I really enjoyed this. The illustrations are excellent and the story is engaging.

Princess Clove has agreed to sacrifice herself and marry her enemy in order to save her people. She has agreed to marry Prince Kyro, the heir to an enemy dragon clan but Clove does not realise how difficult it will be to find true peace for her people and end the 300 year war. This is an enjoyable story and is also a free comic. Very imaginative and it pulled me in completely.

The Azure and Crimson Dragons have been at war for centuries. Their kingdoms destined to continue this never-ending feud.

Princess Clove (azure dragon) is betrothed to Prince Kyro (crimson dragon) to try and end this war that is destroying their people once and for all.

I am so intrigued by this world and magic system involving these dragons. The art style is absolutely stunning.

This volume really focuses on setting up the characters and their relationships, and I do wish we dove into the magic system and world building a bit more than we did in this volume though I'm sure that's all to come. Really enjoyed this and would recommend it if you're looking for a romantasy graphic novel series with dragons and an Asian inspired world.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this ARC to review

Book Review and Review Copy – NetGalley: SubZero Vol.1 by Junepurrr

Plot: Princess Clove is forced to marry her enemy, Prince Kyro, to end a 300-year war. Kyro discovers that Clove harbors a dangerous secret, and their fragile peace is threatened by those who wish to continue the conflict. Clove soon realizes that achieving peace is difficult.

Review: SubZero delivers a captivating blend of fantasy, romance, and political intrigue, wrapped in breathtaking artwork that grabs readers from the first page. The stunning illustrations not only impress but also add depth to the already engaging narrative, filled with dynamic action scenes and vivid character designs. From the intricate dragon symbolism to the charged chemistry between the protagonists, SubZero sets a high bar for fantasy literature with romantic elements.

At the heart of the story is Clove, a strong yet vulnerable heroine who must navigate the complexities of a political marriage with Kyro, her sworn enemy. Their relationship, filled with electric tension and a slow build of connection, is a testament to the series’ ability to balance emotional depth with a richly imagined world. Kyro, enigmatic and brooding, carries a painful past, adding layers to his evolving bond with Clove.

The supporting characters are just as engaging, with figures like Kyro’s sister and Clove’s childhood friend adding further intrigue and potential love triangles. Each character is carefully crafted, contributing to the sweeping narrative that not only explores romance but also delves into themes of duty, sacrifice, and the struggle for peace.

The first volume of SubZero lays a strong foundation, teasing readers with hints of backstories yet to be revealed, leaving them eager for more. For anyone drawn to epic tales of enemies turned lovers, ancient grudges, and complex political landscapes, this series is a must-read.

Rating: 4.5/5
Pages: 328
Genre: Manga, graphic novels, romantasy
Book: E-book (Kobo)
Author: Junepurrr
Publisher: NetGalley – ARC
GoodReads: ArbereshaSabani
Instagram: @wandersinbookland

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

SubZero Vol. 1 by Junepurrr was such a great surprise, even though I have no idea how the title relates to the story. For some reason, my brain thought the cover was mermaidy, but it is not that! It follows two opposing dragon nations that have been locked in a war for centuries and the dragon princess who agrees to a marriage alliance with the enemy kingdom to try and end the war. The art is simply stunning, with beautiful colors and character design, and the plot is mysterious with an intriguing world and magic, with some characters that you want to root for, and some that you want to boo at. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment...A WHOLE YEAR FROM NOW! :'-(

For starters the artwork for this story is absolutely beautiful and I loved it so much. I found myself really drawn into the plot of this one and I really enjoyed this story a lot. I’m really excited to read about what is going to happen and I really want to know the secret that Clove is hiding as well as the growth within her relationship with Kyro.

The illustrations in this are gorgeous - I liked the premise, but felt that the dalogue and illustrations didn't tell the most complete story possible.

My favourite webtoon series is now a graphic novel!! We love kyro❤️ and of course dragons! Absolutely binge-worthy series!!

I loved it, I'm a huge fan of anime and this was just amazing, it was so well written and the characters and the art were just amazing, volume 1 was awesome so now I can't wait to see next

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This is a fantasy story about royals that turn into dragons, arranged marriages and political infighting. I am not sure I like any of the characters and the plot is predictable.

I loved reading this, it had me blushing and swinging my feet.

The characters are incredible and the art is do beautifully done.

I can't wait for the next volume!

Huge thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for providing me with this arc

I didn’t realize till I began reading this that this is a webtoon that I had read back in my high school webtoon days. Re-reading it I still felt all the same excitement and I still blushed at the prospect of the romance you find within these pages.

Every single page is gorgeously rendered. You cannot talk about this without discussing how beautifully drawn and colored every detailed page of it is. It’s truly a masterpiece.

There’s drama and intrigue and scheming princesses and a century’s long war to end. Magic and dragons and a gorgeous palace. Not to mention absolutely stunning men and women… uhhh forget I said that. This webtoon is a fantastical thirst trap and an absolute pleasure to read.

This is a story to read when you need an escape into a wild dangerous world completely different from the world you are living in. It’s a book you read to blush and gasp at. A book you read when you want to completely be enraptured by something.

I adore it. I adore it as much as I did years ago. I am so happy to see that a story I’ve loved for many years getting its chance to be physically released today.

SubZero is unequivocally awesome. My teenage self is the happiest camper there ever was.

thank you netgalley & oni-press for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review ✨

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i finished this graphic novel quite a few months ago but lowkey completely forgot to review😓

i really really enjoyed the art! it's really pretty and does remind me a little bit of like the avatar era or like legend of korra art style (pls don't crucify me- i don't draw😭)

i did like the plot line bc like who doesn't love political marriages (basically an enemies to lovers scenario here too) but it did feel like something i've read before and i had a difficult time connecting with Princess Clove. I don't think I felt the chemistry between the two main leads just yet either but it is just the first volume and these are usually slower with the connections. i'll definitely continue to read the upcoming volumes bc i'm curious what will happen.

The art is beautiful and the story is super intriguing! Forced proximity/marriage of convenience, fantasy, dragons, so pretty much all the best tropes!

This webtoon is one of my all time favorites, and getting to read it in a book format is amazing. I'm so happy I got the chance to reread this story and be a part of reviewing it. The story is so good of two rival kingdoms and the royals married. Thank you so much Netgalley for an arc of this book. I apologize for the late review.

Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up)
[Gifted a copy on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

Volume 1 of SubZero by Junepurrr offers an intriguing, if traditional start to an epic political fantasy romance.

Amidst warring dragon-shifting kingdoms, Clove, sole heir and princess-with-a-secret, sets out to marry Kyro, enemy prince who needs a wife to become king. Standing between our protagonists and an end to the war are political schemes, dangerous secrets, dead family members, a general lack of trust and some preexisting romantic entanglements. Still, Clove and Kyro might have more in common than they think and they both actually want this marriage to happen. It’s a solid set up, if a very predictable one. Clove and Kyro are fun and their banter is cute. A few of the more predictable story beats did halt the story a bit and the paneling overall can be confusing to follow (more than once I struggled to follow the dialogue bubbles). Still it's a fun version of this story and I would be interested to see where our lovebirds (lovedragons?) end up.

Cute and enjoyable! I really liked how engaging this story was. The setting and characters were so fun and unique.

I first came across SubZero when browsing Webtoon and I did check out the first few pages before saving it to check out later. Well, that never happened, so when the opportunity to read the official volume came up, I knew I had to.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. You can really tell a lot of hard work and love went into creating this graphic novel. My only issue with the illustrations were that the dialogue and order of panels was a little confusing to read at times. A few times I found myself skipping over dialogue because it wasn’t flowing too well.

My other issue with SubZero was there not being a whole lot of story going on considering the length. This graphic novel is over 300 pages long, which is fairly long if you ask me, so the pace felt quite slow. The little snippets of world building were really interesting, I just wish more of that happened rather than the pages and pages of less important dialogue.

I would have also liked to have seen Clove and Kyro’s relationship develop more. He goes from not wanting to see her to suddenly being ok with the engagement. You don’t get to see this change and I feel like that would have made this graphic novel so much better. I’m all for appreciating good art work, but the story did lack slightly. Not that it wasn’t interesting, it definitely was, but not enough happened.

Although saying that, I would definitely check out the second volume whenever that gets published. I’m interested to see where this story goes and I’m a big fan of Oni Press, so I’m always up for checking out their new releases.

I originally read this on the Webtoon app, so I was so excited to see that it’s been published in a physical format now. The art is absolutely stunning and there’s so much depth given to the world building and the characters backstory, even in the start of the series. Since I already know the way the romance will progress I’m just along for the ride this second time around and I just love both Clove and Kyro. I will always be obsessed with anything to do with dragons as well!

Do you like Zutara? Oh, you looked at the cover of this book and got interested, you KNOW you like Zutara! And this book scratches that itch so go. The princess of a small and war-torn country goes up against the prince of the highly militarized country which has been their rival for ages? In an arranged marriage? Oooooh yeah, this was good.

This isn’t a world of bending, though. Instead, members of the royal bloodline can transform into dragons. Clove of the water tr…I mean…Cerulean Dragon clan is the last of her line. And she saw her mother die in front of her! And has a special keepsake from her dead mother! And she has problems controlling her power, because no one was around to teach her!

Her love interest, Kyro, breaks from Zuko script by having a good relationship with his family, but retains his personal arc of fighting not for honor, but to regain power for his family, after years of military usurpation.

Now, this is not a ripoff of Avatar. This comic takes several well-established tropes, such as red/blue romance, arranged marriage, palace intrigue, and so on, and makes a delightful romance. There’s an obvious endgame, but plenty of room for a satisfying slowburn. And slow the burn must be, because this book only covers up to episode 25 on Webtoons, or about 1/10th of the current run. And I’m certainly intrigued enough to continue!

ARC provided by the publisher.

Mixed feelings about this one. The art? Absolutely stunning, but the storytelling left me a bit lost—some scenes felt disconnected, and the characters lacked depth. I just couldn't connect with them. Unfortunately, I won’t be picking up the next book in this series.

*Huge thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.*

Plot: ⭐⭐ 2
Characters: ⭐1
Relationships: ⭐1
World-building: ⭐1
Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
Overall: ⭐⭐ 2

Tengo sentimientos encontrados con este. El arte es absolutamente hermosa pero la narración me dejó perdida—algunas escenas se sentian desconectadas, y los personajes carecen de profundidad. Simplemente no pude conectar con ellos. Lamentablemente, no seguiré con el próximo libro de esta serie.

*Un enorme agradecimiento a NetGalley por una copia electrónica de este libro a cambio de mi honesta reseña.*

Trama: ⭐⭐ 2
Personajes: ⭐ 1
Relaciones: ⭐ 1
Construcción del mundo: ⭐ 1
Arte: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
En general: ⭐⭐ 2