2.5 stars rounded up

This is the beginning of the story of a young orphan called Cinq Avril, whose background as an apprentice of Leonardo Da Vinci and unknown origins make him a target. I have to say though the art style was brilliant I found myself enjoying the beginning and end, with a strange turn half way which I didn't enjoy. It fixed itself by the end, but it put me off a bit. The art is colourful and facial expressions were very clear.

It is quite short, only 76 pages, but generally a good read.

<i>I received a complimentary copy of this volume by Europe Comics via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily</i>.

I was really intrigued by both the premise of this graphic novel and the name; in many ways it did not disappoint. The art was impeccable, really matching the genre and general vibe of the plot - the coulours in particular made the storyline engaging!

Unfortunately, I did struggle to follow the storyline and really relate to the characters. While I understood the general gist of the graphic novel, the details were somewhat lost to me, particularly given how quickly the story progressed. This, perhaps, could have been remedied with longer and more detailed descriptions of events - and supplemented with a more empty scenes without text and action. I will, however, give this the benefit of the doubt given that graphic novels are still relatively new for me and it is only the first in a series.

As a whole, I enjoyed the artwork and premise! I would like to read the rest of the series to fully explore the plot's idea and characters further - this certainly has promise.

“On April 5th, 1514, a mysterious noblewoman leaves a newborn bearing only an unusual golden necklace at the gates of the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, France. Named “Cinq Avril” by the cooks who care for him, and taken under the wing of another resident of the castle, a certain Leonardo da Vinci, the child grows in energy and knowledge as he’s instructed in a multitude of secrets. When his mentor dies, the young man discovers a posthumous letter explaining that he has the power to change the course of history if he can unravel the enigma of his birth.”

Cinq Avril (Episode/Volume 1) is a short graphic novel with fantastic artwork. It’s filled with 14th-century history, numerous characters, and a few twists. Since it’s only about 80 pages, I found that the storyline fell flat and confusing. I also did not know much about 14th-century history, so I needed more of that world-building to truly connect with the characters. However, one thing I really loved about Cinq Avril is how the creators included badass female characters (& for once, they were not overly sexualized). That’s something that I definitely want to see more in graphic novels. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with a free copy of Cinq Avril in exchange for an honest review.

Very nice story, clean table e nice drawing.
Bering the first episode, it was particularity difficult to understand what was happening.
Ariane is a really good character, Avril instead, despise the moment of genius, often seems a little stupid,
My favorite part were the chibi design, perfect.

I liked this historical intrigue story well enough, the art is actually excellent. All the characters are very distinct and the clothes and backgrounds are very detailed which helps sell the story. I do feel like the story lacked a bit of heart, and there were a few moments when I was taken aback by the nonchalance of the storytelling. I also have to complain about the size and style of the text in my version (which may not be the final version) I could hardly read this as the text was too small and in a style that made letters run into each other.

Overall enjoyable but nothing to go over the moon about.

A young Leonardo Da Vinci mixed with Three Musketeers. I wish that the text was not entirely written in capital letters as it does affect pacing and readability but the pictures are well drawn and the colour scheme really helps create the atmosphere. I think this would make a great book for young teens, it's engaging and while the MC is a male there are sword-wielding females throughout the book which is not common for historical based fictions.

Great art works. But the paneling was so bad. 7 panels in one page with boring same panels. That wa dissampointment

I have mixed feelings about this historical fiction. The story was a bit complicated to me due to my lack of background knowledge in French history. The artwork however is truly engaging, and gives this graphic novel a quick-paced, energetic and dynamic feel. I had an electronic copy and dialogues were sometimes difficult to decipher but otherwise I enjoyed this book, and look forward to Volume 2.

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for an Advance Review Copy.

Based on the description, I thought this was going to something it wasn't. It wasn't bad, but it seemed like it would be a little more involved with clues and puzzles and such rather than so many action sequences.

Unfortunately the netgalley app doesn't work for me - didn't realise this title was only available on the app when I requested it. Leaving a 5 star so it doesn't affect the book's performance.

Thank you to the publishers and authors and to NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review!

Cinq Avril absolutely flew past me—I feel like I started and finished it in one breath. I give this graphic novel 2.5 stars. Also—it's pretty difficult to review this after only reading the first episode/volume, Consider this review set for only that first ep/vol, and not a reflection of the entire story. The shorter length of this novel makes much more sense considering that it is a first ep/vol.

Let's get into the detailed review. As always, this will be spoiler-free. Abandoned at a doorstep as a baby with nothing but a golden necklace, Avril makes friends with Leonardo da Vinci when he moves to the country château where Avril grows up. Upon Leonardo's death during Avril's childhood, he leaves behind cryptic documents and a message: that there is much, much more to his story, and he will learn everything on the eve of his 18th birthday.

I'll start with what I disliked, because I always like to leave off on a positive note.

One issue for me was the pacing. Avril was born and then grown within 2-3 pages. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it reflects badly on the world-building of the story. We are thrust into 14th century Italy without any preparation of period for adjustment. It's very abrupt, and interferes with my investment in the story. Similarly, there is no time to get to know characters. For me, characters are the most important aspect of a book, so this left me feeling like Cinq Avril was a very surface-level read.

Additionally, the big reveal of Avril's mysterious backstory did not feel very impactful for this very reason. The true identity of his mother and his destiny was a letdown for me—for the simply reason that there was no indication of the stakes of this identity. The authors definitely assume that readers have more knowledge of 14th century history than we truly do. I need to understand the world this story is told in before I can be truly invested in the plot! Another thing that contributes to the low-impact plot is the character's reactions to it. We never see characters take time to adjust to or discuss life-changing occurrences in the story.

Also, the inclusion of a sex scene (though there is no nudity, more so very suggestive positions/drawings) was surprising to me. I would assume this novel is meant for new adults in the 16+ age range.

Onto what I really liked!

I really enjoyed the art and artistic style! In particular, women are drawn beautifully. I also found that the drawing of the main villain, the Cardinal, stood out in terms of its design—I loved the panels where the Cardinal was masked in shadow, with only his silhouette and the reflection of his glasses visible. It really does his villainous attitude justice. I also loved the panels showing Leonardo da Vinci's drawings. They're so beautiful!

I'll also admit that I was certainly a bit interested in what would happen next and how the story would end.

Overall, some improvements to world-building and pacing will really benefit this graphic novel. A focus on drawing readers in with the richness of this foreign 14th century Italy (I love period dramas and historical fiction, and want to see more in this story) would absolutely improve my experience!

The art is wonderful, but the plot to me, is confused about it's audience. Is it intended for young adults? If so, why is their a portion dedicated to explaining how one invention works via change in art style, and not the other mentioned invention? If it is intended for children why is their mention of sex and then a showing of death?
The use of historical context implies one should already have a working knowledge of France in the 16th century. Overall, it is confusing and does not draw me in for more.