Maelstrom is a Loki type figure. Raised to be an evil overlord, his approach to life is more trickster than true evil. When he finds himself in a company of "good guys" who are preparing to mount a revolution against his evil mother, he thinks of it as the most fun thing that could happen. He'll play with these folks, let them think that he's on their side, and turn at the last moment. The plot takes directions we would expect but that's okay. The characters are strong, providing pathos and levity in equal measure. This is a solid quest story with fight scenes and magic. The art style is cartoony without becoming overly silly. There's enough reflection to suit more serious-minded readers.

The Prince of Evil very much reminded me of Marvel's Loki character in the sense that he is more mischievous than truly evil. I loved the questing party aspect of it and really enjoyed the snark from the characters.

Maelstrom A Prince of Evil is a bit of a mess. There is way too much text. A lot of the appeal of this mixed medium is that a lot of things should be shown in the pictures without having to spell it out. Otherwise, it should just be a text novel. I did like the coloring and makeup of the Maelstrom character. But the story is confusing and unwieldy.

This was a fun graphic novel about friendship, being true to oneself, and saving the world one village at a time. I did find it an enjoyable, though not particularly compelling read. The author's fine artwork raised this from a three to a four star read for me. And, I'd certainly consider going on another adventure with these characters.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil by Lorian Merriman is a graphic novel about Maelstrom, who is a half-demon prince pining for a place in history. (Honestly, he’s just bored and searching for a way to pass the time.) Twigs is the young, prophesized Hero of Virtue fated to face him—or so we’ve been told . . .But Maelstrom’s mother, regent to the throne and a powerful necromancer, is determined to keep an iron grip on her domain. Bemoaning his lost destiny, Maelstrom teams up with the Hero to stop his mother and forge a new destiny for himself. What Twigs doesn’t know is that Maelstrom has a cunning plan to build his own epic legend and double-cross Twigs at the perfect moment. . . "Memorable characters drew me right into this gorgeous coming-of-age adventure that's as hilarious as it is heartfelt." —Carey Pietsch, bestselling artist of The Adventure Zone

The art is beautiful and the story is compelling. What isn't there to love about this book.

Maelstrom is the half-demon son of the regent to the throne and bored. So when Twigs, the fated Hero of Virtue, comes calling he decides to join forces with her and fight against his mother. All along he was playing at being changed, but was planning on betraying them at a dramatic moment. But then he found out what his mother had planned for him and that changed the equation. So who would he go with? His mother and her plans or his new friends and his own way? Read and find out!

Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan for the chance to read this title!

I loved this graphic novel! It was predictable in the best way possible. This is a such a fun story of a Prince of Evil and his boredom. I thought the story was very well developed and I loved the way the characters were written. Each had such a unique voice and between the art and the dialogue - it was clear how each one should be portrayed. Maelstrom was such a fun main character. The way everything unfolded was done in a good way as well. The art was so colorful and I thought it beautifully captured this story.

The only thing that I felt was off was the VERY ending of this book. I think it was the way the characters seemed to have drastically changed between the last scene and the end. Maybe it was because Twig finally found her confidence but she wasn't the shy meek girl anymore. And Maelstrom was more honest than sarcastic. But I guess it was because they found their "true self".

However, I would absolutely recommend this graphic novel to anyone who enjoys this format of reading and a comical book about self discovery and being true to you!

Maelstrom is a half-demon prince in a kingdom ruled by his tyrannical necromancer mother. He is not a very imposing prince, with some small shape-shifting powers and weak fire-based powers. He is, quite frankly, bored. So, when the fated HERO breaks into the castle to kill them he decides to liven up his life and 'befriend' the hero Twigs and join the resistance.

Honestly, this was not only a fun story overall, but actually quite heart warming. Maelstrom had a very fun-loving, devil may care attitude that brought quite a bit of levity to everyone's lives. Twigs was the quintessential hard-working hero that ended up thrust into the limelight whether she wanted it or not. They both went through a great deal of personal growth throughout the story.

The artwork was well done, the story was well done, and I think middle schoolers and up are going to just love this book.

This was such a sweet story-the characters were great, the storyline was good, and I enjoyed the artwork. I saw the plot-twist coming, but in a good way. I will definitely be adding this to the library collection.

This was awfully cute coming from an adult reader’s perspective. I think the younger teen it seems to be aimed for will find it a fun adventure if they like fantasy. Fairly wholesome story so unless it’s a parent who is overly tense about what their teen reads there’s nothing content wise to object to. Maelstrom and Twigs are a likeable pair of main characters and I did really like that it is a stand alone.

I loved this! The drawing style is delightful and I really loved Maelstrom as character. I laughed out loud so many times and then probably cried just as many before laughing again. Genuinely a great story with a great message. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fun graphic novel to add to their collection!

A beautifully illustrated middle-grade graphic novel about family, legacies, choices, and destiny. Despite the potentially-weighty subject matter, the tone stays mostly light. The plot makes joyful use of middle grade fantasy tropes and the art is an absolute delight.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a lot of fun, even though the end was pretty predictable. The art was engaging and full of energy, and the characters were all interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I adored this graphic novel and have added it to my list of books to purchases. This is a story about fate, destiny and whether or not you can change it. The story also is about found family. There where many twists and turns that made it fun to read. The characters where well written and fun to see bounce off of each other. I adore the interaction between Maelstrom and Twig they are adorable together. Maelstrom is a little mischiefs chaos germile. Your never quite sure if he is going to do a harmless prank or something that could cause some real damage. (think Loki from the MCU) Twig is the hero who isn't sure if she can live up to the expectations everyone has of her, including those she has for herself, but she is going to do her best. Anise is the grumpy parent of the trio and I wish we had gotten to see more of her interacting with the other two.

The art style is bright and the world has be constructed so that it feels lived in, like we are seeing moment in time of a place that has existed before and will continue to exist after this story is over.

The art style, characters, and world where remonicent of Disney's The Owl House, if you liked that show or others like it definitely give this graphic novel a look!

This reminded me of Steven Universe if you mixed in a little of that one really famous Cartoon Network show that I do not know the name of. If you are looking for that vibe, pick this up.

This was fun - obviously we knew the basic story beats kind of throughout (who the evil queen really is, that Maelstrom would come into his own with the resistance, and that we’d get a happy ending) but it’s a lot of the little details that really sold me on the story. Maelstrom’s relationship with his shape-shifting and how he feels about needing to disguise himself vs the freedom of playing with how he presents himself is huge in a very quiet way (and very symbolic of the queer experience, even if we don’t put any official labels on it). Also the difference in how Maelstrom and Twiggs view “a legendary hero” and how even small acts of heroism are really important. Then of course there is Anise’s complex relationship with magic, duty, and her past.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

This was cute and fun! I love the art style, and the surge of more fantasy in this genre. It has fun and likeable main characters, and dynamic styles for each page illustration. Great work!

This was a fun, quick read that was a bit lacking in plot, but greatly made up for that with great characters and a fantastic art style. Maelstrom, half-demon prince seeking a break from boredom, and Twig, supposedly the chosen hero fated to stop the queen's reign (a necromancer and Maelstrom's mother), form an unlikely alliance when the two meet and get swept into revolutionary activities aimed at overthrowing Mael's mom. This plot point felt rather peripheral though, as the focus of the plot seemed to be more on the characters and Mael and Twig's budding friendship. The dialogue is fun and snappy, not going too much in to either extreme, making it feel smooth and more realistic. The art style was my favorite part, a perfect mix of stylish and bright colors. Overall, I did enjoy reading this, even if the plot wasn't the strongest.

This was a vibrant and engaging graphic novel. It would work perfectly for young fans of Steven Universe.

Heartwarming action packed fantasy about an evil demon prince who joined the rebellion against his evil queen mother who’s been reigning with terror for 2 decades. He has ulterior motives at first but he learned a lot of new things along the journey. The twist was good, I didn’t expect it coming even though it’s quite obvious. It’s nice overall.