This graphic novel has good qualities - pretty art, characters that could be interesting, a world that could be interesting - but somehow it all totals up into a pretty meh package.

There is an attempt to make the family drama between Astel and the Queen tie back to how Jordan feels forces (wow, how your mom hid some major information from you and endangered everyone totally reminds me about how I’ve begrudged my parents for treating me like a free caregiving service for my siblings).

I can understand why Astel fell for Jordan but don’t know why Jordon would reciprocate beyond Astel being a pretty elf, since Astel’s attitude isn’t endearing in the slightest. Maybe it’s my perpetual inability to see the appeal of a tsundere so much tsun not enough dere).

(Also, a romance where the couple falls in love within a couple days and under 200 pages isn’t a “slow burn”; I object, Kirkus review.)