BooktubeSFF Awards discussion

Hi! I'm Rachel, and I'll be leading the March readalong for the first of our graphic work nominees, Aquicorn Cove by Katie O'Neill.

This is a middle grade graphic novel, so very short and quick to read. Feel free to jump in and leave your thoughts whenever! Please remember to use spoiler tags to discuss specifics, so people joining later don't get spoiled :-)

I just read O'Neill's previous children's book, The Tea Dragon Society, and it was seriously cute with lovely artwork, so I'm really looking forward to Aquicorn Cove!

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS!

It's waiting for me at the library! I'm probably going to read it immediately when I go to pick it up tomorrow.

I put my hold in for this at my library as well! I'm actually very keen to read this one to see why so many people voted for it!

I got this from the library last week and read it that same day. I enjoyed it and was a bit surprised that a middle grade graphic novel could have the emotional pull that it did (middle grade is usually off my radar). To that same point I did wish at times that it was a bit more complex, but then had to remind myself of the target audience.

I just finished it, I feel pretty much the same. I really liked it, but it's so hard to adjust my feelings based on this being MG, because I read so few MG books. I loved (view spoiler)[ the LGBT rep, like in Tea Dragon, and also that the people of the village don't all look the same. The message felt a bit on the nose, but I'm trying to remind myself that it's for kids. (hide spoiler)]

I don't know how I'm supposed to compare this to something like Monstress though :D I mean yes, I might rate them the same on GR, but it's hard to imagine them being in the same category.

I read it over the weekend and I have similar thoughts. It was sweet, and a good story about grief for children. I found myself really lingering on the artwork, rather than the story, since it was quite simple and short. I just really like O'Neill's art style!

I think I would have liked it to be a little longer. (view spoiler)[It just felt like the adventure in the cove was over in a second, and not much focus on the Aquicorns. When the little Aquicorn was rescued, I thought we'd see more interactions with those creatures, but really the story went to the underwater city and Aure. (hide spoiler)]

But keeping the target audience in mind, I don't suppose the shortness is really a bad thing. It does manage to convey a lot, even if it jumps pretty quickly from event to event.

It really is hard to compare it to something like Monstress - they are absolutely different in every way!

I read this last year, and I love it! Katie O'Neill is one of my favorite authors now. I read middle grade often enough though and I work with kids, so I found that I wasn't bothered by how short it was, or that it's not as complex as it could be. The nominees are all very different though!

This was really cute, and I imagine it's perfect for its target audience. I adore its message of taking care of the world we live in. But since I don't have kids, nor do I interact with them, I found it very hard to compare against other graphic novels I've read. (view spoiler)[ I also wanted more on the grieving aspect. It was sort of mentioned but then took a back seat to the coral city.

And part of me wonders why the aunt was once saved in a storm, but not the mother. Why does Aunt Mae get to live, but her sister does not? Or was the mother's death a "lesson" to Aunt Mae? I'm reading way more into this than I should, but I have some questions for Aure. :) (hide spoiler)]

Read Aquicorn, so cute!

I just finished this and really enjoyed it. The art style was really cute, and it packs an important message into the short story.

I thought it was cute with some good themes, but super simplistic and forgettable. I realize it's middle grade, but I was underwhelmed. I won't be voting for this one.