Sofia is a digital girl in a digital world, fighting to catch her wave in an age of data deletion and too much time spent online. She doesn't know her purpose, she doesn't know herself, but she has friends to help her find her way.

2/5 stars. The art was very beautiful but the story was unsubstantial and flat. I didn't feel any life in the story. There wasn't enough time spent establishing any of the characters other than Sofia and her sister Thea. The bad guy was surface level at best and there was an antagonist who literally only got two frames of art but was treated like an immense threat. I feel like this graphic novel would have benefited greatly from having multiple volumes to flesh it out.

Netgalley review, possible plot points mentioned below.

I'm stuck between a 3.5 and a 4 for this graphic novel only because of the beginning of it. The first half of the book was a bit abrupt and confusing, even after finishing it I'm a little lost on what was real and what was digital. Seeing Sofia and Thea in the same room is where it really felt tangled, especially if Sofia is being deleted does that mean she is just memories of someone whos dead or is she still real since she can still interact with Thea and her friends in what looked like the real world? The end feels like it's opening it up to becoming a series which I hope will wrinkle out some of the beginning confusions.

The second half is very good. Once the crew picked up Sofia in the digital world, I was so hooked. I already adore Emo, Candy, and Viky. Candy is my definite favorite so far. I'm also very intrigued with Melissa. I love the character designs, especially with them being personification of viruses, emotes, and algorithm in a really fun way. I'm so disappointed in myself for not seeing emo and immediately realizing it was short for emoticon, I found out when Sofia did. Melissa has the coolest design so far and I'm excited to see more of her in following volumes to be made.

The art style in this novel is very different than a lot I've come across. It's got a very dreamy feeling while still have a glitchy digital feel to it that I really enjoyed. Ebook island was absolutely gorgeous and dreamy.

Overall I'm excited to read more, I'm intrigued by the digital destruction and personification in the digital world. I also think it's an interesting concept of running out of internet space and having to delete memories of those who have passed.

I thank the authors and netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

Sofia: Red Chair Beach by Davide Tosello is a beautiful illustrated graphic novel even though I liked the artwork and characters it just didn't work for me but I would still recommend this.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get along with this comic all that much. I really enjoyed the art work and loved how the characters had so much personality in their designs from the start. The concept is so intriguing and I think it will develop into something very clever and interesting. However, it was just a little confusing and rushed for me in this first comic. Lots of things felt like they could’ve done with more explaining and the concept could have been developed more for my liking. But with all that being said I think this will become a comic series perfect for sci-fi and game fans once it’s fleshed out a little more.

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I wasn’t sure about this one! Beautiful illustration but just not my thing. Amazing for people interested in internet discourse, but just not for me!

Sofia, after surfing, works on a computer program and finds herself in a strange world populated by internet creatures. Has she successfully projecting herself into cyberspace?

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✨ Although the reader was life in the dark for a while as to why getting Sofia's avatar was so important, things weren't confusing. There was a nice buildup while keeping things on the hush, hush until the end. And there was also enough that happened to keep the reader intrigued until finding out the real reason.

✨ It was nice because when scenes took place in the real world, we know Sofia's thoughts, which I don't often see in graphic novels. That first-person POV wasn't stripped away, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

✨ The characters have a lot of personality! With graphic novels being heavy on dialogue, you have to make each character sound unique mostly by the way they talk. Tosello did this wonderfully!

✨ The cliffhanger! When I saw that the book was only 97 pages, I wasn't expecting a cliffhanger, but it was a good one. I am even more hooked and desperate to get the second book!

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I enjoyed this graphic novel more than I was expecting! The graphics were full of color, the story was intriguing, and most importantly, I need book two! Everything was so well done, and I would definitely read this again.

This graphic novel is honestly so extremely interesting. The art is extremely fresh and crisp. The story is kind of mysterious, but also includes elements and references to surfing and the web.

I liked this novel, but sometimes was trying to hard to grasp exactly what everything means. For instance, the whole main premise of this graphic novel is that the internet is running out of space so there isn't room for everyone and endless data, and the sister of Sofia, Thea, is obsessed with an urban legend called the "Big Wave". This wave is supposed to be something within the internet world that carries an immense amount of data potential that should resurrect the dying internet, and Thea thinks she has a hint when it is coming due to her extensive research.

This world is full of seedy people taking advantage of data. There are islands in the online cyberverse that are like locations we go to connect to the internet, or based on content we all consume. They all travel through this giant ocean to get to each of the islands. The waves within the ocean are a giant reference to "surfing the web". The whole thing is full of references and tie-ins to our own current online lives, but through a dystopian lens of the internet failing and only some people being remembered through it.

I think the entire concept is extremely interesting, but as a reader I love when I am shown or told important world-building details that I need to understand the dialogue. In this graphic novel, I was left wondering what exactly was going on until almost the very end. This could have been very intentional storytelling due to some of the plot elements of memory loss, but it isn't something I personally enjoy as a reader. I give this book 4 stars, since it is extremely beautiful and interesting, but is not the perfect read for me.

The art style is absolutely stunning! If my train hadn't arrived at its destination, I would've finished it in one sitting. That said, the story was pretty confusing. I struggled to figure out what was going on. But perhaps it's by design so that we figure it out along with Sofia. Still, I hope the next one provides more insight.

This book is an insult to the way the internet works.
(this is a cheesy title, but not as cheesy as the book itself)

Pro: The art is good

Cons:
- There is a clear lack of diverse representation. Everyone is thin and white. It feels like a book from the early 2000s.
- Who is the lead and the savior? a white man.
- The portrayal of sisters feels clichéd and outdated.
- The publisher's summary of the book doesn't even match the plot of book (never seen that before). Sofia is not propelled into the digital world, we just follow her avatar made out of all her digital data, which is vastly different.
- Speaking of plot, *face-palm*, it makes no sense that suddenly there is no more space on the internet. Connect another computer to the internet, and voilà, you have more space on the internet. And it makes even less sense that people would be limited to a life-time 30GB of data (we use this amount so quickly).
- Even if I try to imagine a sci-fi scenario where the internet would be limited and the data restricted, the author doesn't grasp what the internet is and the plot falls flat.
- And that's not all! The book is short, but the narration is very confusing. I would have expected it to be a standalone with an actual resolution. Instead, the book ends on a cliffhanger with most of the plot and the characters' background unexplained. That was odd.
- And then there are the masks haters, the malevolent shop owner, and the rescuers with '68 vibes, all coming across as gauche, cheesy, and heavy-handed. The overarching message is that "Spending time on the internet is bad, being in nature is good". I would have appreciated some nuance here.

Overall, I do not recommend this book, particularly if you only read the first volume. It lacks structure and coherence, and the theme failed to capture my interest.

Thank you Netgalley and Europe Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a short and fun graphic novel to read. I loved the vibrant colours of this graphic novel. The colour palette was so well done and I found the art work eye catching. I will definitely be picking up the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. ✨

3.75 ⭐

"Sofia" is a fresh and imaginative graphic novel, blending Sci-Fi and Fantasy for Teens and YA readers. 🌊 The artwork is the highlight, with whimsical and stylish illustrations that vividly distinguish between the Real World and the Internet. The addition of tapes with songs for each chapter adds a fun touch to the experience. 🌊

The story follows Sofia, after a surfing session she is drawn into a new adventure. The concept of projecting into cyberspace and the bond she forms with her quirky friends (Thea, Candy, and Emo 🐵 ) make it a captivating adventure similar to a game with different levels.

Though the book is beautifully illustrated and conceptually unique, some may need for a more extended narrative. Nonetheless, "Sofia" remains an impactful graphic novel that will appeal to readers who love colourful art, the internet, and gaming elements.

Overall, "Sofia" offers an engaging and beautifully drawn journey filled with impactful art and a compelling dystopian story. Perfect for young readers who crave both adventure and artistry, this graphic novel promises an unforgettable ride through virtual waves and beyond. 🌊

3.5 stars ⭐️ Cool concept for the story. The drawings are very nice. I specially loved the turtle wave😍 I did however sometimes felt a little bit lost between the real world and the internet and think that more explanation would’ve been nice. But overall good & i can see how teens & kids today might be drawn to the story. The playlist makes the story more immersive and lets us in the author’s mind.

Very confusing book. I'm not quite sure of anything that I read and I don't really want to continue.

I feel like this is an extremely interesting start, but it was just a smidge too confusing for me. I do think that was sort of the point, but while I often really love confusing books and stories (ones where you really have to stick with it to figure everything out), I didn’t really have enough here to convince me to keep going. The entire world and story and characters seem to be shrouded in mystery, and there are a lot of metaphors being made between surfing and internet related things, and altogether I just didn’t feel like there was a lot made concrete for me to hold on to, while waiting for the rest to reveal itself. It just meant that the ‘why’ behind everything was so unclear, that I had a hard time seeing or understanding the motivations of any of the characters, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to happen or what I was really cheering for and why. However, I do think there is an interesting base to this comic, and I really enjoyed the art style a lot! While I’m not sure if I’ll be returning to this series myself again, I do think it has the potential to develop into something really interesting.

This is a fun, amazingly illustrated graphic novel, the first in the Sofia series.

Taking place in The Real World, the battle for space on the Internet begins with the people of the past being deleted, saving space for those alive.

In The Internet, Sofia's virtual echo must find who she is, if she and The Free Cloud are to find The Big Wave and create more space for everyone.

A really great playlist accompanies this graphic novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this comic. I was intrigued by the dystopian story presented in the synopsis. The story does not disappoint on this. I will not mention much about the story because this is volume 1 and there are still confusing elements in terms of plot.

The world is what surprised me positively. The way the real world is connected with some virtual world on the Internet is very interesting. I liked how some of the characters are things like algorithms, viruses and emojis. This makes the story was more interesting.

The art is incredibly beautiful and it fits the story wonderfully. There are bright colours and captivating scenery. I think the artist did a wonderful job at presenting the world.

I am very curious for next volume and I highly recommend this one! Incredible!

A bright a beautifully drawn graphic novel with impactful art and dystopian story.

Recommend if you like surfing, colourful art, waves, the internet, graphic novels.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author & publisher for a copy of this eARC in exchange for a review

The story itself wasn’t what I’d normally go for but it was cute and the art style is amazing the illustrator did an amazing job!

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Sofia.

Sofia by Davide Tosello is a visual masterpiece with its stunning illustrations that captivated me from the very beginning. The artistic brilliance displayed throughout the book was a true delight to behold. Each page was a work of art, and it added a unique and enchanting dimension to the reading experience.

The concept of the book is intriguing, and I could sense that there was something deeper beneath the surface waiting to be unraveled. However, I must admit that I found myself a bit lost, unsure of the direction the story was taking or what the characters were trying to achieve. This lack of clarity slightly impacted my overall enjoyment, which is why I have to give it a lower rating.

Nonetheless, despite my occasional confusion, I still found myself enjoying Sofia. It possessed an ethereal charm that kept me turning the pages, drawn in by the magical world that unfolded before my eyes.

One aspect of the book that struck a chord with me was its subtle yet powerful message about the dangers of being overly reliant on the internet and digital devices. Through Sofia's journey, we are reminded of the importance of living in the present moment and connecting with the world around us. It serves as a gentle wake-up call to put down our screens and immerse ourselves in the real experiences that life has to offer.

The drawings are absolutely amazing and breathtaking, 10/10. They just take you to another place, to another world. It is incredible; it's so short but the emotions are described in a truthful way. The plot is a bit hard to understand at the beginning, but towards the end it becomes clearer. Even though it's still not resolved, since there are plot points that are going to be resolved in the next book! I look forward to reading this book's follow-up 😍 I thank the author and publisher for this chance to dive into this world!