This is an absolutely beautiful story with stunning illustrations and a cast of the most interesting, complex characters. This is a tale of love of all kinds; chosen family, self-love, romantic love and more. If you enjoy underwater fantasy with a dash of humour and love, this graphic novel is definitely for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I saw the cover and just thought it was adorable. The art style is whimsical and gives me a weirdly nostalgic feel and warm puzzles. It's like heart stopper but with mermen lol

"Castle Swimmer Volume 1" takes place in an underwater landscape and follows 2 merpeople: Kappa and Siren. Kappa is a golden merman who is the "beacon" meaning he is to fulfill all the mer-prophecies, and Siren has known his whole life that he is going to have to kill the beacon/Kappa to make his kingdoms prophecy come true. But when Siren and Kappa meet, they instantly become friends, creating a bond with each other due to the similarities in how they feel trapped by their destinies.

This was a super cute mer-romance and very interesting to follow along. I loved the art style-the characters were drawn very cute and colorful. It was interesting that the shark-merpeople had more of a blue color palette and the other merpeople had more of a vibrant yellow/orange color palette, which really helped the reader grasp different landscapes. Another great thing about this book is that it is LGBTQ friendly, having the 2 male characters as the love interests. It ended on a cliffhanger but I can't wait to read more! I'd definitely pick up the next volume when it's published.

I think you would enjoy this novel if you are aged teen + , like mermaids and underwater landscapes, enjoy graphic novels, and are looking for a wholesome gay romance. 5/5 stars, highly recommend!

Thank you so much the netgalley and Ten Speed Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Castle Swimmer is a super cute story about the choices we make that determine our future. I love the artwork in this, and I know it'll only get better as the story progresses and the artist has time to come into her skills. The characters are all unique and interesting.