Member Reviews
This was my first foray into this world and while it was a little muddled, ultimately an enjoyable read.
The story was original although the rules of the magic system were unclear and the characters too many to develop to any particular degree. It was fast-paced which kept me reading but at the same time didn't really allow for any character development. However, there were some very cool ideas and concepts which I'm sure will be explored more in later series.
Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the arc they provided in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Long time fans of this series will not be disappointed. New characters were engaging and believable. Returning characters were true to form.
New readers may enjoy the book, but will likely feel they are only getting part of the story. (True)
I enjoyed this book.
Courtney Crumrin has been one of my favorite series since I stumbled upon a copy of "Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics" at my library in middle school. I checked that volume out multiple times and devoured it, adoring the spooky world of Courtney and her warlock uncle.
I was so excited to see Ted Naifeh return to Courtney's world, exploring the next stages of her life as a young sorceress still discovering her powers. This new installment introduces readers to Uncle Aloysius's long lost brother, WIlberforce. Left in the Twilight Realm for 100 years, Wilberforce is given a new chance at life as Courtney's younger brother "Will". Confused and afraid of fitting in at school (very relatable for any kid, let alone those who spent over a century in a fairy realm), Courtney gives Will a charm that will help him get along with his peers. But magic doesn't always work how we expect and, as Courtney mentions, it will turn against you if given the chance...
This volume was a fantastic addition to the world of Courtney Crumrin, including the charm and dash of frightening imagery that makes the Crumrin comics so enjoyable. I liked that the focus was on Will now, with Courtney as the mysterious big sister running in to save the day (but also getting saved sometimes). Even though she's more of a side character, Courtney's growth and new responsibilities as an older sibling are portrayed wonderfully. She's still the Courtney we know and love, but older and a little wiser.
I felt for Will, who is afraid of being himself and unsure how to navigate school without people liking him. He finds the strength to be himself and (with the aid of some magic) stands up for himself and his true friend Tucker. All the main characters have some good growth in this story, and I'm excited to see them grow and evolve in (hopefully!) upcoming volumes.
For old fans of Courtney Crumrin, new fans just discovering her, and those looking for a slightly-spooky but feel good tale.
What a great read!
Although this graphic novel is a spin-off, new readers will have no problem understanding the story.
The plot is entertaining, and the artwork accompanies it beautifully. The magic system is original and the characters are lovable.
I read it very quickly and wish I had volume 2 in my hands already!
An interesting plot muddled by underdeveloped characters and uncertain magic. Although I'm sure some plot points may be explored further in future volumes, I do not think this volume held my attention enough for me to pick those up. Will's relationship with his sister was not clear (the lack of communication between them made it seem like they despised each other), and didn't provide much motivation for the quest to save her later in the book. This book's quick pacing was also to its detriment as characters were introduced quickly then not developed. Some art and paneling also made the story's flow unclear. Overall, the characters seemed to be pulled along by a force out of their control, but the characters also didn't seem to have reasons to react.
This was a fun read!!! I really enjoyed the characters especially Will and Courtney. Their fierce love of family is a beautiful thing. Then Tucker stepped up and became a great character also!!
The art was great too. But the plot!!! This was really intriguing and I was kept on my toes throughout the read. Never a dull moment actually!! The vampire lore was also interesting. But seriously, I really liked how this went and the pacing was perfect. But Courtney!!! Sorry, I keep thinking about how much I adore her!!!
This was well worth the read and I highly recommend this to those who enjoy graphic novels in general. I will also recommend this to reader who are into vampire books. I’m tempted to recommend this to everyone, but I’m just overly excited about this right now.
Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!
This will be posted on Amazon shortly.
I loved this spooky graphic novel. The storyline was fun and atmospheric with great illustrations.
Following a great cast of characters through the hardships of having magical abilities in high school. This novel dealt with serious subjects in a relatable way. I will definitely read more from this author.
When I was younger, I had read the Courtney Crumrin books and adored them.
I'm happy to see that the series in continuing forward for a new generation to get into, and will happily purchase them for my library's collection.
The series continues after Courtney's original adventures with the focus now on Wilberforce, Aloysius' brother who stayed in the 'faelands' while Aloysius escaped back to the mortal realm. After Aloysius' death, Wilberforce was returned back to the mortal realm to live his life with new "sister" Courtney. A bit confusing, but it makes sense.
Though Will is loved by Courtney, he still seeks approval from others and with help from Courtney and her magic, earns the attention of an old enemy of the family.
Will is one of the most popular guys at school, thanks to a charmed necklace his sister Courtney, a sorceress, gave to him so he wouldn't feel alone. When a friend of Will's, Tucker, gets put in harm's way by a bully, he decides to stand up for her and ends up getting rid of the charm that often makes him feel so alone even when he is surrounded by people. Courtney wants to get revenge on the bully, but her actions lead a very old and very powerful vampire into their lives. Courtney and Will, along with Tucker, must work together to beat the vampire and save their own lives.
Graphic novels are so fun to pick up, and I really enjoyed reading the first volume of The Crumrin Chronicles! The illustrations were so beautiful to look at, and I loved the color scheme chosen to help bring the different scenes to life. The story itself was fast-paced and intense, and the spooky vibes made my heart so happy because I love all things creepy and mysterious. There were several times during which I got a bit confused, but I quickly figured out what was going on again and needed to find out what was going to happen next. Overall, this was such a fun and interesting read, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next volume!
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC of The Crumrin Chronicles Vol. 1 by Ted Naifeh!
At first when reading this manga, I got a little confused. There were gaps in the speech which I had to just guess to make the story make sence, however this issue sorted itself out by 1/4 of the way in. Once the plot got going, I really enjoyed the magical and mystical aspect of the story and the characters development within the magical realms. The illustration worked well with the theme of the dark and unknown and was easy to follow with the story. For me, I only rated this a 3 star as I didnt feel engaged reading it and could put it down at any point.
I was not expecting follow-ups to Courtney Crumin, but I guess there's a lot of things I don't expect from Ted Naifeh. It certainly is nice to focus on the walking spoiler Will and the series themes of adolescence and being open to interpretation. That teenage awkwardness doesn't even feel like renewing a formula, but the feeling of being an adult who thinks everything is figured out only to find more challenges.
I don't know what this means going forward, but those epilogue notes have me looking forward to more Naifeh stuff.
This was so cute!
Even though this is described as a spin-off series, I didn't have a problem understanding what was happening.
The art in this is super cute, its a nice mix of manga with cute colorized cartoon art. It really made the reading experience that much more enjoyable.
If you like comics about witches and friendship and magic, pic this up.
Thank you to Oni and NetGalley for the e-galley!
Great artwork and fun story. I really enjoyed the storytelling and the fact that there was a lesson to be learned by the main character. The artwork was really well done and showed a large range of emotions.
Sometimes magic is not the answer to everything. Will Crumrin has returned to the mortal after hundred of years in the real of faeries, and to help him adjust is his big sister Courtney Crumrin ( a sorceress). The charm she gives him renders him the most popular kid in school and he soon finds out that being the most popular and liked is not all its cracked up to be. Things get out of hand and magic starts to bring chaos and along it all a dark force is waiting in the shadows to capture his sister. Can Will fix everything before it’s too late and he loses his only true friend and his sister?
This was a fun and magical read! It definitely is a wonderful fairytale-esque story and deals with a lot of interesting situations. I loved the monsters and the use of magic in the story and of course we get to see our favorite sorceress Courtney Crumrin!!
*Thanks Netgalley and Oni Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
Yay, Courtney's Back
I followed the complete Courtney Crumrin multi-book series back around 2014 and enjoyed every panel of her adventures. The perfect blend of snark, attitude, and vulnerability - she was a character I very much enjoyed following.
So I was very pleased to see this stand-alone spinoff. There are some differences. The main character is Courtney's younger brother Will, (recently released from the Twilight Kingdom and the faeries' grasp, Will is actually Wilberforce, Great Uncle Aloysius' brother). Uncle Aloysius has passed, at least for now. The plot turns on Courtney watching our for Will, kicking some butt on his behalf, getting in harm's way, and being rescued by Will and Will's gal pal. So it certainly isn't all Courtney all the time. That said, Courtney is the strongest character, she dominates every panel in which she appears, and she is most definitely the sorceress we have come to know and love.
Any Courtney Crumrin is good Courtney Crumrin, and there's enough of her here to make this a fine and entertaining addition to the canon. To be fair, the story is a bit helter skelter, there are some narrative gaps, and Will is something of a sad sack. The plot is slapdash, and this felt like a little bit of a tossed off, one-off. But that said, there is enough Courtney spark, and enough of the edgy Crumrin vibe, to make this a fun read.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This is another in the series of stories about Courtney Crumrin, but in this story, she is older, and the focus is on her younger "brother" Will (In quotes, because he is actually her great uncle, restored to being a young man, when he died in the fairy realm. See, easier to call him her younger brother).
Will has spent a lifetime in the fairy realm, so has no idea how to behave like a regular human boy. So Courtney gives him a charm to be liked. And, like all magic, there are things that go wrong.
Oh, yes, and there is a vampire involved, as well as human bullies.
You don't have to have read the earlier stories, as this can stand on its own. Good story, and hopefully there will be more in this series, since this is volume one. I love the meta humor, where they call Will a muggle, and he asks what that means. He also speaks as though he just stepped out of a Jeeves and Wooster novel, calling everyone chaps.
Delightful characters, and good story.
<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review</em>