Some very good art to go along with this story of 3 children growing up rough in the 19th century. There's some kind of magical element involved as well as this old woman tries to protect them from this man who seems to be invincible and both hangs out and eats rats.

DNF
I tried to read this, but it did not hold my attention. I ended up DNFing it, but do hope to one day finish it when I am in the right mood for this sort of story.

I definitely liked the premise of this story, but it was difficult to follow and had also difficulties to read because of the font chosen. I think few improvements could have been done, but I loved the illustrations and the colors chosen therefore I decided to give 3 stars instead of 2.

Ce n'est pas une époque très vendeuse mais j'ai eu un vrai plaisir à la découvrir! En revanche j'ai un peu moins aimé les dessins, j'ai trouvé que l'intrigue manquait parfois de réalisme, mais l'intrigue est prenante alors il est assez simple de rester plonger dans l'histoire. J'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire avec les enfants, j'ai trouvé cela très touchant et j'ai hâte de pouvoir lire la suite

This was more boring than I expected to be it.. I was hard to follow, I had to read some pages more than once to understand, what is going on. Except for the strong beginning, it lacks something that would keep me on my butt and rea dit. Really a shame, that art was nice though.

I gave this a two out of five stars. I didn't care much for this graphic novel Aristophania. It was hard to follow at times. I really want to like this.

Aristophania follows three young siblings in early 1900s Paris. Raised by their mother after their father was killed, the Francœur siblings have only known struggle. When their mother is arrested and they find themselves alone, the Francœur children encounter a mysterious and magical woman claiming to know their father.

I definitely liked the premise of this story - I love magical worlds that exist on the fringe of the "normal" world. In a lot of ways, this read as Dickens meets high fantasy, and I loved the mood that gave.

I did feel a little let down, however. Reading this felt simply like a "taste" - almost like reading a prologue rather than a fully developed novel.

Technically speaking, I also need to criticize the choice of font for the speech bubbles. It was incredibly difficult to read, especially on a screen. (Granted, I did read an ARC, so maybe this has been changed since publishing?)

Lastly, (I always have to say something about the art), the art was a major positive. Very well-drawn and appealing to look at. I especially applaud the use of color to emphasize mood and setting.

Overall, this story showed promise, even though I felt a bit unfulfilled. I'm intrigued enough to probably pick up volume two.

Love the art style but I didn't like the plot as much as I thought I would. For sure it has a strong beginning and it made me curious enough to keep reading it but sadly didn't last long. The art is gorgeous but not enough for me.

This graphic novel was received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In a secret war, the future of a magical world that only a few know about is at stake. When Clement is killed while searching for a weapon that could win the war once and for all, all his son Basile knows is that his father is gone and he has to help his mother take care of his two siblings, Calixte and Victor. When their mother ends up in prison for a crime Basile committed, he ends up accidentally calling for help – and changing their lives forever.

Aristophania is an intriguing story. I found it to be slow, very, very slow to start. The art is gray and atmospheric, fitting for a story set in 1900s Parisian slums and the gritty world that the characters inhabit. There are some excellent lines in this story, and the character development is wonderful, especially given the shortness of the story itself. The magical elements are slowly revealed to Basile and his siblings, and that’s done very nicely – keeping the mystery while conveying wonder and even a bit of fear. (All of which, again, the art is amazing at helping to detail!) As the start of a potential series it’s very interesting, but readers who want in-your-face starts to their graphic novels might be advised to look elsewhere.

A good book with a strong story but okay-ish characterization.
The illustrations were very beautiful and attractive though.

I really did not care for this at all. I found it very difficult to follow what was going on, there was far too much text on most pages, and that text was incredibly difficult to read.

The art itself was nice enough, but it was not enough to redeem this by more than a couple of stars. Definitely not a good choice for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with a DRC of this book.

I loved the premise of this book. A superhero granny, what's not to like? However the story line was a little boring. it was really hard to keep interested to continue reading this book.I feel that the book could have been a little better if there was a little more excitement.

A bit slow, but amazing art, choice of colors and plot.
and besides.

A granny super hero! Who doesn't love that?
As someone who was reaised, and still lives with her grandmother, younger me and now time me would love to have her as a superhero just like this. Even if she's already my hero for putting up with me!

Over all, I enjoyed this book; the artwork was lovely, the use of color setting the mood nicely, and the story, while a bit slow moving, has some intriguing elements- a little more exposition would've been nice, but hopefully the next volume will give more backstory. And can we talk about the badass old lady heroine? I like her, she's got style and sass! Compelling enough to make me want to read the next volume, but it'll need to pick up the pace to keep me interested. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

The story was interesting but I'm not sure I liked the execution of it. It felt too compacted and I'm not a big fan of the characters. Also too much text in one bubble most of the time. The art is beautiful though. I don't think I'll pick up the rest of the series unless it's finished so I could binge it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

I finally was able to access the book as I was having problems on my end. Thankfully this was resolved and I was able to enjoy Aristophania. I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Overall, the book has a great appeal for those who enjoy an Edwardian setting. If you enjoy reading about magical hidden worlds, you will definitely enjoy this book. Azur is just that - a hidden magical word in France.

As Madame Countess Aristophania returns to save the children you can’t wait to see what happens as they learn she is a witch.

A truly easy read that keeps you wanting more.

I highly recommend this book!!!

Three children are hiding in Paris and end up in a magical land. This is the beginning of their story. This gave me Chronicles of Narnia vibes.
I enjoyed the art in this, but I think my favourite was the black and white panels at the beginning. The first half of the comic is very brown and dull, probably how the poor part of early 1900s Paris was. Once we pass into the land of Azur, we end up in a sea of green. I wonder if the magic is connected to the earth?
3.5 stars
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While this plot appears to be quite complicated, the panel to panel reading is quite easy to follow. The timing is solid and each moment selected carefully. It's very atmospheric with loads of visual details. THe dark color palate matches the darker tone of the plot.

Aristophania is the first in the Kingdom of Azur series by Xavier Dorison. What originally attracted me to this series was the striking artwork – the cover alone should give you a good idea of what we're dealing with here. It's so vibrant and beautiful.
The series, or at least the first novel in the series, follows three Francoeur children as they try to survive. On their journey they come across strange and magical events, some help, and some hinder. But where exactly does Countess Aristophania Bolt fall into the scheme of things?
I'll confess that I had some trouble getting into this one. I really did try. I wanted to love it for so many reasons. The tones were similar to a Series of Unfortunate Events, but it has the potential to be more as well.
I think the series has a lot of potential, despite my difficulty getting into it. I'll be curious to see what comes out next though, and if they creators end up working on any other series.

There have been a bunch of books in the last few years with similar color palettes, and quite a few with a similar art style. The style was extremely pleasing to my eye, and I liked how body language and facial expressions were well utilized in the drawings. There have also been a fair amount of humorous fantasy adventure books, and post apocalyptic tales, but this one in particular takes those two genres into a new setting of 1900's France. This story flips all the others on their backs and exposes their scarred, shameful bellies.

That being said, the story itself fell short for me. The concept is very original following 3 siblings whose parents have both left their lives and they are invited to live with a lady of considerable wealth. PLUS MAGIC. LOTS OF MAGIC. I liked it. It didn't blow me away. I didn't really connect with or particularly like any of the characters which came to a surprise for me because I normally don't have that problem. I found their personalities to be flat and pretty similar. Also the execution of the text just wasn't there.

All in all, a beautiful piece of art but not sure it's a series I see myself continuing.