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The Deep & Dark Blue
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After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will.
As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their ...more
As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their ...more
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Paperback, 256 pages
Published
January 7th 2020
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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Many thanks to Little Brown Books for Young Readers for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
Phew. When I picked this graphic novel up, I did not expect it to be so hard hitting. Especially for a middle grade novel.
This fantasy graphic novel follows Hawke and Grayson after they evade being killed by their evil cousin. To evade capture, they disguise themselves as girls and join the Communion of Blue.
As they come up with their next steps, Hawke and Grayson—Now using the aliases ‘H ...more
I've been a fan of Niki Smith for years and have been eagerly following the updates on this book ever since it was announced. It does not disappoint! Grayson and Hawke are twins, grandchildren of the Lord of House Sunderlay. They are forced to flee a bloody political coup and go into hiding in plain sight. They disguise themselves as twin sisters and enter as initiates into the Communion of Blue, a holy sisterhood of dyers, weavers, magic spinners, healers and guardians who live and train in a m
...more
My new book...!
This is a gorgeous little graphic novel with a beautiful, trans affirming message. When a violent military coup kills twin brothers Hawke and Grayson's Grandfather and their cousin who was next in line for the throne. Knowing they too will be executed by their military-leader cousin in order for her to take the throne, they flee and disguise themselves as girls to hide out in the training school of a women-run religion as Hanna and Grayce. This group uses spinning to weave the fabric of the univ
...more
This was such a wholesome middlegrade graphic novel!
Really charming trans graphic novel. This is only the second graphic novel I've ever read so I'm still getting used to processing story lines in that format and can't really comment on any of that (especially because I read an ARC with no color, and I think color would've helped me differentiate between characters better), but I loved the trans storyline and lbr that's what I was there for.
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A nice fantasy with a LGBTQ+ twist. After a violent coup in their noble house, heirs and identical twins Hawke and Grayson go into hiding, dressing as girls to join a magical religious order. While going about their daily lives as initiates, one is wholly focused on righting the injustice while the other is also coming to terms with inner truths and the direction they want their life to take.
Telling the twins apart can be difficult unless you pay close attention to their earrings.
The mandatory a ...more
Telling the twins apart can be difficult unless you pay close attention to their earrings.
The mandatory a ...more
3.5/5
I loved the message to this but it felt like there was a disconnect between a lot of the panels and what the panels were supposed to be showing me. I felt a bit lost in a few places. The illustrations were beautiful but they didn't totally line up quite right.
Rep: transgender ...more
I loved the message to this but it felt like there was a disconnect between a lot of the panels and what the panels were supposed to be showing me. I felt a bit lost in a few places. The illustrations were beautiful but they didn't totally line up quite right.
Rep: transgender ...more
Feb 18, 2020
Collin
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novel,
quality-diversity
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH
Quick question, though: why do all the stories about men-only institutions and girls disguising themselves as boys condemn the men-only rule and advocate for accessibility to all genders, but anything with women-only institutions portrays them as just super duper all around? Why shouldn’t guys get to weave and spin and dye and study if they want to? What if it was Hawke who wanted to stay with the Communion, who felt like it was his real home, and they were like, “😬 Sorry, gir ...more
Quick question, though: why do all the stories about men-only institutions and girls disguising themselves as boys condemn the men-only rule and advocate for accessibility to all genders, but anything with women-only institutions portrays them as just super duper all around? Why shouldn’t guys get to weave and spin and dye and study if they want to? What if it was Hawke who wanted to stay with the Communion, who felt like it was his real home, and they were like, “😬 Sorry, gir ...more
This was a fun middle grade fantasy graphic novel about two siblings caught up in a political coup. Both are assigned male, and escape and hide themselves as new initiates in The Communion of Blue, a women-only communal society with sacred duties. When they are given the opportunity to avenge the wrongs done to their house, one is eager to get back to his old life and the other wants to stay in the life she knows is for her. Nice trans storyline, good but not great art, could have used some more
...more
I REALLY ENJOYED THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL??? IT HAD SO MUCH REPRESENTATION AND IT WAS FAST AND LOVELY.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
I loved the art and the affirming message of The Deep & Dark Blue. The plot had a lot of action in it, which made for a fun and fast read. My biggest complaint was that I didn't feel much of a connection with either Hawke or Grayce. More time is spent on the story than on character development and I would've loved a bit more about both of our main characters. I still enjoyed The Deep & Dark Blue and will definitely be recommending it to my friends who teach middle schoolers.
C/W:(view spoiler) ...more
C/W:(view spoiler) ...more
Enjoyed the message of acceptance and being true to yourself, as well as the character arcs of the twins, but the world building and magic system seemed a bit mythological and vague rather than fully explained.
I liked the drawing style and color scheme, but with all the initiates having the same hairstyle and uniform, half the time I wasn’t sure which twin (until you see their hair) or which character (until their name is stated)....
A bit brief for a standalone, so hopefully there’s a sequel w ...more
I liked the drawing style and color scheme, but with all the initiates having the same hairstyle and uniform, half the time I wasn’t sure which twin (until you see their hair) or which character (until their name is stated)....
A bit brief for a standalone, so hopefully there’s a sequel w ...more
I loved this. The colors and world were great, the drama and conflict perfect for its intent and audience. The handling of queer intricacies, delightfully positive and uplifting without ever being the defining characteristic.
It's cute and and has some very sweet heartfelt moments. Action is swift. There is violence but it's not overly graphic. The motivation of the antagonist is a bit handwavey and I would've liked a bit more time there. As a spinner I enjoyed seeing all of the spindle spinning in the book. Not the best print quality I've seen--colors were a bit muted or washed out. I wonder if I'd gotten an e-version if they would've been more vibrant.
...more
This was really sweet! I clearly love warm-hearted stories made for middle-graders. Good old Disney-vibes with LGBT characters, what's more to ask?
...more
This graphic novel captured my heart in an instant. The focus on blue and pink was a beautiful, subtle detail in a story about gender. Hawke and Grayce protect each other while learning about themselves and the result is a heartwarming tale that will stay with me for years to come.
A wonderful story dabbling in, sword, sorcery, and self-discovery. The fast paced plot of avenging family is well timed and punctuated with a beautifully handled transgender narrative that had me getting teary and feeling deeply for Hawke and especially Grayce. Great art and great characters! The reviews of it hitting both notes of Korra and Witchboy are very accurate!
A few weak spots in story line. But interesting, longer graphic novel of gender identity, family and politics.
Trans representation in a middle grade graphic novel... YES!
The illustrations were bright and vibrant, even in the darker settings of the story. The Blue hues were some of the most vibrant blues I've seen in quite some time.
The story itself felt a bit...rushed in some parts, making the plot a bit disjointed. But that's really my only complaint.
Hawke and Grayson/Grayce are tight-knit twins who escape their home, from a coup, and pretend to be girls to hide in the Communion of Blue - a sacred ho ...more
The illustrations were bright and vibrant, even in the darker settings of the story. The Blue hues were some of the most vibrant blues I've seen in quite some time.
The story itself felt a bit...rushed in some parts, making the plot a bit disjointed. But that's really my only complaint.
Hawke and Grayson/Grayce are tight-knit twins who escape their home, from a coup, and pretend to be girls to hide in the Communion of Blue - a sacred ho ...more
I really enjoyed this one! It was an interesting and well-done mix between a "revenge against a plotting evil relative" action adventure and a "secrets in the cloister/monastery-slash-coming of age and claiming your true identity" heartfelt tale.
Extra bonus points at this time in history for handling the storyline of the trans MC very well. (Hopefully that will just end up being the norm, and YA is definitely at the vanguard of good representation!) ...more
Extra bonus points at this time in history for handling the storyline of the trans MC very well. (Hopefully that will just end up being the norm, and YA is definitely at the vanguard of good representation!) ...more
This deserves the hype that the dressmaker one got 😭 4.5/5
this is definitely one of my favorite graphic novels ever... maybe my favorite mg graphic novel!!! my heart is so full 🥺💙
Twin boys Hawke and Grayson hide in the Communion of Blue, disguised as girls, after the murder of their relative who was next in line for their noble house.
4.5 stars and the last hundred pages or so were definitely five! You frequently see 'girls disguised as boys' to make their way in the world but 'boys disguised as girls' is less often done. And this is done very well. Grayson, who goes by Grayce in the Communion, discovers that he really is she (Grayce is transgender). Seeing Grayce realize ...more
4.5 stars and the last hundred pages or so were definitely five! You frequently see 'girls disguised as boys' to make their way in the world but 'boys disguised as girls' is less often done. And this is done very well. Grayson, who goes by Grayce in the Communion, discovers that he really is she (Grayce is transgender). Seeing Grayce realize ...more
Jan 18, 2021
Phoenix (Books with Wings)
added it
This book was super good, I loved the art and the story and just - it was really cool.
Love to see all this diversity in books, especially middle grade graphic novels like this one!
Love to see all this diversity in books, especially middle grade graphic novels like this one!
Genderqueer person here. I *loved* this. I really hope there's eventually a whole middle reader series based on this world, and Hawke, and Grayce. I would also like an Into the Spiderverse style movie, please.
Deep & Dark Blue is an adventure with a martyr, an usurper who commits murder of a family member for power, magical weaving of lineage tapestries, gender-split identical twins, and a number of loving, accepting real deal allies. None of the awful trans narrative stuff like being violently o ...more
Deep & Dark Blue is an adventure with a martyr, an usurper who commits murder of a family member for power, magical weaving of lineage tapestries, gender-split identical twins, and a number of loving, accepting real deal allies. None of the awful trans narrative stuff like being violently o ...more
An engaging fantasy book with magic, political intrigue, and gorgeous artwork! Recommended.
4 stars
This was so cute!! It has been a while since I've read a graphic novel, so when I picked this one up, I had kind of forgotten what to expect from them, but I really loved this one! The art style was simplistic and the color scheme was so well-selected and I love the art so much!! I also thought the world was really interesting!! I adored the whole concept of it and I would read more graphic novels set in this world, to be honest, because I feel like there is just so much to be explored!! ...more
This was so cute!! It has been a while since I've read a graphic novel, so when I picked this one up, I had kind of forgotten what to expect from them, but I really loved this one! The art style was simplistic and the color scheme was so well-selected and I love the art so much!! I also thought the world was really interesting!! I adored the whole concept of it and I would read more graphic novels set in this world, to be honest, because I feel like there is just so much to be explored!! ...more
This was such a great graphic novel. This book is about Hawke and Grayson who are in line to inherit the throne of Sunderlay (eventually). On the night that their older brother, Reyden, is to be named the next ruler of Sunderlay, there is a coup. The twins flee while their brother holds off their cousin Mirelle and her lackeys. The twins end up disguising themselves as girls, Hanna and Grayce, and joining the Communion of Blue, a order of magical women who weave and spin the threads of reality.
...more
I wanted a bit more out of this, but for the story it is, it's nice. I appreciate the recent increase in gender nonconforming and trans characters with middle grade graphic novels, and this is a great addition to that trend. I felt the world was pretty intricate and needed a little more room to breathe because I didn't really understand some of the larger concepts this world is supposed to rely on. I like the characters and the art is cartoony without being silly. Some of the line work is done i
...more
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