In Shadows is a graphic novel about a knight and a princess. The knight/mercenary is hired to rescue the princess, but it goes awry.

The princess has an interesting backstory and this becomes the focal point of the book.

Overall. I liked how the characters were fleshed out. However, I felt the story skipped forward too fast at certain points.

I am interested to hear more about our female MCs powers/story and see where it goes.

The art was great, but the story itself was a bit too dark for me with all those deaths (that poor baby!)

I enjoyed reading the beginning of "In Shaadows" more and was pretty intrigued as we get to see the meeting of the two protagonists and later on the betrayal(s) Islen faces. This is one of the series that I don't know if I would read the second book.

4 stars - It was really good

Arzhur, a disgraced knight, takes on the mission to save Princess Islen from the Black Castle. Instead, he finds that she doesn’t want to be saved and a trio of witches are after her.

This was a very interesting historical fantasy. Islen had a very interesting and deadly ability. I do think she was a bit naïve when it came to her father and stepmother though. Arzhur was determined to restore his honor but definitely didn't go about it well. The ending was very surprising and violent. I wasn’t expecting it and now I really wish I had volume two because I want to know what is going to happen to Islen and Arzhur.

Trigger Warnings: death of a child, graphic violence

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In Shadows by Hubert and Vincent Mallie is a fantasy graphic novel that will appeal to fans of The Witcher or The Wheel of Time. The story revolves around Arzhur, a knight, who wants to save a princess from a castle. What he doesn't know is that the princess doesn't need to be saved. What follows is a tale of action, romance, and magic.

Overall, In Shadows is an action-packed fantasy novel that reminded me of the tales of King Arthur. I'm not sure if it's a retelling or if it's just a coincidence that the main character's name if Arzhur. (My knowledge of the tales of King Arthur are limited to the Disney movie.) One highlight of this book is Islen's character, who I found fascinating. From the cover, I thought the book would be about her, but she and Arzhur had about the same parts. I took off 1 star, because the art was decent but didn't really appeal to me. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of fantasy graphic novels, I recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

2.5 stars

(This a review for book 1 only)
A medieval romance + fantasy story, with sword fights, an evil step mother, court intrigue, & witches. I really like the art, but the characters have little depth or nuance, & the story is melodramatic & a bit clichéd.

[What I liked:]

•The art is lovely! I especially love the backgrounds & scenes in the forests. There is nice attention to detail.

•I am interested in finding out Islen’s mother’s backstory. Who/what exactly is she? Who are the hags? What exactly are the details of their evil take-over-the-world plans?


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Really? A Disney-esque princess who can talk to animals & all wild animals love her? How cliché. & she insists on being vegetarian, but doesn’t know how to forage or what plant foods are safe to eat, sigh.

•The characters are basically caricatures. The mother is evil, the stepmother is scheming & wicked, the father is easily manipulated, the heroine is jawdroppingly naïve, & hero is the sad & silent type.

•Okay, there’s a seriously disturbing scene where a child sees her parents naked & having sex. Why did that need to be included?? It’s not like she accidentally walked in on them, it’s like they got well & truly started before her nurse took her out of the room 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

CW: violence, child death

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

(WARNING MAY NOT BE FOR YOU IF DEPICTIONS OF BLOOD/VIOLENCE/"CREEPY" CRITTERS DISTRESSES YOU)
Wow!! Just wow! What a great and chilling start to what appears to be a unique story.
I have to know more! Why is our former knight so disgraced? What exactly is the princess and her mother? Is it too late for her to truly be saved?
And the art.... just beautiful.
I will say this title may not be for everyone.. kind of creepy at times. I can't say much without spoiling things but there are a couple distressing scenes if you detest violence and bad things happening to children.