Fun and adventurous fantasy ride! It was original webtoon comics but now It got published in physical form.
The main heroine Callie is not ordinary human, she can see ghosts of flowers, fruits, trees etc, she is feeling like outcast at the human world she lives in. Her dad is so mysterious about telling her why she can't go with him to the magical realms. One day he got missing and Callie and her new friend Declan are deciding to go find him and the adventure begins.

I devoured it so quickly. The story absorbed me and didn't let me go until I finished the last page. I fell in love with the characters and the worlds the author made. I would never thought that my favorite and also the best character gonna be the radish, Callie was such a dork and oblivious about everything. Declan was such a cute gold retriever I would like for friend too.

I don't have anything negative to say, I love it a lot, The artwork is exactly the type I enjoy, the characters was fabulous and the story itself was enganging, interesting and funny. I had a really good time reading it.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley to give me an opportunity to read an ARC,

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars because I love how adorable the art is and because I genuinely laughed at and enjoyed most of the story.
My main issue is that it's so wordy. Things that could be expressed simply take several panels (not just speech bubbles) to get a basic point across. It makes sense with one character specifically, but every single character has an unnecessary motor mouth and it makes the story feel like it's dragging.
And then there are little details that get mentioned and introduced but they go nowhere and are not really dealt with or brought up again. I feel like I'm being nitpicky about this, but it's annoying that so much gets said yet some points just get ignored.
It is incredibly adorable though, not just in art but in little comments and details. It's cute enough that I'd recommend it even with the issues I had with it.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Graphic for the fun read!

I originally read this on webtoon and loved it then. This is a story about a girl who knows about this whole other world that her father works in. There is only one rule, don't cross the gate. One day her dad is taken and she goes on an adventure to find her dad and ends up finding so much more. This is a great story, and would be great for even preteens and teenagers as it would be relatable in some of the things that are in this story. The art is very pretty as well, very well drawn and brings the story to life.

Do you like unknown parent mysteries? How about coming-of-age stories featuring the weird kids? If you answered yes, then this graphic novel is for you. Nothing Special is a beautifully illustrated story about two teenagers who aren't as human as they appear and the adventure that sparks friendships and romance. Callie has always felt like she was the odd one out, always on the fringes at school in the human realm. Her father, a magical antique shop owner, is overprotective and is keeping secrets from Callie that he says are "when you're older" answers. Well, Callie is now 17 and some of those answers are about to change her life!

I loved this graphic novel and will be buying my own copy. It was a quick but fully fleshed-out plot. There were surprises that I didn't see coming when Callie set out to the magical realm with Declan. And Radish, what a character! If you're a fan of any kind of RPG, adventure game, or just plain like a good story then this one is for you.

A delightful story with adorable characters where adventure meets magic. It just makes you fall in love with the characters. I loved the humor, characters, plot, the world, and the ghost radish. Just the plant spirits part made me feel like I would definitely love it and I did.
Now, I'm just gonna wait for the second volume in the series because I can't get enough of the characters.

This graphic novel is so cute! I can’t wait to hear more adventures! Yes, there’s a romance but it’s also about family and friends and journeys. What a fantastical, magical world! I was sucked in immediately.

“Nothing Special” turned out to be pretty special, indeed! I loved the vibes of this story, the artwork and the characters in all. I related so hard to the main character and loved the story.

Super cute! I loved this so much. The story and the art were both great. The tone was light, upbeat and playful. The female lead was fierce and very relatable. Some of the stereotypes about men are so spot on and hilarious. Even the romance was adorably sweet.

Such a fun graphic novel.

DNF. I didn't like the story and the artwork wasn't great so I couldn't get into it. It just seemed very unpolished and rushed

Through the Elder Woods is volume one of the Nothing Special graphic novel series by Katie Cook, which is currently scheduled for release on March 5 2024. The first season of mayhem, magic, vegetables and adventure from Katie Cook's beloved Webtoon, Nothing Special, is collected in this gorgeous graphic novel, which also features exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

In the grand scheme of the worlds at large, Callie thinks she's nothing special. Sure, she's friends with the ghost of a radish and her dad owns a magical antique shop--but she's spent her life in the human world. Her dad won't let her join him on his collection trips in the magical realm “for her own protection”, so she’s only caught glimpses of that world through the gates of the town where her father’s store is. On her seventeenth birthday, Callie goes home with her friend Declan to find her home in disarray and her dad missing. Signs of a struggle point to the portal to the magical realm and when there are signs, you follow them. Now it's up to Callie, Declan, and Radish to band together and bring him home. As they face creatures good and bad, and all sorts of adventure, Callie and Declan may just find out that they are both special in their own ways after all.

Through the Elder Woods is an entertaining read, and one that I enjoyed on several levels. First, and with graphic novels very important, I love the art style. The artwork captures the emotion of the characters, gives subtle clues to the larger story, and also has a sense of fun and whimsy to it. It matched and complimented the story perfectly, and I enjoyed the book as a whole. I thought the character development and slow reveal of the world building was very well done. I loved getting to know Callie as she was figuring it out for herself. I loved getting to see her relationships bloom, and while there is romance and the dreaded love triangle hint in there, that part of the story never overshadowed the adventure and figuring out just who she was and what she wanted. That made me very happy. I think the fact that even when the adventure and danger got serious, there was still a light hearted whimsy to the overall story is what really captured me with this book. I will be eagerly awaiting book two, and perhaps finally exploring Webtoon for more as well.

Through the Elder Woods is a fun and engaging graphic novel. I only wish I had discovered it sooner.

Such a sweet and cozy read!! It’s great to see a printing of this and I know everyone is gonna eat it up! The overall messaged is emotionally adorable and the little characters are the absolute cutest. Radish!! Ugh, so cute. Definitely give this a try!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

For seventeen-year-old Callie Benson, the high school experience has been especially ... challenging. She can see the echos of plants and animals who have died but not yet moved on - and her furtive conversations with invisible spirits have earned her the reputation of the "crazy" girl on campus. Her father is a demon who's always gone, traveling between the human world and other realms in search of magical objects for his antiques store. Her mother - well, Callie doesn't know much about her; it's just been Callie and her father for as long as she can remember. Callie knows that she's not human - at least not entirely - but beyond that, she's not sure what she is. Just that she's nothing special.

Callie's world opens up when she discovers that a fellow classmate named Declan can see the spirits, too. Callie helps him gently dispel an especially giant spirit who has camped out in front of his house (and, more alarmingly, watches him sleep at night), and the two become fast friends. When Callie's dad goes missing on her birthday, she and Declan enter the other world in search of him. With the help of a demon named Lasser and the spirit of one very possessive radish, can Callie rescue her father - while also coming to terms with what she is?

NOTHING SPECIAL is one very special strip. (Sorry, I had to.) The storytelling is magical, and I especially love the spirits that follow Callie around. (A sassy radish? Sign me up!) The mystery of Callie's lineage is a juicy one and I enjoyed the big reveal with her mom at the end. Cook's artwork is charming with just the right amount of cutesy mixed in. Bonus points for bonding over pop culture references.

You can also find it on Webtoons, where Katie Cook is already well into Season Three. (This book comprises Season One, chapters 1-29.)

The world that Katie Cook has managed to create here is so vibrant, fascinating, and full of heart. It was such a joy to follow Callie on her journey, watch her connection with Declan blossom, and meet so many downright hilarious characters along the way. I enjoyed every laugh and smile from the frequent hilarity, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the truly heartfelt messages about family, friendship, self-discovery, and the pure magic of life - no matter how imperfect it may be. This story will definitely stick with me for a long time!

Thank you Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this fun book! This was such an adorable story! Gorgeous illustrations, great, fast-moving plot and great characters made for a fast, fun read. Nothing Special turned out to be very special indeed. Can’t wait for the sequel!

EEEEEP!! I’m SO excited!!

I once reviewed Katie Cook's <i>Nothing Special</i>, a comic series that I’d read on the Webtoon platform, and very explicitly stated that the only complaint I had about the series was the fact that I could not purchase a physical copy of it as a graphic novel. This egregious oversight has now been corrected!

<i>Nothing Special</i> is a story about a teenage girl who has always felt like somewhat of an outcast in the human world and prefers to talk to the spirits of plants all non-humans can see than the humans around her. Callie Benson's life changes when one of her fellow students begins seeing the plant spirits as well and realizes that she knows what they are. And when her father suddenly goes is kidnapped, Callie and her new best friend, Declan Hickey, set off on a dangerous adventure to find and rescue him.

Despite the somewhat dark nature of Callie's father's disappearance—there was a mild amount of blood on the walls!—<i>Nothing Special</i> is actually an incredibly cute comic and story. The macabre of the tale is handled in such a way that it’s kind of more cute than anything else. The flow of the tale and the adorable cartoonish quality of the artwork allows for the dark aspects and characters to come off as rather light-hearted in the most fascinating of ways. And best of all, you fall in love with the characters super quickly.

From Callie, to Declan, to Raddish, and even to Lasser—whom you do initially sort of hate; but don't worry, he really grows on you!—everyone in this wonderful series is so easy to adore. Honestly, I'd be really surprised if anyone could legitimately say that they don't love the amazing personalities that lead the adventures held within the pages of this book.

The story is episodic in nature, a rather quick and brilliant read, complete with light-hearted darkness and a wonderful cutesy feel to it. You leave this book eager for the sequel, but also feeling as though the main plot is wrapped up quite nicely in a very sparkly and swirly bow.

I happened to love this story <i>so much</i> when I first found it online that in the span of two months, I’d already read it more than five times. So, naturally, I was more than thrilled to see it on NetGalley and even more excited to submit multiple preorders (gifts, anyone?—and I’ve already recommended this to a student who loves fairies, magic, and the macabre!).

I would highly encourage, especially if the artwork looks like it could be your style, to pick this one up and give it a read. I’m of the mind that it’s a choice impossible to regret!

<i>I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review—and it was as brilliant as I remember it being!</i>

A familiar structure and plot, made super-cute with the vegetable ghosts, particularly the possessive Radish. The humor (love the side note comments!) makes this enjoyable even for those not necessarily fantasy fans.

Callie has spent her life waiting to finally become her dad’s apprentice. She’s never been allowed to exit the safe area of the magical realm where her dad’s shop resides, but she has been allowed to roam the human world freely. Everything changes when Callie’s dad goes missing. Now she’s armed with granola bars, her new friend Declan, and the ghost of a radish named Radish as she searches the magical realm for her dad.

This is such a cute cozy adventure. We follow Callie as she realizes she knows the radish spirits that follow her way better than she knows anyone she’s gone to school with. We get to watch her make friends, search for her dad in a magical world she’s always been banned from exploring, and fall in love along the way. There is such a great cast of characters, but my favorite is Radish! They’re such funny and cute characters that I loved for the entire book.

I love how fun and simple the storytelling is. It’s one of those stories that serves as a mood lifter because it’s cute, light, and funny. Plus, the artwork is absolutely stunning! I love how much it brings the story to life. It’s incredibly detailed, and it was so much fun to see how the Radish spirits appeared at any given time. I’m looking forward to checking out the next volume and seeing where the story goes next!

That was super adorable and I need to go buy myself a copy of the book to support the author even though I got to read the ARC. I see she did Gronk too. That was also super adorable. I need there to be a second volume of this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four stars.
This was a sweet and creative little story. It takes us through a door into a magical world in which a daughter then searches for her abducted father. Her best friend goes with her (and he turns out to be part fairy!). Along the way they pick up two others that join their party - a ghost radish (I know, it does sound odd!) and a demon who is the youngest of 89 or something like that.

This was an interesting and humorous story and the art was unique and beautiful. I really enjoyed it. I did then find myself thinking how I will now get my hands on the rest of the volumes. It finished at a good place, but I could tell that there were still a bunch of adventures waiting to happen. And I want to go right along with them to continue to experience this lovely story.

Thank you Netgalley, Ten Speed Graphic Publishing and Katie Cook for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I started reading this as a welcoming a few years ago and waited eagerly for a physical edition to come out. I am so excited to be given an early access copy and be able to read this all in one go again. Callie has lived her whole life half in and half out the real-world. Her dad is an adventurer/salesman of strange goods and so she has known about this other strange world her whole life. She runs into another boy from school, Declan, who also sees these strange orbs of light, and they realize they have a lot in common. Until one day Callie discovers her father is in trouble, and so her and Declan decide to risk leaving the boundaries of the magical village and head out to find him. Along the way they encounter Radish, a former radish who died as a garnish but has now pledge his loyalty to Callie, and Lassiter, who knows what Callie really is and wants to use that for his own gain. In a delightfully silly fantastical world filled with humor and some of the most amazing artwork, I am so excited Cook is finally publishing this as a book. One of my favorite graphic novels. Can't wait for more!