Dungeons & Dragons meets Narnia in a heartfelt fantasy adventure filled with crisp artistry and a gripping story!

As you are well aware I am a huge fan of Mad Cave Studios and their YA partner Maverick and I am once again delighted to be given an opportunity to read and review another masterpiece graphic novel!

In The Shadow of the Throne is a fantasy storytelling of adolescence, romance, family and magic. Kate Sheridan and the whole creative team have scored a hit with this graphic novel. A beautifully artistic world of expertly crafted environments and character compliment the vivid storytelling in what is a gripping adventure. I could not put this down!

What lies ahead for you in the panels is heartfelt character interactions, magic wielding mages, swordplay of the most regal type and deceit on the grandest scale.

In the Shadow of the Throne will be a must for fantasy fans of all varieties and I really hope you add this to your pull list!

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review but unfortunately my adobe file expired before I had a chance to finish it. The first few pages were beautifully drawn and full of visual humor and well-written character set up. I look forward to reading it fully when it arrives at our library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. In The Shadow Of The Throne is a cute and sweet lovestory filled with fantasy and dimension/time-travelling. It’s a story about trust and falling in love when you least expect it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I usually try to wait until the publishing date is closer to review books I receive from NetGalley, but this one has been on my "currently reading" list for months and I want to do my review before I forget this entirely.

The artwork wasn't bad and it has both POC and LGBTQ rep, but that's about all I can say for it.

I agree with another reviewer who said that this was both went by too quickly and was also boring. The pacing is what kept it from being anything more then "meh" for me. There is NO inkling of the attraction between the the two MCs and then at the end BAM! We like each other!

Also, despite having NEVER fought with a sword before, the MC who was portalled into the fantasy world is all gung-ho to be a knight and can fight with a minimum amount of training and he isn't really scared of getting hurt or worse? And he's ok with killing others brutally with a sword in close combat should he have to fight?

I guess if he is 16 years old, he's not really concerned with the consequences of his decisions yet, but that seems rude to say about 16 year olds. I tend to think that children and teenagers are a lot smarter than adults give them credit for.

Anywho, I didn't hate this, but it had major pacing issues and would benefit by having more added to it I think.

2, had potential, stars.

I enjoyed the idea of this book but think it didn't hit it's mark because of the length of this book and the lack of details with the world building, character building, etc.

The art style, colour palette in this story was absolutely beautiful and if this had been longer it would have been phenomenal.

Very cute story with beautiful artwork. I can’t wait for it to come out officially! Exactly the kind of story I love to see.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review but it was archived before I could access it and read.

I loved the art for this! Story wise I wanted more. For me, it was a bit slow but also felt rushed. The story didn't work for me. I wanted it too so badly but I left the story feeling meh about it.

I couldn't really get into this GN. Th story was okay but seemed like something I have read before and I kept putting it down which rarely happens with me and graphic novels. The art style isn't my favorite either and just was kind of boring and hard to follow at times.

While trying to get some space on a family vacation Jordan is dropped into a fantasy world. This creative team was on fire! The art style was perfect for the fantasy series. As Jordan was walking into the fantasy world the backgrounds started to change which was the coolest. Once I started the story I could not put it down. It felt like it ended too soon. I am hoping that it gets a second story arch. I already have the title added to my pull list. It is everything you want from a fantasy; fun landscapes, magic, and a sweet love story.

Creative Team:
Words by Kate Sheridan
Art by Gaia Cardinali
Letters by Micah Myers
Edits by Michael Moccio
Authenticity Reader Catherine Solas Gray
Published by Mad Cave Studios

I liked but the story had a sort of rushed ending that left me a little "I want more explaination and slowly". The characters had amazing interaction and for the first time I was more motivated by the characters than the plot itself.

Jordan, during a visit to a museum, teleports to fantasy world where he saves pretty blond elf.

And that is basically it. The story felt rushed, but kind of boring at the same time. The first few pages were okey, but the rest weren't that fun to read (at least to me).

This comic has only 160 pages, so I understand (kinda) the feeling to rush it, but I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters AT ALL.

It saddens me to say that I did not enjoy this story :( The premise (a 16-year-old boy visiting a museum with his family (and not enjoying himself) sees a cool painting that transports him into a magical world where he saves the prince and decides to become a knight, meanwhile discovering buried secrets of the kingdom) and the stunning art style all seem very promising, but sadly, they do not deliver.

This graphic novel had SO much potential, but the execution was quite poor. The story is way too short to be able to achieve all that it wanted to - the length and the fast pacing made the story feel incredibly rushed and underdeveloped. There isn't enough time to get attached to the characters or to get engrossed in the world, since we don't get to see enough of either. There is too much happening, too fast, and there is simply no time to properly connect to the story.

If this novel had been at least another hundred pages longer, I'm sure it would've been fantastic. However, with the way things are, the readers are left with more questions than answers by the time the story's finished.

In the Shadow of the Throne is a beautifully illustrated fantasy adventure. While I had fun reading it, something felt lacking. Everything felt a bit too quick and a bit too convenient- maybe if it took place over a longer period of time? I'm not sure honestly. The protagonist was a bit too good at everything a bit too quickly, adjusted to being in a new world too quickly, and didn't really have any faults of struggles to deal with. This could have been due to the short length of the graphic novel and the constraints of the medium but the development of relationships were very quick and felt oddly unearned- people were quick to trust, quick to change their beliefs, quick to admit fault- it was good to progress the plot but at times felt unearned.

In the Shadow of the Throne is a quick fun read but only just ok. Recommend if you are into fantasy isekai.

2,5/5
Quality of writing: 2
Plot development: 3
Pace: 2
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 2
Ease of reading: 3

Ehhhhh... it was all right... I will forget about the plot in an hour.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is something else, pretty unique. The drawings are amazing, fits to the story, not chliché at all. Kind of left me speechless and I finished it in one sitting.

This was a nice read. We follow Jordan who, while visiting a museum with his family who are annoying him, suddenly finds himself in another world. That’s where he meets, and save, Prince Astel and though they don’t like each other much, they’re going to learn from each other.
The art was nice though a tiny bit disappointing because I was expecting a lot as the cover is really nice. The story was nice too. At first, I didn’t really like Jordan because he was a bit mean to his family but at the same time, I understand it. The characters could have been more developed, there was great potential there that wasn’t totally exploited. I think it is was I regret the most from this read. Otherwise, it was a bit rush but nothing excessive in my opinion.
I recommend to people looking from a quick fantasy read.
3/5

I received a free e-copy of the ARC through NetGalley. All opinions expressed below are my own.

While on vacation with his family, the main character Jordan has to help look after his younger siblings which he is not happy about. When he goes wandering around the museum, Jordan accidentally passes into another world where he saves a prince and finds himself being trained to become a knight.

I really liked the idea of this graphic novel and the premise of a magic-wielding character in a world where magic is banned, but the execution of the idea leaves much to be desired. I feel like the GN is too short to fully explore the complexities of such a story in a fulfilling way while also successfully developing the characters and resolving their issues. As is, the story just seems rushed and lacking depth.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the drawing style and the overall plot, but just wish it was longer or took the shape of a regular novel instead of the graphic one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read it, though.

A great, fast read for someone looking for an lgbtq+ graphic novel. The art style is fun and the storyline is easy to follow and often intriguing.

3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this. We see Jordan in a museum with his family on holiday wanting time to himself. When he finally manages to sneak away, he somehow finds himself in a forest. From here he meets Prince Astel and ends up going on an adventure he never expected to have. This is a great fantasy graphic novel that has a touch of LGBT+. I'd love to see more in this world to find out whether Jordan ever goes back to this magical world and what happens next.