Member Reviews
This was such a fun and wild ride. The Looniland is a realm of 2 “people”: the ugly and the pretty. The pretty get to laze the day away and the ugly do all the work. We come into the story with the Mayor Granny sending her best ugly to figure out what happened with the lighting, and then take that “thing” to the mountain and drop it in the burning pit. But the entire journey is a comedy of errors. While uglies are doing all the work, the pretties are being zombified by some illness to which the uglies have immunity. This book contains 3 stories that all interconnect. They are funny, and heartfelt, and just a joy to read. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The story at times seems long, but that is because there is so much dialog between the characters. Way more dialogue then usually seen in a graphic novel. Overall, I loved this story, and I want more or it. Also, I would really like to see this animated.
This was very cute! I loved the art and the creativity with the designs. the message of difference and prejudice was aid on a bit thick at times but the humor and whimsy really made this work.
Two out of five stars, it sounded really interesting but I could not bring myself to pick this up after getting a copy unfortunately.
This graphic novel had super fun illustrations. The synopsis is interesting but it wasn’t particularly memorable. I felt myself not concentrating when I was reading and probably could have not finished it.
Loonicorns is a cute little book about Star belli—I mean unicorns, who have been separated into two groups, the uglies and pretties. Uglies are stamped behind the ear with the word “ugly” (pretties are not stamped, it would mar their beauty) and are expected to do all the dirty work so the pretties don’t break a nail or something. All is well until a plague shows up the same day as a strange horned girl, and the plague only affects the pretties.
I really enjoyed this book. The artwork is fun, the story is well written and not too preachy while still underscoring the moral that looks aren’t everything. I did find it a little hard to figure our who was pretty and who was ugly—I mean, they’re unicorns, they pee rainbows and probably fart glitter. All in all, a nice read, great for people who enjoy hijinx and quests and unicorns!
Looniland is a magical land filled with creatures. Life is great, if you are one of the Pretties. After a storm a mysterious illness appears and starts killing only the Pretties. I really wanted to like this book. The art is adorable and the world is fun. The bright colors make you feel a part of this magical world. The letters never get in the way of enjoying the art. But I just felt like the story was a little too slow for me.
3 stars
This was so cute. Captivating stories and images, The art style is very fun and bright. The story line was very sweet. Can't wait to read more of this world.
This is a fun one for any elementary-age/middle grade youngster who loves diving into whimsical stories with fantastical creatures.
Loonicorns is built on a really fun concept. Typically stories with unicorns have them all beautiful and skilled. They're all special. In the world of Loonicorns, each creature is declared "pretty" or "ugly" in youth, judged on standards of body conformity and behavior. Pretties have an idealized life, given the best jobs. Uglies do all of the hard work. Throw in a mysterious girl from another dimension and a disease that is turning all of the pretties into zombies and you've got a world ripe to acknowledge prejudice. The plot is well paced and threaded through with off-beat humor. Nothing especially surprising but a lot of fun to read.
I enjoyed this immensely. There was a lot of slapstick humor that will definitely go over the heads of children (the demographic that I’m guessing this is geared towards). It reminds me of I Hate Fairyland, but less ADULT!
This is absolutely the best comic I read this year. OMG, this is so lovely, the art, the idea, the metaphor. I loved this: this is about a disease that only the prettier members of the society can have. So, the uglies go on a quest to save the world from this horrible pandemic. It’s a short story, so I won't say much about it, but the jokes are so heartwarming and it’s funny in a cute way (kinda gives me Gravity Falls vibes).
I would recommend it if you like this type of cute and funny reading. Absolutely 5 stars, I would love to read the next ones! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this comic, I loved so much!
I loved the commentary on racism, vaccination, the government, and other very modern things that were hidden in this book and it was sometimes quite funny. I did however find it pretty boring and would not recommend it to a friend.
Honestly I didn´t bother to read the description, I just thought that the artwork looked cute and I needed a pick me up after reading The Poppy War.
The drawings are cute, and I really like the colour palette.
It´s a quick read, not too much character depth, but that is outweighted by the comedic things that happen. Kind of light hearted and funny at times.
Overall this was a decent comic, not exactly my cup of tea but nice if you have nothing else to do.
**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Bleary Eye by Ced through NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.
Bleary-Eye by Ced is a graphic novel set in a fantasy world. It's about a unicorn named Kurv and his friends trying to deal with an outside threat that might be spreading a disease across the land that turns people into zombie like creatures. It was published on April 21st, 2021. I rated it 3 stars on Goodreads.
Here's the summary from Goodreads:
Welcome to the wonderful world of Looniland, filled with loonicorns, cyclopes, dodos, and other fantastical creatures! Life is good in Looniville… if you’re a Pretty. Meanwhile, the Uglies do all the work and get teased and ridiculed. Until, one day, a huge storm blows through, bringing with it a mysterious illness that only seems to affect the Pretties. And in the nearby forest, a strange new creature has landed. Her name is Penelope, and no one has seen anything like her before. Where did she come from? Could she be the cause of this nefarious disease?
The real standout in this graphic novel is the art style. I loved all the characters and how they were easily identifiable. It has a very cutesy style, which I really enjoyed. It felt very appropriate for the story and for the different characters. The colours were nice as well, and I really appreciated that it was full colour as well. It wouldn't have worked as well if it wasn't.
The story line was interesting. I appreciated how it tackled some important issues of systemic inequality in a way that was easily understandable. It was painfully obvious that Looniland was not equal and that it wasn't okay how things were running. Though I will admit that the 'Pretties' vs 'Uglies' thing did give me some Uglies by Scott Westerfeld vibes, even though they were tackled in a completely different way.
The story had good momentum and it was an easy read. I enjoyed the pacing of it. I didn't get bored, and I wouldn't really change anything about the story. However, I will admit that some of the humor wasn't to my personal taste and I think that's okay.
Overall, I still recommend that you check out this graphic novel. It's cute and funny, but it is a little pandemic-y, so if that's not your favourite thing then maybe skip this one.
At first glance, Loonicorns – Book 1 – Bleary Eye looks like a children’s book, and it is, but its got more of an edge than most children’s books. It’s not vulgar or obscene in any way, but it reminds me of some of the cartoons one might see on Cartoon Network later on in the day – things such as Adventure Time or Regular show. Shows that are kid-friendly but subversive in some way, but also teach a lesson. hidden behind the cutesie characters are a couple of messages that would benefit some children (and some politicians tbh) now: racism, vaccination reluctance, and even strained familial relationships. Loonicorns isn’t preachy, but it does a good job of hiding it’s messages with goofy antics, which is probably the best way to get said messages to children.
“Welcome to the wonderful world of Looniland, filled with loonicorns, cyclopes, dodos, and other fantastical creatures! Life is good in Looniville… if you’re a Pretty. Meanwhile, the Uglies do all the work and get teased and ridiculed. Until, one day, a huge storm blows through, bringing with it a mysterious illness that only seems to affect the Pretties. And in the nearby forest, a strange new creature has landed. Her name is Penelope, and no one has seen anything like her before. Where did she come from? Could she be the cause of this nefarious disease?”
The art in this book is very imaginative, and is a parody of insufferably cute things found in other fantasy stories. by having a class structure of characters that do nothing more than jump around and dance all day, and cynical grumps that do all the work, it’s a post-modern satire on the very fantasy genre itself, but tailored for younger kids. In many ways, the tone is somewhat strange, I was never quite sure if this was meant for an older audience than I figured it was, but then I remembered how much kid’s media, at least in the United States, coddles children and infantilizes them for years and years. Having something like this could benefit a child more than something that talks down to them.
While not necessarily the audience for this book, I feel like it is very well done, and would be a fun read for a kid. the jokes are humorous, full of sight-gags and slapstick, and the tone is full of acerbic with that you don’t see in kids books too often.
The art in this is spectacular! I loved the colors and the fun new takes on mythical creatures.
What I also love about this, is how many talking points there could be with a younger crowd. This story touches on a lot of points that I feel like are important for everyone.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Loonicorns by ced, Gorobei, Waltch is an adorable graphic novel about a magical land that will appeal to fans of Skottie Young's I Hate Fairyland and other parodies of the land of Oz. Don't be misled by the cover. This is definitely not a graphic novel for children. It's tagged as for teenagers, and I believe that teenagers and adults will enjoy this one a lot. The plot revolves around a magical land where pretty and ugly monsters are separated, and the ugly monsters are made to serve the pretty ones. One day, a new creature that no one seen before - named Penelope - arrives in the land. Although this seems like a heavy plot, the highlight of this book is the jokes and comedy.
Overall, Loonicorns is a cute, pastel-colored parody of magical lands. It will appeal to fans of I Hate Fairyland and other similar graphic novels. I Hate Fairyland is one of my favorite series and it makes fun of a ton of tropes regarding "chosen ones," "wonderlands," and the typical hero's journey. Similarly, Loonicorns has a lot of humor directly related to expectations of wonderlands and subverting those expectations. I think this graphic novel might also appeal to fans of Adventure Time. It has the same sort of humor and plentiful magical creatures. I really enjoyed this book, and I think a lot of people will, too. If you're intrigued by the description above or if you're a fan of colorful graphic novels, I highly recommend that you check out this book. It is out now!
By Rosie aged 9
I would really recommend Loonicorns because it’s really funny and lots of people would like. My favourite character was Uno the Cyclops. It took me a couple of days to read it. I loved the drawings. It wasn’t scary, more funny. It taught me to be kinder and to help people if they need help.
(Book kindly supplied by the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.)
This was cute! Quick read and if you like the manic energy of I hate fairyland you would probably like this too. It has much the same energy only cleaner, nicer spirited and more kid friendly!
When I seen the cover for Loonicorns, I was instantly drawn in. The colours, artwork and characters just caught me from the get go. I managed to fly through this short graphic novel quite quickly and I just completely fell for the characters.
At times the story jumped to different characters and it took me a while to realise we were away from the main three but it eventually got easier to pick up on.
There wasn't a lot of depth to the characters but I absolutely adored Uno, Kurv and Penny. Uno being completely oblivious to the fact he was a Cyclops was so adorable and I just want more of Uno in my life. There was plenty of humour spread throughout and at times I found myself laughing out loud.
This was just such a heartwarming, wholesome story about community and coming together at a time of need. I really hope there's more to come from this world and the characters because it was just what I needed at the moment.
Thank you Netgalley for the review copy.