cbr15bingo Politics: two rival kingdoms are pitted against each other due to lack of understanding and greed
There are way too many references to modern ideas, not to mention Swan Lake and Tchaikovsky in the graphic novel, Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms. But that is part of its charm for adults. For the 10 and up crowd, it is a funny, interesting story that mixes in friendship and assumptions and sword fights together. Combining all the fantasy and science fiction elements (I can make a case for Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Wizard of Oz, Labyrinth, and many others plus, of course, Tchaikovsky related works). Fast paced and very kid oriented, this is a fun book that allows for a potential sequel with more adventures (a secret is revealed) and a possible queer romance. Written under his pen name, Rey Terciero, other titles by this author can be found under Rex Ogle.
That is the book review portion of our review. Now I would like to say a few words about why I liked this book. I liked it because the art was familiar, but I am not familiar with Megan Kearney. They are round, cartoon-like, funny, and even the creepy and spooky is not overly so (except for the part spider-part elk creatures). Terciero is clever with their love of the fantasy genre, and the nods to the original piece. It is funny, it is cute, it is something that I would read a second time (not right away, but soonish). Maybe the book is a bit like hamburger instead of steak (it is solid, but will crumble quickly), but that is okay. Sometimes you need comfort food instead of hearty food.
Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms is comfort food for your reading pleasure, especially for the adult reader who can pick up the red herrings and clues. The kid reader will just enjoy the adventures. Just let me know how quickly you/them pick up the Goblin language (I won’t tell you how long it took me!)
