Aimed at about age 9-11 I’d guess. It’s very short so it’s mostly setting up the world and the stakes. The children are in a village where time is stopped so they never age. Part of the magic that’s stopping time is stolen so the children are going to age, potentially towards death. 4 of the kids are chosen to go out to try to get the magic item back, one boy goes from appearing to being about 12 to grown man in a moment. The art is pretty and the story has potential. I’d read more pretty happily.

thanks to the publisher & netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! this is the first comic book in a planned series, following a group of children trying to find the stolen time crystal shard to allow their village to return to its timeless state.

genres: historical fantasy, comic book, middle-grade

the world-building and magic system in this book was generally very well-crafted, but i did notice some inconsistencies which broke the story’s immersion (eg. how did they immediately work out what exactly their powers were straight after gaining them? if one of the children can restore things to the way they originally were, why can’t he use the power on the time crystal , to restore it to it’s not shattered, while state?) i may just be nit-picking but i thought it was worth a mention. i loved the incorporation of greek mythological references and elements into the story. on top of that, i adored the art style - very reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein’s work.

canny, funny and overall an intriguing read - this was a great start to a series i can see blowing up one day :)

Four heroes set out to save their strange village full of children from the impact of time. Time stood still until a thief stole the mysterious crystal that kept time from passing. On their journey they meet new friends, vicious enemies and discover hidden powers, I really like the concept and the beautiful artwork of this story. I would recommend this thrilling adventure to all children who are into fantastic stories.

The Forest of Time

I knew this was right up my alley the second I saw it; children's fantasy graphic novel about kids that have to adventure out into dangerous territory to save their homeland? Magic, mystery, and an awesome art style? Count me in!

I enjoyed the characters, the way the world looked, and the magical aspects. But one of the parts I liked the most was how the kids are placed in the society they're in. The kids all had their own jobs to do, and those jobs were one's with true meaning. They consisted of things like science, philosophy, and creating new inventions. Later on they also take on searching for something important that was stolen from them, that they need retrieve to keep the town and their fellow children and leader from perishing.
The story gives kids credit (and responsibility) which was nice to see because a lot of times in real life kids are put to the side because they're simply "too young" to be valuable members of society. Not that I'm condoning child labor by any means, but that children have interests and capabities that they should be able to explore, and that we as adults should encourage.

In regards to kids reading this graphic novel, I'd say this will be a good one for them for sure, but there is one comment//joke/mention made about 3/4ths of the way through that makes me lean toward this being aimed at an older (10 years and up) audience, and I could see more mature topics being brought up in future installments as well just based on the fact that two of the kids have already aged up to teenagers.

The story takes off pretty quickly, and introduces some questions that I'd very much like to see answered. With that being the case, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future installments!

*I was given a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of 4 kids is willing to take an adventure in order to restore their magic stone that protected them from time has been stolen by a thief. Without the stone, they will slowly become old and die. Each of them received one unique crystal stone that eventually have different power that they slowly discovered.

The author introduces The forest of time as unimaginable beauty, though it's somewhat dangerous. A lot of unanswered questions in this episode, but since this is the first book, I don't hope much. This is such a nice series. A fast-paced book and I even finish reading it in one sit! A lot of surprise elements in this book together with the sprinkles of magic.

However, I really wish that they will have another version of this book in a different format. I'm having difficulty reading it in pdf format because of loading time. It's a bit slow. Anyway, Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this lovely ARC.

I really liked the animation style throughout this graphic novel! I found the story kind of confusing to keep up with but that did not stop me from enjoying this! This was a super intresting concept and I can not wait to see how the story continues! Thank you to netgalley for provinding me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel follows a group of kids that are from a village frozen in time, but then something happens to the stone that keeps their village frozen and they must go on an adventure outside of their village,

I found this to be a bit confusing - it was lacking in exposition, and there was a lot going on that was hard to understand, though I imagine some things will become more clear in future volumes. There was also a bit of sort of juvenile humor that I wasn’t the biggest fan of.

This is a fast paced read that has a lot of mythology in it - though I wish more of that had been explained. Young readers new to graphic novels would likely enjoy this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Forest of Time by Tristan Roulot and Mateo Guerrero is a children's fantasy graphic novel that will appeal to fans of Percy Jackson or Adventure Time. The story revolves around a rag-tag team of children in a magical world full of magic and monsters. Four of the children set off on a quest to find a missing shard of a powerful stone that protects the entire village. Will they succeed in their quest to find the missing shard?

Overall, The Forest of Time is a lovely children's graphic novel with plenty of fantasy elements. One highlight of this book is that it's in the fantasy genre. I really enjoy books in this genre, and the description sounded super interesting. I did take off 2 stars, because I just didn't enjoy this book personally. The target demographic is definitely lower, so that explains why I didn't enjoy it as much. I'm sure many children will enjoy this book though. If you're intrigued by the description, you can check out this book, which is available now!

Fun fantasy adventure that I'd say is for older primary kids (barring one joke about pubic hair which you might put a bit older). Plenty of mysteries to wonder about, plenty of mild peril, and plenty of nice illustrations along the way. It's definitely a series that I can see my kids enjoying and wanting to read more of.

4/5 stars ⭐

I saw this graphic novel and instantly was attracted to it by the beautiful artwork and compelling title. Our story begins in a village surrounded by a protective spell that stops time from moving, which also means that nobody ages. But when the protective shield is broken by 'the thief', four children start a very important mission to find this thief and restore their old lives.

This graphic novel was a beautifully drawn, quick-paced story, with a highly interesting story line. Our main protagonists all had their own unique set of skills but all have one thing in common: they'll fight and be brave to protect and help their so beloved village.
I personally thought this a great and quick read if you want to relax, read a historical fiction about time and a bit of magic, and want to enjoy the lovely drawings in it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It would have been great if there was a bit more back story on the world itself and its beliefs as it references a few different mythologies throughout. The artwork is so fun and reading this really felt like following along in the adventure. The pacing of the story flowed very well and Id run out of pages before even realizing it.

In a village of children where no one ages, what happens when suddenly time begins to tick once again?
Summary:
Children of the Stone (The Forest of Time, #1) by Tristan Roulot and Matteo Guerrero follows the epic journey of children scientists across magical lands (and maybe even time?) to regain a missing stone. Along the way, they learn a thing or two about friendship and the lands outside of their childhood home.

Review:
Children of the Stone is an fun and fast-paced middle grade graphic novel with beautiful artwork. Even as an adult reader, the story line of this graphic novel had me hooked. Each child character is unique and carries their piece of the tale well. Roulot did an excellent job at marrying the strengths of each character and weaving them together to solve the problems the children face along the way. While reading this graphic novel, I found that I was truly attached to the characters, a feat that is not always easy in the graphic novel/comic world, and genuinely wanted them to defeat the foes that they face. Even the cliff-hangar ending left me wanting more on a novel that seemed almost too short.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys middle grade graphic novels and high fantasy adventuring stories. It is definitely worth the read.

[eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for fair and honest review]

This graphic novel puts an interesting twist on time magic. Rather than simply time travel, there are multiple ways in which time manifests itself through magic. It affects not only the world, but the characters themselves, freezing them in eternal youth, while aging some into adulthood.

Not a lot of information is given about the world---is it a secondary world? Earth? There are references to mythology (Egyptian and Greek outright, and a hint at Norse mythology) so it heavily relies on the reader's knowledge of classical myths. That said, it isn't a simple retelling of mythology in the way that a lot of middle-grade urban fantasy tends to do. This world feels entirely unique despite the real-world references.

The cast of characters is unique both in appearance and personality, and the art does a great job of showing where time magic is creeping in through its use of color. It's vibrant and fun, and a perfect way to introduce young readers to graphic novels.