Of Her Own Design

by Birdie Willis, Jess Taylor (Illustrator), Fiona Marchbank (Illustrator)

An all-new YA graphic novel from Maverick! Teenage writer Brie Page gets magically transported to the world of stories, but no matter how far she goes, she can't seem to escape from the drama of her life.

In the small town of Holden, sixteen-year-old Brie Page has been struggling with a tremendous bout of writer’s block. And that’s a problem. One of many she has, actually. Parents that constantly fight, her former best friend/current bully Viv Kinsley, and the gorgeous new girl Kay Ardiger are causing a bit of stress. Brie used to hide from it all in her own worlds and stories, but that seems so far away now. Until an unexpected encounter with a mischievous bookseller, Ambrose Chance, gives Brie the extraordinary ability to go beyond her problems in life and bury them deep into three new stories. Too bad the whole town of Holden had to get caught up in it too when her stories come to life. Now, when the most important people in her life are stuck in fantastical tales, Brie needs to save them by diving into her worlds and facing her worries head-on. Which would be fine...if only she was better at writing endings.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Young Adult, Comics, LGBT, Queer, Graphic Novels Comics

216 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2024

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would have been everything I'd like, but found the original drawing style awkward and at times...ugly. The fantasy styles were nicer but by that time, I wasn't that into the story. The premise could have been fun!

[J MaK · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.4) Fresh (not unique) concept for an anthology involving portals and a magical pen to illustrate the story transitions. Most of the artwork was really good but as the story progresses it becomes less interesting.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and such a good story!!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough of an idea, but a LOT to pack into a tiny graphic.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Portal fiction with a magic pen. Young writer Brie finds herself with a magic pen that makes her stories come to life, and traps the people she knows in them. For me, the biggest weakness of this book were those stories. They're just kind of pedestrian, and it's hard to see what made Brie's writing so interesting based on what we see on the page.

[Sue (BeautyBookCorner) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of entering multiple worlds, each with its own art style, was interesting. The art is very stylized and aesthetic, but I also found it hard to follow at times because of the art styles.

The stories themselves were also lackluster so it was hard to stay engaged. I lost fairly quickly and contemplated DNF-ing.

[Myrna ♡]

The art changing was a really cool concept !!
Wish we’d gotten more character development and like backstories but the whole concept was very cool :D

Tell me you didn’t write something with the “stuck in stories” concept as youngin’ tho bc i know i did

[Bexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this more than I did. This was a fun concept and had good artwork, but it felt like every cliche for writing/ teenage angst was used and it felt very basic. Love a happy ending, but there really wasn't much to this.

[emmareadsya · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cute!!! i loved how the art style changed through the different chapters - it was very clever. the final resolution was a little too fast but overall a great graphic novel for all ages of teens.

[Maureen Kesterson-Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the different styles for the different stories. I gave it 3.75 stars on Storygraph, because I did like it, but it felt a little rushed. I think focusing on fewer stories or make it longer would've helped!

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

story was meh but some of the art was good.

[Kanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though a bit confusing, this was a lovely read!

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The range of emotions and reactions.

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Say hello to Brie 🌺

[Lowardy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story has elements for so many things that I love and yet it hasn't been working for me. Never before was I bored when a story involved pirates.

...

Clearly, need to up my DNF game.

[Agent Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

No

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think there was a lot of backstory lacking here, but the design was phenomenal. I loved the changing styles of art throughout the story. I think that creative teenagers will really like this book.

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Of Her Own Design' is a fun, touching, cute and versatile little graphic novel. It is a teenage girl's coming-of-age story, where she is an aspiring writer, but is suffering through writer's block. Much is going on in her life: the possibility of moving away, being forced into the middle of her parents' tug-of-war fights, her childhood best friend suddenly turning against her and becoming a mean girl once high school starts, and her crush on a girl, who's a mechanic. It is like a modern sitcom, except there are no lighthearted laughs, only tragic truths.

Oh, and there is a mysterious bookshop that appears from nowhere, and a magic pen from the shop's bookseller, and with that pen the girl writes three different genre stories in one night, to help her process and cope with her problems. These stories end up taking over her real world, her small town, the next day, via portals.

The growing up metaphor is obvious throughout, as is the commentary on escapism through fantasy, but it's nice to see the teenage girl protagonist, whose name is Brie Page, through her own inner strength, ingenuity, and perseverance, progress and deal with it all - the supernatural and fantastical, and the stressful changes in the real world, and working everything out with the people in her life. The whole book can be silly, messy and sporadic, but ultimately deep, clever and creative. Even subtle and understated in some areas.

'Of Her Own Design' is funny, wild, and sad, especially for any reader who is or has been a teenager, in the face of any kind of change that's like the end of the world to them. The stress and hardship - the feelings, the high, fluctuating emotions and thoughts - they are real and direct. No wonder so many people cling to escapism, as therapy.

The art starts off sketchy, sharp, shadowy, and in black and white; in a classic style. Then it literally gets colour - gains its colours, actually - as the story and characters progress, and it has a modern, bright, endearing cell shaded style by the end. The different stories/worlds that Brie writes (three in one night!) and then enters are in different art styles, and it's great. In one world, Brie is an elf queen in an epic fantasy world and looks like Merida from Pixar's 'Brave', bow and all, and in another she is a space pirate captain, and in another she is a hopeless romantic in a Jane Austen narrative. (There's a final boss world/story at the end, which I won't spoil.)

Brie is a shy, insecure and overwhelmed teen, but she will reveal what an awesome, imaginative, cunning and brave redheaded heroine she is. It's to be expected, as redheads make the best kinds of heroines. She is a dear, a sensitive soul, and very talented, if only she could believe in herself, and stay focused. But not too absorbed in her writing - her worlds, her creations - that she avoids reality altogether.

It is Brie's life. It is her decisions, her fate, which she will make independently, of her own design.

The plot of 'Of Her Own Design' isn't anything new, but it especially reminds me of the YA novel 'Reverie' by Ryan La Sala - LBGTQ+ lead, LBGTQ+ gender-nonconforming antagonist (in this case, they use they/them pronouns), fantasy novel worlds created by human imagination that affect the real world etc. - except this comic makes more sense, isn't nearly as complicated, and its characters are likeable. And it's fun.

Ironically, in writing about a book about writing, I think I'm going to show restraint and write less about it now, and end it here:

In an abrupt conclusion, 'Of Her Own Design' is an underrated, lost diamond in the rough of a graphic novel from 2024. I was lucky to have found out it existed from all my long and exhaustive Goodreads searches. Spread the word - the magic words! - give it visibility, give it a chance in the ever-increasing graphic novel market. Don't leave this twinkling little treasure buried! Its creators deserve the ruby recognition!

If you like stories about stories - and writing and creativity and escapism from life and the metaphors therein - then check out 'Of Her Own Design'. Also recommended if you like graphic novels such as 'Tiffany's Griffon'', 'Page by Paige'' (hey, the protagonists even have similar names!), and 'My Favorite Thing Is Monsters''.

A sweet and passionate gem of a comic book, with a lot of heart, talent and hard work behind it.

Final Score: 3.5/5

[Steven Gauthier · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storytelling of OF HER OWN DESIGN is rather muddled. On its own, this is a two star literary offering. You’d think it’d be a job for one of the two listed authors (Willis and Andelfinger) or maybe THE EDITOR to make sure actions are kept coherent.
On the whole, the art is very, very good, although that task is also divided among several talented hands. There’s individual panels in wrap story artist Vash Taylor’s work where I’m not entirely sure what’s happening but I find Vash’s style mostly engaging and appealing. Fiona Marchibank’s cover illustration is splendid, her work inside the story also fine. While there is a whole page of credits, rather like movie credits that roll on for five minutes after a picture stops, no specifics are given for who developed the original costume concepts; looks like Marchibank to me, and overall they’re quite good.
I think Laurent Reis and Eva Cabrera have fine futures as Disney artists, perhaps, but I found their fine efforts less affecting than Rowan MacColl’s cartoony style. (What politics kept MacColl’s name off the cover? Sheesh.) Perhaps Rowan just lucked into a section with better storytelling to illustrate, and that’s influenced what was drawn.
I like all the work ALL the artists did with expressions, posture, and breathless energy. I hope I get to see them all again, on a story I like better.

[Annika · Rating 2 out of 5]

By the gods, I've been tricked into unknowingly reading another physically published web comic once again!

Anywhoski I'd describe this as pretty underwhelming, I do like when a book switches between artists, but this was just a bit too confusing and a bit too boring for it to feel super strong. The historical section definitely had my favorite style and feel, though I feel like the artist must have been using procreate and didn't check their DPI or used one of those standard brushes with super hard edges since it's bizarrely pixelated when you look close? It really feel like that was a mistake but not one they could go back and fix.

All to say, you could read this, but I'm not sure if it's something I'd be recommending.

[Rachel Rauch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun but also had no world building. For a fantasy story like this, I feel like that’s at least a little important. I also feel like there’s parts of the villain’s character that just don’t feel realistic. The villain realizes what the main character’s doing and then doesn’t and then is tricked and gives up? I don’t understand. And how can one deity exist without the existence of others? This book had a much bigger world but what we saw on the page was so tiny and left more questions than answers. I also didn’t really like the main character and I’m not positive how she changed. Fun idea though.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like others have commented, the style of the illustrations was not my favorite and at times hard to even comprehend. I didn’t like the first type of illustration that was more pencil sketching or drawings because it was so abstract it was kind of hard to make out the people and shapes. The rest of the illustration styles were more straightforward and easier to look at. I did enjoy the concept of the book and having the character’s stories come to life. It was a creative way for the conflicts in the story to resolve

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* - decent, enjoyable.
This graphic novel would be good for younger teens who are creative types, because it's really a story about creating stories. The use of colour reminded me of the Wizard of Oz film, and definitely enhanced the story. It's nice to see a graphic novel that uses the format to its advantage, rather than just telling a story in a graphic format because that's popular at the moment. Nothing amazing here, but a solid story told in an interesting way.

[Lex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute YA portal fantasy about a teen who acquires a magic pen that makes her stories come to life. It was a bit rushed toward the end and we don't really get to learn anything about the love interest character, but I liked the different art styles for each story and how by the end reality had become colorful (when at the beginning it was all black and white).

[Jass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a nice time. Not a masterpiece that stays with you for years, but it leaves a good impression nonetheless.

The plot was fairly predictable, but the presentation — with its changing art styles — helped sell it well.

(The horse and the way it moved freaked me out though. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or not.)

[Zoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The structure of A Christmas Carol, the heart of The Magic Fish, and the teenage problems of Inside Out. Very cool concept that might have benefited from extra pages and more character development.

-1 star for the John Mulaney reference and occasionally drawing Kay as a white man.

[Radwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

a YA story about a girl having to deal with her parents and being different in school and her awkwardness and she comes across magic pens that change the way she writes. I actually liked the art style of the regency story/section of this graphic novel, otherwise the art style wasn't to my taste, and the story and events felt a bit silly at times.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting in a last couple of quick reads for the year. This was a random pick up from the library but good story, pace and characters. There were a couple spots where you had to fill in the blanks yourself but overall a solid teen story. I liked the Bridgerton world best!

[Alyssa Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really an original concept, but I do think it's cool that there was a different artist for each little story that the mc was transported too. My favorite was the Queen/fantasy one and the pirate ship one. The illustrations for those two sections are excellent!

[sundew · Rating 3 out of 5]

i guess i found the idea of using different stories to resolve different conflicts in brie's life a cool concept, but the plotlines felt too easily resolved, nor did i feel particularly invested in any of them

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok.

[annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

she’s so real i would also stay trapped in a stifling narration if it meant i got to dance with my crush