Water Memory

La mémoire de l'eau #1-2

by Valérie Vernay (Illustrator), Mathieu Reynès

A new life begins for Marion when her mother inherits an old family house and decides to make it their new home. With its own private beach and a view of the sea, the house has all the makings of a happy new life. But when Marion discovers strange rock carvings nearby, and learns that a sinister-looking lighthouse watchman may be part of a local legend come to life, it becomes clear that things are not as idyllic as they seemed.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mystery, Graphic Novels Manga, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2012

Reviews

[Shai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel is worth reading and a 5 star is definitely perfect to rate it. Love the illustrations, the plot of the story, the mystery, the tragedy, and especially the revelation in the end. Sacrificing is one of the greatest proof of love and this is what it wants to imparts to the readers.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks go to Netgalley for the ARC of this graphic novel.

This was fun!
The story is about a young girl, Marion, who moves into a little fisher village with her mom after their parents have split up and her grandmother has died. Why her grandmother left the village all those years ago despite having had such a gorgeous place, is part of the mystery.

"Wow" indeed.
At first, it's all about the two settling in, but Marion is curious and smart and soon goes exploring, discovering strange carvings on stones all around the place. Moreover, there is a hermit, who somehow seems to be tied into the whole mystery as well.

There are a few dangerous scenes that really are thrilling. Moreover, there were one or two instances when I questioned Marion's character, but then I remembered how young she was and her sense for adventure was so infectuous that I quickly forgot about it!


The artwork might not be anything groundbreakingly special but like I said to a friend not long ago: I, personally, don't think that everything new we see or read needs to be the next invention of the wheel. As long as the art fits the tone of the story, I like it - and the interaction between art and story here is perfect. The colours are vibrant or oppressive, depending on the scene; the scenery is gorgeous and often showing little details (which makes looking at the single panels for some longer time rewarding); the few humoristic encounters are portrayed very well. Like when Marion was caught in that cave by the tide, contemplated ending as food for the sea gulls like a dead fish she had seen earlier, and then had this encounter right after making it out of the cave in time:
*lol*

Thus, I'm very glad for Netgalley's recommendation and the chance to read this early. A fun adventure/mystery story for young and old(er)!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little story with decent art. Marion and her mother inherit a little place on the ocean. Marion eventually comes across a local legend about a cursed family and monsters of the deep. But will she find out the stories are true?

Received an advance copy from Lion Forge and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely for younger readers, but I still enjoyed myself. The fantasy element remains vague, which might frustrate some readers but it felt believable to me that the characters wouldn't have all the answers. There's a twist at the end that might surprise the actual target audience, but older readers are probably going to guess it in advance. The characters are simple and stylized, but the landscapes are gorgeous.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Water Memory tells the story of Marion, a young girl whose mother brings her to her hometown to live in her childhood home after Marion's grandmother passes away and leaves the house to them. Marion begins to find sculptures of bizarre faces around the island, that she's told have roots in an old town legend about sea creatures and a curse. When Marion befriends the old lighthouse keeper, Virgil, she learns that some curses aren't just legends after all.

This graphic novel has such a lovely and gentle art style, and the story is just one of those short, fun reads that would perfectly suit anyone who likes stories about urban legends and curses.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lion Forge for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Nelliamoci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chissà perché il mare è così bello. http://www.salteditions.it/la-memoria...

[Niyura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating story about a girl who moves back to her mother’s childhood home and the mysteries of the town that haunt them. The illustrations in this graphic novel are stunning.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Water Memory feels like a title in search of a good story. We have a girl whose age isn't stated, in a sea town that isn't identified, with folklore that isn't culture-oriented, and a lot of clues/mystery that never seem to go anywhere. The authors stated they wanted to keep this without references - but in doing so this maritime story floats aimlessly and without a firm anchor (no pun intended). I was expecting something a bit more original or distinct in some way; there were no surprises and the twist at the end was pretty obvious, even for young readers.

Story: Young Marion's mother, newly divorced, returns to her ancestral home after being away from it since she was four years old. While she quickly finds a job in the new town, Marion is left to explore the seaside. When she comes across mysterious carved stones, all of which point to the odd lighthouse on the island, she becomes curious - especially about the old recluse who lives in the lighthouse. But the sea can be dangerous and Marion is about to find out that there is much more to it than she realized.

While I recognize this is a book that is ideally targeted at a younger audience, several things really bothered me about the grounding of the story. For example, we have a young girl, clearly in elementary school, left to wander around a dangerous crumbly cliff and a treacherous sea by herself after only just arriving. This is the day after she moves in - she's even allowed to go swimming in the very cold ocean by herself while her mother unpacks in the house (which is far from the beach). It makes no logical sense.

Marion, of course, gets in many scrapes that could easily have killed her - from getting trapped in a cave with a rising tide to falling off the cliff. Let's not also forget that she breaks and enters a private person's home and then tries to once again kill herself by sneaking out into the high tide again. It's hard to root for a character that does such stupid things - nor would I really want to give that example to my kids. The authors seem to have confused foolhardy with spirited.

The story is slow and takes a long time to get going. Mostly, it's about Marion seeing items as clues throughout the area - but do we need so many of them to understand the supernatural element of the local story? The authors drop clues like candy, willy nilly and far too obviously. More care could have been taken with pacing and plotting to make for a tighter and more engaging story.

The illustration work serves the story well, though Marion kept reminding me of Lilo, from Disney's Lilo and Stitch. But again, the visual cues were far too obvious and even in a book for younger children, subtlety would have been more rewarding for rereads.

I think the key here is that the book is missing a bit of sophistication. It stays very general - from the plot to the small twist at the end. I kept expecting something more but was disappointed that nothing more came of the ending. But it is an easy read and uncomplicated. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

After her parents split, Marion moved with her mom to her mom's hometown, the sight is great, everything is calm and they have a private part of the beach.
Marion went on exploring the place, that's where she noticed the presence of strange carved stones with initials and a date.
Why did her granny move away from such a wonderful place after her gan'pa died? and What secrets is that lighthouse hiding?
It was a great read, but I felt like more developement was needed, it ended very fast for me!

Thanks Netgalley for the copy!

[Federico · Rating 4 out of 5]

STYLING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ORIGINALITY: ⭐⭐⭐
CHARACTER DEV.: ⭐⭐⭐
PLOT DEV.: ⭐⭐⭐
IMPORTANCE: ⭐⭐

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much! A girl moves to a house by the sea and starts investigating the history of the town, her own family history, and discovers there's something else...

This is a slow reveal and is done absolutely perfectly. Everything seems normal, until it's not. There's this air of menace underlying everything going on, and I had to keep reading to find out what is going on. That ending was amazing.

And I can definitely see the anime influences in the art and storytelling. I could see this playing out wonderfully as an animated movie, in fact, and would pay good money to see it adapted.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I've been lost, all these years. But you found me."

Marion and her mother move to the house on the cliff, inherited from Marion's grandparents. Life in a small town seems to be peaceful and happy but as Marion explores the seaside, she finds strange stones with mysterious engravings and a seemingly abandoned lighthouse. Curious, the girl decides to solve the mystery on her own.

I was reall curious about Water Memory and I ended up really enjoying it! I'll start off with saying that the setting itself made me love it, as I dream about leaving on the seaside, like Marion and her mom did. The story drew me in right away, because right from the beginning I felt the atmosphere of some mystery in the air. Small town with local legends and family mystery made for a really engaging book. The plot unfolds steadily with the author dropping new puzzles and hints, leading to the amazing and very bittersweet ending.

The graphic is quite quirky, yet has some familiar vibes. I especially loved full page illustrations and found them the most beautiful, as well us water/underwater scenes. I also really liked the additional material at the end, showing the story begind the creation of this graphic novel. It was interesting to read how the author and the illustrator got an idea for it and the whole process.

To sum up, Water Memory by Mathieu Reynes is a wonderful mixture of adventure and mystery, paired up with beautiful, atmospheric art.


I have kindly received a copy of this book from Diamond Book Distributors via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The review also appeared on my blog.

Find more bookish goodies on my Tumblr and Instagram :)

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought Water Memory is depressing and dark, since the cover looks like that and how the story was depicted sounded like that too, but in reality it's quite different. In a good and bad way, of course. Marion moves into this small town with her mother and it's her mother's old hometown. There she finds an old and creepy lighthouse, the grumpy lighthouse keeper and secrets from the past and about her grandfather and the town legend. I really liked the stone carvings, but Reynès couldn't really blow life into the whole thing. The pace is wonderful and the panels serene and even sad, but the plot is all over the place and awesome things fall flat. Perhaps the comic would've needed more pages to convey what it wants to say. The mystery didn't grow to where it should've grown, which is a bummer, since it's the core of the comic. The characters are interesting and well written which made this better, and mostly the problem lies in how the story evolves.

The art is cute and melancholic even. The characters look sweet with round shapes and the simplicity works out so well. The colors are grayish, which adds to the sad feeling and overall this looks so wonderful. The view angles are great and Reynès moves the story well with the art and silent panels are a perfect add to the story. The atmosphere saves a lot. Water Memory is good, alright, but it could be better. All the elements are there, even if not used fully properly. More practice, I'd say.

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeously illustrated graphic novel with a plot that will draw in readers and keep them turning pages.

I did not know just how well an author and illustrator could work together to create characters with as much depth as Marion and her mother exhibit in WATER MEMORY. It is impossible to read this graphic novel and not feel like you know Marion intimately.

The story and the mystery unravel at the perfect pace and the illustrations add to the air of otherworldlyness and will have readers guessing as to what is happening to the town and why.

The ending will surprise readers and it  creates the possibility of a sequel. Personally, I hope a sequel is written, as I, for one, will buy it.

With beautifully illustrated pages and a gripping story-line, WATER MEMORY is a wonderful graphic novel that I rate as 4 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟 and I highly recommend it to lovers of mystery and even though it is a graphic novel, I believe that even those who have never read this type of book, will be drawn in and will enjoy it immensely.

* Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this graphic novel. 

Links to review posts:


http://bit.ly/Water_Memory 


 https://mobile.twitter.com/Amiesbookr...    


 https://www.instagram.com/p/BXhjsL0n3SW/ 


Check out more of my reviews on my blog at http://AmiesBookReviews.wordpress.com

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found "Water Memory" a bit too short but still an enjoyable story about old legends, family secrets, mysterious creatures from the sea and one brave, adventurous and curious girl. Sadly, it ended a bit to quickly and left me wanting more than what I got. I felt as if it suddenly got cut exactly when I was hoping it would go deeper (with both the mystery and the character development).

But it's by no means not poorly done. On the contrary, it may be lacking but there were many things I liked about it. First one I should mention is the main character - Marion - whose personality was quite well captured considering the length of the graphic novel. I also really loved the old house on the cliff she and her mother just moved into. In some ways it reminded me of "Song of the Sea", one of my favourite animated movies.

The art was good, too. The pages with a lot of green and blue were very attention-catching and the parts with the storm impressed me a lot. I also really appreciate all the bonuses included in the book - sketches, character designs and full-pages illustrations.

It's just a bit of a shame that it wasn't longer, deeper and darker.

[Soobie is expired · Rating 2 out of 5]

Preso approfittando del 25% di sconto della Tunuè.

Non mi ha colpito molto, a dire il vero. Né dal punto di vista dei disegni, né da quello della storia. O meglio, i disegni mi piacciono quando si tratta di ambienti naturali, ma non quando l'autrice disegna le persone. E la storia... mi è sembrato che mancasse qualcosa. Tutta questa cosa delle creature magiche non è ben spiegata. Non si sa perché son lì o perché ad un certo punto si siano messe e distruggere tutto.

Non che mi sia pentita di averlo preso, ecco... Però forse avrei potuto spendere meglio i miei soldi.

[Hunterstillibero.It · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo fumetto è favoloso!! I personaggi sono meravigliosi, simpatici, forti e davvero ben disegnati! Inutile dire che la mia preferita sia Marion, la protagonista! Io amato moltissimo questo fumetto! Voglio leggere altro di questo autori così talentuosi!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a lovely comic, read in translation which is for some reason not in the Goodreads database. Neverthless, an engaging young teen girl protagonist, adults with buried secrets, and something that may or may not be a supernatural monster visiting periodic death to residents of a coastal French village. All in all, an entertaining and sweet mystery.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this graphic novel about a young girl who stumbles upon the mysterious legend that plagues her village.

[Milouch · Rating 3 out of 5]

BD très sympa même si son titre m'a fait un peu peur au début

[Jason Brown (Toastx2) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Water Memory: Because the ocean is redundantly frightening and super scary

If I were given the choice, between drowning in the ocean and decompressing in the vacuum of space, I would select space. Both are essentially the same, the removal of breathable material. They are different in how they are experienced and the details of timing or physical effects, but in space, my corpse would not be nibbled at by creatures. I have never been able to pinpoint why this creeps me out so much as worms and land creatures do not bother me.

The ocean contains monsters we have never even seen, monsters that hold grudges.
(Can you tell I grew up in a landlocked area? Is it that obvious?)

Water Memory (Mathieu Reynes, Valerie Vernay)
Translated by Jeremy Melloul
108 pages
Lion Forge
ISBN-10: 1941302432
ISBN-13: 978-1941302439

Marion and her mother Caroline move to a small coastal town, reviving the inherited house of Marion's deceased grandmother. The house sits in a beautiful location, set atop a hill overlooking the quaint town and the ocean.

While happy to be with her mother, Marion is disjointed. Supporting her mother, she left her friends behind and moves. With only her mother available to speak to, she is surrounded by strangers. Her cast aside father left to his new trophy wife. Marion never met her grandmother, only knowing her mother has a resemblance because the townsfolk all take a second glance and comment about her appearance. Her grandfather is dead, drowned at sea like so many other townsfolk in this fishing community.

Marion feels very alone.

Marion explores her new home. She goes swimming in the cold sea, hiking on the cliff side and country, and wanders the town. Carved on rocks overlooking the bay, Marion begins to identify strange carvings of ominous looking faces. Each carving includes cryptic initials and a calendar year. When she finds the same artwork on the town fountain, she begins to question the intent of these markers.

The community feels warm and welcoming, with no malice or ill will in the air. The exception being some strange vibes coming off the mysterious lighthouse keeper and carvings found strewn about which are vaguely reminiscent of Cthulu (insert ominous music to match). Through reading, I would take Marion to be about nine years old. She is inquisitive and resourceful.

Marion doesn't focus solely on occult-ish looking inscriptions. She has a tie to the past in her grand parents that she is also investigating. She is anxious for a connection with these well-loved individuals, filling a gap where no relationship has existed. While all she needs is her mom, she needs to explore more than just the landscape of her new home. Marion is trying to redefine herself in this new world where she resides both physically and emotionally.

This graphic novel was outstanding. I would say it is the best of the year, but anyone who reads Europe comics would blow smoke in my face and laugh at the delay my late arrival to the party.

Originally released under the Europe comics title 'la Mémoire l’eau' this graphic novel, translated from French, is both heartfelt and engaging. While the original French edition was released in 2014, it was not until this month that the English translation through Lion Forge became available.

The story by Reynes and the graphics by Vernay are beautifully crafted and you can tell by the content that this was a labor of love to bring to life. Each cell is precise in presentation and has a specific purpose. This wastes no time and leaves the reader engages in all ways.

At the end of the graphic novel, there is an author/artist section with some notations dictating their love of the work. They were careful to leave the mystery of the ocean intact and focus more on the entity of water than on any entity inside the water. I think this is wise as the ocean is a frightening beast in its own right and the unknown can serve an artist well.

The 2017 translation crafted by Jeremy Melloul is excellent, leaving no iffy descriptions or phrasing which feels incomplete. I trust that it stays true to the original text as it appeared flawless from the English perspective.

---

Disclosure: This graphic novel was provided to me for review purposes by the publisher. While I thank them for the access to such a fine product, I must also criticize them for failing to do so via telepathy. I expect that all organizations on the planet are secretly working towards teleportation and telepathy. If this is not the case, I will one day, using someone else's great achievements, teleport the publisher's offices and telepathically lambast them for failing to work on these marvelous breakthrough actions alongside the rest of us. Between now and then, I shall continue to review their work honestly as this is the only way my feelings can be dictated.

[Irene Lázaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una novela gráfica fantástica, me ha dejado muy buen sabor de boca, roza las 5 estrellas.

Marion se muda con su madre a una casita en la costa en la que su madre vivió hasta los cuatro años. Allí, a través de los vecinos del pueblo, Marion descubrirá el pasado de su familia y el secreto de las misteriosas esculturas que están talladas por toda la costa. La historia te mantiene intrigado hasta la última página dándote solo pequeñas dosis del misterio cada vez. También me han gustado mucho los personajes, que consiguen tener mucha profundidad a pesar de que la historia se desarrolle en tan pocas páginas. La relación entre madre e hija también era muy realista y todos los personajes están muy bien redondeados aunque sean secundarios.

En cuanto a la ilustración, creo que saben captar a la perfección el ambiente del pueblo pesquero en la que transcurre la historia. Al final de la novela gráfica los autores describen cómo estuvieron visitando la costa bretona para inspirarse para esta novela y eso se nota, los paisajes son muy descriptivos y la coloración de las viñetas es fantástica y tiene mucho gusto. Lo único que no me ha entusiasmado es el estilo de dibujo de Marion y su madre. Son un poco como de dibujos animados y me chocaba un poco el contraste con los paisajes y los personajes masculinos que eran más realistas. Pero este fallo es demasiado poco importante para lo que me ha gustado esta novela gráfica, así que te la recomiendo. Es perfecta para leer en verano.

He recibido una copia de esta novela gráfica a través de Netgalley a cambio de una opinión sincera.

[Emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia bastante interesante, con dibujo bonito y fácil de leer. Para pasar un buen rato.

[DevOroria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si j’ai décidé de me plonger dans cette BD en 2 tomes, c’est un peu par hasard. Je cherchais quelque chose de sympa court et pas prise de tête pour ma pause méridienne, et que dois dire que ce livre a su me conquérir. L’univers reste assez mystérieux tout au long de la lecture, car on sent qu’une présence marque l’espace, mais laquelle ? En effet, on est plongés dans notre monde mais avec un vrai petit truc en plus qui n’est que très tardivement souligné et nommé. Mais c’est ce qui fait tout le charme et toute l’immersion de cette BD ! Le tout est très agréable et franchement super bien décrit.

L’histoire est courte mais bien prenante. J’ai beaucoup aimé le traitement de l’histoire et surtout de l’intrigue qui est il faut bien le souligner franchement très bien faite. Si elle commence légèrement afin de permettre à tous les lecteurs de s’immerger dans le récit. L’intrigue se déroule lentement, mais ce n’est pas pour ça qu’on s’ennuie, bien au contraire ! Les actions s’enchaînent bien et offrent un rythme confortable e lecture. De ce fait, le lecteur n’a pas du tout le temps de s’ennuyer : il tourne les pages du premier tome, en ressort brutalement, simplement pour prendre le tome suivant et l’ouvrir afin de poursuivre sa lecture.

Les personnages sont aussi très bien présentés, et apportent beaucoup à l’histoire. Ils ne sont certes pas nombreux, mais leurs personnalité diversifiée n’en ressort que mieux ! En effet, j’ai beaucoup aimé leur traitement puisqu’ils en apparaissent encore plus diversifiés, encore plus agréables et encore plus travaillés. On sent toute la force derrière ces personnages que l’on apprend à connaitre au fil des pages. On découvre donc toute leur profondeur, mise en valeur par les rares mais présentes relations qui font de l’ensemble quelque chose de très agréable. En effet, ici l’histoire n’avait pas besoin de plus de relations tellement l’authenticité proposée est agréable et bien faite. Et c’est ce qui fait tout le sel de ce récit.

En outre, j’ai trouvé que la plume de l’auteur était franchement qualitative. D’abord il arrive parfaitement à nous embarquer dans son récit et dans son univers du début jusqu’à la fin. Ensuite, il arrive à mettre en place une atmosphère agréable qui s’adapte parfaitement au récit. De ce fait, le lecteur ouvre le livre et s’immerge dedans dès le début. Parce que qu’il est si bien écrit, il n’en ressort qu’à la toute fin de l’histoire, heureux d’avoir pu découvrir ceci. Enfin, j’aimerai souligner la poésie dont est empreinte la plume, une poésie si agréable qu’elle en est presque magique. A cela on peut ajouter de belles thématiques telles que la famille, l’héritage, la mémoire, etc., et nous avons la recette d’un excellent livre.

Une duologie courte mais très sympa !

[Sara Milioni di Particelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received this book thanks to Netgalley and the publisher in exchange of honest reivew*

My vote for this book is: 4 and a half.
The story begins in a day like so many. Marion is about to change his home and go to live in the old family home that belonged to his grandparents. The house is perfect: the sea view, a private beach, the far lighthouse, rocky and mysterious caves. Everything seems to be going to the best when so many little things do not go in their place and they collapse one over the other. Marion continues to see on a variety of rocks (even on the city fountain) a strange engraving and believes it is a local divinity. Things are getting thicker on the island and little Marion continues to investigate. What happens to our protagonist? What will it live? What are the mysteries surrounding the small seaside town?
The cover really great. In all versions it is beautiful.
The setting is a small village on the sea (the author reveals that the inspiration came from really existing places) and the modern era even if it is based on a mystery born in 1904.
The characters are not so many but I want to pay particular attention to the young protagonist.
Marion is a really clever and perspicacious little girl. It is especially curious and this is why he will worry about his mother. Wants to know the mysteries of the island and learn more about her grandparents, since she has never met them.
The story was well written though I would have preferred more deepening on the side of the mystery. Marion goes on to discover things around the island and finds little clues that are rebuilt by hand. From the practical point of view, however, there is no explanation that is too concrete and it is almost in balance, almost there is a sequel that I hope will be there.
The graphics, on the other hand, have been really eye-catching and graceful, very nice, have come into contact with Marion since the very first moment and I felt her friend and accomplice to the discovery of the mysteries surrounding the island where grandparents lived.
The book was really cute, I'm happy to have made this choice. I love Graphic Novels and comics so I have to say I was basically satisfied with the reading.
I advise? Sure because he really deserves much.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Marion's parents split up, her mum decides to return to her hometown taking Marion with her. Marion is happy to be living by the sea and she explores the area, revelling in the beach and swimming in the sea. It is also a chance for her to learn more about the grandparents she never knew.

As Marion explores her new surroundings she comes across some peculiar faces carved in the rocks and boulders that are scattered along the coast line. She wonders what they mean but it is when she goes snooping at the old lighthouse that she realises the faces have more significance then she can imagine and suddenly their presence seems to be both mysterious and sinister.

Undeterred Marion looks for answers and soon realises that there is a malevolent force in the village. It is something she doesn't understand but she wants to know more and so she starts her own research, investigating the past of the village, visiting people and asking questions and soon these investigations point to the lighthouse and its strange resident.

It is the light house and the strange lighthouse keeper that eventually throw light on the mystery but as Marion discovers this won't answer all her questions and the malevolence is still alive and well.

This is a lovely story, although it has a haunting feel to it. It is a gripping tale with beautiful art which quickly transports the reader to this idyllic yet haunting seaside village. The story is easy to follow and the suspense builds up as the story progresses with the ending leave the reader wanting more.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[prplltrs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in France, this graphic novel is a dark and gloomy tale of a generational curse. Set in a beautiful and non-descript location featuring a coastal town and mysterious lighthouse, it’s a story of a legend that spans 100 years and multiple generations. Marion and her mother Caroline move into the house of her childhood when Caroline’s mother passes away. Marion is a curious young girl and Caroline is a down on her luck divorcee. Soon after settling in, Marion begins exploring the town and particularly the lighthouse where she discovers a devastating secret.
The story was somewhat thought provoking and made use of color to express the intensity in various scenes. The graphics were high quality and appealing. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery that characterized most of the story. The characters had an interesting depth, but felt somewhat subdued.
Marion faced a life-threatening situation as a result of her curiosity and her drive to investigate the island’s strange rock carvings was obsessive, leading her to the unfortunate end. The ending, by the way, being nearly predictable with a twist that adds some depth to the story overall.
Although it was an interesting and creative story with beautiful illustrations, it was hard for me to truly like personally. At the end, I was left wondering what I would do if I were in Marion’s shoes. It is worth a read, if for nothing else than to enjoy the illustrations featured in this story.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the title, it seems at first the memories here are much more earthy, for Caroline has brought her young daughter to the place she herself left as a toddler. The move has been caused by a break-up, and it's just the two of them in the family unit, making a fresh start (with the help of a kindly old neighbour) in an old house on a promontory of the Brittany coast. Young Marion soon discovers the clifftops are peppered with strange standing stones, with even stranger figures, initials and dates carved on to them. She also soon works out there is a way to get across a causeway at low tide to the local lighthouse, manned as it is by a gruff, surly old man. But while Caroline's beginning anew starts with a nice local job, things are slowly getting more creepy. Large sea creatures are beaching themselves, the stones' imagery is found in even stranger places - and the lighthousekeeper seems to hold darker secrets. What memory could possibly be in this storm-drenched land?

Please feel free to see my full verdict of this book, at :-
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/i...

[Paul Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman and her daughter move into the clifftop house where she lived as a small child until her father died. There are legendary monsters involved, and a curse.
“Jellyfish tart?” After reading that, I had to go get some fresh air before I could continue reading.
I didn’t feel the suspense the authors were obviously going for here, but the historical aspects were fun. The mom/daughter bond is fantastic; they have a great relationship. I was feeling an Irish vibe, but that may be the influence of Song of the Sea, since there’s a lighthouse nearby. A sign is in French, but everything screams New England or Canada. In the end it turned out the sign was the clue.
The kid’s funny. After nearly drowning in a cave, lying on the beach as she recovers, she tells the scavenging seagulls, “Don’t even think about it!” Her explorations keep getting her into danger, as well as her belief in her “Total ninja stealth!”
The artwork has a dreamy romantic vibe, plenty of blue watercolor to symbolize the sea, except during the storms.
About a dozen pages at the end about the making of the book, how it originated, with some beautiful photos.