Member Reviews
I have read multiple graphic novels by O'Neill and adore their work. This is a beautiful story about finding yourself and being ok with it knowing that the people who care about you will be there and understand. We all make bad choices but owning and making better is what counts. The novel is great way to see one self in the characters or gain a better understanding of those that are different from themselves.
I was gifted a e-ARC from Netgalley for my honest review. I have read some of K. O'Neill earlier works like the Tea Dragon Society and knew her art work was amazing. This book did not disappoint. It gave a vibe of a Studio Ghibli movie with the beautiful meadows of flowers and sheep. In this book we follow a novice ranger by the name of Rose as she tries to navigate through a crossroads of life. She feels the need to prove herself to her mentor and fellow novice rangers. She then meets a young shepherd boy by the name of Leone. At first Rose seems annoyed with Leone but after a storm that damages the area they are put together on various missions. It is then that you find Leone story and like Rose he feels unsure of life. Together they both end up working through things and with encouragement from each other they both end up finding their paths in life. I really enjoyed the story of Rose who later changes her name to Rowan. I think this book will be good for any teen who struggling with insecurities of life.
Another wonderful graphic novel from this author. Beautifully illustrated and written! I’ll forever read anything this author makes.
Pastoral. Calming. Lightly fantastical. Queer/Non-binary. A beautifully illustrated story about accepting yourself as you are and finding purpose and joy in your life.
I have loved K. O'Neill's other stories (Aquicorn Cove, Tea Dragon Society) and this one is equally beautiful in it's illustrations. The story is somewhat sparse with several pages being illustration only. K. O'Neill does a great job, though, of still moving the story along and capturing the characters' emotions without words.
This isn't my favorite K. O'Neill story that I've read, but it's still an enjoyable read, and I'm happy for the queer / non-binary representation in this. Personally, I wanted more from the story and more information on being a ranger. This felt a bit too sparse for me in terms of detail, but the emotions and character growth/arcs were well executed.
I'd recommend this to fans of K. O'Neill's previous books or if you're a fan of illustration-heavy graphic novels. If you like light fantasy, pastoral settings, stories about finding yourself, etc., then I think you'd enjoy this.
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this.
A sweet little book. Not one of my favorites by O'Neill but they're always an auto-read for me and this one didn't disappoint.
5 stars!
K O’Neill’s books are always a delight and so gorgeous. Another graphic novel that I wished I could have read as a child as it’s what I needed back then. I am glad children will have books like this to read.
I became a K. O’Neill fan over this summer through The Tea Dragon Society, and A Song for You and I absolutely lived up to my expectations. I love O’Neill’s colorful, gentle illustrations and cozy stories of friendship and self-realization, and this book is exactly that without ever feeling cliché or boring. This gentle, soaring tale of self-realization and discovery, and the struggle that comes when finally reaching a lengthy goal, hits perfectly, and the genderqueer identities of both Rowan and Leonne—as well as their developing friendship—formed such a strong emotional core to this story. This book truly feels like a warm, comforting hug. The atmosphere and worldbuilding are spot-on, and I felt like I was alongside the protagonists as they walked through this adventure.
Highly recommended!
I love everything K.O'Neill writes and illustrates. A Song For You and I is such a lovely graphic novel about self discovery. It was beautifully illustrated. I love it so much. I can't wait to add it to my library. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's | Random House Graphic for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.
Similar to the author’s other works (The Tea Dragon Society, Princess Ever After), this graphic novel is so lovely, sweet, and calm! The illustrations were outstanding, and I loved the slow pacing. The main character goes through some great growth, and I appreciated their relationships to the people around them. An absolutely lovely queer graphic novel!
🌈Queer rep: nonbinary main character. NB/M main pairing. Secondary FF couple.
Every time I pick up a graphic novel by K. O’Neill I go and expecting beautiful artwork and a cute, fun story and then I end up sobbing my way through the end. You’d think that by now I would’ve learned better and would be going in prepared. But you would be wrong. At least the art is beautiful.
A song for you and I is about two kids who are trying to find their place in the world. Sometimes in order to embrace who you are, you need someone to believe in you first and grant you the courage to be yourself. This is a story about friendship and acceptance. It also has winged horses which you can never go wrong with.
This book was like a warm hug. I highly recommend it to anyone with kids in their life who are questioning their identity or knows someone who is. So basically every kid.
Overall I loved everything about this and I cannot wait to see it on my shelves. Thank you, Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy!
While I typically enjoy K. O'Neills work,I found this story to be a bit bland. As usual I love the art style and colors a lot, but we’re not told much about the characters and it makes it hard to form any connection to them. The ending was very abrupt and left me feeling incomplete.
I do want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review.
One of my favorite author/illustrators of all time! I cannot recommend their books highly enough. I love everything about everything I have ever read from them and this graphic novel is no exception. Absolutely delightful from cover to cover.
This novel did give me some D&D vibes with a ranger type character with a flying horse and a shy bard character. Their friendship brought a smile to my face... especially the twist at the end. If you need a magical escape with beautifully illustrated pages, this is it!
A Song for You and I is a cute and fast readjng history about self-discovery in a fantasy world. The illustrations were so pretty to look at and the pace is easy to keep track of.
The only problem that i had was that it was too short, i would have loved to see more about the inbetween of the two last parts and the journey of both characters.
Beside that, i loved the theme, it was very simple to understand without naming explicitly what was going on and the characters are lovable.
Overall an amazing read.
11/04/2024 || A Song for You and I by K. O'Neill || #ASongforYouandI #NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley, K. O'Neill, and Random House Children's | Random House 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~
5 Stars
Honestly, K. O'Neill's books never, ever miss! From the story to the illustrations, I always enjoy O'Neill's works to the fullest! This one made me cry and yearn for more of the story of Rowan, Leone, and Kes - and all their other friends/characters.
K. O'Neill once again has created a story full of self discover, self love, love of community and friends and found family, respect, and kindness.
Rowan's story touched my heart! There are so many gorgeous environment illustrations to enjoy, the different transition pages with illustrations, and the general plot line were all just so well done. I really liked the character development as well.
As always, K O'Neill impressed me with this book! Their work is beautiful and moving, and this book is no exception! I loved the story of Rowan, figuring out who they were. Knowing the name you were born with doesn't fit is very tough, especially when it comes to such important things being tied to the name you use. I love reading these graphic novels as they gently discuss identity and gender.
Whether it's a name, an assigned gender role, a career choice, or an actual pair of boots you once thought great...it's never too late to change. 'A Song for You and I' is a beautifully illustrated story in nine parts, about a ranger and their shepherd friend's self-discovery, growth, and acceptance journeys. The softness of the illustration matches the tone of the story as each character deals with painful memories and the anxious feelings that have led them to their current life situations. Each part shows a new adventure for the pair and brings about a new moment of understanding and connection between them. It's both heartachingly and sweetly relatable in so many ways, and brings such great comfort with a surprising time-skip at the end! This story will be a favorite re-read from now on.
[Netgalley ARC]
A lovely story of acceptance, A Song for You & I portrays the beauty of discovering oneself and being true to who you really are in a low stakes fantasy world that is gorgeously rendered through pastoral artwork. I wish I could crawl into this book and live inside it.
A cute, cozy, beautiful, and heartwarming story about coming into one's own and the power of supportive loved ones who accept and celebrate you as you are. As usual, K O'Neill's art is gorgeous. This book feels like a breath of fresh air. I almost cried happy tears at the end.
I got an ARC of this book.
This is out in March, but I couldn’t wait to read it. I will devour any book that O’Neill puts out. So far only one wasn’t great for me, but that was a formatting issue (The Moth Keeper was really hard for me to read).
This felt a bit older than the other books by them. It felt very YA/NA, but without losing itself to being serious. It is exactly the sort of book that adult Tea Dragons fans will devour. I read it in one sitting, I might have ignored a phone call at work to make sure I was not disturbed. It is that good.
It is the same cute art that made me fall in love with tea dragons, but it felt a little deeper. This was all about a ranger coming to terms with who they were and what that meant for their dreams. At no point was trans or queer used. It is unclear what final identity the ranger even figured out, but it is clear that acceptance creates love and friendships. It doesn’t matter what identity the ranger ended up as, they had a friend that loved and respected them. They had their happiness and their dream.
I don’t hesitate to say that this is a story of gender euphoria. When I was coming to terms with my gender and what that meant for my future, this book would have been one that I loved and hated. I would have loved all the aspects I love now, except one. I would have hated that there was not a trans label given to the ranger. I would have been upset that the violinist never disclosed their gender. I would have felt cheated by this, because I needed to know how gender worked so I could make myself work. Now, it felt like the perfect way to showcase this. Gender is so important, but you don’t need to know every detail of everyone else’s gender to respect them and wish them happiness. That is the key point that has shifted in my perspective since I was a kid. This book is perfection.
If you are a fan of lady knight stories, then this will hit the right notes for you. While the ranger is not a woman, that feeling of being othered and not the same as the others that permeats the Tortall books is strong in this.
A Song for You and I is another beautiful graphic novel from K. O'Neill. Rowan is a ranger in training who feels ready for the next step, but not until they accept themself will they succeed. Rowan is tasked with watching over the meadow where Leone watches sheep while practicing the fiddle. Leone is afraid of scrutiny from playing in front of others, but Rowan helps him slowly gain confidence. The two travel together and grow together through their luscious world. The ending felt a little abrupt, but overall I loved this book and will continue to read anything O'Neill publishes. Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.