, entered the dreamworld in an attempt to connect with her ancestors by defying time and space. Even though this story is heartbreaking, it's essential to see that colonialism isn't a thing of the past and that we still live with its injustices to this day.

Thanks to NetGalley and Annick Press for the ARC!