Quirky is the first word that comes to mind about Squalo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa: A Graphic Novel by Kara Bodegón-Hikino. And then maybe silly, odd, not necessarily original but not derivative (okay, that’s a phrase). And maybe it is not the smoothest read, but it was a fun read nonetheless. It did its job by entertaining and (for me) was an easy read to give myself a break from all the difficult things I was reading. Yet there is enough depth to things to keep that at least aged 7 to 12 (young 11-12 year old) reader turning the pages.
This is the first book in a series and I look forward to other titles. And though I plan to read more (and learn how things continue), I also like how Book One ends. You know there is more to come (the heroine of the story is told they have to do another major quest to complete) but it ends on a Happily (Mostly) Ever After note.There is fantasy action, but it is a “general audience” level of action and events. If you like D&D (or similar games), Kung Fu Panda (volume two or three where Po learns what happened to his family/other pandas) and magic, you will like this.
Things are over the top (our characters are playing out a D&D-like game or adventure by getting “monies” and points and leveling up as they go along. But this is normal. There is no “wink wink nod nod” that it is a game, or breaking the fourth wall. This is how life is in this world.
Read via an online reader (due the end of May 2026), I am also looking forward to finding a final copy to compare the illustrations with as they were a bit unusual. They were colorful but muted, the details are simple, things sometimes felt missing and not overly expressive. Still, they are nice and work for the tone the author is going for. And besides I am not sure I want a pink two legged shark to be more realistic than looking like the stuffed toy they are.
