Hi y’all! I’ve been MIA for a wee bit — summer was busy and I worked a lot — but I’m so happy to be back and can’t wait for Fall weather and all the spooky books on my TBR for the next couple of months. But in even more exciting news, I’m thrilled to be part of the TBR and Beyond book tour (make sure to check out the other tour stops!) for OTHER EVER AFTERS by Melanie Gillman. Read on to hear more about this graphic novel and for my review!
Once upon a time…happily ever after turned out differently than expected. In this new, feminist, queer fairy-tale collection, you’ll find the princesses, mermaids, knights, barmaids, children, and wise old women who have been forced to sit on the sidelines in classic stories taking center stage. A gorgeous all-new collection in graphic novel format from a Stonewall Honor-winning author and artist. What if the giant who abducted you was actually thoughtful and kind? What if you didn’t want to marry your handsome, popular, but cold-inside suitor? What if your one true love has all the responsibilities that comes with running a kingdom?
Melanie Gillman is the cartoonist behind this story. They hold an MFA in comics from the Center for Cartoon Studies, and currently live in Columbus, OH. Melanie is also the author of Stage Dreams, a lesbian western graphic novel, available from Lerner/Graphic Universe. They are represented by Jen Linnan, of Linnan Literary Management.
My Review!
I was so excited at the premise of this collection of fairytales, and I wasn’t disappointed! I really enjoyed the format, these new fairytales are told in little vignettes, and though I wished there were more of them, they really captured that feeling of a reading a fairytale — especially the kind that make you feel a bit on edge.
I also really loved the mix of retellings — the goose girl is one of my favorites so I loved seeing that pop up — along with completely new fairytales (at least to me). Many of the fairytales had twists and unexpected things I didn’t see coming, so it was really fun to read them and it was a cool blend between emotions reading all the different ones.
Lastly, the colored pencil style of the drawings made these feel unique, and even a bit fairytale-esque just through the art style. All together, reading this graphic novel was a great experience and my only complaint is just that I wished it was longer!
Jenerally Reading 