Graphic Novel Review – Estranged by Ethan M. Aldrige (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Length: 224 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: August 7, 2018
ISBN-13: 978-0062653864
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Son
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Edmund and the Childe were swapped at birth. Now Edmund lives in secret as a changeling in the World Above, his fae powers hidden from his unsuspecting parents and his older sister, Alexis. The Childe lives among the fae in the World Below, where being a human makes him a curiosity at the royal palace.

But when the cruel sorceress Hawthorne seizes the throne, the Childe and Edmund must unite on a dangerous quest to save both worlds—even if they’re not sure which world they belong to.”

The beautiful cover artwork drew my eye to this graphic novel. I actually got it for my 11 year old son for Christmas since he loves fantasy graphic novels. We both thought it was okay but not great.

The story is a pretty basic one about two boys (one faerie and one human) who are swapped at birth. As events unfold the human child is forced to seek out his human family displacing the faerie brother who has been living with them all these years.

While there are good themes about the meaning of family and friendship, the story is pretty basic.

The illustration was easy enough to follow but wasn’t my favorite style. It has a very “sketched” look to it and the colors are washed out. The effect was very unfinished looking artwork that seemed a bit weak to me.

Overall this was a decent fantasy graphic novel. The story is pretty basic and the artwork was good but not great. Both me and my son thought this was good and interesting but didn’t love it.