librarianryan 's review for:

Girl Haven by Lilah Sturges
4.0
adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

 
This graphic novel is a trans girl fantasy. Our main character Ash has been struggling with their identity. Their mother is gone, but she was a writer who made up a magical world. One day Ash ends up in this magical world with their friends and the secret of this world is that only girls are allowed. So, Ash feels elated that this secret area chose them, and that their feelings of being a girl are reflected and approved. This world is part Watership Down, part Neverland. Just when one thinks that Ash and their friends are going to solve the problems in this world, turns out that the problems are boys and Ash realizes that maybe it wasn’t the world telling her she’s a girl.  In order for this world, invented by her mother to be saved she’s going to have to find her true self and her true power and get her and her friends safely home. This book is a bit of a slow read, but in the end it is worth it. It was an enjoyable adventure especially for those who already enjoy fantasy with anthropomorphic characters. However, there’s something deeper and darker in here. This land invented by her mother is all about fear. Fear is what gives it power. But her mother’s greatest fear was a man. That is never addressed, and I wish it was. The end of the book makes it seem like there will be further adventures and if there are I will check into them because while this was a slow read, it was a good one.