Lush, powerful, and beautifully drawn. A fierce, emotional story about freedom and resilience. Absolutely stunning.

I'm not sure how to feel about this one. I enjoyed the art, the theme, and the narration. What falls flat for me is the story and the main character. I like that she is not a perfect woman and that she makes rash decisions. Something feels off with all the characters, like they are not quite well-rounded. I'd give the full book a read just for the macabre art.

I love Yudori's art and was very excited to see there is a full graphic novel coming out. This excerpt showed a lot of promise for the full story. It's a bit more intense in some ways than I had expected, and Amelie's early interactions with Sahara are rough. It makes it hard to envision the building of trust between them, but I'm very curious to see how their relationship will unfold. I absolutely love the book cover and that really got me interested in the premise. Yudori's black and white illustrations have plenty of detail and an almost ethereal quality at times. Her style does a fantastic job of expressing the contrast of Sahara's softness and intrigue, with Amelie's sharp moods and curiosity. Even within this excerpt there is a good amount of build up around the side character's different priorities and beliefs, lending a complexity to interactions. Very much looking forward to reading the rest of this story.

Thank you so much for letting me read an excerpt of this graphic novel. This graphic novel depicts the life of house Ladys and their female servants.

I thought that this graphic novel was so close to being what I was hoping for. My main issue with it was that it ended just as the story started to feel like it was coming together. I ended up scouring the internet sure that I would discover that this was either a teaser or part one in a series. On its own it falls flat, though the art, history, and hint at eroticism might be enough to follow the authors work in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Fantagraphics for the ARC preview of “Raging Clouds” by Yudori! This was an interesting piece of historical feminist fiction. I enjoyed getting some insight into the culture of 16th-century Netherlands and the role of women in that society. It’s obvious that the main character Amélie’s religious beliefs, past social standing, and education leave her feeling VERY restricted by the cage her merchant husband has put her in. I felt a connection with Amélie’s struggle, especially how her fascination with birds and flight reflects her inner desire for freedom. At the end of the preview we meet her husband’s slave mistress, Sahara. I was intrigued, and wished I could learn more about her and how the unlikely friendship between these two women will grow. The illustrations, paneling, and details were beautiful. I would love to check out more of Yudori’s work in future. There are erotic and non-consensual elements to this story so I would only recommend it to adult readers after giving this disclaimer.

ARC received by NetGalley. I am in love with this story and am desperate to read the rest of it. The art is beautiful and the characters are so interesting. It is painful to watch our main character through her struggles especially as a woman. To see the power a man has over her life and the dictating forces of your class. It’s too mature for my school library but I really love the start of this book and definitely want to read the rest! Currently at a 4 stars for me!

Review based on first 130 pages of the graphic novel. The visual style of the art is beautiful, with so many period details richly drawn. I enjoyed the emerging themes related to feminism, solidarity, and navigating women's rights in a patriarchal society. Partly as the excerpt is somewhat short and the book's plot somewhat slowly emerges, I got an understanding of the setting / context, but not much action or relationship building. I have hopes for a compelling and believable friendship to emerge between main characters Amélie and Sahara, though the excerpt just barely introduces these characters to each other before it concludes.

Raging Clouds was an interesting read, because it's set in the Netherlands in the 16th-century. Amélie is trapped in her marriage only to wish to get rid of her husband. She loves science and the mechanics of flying, but is treated like a slave housewife she should be proud of. Her husband Hans returns home from a work trip, but now with an Asian mistress Sahara. For me the story ended too abruptly, as if there would be a continuation. I wanted the two women to bond and to make their own freedom even by force if necessary. The setting seems historically correct (I'm not expert) and it's great to see the world through Amélie's eyes. I enjoyed the sex scenes, since it showed how meaningless everything was and how there's no passion or feelings anywhere. Marriage was a role to play, keeping up appearances.

The art looks wonky, just slightly. It's interesting and how we see what Amélie sees makes the angle perfect. It's about seeing that and then seeing her. This was wonderful and the hidden aggression, feeling betrayal and wanting the husband gone, the emotions were all there deliciously portrayed. I wish this had been longer though, I wish we could've imagined freedom for the women.

Very intriguing extract! I liked the art style a lot, and I’ll be keen to read the full book when it’s released. I do wish we got to see a little more of the relationship between Amélie and Sahara, as the extract ends quite soon after Sahara is introduced to the plot.

I loved the historical aspects, and Amélie is an interesting, well developed character- I’m excited to see how she evolves throughout the whole book.

Thank you to Fantagraphic Books and NetGalley for the ARC.