Sisters of the Mist

by Marlyn Spaaij, Tünde Vollenbroek (Producer)

A fantastical and haunting coming-of-age graphic novel from debut creator, Marlyn Spaaij, that offers adventure, magic, and mystery on every page.

Frygea Forest… An ancient and mysterious place where trolls lurk in the mossy spaces between tree trunks and changelings scamper about, causing mischief. A place that Kyra and her sisters Margot and Janna return to every year to spend the summer at their grandma’s farm: roasting marshmallows, catching frogs and befriending tiny, grumpy root goblins.

But this summer is different, and as teenage Margot drifts apart from her sisters, slamming doors and keeping secrets, Kyra starts to worry. When Margot is enticed into the woods by the mysterious figures in the mist, Kyra resolves to do everything in her power to save her sister from danger, even if that means facing the spooky forces within Frygea Forest with just her kid sister for help.

Join Kyra and her sisters in this beautiful coming-of-age graphic novel about embracing the changes that come from growing up, but never letting go of the imagination that keeps you young. If you’re careful, and ever so quiet, you might spot a root goblin marching along the ground, or a glittering alf darting amongst the leaves…

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Young Adult

136 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2023

Reviews

[Katey Flowers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sad to have to give this a low rating - it has some of the most beautiful art I’ve seen in a graphic novel. And I think there was a lot of potential here to explore puberty and periods with a magical twist..

However, it ended up reading very clunky and jumpy to me. It’s very (too?) fast-paced and also felt repetitive in parts. And then, to top of off, I don’t like how the puberty element was approached, which is the whole point of the story. It felt very rooted in outdated notions of cis normativity, and a weird second-wave feminist (potentially TERFy) take on periods and womanhood.

I think there’s definitely space for a graphic novel to explore a cis girl’s first period, but this attempt framed it all in terms of her body getting ready for babies (implying that she will definitely have them in the future). The grandmother also spoke about how it’s the most important and powerful thing in the world, and she (along with the mists) very much tied periods to womanhood and sisterhood. Basically, uterus = woman, periods are sacred vibes. There was also a marked change in the character and interests of the girl the minute she started her period… I get coming of age involves growing and changing, but tying the two together so closely felt a bit ick to me.

Basically, I wanted to like it, I loved the idea of a graphic novel exploring puberty so explicitly… but it all felt a bit off and very specific to an ideology I don’t jive with. I hope we see other authors and artists tackle this with more finesse and nuance in future.

[Liquidwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quickly read this to see if my Brownies would like it, it was cute, loved the art and the grandma, thought the ending was a bit too neatly wrapped up for how the rest of the story was going and wish the main character had had a bit more to her.

[Sarah R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely middle grade. A cute coming of age graphic novel with gorgeous art. ❤️I really liked it, this simple whimsical story about three sisters, a dangerous forest, and navigating changes.

[LauraKatarooma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olipa hieno kasvutarina.

[Marie the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has stunning artwork, but I feel like the mist making young girls ready to become women is too easy. Puberty is not that easy. I love the relationships and the sisterhood and the magic. Just dont magicfy puberty.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice art, but the story was pretty meh.

[Lisa Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I am utterly in love with this book that uses a magical realism approach to coming of age and sisters and I stinkin' love it so much. Caution should be applied as there is a slang word for breasts that might be a bummer for some parents. I was given access to this ARC from Owl Kids press, thanks Owl Kids!

[Richard Howlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story sees three young sisters go to stay with their grandma in a house on the edge of some mysterious woods, inhabited by trolls, hellhounds and the fog furies.

On one had this is a fun little adventure story about three girls who wander too deep into the forest, but on the other it's a coming of age tale that sees a young girl become a young woman, with the help of her grandma and some strange magical forces.

I don't think I'm the target demographic here, and I'll hold my hands up and say that I know next to nothing about what it must be like for a young girl who's finding out about her body changing as she grows up. Saying that, the book is not trying to teach anyone the facts of life, only that change doesn't have to be scary, and I think that's a message anyone can get on board with.

This is not a book I would have picked up myself, but I was lucky enough to get an advance copy in exchange of an honest review. For my own personal score it would probably be a 3* book, but I've marked it up based on the fact that I would be happy to gift this book to someone of the right age.

[Elly · Rating 4 out of 5]

C’était tellement mignon comme petite BD jeunesse ! Déjà ça se passe dans une forêt, on suit trois sœurs en vacances chez leur grand-mère. Elles explorent la forêt et les créatures fantastiques qui la peuplent : feux follets, elfes, fées, mais attention aux trolls et aux furies du brouillard… Quand Margot, l’aînée des sœurs voit son corps changer alors qu’elle entre dans l’adolescence, d’étranges phénomènes vont l’attirer dans la forêt. C’est une belle histoire de sororité et de courage. Margot et ses sœurs vont se rendre que ce qui fait peur n’est peut-être pas si effrayant que ça. J’ai adoré que l’imaginaire soit ainsi utilisé pour parler de l’adolescence et notamment de l’apparition des menstruations.

[Bibliomaniaque · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

Une belle BD de fantasy sur le passage vers l'adolescence. Ça va un peu vite, on ne fait qu'effleurer le tout, mais la façon de l'aborder est intéressante! La fin est un peu futile à mon avis, il est possible de lire entre les lignes pour comprendre.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very magical and sweet. Kyra was adorable — so fiercely protective of her sisters. I envy girls who had sisters growing up. The art was lovely and spooky and perfect for the story. And I loved the casual period discussion! It’s so great to see periods discussed openly and honestly without stigma.

[O.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The art is lovely. The story is a little too haphazard for my liking though. Wish there was an additional chapter or two to flesh it out a bit more

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting take on a coming of age and puberty story. The fantastical elements were fun and unique and I absolutely loved the art style and all the colors.

[Alžběta Bílková · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krásný styl ilustrací a citlivý příběh o dospívání s pohádkovým nádechem. Tohle byla velká paráda, škoda jen, že to nebylo o pár stránek delší.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story of a girl starting her periods and how this changes the relationships within her family unit.

[Mady · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute art but making periods all about her getting ready to have babies and "you're a woman now" feels a bit too outdated and weird if it's aimed at explaining puberty with a metaphor to girls

[Eliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sisters of the Mist
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ .5 (2.5/5) or 5.28/10 overall

Characters - 5

Atmosphere - 6

Writing - 5

Plot - 5

Intrigue - 6

Logic - 5

Enjoyment - 5

[Hannah Gazdziak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good coming of age novel I liked it, be forewarned it is a puberty book

[McKenzy Hupke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really stunning graphics and great coming of age for middle grade girls!

[Hollowspine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the beginning of the story and the beautiful artwork throughout, but the narrative suffered with the fast pace and some of the elements blending between the fantasy world and the real world didn't come together for me.

More than all of those elements, the reason this graphic novel didn't appeal to me is the heteronormative depiction of puberty and the expectations around it, especially as that was not my experience with puberty at all, what I wanted to see is a follow-up where the younger sister is rejected by the Furies because that journey isn't one for every person. Instead, the same answer I was given as a kid was given, 'you'll understand someday.' Nope. The idea that some fog ladies are going to magic you up and turn you into a woman by giving you a period and the implication that obviously, you will carry children later, just really didn't work for me. Also, the message that puberty is a change, but something everyone should welcome and allow, ugh, again, not everyone experiences this magical cis puberty. I much prefer Go with the Flow for it's frank discussion around periods.

That the character changed so quickly from tree climbing, baseball cap wearing, androgynous tomboy to wearing makeup and more revealing gender-specific clothing was also frustrating for me to see, like any experience with puberty is that quick/transformative, and like all people afab have the same experience. Especially because the character started out seeming less feminine and transformed into extremely feminine could feel like erasing the experience for many non-binary folks.

If I did a follow-up book to this graphic novel it would be the younger sibling fighting for their existence with these seemingly helpful Furies who want to shape them into a gender that they don't fit, demanding that they acknowledge their body is for making babies, while Kyra fights to use their chosen pronouns and get gender-affirming care.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. A brilliant tale of fear, stories of a creepy forest and growing up. You wouldn’t find me wandering through this forest alone! Some brilliant chat around periods in this that I think is much needed in kids books. This is going to be brilliant for my Y6 classroom!

[Nickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sisters of the Mist is a "interesting" take on the uncertainty, fear, and changes that come with the beginning of menstruation for young girls. The story begins with three sisters (Kyra, Margot, and Janna) going to their grandmother's for a few week visit. During their time there, Margot begins her first period. However, this is not your typical coming of age, girl-talk book. Instead, author Marlyn Spaaw weaves a supernatural tale of goblins, hellhounds, and the ultra-scary Fog Furies. The most fearsome creature of all, the Fog Furies lure young girls deep into the woods never to be heard from again. Maybe, they just disappear or maybe, according to Kyra, they devour the girls entirely! All is fun and games until Margot gets pulled into the woods by the Fog Furies only to emerge different, unwell, angsty, and duh duh duh bleeding.

Before I go any further, I want to acknowledge the things that I loved about this book. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous. The relationship between the girls and their grandmother was also excellent to see. I appreciate her matter of fact but comforting way of talking about what many consider a sensitive topic and the fact that the explanation went a little further than just "you have a period now, sucks, here's a pad" to an age appropriate discussion of uteruses and how menstruation actually works. I thought this was all well done.

What did not work for me was the odd juxtaposition of a very real, very confusing moment in a girls' life and the magical realism of the monsters in the woods. So, the Fog Furies are a metaphor. Cool, cool. Except the whole situation was just weird and super rushed. I honestly wonder if the average middle schooler would catch onto the metaphor before they flat out say it towards the end. Once Margot is first taken/not taken, possessed, I'm not sure what the right word here would be, by the Fog Furies she immediately becomes a very different kid. She's suddenly moody, wants nothing to do with her two younger sisters and their kiddie games, wants a different room, is into romance books and boys and gossiping, and is all around not so pleasant to be around. Grandma just brushes it all off as "you'll understand someday" to the younger two girls instead of continuing her habit of being open and honest, and thus leaves them completely baffled as to what is going on with their sister. Then, Margot gets fully taken in by the Furies and I guess fully "becomes a woman" and all is well in the world. I get what the author was trying to achieve but it just didn't play out well and came across as very stereotypical and rushed. Where I think the author's goal was to be open and frank about the topic of menstruation, it was more confusing and negative than I think she intended.

[Aud · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is beautiful. The grandmother's matter-of-fact, science-based explanation of why biologically female bodies get periods is great and gentle and age-appropriate. I loved all the magical creatures. I do think that it would have benefited from moving at a slighter slower pace and setting the scene a little bit more, but readers do get a good grasp of who the characters are before things start to change.

And therein lies the rub for me. Margot seems to change an awful lot very quickly. To the point where her middle sister seems to think she needs to be saved from some kind of possession. I'm not saying that's not unrealistic. That's how puberty does hit some girls. But, that's not the only story of puberty, and as a life-long tomboy, and I would have loved if that had somehow also been worked in. That not all women care about eyeliner or cute boys all of a sudden, and that you don't need to fundamentally change to prove that you're "grown up." Changes happen as you grow older, yes, and that's a great point for the book to make, but they don't always look like this. As a person who grew up with so much media that revolved around, "and then the tomboy suddenly cared about her appearance and stopped playing sports / changed herself for boys / was basically no longer herself because she was a WOMAN" I'm likely oversensitive to this plot line - it's not that poorly done here, but it still would have been nice if there had been a little more dimension to it.

Also, as great and understanding as the grandmother was to Margot, you'd like she'd spend a little bit of time trying to break things down with Kyra, and trying to explain things to her, too, instead of just brushing it off as "someday, you'll understand." She could have tried to bridge that gap - but then we wouldn't have had a middle grade adventure story (shrugs).

Anyway, it's a good book, I think kids (especially girls, which is a distinction I don't usually care to make) will love, I just have a couple of personal sticking points.

[ChesleyJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have liked this as a 12y old.
This book is basically an introduction to a woman's puberty. Gone about in a very odd way.
First there is this magic forest? Which signifies... What exactly? There are spirits that transform girls into women, even though if you have a period you are technically a woman. So She really did not need help with that mist people. (Not that whatever they changed in her was noticeable :/ )

I need to say this before I go onto my next point. This book was made for twelve year olds!

I was happy to see the part where the Grandma explained what a Uterus is, and what it does. Because not many girls know what it is. Because not a lot of mothers are there, nor are they willing to talk about it. This was a great way to teach girls the basic Biology in a way that the twelve year olds understand.
It isn't pushing an Ideology. It is helping kids understand basic body functions.

I did not like how everyone shoved Kyra out of the room, or group? Kyra wants to understand so she forces herself in. But no one tells her anything. The answer she is given is "You'll learn someday." Which might cause problems for her later. They were being all nice and descriptive with Margot, but Kyra had to listen to what she could.

I do have a question that comes to mind. What is the Wolf thingy? It's all scary and threatening but very unexplained. I have a few guesses but they don't exactly fit.

[R.C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the symbolism between the older sister's life changes and the fantastic creatures, and while I absolutely loved the artwork, this one fell short of its potential. As with many graphic novels (especially those meant for a younger audience), this work moved at a self-destructive speed. From the beginning I was thoroughly confused as to the rules of this world: we see the kids reading a storybook containing monsters, which leads me to think, "oh, they'll enter a storybook world via a portal!" But immediately afterwards we start seeing, and reading casual dialogue references to, the creatures contained in the storybook. Even now, I THINK that the creatures are entirely metaphorical, but wouldn't put money on my guess!

Additionally, while the characters all had their own spunk and lovable spirit, their development was severely reduced thanks to an unclear timeline overall. It's a shame, because, again, the illustrations are wonderful, each individual character does have a soul to them, and the concept that Spaaij has created is pretty lovely. I hope that her next work can combine the excellent art with an improved story, because there is most definitely some talent here!

[pineapple tofu · Rating 5 out of 5]

For two weeks, sisters Kyra, Margot, and Janna visit their grandma for the summer. While the youngest, Janna, is playing around with the mystical creatures of the forest, the oldest, Margot, starts to act strange. Kyra knows the mist furies have taken control of Margot, so saving her sister is up to her. From being caught by the trolls to the hellhound that wants Kyra for its own, she fights against the mysterious forest and all its inhabitants.
It's a moment of sisterhood and growing up, and for Margot, it's about being a young woman after she starts her first period. Janna is adorable as she sings with the root spirits and sometimes plays princess and tea with them. Margot and her teen ways, with vampire books and the hottest anime to watch, she's just getting older and wants to be left alone. Yet, for Kyra, she still wants that companionship from both her sisters, and she's determined to get it. Vivid art of the creatures of the forest, I found the sprites and root spirits fascinating. As the oldest of three sisters, I found this charming graphic novel close to my own heart. I still remember those childhood days of fun, laughter, and bonding, with them being cherishable. Thank you, Marlyn Spaaij, for writing and designing a heartwarming and sweet read!

[Elna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margot, Kyra, and Janna are spending a few weeks at their grandmother's house near a magical forest. Kyra, especially, is excited to spend time with her older sister Margot, building forts and having fun. But when Margot starts her period, she starts acting differently. And worse, the fog furies are calling to her, and Margot resents all of Kyra's attempts to break the spell...

I wish it was longer - there's a good story and theme here that would have been well-served by spending more time on the relationships between the sisters, both positive and negative. I have an older sister so it was very easy for me to empathize with Kyra, but I'm not sure kids who haven't lived that will be able to so quickly.

The art and coloring are really wonderful: vibrant, complex, with a full palette and great character designs.

Having read other reviews before purchase for my library, I had a little trepidation about the moment where their grandmother gives Margot the facts about her period, but it I didn't need to be: the information was delivered compassionately and matter-of-factly. Just mentioning the fact that uteruses exists and can carry babies is not exclusionary.

[Niina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pidin piirrostyylistä ja akvarellivärityksestä heti alusta alkaen. Hahmot ovat ihastuttavan eläväisiä ja omia persooniaan. Siskoista vanhin saa ensimmäiset kuukautisensa heidän ollessaan mummolassa lomalla ja mummo ottaa asian haltuun ihastuttavan lempeästi ja ilman nolostelua. Ihanan unenomainen sarjakuva lapsuuden ja nuoruuden rajalta.

Tämä muistuttaa jossakin määrin Myyttiset, Pohjantuli, Sisarukset Grémillet ja Lumberjanes -sarjoja.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
I received an electronic ARC from Flying Eye Books.
Three sisters spend part of the summer with their grandmother in a home that borders a rather interesting forest. The oldest of the three shares the legends of the Trolls, Fog Furies, Hellhound and Wisps as they travel together. Readers see changes happen with each of the three but the oldest, Margot, moves through the changes involved with her first period. The middle sister, Kyra, struggles with feeling left out and fighting to keep everything as it has been. The youngest, Janna, conquers her fears and represents childhood's innocence. She happily plays with the Wisps and stays outside the drama between her older sisters. I love the grandmother's matter of fact attitude when walking beside each of her granddaughters. She offers support and information for Margot; compassion for Kyra, and nurturing for Janna.
Middle grade and young adult readers will relate to the characters and find themselves somewhere in this tale. A terrific read for families to open dialogue on changes that come with growing up.