I found this comic through Webtoon and I'm thrilled it's getting a book release. The story and characters are cute! I adore the underwater setting, with special care given to worldbuilding and marine life.

The translation from scroll format to traditional comic format feels smooth. The panel layouts are engaging and easy to follow. There are a few pages where there were a lot of speech bubbles at once, which could be distracting for some readers, though I understand how tricky it could be to fit the bubbles on a page when the comic was originally designed for a format that allows for more space.

The bonus materials are a treat for Castle Swimmer fans—the additional comics, lore, and behind the scenes really add a lot to the experience.

I hope Castle Swimmer receives more volumes in the near future!

This is such a beautiful story. I was delighted to discover that it is actually on Webtoons so I can go ahead and race through the entire series and then read it more leisurely as the books are published. I don’t always buy the graphic novels that I review but this one is a must!

Kappa is the Beacon. His is a special merman with a destiny which will affect all sea creatures. For some creatures, he is a blessing through his life, for others he will become a blessing through his death.

The shark kingdom believe that the Beacon will save them through his death and that their Prince Siren was born to kill the Beacon on behalf of the shark kingdom to alleviate their suffering.

Neither Kappa, nor Prince Siren are happy with their purpose and destiny and when they finally meet as destined, they agree to work together to thwart Kappa’s death. Unfortunately the rest of the sea kingdoms want their own destinies through Kappa and they want him alive or dead.

This is such an excellent first volume, with beautiful artwork and colouring and a story that is exciting, funny and engaging. Definitely a series to follow and definitely going on my list of exquisite reads for 2024.

This was super cute! Definitely a good middle-grade graphic novel. I loved the art style, and the characters were fun! They had some good depth (hehe, underwater characters, depth, okay, I'll stop), and they both seemed done being tied to the prophecy. Their interactions were super cute. The worldbuilding and lore were also pretty great, especially for a graphic novel, where it can sometimes be harder to fit everything into the story. I really enjoyed the book!

I would recommend it if you want a middle-grade graphic novel with fun, magical illustrations, a good storyline, and characters that are still growing and learning about themselves.

This was cute! I love underwater fantasy and the visuals were beautiful.

I like the idea of the mer-boy who is compelled to help lots of different civilisations complete their prophecies. I do think the story could have moved a bit quicker though. A lot of time was spent watching Siren conflicted about completing the shark prophecy or not.

I would be interested in continuing this series to find out what happens next.

Castle Swimmer by Wendy Martin is a captivating and visually stunning debut installment of the hit Webtoon series, now available in a gorgeous graphic novel format. The story follows Kappa, a young merman destined to be the Beacon, a figure meant to fulfill countless prophesies for sea creatures. Bound by a magical yellow cord that pulls him toward his fate, Kappa’s life feels like a never-ending cycle of self-sacrifice. His journey takes a dramatic turn when he’s drawn to the Shark Kingdom, where he’s imprisoned and faces a grim prophecy: Prince Siren must kill him to lift a curse plaguing the Shark people.

However, Siren defies his destiny, choosing to help Kappa escape, setting the stage for an epic adventure filled with romance, danger, and self-discovery. The chemistry between Kappa and Siren is beautifully portrayed, making their relationship the heart of this enchanting tale. The artwork is vibrant and imaginative, bringing the diverse sea creatures and underwater world to life.

Fans of the original Webtoon will appreciate this faithful adaptation, while newcomers will be drawn into its mesmerizing story. Castle Swimmer is a must-read for anyone who enjoys queer romance, fantasy, and adventure. A delightful, whimsical read that leaves you eager for more.

MUAH I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS.
Caste Summer is so goood!!!!!. everything about this webtoon is amazing and beautiful.
I loved the concept of the story and plot which was done brilliantly. The creation of the magical Sea World was fantastic.
The main leads stole my heart they were so very cute and delightful. The artwork and colorful illustrations were mind-blowing.
Great great great graphic novel about two mermans who have been born to fulfill their destiny with or without their own choice but all they want is to find themselves, live their lives without all the burden of others.
Can't wait for this to release so I can have it on my shelf and excited about volume 2.
Thank you NetGalley and Ten Spread Press for the ARC

Absolutely stunning usage of color theory in this webtoon. The formatting is beautifully translated from webtoon scrolling to book format. The story does a great job giving you the understanding of what’s happening with the Beacon in a playful tone but knows when to deal out the darker more crucial tones like with the sharks’ curse. This is also supported by the color shifts in how dark blues and purples shroud the sharks and their lair, which draws out the bright pink and red scars they suffer from. The Beacon’s bright yellow scales are also a literal symbol of hope. Very excited to see this in its published version.

I remember reading this back when it first came out on webtoon and absolutely loving it. I was so excited to see that it was getting a print edition and jumped at the chance to read the ARC. I still love the artwork and enjoy the story. At times, I found both Siren and Kappa a bit too awkward and would have to step away because of the second hand embarrassment, but I loved watching their relationship grow. I’m probably going to have to redownload the webtoon app to reread this series.
I can say, though, that this volume is mostly setup. The plot is introduced, but you are mainly just learning about the characters and their motives. The ending of this volume is pretty abrupt and leaves you on a bit of a cliffhanger. That said though, you can always finish reading it on webtoon for free (at least I assume webtoon is still free, it was starting to make you pay for comics more and more when I was last on it). If you are looking for a cute story with an interesting setup, I recommend checking this one out..

SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!! I can not EXPRESS HOW GOOD THIS WAS.
The art, the story, the characters omgg. SO GOOD.
Unlike some manga/yaoi/bl/whatever, there is an easy plot to follow and you don't have to fill in any gaps yourself.
The boys are so sweet and the art IS SO CUTE.
When siren gets nervous and boils omg. I boiled with him.

Thanks to NetGalley for access. Overall it’s a cute YA story about young mermen feeling the burden of prophecies, family expectations, and little control over their own lives. While I’ve only read this first volume, it’s an interesting underwater world with a budding romance on the horizon. Sweet start to a story, but probably not something I’ll continue.

Castle Swimmer is a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about the burden of destiny. Both Kappa and Siren had their lives predetermined at the time they were born. Kappa is the Beacon - he is drawn to places to fulfill their prophecies - literally pulled from place to place without care for what he wants. Siren is the prince of the shark kingdom, destined to kill the Beacon and save his civilization. When Kappa and Siren meet, it's like looking in the mirror - each one a young merman who was never given the agency to discovery themselves. Siren knows what he is destined to do, but as the two grow closer they push their fates further away and grow closer. Teens will love this sweet graphic novel about choosing to define yourself. Excited to see what's in store for Kappa and Siren in volume 2!

I loved this story so so much. It's absolutely wonderful. So whimsical and heartwarming. I fell in love with the two main characters Kappa and Siren. And the plot is very interesting. I can't wait to read more. I had a blast reading volume 1. And the artwork is so very beautiful. I highly recommend it.

This is not my first time reading Castle Swimmer by Wendy Martin. I like many other readers started reading it on Webtoon years ago. But I personally struggled with Webtoon's format and a bad connection. So, I'm so happy and excited that Castle Swimmer is being released as a comic/graphic novel series!

It has been so long since I read Castle Swimmer on Webtoon that I didn't remember much of the story. What I did remember was I loved Castle Swimmer. I may be a bit bias. However, this was the first nostalgia read for me that felt like I was reading it for the first time all over again. The Characters, the lore, the art, the plot its so good! It all just pulled me in and I was and am content to stay.

The main characters Kappa and Siren are precious and relatable. I just want to hug them. They deserve hugs with the trauma they carry. Speaking of which, this volume cut off at the perfect moment. Nearly all the characters are left in intense time sensitive situations. The cliff hanger has me wishing the second volume was already out. Even though this (the first) volume isn't even out yet. (One of the downside to ARCs).

In my opinion Wendy Martin has done an amazing job at creating the fantastical world of Castle Swimmer. We as the readers are given so much information but it is not in any way overwhelming. We get to see a bit of the world and its magic. We are introduced to the main characters as well as several other types of Mer. The lore is just so interesting. We little glimpses of different cultures and see so many different prophecies and how bias changed them. That combined with themes of loneliness, self-sacrifice, and fate not always being what it seems sets up the story beautifully. I can't wait to read the next volume in the series.

Overall, I'm excited for the next volume. Not just because I love the story and characters, but because I do remember one big event in this series and it didn't happen in this volume. I could see it being set up through the actions of different characters. I am so ready for more. Are there going to be more types of Mer? Whats going to happen to Kappa? Whats to become of the seemingly doomed budding romance? I can't wait to find out, I can't wait to finally finish reading this story. Lastly I want to say that the little extras included at the end were delightful.

I sadly think this one just wasn't for me, tha pacing and length of the volume did really take me out of the story. It feels like such an interesting series but the set up wasn't enough to draw me in.
The way the panels were set up made the reading experience feel convoluted.
The artstyle is absolutely gorgeous and i freaking love the color palette.
Overall i recommend checking it out

the main characters are quite interesting! i love the simple art design and the thought-out worldbuilding rules that the author shared on the end. i like the struggles that the prince is facing and i'm interested in knowing how his story will go

Not only was this incredibly cute and colorful it was also delightfully gay and sweet. I love a nice yet complex and deep gay love story and I cannot wait for the next book to come out. The colors are so amazing I just know this is beautiful in person and I desperately need a physical copy now.

castle swimmer was my favorite webtoon in high school, 6ish years ago now, and when i saw its becoming a physical book (releasing on my birthday, at that) i was SO excited. i adore this story, the characters, the plot, and the author does an incredible job of explaining the plot and what’s happening while not having paragraphs of description. rereading it felt like visiting an old friend and id forgotten how wonderful this story is. i can not recommend it enough :)

Super cute and a very intriguing start.
This seems like it'll be very fun and I'm excited to see how this current plot will go. The art is also beautiful I enjoy it very much.

A very sweet and endearing story about 2 mermen falling for each other despite one being pushed to murder the other to fulfill the prophecy of his people. The illustrations are lovely as well.

I have loved and followed this Webtoon for the longest time now. This serialization and publication of Castle Swimmer is so exciting. This volume depicts the first chapters of the comic, in which we are introduce to our two main characters: Kappa and Siren, and the conflict of this first arc. The pacing, narrative and art is as beautiful as vibrant as I remember.