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Fustuk: A Graphic Novel
Inspired by Armenian and Persian mythology, this delectable YA graphic novel debut follows the youngest of three dysfunctional siblings who strike a magical deal to save their mother's life—perfect for fans of The Magic Fish!
Seventeen-year-old Katah Fustukian has always felt like the odd one out in his family of chefs. Unlike his older siblings, he is useless in the kitchen, and too young to have known their late father—a legendary Hye chef who’d made a name for himself in the Pars Empire.
But with his mom’s illness worsening, Katah hopes that his vision-like dreams are a sign of magic stirring within him—especially after they lead him to Az, a powerful div with some mysterious connection to his family. In an attempt to save their mom’s life, he and his siblings strike a Az’s help in exchange for a dish that rivals their father’s.
But after the siblings clash over what to cook, Katah will have to make sense of his magic and family history—and wager far more than a single meal to meet Az’s demands...
Creator Robert Mgrdich Apelian weaves together multiple timelines in an inventive, fantastical story of Armenian family and food, speaking to diasporic culture and how those within it relate to their different worlds.
Seventeen-year-old Katah Fustukian has always felt like the odd one out in his family of chefs. Unlike his older siblings, he is useless in the kitchen, and too young to have known their late father—a legendary Hye chef who’d made a name for himself in the Pars Empire.
But with his mom’s illness worsening, Katah hopes that his vision-like dreams are a sign of magic stirring within him—especially after they lead him to Az, a powerful div with some mysterious connection to his family. In an attempt to save their mom’s life, he and his siblings strike a Az’s help in exchange for a dish that rivals their father’s.
But after the siblings clash over what to cook, Katah will have to make sense of his magic and family history—and wager far more than a single meal to meet Az’s demands...
Creator Robert Mgrdich Apelian weaves together multiple timelines in an inventive, fantastical story of Armenian family and food, speaking to diasporic culture and how those within it relate to their different worlds.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
February 22, 2026
What an impressive graphic novel that weaves together family, culture, food and magic in the most gorgeous way. Simply stunning.
March 19, 2026
In a Nutshell: A YA-Fantasy graphic novel inspired partly by Armenian and Persian mythology. A complex storyline that takes some time to come together. Some unexplained plot points. Intricate artwork but monochrome colouring. This might work better if read through a physical copy.
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Plot Preview:
Bookish Yays:
😍 The sibling dynamics between Katah and his much-older siblings: brother Garo and sister Noori. As realistic as possible in a fantasy.
😍 The multifarious emotions. Some sadness, some comedy, some guilt, some frustration. It was good to see the family working together even through their differences of opinion.
😍 The concept of exploring cultural identity through food and of balancing the thin line between sticking to the past and embracing the new. Thought-provoking.
Bookish Okays:
🤔 The conscious decision taken by the author to not elaborate on the non-English content. The reasons have been clarified in the author’s note, and I respect them as well. But this doesn’t make our comprehension easier. I am lucky that some Persian words have similar equivalents in Hindi/Urdu (jadoo, div, bavarchi), so I could guess their meanings while reading. But there are many lines written in Persian and Armenian with no translation, and both of these languages have scripts that aren’t familiar to English speakers. So you just have to go with the flow while reading. The glossary at the end of the book does contain all the meanings, but I discovered it only after I completed the book, and anyway, it is very annoying to navigate back and forth repeatedly while reading a digital edition.
🤔 The Armenian and Persian elements, the details of which are partly clarified in the end note. Quite interesting. But no context provided at all. What you see is what you get. Given that the core of the book hinges on these two cultures, there should have been more depth to these components of the plot.
🤔 The character development in general. We can sense the disparity in their thinking and emotions, but the whys aren’t always clear. I wish I could have understood them better. Noori especially was such a fabulous character; it would have been great to explore her sentiments and life choices.
🤔 The illustrations are visually stunning, but on some pages, they are way too complex to figure out. This confusion is exacerbated by the monochrome colour scheme. (orange-white for Katah’s timeline, blue-white for his visions, pink-white for the flashbacks), which is a disappointment given how colourful both cultures are in real life. Only the last 3-4 pages have full colour and are a treat to the eyes.
Bookish Nays:
😒 The complexity of the triple storyline with plenty of reality, dreams, and flashbacks. Some dreams are too tricky to figure out and it takes time to understand what’s happening. A few plotpoints are left vague even till the end. I wish the plot development had been smoother.
😒 The dialogues are way too long for a graphic novel. This affects the reading pace. Graphic novels shouldn’t be this dialogue-intensive.
😒 The ending. So many questions!!!
Basically, I expected far more from this OwnVoices work, especially given how it highlights two cultures not commonly seen in fiction. Further, as the author rightly pointed out, many stories featuring Armenian characters usually focus on the persecution and the genocide, so it is nice to have a story spotlighting the richness of the culture instead. But the lack of depth and clarity in the character and plot development didn’t allow me to immerse myself fully in the narrative. The artwork is outstanding but the colour scheme didn’t work for me.
The book might still work for readers of OwnVoices graphic novels looking for a story presenting a different culture and for the authentic illustrations. Just avoid the digital copy.
2.5 stars, rounding down for the digital edition.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Seventeen-year-old Katah has always felt like an outsider in his family because he’s the only one with no talent for cooking. Unlike his much older siblings, he is also too young to have known his late father who was a legendary Hye chef in the Pars empire. At present, Katah is the sole caregiver for his sick mother, so when his vision-like dreams lead him to find a powerful div, he hopes to use its magic to save his mother’s life. But magical deals are complex and never one-sided. As Katah attempts to meet the div’s condition with the help of his siblings, he realises that he might have wagered more than he had bargained for.
The story comes to us over multiple timelines mainly through Katah’s perspective, with some of his visions based in the past.
Bookish Yays:
😍 The sibling dynamics between Katah and his much-older siblings: brother Garo and sister Noori. As realistic as possible in a fantasy.
😍 The multifarious emotions. Some sadness, some comedy, some guilt, some frustration. It was good to see the family working together even through their differences of opinion.
😍 The concept of exploring cultural identity through food and of balancing the thin line between sticking to the past and embracing the new. Thought-provoking.
Bookish Okays:
🤔 The conscious decision taken by the author to not elaborate on the non-English content. The reasons have been clarified in the author’s note, and I respect them as well. But this doesn’t make our comprehension easier. I am lucky that some Persian words have similar equivalents in Hindi/Urdu (jadoo, div, bavarchi), so I could guess their meanings while reading. But there are many lines written in Persian and Armenian with no translation, and both of these languages have scripts that aren’t familiar to English speakers. So you just have to go with the flow while reading. The glossary at the end of the book does contain all the meanings, but I discovered it only after I completed the book, and anyway, it is very annoying to navigate back and forth repeatedly while reading a digital edition.
🤔 The Armenian and Persian elements, the details of which are partly clarified in the end note. Quite interesting. But no context provided at all. What you see is what you get. Given that the core of the book hinges on these two cultures, there should have been more depth to these components of the plot.
🤔 The character development in general. We can sense the disparity in their thinking and emotions, but the whys aren’t always clear. I wish I could have understood them better. Noori especially was such a fabulous character; it would have been great to explore her sentiments and life choices.
🤔 The illustrations are visually stunning, but on some pages, they are way too complex to figure out. This confusion is exacerbated by the monochrome colour scheme. (orange-white for Katah’s timeline, blue-white for his visions, pink-white for the flashbacks), which is a disappointment given how colourful both cultures are in real life. Only the last 3-4 pages have full colour and are a treat to the eyes.
Bookish Nays:
😒 The complexity of the triple storyline with plenty of reality, dreams, and flashbacks. Some dreams are too tricky to figure out and it takes time to understand what’s happening. A few plotpoints are left vague even till the end. I wish the plot development had been smoother.
😒 The dialogues are way too long for a graphic novel. This affects the reading pace. Graphic novels shouldn’t be this dialogue-intensive.
😒 The ending. So many questions!!!
Basically, I expected far more from this OwnVoices work, especially given how it highlights two cultures not commonly seen in fiction. Further, as the author rightly pointed out, many stories featuring Armenian characters usually focus on the persecution and the genocide, so it is nice to have a story spotlighting the richness of the culture instead. But the lack of depth and clarity in the character and plot development didn’t allow me to immerse myself fully in the narrative. The artwork is outstanding but the colour scheme didn’t work for me.
The book might still work for readers of OwnVoices graphic novels looking for a story presenting a different culture and for the authentic illustrations. Just avoid the digital copy.
2.5 stars, rounding down for the digital edition.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
February 16, 2026
A whimsical graphic novel about family secrets, food, culture, and love. It draws on Middle Eastern food and mythology, weaving together a tale of three siblings with a chance to save their mother by impressing a mystical being with a culinary dish. Great story. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own
April 16, 2026
A beautifully illustrated comic of family and history set in an Armenian and Persian infused fantasy world. Seventeen year old Katah is the youngest of three siblings, the only one still living at home with his mother, who is chronically ill. He's also the only one who didn't inherit the family's skill for cooking- his father, a famous chef, passed away when Katah was a baby. Katah has recently been plagued by dreams that feel too real to be fantasy- dreams in which he sees his father's past and deal made with a div, a powerful and tricky magical spirit. When Katah meets the same div, he thinks a wish from it might be enough to save his mother's life. Inadvertently, Katah commits himself, his brother and sister, to a task they might never be able to achieve in exchange for magical aid. This comic is elegant and lush, full of mouth watering food, rich patterns, and creative storytelling. Highly recommend!
April 13, 2026
This is beautiful, I loved especially the way patterns were interwoven throughout the art, in the clothing and the borders. The art was incredibly detailed and rich. The art of the food made my mouth water.
I really enjoyed the family dynamics, especially between the three siblings. Their motivations made a lot of sense, and their love for each other was evident throughout. Apelian asked a lot of really interesting questions about culture and identity in this story that led to interesting conversations.
My one complaint is I did find some of the action scenes a little difficult to follow.
4.5 stars and I can't wait to see what Apelian does next!
I really enjoyed the family dynamics, especially between the three siblings. Their motivations made a lot of sense, and their love for each other was evident throughout. Apelian asked a lot of really interesting questions about culture and identity in this story that led to interesting conversations.
My one complaint is I did find some of the action scenes a little difficult to follow.
4.5 stars and I can't wait to see what Apelian does next!
February 23, 2026
Saw a mutual’s five-star rating for this and immediately had to get my hands on it.
Gosh, what a BEAUTIFUL book! The story is interesting on its own, but the art… truly incredible. The use of geometry and borders in particular was amazing. I kept thinking of tatreez, and I’m sure that there is a specific name for the various motifs and patterns included here. The world felt so rich, and while there was a lot that carries over from reality, the magic system ties into and expands the plot in a way that made me shed real human tears.
This is a fantasy story set in an Armenian-and-Persian inspired fantasy world that explores culture, adaptation, food, memory, grief, familial dysfunction, and repair. Quite literally a visual feast. I will likely reread this at some point because I’ve quite literally never seen sequential art storytelling like this before.
Gosh, what a BEAUTIFUL book! The story is interesting on its own, but the art… truly incredible. The use of geometry and borders in particular was amazing. I kept thinking of tatreez, and I’m sure that there is a specific name for the various motifs and patterns included here. The world felt so rich, and while there was a lot that carries over from reality, the magic system ties into and expands the plot in a way that made me shed real human tears.
This is a fantasy story set in an Armenian-and-Persian inspired fantasy world that explores culture, adaptation, food, memory, grief, familial dysfunction, and repair. Quite literally a visual feast. I will likely reread this at some point because I’ve quite literally never seen sequential art storytelling like this before.
February 7, 2026
fustuk: a graphic novel review
a heartwarming and riveting tale surrounding the challenges of family growing up and apart, coming of age, a deal with the devil, through the lenses of cooking and culture, sibling story for the win. 😭 the ending was nice and satisfying, I love when stories come full circle
a heartwarming and riveting tale surrounding the challenges of family growing up and apart, coming of age, a deal with the devil, through the lenses of cooking and culture, sibling story for the win. 😭 the ending was nice and satisfying, I love when stories come full circle
March 11, 2026
I found the story and especially the art very difficult to follow. I appreciate that the creator wanted to immerse the reader in Armenian culture and language with almost no guidance for the reader - he was following the axiom of "you should write a story that you wish was in the world". The issue is that the publisher decided that this book should be marketed as for teens, despite most of the characters being adults and the main character being an older teen who finishes the story as an adult. I believe teens are smart and capable of trying hard and interpreting thing without being told everything, but 1) many of us come to graphic novels because the magical combination of words and images helps you have a fairly frictionless read and 2) I am an adult who likes reading challenging works, and I felt like I had to work too hard to try to understand what was happening.
I think a large part of the problem, for me, was the art. Most of the story was told in monochromatic tones, chiefly oranges and reds. I have enjoyed this aesthetic very much in many graphic novels (the Rob Davis Don Quixote and Tillie Walden's On a Sunbeam come to mind). But in this case, the monochromatic choice made it difficult to discern what you were looking at, especially the food, which all sort of looked like raw meat with the orange and red colours. Everything kind of felt blurry, it was difficult to tell what was happening. It took me like 2/3 of the book to realize that a cooking pot (?) was inhabited (?) by Az (?)
I *think* I grasped the basic story. I enjoyed all the textiles the characters wore, I enjoyed that it was a story of culture and family. I liked the blend of Armenian and Persian culture. I just wish the creator had made things easier to follow.
I will say that the story made me want some Persian / Afghani food! If you want to know more about that kind of cooking I recommend the cookbook Bottom of the Pot especially when tahdig came up (drool)!
I think a large part of the problem, for me, was the art. Most of the story was told in monochromatic tones, chiefly oranges and reds. I have enjoyed this aesthetic very much in many graphic novels (the Rob Davis Don Quixote and Tillie Walden's On a Sunbeam come to mind). But in this case, the monochromatic choice made it difficult to discern what you were looking at, especially the food, which all sort of looked like raw meat with the orange and red colours. Everything kind of felt blurry, it was difficult to tell what was happening. It took me like 2/3 of the book to realize that a cooking pot (?) was inhabited (?) by Az (?)
I *think* I grasped the basic story. I enjoyed all the textiles the characters wore, I enjoyed that it was a story of culture and family. I liked the blend of Armenian and Persian culture. I just wish the creator had made things easier to follow.
I will say that the story made me want some Persian / Afghani food! If you want to know more about that kind of cooking I recommend the cookbook Bottom of the Pot especially when tahdig came up (drool)!
January 25, 2026
I haven't experienced Armenian/Middle Eastern mythology like this before! The artwork is incredible, and the influence from manga was very apparent in such an appealing way. Every facial expression was just *muah* gorgeous! And the food looks incredible, like I could almost smell it right off the page -- if the onions wouldn't kill me first, I'd love to try it.
There's a copy of this sitting in my library order, and I'm so happy that I could read it beforehand and pat myself on the back for choosing something so great. Those little Delicious in Dungeon fans have something very different to devour next!
There's a copy of this sitting in my library order, and I'm so happy that I could read it beforehand and pat myself on the back for choosing something so great. Those little Delicious in Dungeon fans have something very different to devour next!
June 5, 2026
Delicious! I have felt very burned out on graphic novels lately that aren't manga, but this one worked for me for several reasons. It's food-themed (YUM!), the art is steeped with absolutely GORGEOUS middle eastern flavors (that felt very reminiscent of some of my favorite graphic novels like Shubeik Lubeik and Habibi), and it somehow feels a little manga-adjacent at the same time. I am just so impressed with the art here, and the colors, and the heart. Best of all, it's got me seriously craving this cuisine (which is one of my favorites anyway). I think I know exactly what I'm eating this weekend...
April 15, 2026
An absolutely fantastic food-filled graphic novel inspired by Persian and Armenian mythology. This had my mouth watering at several points! Also a really compelling plot about family and magic and self-discovery.
I truly loved the art in this book and there were several full-page spreads that made me gasp (and one that made me cry!). The gorgeous details and patterns and expressive characters were really awe-inspiring.
Would definitely recommend!
I truly loved the art in this book and there were several full-page spreads that made me gasp (and one that made me cry!). The gorgeous details and patterns and expressive characters were really awe-inspiring.
Would definitely recommend!
Did Not Finish
May 19, 2026DNF @ page 134, I kept picking up this graphic novel and setting it back aside since I kept feeling like I was missing out on explanations. That and there was all this tension between the characters that felt like could have been explained better. The art is gorgeous though with interesting panel flow and everything looks delicious. But I just can't get through it.
February 5, 2026
A refreshing debut graphic novel with vivid fantasy worldbuilding, expressive characters, and a compelling coming-of-age narrative. I like how the manga influence is clear but Fustuk still manages to create its own distinct, fresh flavor.
February 21, 2026
This was a gorgeous book! The story was fun and I loved the inclusion of the magical and cultural elements to tell the story. As beautiful as the illustrations were, they were sometimes a bit confusing for me to actually figure out what was happening but I still really liked this read!
April 26, 2026
I really enjoyed this book - the characters, the art, the story, the introduction to a new part of the world - and struggled at times to follow the action sequences and the parts with Az. Worth it though!
February 14, 2026
Beautiful story, beautifully illustrated!
February 22, 2026
creative, beautiful tale
February 23, 2026
The art in this graphic novel is so detailed and gorgeous. I did have trouble fully following the story, but I loved how the author incorporated his Armenian heritage.
February 24, 2026
The art is absolutely stunning but I had a hard time following the story. It’s probably just me but so well worth picking up for the illustrations alone.
February 24, 2026
I really really liked this one!!!
February 25, 2026
Fustuk reveals a wonderful world of food and magic, with a family mystery that intrigues and delights. A beautiful, powerful book.
February 28, 2026
important and story about an Armenian family and their relationship to a Div and food and family.
May 1, 2026
(4.5) Just absolutely gorgeous artwork. The food looks so good.
Read
May 17, 2026Review to come.
July 7, 2026
The artwork in this is gloooorious. Love.
March 16, 2026
Creative and beautiful, but what really stuck out to me about the artwork was the character expressions. Those faces do work here, from exceptionally funny to utterly heartbreaking.
June 19, 2026
A real feast of emotions and visions! I really enjoyed this. I want to reread it as a physical volume.
February 26, 2026
3 siblings try to make there dad's famous food for a jinn like spirit to save there mom.
March 24, 2026
Really beautiful, use of color to separate timeline—stylistically very reminiscent of The Magic Fish. I found the art quite hard to follow at times, and the side characters a bit simplistic. Made me really want to try Armenian food! 3.5 stars, not something I’d nominate for Mock Printz.
March 30, 2026
Katah is the younger sibling of two chefs, and his deceased father was also a chef. His siblings have moved out, and he is left to care for his sick mother. When he finds a mysterious object that contains a div, something genie-ish that never strikes a bargain without some sort of gain for itself. The div asks for a culinary dish better than the one Katah's father prepared for it. The two chef siblings and Katah must work together to create the dish and help their mother.
This graphic novel used a somewhat muted palette, switching between colors depending on the timeline. It was very detailed; in fact, sometimes it was difficult to tell exactly what was happening. The novel is based on Persian/Middle Eastern mythology, although set in an alternate world.
This novel is too advanced for most middle school readers, although high school students might enjoy it.
This graphic novel used a somewhat muted palette, switching between colors depending on the timeline. It was very detailed; in fact, sometimes it was difficult to tell exactly what was happening. The novel is based on Persian/Middle Eastern mythology, although set in an alternate world.
This novel is too advanced for most middle school readers, although high school students might enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews