(This is my review for both volumes together as I read them at the same time... so yes I did copy and paste. Apologies!)
Beautiful artwork, not the most inventive use of paneling. Pacing was whack, and the plot didn't have much of a through-line. The hook of volume 1's blurb is resolved entirely--something that could last an entire prose novel--within half the volume. Beyond premise, the plot is sacrificed to smush characters together without much depth at all. Personally I feel that this is the product of a skilled artist without the writing chops (yet! there is always room to improve!) to produce a grand story like the one that could have been set up, but wanted to make a graphic novel/comic, it got popular online because the artwork is understandably stunning, and a publisher snapped it up on clout. It's a fresh trend in publishing that isn't one I particularly like.
Pros:
-Beautiful artwork
-When worldbuilding does happen, there's the potential for something cool. I found the magic system unique, the world too.
-Interesting character designs
Cons:
-Rapid, haphazard pacing
-Lack of narrative depth as a result
-Inconsistent and shallow worldbuilding + magic system despite interesting premises
-Some artwork, when placed next to other panels, is too visually busy; not enough balance.
-Storylines are wrapped up as quickly as they are introduced--no core narrative identity to fall back on
-The two romances (I'm literally just copy and pasting this for both volumes b/c I read them at the same time) are introduced with very little chemistry, though the second one is a bit more apparent.
--I'm really telling on myself as being more chronically online than I want to believe I am, but I refer to books/comics/etc. like these as--and maybe I'm projecting too many theories about the behind the scenes--victims of scrunklification... a creator takes their scrunklies [OCs] and makes a body of work for them, and because they love them, they miss a lot of the things that are needed in the picture to make a solid story for their very cool character ideas! There is a cure for scrunklification, which is a heavy lesson in kill-your-darlings, good conflict, and the structure of a scene. As someone who once had this issue... there is hope.
Endnote: I really do like the art style--I hope this creator continues to make comics and hopefully we will watch them grow and improve and do some really cool things!