I was really disappointed in this book. While I think that the artwork is beautiful, I feel like I seen this plot so many times before. The characters are also uninspiring and one-dimensional. ( )

If I had a tween girl I would pass this comic along to her RIGHT NOW. Great story with a plucky heroine, but also a deeper message about the importance of story in our lives.

Aeslin was used to her parents telling her stories, but all that changed when her father died and her mother banned the notion of anything magical from the world. Fortunately, Aeslin finds the perfect bookstore, and is sold the perfect book, and falls into another world from that book. Multiple times. So jealous.

There's fantasy and mystery and new things to be learned about parents. There's reaffirmation that girls can do anything they set out to do, that traditional gender roles are bunk, and that stories are everything we think they are.

The art is manga-style - not my favorite style, but also well-rendered and, in this instance, didn't make me want to barf all over the cuteness. That probably sounds like faint praise, but it isn't. The artist actually made me like a manga style and that's new and different.

Great for tweens, but really for anyone of any age who's looking for a great little story and some true entertainment on a rainy day.

P.S. Did I mention the dragons? ( )

Wow – this story just sucked me in and left me wanting. I can’t stand having to wait for the next installment. The worst part is that I am posting this review just as the book is hitting shelves but I read it back in December. It’s going to be a long wait for Volume 2.
Aeslin heard the stories of Avalon as a child. She loved the fantasy until one day her father dies. Fantasy and Avalon are over for her. Years later, she buys a sequal to the book to find it’s a portal between her world and Avalon. Aeslin has a great destiny ahead of her as the Dragon Knight.
There are some twists and turns in this story – some I was expecting, some I was not. I just wish there was more to each novel. Because I have an ARC – I can’t be certain what the book will look like. At the moment it’s a well drawn black and white but I get the impression it will be printed in full color. The drawings are clean so color will only add to the detail. If it stays black and white – it’s still a well put together graphic novel. There are a few characters I had problems determining but part of that has to do with the volume of characters introduced. This is going to be a really fun ride and I can’t wait. ( )

Background: When Aeslin was young her parents used to read her a story before bed, when all of a sudden one day her mom tells her no more stories and that her father is gone. Now as a teen, Aeslin discovers what actually happened, there is a mysterious book that her life is a part of and she begins her quest for her destiny in the book...

Review: I received this book as an advanced reader copy and really feel for the story line. I love anything that involves a book within a book. Aeslin is a teen girl who is learning about her family's interesting and abnormal history, and she is doing this by falling into a story...literally. The Avalon Chronicles Vol.1 is her first adventure to Avalon and it is easy to read, action packed, and the illustrations are beautiful and detailed. Aeslin is a wonderful character to follow and even though there is only a little dialogue we begin to learn a lot about the other characters in the story as well, Cassidy and Will.

Definitely recommend for all ages, esp. if you like graphic novels. ( )