Fox & Willow: To the Sea

by Irma Aimo Ahmed, Allison Pang

Sometimes a silent song is the most poignant...Continuing their journey to lift Gideon's curse, Willow and her fox companion have been tasked with escorting Princess Nuala to be wed to a prince from another kingdom. But despite Nuala's hopes of making a joyful union, not all is what it seems between the prince and his betrothed. When his mistress, a barefoot woman without a tongue appears, the bonds of friendship between the two ladies grows, even as a storm brews on the horizon.

Genres: Fantasy

155 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2022

Reviews

[Leighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Fox & Willow by Irma Aimo Ahmed and Allison Pang is an adult fantasy graphic novel full of pirates and monsters. The story revolves around Willow and Fox, who are currently escorting Princess Nuala on a ship to another kingdom. According to the description, when a princess's mistress, "a barefoot woman without a tongue appears, the bonds of friendship between the two ladies grows..."

Overall, Fox & Willow is an adult fantasy graphic novel that will appeal to fans of True Blood or The Parasol Protectorate manga. One highlight of this book is the artwork. The characters were well-drawn and really drew me into the story. I took off 2 stars, because I wasn't comfortable with the amount of sexual content. Although there wasn't any nudity, this was definitely a more "adult" book. If you're intrigued by the description, you can check out this book when it comes out in March!

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fox and Willow proves once again to be a fascinating and enjoyable read. The art and story blend beautifully together and it's no secret that that I enjoy a comic that allows its panels to breathe without a whole lot of unnecessary dialogue and words, and this book delivers often with more being said in a facial expression than with words. Also, an adult fairytale book is always my jam, so high praise for including some (tasteful) sexual content and not shying away from that aspect. It is appreciated.

The story flows nicely, and while I really don't enjoy domestic violence storylines, this one wasn't excessive, nor was it there for shock value. It served its purpose in the retelling of this particular fairytale, and overall was a good book that had a satisfying end.

My only real caveat with this book is how muddy some of the colouring is, but honestly its such a minor thing to be picky about, and doesn't detract from the story.

[Marte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Okay, so I have to be honest that I never read Volume 1 of this so some of the context was lost to me (although I managed to fill in the gaps for the most part).

Loved the queer rep, and the mermaid stuff, but overall felt the story was moving too quickly from moment to moment, so what happened actually didn't have any time to make an impact. Really liked that they fucked that guy over tho, and that it's overall very "go women", and that the Princess got to live a good, lesbian, pirate life with her mermaid girlfriend. If it has spent more time letting things become impactful, I would have given it a 3 of 3.5, but as of now its a stong 2. (mostly from the queer stuff and the art ngl).

[Idman M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the gist of the plot. I enjoyed the characters abs seeing them develop a little more. With their personal struggles between duty and love. I am unsure if this is the first book or the second book of a series. I hard a hard time understanding the plot in the beginning because the lack of context but that could be because this may be the second book of a series. But I had a hard time understanding the plot in the beginning. But overall enjoyed it.

[Heather Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of the webcomic I was so excited to read this published book. Others have mentioned the quickness of the comic as being a negative. I could not disagree more. I felt that quickness is what drew me in and kept me reading. It was a fun book with queer representation, mermaids, and women empowerment. I highly recommend this book and hope you will check it out. In addition, I cannot get enough of this art style! A++++

Received from Netgalley

[Francesco Tehrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! That follow-up second volume was just as fantastic! The plot continued flawlessly and the characters and art were beautiful! This story was a bit more emotional and made me get teary eyed but the conclusion was satisfying! Like how I predicted before, the main character's backstory and history were revealed a bit and I find that mystery interesting and intriguing! Looking forward to what comes next!

[Mary Hangen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the art style of this book. It is absolutely stunning to say the least. I felt at the end that I needed more. I need more character development, plot, just more everything. I LOVED the characters and the concept, but it truly needed just a bit more storytelling. Truly hoping there will be more about these characters and their stories.

[Krystal Colyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing on from the first, the story & art are just as wonderful

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the art style of the book; however, I was confused on what was happening. I feel like they could have more explanation or maybe even more words to the picture. I wish we got to see the fox perspective it would have added to the story. I was also, confused on how the fox transform into a human it seems to only happen during the night. Overall, it was a great book, and I had no issues, and it was a fast read!