This is such a beautiful story about expectations, prophecies and the light of friendship, taking place in a beautiful marine setting.

Kappa and Siren, two mermen, have more things in common that they think. They are both key to fullfil prophecies very important to their people, and they are committed, although things are not as simple.

The story is quite fast paced, and quickly establishes the plot and defining traits of both characters.
The art is so beautiful, I adored the color palette.

I really enjoyed it and certainly want to know more of this story, the two mermen are so cute and I can't wait to see how the romance develops.

The bonus material is great, insightful and you can somehow connect to the author.

i've came across castle swimmer on webtoon and ever since than it's been an important story to read, to follow. it's about fate, friendship, love, adventure. it's about pushing your own boundaries, about fighting for yourself and for people. and mostly it is a fantastic coming of age story with a mystery twist.

'Castle Swimmer' was a fun, interesting story but ultimately one I just didn't care for very much, Like a lot of webcomic's turned graphic novels, these seemed to stop right as the story was developing to be more interesting. The art style wasn't one I particularly enjoyed but also wasn't bad either, just felt as though it teetered more child like. I'm interested to see where else this story goes. The romance seemed interesting. But ultimately, I just don't think I cared enough about this one.

I hope it finds its home elsewhere!

Synopsis: From the moment Kappa tumbles into existence on the ocean floor, his life’s purpose is already decided for him: He is the Beacon, a light to all sea creatures, and destined to fulfill their many prophesies. In high demand and under immense pressure, Kappa quickly realizes that fame and glory are small compensation for a life of predetermined self-sacrifice.

Unable to resist the call of destiny due to a magical yellow cord that appears from his chest and pulls him inexorably to any sea creatures he swims by, Kappa ultimately finds himself drawn to the Shark kingdom, where he is immediately imprisoned. The Sharks’ prophecy states that the curse maiming their people will only be lifted once their prince, Siren, kills the Beacon. But when Prince Siren decides to defy fate and help Kappa escape, Kappa realizes that there might be more to life than fulfilling endless prophesies, leading to a raucous adventure as big and unpredictable as the ocean itself—and a romance that nobody could have predicted.

My rating: A solid 5 stars!

Thank you #NetGalley & Ten Speed Press & Wendy Martin for allowing me to read this beautiful story and ARC!

“ The truth is… I don’t want to be a beacon that shines for others. I just want to shine for myself!” -Kappa

I was beyond excited to have this ARC approved for me to read. I was hooked from the moment I opened it, absolutely stunning illustrations, captivating likeable characters and a story that leave you wanting more!

I especially appreciated how the author includes the origin story of ‘Castle Swimmer’ at the end of the novel and a bit of her own backstory! Much hard work and pure talented was poured into this graphic novel and that shows on every page.

I would recommended this stunning graphic novel to anyone that enjoys fantasy, LGBTQIA+ storylines & enjoys humorous characters. I flew through this novel and loved every moment, I cannot wait for more Kappa & Siren!

Note for NetGalley: My public reviews on Instagram & Goodreads will be posted the week of the publishing date October 21, 2024

Kappa's entire life has been ruled by a prophecy told by long-dead strangers, and he's made to follow a yellow cord that pulls him to every prophecy in existance. One day, he's led to a prophecy that demands him to die by a spear in Prince Siren's hands. Instead of killing him, Siren spares him.

The art style is adorable and I love how expressive the characters are! The volume ended on a cliff hanger, and I can't wait to read more.

Ahhh!!! I need to read the second volume ASAP! Absolutely loved this comic!!! The art was amazing, it had a lovely magical touch to it.

This was great! This is a book I've read in its original Webtoon format, and I'm glad it's finally being published physically. I love Kappa and Siren soo much, and I am in love with their story! I will 100% be looking out for more of this physical copies in the future. The art style of this series is amazing too, and I love the progression of it as the author/artist's style develops!

A host of different species of mermaids all hoping to encounter a merman called the Beacon so that their prophecies can be fulfilled. A gay shark-merman prince is tasked with killing the Beacon so that he can break the curse on his people. The shark-merman doesn’t want to kill the Beacon after realizing he’s just another person and a small romance starts blossoming. What I loved most was that the characters’ sexualities aren’t questioned, they just are. There’s no coming out scene or any internal or external conflict because of the characters’ sexuality. A refreshing take on a queer romance with a nice art style and narrative. Ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I’ll definitely pick up the next volume.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I really love this webtoon. This first volume starts a little bit slow, but knowing where it goes from here I love it. This book is really just introducing us to the characters and getting us used to the world. We get to know our main characters and the struggles they are going through with the lives they've been told they have to lead. They both have the world on their shoulders and all they want to do is be able to tell their own story. I love the art style and it really continues to improve as the story goes on. I will absolutely be picking up a copy!

This is a nice collection of the first part of a great webcomic. I just wish more had been included in this first volume.

Castle Swimmer starts with an interesting concept: a merman destined to fulfill prophecies who doesn't want to, and a mershark at the heart of a prophecy he doesn't want to fulfill. Unfortunately, I think that this text lacks both world and character building, so there's little buy-in for the reader to follow along or care. Only surface-level details of the two main characters are shared, neither of them apparently have any friends or interests, and they're both literally stuck in the same setting as they fail to come up with ideas on how to change their situations.
I wanted to like this text and unfortunately do not, so I will not be continuing to read it in subsequent volumes.

This book was such a cute and whimsical read. I’m not sure if this is being marketed as YA but if you love series like Heartstopper I think this might appeal to you. I remember checking out this comic back when I first began on webtoon, but I didn’t keep up with it. It was really fun to get to return to the story now that more has been completed. I really loved all the different types of mermaids that were shown throughout this book. Going for something more nontraditional and visually interesting was definitely the way to go. This was a great start to a series and I’m excited for Kappa and Siren to get to go on some little adventures.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really love the Castle Swimmer characters and story. I remember reading about this far on Webtoon back in the day, but stopped using that website a few years back. It's great to see the story coming out into the wider world now. The story of two young characters trying their best to be true to themselves while serving their communities and following their destinies is compelling and cute, and a little sad too. There are no easy "right" answers for these two young mermen. If they follow their hearts, people will be hurt or even die. If they follow their destinies, fewer people might die, but they risk losing themselves. It's a beautifully drawn story that tells a very relatable tale of the struggle to be who you want to be and balancing that with who you feel you need to be.

I love the art style and all the different types of mermaids. This is a great opening to a story filled with new adventures, but plot wise it’s a little basic. I can’t wait to see Kappa and Siren’s relationship progress.

It took me a while to get through this graphic novel solely because each page held so many artistic details and I didn’t want to miss any of them! All of the characters - like Siren, Kappa, the Queen, and Selkie - were so likeable and their connections to each other felt nicely fleshed out. The facial expressions were also used expertly to create little comedic moments that had me laughing. The conversation loops about the Beacon’s fate and creating an escape plan did feel a bit overly drawn out by the end because they were repeated frequently, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and I’m looking forward to volume 2!

First of all i want to thank netgalley for gifting me a copy of this book.

I gave it 4.5 stars. It was really cute and i can't wait for the second volume to come out.
It is classified as a young adult but it feels more like it's on the border of a middle grade and a young adult.

Characters:
I loved the characters. They were all so cute and sweet. They all had their own personality and story to tell.

Plot:
The plot was pretty interesting. Don't expect many plot twist though. It isn't a complicated plot. There is a theme about expectations. The main characters both experience high expectations from their social environment this takes a toll on the both of them. I really loved how Wendy talked about this theme.

World building:
I absolutely love the world in this graphic novel. The different species are interesting to read about. I think their could be a bit more about the different species. You see about 4 or 5 species in the whole novel but only one is explained. I do like all the different prophecies and the lore behind the big curse that is very prominent in this book.

Romance:
The romance is not really their yet but it is developing. It's an LGBTQ romance which i really love. I also really love that nobody is giving special attention to the main character being queer. It is seen as normal in this story. I can't say enough that this needs to be done more. I love this. Why do we always need the coming out stories and the shocked people. They always make it look like the person is different.

Writing:
It was mostly this and the story line that made it feel like a middle grade. It is written very well. I loved the dialogue and the way of expressing things.

Art:
The art was really cute and gorgeous. The colours are beautiful. The arts style made it feel like a YA because of all the scars and disabilities the people in this book experience because of the curse. Also the violence and the blood that is showing makes it feel more like a YA. The blood is very well drawn.

Conclusion:
It is a lovely story that is on the border from middle grade to YA with gorgeous art en very cute characters.

I love this story, I've been reading it for years and I'm very happy that they are finally going to release it physically, I'm angry that it hasn't been released sooner ahaha, it is such an amazing work, it deserves it! I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it's a beautiful story, the characters are lovely, and the art is 10/10.

**Disclaimer: I recieved a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute.  I really enjoyed the world that the author created.  She id a good job at developing the main characters and the concept of the various prophecies.  However, I didn't want it to end.  I wanted it to continue forever.  The art was beautiful, and I liked seeing all the different species of mer.  It was really cool.  I can't wait for the next one.

05/24/2024 || Castle Swimmer: Volume 1 by Wendy Martin || #CastleSwimmerVolume1 #NetGalley #Queer #MLM

Thank you NetGalley, Wendy Martin, and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press | Ten Speed Graphic for making this e-ARC available!

Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author and myself.

All of my thoughts are my own~

Full 5 Stars!!

Castle Swimmer follows the life of the golden scaled Kappa, the Beacon and chosen one to fulfill prophecies and solve the problems for all the creatures and life under the sea, and the prince of the Shark kingdom, Siren.

Kappa is quite literally bound to his destiny by the thread of glowing light that connects and brings him to each and every prophecy. As the latest thread tethers him to the Shark kingdom, where a curse tethers Siren to his destiny for his people, fate seems to bring them both together for more than just what is expected of them. Both of them desire and yearn for more and better, and after an unexpected friendship and romance blossoms between the two, they start to yearn that for one another (and possibly together).

There seems to be so much more tension growing in the Shark kingdom and I'm curious to find out how and what the other kingdoms will do, and how those characters will develop. I really loved how there was so much diversity in how some of the other kingdom folks looks and were presented, and I hope that there is more diversity and inclusion is show cased as the story progresses.


**Personal feelings: Ommmmmmggg!!! I was so bummed out when I got to the end because it ended- such an adorable but tense/sad graphic novel! I cannot WAIT to see what happens next for Kappa and Siren!!! Everyone kept using they and he for Kappa but I wasn't entirely sure if Kappa used both they and he or not. Also so much heavy Princess Mononoke and other Ghibli vibes for the win!!! Loved this I am sooooo buying a physical copy when it comes out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In a world of sea creatures and underwater ocean kingdoms, young Kappa’s life is already predetermined as the golden Beacon. His destiny collides with multiple kingdoms, but for one in particular: the shark people. After he’s imprisoned in the shark realm, he meets Prince Siren, who’s destined to end the Beacon’s life. Complications arise, treachery begins, and a romance like no other opens for possibilities.
This graphic novel is stunning, and the different kingdoms that the author/illustrator creates are mesmerizing. Originally part of the app Webtoon, Castle Swimmer is a must-read hit. Stunning illustrations of underwater life mixes with the confusion of Siren and the hope of Kappa. I seriously wish the second volume was here. Time for Webtoon now!