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Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil
Maelstrom is a half-demon prince pining for a place in history. (Honestly, he’s just bored and searching for a way to pass the time.) Twigs is the young, prophesized Hero of Virtue fated to face him―or so we’ve been told . . .
But Maelstrom’s mother, regent to the throne and a powerful necromancer, is determined to keep an iron grip on her domain. Bemoaning his lost destiny, Maelstrom teams up with the Hero to stop his mother and forge a new destiny for himself. What Twigs doesn’t know is that Maelstrom has a cunning plan to build his own epic legend and double-cross Twigs at the perfect moment. . .
But Maelstrom’s mother, regent to the throne and a powerful necromancer, is determined to keep an iron grip on her domain. Bemoaning his lost destiny, Maelstrom teams up with the Hero to stop his mother and forge a new destiny for himself. What Twigs doesn’t know is that Maelstrom has a cunning plan to build his own epic legend and double-cross Twigs at the perfect moment. . .
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 28, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 9, 2024
My friend made this! It’s really good! It’s one of those stories that really quickly introduces a ton of incredibly specific characters that you instantly understand and like, and then gets to play with those characters in a super fun D&D-style world (with a slightly self-aware tone that makes it extra charming). The plot is really satisfying too. Everything build in a logical and exciting way. I dunno…I had a lovely afternoon with this book!
December 23, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
“Anywhere you go, that’ll be home to me.”
This was so freaking CUTE!! Maelstrom was adorable and I loved his antics throughout the book. Twigs was awesome too. Strong and ready to protect everyone with a soft heart. They were the best team with Anise and the others.
The art was so colorful and well done. I’ll have to see more from this creator. I also didn’t expect to be invested so much in the actual story. Seeing the prince of evil join the good guys and seeing how happy he was just made my heart smile.
The scene when Maelstrom and Twigs were at the ball had me giggling and kicking my feet. They had such a nice moment. This is such a heartwarming graphic novel and the end had me tearing up. Deff recommend if you like stories with queer themes and sweet characters.
“Anywhere you go, that’ll be home to me.”
This was so freaking CUTE!! Maelstrom was adorable and I loved his antics throughout the book. Twigs was awesome too. Strong and ready to protect everyone with a soft heart. They were the best team with Anise and the others.
The art was so colorful and well done. I’ll have to see more from this creator. I also didn’t expect to be invested so much in the actual story. Seeing the prince of evil join the good guys and seeing how happy he was just made my heart smile.
The scene when Maelstrom and Twigs were at the ball had me giggling and kicking my feet. They had such a nice moment. This is such a heartwarming graphic novel and the end had me tearing up. Deff recommend if you like stories with queer themes and sweet characters.
June 5, 2024
"you follow that good heart. it will lead you where you need to go."
💫 representation: Twigs is a BIPOC (African?) lead, Sir Anise is sapphic, Princess Evanor is sapphic, Maelstrom is trans-coded
💫 content warnings for: grief, violence, implication of death, parental abuse
fun, chaotic, and magical! ₊˚⊹☆
this was so cute! comparisons to Nimona are apt. i think my favorite thing about the book are the character designs . all of them are diverse and unique, and the art style is absolutely scrumptious. reminds me a bit of Star vs. the Forces of Evil and The Owl House!
the characters. the characters. Maelstrom is a soft gremlin, and so, so compelling. i mean, half-demon prince of evil? yes, please! him being a child weapon of war was...hh. gods, it made me sad, but it made me love him even more . ugh, and his dynamic with Twigs was... *chef's kiss* i love them, your honor.
and Twigs??? SUCH a strong baddie fmc. i want her to carry me bridal style and i want to watch her wield her sword... she's lionhearted. filled with light, a being of goldenness. and does everything for her family despite never feeling enough (all too relatable). i adore her!
now to my favorite. Sir Anise is soooooooooo- 💞 i love her. i want to be her. i want to date her. i want to be her princess. i'm SUCH a sucker for knights. and she's sapphic, y'all-
3 🌟 i wanted to give this more stars, but i had some problems with it. first, the story felt very rushed, especially towards the end. some plot points felt quickly gone through or completely skipped over. i wish we got more character development on the main three because their friendship felt...forced. i would have also loved to see more backstory with Sir Anise and Princess Evanor. at least the ending leaves room open for a book two? hopefully with more Sir Anise <3
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ kin list: Sir Anise, Princess Evanor
~ Morgan Shadow 🐺👑🏹🌊💫
💫 representation: Twigs is a BIPOC (African?) lead, Sir Anise is sapphic, Princess Evanor is sapphic, Maelstrom is trans-coded
💫 content warnings for: grief, violence, implication of death, parental abuse
fun, chaotic, and magical! ₊˚⊹☆
this was so cute! comparisons to Nimona are apt. i think my favorite thing about the book are the character designs . all of them are diverse and unique, and the art style is absolutely scrumptious. reminds me a bit of Star vs. the Forces of Evil and The Owl House!
the characters. the characters. Maelstrom is a soft gremlin, and so, so compelling. i mean, half-demon prince of evil? yes, please! him being a child weapon of war was...hh. gods, it made me sad, but it made me love him even more . ugh, and his dynamic with Twigs was... *chef's kiss* i love them, your honor.
and Twigs??? SUCH a strong baddie fmc. i want her to carry me bridal style and i want to watch her wield her sword... she's lionhearted. filled with light, a being of goldenness. and does everything for her family despite never feeling enough (all too relatable). i adore her!
now to my favorite. Sir Anise is soooooooooo- 💞 i love her. i want to be her. i want to date her. i want to be her princess. i'm SUCH a sucker for knights. and she's sapphic, y'all-
3 🌟 i wanted to give this more stars, but i had some problems with it. first, the story felt very rushed, especially towards the end. some plot points felt quickly gone through or completely skipped over. i wish we got more character development on the main three because their friendship felt...forced. i would have also loved to see more backstory with Sir Anise and Princess Evanor. at least the ending leaves room open for a book two? hopefully with more Sir Anise <3
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ kin list: Sir Anise, Princess Evanor
~ Morgan Shadow 🐺👑🏹🌊💫
June 30, 2024
An entertaining premise but maybe it was the pacing or Mal's narration made me less engrossed in the story.
February 8, 2024
Heartwarming action packed fantasy about an evil demon prince who joined the rebellion against his evil queen mother who’s been reigning with terror for 2 decades. He has ulterior motives at first but he learned a lot of new things along the journey. The twist was good, I didn’t expect it coming even though it’s quite obvious. It’s nice overall.
October 18, 2023
This graphic novel is a beautifully drawn and compelling story. The character design is perfect for the story and everything is well paced. I enjoyed the world building and, while the twists were a bit easy to see coming, I don't think that detracted from the story in the least. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this!
June 26, 2024
The moment I saw the cover of this graphic novel, I was enchanted. And reading the description just intrigued me more -- it looked like it would do some serious flipping of often-tired fantasy tropes, and have some fun with the characters along the way. And I was right -- it does a good job of deconstructing familiar tropes and building good characters, as well as drawing me into the story.
Maelstrom is the half-demon prince of the necromancer queen of the kingdom... and he is utterly bored with his privileged life. So he sets out to stir up trouble -- and he stumbles on Twig, bearer of the sword of legend that's prophesied to overthrow his mother! Deciding that this is the most fun he's had in ages, he decides to help Twig and her ragtag group of rebels in her quest, planning to betray them at the most entertaining moment. But as he learns more about the people of the kingdom -- and Twig herself -- he starts to question his own plan... and learn more about both himself and Twig in the process.
The art style of this book is slightly reminiscent of Steven Universe, at least in character design -- it has that look that a lot of cartoons of the 2010s had, with soft and rounded character designs but otherwise detailed backgrounds and objects. But the style doesn't jar with the high-fantasy setting, and it helps that the color palette fits a high-fantasy world instead of having the bright bubblegum colors of SU -- rich greens, jewel tones, and rustic browns. The action flows nicely, and I love the designs for each character.
The story is a little tropey, even if it does try to dissect common tropes such as the Chosen One trope. But the characters are what make it shine. I adored everyone's character arc, and enjoyed seeing both Maelstrom and Twig grow over the course of the book. Even the villain, set up to be a stock villain, has her own sympathetic backstory... though it's made clear that said backstory doesn't excuse her actions.
Maelstrom is a fun read, with lovely art and delightful characters. It's a self-contained story, but does leave the door open for further adventures from the characters...
Maelstrom is the half-demon prince of the necromancer queen of the kingdom... and he is utterly bored with his privileged life. So he sets out to stir up trouble -- and he stumbles on Twig, bearer of the sword of legend that's prophesied to overthrow his mother! Deciding that this is the most fun he's had in ages, he decides to help Twig and her ragtag group of rebels in her quest, planning to betray them at the most entertaining moment. But as he learns more about the people of the kingdom -- and Twig herself -- he starts to question his own plan... and learn more about both himself and Twig in the process.
The art style of this book is slightly reminiscent of Steven Universe, at least in character design -- it has that look that a lot of cartoons of the 2010s had, with soft and rounded character designs but otherwise detailed backgrounds and objects. But the style doesn't jar with the high-fantasy setting, and it helps that the color palette fits a high-fantasy world instead of having the bright bubblegum colors of SU -- rich greens, jewel tones, and rustic browns. The action flows nicely, and I love the designs for each character.
The story is a little tropey, even if it does try to dissect common tropes such as the Chosen One trope. But the characters are what make it shine. I adored everyone's character arc, and enjoyed seeing both Maelstrom and Twig grow over the course of the book. Even the villain, set up to be a stock villain, has her own sympathetic backstory... though it's made clear that said backstory doesn't excuse her actions.
Maelstrom is a fun read, with lovely art and delightful characters. It's a self-contained story, but does leave the door open for further adventures from the characters...
March 27, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I adored this graphic novel and have added it to my list of books to purchases. This is a story about fate, destiny and whether or not you can change it. The story also is about found family. There where many twists and turns that made it fun to read. The characters where well written and fun to see bounce off of each other. I adore the interaction between Maelstrom and Twig they are adorable together. Maelstrom is a little mischiefs chaos germile. Your never quite sure if he is going to do a harmless prank or something that could cause some real damage. (think Loki from the MCU) Twig is the hero who isn't sure if she can live up to the expectations everyone has of her, including those she has for herself, but she is going to do her best. Anise is the grumpy parent of the trio and I wish we had gotten to see more of her interacting with the other two.
The art style is bright and the world has be constructed so that it feels lived in, like we are seeing moment in time of a place that has existed before and will continue to exist after this story is over.
The art style, characters, and world where remonicent of Disney's The Owl House, if you liked that show or others like it definitely give this graphic novel a look!
I adored this graphic novel and have added it to my list of books to purchases. This is a story about fate, destiny and whether or not you can change it. The story also is about found family. There where many twists and turns that made it fun to read. The characters where well written and fun to see bounce off of each other. I adore the interaction between Maelstrom and Twig they are adorable together. Maelstrom is a little mischiefs chaos germile. Your never quite sure if he is going to do a harmless prank or something that could cause some real damage. (think Loki from the MCU) Twig is the hero who isn't sure if she can live up to the expectations everyone has of her, including those she has for herself, but she is going to do her best. Anise is the grumpy parent of the trio and I wish we had gotten to see more of her interacting with the other two.
The art style is bright and the world has be constructed so that it feels lived in, like we are seeing moment in time of a place that has existed before and will continue to exist after this story is over.
The art style, characters, and world where remonicent of Disney's The Owl House, if you liked that show or others like it definitely give this graphic novel a look!
July 22, 2024
Maelstrom is a shapeshifter, a half-demon prince, and the son of the powerful necromancer who serves as his regent. He's also really bored. His mother, Lady Renova has so thoroughly vanquished every enemy that there is nothing for him to do--and she doesn't seem in any hurry to hand over the throne to him. But then a mysterious girl breaks into the castle wielding the legendary Sword of Virtue, long prophesized to be the weapon to eradicate the evil plaguing the land. Maelstrom has no trouble subduing the girl, but it's the first excitement he's had in ages, so instead of letting his mother kill her, he claims her as his prisoner. To his shock, his castle is invaded again--by a small rescue party who free the girl, Twigs--so he tags along to see what's up. It turns out--to his delight--that there is a resistance in the kingdom. So, what can he do but join up? Maelstrom is having the time of his life playing the hero, while secretly planning to betray everyone. But he finds himself unexpectedly charmed by the friendship and acceptance he finds and touched by the determination of his companions to help their fellow man. Will he really betray the family he is creating? I loved this one. It was funny and warm and so sweet.
June 6, 2024
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review via Netgalley
I loved this graphic novel! It was predictable in the best way possible. This is a such a fun story of a Prince of Evil and his boredom. I thought the story was very well developed and I loved the way the characters were written. Each had such a unique voice and between the art and the dialogue - it was clear how each one should be portrayed. Maelstrom was such a fun main character. The way everything unfolded was done in a good way as well. The art was so colorful and I thought it beautifully captured this story.
The only thing that I felt was off was the VERY ending of this book. I think it was the way the characters seemed to have drastically changed between the last scene and the end. Maybe it was because Twig finally found her confidence but she wasn't the shy meek girl anymore. And Maelstrom was more honest than sarcastic. But I guess it was because they found their "true self".
However, I would absolutely recommend this graphic novel to anyone who enjoys this format of reading and a comical book about self discovery and being true to you!
I loved this graphic novel! It was predictable in the best way possible. This is a such a fun story of a Prince of Evil and his boredom. I thought the story was very well developed and I loved the way the characters were written. Each had such a unique voice and between the art and the dialogue - it was clear how each one should be portrayed. Maelstrom was such a fun main character. The way everything unfolded was done in a good way as well. The art was so colorful and I thought it beautifully captured this story.
The only thing that I felt was off was the VERY ending of this book. I think it was the way the characters seemed to have drastically changed between the last scene and the end. Maybe it was because Twig finally found her confidence but she wasn't the shy meek girl anymore. And Maelstrom was more honest than sarcastic. But I guess it was because they found their "true self".
However, I would absolutely recommend this graphic novel to anyone who enjoys this format of reading and a comical book about self discovery and being true to you!
July 9, 2024
A big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil by Lorian Merriman is a graphic novel about Maelstrom, who is a half-demon prince pining for a place in history. (Honestly, he’s just bored and searching for a way to pass the time.) Twigs is the young, prophesized Hero of Virtue fated to face him—or so we’ve been told . . .But Maelstrom’s mother, regent to the throne and a powerful necromancer, is determined to keep an iron grip on her domain. Bemoaning his lost destiny, Maelstrom teams up with the Hero to stop his mother and forge a new destiny for himself. What Twigs doesn’t know is that Maelstrom has a cunning plan to build his own epic legend and double-cross Twigs at the perfect moment. . . "Memorable characters drew me right into this gorgeous coming-of-age adventure that's as hilarious as it is heartfelt." —Carey Pietsch, bestselling artist of The Adventure Zone
The art is beautiful and the story is compelling. What isn't there to love about this book.
Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil by Lorian Merriman is a graphic novel about Maelstrom, who is a half-demon prince pining for a place in history. (Honestly, he’s just bored and searching for a way to pass the time.) Twigs is the young, prophesized Hero of Virtue fated to face him—or so we’ve been told . . .But Maelstrom’s mother, regent to the throne and a powerful necromancer, is determined to keep an iron grip on her domain. Bemoaning his lost destiny, Maelstrom teams up with the Hero to stop his mother and forge a new destiny for himself. What Twigs doesn’t know is that Maelstrom has a cunning plan to build his own epic legend and double-cross Twigs at the perfect moment. . . "Memorable characters drew me right into this gorgeous coming-of-age adventure that's as hilarious as it is heartfelt." —Carey Pietsch, bestselling artist of The Adventure Zone
The art is beautiful and the story is compelling. What isn't there to love about this book.
February 20, 2024
*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*
This was a fun, quick read that was a bit lacking in plot, but greatly made up for that with great characters and a fantastic art style. Maelstrom, half-demon prince seeking a break from boredom, and Twig, supposedly the chosen hero fated to stop the queen's reign (a necromancer and Maelstrom's mother), form an unlikely alliance when the two meet and get swept into revolutionary activities aimed at overthrowing Mael's mom. This plot point felt rather peripheral though, as the focus of the plot seemed to be more on the characters and Mael and Twig's budding friendship. The dialogue is fun and snappy, not going too much in to either extreme, making it feel smooth and more realistic. The art style was my favorite part, a perfect mix of stylish and bright colors. Overall, I did enjoy reading this, even if the plot wasn't the strongest.
This was a fun, quick read that was a bit lacking in plot, but greatly made up for that with great characters and a fantastic art style. Maelstrom, half-demon prince seeking a break from boredom, and Twig, supposedly the chosen hero fated to stop the queen's reign (a necromancer and Maelstrom's mother), form an unlikely alliance when the two meet and get swept into revolutionary activities aimed at overthrowing Mael's mom. This plot point felt rather peripheral though, as the focus of the plot seemed to be more on the characters and Mael and Twig's budding friendship. The dialogue is fun and snappy, not going too much in to either extreme, making it feel smooth and more realistic. The art style was my favorite part, a perfect mix of stylish and bright colors. Overall, I did enjoy reading this, even if the plot wasn't the strongest.
June 3, 2024
At a glance, fun book about found family and discovering oneself with great art and a twist I can't believe I didn't see coming. Remind me of another similarly great shape shifter Nimona.
Maelstrom has a great, expressive art style with some interesting characters I would love to spend more time with. The characters are so cute and we need more goblin screentime. Wholesome themes and some great comedic scenes throughout.
My only complaint, if you could call it that, was I wish the author was given more time, as this could easily be two or three books. Maybe it is the snappy pace of a graphic novel, but there are several plot points I feel would pay off more if we had a longer time to digest them. There are characters and moments and settings that I wanted more time with. There more in this world that could be explored. But I liked every minute I was reading and hopefully my cravings will be satisfied by a sequel.
Maelstrom has a great, expressive art style with some interesting characters I would love to spend more time with. The characters are so cute and we need more goblin screentime. Wholesome themes and some great comedic scenes throughout.
My only complaint, if you could call it that, was I wish the author was given more time, as this could easily be two or three books. Maybe it is the snappy pace of a graphic novel, but there are several plot points I feel would pay off more if we had a longer time to digest them. There are characters and moments and settings that I wanted more time with. There more in this world that could be explored. But I liked every minute I was reading and hopefully my cravings will be satisfied by a sequel.
December 23, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
“Anywhere you go, that’ll be home to me.”
This was so freaking CUTE!! Maelstrom was adorable and I loved his antics throughout the book. Twigs was awesome too. Strong and ready to protect everyone with a soft heart. They were the best team with Anise and the others.
The art was so colorful and well done. I’ll have to see more from this creator. I also didn’t expect to be invested so much in the actual story. Seeing the prince of evil join the good guys and seeing how happy he was just made my heart smile.
The scene when Maelstrom and Twigs were at the ball had me giggling and kicking my feet. They had such a nice moment. This is such a heartwarming graphic novel and the end had me tearing up. Deff recommend if you like stories with queer themes and sweet characters.
“Anywhere you go, that’ll be home to me.”
This was so freaking CUTE!! Maelstrom was adorable and I loved his antics throughout the book. Twigs was awesome too. Strong and ready to protect everyone with a soft heart. They were the best team with Anise and the others.
The art was so colorful and well done. I’ll have to see more from this creator. I also didn’t expect to be invested so much in the actual story. Seeing the prince of evil join the good guys and seeing how happy he was just made my heart smile.
The scene when Maelstrom and Twigs were at the ball had me giggling and kicking my feet. They had such a nice moment. This is such a heartwarming graphic novel and the end had me tearing up. Deff recommend if you like stories with queer themes and sweet characters.
February 29, 2024
This was fun - obviously we knew the basic story beats kind of throughout (who the evil queen really is, that Maelstrom would come into his own with the resistance, and that we’d get a happy ending) but it’s a lot of the little details that really sold me on the story. Maelstrom’s relationship with his shape-shifting and how he feels about needing to disguise himself vs the freedom of playing with how he presents himself is huge in a very quiet way (and very symbolic of the queer experience, even if we don’t put any official labels on it). Also the difference in how Maelstrom and Twiggs view “a legendary hero” and how even small acts of heroism are really important. Then of course there is Anise’s complex relationship with magic, duty, and her past.
{Thank you Fierce Reads for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
{Thank you Fierce Reads for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
May 12, 2024
Maelstrom is a half-demon prince in a kingdom ruled by his tyrannical necromancer mother. He is not a very imposing prince, with some small shape-shifting powers and weak fire-based powers. He is, quite frankly, bored. So, when the fated HERO breaks into the castle to kill them he decides to liven up his life and 'befriend' the hero Twigs and join the resistance.
Honestly, this was not only a fun story overall, but actually quite heart warming. Maelstrom had a very fun-loving, devil may care attitude that brought quite a bit of levity to everyone's lives. Twigs was the quintessential hard-working hero that ended up thrust into the limelight whether she wanted it or not. They both went through a great deal of personal growth throughout the story.
The artwork was well done, the story was well done, and I think middle schoolers and up are going to just love this book.
Honestly, this was not only a fun story overall, but actually quite heart warming. Maelstrom had a very fun-loving, devil may care attitude that brought quite a bit of levity to everyone's lives. Twigs was the quintessential hard-working hero that ended up thrust into the limelight whether she wanted it or not. They both went through a great deal of personal growth throughout the story.
The artwork was well done, the story was well done, and I think middle schoolers and up are going to just love this book.
July 14, 2024
He may be a bored half-demon, but Maelstrom wants an adventure and to have lots of fun. While his mother, continues her dark reign over the kingdom, Maelstrom escapes and joins the revolution. He meets, along the way, Twigs, the prophesied savior and Hero of Virtue. As he and Twigs begin several quests against his mother, Maelstrom is hiding something very deadly from his new friends. A hidden secret to change the fate of mankind.
This was absolutely delightful and so much fun to read. Maelstrom, with his quirkiness, and Twigs, with her courage, are a duo like no other. The art of every page is stunning in the colors used, and the epic fights are amazing to see. Hilarious but also heartwarming, this graphic novel shows a friendship of many dimensions. Maelstrom may be bored, but fighting for what he believes in, is the choice that all villagers make.
This was absolutely delightful and so much fun to read. Maelstrom, with his quirkiness, and Twigs, with her courage, are a duo like no other. The art of every page is stunning in the colors used, and the epic fights are amazing to see. Hilarious but also heartwarming, this graphic novel shows a friendship of many dimensions. Maelstrom may be bored, but fighting for what he believes in, is the choice that all villagers make.
September 17, 2024
This hits a lot of the plot points of standard quest fantasies, where a chosen hero defeats an evil overlord. What made this one a standout for me is the character of Maelstrom. He's just such a delightful little chaos gremlin that he livens up almost every page he's on. Not to everyone's tastes, surely, but I loved him. I also loved all the little twists that put a spin on those expected plot elements. Some of them are easy enough to figure out in advance, but some are going to take a good chunk of the book for most readers to figure out. The middle part of the plot, where our heroes build their army of revolutionaries, felt rushed to the point of being almost nonexistent, which also hampered Maelstrom's character development a bit. Not enough to affect my enjoyment of the book, though.
June 15, 2024
Fun read about the son of an evil necromancer queen who wants to get out of mom's shadow and joins up with a rebellion against her rule, ostensibly so that he can betray them at an opportune moment and build up his own notoriety.
The art is appealing, the story reads quickly and is easy to follow, and there are a few twists that aren't super difficult to predict but can still catch you by surprise if you're not looking for them. I enjoyed this quite a bit and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy graphic novels.
The art is appealing, the story reads quickly and is easy to follow, and there are a few twists that aren't super difficult to predict but can still catch you by surprise if you're not looking for them. I enjoyed this quite a bit and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy graphic novels.
July 7, 2024
Maelstrom is the half-demon son of the regent to the throne and bored. So when Twigs, the fated Hero of Virtue, comes calling he decides to join forces with her and fight against his mother. All along he was playing at being changed, but was planning on betraying them at a dramatic moment. But then he found out what his mother had planned for him and that changed the equation. So who would he go with? His mother and her plans or his new friends and his own way? Read and find out!
Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan for the chance to read this title!
Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan for the chance to read this title!
April 24, 2024
This was awfully cute coming from an adult reader’s perspective. I think the younger teen it seems to be aimed for will find it a fun adventure if they like fantasy. Fairly wholesome story so unless it’s a parent who is overly tense about what their teen reads there’s nothing content wise to object to. Maelstrom and Twigs are a likeable pair of main characters and I did really like that it is a stand alone. I’m glad I got to read the ARC.
June 6, 2024
This is a humorous D&D-esque tale where the moral is evil being made, not born. The redemption arc of Maelstrom makes them easy to love, and the romantic sub plot is very minor, so it doesn’t overshadow the story. The artwork cleverly portrays the action, and keeps the story lighthearted no matter what is happening. The plot twist is a little expected, but that doesn’t mean the story isn’t still good.
July 10, 2024
This was a fun graphic novel about friendship, being true to oneself, and saving the world one village at a time. I did find it an enjoyable, though not particularly compelling read. The author's fine artwork raised this from a three to a four star read for me. And, I'd certainly consider going on another adventure with these characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the read.
August 12, 2024
This book was so cute, so well paced, so thoroughly enjoyable, that it has destroyed my confidence as a writer. I'm obsessed. "Maelstrom" is your classic villain to hero story, but with a bright, colourful palette, and a cast of equally fresh and fun characters. It has moments of seriousness, but overall it's just a good time with a lot of heart. 10/10. Exquisite. I'm rating this based on pure enjoyment.
August 14, 2024
3.5⭐
Maelstrom was an odd individual but, very much enjoyable. I would have preferred to see a romance scene between him and Twigs near the ending. Also, I never saw any of the plot twists nearing the finale of the story. I hope Anise makes a wonderful leader and does right by the kingdom.
Maelstrom was an odd individual but, very much enjoyable. I would have preferred to see a romance scene between him and Twigs near the ending. Also, I never saw any of the plot twists nearing the finale of the story. I hope Anise makes a wonderful leader and does right by the kingdom.
October 5, 2023
OBSESSED! Perfect for readers who love Nimona!
December 7, 2023
This was so cute! I love that Maelstrom reminds me of a lot of different chaotic good villains in some of my favorite media. They're such a trouble making cutie.
Want to read
February 11, 2024Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
April 18, 2024
Lots of fun, with likable characters.
ARC from Netgalley.
ARC from Netgalley.
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