Jerome Hamon's Dreams Factory is a well drawn steam-punk style tale that is somewhat reminiscent of the 1995 movie, City of Lost Children. Visually its nicely done, but it does feel rather "digital", which may not be to some readers tastes.

The story is nice, though in places choppy, and the characters are engaging and very cutely drawn.

It's a competently told tale, but lacks that "something" that would raise it to be a "must read". Perhaps this is due to a lacklustre translation (as this was originally - I think - a French release). Its very likable though, and it would probably not only be well received by a younger audience, but it should be very suitable for one.

Illustration 5🌟
Plot 3.25🌟
Characters 4🌟
World building 4🌟
Global 4🌟

Thank you to netgalley and Diamond book distributors for the free review copy
This is the new bind up of the 2 graphic novels
Pub date : september 13th 2022

The blurb sounded really good and for the most part it was a good story.

The illustrations were really beautiful and detailed. They gave to the story the dark atmosphere it needed.
The world building was nice and you really feel the industrial city where the factory is. The illustrations even gave me some creepy feelings

The plot was good but sometime you jump from one place to another without explanations and it creates hole in the story. Some stuff happen and you dont know where it come from or how it was resolve

The characters were noce to follow. The little brother, Elliot, was so cute and brave. Indira was strong and stubborn to fond her brother, no matter what. The villain was ok but nothing more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Ooooo-kay. What I definitely like about this book is the ART. 1000/100!!! The inside and outside of the factory gives off Zaun (Arcane) vibes. The world building is 6/10 and character development is 5.5/10. Whole story is 6/10. All in all, it was kinda good but definitely can do better. I had a lot of story lapses where I'd have to go back to the last few pages to check if I missed anything. Hopefully, there's still a sequel.

Wonderfully illustrated fantasy story, which fascinated me with its dreamlike quality and beautiful pictures in all shades of muted colors. However, on several occasions I thought the plot missed some important moments in-between, which was really confusing and I had to guess more than understand what happened next. The ending seemed to arrive very abrupt, leaving me with even more questions, which hopefully will be answered in the next installments of this promising new series.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book!

I picked this up on a whim to pass the time and at first I wasn't sure if I would like it. But as the pages flew by, I found myself really curious and wanting to read more and more. I really liked the cyberpunk aesthetic and feel, which is not usually my style. The art is beautiful! It does remind me of The City of Ember and The Golden Compass (although I must admit I've only seen the movie/series). It also reminds me of The Maze Runner because of the insects. I wouldn't give this a perfect five because I got confused with some of the characters and I found it not so easy to follow everything and I have to go back a few times. I do love the twists and the end, definitely got me so excited!

A unique YA graphic novel that is a historical fiction fantasy book. The illustrations were amazing in this book. It was hard to follow some of the characters as there were too many “adults” in the factory. Overall a good book.

Elliot, Indira and Nolan were well developed character. The illustrations were phenomenal/breathtaking throughout the whole story. The storyline I expected to be serious because it mentions in the synopsis that it’s about the lost children in their town. I wasn’t expecting it to be so violent. Also sometimes I felt lost which can happen with graphic novels since ther are less words everything is open to more interpretations.

The artwork in this graphic novel is both beautiful and imaginative. I especially like the panels showing the strange factory. The book has an ongoing theme of brother-sister relationships and how they can bring out both the best and the worst in someone. The story itself was a little confusing, especially the ending. I think there is at least one more book, though, so those questions will probably be answered eventually.

This graphic novel follows a brother and sister through their struggles to support themselves. I enjoyed the use of magic and the steampunk feel that showed up throughout the novel, it really helped set the scenes for me. The connection between the characters is clearly felt especially the siblings. I really enjoyed the artwork in this book, the characters and the settings were beautifully illustrated. The use of colour throughout the book to depict the setting and emotions was very well done. The story itself I thought was compelling though there were a few places that I felt I had to try and reorient myself by rereading previous panels to understand exactly what was happening. I wish there had have been slightly more background into the history of the factory to situate some of the motivations for the characters at the end of the book.

If you enjoy stories with a little bit of magic and sibling bonds that are stronger than anything else this would be the graphic novel for you. Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend this book.

This book is being described as “like an animated feature” in print and that is apt description in terms of the art, but not the story itself.

The main drawing point here is definitely the artwork. The cover art was what first lured me in to this book, so I was expecting to enjoy the art style, but I was surprised at just how much I loved it. Suheb Zako is both an animation and video game artist and it is shows. Their artwork is absolutely stunning. There was so many pages, and individual panels, that I marveled over while reading because their illustrations are that beautiful. Each character is so beautifully detailed they feel as if they’re real people. The detail work is spectacular. Oftentimes, you can tell when an artist has a preference for either character or background work, but that’s not the case here. I don’t think Zako has a weak point at all, at least not that I could see. Everything was so beautifully done. And I cannot gush enough about how artfully and gorgeously Zako uses color and lighting to convey what is happening in the story. If I could rate this solely for the art, it would get a full five stars.

I can’t rate this just for the art though, which brings my rating down to a 2.5. This could’ve been a really touching and beautiful story about what siblings are willing to do for each other and for love. Sadly, this message gets bogged down by confusing time jumps, unexplained world-building, and too many characters, each with their own rushed backstory. While on the whole, I think I understand what the author was attempting to get across, when I try to think more deeply about the ins and outs of it all, I just become more confused. There were multiple instances where it felt like I’d missed entire pages worth of context. I think the story itself just needed to be a developed a little bit more, and some the pacing needed to be reworked.

While I didn’t love this, I would not be at all surprised to find it picked up for a film adaptation in the future. With Zako at the helm of the art, and with a little bit of story development, I can easily see this becoming a poignant and beloved favorite of the familial love story genre, akin to Lilo and Stitch and Frozen. In fact, I would really love to see this happen!

Gorgeously illustrated steam-punk style graphic novel. The illustrations are action-packed and feel like an animation for the greater portion of the story. This is such a moving & emotional tale depicting the love between siblings — more specifically with brothers and sisters. Little Elliot was so cute, and my heart was broken for most of the story.

This isn’t for the faint-of-heart, as some of the art panels portray gore and are pretty graphic. With that said, I wouldn’t say that this is for younger audiences. Though I can see how it’s misinterpreted with the factory run by kids. There are some unclear parts, but I get the feeling that this is just a prequel to an epic larger picture. I’m sure that the story will unfold with more details in future novels. My favorite panels were the last few — with the beautiful, more mature Indira. I’ll miss little toothless Elliot and although my heart is shattered, I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Special thanks to NetGalley & Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with an advanced copy.

Yikes.
Well, let's start with the fact that the art is absolutely STUNNNING, and the first half of the story is sweet and interesting with a lot of heart, so on the surface, it will be appealing to middle-grade kids and even teens.
BUT, that being said, the second half is EXTREMELY violent and graphic and the ending is just so bleak. This probably all stems from the fact that is originally a French story and Europeans are not exactly known for the patented American happy endings, but going by the people this is likely to appeal to, it may cause a great deal of distress to the readers.

The art in this story was beautiful and I enjoyed that part of it. The actual story of it was interesting but I also had issues figuring out what was happening especially at the end. If I was able to follow that part, it would have gotten a higher rating but the end pulled me out of the story.

I read the English text version of this Graphic Novel.

London, 1892. Like most children in the working-class town where she lives, Indira works in the coal mines every day without protest. One day she is too sick to go in and her baby brother decides to help and heads to the mines to fill in for his older sister. From there he disappears and Indira must get him back, no matter the cost.

While set in the 1800s, this graphic novel reads like a dystopian novel from the future. The conditions are bleak, and many are starving but there are worse horrors than these.

The artwork is just gorgeous and I found the storyline both fascinating and engaging.
The only issue I have is there are some problems with continuity. The jumps between the past and the present are sometimes confusing, and I kept thinking I missed a page or a panel. While I understand the need for space and how long a graphic novel can be, more time could have been spent on the back story and world-building. I want to know how the factory came into being, and how the new owners are chosen. and just who is choosing them.
Every time someone tried to help with a "follow me" they seemed to instantly be where they were going as if it was just around the bend. If so, why do they need help?

I would love to see a sequel to this though. I want to know what happens to Indira and her brother Elliot after the events of this tale.

Still, even with the minor faults, I recommend giving this a try.

Thanks to @netgalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Jerome Hamon for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Once again the graphic novel with beautiful cover caught my attention. However I was not dissapointed. It turns out my kind of story.

The novel 'Dreams Factory' is an interesting mixture of different themes and genre elements. The readers can find here a bit of magic, some steampunk technologies and the characters from the Victorian Era. The story starts with a scene from lives of poor hard-working children, Indira and Eliott. Indira as the older sister has to work in mines to help the family to survive. Once she became too sick to work and her little brother decides to go instead of Indira and mystically disappears.

The story was quite interesting, I was really involved and felt with the characters' struggle. The Factory itself is something marvellous but incomprehensible yet. I believe the secrets and some explanations will be revealed in the next books.

The most captivative thing for me was the artwork. The beauty of the scenes, visual style and coloring captured me. I would like to have this story in print.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I have no idea what just happened but it was amazing! The art style was gorgeous. Dark and fluid with pops of brutal whimsy. It was a lot more violent and bloody than I was expecting to be honest, but I loved it.

It was very fast paced, so most of the time, I feel like I didn’t get time or space to get to know the characters but I don’t think it impacted the mood much. It felt more like an experience than a story and even though it was hard to follow at times, the epic composition of the pages and paneling made everything so elegant and shocking that I don’t mind.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this. It’s a bit hard to read a graphic novel and still appreciate all the beautiful detail on a phone screen and this still managed to be stunning so I can only imagine how beautiful it will be on the page.

Dreams Factory is a beautiful harrowing story, the artwork, It is difficult to describe just how good the artwork is. I don't think I've ever seen a comic more skillfully drawn and colored than this one. It's like they had the whole Disney animation studio working on it.

Often times the cover is beautiful, like this one, and then the interior art cuts back because that level of finish(lighting, shadow, composition, perspective) and panel work, page turn timing, takes too much time. As an illustrator and a comics maker, I don't know how they did this without a hand falling off, going insane, or going broke in the process. It's a work of art. Stunning.

Dreams Factory is a wonderful visual experience with an engaging design and enjoyable story that keeps the pages turning. Captivating artwork and recommended comics/science fiction reading.

ARC Copy...magical and dream like, it was a wonder to read through and I agree with the "blurb" as the art style did feel like an unfolding animated movie and the unfolding story was fast paced and emotional as any good movie too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the art of this book, it was so interesting and captivating to the point that I read it a second time just looking at each page devouring the illustrations with my eyes without reading the text, I really loved the illustrator's style. The story was something else with a steampunk à la Dickens kind of plot. It was intriguing, and really packed with action from the start. Also, I got attached to the little characters and their sad stories, living in such an harsh world, trying to survive. What I liked more about this story is that it was also about siblings' relationship mainly between brothers and their sisters and their strong connections. It was so beautiful. The end was a bit confusing making you curious about what will happen next which I am.