I loved this. It was so cute, funny, whimsical, but with enough depth to keep the reader engaged, and plenty of twists and turns to keep me entertained. The art was beautiful, light and fresh, and reminded me of the Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang. It was filled with energy. I'll definitely look out for the novel this is adapted from, and more from this artist.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story! It was lighthearted, with not too many or too few twists, and the colors and art style used brought everything together nicely. The jokes were actually funny, and the use of rhyme didn’t take me out of the story.

The illustrations in this reminded me of Amelia Bedelia, they have a softness and wit to them. I enjoyed this story a lot! The main character was clever, funny, and sweet. I loved how she used her smarts to get out of so many situations!

I wasn't really sure what to expect, but this turned out to be a cute little story! Serine is from a struggling family, so she heads to court determined to become the queen's lady in waiting to help provide for her mother and gaggle of brothers. While she succeeds, court isn't quite what she thought it would be. When she uncovers a plot against the king, she'll have to rely on her wits to reveal the traitor before they pin their crimes on her. The art was good, the plot was interesting and funny at times, I thought the characters were either well done or caricatures of the types of roles they were filling (which I think was done on purpose and done well). My biggest gripe was the text was very small, and I couldn't read it easily without enlarging the page (which lead to formatting issues on my e-reader). Overall though, this was a cute story that read like a storybook featuring a clever heroine.

Charming story with an equally charming main character. The art style is what has drawn me the most to this book. The illustrations are vividly coloured and visually interesting.

Charming story with a fun and quirky heroine! If you like graphic novels/comics with a smart female character, with great humour, mean villains and lovely art style - this is the one for you!

trigger warning
<spoiler> poverty, mention of torture, bullying </spoiler>

Seline runs away from home to become lady-in-waiting for the Queen, without any preparation but her natural wit.

She has to realise quickly that not everybody set out with noble intentions, and that having an official title does not mean you're a good person. Having grown up the eldest of many children, she is used to having to solve problems, and is very creative with her ideas.

In parts this reminds me a bit of Discworld, how she sets out and is herself, making friends, being ridiculed but then the servantship has her back when she really needs it.

I enjoyed it enough, but not so much I would search out the artists behind this on purpose. While we don't get a clear number on Seline's age, this feels somewhere between middlegrade and YA, and I'd recommend it to that audience especially.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That was a funny and a really entertaining graphic novel. I enjoyed following the adventures of Serine at the royal court of France. Her intelligence and imagination helped her from becoming the queen's lady in waiting to the king's jester while facing different perils.
I liked the creativity of the author as much as I liked the simple and beautiful illustrations by Kerascoet, whom I've already discovered and liked their work on "Beauty".

I really liked the main character and her feisty boldness. The narrative was a little bit jumpy for me and I found this hard to follow / couldn't quite get engaged.

A girl seeks to gain a better life by going to court and trying to be a lady in waiting to the queen. But the court is full of rude, cruel, pompous people, all vieing to make themselves the most important. Disillusioned and cast out, she gets her revenge through a disguise and survives by cleverly outwitting those more powerful than she,

Serine does not want to grow up and marry, she would rather run away to be a lady-in-waiting for the Queen, which is exactly what she does. However, when that position does not work out, she takes up the position of the court jester, and gets caught up in royal court politics.
Court Charade is hysterically, with the right amount of naughty sprinkled in. Serine’s foolish antics balance the drama of court politics. Filled with a lovable torturer, and an uptight queen, the cast of characters in Court Charade is lovable from the first page to the last. I had a good belly laugh when reading through it.
As a personal leisure read, this book is wonderful. However, the same cannot be said when considering it for a middle school library. The sexual content was minimal. Off the top of my head I can think of two pages containing explicit nudity. As an adult, this is no big deal. But for a book that is going into a library for children, I err on the side of caution, especially when it comes to nudity.

The story is about Serine who tries to help her family by going to court and becoming a lady in waiting.

The story is a bit slow and a lot of things were explained to the reader in words. Characters explaining their behavior or things that were happening. I personally prefer as a reader to experience the story, especially in a comic book, instead of being told or explained what is happening.
Also, the story feels a little bit young at times, so I do think it will be perfect for teens.
However, even though I did find the story a bit slow, the humor is great and the drawings were funny. It did make me laugh and I had a fun time reading it.

The book is about young and delightfully mischievous Sernie. Sernie sets out to be a lady-in-waiting to the queen, but the is caught between scheming ladies and can't keep up with the dirty politics of the palace. But with her wits and funny demeanor, she causes quite a stir in the palace.

I loved this book. The art of beautiful and fun. The book was engaging and fun to read. It didn't take me long to finish it. I really loved the main character Sernie, and how she dealt with all the situations.

I'd definitely recommend picking this up for a hearty read.

Serine, a young girl who's father has just died, makes her way to the royal court to fulfill her dream of being one a Lady in Waiting to the Queen. Through her humor, mischievousness, and scheming, she works her way through the Royal Court and goes further than she had ever expected. This graphic novel is a fun take on a modern fairytale. Serine, the main character if funny and charming as can be as she makes her way through the castle and digs up its inhabitants' deepest secrets. With art that resembles illustrations from early fairytale picture books, each page is full of action and excitement. While exciting and engaging, it is difficult to tell who would be interested in this book. Being slightly too mature (random nudity and sex jokes?) for middle grade readers and a tad too immature for older readers, placing it in the right hands may be a difficult task.

The Court Charade is an interesting comic about a lady in waiting solving a mystery by becoming a court jester. I absolutely loved the illustrations. The script took you on a journey of treachery and subterfuge by members of the royal court. Serine was a creative character and I enjoyed seeing how she outwit the royal secretary and queen. If you are looking for a quick, fun read, give this one a try!

The best protagonists are the ones that feel that they fit perfectly into the story. There isn't a world morphing to incorporate them, and events are happening to the other characters as well as them, giving a fuller plot with higher stakes. Thus, Serine.

She is a spritely young woman, much to her mother's chagrin, who only has plans for her daughter's betrothal for the betterment of the family. Serine adores her younger brothers but has her own plans for her life; she will become one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. Everyone either doubts her or is irritated by her, but Serine has a knack for getting into places and trouble.

Put simply, this is a thoroughly fun story. There are great moments of wit and silliness balanced alongside true dangers and harsh realities. The book plays with the graphic format, including full page spreads and varying panel layouts that keep each page interesting.

For the most part, the art style is nice; it conveys the story well and is consistent with the character details so they are easily recognisable, even after major changes. Periodically, the style lacks finer detail, which for the most part doesn't impact the narrative, but occasionally it would have benefitted to see more of, or a clearer view, of a character's expression.

This book was a real surprise (a good one !)

First of all the art was beautiful, very light and colourful like I like and I love how simply the characters were drawn while the backgrounds were nicely detailed.

Second, it's a really surprising story since you can't see how it'll end when you start it. So many things happen to our young heroine, it's a never ending adventure with her!

I loved the secondary characters, the scheming, the details in the background, and most of all Serine's energy and imagination! She's always jumping around, trying to make others laugh. A real joy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the copy! I can definitely see myself give this book as a gift to my graphic novels lover friends!

Assolutamente adorabile, divertente e geniale!
Questo fumetto è ambientato in un paese molto simile alla Francia del 1700, dove una ragazzina di una famiglia nobile in situazione precaria a causa dei debiti e della morte del padre, parte per la corte del re, sperando di diventare una delle damigelle della regina.
Per pura fortuna riesce a diventarlo, ma i vari intrighi e invidie che si intrecciano tra le vicende del palazzo, ben presto la fanno cacciare e rischiare anche la vita. Lei però non si da per vinta e mascherandosi da buffone cercherà di mettere in guardia il re dalle minaccie che incombono su di lui, e cercherà di vendicarsi di tutti coloro che l'hanno insultata e maltrattata.
Ho trovato questo fumetto davvero delizioso, realizzato in maniera semplice e particolare, molto simile ai vecchi fumetti francesi e alle striscie satiriche dei giornali che iniziavano a circolare proprio nel periodo in cui è ambientata la storia. L'ho trovata davvero una scelta perfetta per realizzare questo racconto!
L'ironia e la sagacia della protagonista poi è davvero fantastica, perchè riesce a risolvere tutto con scherzi e battute. Non abbandona mai gli amici su cui può davvero contare, e loro ci sono sempre per darle una mano a risolvere i suoi problemi.
Spero davvero che arrivi anche in Italia, perchè sarebbe un perfetto acquisto per la biblioteca dove lavoro.

Grazie Netgalley per avermi permesso di leggerlo in anteprima!

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Absolutely adorable, funny and brilliant!
This comic is set in a country very similar to France in the 1700s, where a girl from a noble family in a precarious situation due to debts and the death of her father, leaves for the king's court, hoping to become one of the queen's lady-in-waiting.
By sheer luck she manages to become one, but the various intrigues and envies that intertwine between the events of the building soon cause her to be kicked out and even risk her life. However, she does not give up and masquerading as a buffoon she will try to warn the king of the threats looming over him, and she will try to take revenge on all those who have insulted and mistreated her.
I found this comic really delicious, made in a simple and particular way, very similar to the old French comics and satirical newspaper strips that started circulating right in the period in which the story is set. I really found that a perfect choice to make this short story!
The irony and sagacity of the protagonist is really fantastic, because she manages to solve everything with jokes. She never abandons the friends she can really count on, and they are always there to help her solve her problems.
I really hope that it will bu published also in Italy, because it would be a perfect purchase for the library where I work.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me preview it!

Serine has to give satisfaction to the queen as her assistant but it is not an easy task, as the queen is entitled and selfish and the court is full of traitors.

The Court Charade is a very dynamic and funny comic about a girl who works for the queen. I loved Serine as a protagonist, she is clever and interesting to read.
As for the story, I was never able to predict where the plot was going to go next, lots of twists and turns and conversations in such a short comic. I also enjoyed the art style, very French and expressive, with watercolors and clear pages. I have read Beautiful Darkness and Beauty, so I’m familiar with the fantastic work of Krascoët. It’s always a pleasure to read their comics.

Thank you for Europe Comics for providing me with a version of this comic on NetGalley.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book is about Serine. She goes to Court to serve the King and Queen to help her family. The court is similar to the overly decadent French Court. Serine is not like the other girls and must work harder to stay. She is witty and full of rhymes and wisdom.
This was a wonderful comic. Serine is a wonderful character that draws the reader into her story. I was surprised by the end of the story, but happy. I liked it so much that I would love to read it again.
This is a good book for junior readers and older.