This book a cute little portal fantasy told in a graphic novel format.
Jordan, our protag, stumbles through a museum exhibit and, Narnia-style, winds up in a fairly generic fantasy land where everyone has pointed ears and magic is BANNED. Much of the dialog is funny and Jordan's a sympathetic character.
Jordan's story is fun and quick paced and the art style is adorable but there wasn't a lot of emotional depth in the story. Jordan's very content to roll with whatever happened to him and it didn't at all seem like he understood that this was really happening to him. It was kind of like he expected it to turn out to have been a dream rather than a real adventure.
I was also left wanting to know more about the world Jordan was visiting. Part of the fun of the fantasy genre is the world-building and the ways the world we're visiting is different from our own. The world Prince Astel and Sir Griffith inhabit might as well have been made out of cardboard cut outs for all that we learn about it. Part of that is that the book isn't very long but I was still disappointed that there wasn't more detail about the setting.
Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend it if you've got an hour and a half to spare.half to spare.

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

In the Shadow of the Throne by Kate Sheridan & Gaia Cardinali is an LGBT fantasy graphic novel that will appeal to fans of Shadow and Bone or Carry On. The story revolves around Jordan, who is wandering around an art museum in New York City when he is suddenly transported to a fantasy world. In this world of elves and monsters, Jordan will find adventure and possibly love.

Overall, In the Shadow of the Throne is an exciting fantasy graphic novel featuring LGBT characters. One highlight of this book is the gorgeous art. The characters are well-drawn, and the artwork is colorful and vibrant. Another highlight of this book was the fantasy elements of the plot. I was drawn into the story as Jordan is transported into a new world. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of fantasy, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in July!

Cannot download due to the format, but the cover illustration looks gorgeous, so I'll definitely buy an official digital or physical copy once it's out.

The plot was good, enjoyable, but it wasn't great, some things were predictable and nothing, in particular, felt amazing to me. The art style was good. It wasn't my favourite but I did love the colour palette.
However, the timeline felt very short for all that happened. Especially with the ending, which once again wasn't my favourite. The romance felt kind of insta-lovey too.
Overall, it was a fun graphic novel to read but not anything I'd personally recommend.

Thank you, publisher!
This was a good read. I thought it would be different but it did surprise me. Go going, author!

This is a cute little graphic novel. I liked how Jordan's design and initial scenario set up the things we'd need to know about him going in -- he's gay (rainbow pin), he's into dungeons & dragons (d20 t-shirt), and he's tired of being parentified instead of being treated as one of his parents' children at age 17. So when he randomly gets sucked into another world where he saves the life of a beautiful elf prince, I could believe he'd want to stick with it.

That said, I often found his reactions unbelievable throughout the story. He felt like he was being roleplayed in a D&D game rather than a real character -- there was no point where he seemed to realize what he'd got himself into (which I figured would happen when he saw someone actually stabbed and dying, and had to fight the person who'd done it), and his emotional reactions felt muted in general, his decisions arbitrary. I can see the emotional beats the story's going for, but they don't always land.

I also found the ending a bit of a let down -- the decision he made at the end, I mean. There was already a sense that events weren't having the emotional impact that they should, and that underscored it for me.

But the art was cute, and I'm always here for a gay & nerdy fantasy adventure.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Questo fumetto aveva molto potenziale, sopratutto dato che è autoconclusivo e la storia non era poi cosi male.
Purtroppo è tutto ancora molto acerbo.
Sia i disegni che lo svolgimento della storia hanno parecchi problemi.
Dal punto di vista artistico c'è molto da migliorare: molte prospettive sono sbagliate, i punti di vista son un po' strani alle volte e sia i personaggi che gli sfondi potrebbero essere fatti meglio.
La storia invece ha molti più difetti, sopratutto per quanto riguarda l'evoluzione del protagonista. Posso capire che non sopporti la sua famiglia, ma che in mezza giornata sia diventato tutt'uno con il nuovo mondo (ad esempio il "Thanks the gods"...mi pare un po' troppo per chi è li da un giorno soltanto, passare agli usi religiosi di un altro mondo) e che abbia espresso il desiderio di diventare un cavaliere senza nemmeno provare a cercare un modo per tornare a casa, dimostra come sia tremendamente superficiale la costruzione del personaggio.
Ho trovato molte scene alquanto improbabili e per quanto riguarda le ultime scene tra i due protagonisti...le ho trovate superflue, ma non fastidiose.

Quindi si è una buona lettura, ma c'è molto da migliorare!

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This comic had a lot of potential, especially since it's autoconclusive and the story wasn't too bad.
Unfortunately, everything is still very immature.
Both the drawings and the unfolding of the story have several problems.
From an artistic point of view there is a lot to improve: many perspectives are wrong, the points of view are a bit strange at times and both the characters and the backgrounds could be done better.
The story, on the other hand, has many more flaws, especially as regards the evolution of the protagonist. I can understand that he can't stand his family, but that in half a day he has become one with the new world (for example "Thanks the gods" ... it seems a bit too much for one who have only been there for one day, to pass to the religious customs of another world) and that he expressed a desire to become a knight without even trying to find a way to return home. That demonstrates how tremendously superficial the construction of the character is.
I found many scenes quite unlikely and as for the last scenes between the two protagonists ... I found them unnecessary, but not annoying.

So yes it's a good read, but there is a lot to improve!