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Soeurs d'Ys, la malédiction du Royaume englouti
Pour ériger les remparts qui protègent Ys des flots tumultueux, la reine Malgven a eu recours à la magie. Sa mort brutale et mystérieuse laisse ses deux filles inconsolables et les éloigne l'une de l'autre. Rozenn, héritière du trône, entre en communion avec la nature et s'apaise dans les landes ; Dahut, la cadette, se délecte de la vie fastueuse de la cour et se compromet dans ses intrigues. Mais derrière les murs immenses de la cité se cache un passé lourd de sombres secrets. Le jour où le lien entre les soeurs se rompt définitivement, elles entraînent dans leur chute le destin d'Ys, et les monstres tapis dans l'ombre surgissent alors en pleine lumière.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2020
48 people are currently reading
11455 people want to read
About the author
M.T. Anderson
59 books1,252 followersMatthew Tobin Anderson (M. T. Anderson), (1968- ) is an author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
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August 22, 2022
‘We live by devouring those we love. How can we help it? They’re the ones within closest reach.’
Magic, sea monsters, seduction and betrayal, this book has it all. The Daughters of Ys by M.T. Anderson and beautifully illustrated by Jo Rioux is a really delightful graphic adaptation updating a traditional Breton legend about a city, Ys, that sunk into the sea. Anderson draws upon various versions of the legend including popular ballads and operatic versions, combining elements and expanding upon characters and ideas to create a really well-rounded and nuanced retelling with dynamic characters and less-clear-cut moral implications. This thrilling graphic novel watches the collapse of a family kept wealthy through dark magic, plunder and murder while still making the two sisters quite empathetic and engaging. I suppose it should be said that if you are considering this for younger readers be advised that there is a good deal of graphic content as sex and beheadings are crucial to the plot. Delightfully dark and twisted, this magical legend is really brought to life through strong female leads and lush illustrations that make it perfect for anyone who loves a page-turning, menacing fairy tale.
Like a good cover song, the author/illustrator duo make this tale their own with plenty of their own hooks and signature touches, expanding an old tale into something exciting and new. I always consider it a success when a retelling can be accessible to those completely unfamiliar with a legend while providing a lot of fun and fresh perspectives to readers who have prior knowledge of the tale, and Daughters of Ys does just that. The plot plays out as one would expect, though the elements feel original and the way events occur have new twists to them. Told through gorgeous artwork that feels reminiscent of Nimona and Adventure Time with shoutouts to Anglo-Saxon imagery (there is also this dumpy sea monster that I absolutely adore specifically for how dumpy he looks), the novel is able to do a lot with a little. Faces are fairly flat and simple yet brilliantly expressive, landscapes feel lush and large, the art alone is worth the price of admission.
While the original tale tends to have a Christian morality to it, much of that is scrapped to let the more fantastical aspects and moral ambiguity come through. The story is less “don’t fuck with dark magic” and more a shrugging “maybe be more responsible about dark magic?”. While most traditional tales tend to have a single daughter, Dahut, who is half-fairy, half-human due to the union of her magical mother and royal father, this one brings in a second, older and therefore next in line to the throne sister, Rozenn (who appears in a French opera version of the legend). On the surface, Rozenn is the pure sister who communes with nature and hangs out with peasants while Dahut communes with dark forces, attends balls and...well, seduces young princes and throws their severed heads into some mysterious pit as payment to keep the supernatural wealth and might of the kingdom going. Through making them pretty dynamic characters--impressively so with such a short book--the morality becomes murky as Rozenn is seen as fairly naive and weak and Dahut is simply doing what needs to be done for the survival of the kingdom.
This becomes rather interesting, particularly in light of the events leading up to the ending. ‘Remember I was kind!’ Dahut insists after a pretty spectacular betrayal, though we soon see that, actually, she could have done much worse and because she didn’t a lot of people paid for it. It will surprise literally nobody that the original legend is fairly misogynist, framing Dahut as either evil or stupid and singlehandedly leading to the destruction of Ys whereas Anderson makes her empathetic in all her dark magic mystique. She is a character caught between a rock and a hard place, having to make difficult and immoral choices because her father, the actual king, is too wrapped up in vanity and extravagance to bother doing what needs to be done. Sure, she is kind of evil, but in a tormented way and preying on social-climbers who objectify women which, fine, murder is never okay, but like, her beheading some shitty princes with a magic mask after sleeping with them is admittedly entertaining. She feels badly, alright?
Also the whole wealthy family has power through shady dealings, plunder and murder but throws the young daughter under the bus to wash their hands of it feels very relevant right now. I’m not condoning anyone here, but I enjoyed this book and Dahut is really well done. Also her ending fits with some of the original tales and is kind of cool. Plus the way things come crashing down doesn’t necessarily redeem her but shows how complex the situation was. It seems like an abrupt intrusion into the story, so be it, but it is in keeping with the traditional tale. There is a bit of a King Lear element going on with the King as well towards the end that is well done and gives Rozenn a chance to really shine. The daughter that strove to be good her whole life has been overlooked because she hasn’t been profitable, which is a really great jab at our modern condition. Her final scene is great too, and one of the biggest strengths of this book is having two strong female leads from very opposing ideologies.
Overall, this is a really fun retelling and will get under your skin in a good way. There are lots of neat little side stories going on too, such as the holy man who catches the same fish every day, eats half, and the other half regrows into a living fish for him to continuously catch ad infinitum. It’s just a really fun way to engage with old stories in a way that feels modern despite the traditional setting. I wish it had been longer but it does quite well with it’s short space and manages to be a YA style narrative that works for adults as well. Exciting, twisted and gorgeously illustrated, The Daughters of Ys was a joy to spend an evening with (and I still kept my head!)
3.75/5
Painting by Évariste-Vital Luminais of Dahut being thrown into the sea by the King (1884)
Magic, sea monsters, seduction and betrayal, this book has it all. The Daughters of Ys by M.T. Anderson and beautifully illustrated by Jo Rioux is a really delightful graphic adaptation updating a traditional Breton legend about a city, Ys, that sunk into the sea. Anderson draws upon various versions of the legend including popular ballads and operatic versions, combining elements and expanding upon characters and ideas to create a really well-rounded and nuanced retelling with dynamic characters and less-clear-cut moral implications. This thrilling graphic novel watches the collapse of a family kept wealthy through dark magic, plunder and murder while still making the two sisters quite empathetic and engaging. I suppose it should be said that if you are considering this for younger readers be advised that there is a good deal of graphic content as sex and beheadings are crucial to the plot. Delightfully dark and twisted, this magical legend is really brought to life through strong female leads and lush illustrations that make it perfect for anyone who loves a page-turning, menacing fairy tale.
Like a good cover song, the author/illustrator duo make this tale their own with plenty of their own hooks and signature touches, expanding an old tale into something exciting and new. I always consider it a success when a retelling can be accessible to those completely unfamiliar with a legend while providing a lot of fun and fresh perspectives to readers who have prior knowledge of the tale, and Daughters of Ys does just that. The plot plays out as one would expect, though the elements feel original and the way events occur have new twists to them. Told through gorgeous artwork that feels reminiscent of Nimona and Adventure Time with shoutouts to Anglo-Saxon imagery (there is also this dumpy sea monster that I absolutely adore specifically for how dumpy he looks), the novel is able to do a lot with a little. Faces are fairly flat and simple yet brilliantly expressive, landscapes feel lush and large, the art alone is worth the price of admission.
While the original tale tends to have a Christian morality to it, much of that is scrapped to let the more fantastical aspects and moral ambiguity come through. The story is less “don’t fuck with dark magic” and more a shrugging “maybe be more responsible about dark magic?”. While most traditional tales tend to have a single daughter, Dahut, who is half-fairy, half-human due to the union of her magical mother and royal father, this one brings in a second, older and therefore next in line to the throne sister, Rozenn (who appears in a French opera version of the legend). On the surface, Rozenn is the pure sister who communes with nature and hangs out with peasants while Dahut communes with dark forces, attends balls and...well, seduces young princes and throws their severed heads into some mysterious pit as payment to keep the supernatural wealth and might of the kingdom going. Through making them pretty dynamic characters--impressively so with such a short book--the morality becomes murky as Rozenn is seen as fairly naive and weak and Dahut is simply doing what needs to be done for the survival of the kingdom.
This becomes rather interesting, particularly in light of the events leading up to the ending. ‘Remember I was kind!’ Dahut insists after a pretty spectacular betrayal, though we soon see that, actually, she could have done much worse and because she didn’t a lot of people paid for it. It will surprise literally nobody that the original legend is fairly misogynist, framing Dahut as either evil or stupid and singlehandedly leading to the destruction of Ys whereas Anderson makes her empathetic in all her dark magic mystique. She is a character caught between a rock and a hard place, having to make difficult and immoral choices because her father, the actual king, is too wrapped up in vanity and extravagance to bother doing what needs to be done. Sure, she is kind of evil, but in a tormented way and preying on social-climbers who objectify women which, fine, murder is never okay, but like, her beheading some shitty princes with a magic mask after sleeping with them is admittedly entertaining. She feels badly, alright?
Also the whole wealthy family has power through shady dealings, plunder and murder but throws the young daughter under the bus to wash their hands of it feels very relevant right now. I’m not condoning anyone here, but I enjoyed this book and Dahut is really well done. Also her ending fits with some of the original tales and is kind of cool. Plus the way things come crashing down doesn’t necessarily redeem her but shows how complex the situation was. It seems like an abrupt intrusion into the story, so be it, but it is in keeping with the traditional tale. There is a bit of a King Lear element going on with the King as well towards the end that is well done and gives Rozenn a chance to really shine. The daughter that strove to be good her whole life has been overlooked because she hasn’t been profitable, which is a really great jab at our modern condition. Her final scene is great too, and one of the biggest strengths of this book is having two strong female leads from very opposing ideologies.
Overall, this is a really fun retelling and will get under your skin in a good way. There are lots of neat little side stories going on too, such as the holy man who catches the same fish every day, eats half, and the other half regrows into a living fish for him to continuously catch ad infinitum. It’s just a really fun way to engage with old stories in a way that feels modern despite the traditional setting. I wish it had been longer but it does quite well with it’s short space and manages to be a YA style narrative that works for adults as well. Exciting, twisted and gorgeously illustrated, The Daughters of Ys was a joy to spend an evening with (and I still kept my head!)
3.75/5
Painting by Évariste-Vital Luminais of Dahut being thrown into the sea by the King (1884)
August 28, 2021
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Jo Rioux's illustrations are wonderful. M.T. Anderson's writing...not so much. The Daughters of Ys is your basic fantasy story that follows two magical sisters, daughters of the king and queen of a generic fantasy land. Their magical mother dies, the two sisters fight, skip forward a few years and one is all things good (prancing in the countryside) while the other one is all things bad (vain, a 'flirt'). There is no world-building, the relationship between the sisters is undeveloped, most of the dialogues are choppy and stilted. The story would have benefitted from focusing more on the girl's childhood rather than flashing forward to them as young adults. The plot as such is predictable. The inclusion of 'beheadings' seemed an attempt at darkness...but I didn't find the storyline to be all that atmospheric. The random bad guy at the end made little sense.
Jo Rioux's illustrations are wonderful. M.T. Anderson's writing...not so much. The Daughters of Ys is your basic fantasy story that follows two magical sisters, daughters of the king and queen of a generic fantasy land. Their magical mother dies, the two sisters fight, skip forward a few years and one is all things good (prancing in the countryside) while the other one is all things bad (vain, a 'flirt'). There is no world-building, the relationship between the sisters is undeveloped, most of the dialogues are choppy and stilted. The story would have benefitted from focusing more on the girl's childhood rather than flashing forward to them as young adults. The plot as such is predictable. The inclusion of 'beheadings' seemed an attempt at darkness...but I didn't find the storyline to be all that atmospheric. The random bad guy at the end made little sense.
September 7, 2024
2.5 "a fair and adequate re-telling" star !!
A warm thank you to Spenx who is always reading something cool that I want to get my hands on...
This graphic novel was ok for me. A Breton legend retold about an underwater kingdom and two half fae princess daughters. I found the story interesting but disjointed although much of the dialogue and humor grated on me. I loved the use of color and movement in the illustrations but found much of the artistic content rather lacking....
An adequate 2.5 stars and I am glad that I took a chance and gave this a try.
A warm thank you to Spenx who is always reading something cool that I want to get my hands on...
This graphic novel was ok for me. A Breton legend retold about an underwater kingdom and two half fae princess daughters. I found the story interesting but disjointed although much of the dialogue and humor grated on me. I loved the use of color and movement in the illustrations but found much of the artistic content rather lacking....
An adequate 2.5 stars and I am glad that I took a chance and gave this a try.
December 25, 2020
With way more sex and violence than I usually associate with First Second books, this one is definitely aimed at the YA or adult market. And yet it is a sort of simple fairy tale about sibling rivalry between princess sisters and the lengths to which one of them is willing to go to protect their kingdom.
It's fascinating for quite awhile until its fizzle of an ending. But I was unaware until the end matter, that this is based on a folktale from the Brittany region of France that I had never heard of, so the ending is probably excused by those roots. Folktales and the French often fail to stick the landing.
It's fascinating for quite awhile until its fizzle of an ending. But I was unaware until the end matter, that this is based on a folktale from the Brittany region of France that I had never heard of, so the ending is probably excused by those roots. Folktales and the French often fail to stick the landing.
June 24, 2024
With The Daughters of Ys (2020), M.T. (Matthew Tobin) Anderson's text and Jo Rioux' accompanying artwork present a both verbally and also visually stunningly presented young adult graphic novel retelling of an old Breton folktale set in the magically protected, prosperous, but also as the story of The Daughters of Ys progresses increasingly prone to debauchery, degeneracy, violence and corruption seaside city of Ys, which like Atlantis is now forever sunken below the waves of the ocean, although the decadence of Ys and its inhabitants actually reminds me personally less of Atlantis and rather more of the tales surrounding Vineta, a legendary Eastern German city that was flooded and sank into the Baltic Sea as punishment for excessive consumption, greed, pridefulness and other similar peccadilloes (and that The Daughters of Ys is in my opinion suitable for readers from about the age of fourteen or so onwards, but probably not so much for younger audiences due to some rather explicit depictions of sexual debauchery and of intense violence).
Now in The Daughters of Ys, the queen (who possessed faerie magic and who used said magic to protect Ys from both the sea and also from the monsters of the sea) has just passed away, and her two daughters (Rozenn and Dahut) have been left with an irresponsible, grieving father, a pretty well useless, weak-willed individual, who is king only in name and has decided to deal with the grief regarding his wife's demise by completely abandoning his civic duties/responsibilities as well as engaging in wanton sexual orgies, with the older sister, with Rozenn (at least for a time) managing to escape into the countryside, bonding with wild animals and even finding love with a so-called commoner (and thus also breaking her ties to both her father and also to her sister pretty much completely and irrevocably), while red-haired Dahut, while the younger sister, swallows her anger regarding her mother's death and her father's decadent dissoluteness and takes her magic (since she has inherited her deceased mother's faerie abilities) and uses this to keep Ys flourishing and prosperous for her father, for the king (for herself as well, of course, but mostly for the king and for Ys as a city).
But indeed, albeit The Daughters of Ys does clearly feature (both verbally with M.T. Anderson's text and visually with Jo Rioux' illustrations) Dahut doing many often horrid and violent acts that could and even should be considered as being evil, you know, if Dahut were not using her inherited maternal magic and if she were not feeding human sacrifices to the sea monsters guarding Ys, these creatures could then more than likely attack and kill all of Ys' inhabitants. So is Dahut therefore described and depicted in The Daughters of Ys as just, as totally and utterly evil, corrupt and only desiring riches or is she also being forced and expected to do those evil acts in order to keep Ys functioning and her father a successful king, a question that M.T. Anderson and Jo Rioux do pointedly and repeatedly ask in The Daughters of Ys and for which there also is not some easy answer being provided either textually or illustratively.
And in many ways, The Daughters of Ys presents a timeless tale of two sisters whose lives are forever changed by the (quite unexpected) death of a parent, a pattern familiar to many folk and fairy tales, but yes, The Daughters of Ys is also imbued with a rather deeply rooted and all-encompassing darkness (and which is actually and in my humble opinion something pretty much common to much of Breton folklore). Thus in The Daughters of Ys, Dahut is depicted both textually and visually as metamorphosing from a spirited and likeable girl into an overly sexualised woman corrupted by riches and by using for evil purposes the faerie powers inherited from her dead mother (although there is as already mentioned above the juxtaposition of Dahut not simply, not just being corrupt and wanting riches etc. but also being thrust into a position of needing to do and being expected to do what she does, and that even with all of Dahut's magical power, she is still basically her father's pawn and being controlled by him, working for him), while Rozenn's love for the wild things of the natural world and of open spaces ends up totally and utterly clashing with her sister and with her father, thus making The Daughters of Ys also a harshly terrible and painful portrait of massive family dysfunction, and where two inherently strong and potentially positive women, where Rozenn and Dahut are ultimately still enslaved by the patriarchy, by weak and ineffectual men, and basically everyone in The Daughters of Ys with their desires for wealth, power and sex showcased in The Daughers of Ys as being the authors of their own destruction and total ruin.
Finally, Jo Rioux’s pictures for The Daughters of Ys do (in my humble opinion) wonderfully mirror (and also often expand on) M.T. Anderson's featured text to provide a generally powerful and moving graphic novel. And while the characters' illustrated faces are a wee bit too square and flat looking for my aesthetic tastes, Rioux' palette gloriously and delightfully resembles medieval art. Thus and considering that The Daughters of Ys is supposed to be set in mediaeval times, having Jo Rioux use artwork reminiscent of that time not only makes sense but also gives The Daughters of Ys a wonderful visual sense of historical time and place (although and personally speaking, I kind of do wish that M.T. Anderson would also have his words for The Daughters of Ys be a bit more archaic in textual feel and not so modern vernacular sounding, and that yes, this is indeed the main reason why my rating for The Daughters of Ys is not five but four stars, but definitely still most highly recommended to and for teenaged fans of graphic novels and in particular so if they enjoy, if they desire and crave folklore thematics dark, grim and emotionally problematic).
Now in The Daughters of Ys, the queen (who possessed faerie magic and who used said magic to protect Ys from both the sea and also from the monsters of the sea) has just passed away, and her two daughters (Rozenn and Dahut) have been left with an irresponsible, grieving father, a pretty well useless, weak-willed individual, who is king only in name and has decided to deal with the grief regarding his wife's demise by completely abandoning his civic duties/responsibilities as well as engaging in wanton sexual orgies, with the older sister, with Rozenn (at least for a time) managing to escape into the countryside, bonding with wild animals and even finding love with a so-called commoner (and thus also breaking her ties to both her father and also to her sister pretty much completely and irrevocably), while red-haired Dahut, while the younger sister, swallows her anger regarding her mother's death and her father's decadent dissoluteness and takes her magic (since she has inherited her deceased mother's faerie abilities) and uses this to keep Ys flourishing and prosperous for her father, for the king (for herself as well, of course, but mostly for the king and for Ys as a city).
But indeed, albeit The Daughters of Ys does clearly feature (both verbally with M.T. Anderson's text and visually with Jo Rioux' illustrations) Dahut doing many often horrid and violent acts that could and even should be considered as being evil, you know, if Dahut were not using her inherited maternal magic and if she were not feeding human sacrifices to the sea monsters guarding Ys, these creatures could then more than likely attack and kill all of Ys' inhabitants. So is Dahut therefore described and depicted in The Daughters of Ys as just, as totally and utterly evil, corrupt and only desiring riches or is she also being forced and expected to do those evil acts in order to keep Ys functioning and her father a successful king, a question that M.T. Anderson and Jo Rioux do pointedly and repeatedly ask in The Daughters of Ys and for which there also is not some easy answer being provided either textually or illustratively.
And in many ways, The Daughters of Ys presents a timeless tale of two sisters whose lives are forever changed by the (quite unexpected) death of a parent, a pattern familiar to many folk and fairy tales, but yes, The Daughters of Ys is also imbued with a rather deeply rooted and all-encompassing darkness (and which is actually and in my humble opinion something pretty much common to much of Breton folklore). Thus in The Daughters of Ys, Dahut is depicted both textually and visually as metamorphosing from a spirited and likeable girl into an overly sexualised woman corrupted by riches and by using for evil purposes the faerie powers inherited from her dead mother (although there is as already mentioned above the juxtaposition of Dahut not simply, not just being corrupt and wanting riches etc. but also being thrust into a position of needing to do and being expected to do what she does, and that even with all of Dahut's magical power, she is still basically her father's pawn and being controlled by him, working for him), while Rozenn's love for the wild things of the natural world and of open spaces ends up totally and utterly clashing with her sister and with her father, thus making The Daughters of Ys also a harshly terrible and painful portrait of massive family dysfunction, and where two inherently strong and potentially positive women, where Rozenn and Dahut are ultimately still enslaved by the patriarchy, by weak and ineffectual men, and basically everyone in The Daughters of Ys with their desires for wealth, power and sex showcased in The Daughers of Ys as being the authors of their own destruction and total ruin.
Finally, Jo Rioux’s pictures for The Daughters of Ys do (in my humble opinion) wonderfully mirror (and also often expand on) M.T. Anderson's featured text to provide a generally powerful and moving graphic novel. And while the characters' illustrated faces are a wee bit too square and flat looking for my aesthetic tastes, Rioux' palette gloriously and delightfully resembles medieval art. Thus and considering that The Daughters of Ys is supposed to be set in mediaeval times, having Jo Rioux use artwork reminiscent of that time not only makes sense but also gives The Daughters of Ys a wonderful visual sense of historical time and place (although and personally speaking, I kind of do wish that M.T. Anderson would also have his words for The Daughters of Ys be a bit more archaic in textual feel and not so modern vernacular sounding, and that yes, this is indeed the main reason why my rating for The Daughters of Ys is not five but four stars, but definitely still most highly recommended to and for teenaged fans of graphic novels and in particular so if they enjoy, if they desire and crave folklore thematics dark, grim and emotionally problematic).
June 7, 2021
Adapted from an old French folktale, Daughters of Ys is a tale of dark magic, murder, seduction, beheadings, and more murder. Yes, this is a little more adult than most First Second fare. Ys is a wealthy nation state of fantastic buildings and magic. But all that magic comes at a dark price.
The art is eccentric but works well for a Grimm style fairytale.
The art is eccentric but works well for a Grimm style fairytale.
January 18, 2021
An old story Celtic story retold as a graphic novel. I had high hopes for this retelling and sadly it wasn’t quite as I hoped.
The art is mediocre and didn’t capture my attention. I can’t figure out why the sea monster looks like the main character in Where the Wild Things Are. The girls faces are shaped very asymmetrically and just don’t do it for me. The colours are nice and overall the look and feel is good but the actual art details felt off.
The story was very good but as it’s a legend that isn’t really the authors creativity at play so much as it already exists in story format. I do like that they acknowledged each of the girls fairly equally throughout; and that the promiscuous one is certainly shown to have questionable morals. However amoungst all that; I think there is more complexity that this story needed. It’s clearly not as simple as one is right and the honourable, where the other sister is less so. Stories of this nature, meant for older teens, should really address why the one sister chose as she did. Although this is a legend and so I suppose excusable for being so black and white.
Note: This is definitely a teen or older graphic novel. It has multiple references to people having sex or shown in bed. And of course the story itself is about the promiscuity of one of the daughters.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
The art is mediocre and didn’t capture my attention. I can’t figure out why the sea monster looks like the main character in Where the Wild Things Are. The girls faces are shaped very asymmetrically and just don’t do it for me. The colours are nice and overall the look and feel is good but the actual art details felt off.
The story was very good but as it’s a legend that isn’t really the authors creativity at play so much as it already exists in story format. I do like that they acknowledged each of the girls fairly equally throughout; and that the promiscuous one is certainly shown to have questionable morals. However amoungst all that; I think there is more complexity that this story needed. It’s clearly not as simple as one is right and the honourable, where the other sister is less so. Stories of this nature, meant for older teens, should really address why the one sister chose as she did. Although this is a legend and so I suppose excusable for being so black and white.
Note: This is definitely a teen or older graphic novel. It has multiple references to people having sex or shown in bed. And of course the story itself is about the promiscuity of one of the daughters.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
August 23, 2020
Like many folk tales I’ve read, there is a lot of violence and betrayal happening. And terrible, supernatural bargains that come due.
I thought that, enjoyable as it was, the ending felt somewhat truncated and glossed over. And dissatisfying.
I thought that, enjoyable as it was, the ending felt somewhat truncated and glossed over. And dissatisfying.
May 23, 2023
Dark but it’s based on an ancient folktale so it makes sense. If you like the stories of old myths/folk/fairy tales you’ll like this.
November 13, 2020
This was intensely sinister. It's my fault for not looking more carefully into this graphic novel before checking it out from the library. The cover art gave me Over the Garden Wall vibes and I briefly skimmed the synopsis, so my expectations were completely wrong. I wasn't at all prepared for such a dark story, and so my reading experience ending up being really uncomfortable. I don't think this is a bad graphic novel by any means, but I was so wholly unprepared to read it that I just did not enjoy it at all.
January 23, 2021
I'm so looking forward to this.
***
Oh, my. That wasn't what I was expecting. That is dark and cold and beautifully drawn. While the art has nothing in common, the story feels closer to Emily Carroll than anything else I can bring to mind. There are some disturbing images that are never going to leave my brain.
This isn't a story I was previously familiar with. Maybe the Arthur legend isn't Celtic, and I can't be bothered to look, but for the first time I feel like I get it. Now I'm wondering what other cultural dark treasures I've been missing out on.
Previously I only once before encountered the work of Jo Rioux. I liked The Golden Twine quite a bit, but this was more of an, "oh I have got to get my hands on more by her right away" sort of reaction.
Awesome!
Review copy
***
Oh, my. That wasn't what I was expecting. That is dark and cold and beautifully drawn. While the art has nothing in common, the story feels closer to Emily Carroll than anything else I can bring to mind. There are some disturbing images that are never going to leave my brain.
This isn't a story I was previously familiar with. Maybe the Arthur legend isn't Celtic, and I can't be bothered to look, but for the first time I feel like I get it. Now I'm wondering what other cultural dark treasures I've been missing out on.
Previously I only once before encountered the work of Jo Rioux. I liked The Golden Twine quite a bit, but this was more of an, "oh I have got to get my hands on more by her right away" sort of reaction.
Awesome!
Review copy
February 4, 2021
A re-told fairytale from early Britain. Like many fairytales, the characters are somewhat one dimensional- there is an ailing and worthless king who married a fairy woman who died young, and now has two daughters. The older rejects the extravagant life of the city of Ys to live simply in the country side, befriending hermits and fishermen. The younger studies her mother's books of spells and takes on the terrible contract needed to fuel Ys's magic- which involves seducing and murdering men. But what happens when a payment is missed, and the bill collector comes? For me the art hit harder than the story here, but oh is the art wonderful. Done in a mix of traditional and digital media, the characters are expressive, the ocean rough and lively, the landscapes beautiful, the moody lighting of the corridors and towers of Ys exquisite. I want to see more by this illustrator!
January 6, 2021
(3.5/5)
I really liked the ending of that for some reason.
I really liked the ending of that for some reason.
August 3, 2020
I thought the art was beautiful and I did find the story intriguing but I think the sisters, Rozenn and Dahut, lacked any real characterization beyond Goodness/purity/love and evil/sorceress/sexually impure. I'm sure this black and white characterization of the sisters comes from the mythology the story is based on, but I just found that it didn't really work for a story in this era.
September 21, 2020
MT Anderson is CONSTANTLY doing shit where I read the description and I'm like "well who wants to read that" and then I read it anyway because it's MT Anderson and then I'm like "ok me I guess" but I do think this would be a hard sell to most...teens? Like I feel like the target audience here is...people who are already fans of MT Anderson, or people who are fans of Breton mythology, I guess??
Anyway once you get here, it's gorgeous and sharp, but just...............who is this for? I do not know.
Anyway once you get here, it's gorgeous and sharp, but just...............who is this for? I do not know.
February 5, 2024
I felt like some parts of this story were missing.
January 22, 2021
★ 2.75 / 5 ★
Well, this definitely was an interesting read.
I loved the first line: "Your mother came from another world." I was immediately hooked. The concept was amazing, and I always adore the two sister's trope. I love dark folktales, and with the relationship between the sisters, I was expecting some glittering hope in between the depressing plot. But the execution was disappointing. Basically, everyone in this book was a terrible human except for Rozenn. I could definitely sympathize with Dahut, because hello flawed character, but there was no softness in her to empathize with completely. Beautiful art, but just a bit disappointed.
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Enjoyment Level: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Well, this definitely was an interesting read.
I loved the first line: "Your mother came from another world." I was immediately hooked. The concept was amazing, and I always adore the two sister's trope. I love dark folktales, and with the relationship between the sisters, I was expecting some glittering hope in between the depressing plot. But the execution was disappointing. Basically, everyone in this book was a terrible human except for Rozenn. I could definitely sympathize with Dahut, because hello flawed character, but there was no softness in her to empathize with completely. Beautiful art, but just a bit disappointed.
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Enjoyment Level: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
December 30, 2024
La leggenda della città di Ys risale ad un’epoca così remota, non possiamo dire con certezza che sia solo un racconto del folklore bretone.
Anderson e Jo Rioux sono riusciti a riportare su carta la perfetta rappresentazione di una delle leggende più belle del nostro continente, con disegni e colori meravigliosi.
La storia di due sorelle diametralmente opposte, le cui vite prenderanno, di conseguenza, pieghe diverse e la caduta di una città potente e apparentemente indistruttibile, il tutto intriso di magia: questi sono i temi cardine de “Le figlie di Ys”, che, se ci pensiamo, può essere considerata l’Atlantide del nord.
Ho amato ogni cosa di questa graphic novel, curata in ogni minimo dettaglio e posso dire di aver concluso alla grande le letture del 2024.
Anderson e Jo Rioux sono riusciti a riportare su carta la perfetta rappresentazione di una delle leggende più belle del nostro continente, con disegni e colori meravigliosi.
La storia di due sorelle diametralmente opposte, le cui vite prenderanno, di conseguenza, pieghe diverse e la caduta di una città potente e apparentemente indistruttibile, il tutto intriso di magia: questi sono i temi cardine de “Le figlie di Ys”, che, se ci pensiamo, può essere considerata l’Atlantide del nord.
Ho amato ogni cosa di questa graphic novel, curata in ogni minimo dettaglio e posso dire di aver concluso alla grande le letture del 2024.
August 18, 2022
First, it must be said that the art is stunning. The illustrator did a fantastic job with creating a visual world for this story. The art style fits the story perfectly! It seemed a little disjointed at times, but I really love the dark turn it took. It really picked up and things got interesting a little before the halfway point! And then everything just got worse and worse. Very emotional story. I’m not familiar with the original Breton folktale, but I enjoyed this one enough to read one of the versions the author listed at the end of the graphic novel.
Thanks to First Second Books for the ARC! I'll definitely be buying a physical copy of this one when it comes out.
Thanks to First Second Books for the ARC! I'll definitely be buying a physical copy of this one when it comes out.
September 24, 2020
I couldn't get lost in this book, despite the story constantly fading into sea foam.
February 9, 2021
*Recensione in arrivo*
September 12, 2022
Me ha encantado.
Está basado en un antiguo cuento popular Bretón, en una de sus versiones.
Ese oscuro, tiene magia negra, las dos protagonistas son geniales y la ambientación es fabulosa.
Está basado en un antiguo cuento popular Bretón, en una de sus versiones.
Ese oscuro, tiene magia negra, las dos protagonistas son geniales y la ambientación es fabulosa.
November 10, 2019
I was able to get an ARC of The Daughters of Ys from Yallfest and let me tell y'all, this graphic novel is beautiful and heartbreaking. I'm hoping that there ends up being a sequel or companian graphic novel because I need more!
February 27, 2020
The story itself was incredibly haunting. I fell like I was falling down a rabbithole as I was reading. The pacing and the tale of the two sisters, each with a different path, was incredibly well done. Chilling, really. It was darker and more adult than I was expecting, but still loved the journey.
April 25, 2021
Fantasy story about two sisters with gorgeous artwork, kinda like Frozen, but good!
October 21, 2022
Durante años, la reina Malgven erigió y mantuvo las grandes murallas que mantenían la ciudad a salvo del mar, pero tras su inexplicable muerte, sus hijas, antaño tan unidas, toman caminos diferentes: mientras que Rozenn, la heredera, pasa tiempo en el exterior, rodeada de animales silvestres, Dahut ha pasado a ocuparse de las intrigas palaciegas. Sin embargo, algo logra separarlas por completo, lo que sella el destino de todos, y es que la ciudad de Ys esconde oscuros secretos.
Al parecer, Las hijas de Ys está basado en un antiguo cuento popular bretón, y eso se nota, no porque conociera el original, sino porque mantiene ese aire cruel, original y sorprendente de los cuentos, y además he de decir que, si bien el tipo de ilustración no es de mis favoritos, ese estilo oscuro y tenebroso le viene como anillo al dedo a esta historia.
Como comentaba, se trata de una historia oscura, cruel, violenta, llena de fantasía, monstruos marinos, y una ambientación muy chula, para hablarnos de la vida, de la familia, la rivalidad entre las hermanas, en este caso, la responsabilidad y los límites a los que está dispuesta a llegar una de ellas para proteger su reino, pero ante todo, diría que, al menos para mí, es una historia sobre el sacrificio de las mujeres, que no se llega a ver agradecido jamás, sino solo cuando es útil. Muy dura, muy directa.
Reseña completa: https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...
Al parecer, Las hijas de Ys está basado en un antiguo cuento popular bretón, y eso se nota, no porque conociera el original, sino porque mantiene ese aire cruel, original y sorprendente de los cuentos, y además he de decir que, si bien el tipo de ilustración no es de mis favoritos, ese estilo oscuro y tenebroso le viene como anillo al dedo a esta historia.
Como comentaba, se trata de una historia oscura, cruel, violenta, llena de fantasía, monstruos marinos, y una ambientación muy chula, para hablarnos de la vida, de la familia, la rivalidad entre las hermanas, en este caso, la responsabilidad y los límites a los que está dispuesta a llegar una de ellas para proteger su reino, pero ante todo, diría que, al menos para mí, es una historia sobre el sacrificio de las mujeres, que no se llega a ver agradecido jamás, sino solo cuando es útil. Muy dura, muy directa.
Reseña completa: https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...
November 7, 2023
Amazingly dark and captivating.
June 29, 2021
This is fine. Read via library.
February 6, 2023
Cuando empecé esta novela gráfica me dió muchas vibras a esas tragedias tipo Shakespeare y es que se trata del retelling de una leyenda bretona, un antiguo cuento popular del que hasta existen cuadros y diversas versiones a las que ahora se le suma una en tipo cómic.
En lo personal debo admitir que se me hizo bien perturbadora y turbia por los temas que trata: asesinatos, tratos del estilo de la magia negra, engaños y situaciones +16 / +18. Pero al mismo tiempo está llena de intriga y muy bien narrada, que con cautivantes ilustraciones me atrapó completamente y lo leí de una sentada.
Destaco totalmente la forma de rescatar un cuento popular y llevarlo a este formato tan didáctico y fácil de leer que permite acercar un elemento propio de una cultura a muchas personas.
Cuenta además con una nutrida bibliografía que podemos verificar al final de la novela gráfica.
Oscuros secretos, magia, mitología, monstruos, maldad y una enorme valentía, marcan este retelling en formato cómic que de seguro es un candidato ideal para salvar de un bloqueo lector.
2,5 estrellas
En lo personal debo admitir que se me hizo bien perturbadora y turbia por los temas que trata: asesinatos, tratos del estilo de la magia negra, engaños y situaciones +16 / +18. Pero al mismo tiempo está llena de intriga y muy bien narrada, que con cautivantes ilustraciones me atrapó completamente y lo leí de una sentada.
Destaco totalmente la forma de rescatar un cuento popular y llevarlo a este formato tan didáctico y fácil de leer que permite acercar un elemento propio de una cultura a muchas personas.
Cuenta además con una nutrida bibliografía que podemos verificar al final de la novela gráfica.
Oscuros secretos, magia, mitología, monstruos, maldad y una enorme valentía, marcan este retelling en formato cómic que de seguro es un candidato ideal para salvar de un bloqueo lector.
2,5 estrellas
November 30, 2020
DNF early in the story
I was actually really enjoying this story and the art style until there was nudity completely out of left field. The two sisters are talking in the garden about their recently deceased mother and then happen upon their (naked) father with two (naked) women.
No thanks. Not recommended.
I was actually really enjoying this story and the art style until there was nudity completely out of left field. The two sisters are talking in the garden about their recently deceased mother and then happen upon their (naked) father with two (naked) women.
No thanks. Not recommended.
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