A thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The book invites readers into a captivating urban landscape. With its vivid descriptions and colorful imagery, the book offers a pleasant reading time.
One of the book's strengths lies in its descriptive prowess. In addition to its descriptive flair, "City Zen" offers readers a variety of characters and plotlines to explore, adding depth and complexity to the narrative. However, despite these positive aspects, the book failed to fully capture my attention. The storyline felt disjointed at times, with characters that failed to resonate with me on a deeper level. However, despite its graphics, the overall reading experience left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

"CityZen" is a collaborative masterpiece that seamlessly combines the talents of Jain, Damien Perez, Léa Galice, Marcial Toledano, and José Manuel Robledo. This graphic novel presents a captivating exploration of urban life and the human experience. The combination of the scriptwriters' storytelling prowess and the artists' illustrative skills creates a visually stunning and emotionally resonant narrative. The book's intricate artwork and thoughtful script take readers on a journey through the complexities of city life, offering both insight and reflection. "CityZen" is a remarkable fusion of art and storytelling that captures the essence of urban existence, inviting readers to ponder the intricate web of lives that intersect within a cityscape.

Because of a previous eco-catastrophe, the inhabitants of CityZen are forced to eat processed larvae as everything, and to bond with a tree on their 21st birthday, so as to have a part of the place you feel obliged to look after, and to protect you from the world of pollution outside the place's borders. Or so people are told – the reality of the whole situation, with the near-police state and copious city propaganda, is a fair bit different…

This certainly felt like a bright and bold revisit to the world of fictions like "Soylent Green" – a captive humanity doing what they're told is for the best and not knowing the truth of it all. As such it wasn't too bad, but by the time we'd got to the end, well… This does have three credited authors, one of which is some musical performer with very little reach outside France, and boy does it show. Indeed once we get to see all the situations – the fake one the people are forced to live under, the real ones behind the scenes – and get down to the nitty-gritty of correcting everything, the action seems to have been lumped together by a committee of teenagers. As a result this really does tail off down the dumper of stupidity long before it closes. It came down from a reasonable height, too, which is the pity – but which also means that genre fans will get something out of the scenario here, before it all goes down the pan. Two and a half stars, to show both the value of the early pages and then the naive dumbness of the later ones.

I’m not always a fan of graphic novels. Sometimes I read a good one, others I just leaf through another without really paying much attention to what is going on.

CityZen as a story falls somewhere in between, I guess. The colors were bright and in perfect contrast with the dark theme and messages in the panels, but I can’t say I was too excited to see what was coming next every other page. Maybe it was the whole futuristic thing, with the high-tech gadgets and all that. Or maybe it was the lackluster cast, despite their vibrant designs and witty attitudes.

What I did find intriguing was the placement of ads in-between chapters. Creepy ads, mind you. All the people in the posters were smiling wide, almost like spychos, and the pictures kept making me ucomfortable. Which was good, because in a story about environmental awareness you want the reader to get out of their comfort zone and squirm. That was admittedly well done, and it was one of the main reasons I think this novel isn’t a bad read.

My recommendation would be to let younger people read this, especially school kids. It’s harsh at some scenes, but it delivers some strong messages that need to be taken into account. (main one being, please, humanity, stop trying to make other things smarter than they are – plants, computers, apes, you name it, in every story sciense has done that, it never ends well for humans!)

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

CityZen follows the story of a futuristic society who gives part of their life force to trees to sustain it. We follow a girl who's sister is missing and she is in search of the truth.

This graphic novel was an absolute delight in every sense. The art style, particularly the use of red and blue as strong base colours is so dynamic and really works to establish the tone of the story. Our main characters are complex and intriguing, I really enjoyed getting to know them and seeing their story play out.

One of the highlights of this graphic novel is the strong themes of capitalism, fascism, government control and environmental issues. The author handles these fantastically by weaving them into the plot.

I loved this so much and would 100% recommend

This was a very strange manga plot lines, but it was continuously strengthened. Sorry I believe that’s just part of the book getting to know the main characters and at her sister passing away. There were a lot of ups and downs so I did keep you on your toes, but I would solidly write this book, a 3 out of five stars because I would definitely read more from this author

This was strange. I really liked the concept, but the whole novel was unusual. In a world where pollution has gotten out of control, one man developed a special tree that has cured it. But it only works in this small area. All the adults are strange, and the kids don't understand why they behave this way. Amal is worried because her sister disappeared and her parents have been dead a long time. Triggering a hidden message, Amal realizes that she has to escape the city in order to figure out what happened to her sister and save the rest of the citizens. What ends up happening is a high tech weird dystopian nature vs. technology battle and a lot of mumbo jumbo that doesn't make sense. It's a very heavy handed way of talking about how we need to work together to help solve the current climate crisis before we make it worse. I am just kind of baffled rather than entertained. I did enjoy the artwork though, even though it was strange.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I overall really liked this! The premise and world-building is insane and it is in theory the perfect dystopian story! My only wish was that this had been a series instead of a short comic, because it could have really done well with more time to deliver the world-building slowly, increase the sense of mystery and let the characters more slowly come to terms with their world view being wrong. Like, the whole story takes place in like 12-24 hours???? And so much happens????

Overall cute art-style and good story tho!

First of all I want to thank netgalley for providing me with this copy in digital format.

the graphic novel tells us about Amal, an inhabitant of a city called city zen, which is characterized by taking care of the environment, any threat to the city is eliminated immediately. Amal wants to be an exemplary citizen, helping her city on behalf of her parents, however one day her older sister disappears, leaving her with a mysterious message.

Okay, I didn't expect anything, I didn't go with great expectations with this comic, since I hadn't heard of the author, and I ended up liking it, it's a pretty entertaining story, everything happens quickly, yes, where it's a single volume, everything happens Quick to give you a conclusion later and not leave you with holes in the story.

the drawing is striking and the story captivates, with twists on each page. There were things that I did not expect. I still would have liked it to have continued or to be a little longer.
but I do recommend it, I really liked the mystery that it presents to you, and in fact it starts strong, with the protagonist's sister in trouble, leaving you wondering what finally happened to her and being revealed in the following chapters.

I highly recommend it, it's a quick read.

I give it 4 stars out of 5

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

CityZen is a futuristic dystopian graphic novel about environmentalism. This was a quick read with some great topics and illustrations but sadly it fell a little flat for me. This could have been plotted much better. We follow Amal who aims to help improve CityZen when she finishes her schooling but her plans are thrown off course by her sister Sana who is the opposite to Amal and wants to destroy CityZen instead. Amal faces a tough choice - her sister or her city and dreams to make it a better place.

What a surprise. Definitely, some parts seemed rushed, but that didn't stop me from getting excited and tense because of all the situations, and seriously, something happens at every moment that makes you want to keep reading.

CityZen is an eco-friendly world on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Amal wants to help CityZen after she graduates school but when her sister Sana suddenly disappears she realises everything she knows aboyt CityZen may not be as it seems.

This had very intriguing worldbuilding that I highly enjoyed. And the art is gorgeous. However, the story was face-paced and I think it would have been better as a duology. But it was still highly appreciated.

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

CityZen is an eco-friendly city on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Amal wants to help improve CityZen after she finishes school. Her sister Sana is an activist who wants to destroy the city. Amal will have to choose between her sister and her dreams and will have to decide where the truth lies.

CityZen is a futuristic dystopia that focuses on environmentalism. I liked the premise, but the complete story left me quite unimpressed. Fast-paced.

The art is very colorful, which is unusual in this genre but not necessarily bad.

Thanks to Europe Comics for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this graphic novel really interesting, innovative and at times disturbing.
The graphics are great and colourful, very much in contrast to the gravity of the post-apocalyptic situation people find themselves in.

This is a quick read and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read about pollution, environment and human evolution.

It's a fun standalone YA comic book centered around ecological themes and with a focus on family bonds. It's fast-paced and stands on its own.

This book had some of the greatest world building I've ever seen in a stand-alone book or first issue in a series. The illustrations were absolutely stunning and the magic within the world that reflects the indigenous ways that nature reclaims her space after humans have become obsolete. There is also a distinct criticism of the privilege that comes with wealth in having cleaner air and safer spaces. Because there is quite a bit of violence in this book, I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone under the age of 14 or 15.

CityZen is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where humanity has made genetically engineered trees to combat a pollution crisis. Amal is committed to CityZen and wants to help further its goals once she graduates. But her sister Sana, part of an activist movement, uncovers the truth, and reaches out to her, asking for help. Tackling important and current topics, the story is interesting but too short. It's too fast-paced, with too much action, and too little time to familiarize yourself with the world, the characters and what's at stake. Events happened so quickly, it felt like you were being tossed from scene to scene. I still loved how colourful the artwork is. Post-apocalyptic stories are usually darker and grimmer, but this one is super bright, which contrasts with its serious themes. The ads were also a pleasant touch. I just think this would work better if it were a series, so the authors could develop the story better.

For all the fans of environmental tales, a pretty YA SF comic book with an interesting take on the debate. While the story itself feels very short as it reads very fast with lots of action, and doesn't invent anything new, the ideas are very intriguing. The graphic novel asks what it is that makes us human, what our priorities should be, where is the place of emotions and the likes under this obvious environmental crisis. A great way for teens to think on important philosophical questions why looking for solutions.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free copy of this book to give an honest review.

CityZen is a wonderful juxtaposition from the typical kind of environmental warnings that are typical in the sci-fi genre. This story is about Amal, whose sister recently went missing, finding the veil of truth about her city. Her sister, Sana, had joined the so-called terrorists from outside CityZen where no one is allowed to venture past the red trees that are bonded to each adult after they turn 21.

The colourwork in this book is stark, every colour pops in such a way that brings a warm "everything is fine" feeling to each panel within the city limits. The adults, their smiles are uncannily big and wide, just making everything seem off as if the world is clinical.

This comic shows a tale of how it is easy to think that any solution to the pollution is a good solution, and just because some head-honcho said it is, doesn't mean it is. That global warming isn't an issue that can only be handled by the consumer, but has to also be handled from the top as well as the bottom. Everyone has to do their part.

The only trouble I had was with how quickly the conflict had been resolved, I certainly understand why considering this is a standalone comic, but I think the ending would have been a lot more satisfying if the book lingered on the conflict a little longer. Even if it meant that this comic may be split into two parts.

I never thought of such an idea of having an eco-friendly city being dystopian, yet the comic creators did just that. I found it refreshing to see something new, I really enjoyed it and hope to see more like it!