Well, an English translation of this book's sequel did come out, but there is no sign of Part Three in the original French, so we're probably looking at the start of something years from finishing. Take that risk if you dare. Me, having read this? I won't have cause to be impatient. There's a growing anti-magic campaign and protest in France, headquarters of protest, of course – which is only made worse when something mahoosive and very lethal happens. Nobody knows what caused it – magicians or something else. Our two heroines are on different sides of the landscape, now, when before they were definitely engaged with using magic in nicely inventive ways. Now one is policing the black market in wizardry-providing Relics, the other more on the liberal side. But neither realises just how far magic will still have the power to impact their lives…

This started fine and quite taut – at least in comparison to the end. I liked the set-up to the mahoosive event, but before too long there are clearly too many antagonistic elements to the plot, and we're in the dark as to what the social divide around magical 'hot zones' is in reality like, and so on. The world building is weak, and when we're suddenly dropped into a world of a 'Cat Clan', whose members have ginormous felines for company, we not only see the ideas losing some coherency but that the art is pretty ropey when it comes to portraying action. And whatever is going to happen for the rest of these books is relevant as this feels like such a minor introductory snippet, ending on a cliff-hanger as if to say 'well, that bit's finished – let's pretend it's a full book and publish that'. If you enjoyed this, you would still feel like you deserved more from it. I just felt like it was an extended sampler that proved not to be on a par with the intrigue it could have caused.

I have never read anything by these authors, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel.
Unfortunately I didn't finish this book because after reading the first chapters I feel like this book wasn't really for me so my rating is the average for this book expressed here on netgalley because I also feel like I didn't really give it a chance.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

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

This was a really great first volume of this series, and SO much happened! I almost wish it took it a tiny bit slower, even tho the high pace made everything twice as intense and shocking. It gives Saga vibes, and I can tell there is gonna be a lot of death and desperation in this story going forward too!

Loved the illustrations and the way magic seem to work! Also loved the queer mcs!

The beginning threw you right into action and kept the pace until around halfway through. After that point, idk, it just didn't feel as good as the beginning did. I still enjoyed it though.

3.5/5

This title started off with a bang and I can easily say it's one of the best graphic novel openings I read since a long time. There's to page filler, just action.
We are immediately thrown into this crazy and messed up world and I was here for it.

Unfortunately, after the half point mark, it kinda lost that super spark it had at the beginning.
I did find it back during the conclusion of this first voume, but I really wasn't a fan of some developments or decisions that were taken.

In Memoriam is an urban SFF story that is part police procedural, part magical adventure.

When the system controlling magic in the city literally explodes, natural wizards are outlawed from practicing and magical items are coveted for their power. A police officer with everything to prove, Manon, and her ex-wizard informant, Adam, get sucked into a plot by rouge wizards targeting cops and wizards alike.

While I found both Manon and Adam a little rough around the edges, I think the story does a good job of exploring the ways that they are both trying to overcome past trauma and make something new out of their current positions in life. I thought the overall idea is the plot line good, if not a bit traditional, and there are enough hooks to make me want to know what happens next. This graphic novel is a little more violent than I was expecting, but nothing horrible for teens and up who enjoy superhero comics or sci-fi war stories. And the style of the art fits well with the level of action in the story.

In Memoriam started off a bit confusing to me but I quickly started to love the art style (the floating Kois) and then boom the plot gets to the next level.

I've definitely come to root for our sapphic ship early on and didn't care much for the others. It was frustrating to see Manon and Mila fight but I felt very sorry for what they went through, especially Manon later on. I felt very sad with Manon about what happened.

Physical fights were artistically implemented in an aesthetic and comprehensible way. There's a lot of adult content in this graphic novel, it's... very graphic (pun intended).

If you like action packed graphic novels with brutal fights and very little magical elements, then you'll enjoy this one.

This was a really enjoyable read. The art style is gorgeous. The world is so very interesting. It was a mix of fantasy/magic and sci-fi/post apocalypse/dystopia which isn’t something I’ve seen very often but I love both genres separately and really loved this merging of them. The story starts out cute but it picks up in pace and plot very quickly. I’m surprised how much happened in one short volume. I think the world drawn and the plot written were very immersive although do be aware that not everything is super explained, so it’s a bit of a wild ride of a read. The characters were really interesting, it seems like the two main characters of the series will be Manon and Adam. In particular, I am very fascinated with Adam and really want to learn more about him. Do be warned though, it ends on one heck of a cliffhanger. I will definitely be getting the next volume when I can because I need to know what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author and artist for the ARC I read.

This is a super cool concept, full of action and tension, but I think that it could use more build up and dialogue to really flesh out the characters. I don't always like something that is paced so so fast that I'm unable to connect to the characters.

Manon and her girlfriend Mila are in love, despite their tiny Parisian nest requiring magical extensions (their kitchen is in Bombay, their toilet God knows where). They’re also cops, and have to control the anti-magic crowds (who, like true fundamentalists, fear the unknown and try to prohibit the use of magic for everybody, not just for their little sect). It’s a world where magic and science work together (for example, to help Mila get pregnant) - and, unbeknownst to them, a world on the brink of abyss.

One year later, after ”the great fracture” that rocked the world, Manon is now hunting wizards instead of protecting them. Magic is gone, except in weird “hot zones” and ex-magicians dream of restoring their powers via the relics they find there. But, like Tepelman says, “reality always resumes its course” - and, unbeknownst to Manon and Mila, they’ll be key witnesses and actors in that course.

“In Memoriam” is a fantasy / supernatural / science fiction mix that keeps the action going from the first to the last page, while offering glimpses of an universe that’s equally alluring and dangerous (the violence in here is sometimes nauseating). Get ready for awe, heartbreak, and an investigation like no other. The second volume can't come quickly enough.

Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.

To make themselves more edgy and up the stakes, a lot of modern comics seem to focus on high shock value, constant action and raw violence, forgetting to make their main characters likable first. The only character I might have cared about died, and the rest I would have wished to die, they were so awful.
It's a shame, because the illustrations are good, the world is interesting, the premise could really be great... but I'm never going to stick around if I hate everyone.
There is potential, but again it's hard to say when you only read the first comic volume of a series, it really depends on whether this goes anywhere.

Thank you so much NetGallery, the author, and the publishers for giving me this opportunity to read and review this title.

This world is fascinating and I cannot wait to read the next one, however I struggled liking any of the characters which I think was part of the point.

In a world with magic in a modern day setting, a magic bomb goes off killing tons of people leading it to be banned. A cop and her wife were there when it happened and lost their baby in the blast.

Now the cop has hatred in her heart from the devastating effects the magical disaster caused - in her personal life and in the field. There’s magical rebels, gritty cops, and gorgeous illustrations throughout.

It’s a quick and adventurous read and I’m excited to see what happens next!

This was a fantastic start to a series that mixes science fiction and fantasy. The story is based in Paris and is centered around a female cop named Manon. When the story starts, Manon was siding with magic but due to an incident, she changed her attitude and now enforces the restrictions placed on magical artifacts and people.

The art was beautiful done and I especially love the giant cats! I can't wait to read the sequel.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC. This is my honest review.

First, let me say, props to the illustrator. The artwork was BEAUTIFUL!! Manon doing business im a sexy red dress was hot. The whole anti-magic issue? Who doesn’t love magic??!!
Magic can be used to help IVF along? That’s a new one. I’m glad Mila was pregnant, but then everything went downhill with that blast and the city was a literal ghost town. The explosion honestly, again, the illustrator is phenomenal. And the most magical world was drab af. I defiantly have to get this graphic novel in physical format. It was exceptionally illustrated and loved the storyline, although it was very tragic, like very tragic. Poor Mila.

Thank you for an e-arc of this graphic novel. I have requested this because the synopsis sounded very interesting and it didn't disappoint.

The action is set in Paris where magic exists, but there are anti-magic protests and hate crime. The story is dark and violent, but interesting, captivating and emotional. I was surprised how invested I became in a short period of time.

The art is very beautiful and the style fits the action and dark vibes of it. I see the art as a part of the story and it's awesome.

My only problem is that this was definitely to short for me. I really wanted to see more, to get more background info. It works great as a first instalment - introduction to the world and plot.

I loved this! I found the illustration to be fantastic. I liked the different use of frame sizes, and some impactful double page spreads. I found the main character looked a bit different on the front cover than in the frames, though.

In terms of world-building, I liked how we learned what was happening, but it wasn't shoved down my throat with exposition. I learned just enough to be intrigued and start putting things together on my own.

A graphic novel with an interesting setting and dynamic art, In Memoriam packs a punch. This volume throws you into the world of alternate-universe Paris and quickly introduces you to the characters, the world, and the conflict. This volume definitely ends on an unresolved note, but that will just leave you eager to read more.

In Memoriam is the first installment in what will hopefully become a larger series. I was immediately drawn in by the incredible and colorful illustrations, which seem to leap right off the page. The characters are complex, and the author was able to get through a significant amount of worldbuilding in the first book. It took me a bit to get into it, but by the end of the story I was left wanting more! Manon, though not without flaw, is an interesting character. I can't wait to see where her partnership with the ex-wizard Adam takes her. This story has a fresh new take on magic, which was refreshing. Stories about magic have saturated popular media, so it was nice to see a new and interesting take on it.

I liked that the antagonists were revealed fairly late into the first book. The world was already well-established by the time their status was revealed. We see many unlikable, unsavory characters prior to the introduction of the duo that can seemingly still use magic. I thought it was smart to introduce some minor bad guys before introducing the real (presumably, anyhow) antagonists.

This graphic novel does not shy away from death and destruction, and covers some complex themes, so I would say it's suitable for older teens and adults.

Looking forward to more from this author/illustrator duo!