Graphic Novel Review – Faeries of the Faultlines by Iris Compiet (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Any
Genre: Fantasy/Art Book/Graphic Novel
Length: 176 pages
Publisher: Eye of Newt Books
Release Date: August 17, 2021
ISBN-13 : 978-1777081720
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Christmas Gift
Rating: 4/5 stars
“The Faultlines is an ancient name given to those places where the veil between this world and the Other is thinnest. It is the place where faeries dwell, creatures creep, and magic oozes through the cracks. Recently the Faultlines have been stirring, opening up to all who wish to see, and to all who dare to venture…”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this book as a gift for Christmas last year.
Thoughts: This is more of an art-book than an actual story or book. It does remind a lot of Brian Froud’s “Fairies” book which I was a huge fan of growing up. It is also similar to “Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book”. This is done like a mocked up journal that someone who has visited the Faultlines was filling out.
In general this was a quick read and some of the artwork was really awesome. I also thought that some of the descriptions of the fairies were very fun and creative.
I did have some issues with this book. If you are looking for a story about faerie, this isn’t that at all. It’s chapters that go through different types of faeries, but even that isn’t very well organized. I struggled at points to see how certain drawing of faeries really belonged in the chapter they were put in. In the end, I just had to kind of go with it and stop paying attention to what chapter I was in.
The other issue I had is with the font used for the “written” portions of the journal. The font used was a super slanted and cramped cursive font that I struggled to read, especially on some of the faerie names. It would have been nice to have these parts in a more legible font. The last complaint I have is that a lot of the drawings in here were very unfinished feeling, they were just rough sketches. I enjoy more finished drawings, but that is a personal preference.
Aside from the above this is a nice “coffee table” book for anyone who loves faerie mythology or cryptozoology in general.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this is a nice coffee table book. There is some spectacular artwork in here along with some fun/cute explanations about the faeries. This is a creative book and it is fun to look through. I did think the font used in the “written” portions was hard to read and I was a bit disappointed that so many of the art pieces were sketches rather than full color finished pieces. If you are looking for a cute art-book for your coffee table I would recommend it. If you are looking for a cohesive faerie reference or a story to read, I would look elsewhere. There isn’t a story here and the book is fairly disorganized if you are really into learning about faerie lore.
