This comic is very good. The artwork is amazing, really beautiful, and the story is meaninful and woven together.

The reason for my rating comes from two main aspects:
1. Sometimes, things happen too fast. There's not a slow development in some aspects, which makes the story rushed and a bit shallow in parts where it could be much deeper, which brings me to point 2
2. I don't get some characters motivations. Indira is helped mainly by 3 characters, and in nowhere is explained to the reader why they are helping her, seeing as it's implied they're not on her side.

There are some actions scenes where I got lost on what was happening, which makes me believe that, if this story was an animated movie, it'd be such a goof format for it. There'd be space to explore all the things that didn't fit a comic format, and the actions and emotions would be much better represented.

It is a great story, it just needs a little bit polishing to be perfect.

Such a cute read! I loved the art style and the story. I couldn’t put this down! A must read if you love graphic novels!

Indira is a child-worker at a local factory who has a little brother, Elliot, at home. One night when Indira arrives home, her brother is missing. She tracks him to a local toy factory and discovers other missing children who have all had their memories erased. She is determined to save Elliot whether he remembers her or not and whether she is placed in mortal peril herself.

While I enjoyed the steampunk vibe of the graphic art in this book and I really liked Indira as a character, I found myself confused periodically as characters just seemed to appear and then disappear. It was difficult to determine how everyone fit. I think the general plot is solid...it just needs a bit more drawn out explanations as to what is happening and who people are. The ending is also a bit confusing and I needed to go back and re-read it a couple times to figure out exactly what was happening.

Also, this may be marketed as a Middle Grade but it has a high level of gore and violence so I would place this in a Young Adult category.

Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for this ARC.

Like everyone else is saying, the artwork is gorgeous and kept me pulling through just to see more of the environmental design.

Though I was able to put it together the narrative of this comic is confusing. There's a lot of characters that all have stories that could be compelling, but there isn't enough time to build character and attachment before it's over.

I thought that maybe there was other source material that had the rest of the story, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I believe it relied too heavily on the stunning visuals to tell the story, but I do think I got the gist of the world and background. Usually there's too much exposition, this time I wish I had more.

I really enjoyed the art style of Arcane and Suheb Zako is what led me to this title.

Thank you NetGalley and Magnetic Press for giving me the opportunity to read this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review.

The art in this was gorgeous. You could really tell that the artist has a good sense of film making as the key shots were really cinematic.

However this book felt like reading a sequel. There were alot of characters, all with their own arcs and it was hard to connect with them as they weren't really given much time to grow. I think at times it relied a bit too heavily on the artwork which made it a bit confusing as to what was happening especially at the end.

Overall a very pretty book that will look amazing in print but I feel should have spent more time developing its characters so that their big character moments would have had a bit more impact.

First of all, the art is absolutely stunning. It's worth picking this one up just to leaf through and admire the gorgeous illustrations.

Sadly, the plot didn't pull me through. It was exciting enough, with children fighting the oppressive capitalist regime but it felt like many other stories and didn't really deliver the punch I was waiting for.

The art style was stunning! It made this read a pleasure, and it kept me hooked, wanting to see more masterfully executed panels.

However, the action was not handled that well. There were a lot of confusing time jumps, and, in a few instances, the character got where they needed to be very conveniently, from one page to the next without any explanation.

While we're on the topic of confusing stuff, the worldbuilding needed more page time, attention, and a few more details. Things just were and if that doesn't bother you that's great, but I couldn't get completely invested because I kept questioning different things or wondering if I missed something.

The characters were developed well enough, and their motivations were clear for the most part. When their actions didn't make much sense, it was usually for a reason.

This leads us to the ending. There were a couple of plot twists but I didn't necessarily see the point of them because this only had 130 pages and most of the action took place towards the end.

Because of the lack of focus on the world-building and those plot twists, to me, the ending seemed all over the place. A few more pages could've made a huge difference. Also, the ending was open, but a bit abrupt for my liking, and it wouldn't have been an issue if the previous things I mentioned had been addressed.

As far as I understand, there is a sequel as well and I'll keep an eye out for that.

THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR ALLOWING ME TO READ THIS ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
4 stars!
at the beginning I was a bit confused, and the like 20 pages in it started making sense and then at the end I had no idea what was going on. I still enjoyed it though. The art was amazing most of the characters were likable. But again the beginning just wasn’t making sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This graphic novel was originally written in French and follows a young girl named Indira who gets caught up in a magical mystery in her quest to find her missing brother. She uncovers a much bigger world than she imagined and gets pulled into a decades-long conspiracy.

There was a lot to like about this graphic novel, and I was pulled in right away. I enjoyed the magical, steampunk setting. The artwork is rich and lush, while still being mysterious and intriguing, which helps set the stage. I enjoyed the concept of a “dreams factory” and while this volume didn’t provide a lot of details or answers about the factory itself, I found it fascinating. I am a big fan of stories (particularly those written for children or young adults) that address beautiful concepts such as courage, joy, family, truth, and the like. Dreams Factory had strong themes of family, loyalty, and sacrifice, which I appreciated. I particularly liked the way the author used three different sets of siblings to tell parallel stories and explore his themes more fully.

However, in my opinion, this graphic novel didn’t quite reach its full potential. I think there are two main reasons for this. The first is the pacing. Or rather, the order and way in which information is revealed. I think the story would have had more impact if some of the information had been laid out differently. For example, very early on in the story, Indira’s brother Eliot goes missing. She wants to find him, and another character approaches her and says Eliot is with all the other children who have disappeared. This is the first time we’ve learned about this issue, but Indira doesn’t seem surprised. I think implying that children have been going missing earlier in the story would have made more sense, and would add to the feelings of dread and curiosity about the truth, especially once Eliot is taken as well. The second issue could just be me, but I found the ending confusing. I’m still not quite sure what happened. It felt a little rushed, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but I think some characters were being magically changed. It made it hard to keep track of who everyone was and what they were doing. And since the magic system still hasn’t been explained, there weren’t any rules of engagement for the climax. That said, I may just be missing something. Also, I think the story is being set up for a sequel, so maybe we’ll get more answers in the next volume.

Overall, I think this was a fun and imaginative graphic novel. I would recommend it to middle-grade readers who are looking for a creative magical world, a layered mystery, or a beautifully illustrated graphic novel.

Thank you Magnetic Press and Netgalley for this eARC of "Dreams Factory". My review is unbiased and my honest opinion.

Dream factory is a steampunk graphic novel set in Victorian era London. The premise was interesting for a graphic novel and the art did not disappoint- it was immersive and set the perfect atmosphere for the story. However, the writing itself was not the best.

The opening of the book was gripping and I was really looking forward to this story, but that only lasts 20% of the whole book. The pace is extremely off where everything happens very fast to the point where its confusing. The plot jumps made the storyline messy and did not allow for any proper developments in plot or characters, making it hard to care for any of the characters or the events as it is really hard to follow in the first place.

Overall, great premise and gorgeous art. The writing could be better.

Questo fumetto è davvero fantastico!
Ha un'atmosfera leggermente steampunk, tra animali meccanici, strane infrastrutture metà meccaniche e metà piante, e delle vibes alla Ghibli che me lo han fatto subito immaginare come uno dei suoi film!
E' davvero straordinario! Ho adorato i personaggi, sopratutto Olin e Noah, la fabbrica ha degli scenari fantastici, davvero surreali e da sogno!
La storia poi ti trascina sempre di più e ne vuoi sapere ancora e ancora...e ora voglio sapere se c'è un seguito!!!
Ovviamente però qualche pecca ce l'ha. Spesso capitava che, tra una pagina e l'altra o tra una scena e l'altra, sembrasse mancare qualcosa, come se non venisse spiegato del tutto o mancasse la fine di un movimento tra una scena e l'altra.
Inoltre ho trovato davvero strano come Noah sia tornato in maniera istantanea all'interno della fabbrica alla fine del fumetto.
A parte questo, è davvero stupefacente e spero che qualcuno ne realizzi un film d'animazione, perchè sarebbe un capolavoro!

Grazie a Netgalley per avermi dato la possibilità di leggerlo!

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This comic is really cool!
It has a slightly steampunk atmosphere, with mechanical animals, strange infrastructures half mechanical and half plants, and some Ghibli-like vibes that made me immediately imagine it as one of his movies!
It is truly extraordinary! I loved the characters, especially Olin and Noah, the factory has fantastic scenarios, really surreal and dreamy!
The story then drags you more and more and you want to know more and more ... and now I want to know if there is a sequel !!!
But of course, it has some flaws. Often it happened that, between one page and another or between one scene and another, something seemed to be missing, as if it was not fully explained or the end of a movement between one scene and another was missing.
Also, I found it really strange how Noah was instantly back inside the factory at the end of the comic.

Other than that, it's really amazing and I hope someone will make an animated movie of it, because it would be a masterpiece!

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read it!

3.5⭐

Dreams factory is a graphic novel of the steampunk fantasy genre that I really enjoyed.

I don't know what I expected when I started it but I definitely didn't expect to like it that much. I loved it. The illustrations are beautiful and I think the story was very well executed.

Indira and Elliot were characters that I wanted to protect at all costs.

The only thing I didn't like is that the ending was a bit confusing and disappointing. But overall It really was an amazing read.


Thanks to netgalley for an e-arc in exchange of an honest review.
#DreamsFactory #NetGalley

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this graphic novel.

The art style of this book is stunning and to be honest, that’s what caught my eye and the only reason I wanted to read it. But when the writing is so awkward and you’re just dead confused throughout the whole story, looking at a great illustration is not enough…

Pity, though. It looked promising…

Special thanks to Magnetic Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 stars rounded up!

I wanted to read this because the plot sounded really interesting and I could already tell from the cover that I would love the art style. I was right about the latter but unfortunately, the plot/storyline was more confusing than anything. I’m not really sure what was happening because the progression was erratic and in the end, the pace was too fast and left little room to digest everything that happens.

As I mentioned, I thought the storyline was interesting and although we don’t really get any world-building or background information about the setting or the history of the toy factory, I thought the story started off well. In this somewhat drab world, Indira works hard to ensure her brother is taken care of until one day, she falls incredibly ill and her brother goes off to take her place in the mines, only to not return home. Once the action really kicks off (not long after the start) it was difficult to understand what was happening because the timeline jumps around, the plot became more confusing, and more characters were introduced and secrets revealed but their development and motivations continued to go unexplained, and the further the story went, the more plot holes were revealed. When combined with the lack of world-building, the overall story simply felt erratic and off.

This is a shame because I thought the art and illustrations were beautiful. The characters were expressive and my eyes eagerly devoured the pages to take in all the details in the work. The style really reminded me of a lot of animated movies/shows like Arcane, especially with the darker colour palette to highlight the bleakness of the story’s atmosphere.

Evil toy factory that's actually Neverland.
The art was beautiful, but sadly, the pacing was completely off and I just couldn't get into it.

THANK YOU to Magnetic Press & NetGalley for sending me the ARC of 'Dreams Factory'. Reviews are honest reflections of my own opinions, always.

In the depths of winter, beneath a threadbare blanket in a small shack, Indira's cough breaks with the dawn.

"Strawberries" Indira tells her little brother, because he can't know she's coughing up blood. That the coal mine she works at to scrape together too little coin is slowly killing her. When a morning comes & the sun is already risen, Indira wakes to find Elliot's scribbled note & discovers he's tried to take her place.

Instead, he's been kidnapped.

Indira finds herself inside the mysterious Dream Factory, where other children are rumored to have disappeared, magic flows, and a sinister force is building.

(book releases 9/13/22)




I loved the opening of this book, with it's beautiful illustrations & immersive story. It pulls you in right away. Then, it picks up a off kilter pace, making plot jumps & leaving voids in the story. It also gets weird. Now, I like weird. But weird when it has some kind of explanation, or purpose. I definitely feel that the story could benefit from slowing down, filling in plot gaps, cutting a few characters (that aren't really explored anyway) & explaining that ending.

Content Notes: blood, light 'gore', & horror elements that may not be suited to sensitive readers.

I can't decide if this should be 3 or 4 stars. The art is amazing and that alone deserves 5 stars. The overall story is beautiful and sad.

However, there were so many parts where I got lost and didn't quite understand what was happening or what had happened. I'm still lost as to what actually happened at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

+The art was absolutely gorgeous and I just love the style. Then again, that is also one of the reasons why I requested the book. Good characters designs, many gorgeous panels with action scenes.
+The idea of a factory with scary things happening to kids and people who come near was an interesting one.
-However the plot was just hard to follow and at times I had to re-read parts just to see what was happening. It just went from one thing to the next, sometimes just hopping along, and while I did get the gist of things, not all was very clear. At times we hopped between characters (like Indira to the twins (???) who work under Kathleen to the guy who knows Kathleen). OK, correction, I am just freaking confused. XD

Too bad, this sounded really good, but it was just messy and all over the place. :( But good art. So that is at least why its got that 1.5 stars.

The art is amazing and the color artist is awesome.
Great fairytale vibe to a world that has a hint of steampunk. It all starts when the main character's little brother leaves to work instead of his sick sister and ends up a slave in a toy factory. The tension is built by the fact that as the time passes they lose their memories.
We get the background of some secondary characters that help give more tension to the existence of the factory.
I couldn't get emotionally attached to the different characters and their fate (lots of repetition and high drama for the deaths of too many characters on the same page, some were not even dead after all that) but what happened to the main character was cool.

The artwork is fenomenal, but everything about the story felt rushed and without purpose. The worldbuilding left me wanting for so many explanations and the lack of well explored background made the characters and their motivations feel flat. I'm hoping there's more to Indira and Eliotts's tale, as well as the factory itself, because Indira's love for her brother is the heart of it.