I don't know about you but for me, there are precious few stories as exceptional as Wendy Lian Martin's <i>Castle Swimmer</i>. I decided to read this LGBTQ webcomic on a whim one day, just happening across it on the WebToon app and I fell in love faster than I ever would have imagined with the characters and their story. With a thoroughly engaging plot and some of the best artwork I've ever seen, <i>Castle Swimmer</i> quite easily found a place in my list of favorite reads. As it recently returned for season two, I figured now would be a great time to review the first one.

I'm honestly in love with this story.

Kappa is a young merman, born to be what all those living in the ocean call the Beacon. For every group of fish folk that lives beneath the sea, each has a prophecy that involves the Beacon. Kappa's entire life has been spent fulfilling the prophecies, sometimes to the pleasure and sometimes to the disappointment of the people obsessed with what their prophecy says he will do for them. Whenever he swims near something that pertains to a prophecy, Kappa is pulled, somewhat against his will, toward it until the prophecy is complete.

Though he knows this as his life's purpose, it has also led Kappa to feel very alone in the world.

Enter Siren, the young Prince of the sharks. They have a prophecy of their own.

According to the prophecy Siren has spent <i>his</i> entire life waiting for, it is his destiny to kill the Beacon and save his people from a horrible curse that leaves them all perpetually at risk of injury or death. But when the time comes that the sharks have captured Kappa, Siren finds himself unable to strike the final blow that will break the curse upon his people forever.

Castle Swimmer is a must-read. Believe me when I say that you are sorely missing out if you've not read this comic series. One of only three that I am desperately wishing to have a book at some point, <i>Castle Swimmer</i> is an exceptional tale with exciting twists and turns that you won't want to miss!

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this graphic novel.

Castle Swimmer was a quick fun read for fans Heartstopper and Bloom. A mystical tale of a merfolk who is destined to release the sharkfolk from a curse. The story follows a Kappa who is the beacon and Siren who is destined to kill him. I enjoyed the art style and the story. It was just getting ramped up and ended on that cliffhanger. Will definitely be tuning in to the rest of it.

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.

Well this was a lovely story. The illustrations are beautiful and it was a great start to an ongoing story I'll be happy to follow. I'm not sure how purposeful the allegory is with real-life politics etc but I was into the framing of the story and world building. Also, queer mer-creatures? That's an easy sell! I'd pick this up in print for my kids and I look forward to the next installment.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC for early review.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

I was *much* younger when I first read Castle Swimmer on Webtoon. So I can understand why I feel a sort of disconnect with it now. It's for a younger audience than me at this point, and I think that audience will genuinely enjoy getting to know Kappa and Siren and their unique relationship. This isn't exactly "high angst," but there's plenty of hard feelings and troubling events for both characters to experience. The romance is mostly flirting through the first volume, and very cute, which matches with a very cute art style. There is "gore" but it is very clean and, uh... Friendly? It's not gross to look at. I feel like this would be a nice story for even middle grade graphic novels readers to enjoy, and I'm happy to see it moving to physical printing, even if I've somewhat outgrown it.

"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.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Coming back to this story after a number of years, it still managed to bring me the same comfort it did back then!

I’ll be sharing my full thoughts on Volume One of Castle Swimmer closer to the release date!