From the artist of the bestselling Faithless series...comes Eros/Psyche. La Rosa's female boarding school is paradise for young girls...but only if you follow the rules. Because, if you disobey them, you can end up expelled, or even worse, dead. Sara and Silje are two students learning the rules of the school, which includes classes by day...and the casting of curses and spells by night. A love develops between the two, which is tender, but threatens to break under the weight of the dark secret society within La Rosa. Acclaimed creator Maria Llovet (Faithless, Heartbeat, Loud) brings you a surreal, bewitching tale of love, magic, and tragedy in Eros/Psyche.
Maria Llovet is a graphic novel author and illustrator from Barcelona. Her work explores themes of desire, intensity, and aesthetics, blending emotional depth with striking visual storytelling.
I reread this as part of this Ablaze collection for Maria Llovet and I thought it was even dumber this go around. Just a really crap story.
A very slow burning sapphic romance. Everything about this comic is slow burning. The story is almost non-existent. I got more from reading the blurb on this Goodreads entry than I did from reading the story. It's about some girls at a boarding school. One of them is sent packing after every exam. That's the entire plot. Nothing is explained. I found it all very frustrating. Maria Llovet's art is quite lovely though.
While I did think the premise was interesting, and I enjoyed the allusion to greek mythology, a lot of the story felt extremely underdeveloped. The story was often times hard to understand and I found the romance uncompelling. I almost wish the book was drawn out a little more to truly drive the story in better. The whole plot twist at the end left me unsatisfied due to the lack of plot it was built off of. The plot twist was really the only clear understanding of the plot I was given.
Other than the story, the art was fantastic. The style really matched the feeling of the story and was an informed choice for this particular setting, The art did manage to keep me interested in the book, even if the plot itself was somewhat lackluster.
Hmmm I have...mixed feelings about this graphic novel. On the one hand, I loved that it is a sapphic dark academia-esque story set in a school for witches in which mysterious things keep happening to the girls and the artwork was absolutely gorgeous, and I loved the focus on the story of Eros and Psyche (which I didn't really know prior to reading this, so I'm glad it was explained!). However, at times the writing felt very clunky and not like natural English (I don't know if this was a translation issue but there were some really big mistakes), though I can excuse that as this is an ARC, but also the story itself just left me wanting there to be more to it at the end. It didn't feel like anything groundbreaking or new, and when the big reveal happened I was just kinda like...oh, is that it? I'd recommend it if you like eerie sapphic dark academia, but if that's not your thing, maybe give this a miss!
TW: suicide, mild gore, nudity
Thanks to Netgalley + Ablaze for an eARC in return for an honest review!
Maria Llovet's Eros/Psyche is an absolutely beautiful piece of work. This graphic novel uses colour wonderfully, but the style of the illustrations and the story itself didn't hold up well for me. While it was pretty to look at, I struggled to get involved and stay within the story.
Two out of five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Maria Llovets Artwork ist großartig, selbst wenn die Zeichnungen wie hier schwarzweiß und sehr reduziert daher kommen.
Text und Bild zusammen erschaffen eine geheimnisvolle, mystische Stimmung. Was ist die Rose für eine sonderbare Mädchenschule, an der Sara Silje trifft? Fast magisch mutet so vieles an, aber ganz und gar nicht wie bei Harry Potter, sondern viel tiefgehender und fremdartiger. Eine mitreißende Geschichte über Freundschaft, Liebe und unwiderbringliche Lebenszeit. Hat mir sehr, sehr viel besser gefallen als Ishiguros in meinen Augen stark überschätztes Alles, was wir geben mussten, zu dem es die ein oder andere Parallele gibt.
I was sent this book as an advance copy by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own.
3.5 stars
I hear "sapphic dark academia" and i read it. The first thing i liked about this graphic novel is the art style, i really liked the color contrast and it served really well to create the atmosphere of this magical all girls boarding school.
If you're looking for something plot-heavy and with a lot of development and world building this is probably not it. However, if you're into more atmospheric vibes and beautiful sapphic art and you're okay with the story feeling a little underdeveloped i definitely recommended checking it out.
Lesbians? Boarding school? MAGIC? Maria Llovet? Okay... I am sold! I have no clue what was going on. I am here for the lesbian / witchcraft / dark magic school thing though. Also, its by Maria Llovet who is my favorite artist.
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I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Maria Llovet knows better, I’d have thought, than to create a thinly veiled story, with plot twists and the like; but no substantial explanations. There is so little here it’s hard to even feel like the story was tangible. It’s unfortunate that what could be a clever plot is never pulled out and only briefly eluded to when it might matter. While I own a number of the variant covers from this series, they all might include more detail and sense of the story than the actual story itself! Llovet, as an experienced artist in the industry, should have known this was too esoteric. The obsession with the many expressive faces of the girls and lack of explanations created not only general confusion but was also really boring. It’s really too bad as we so rarely get girls in a secret societies or intrigue plot of like is eluded to being here. But alas, Eros/Psyche falls way short and has left me feeling very disappointed. Within 20 minutes of putting this down I’ve already forgotten everything about it.
I loved the artwork and thought it matched the very interesting premise and storytelling quite well. Unfortunately, the actual writing needs a lot of fleshing out. I stopped multiple times, once for actual research because SURELY this was confusing because it wasn't actually the first book in the series? But apparently it is! I actually really don't mind when comics focus at bit more on atmosphere and vibe over plot, but not when they are trying to tell such a complex story. It felt like work trying to understand what was going on, which took away from my enjoyment of the art and atmosphere, so much so that when the big twist did come, it didn't do much for me as the reader.
Very similar territory to the other Llovet solo comic I've read, Heartbeat; an uncanny boarding school; a breathless, heady, tense mood, as before a storm; blood and flowers; sapphic tensions. But so long as she keeps making it look this Eurocomics via art nouveau gorgeous, I'm not complaining.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book for my honest review!
I absolutely loved every minute of this, the art style was just stunning and it pulled me right in. The story starts being told in past tense like someone is reminiscing about something past, and the way the story is slowly unfolded was so very intriguing. We get thrown into this magical school and its very simple rules (or it seems) and we get this slow melancholic progression of events as the two main characters go through a school year of their lives.
I was so worried it wouldn't acknowledge the title at all (Because the myth of Eros and Psyche is one of my favourites and it would have been a shame not to acknowledge it). But Eros directly translates to "romantic love" and psyche to "soul", and their myth fits what we see happen very well. Not in the literal sense that it is being relayed, but the grief and the love, how the events unfold, it feels fitting this myth was chosen as a title for this book.
The story from the start eludes to some big mystery that is to change the course of the book, and it gets revealed right at the end with crushing weight. Because we slowly see these two girls develop a romantic love between them, and share more and more of their days, so the tragic end feels bittersweet.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review
CW: suicide/hanging representation: lesbian MCs
i think this is the first one-star i've had in a while that comes from sheer disappointment and not from overwhelming problematic content. genuinely, if i hadn't read the summary, i wouldn't have known that the characters were casting spells, and i wouldn't have known about the secret society. the comic flat-out refuses to divulge any information about its plot, and just pads it with visuals. i'm rather lenient when it comes to graphic novels, but i'm just amazed that i have gained nothing from start to finish - i know and understand the story no more than when i began. the art is beautiful, but if you're reading a panel where silje's scar or nose ring isn't shown or sara's mole is hidden, the two main characters are almost interchangeable, which is very annoying for a graphic novel that relies almost exclusively on art and not on dialogue.
this isn't even pointing out that it almost shamelessly rips off key points and visuals from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 1: To Till. the very penultimate reveal is taken from utena - that . even the emblematic symbol of la rosa resembles the rose symbol in utena. almost everything that 'eros/psyche' tried to execute was done better in utena, lesbians included.
Arc provided by netgalley English and spanish review
If you have to know two things about me is that 1. I am a whore and 2. I like cute covers, so when I watched this one on netgalley I was like "okay, I was born for this" and I requested it, knowing nothing (and when I tell you nothing I mean it) and imagine my surprise (I wasn't surprised) when I didn't understand what was happening.
Let me elaborate on this one: the art style is really pretty to look at but the character illustrations are kind of similar and I could not tell them apart - this may be my fault for being dumb too so there's that - and also, the story was weird? I don't know how to explain it because I, honestly, don't know what this graphic novel is even about. I just know that there's a sapphic main couple and that what really catch my attention when I first requested it. So, I don't know, maybe pick this one up to see if you like it or not. Up to you.
Reseña en español
Si tienes que saber algo sobre mí es que Me gustan las portadas lindas, así que cuando vi esta en netgalley dije "está bien, nací para esto" y lo pedí, sin saber nada (y cuando les digo nada lo digo en serio) e imagina mi sorpresa (no me sorprendió) cuando no entendí lo que estaba pasando.
Permítanme profundizar en esto: el diseño de la novela es muy bonito de ver, pero las ilustraciones de los personajes son algo similares y no podría distinguirlos; esto puede ser mi culpa por ser tonta también, así que ahí está eso, y también, la historia. fue rara? No sé cómo explicarlo porque, sinceramente, no sé de qué trata esta novela gráfica. Solo sé que hay una pareja principal sáfica y eso es lo que realmente me llamó la atención cuando lo solicité por primera vez. Entonces, no sé, tal vez leanlo para ver si les gusta o no. Depende de ustedes.
Official title: Eros/Psyche My title: The Bloody Rose Author: Maria Llovet Publisher: Ablaze Fav character: Siljie Type: Graphic Novel -Series Will I read the others: Probably 4.3/5 ▪️ A hue-full graphic novel of a young woman at a mysterious all-girls school, learning how to navigate its society, her growing obsession with another student and the story of Eros and Psyche. ▪️
There is a new girl at school, Sara 3, and she has found a scarf and the spot Silje loves to escape to. Naturally, this means they should become blood sisters, to keep the secret of the location of this special place at the Rose.
Tests and envelopes signal departures and arrivals at this slightly off-kilter school. Order is kept by the students, who operate through a form of consensus to exit appalling students. Days are spent gathering herbs, making freaky dolls and hanging coloured ribboned scissors over planted seeds…💁
There are rules with consequences too great to mention and suicides when you least expect them. There is clearly much more to the school than we’re initially told. Friends and enemies abound, love grows, and rules fall on the heads of those who refuse to listen.
When the rules are revealed, they will provide more questions, and mysteries to be solved, than answers.
*I wish more had HAPPENED though.
If you love eerieness, witchiness, and weirdness, I recommend you give this graphic novel a try.
I received a free digital review copy via Netgalley.
First things first, the art in this is phenomenal. There's not much text, but the pictures speak for themselves. I bet it would look even better in print and if you're interested, I'd highly suggest getting a print copy.
Unfortunately, the story didn't do it for me. The premise sounded amazing, with a mysterious boarding school for witches and a lesbian romance. But I had a hard time understanding what's going on most of the time. I missed a proper intro, some explanation of how the school works. I guess this was omitted for a reason (to make everything more mysterious), but it didn't work out and left me really confused.
The romance itself was very cute and soft and I enjoyed it, but it couldn't carry the whole book. Lots of things remained unclear until the very end, and even then the explanations were shady.
I'm really sorry to say this, but the art alone doesn't justify a better rating for me. I guess I'd only recommend this if you want something pretty to look at and don't care about well developed characters or an exciting story (which I do, hence the low rating).
A sapphic dark academia comic should be a huge hit for me, and yet the plot of this was wildly underwhelming.
Normally I love Maria’s work, but this was so flat. In terms of story, hardly anything happened the entire time and what did happen was bland at best.
There was mystery for 99% of the story which led to a completely underwhelming reveal that lasted pages. There are references to Greek mythology - which is why I wanted to read this - but those references did little to add anything of value to the plot.
On top of that usually I love the art style but the art for this felt simplistic and rushed.
The romance itself also felt flat. I wanted more from it, obsession, dependancy, literally anything that might elevate the story.
All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this one at all. If you want to read some of Maria’s work, I would recommend grabbing Violent Flowers instead which is far better.
Rep// WLW MC, WLW MC. Central romance is WLW/Sapphic.
TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
TW// Hanging (suicide, on page), drugs/medication, injury, blood, brief nudity.
This story wasn’t what I expected yet it grabbed me from page one. The story starts wih Sara reminiscing about her school days in the past and we see the entire story being told from her narrative. Sara does not focus too much on a story but rather her feelings and the people who were important to her in school. The eerie athmosphere comes from the fact that the school seems to be some kind of elite school that teaches girls magic and secret languages. Since this isn’t Sara’s focus we are left in the dark about the purpose of the school for a long time. She talks about her feelings for Silje, the so called Key Student at the Rose. Their relationship just like most of the story is mostly told in athmospheric montages focusing more on the feelings rather words, The illustrations and the pacing does most of the storytelling. Despite this the romance feels natural and well-built before the girls address their feelings. There is a lot of symbolism in the story as well, just like the blooming rose portraying their feelings for each other. I like that the story of Eros and Psyche was mentioned and explained in the story, since I wasn’t familiar with it. The ending feels bittersweet and a bit confusing - even though some of our questions are answered I have so much more. I would love another volume where we can dive deeper into the mystery and the purpose of the school and see how the girls’ story continues.
Thank you to NetGalley & Diamond Book Distributors, Ablaze, for allowing me access to this graphic novel arc in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.
Trigger warning: Violence, blood & dark magic
*Spoiler Alert* * * * * * * A gothic tale with a boarding school, witchcraft, love and the rules that bind. I will be real, I have no real clue what that plot was nor what the main point of the school or rose was, but this story really intrigued me, and I enjoyed it still.
I would love more explanation to the magic, rules and the school.
I have no idea what this was about, but it's awfully pretty. This comic is mostly pictures. A few eerie things happen, like students being mysteriously expelled from school for unknown reasons and one student commits suicide. There's a vague lesbian romance. It was pretty. I don't really understand the comic. The synopsis said a lot more than the contents or I would have been even more lost.
Absolutely beautiful art! But I don’t have a singular idea what this was actually about.
I rethought my review and wanted to add that if this was based on the art alone it would have 10 stars, so I moved it up to 3. If the plot didn’t feel so disjointed and confusing (why was she at a school nobody graduates from? Where are her parents??) this would easily have been a favorite
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Minimalistic storytelling with beautiful art that tugs at the heart. I personally could have done with a little more story info but your millage may vary. Reading it almost felt like a strange unsettling but erotic dream one can't wake up from. I don't know if it's masterful but I won't forget it soon.
La premisa es interesante y el estilo de dibujo es bonito, pero la verdad quedé con gusto a nada, nisiquiera a poco. Faltó desarrollar más la onda mística del internado, profundizar un poco en las relaciones de las niñas y tmbn el tema de la droga que detiene el crecimiento. Fue una lectura rápida y abrupta 😿
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
There isn't a whole lot happening here in the plot quite honestly, much of the story beats feeling vague, which while may be intentional, I believe is doing a large disservice here. Every plot point felt interesting in theory and then never explored further, instead feeling like reading a bunch of brief summaries. With that said, the art is beautiful and I love messy lesbians.
I enjoyed this one a bit more. Still very shallow and unsatisfying when it comes to its commentary on sororities and relationships between women, but the atmosphere, worldbuilding, and aesthetics in general are all very strong and dreamlike. I liked a lot of panels - so many intricate details and bold colours. I feel like fans of Bunny in particular will love Eros/Psyche too.
Una historia bastante peculiar sobre un extraño internado para mujeres. En él las chicas deben cumplir las normas y no tener la peor nota o serán expulsadas; sin embargo, las jóvenes no parecen conocer las normas.
En este entorno se conocen Sara y Silje, ambas conectarán y esta le enseñará todo lo que sabe sobre la Rosa.
Lenta, peculiar y con toques perturbadores. Se lee en un rato, pero me queda la duda si las otras obras de mismo nombre de esta autora son una continuación o la misma historia pero contada con más tiempo y espacio.