Member Reviews
This is the story of 8-year-old Lulu, in love with his best friend; his sister Cam, trying to be what she thinks a cool teenage girl should be; and their parents, trapped in a struggling marriage.
Three love stories, from budding desire to fading passion, play out within one family the day after Princess Diana's death.
I really liked this story. I found the art style very sweet, and the characters quite believable. I felt the sadness and frustration emanating from the mother, the teenage angst and confusion felt by Cam, and the simple and pure feelings that Lulu had for his best friend.
I remember being around Lulu's age and wanting to play the same kind of games with my friends we had always played, but being met by sneer and being belittled because they were already changing into pre-teens, thinking of girls, wanting to distance themselves from their younger self.
I remember being a teen and sneakily smoking, convinced my parents would never know. I have never had a boy coming and going from my window, but having loud music, not feeling understood by anyone around me and being taken advantage of by older boys was unfortunately very relatable.
I have never been married, but I really felt the mother's struggle and I found the father quite distasteful.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
All Princesses Die Before Dawn was such a beautiful graphic novel—both in the story and illustrations—following three different love stories in one family the day of princess Diana's death. We follow Lulu on a hot summer day as he plays with his best friend and annoys his older sister who has a much older boyfriend. All set against the backdrop of his parent's troubled marriage. The story is whimsical and the slice-of-life narrative truly captivated me.
Bittersweet, naive and hopeful story that you really shouldn't miss.
An absolutely lovely GN about different stages of love. Focusing on three members of a family at different stages of their lives and love journeys it shows how we can love and lose all at the same time. I adored the characters. I adored the stories. The youngest is on this journey of self discovery in a world where he doesn't feel like he fits. The daughter is trying to find herself in a relationship with someone older than her who devastates her (relatable). The mother is trying to rediscover herself in the midst of a heart breaking loveless marriage. All of them are at different places but similar places as well.
A beautifully illustrated story about hope, heartbreak and bonding.
A boy discovering his self, a teenager getting her heartbroken and a broken marriage finally ending. But through it all is their strong dedication to stay together and accepting who they truly are. Definitely worth picking up.
Thank you #NetGalley and Europe Comics for giving me the opportunity to read this!
It’s a cute and heartbreaking story. I’m sure [Princess] Diana’s inclusion has to do with the parents failing marriage and how it can feel like a world ending but I definitely think it could have done without. The protagonist is exploring his sexuality at a young age. Quick and light read. Definitely recommend
A beautiful and heartbreaking graphic novel set against the backdrop of Princess Diana's death, All Princesses Die Before Dawn depicts three love stories within one family all of which change, for better or worse, over the course of one late summer day. Lulu is an 8 year old boy discovering his sexuality and experimenting with gender expression through his love of princess dolls and fantasy play, harbouring a secret crush on his best friend Yoyo, another boy from the neighbourhood. His older sister Cam is feeling the pressure of having an older, college age boyfriend, and the expectations that he has for the direction of their relationship. Meanwhile, their parent's marriage is on the rocks; dad didn't come home last night and mum is feeling overlooked and unloved. From reading the author's notes at the end, it is clear that this is at least a semi-autobiographical tale, which made it all the more special to me.
The art style appealed to me instantly - I was drawn to the cover before I knew anything about the story. The colours used in each panel really reflect the emotion of each scene, leaning heavily into both the fairytale and fantasy elements, so the novel is, in my opinion, very visually striking, and I'd certainly like to see more of the artist/authors work.
Though there is a lot turmoil and heartbreak depicted in this relatively short tale, it ends on a hopeful note, with the final illustrations glowing in the light of unadulterated love and joy, showing that sometime's fairytales really DO have a happy ending, even if they're not what you hoped for in the beginning.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This packed an emotional punch that I was not expecting. All Princesses Die Before Dawn is a slice of life graphic novel that follows three inter-connected, yet separate stories. We get Lulu, Cam, and their mother and all three stories just hit you right in the feels.
Lulu is eight and already knows that he's gay. He likes playing with his sister's old Princess dolls and wearing his mother's lipstick when she isn't looking. He also likes to play princess with his best friend Yoyo. Yoyo - Whew. I can't say that I liked him very much. Honestly, he was a brat and Lulu deserves so much better than him, either as an eventual love interest (if they get aged up and this story continues) or as a friend.
Cam is going into high school and is seeing an older boy. Said older boy only wants one thing: which Cam doesn't consent to. Of course, he leaves in a huff and says she's not worth it. But Cam is a great older sister to Lulu and she deserves someone better than whoever that dude was.
And then, their mom. She might have been named, and if she was I forgot it, but her and her husband are going through a rough patch. He decides he's going to pack up and leave her and his kids behind (what a freakin' loser) and honestly, this family is better without him. The few ending pages were so happy and bright and hopeful, I loved everything about the three of them together.
Zuttion's story and artwork were absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to see what comes next!
Quite short and easy to read- the drawing style is very nice but the story is not as well developed as I would have liked it to be. We briefly follow Lulu who is gay and trying to explore/understand this and his family members, Cam his older sister with an older boyfriend and their parents. Whilst the art was very beautiful the story is quite sad- the parents marriage falling apart, the first love and experience of rejection and understanding of sexuality of a young boy, the struggle of a teenage girl falling in love with an older boy pressuring her- this I found was all a bit much for a short graphic novel and its impact could have been greater had these things been explored further.
However overall this was a solid read- once again the art was beautiful and the topics important. The only thing I did not understand was the inclusion of this all happening on the same day as Princess Diana's death. Was this just to set the time? Was her inclusion in the story something more about divorce? Not sure but I found it not necessary.
This comic has a really beautiful illustration art style that really captivated me.
I was worried while reading it that something absolutely terrible and tragic would happen before the comic ended. It felt like there was tension building and the title kind of made me concerned too. Luckily, nothing truly tragic happens, though it is a pretty shitty day all around. The end of the book made me cry -- in a bittersweet way.
This book tells the story of a day in the life of a family. Lulu has a friend come over to play and sleepover. Cam is tanning out in the sun and expecting her boyfriend to sneak in in the night. Their mother is going about a normal day, and listening to the news of Princess Diana's passing.
The whole book depicts the woes of childhood friendship, teenage concerns, and the difficulties of married life in a fantastic way, where every character is going through their own struggle, but none of those struggles are trivialised by how big or small they are next to the next family member's struggle.
I was very intrigued by the book's title. I didn't go in expecting too much but a couple of pages into it i knew that i would love this one. The book revolves around a family. Mom, Daughter and 8 year old Lulu who's trying to figure out his sexuality and who's in love with his best friend who also happens to be a boy. We get to read and feel each of their emotions throughout the novel and it happens within the 24 hours but what got me the most into this book is it happens on the day Lady Diana Princess of Wales passes.
I loved the bond between the sister and little Lulu and also how understanding their mom is. This was heartbreaking but yet really beautiful. The art of the novel was so amazing. too.
Honestly did not love this. The art was very nice, but the story was not that compelling and didn't have much of an overall arc to it. I enjoyed the numerous perspectives, but I didn't feel like I connected enough to the characters to really care that much about what happened to them.
1 ⭐️
This book was provided to me by NetGalley.
I to be frank did not enjoy this book.
The plot was there but incomplete, I expected so much more from this, but I ended up disappointed.
Lulu is a cute character but doesn’t have much depth to him, minus being not the brightest. Lulu had potential but it wasn’t used correctly.
I liked the divorce/separated parents in this but it still felt like a lot was missing. This book felt like it was 2 seconds of my life, and I didn’t like that.
It was quick but to be frank not worth the time. My apologies.
As far as I know, this is a semi-autobiographical (or heavily ispired on autobiographical facts) graphic novel about a boy in love with his best friend. Everything happens during a very eventful summer and we follow the boy, his sister and their mother in their lives and problems. The art is stunning and the story was quietly beautiful, the kind of story that, even if it doesn't have a conventionally happy ending, makes you feel warm. All in all a beautiful book, although for some reason I feel it won't stick with me for long.
A wonderfully illustrated graphic novel that manages to be heartfelt, well-paced, and emotive. This was a real winner for me.
It was a beautiful graphic novel. I really liked the art and the colors of the illustrations. The story was great, we follow the thoughts of several characters at the same time and I liked that. On the other hand I find that the book goes too fast for us to get attached to any of them which is a shame. I liked the music references, it made the book more fun. I'm just a little disappointed that some topics are not discussed a little more: homophobia, abandonment, assault...
I liked the whole concept of the book and the idea going into it. However it just didn't hit the mark. I felt as though too many themes were being explored and each one was kind of brushed over. I thought the ending was beautiful but I just wished there was more of a plot.
This book was kindly sent to me by NetGalley.
The art style for the graphic novel is just spectacular and I spent hours just staring at the art and admiring it before continuing to read the rest.
The story revolves around this family where a husband is cheating on his wife, a teenage girl is in a confused relationship, and an eight-year-old boy is discovering his sexuality. You get to see the POV of these family members and how it makes them stronger and closer to each other.
A bitter sweet story of love in different stages, set against the news of Princess Diana's death. The art is dream-like in quality and makes this story feel like a distant memory from your childhood rather than fiction. Within 160 pages Zuttion manages to portray relationships starting, strengthening and breaking without hitting you over the head with it. With a small cast of characters, this graphic novel manages what others aspire to - providing a relatable story to a reader of any age.
A slice of life short story, very relatable to queer children growing up in the 1990s. Every character faces a personal struggle as the family breaks apart. The message of overcoming those struggles and sticking together and finding the strength was heartwarming.
The art style is beautiful.
Beautiful art style in this graphic novel depicting a day full of relationships and discovery. I desired a little bit more and wish it was a bit longer, but I thought it was beautifully done and well crafted nonetheless. I would recommend this to readers who have enjoyed titles like Magic Fish or Tilly Walden.