Danie StirlingRezensionen

This was sweet and thoughtful, but overall not quite satisfying for me.

I don't think this book captured me as much as i hoped. i think it was very slow paced and did not hve enough witchy vibes to or characters to keep me engaged the characters were fun but not enough to capture my attention!

I don't think this book captured me as much as i hoped. i think it was very slow paced and did not hve enough witchy vibes to or characters to keep me engaged the characters were fun but not enough to capture my attention!

Cute slice of life without too much conflict. Really enjoyed the focus on healthy communication. Always happy to see Webtoons adapted into print.

Ending thoughts: Avery was annoying. I feel like they were subtly hinting that Molly had feelings for Sian, but who knows. Ray and Laurie gave more friend vibes to me.

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/PWycFZIvLcw

Enjoy!

3.5 stars

I love a witchy graphic novel! This one incorporates magic casually. It is no big deal that magic and learning to fly on brooms are a thing in this world. The focus here is on a friendship that might be a romance, and Ray sorting out what she wants in her life right now when it comes to her studies, family, and friends. If you like this, try Pumpkinheads.

3.5 stars for this one. Cute love story between a Seer and a Musician and how they come together and then have to decide what’s best for their individual futures. Only thing that bothered me was that some of the chapter transitions seemed to shift without a proper link. I loved how the different pastries Aunt Selina bakes have to do with emotions.

Romance fantasy graphic novel about meeting and falling in love in a magical bakery. Ray, a seer struggling with what her next step in life will be, meets and falls in love with the boy who works at her favorite bakery, Laurie. But, romance isn’t always easy and both are chasing their own dreams - Ray to become a Council Member and Laurie, to become a professional musician. Even when Ray’s powers begin to shift and she can see the future, she can’t see where her and Laurie’s relationship will go.

Such a cute and lovely graphic novel. I absolutely loved the art and color scheme of this novel - one of the many reasons I picked it up to read it.

I also enjoyed the communication between Ray and Laurie when there was issue and conflict in their relationship. It was realistic and, even with the magical aspect of it all, it felt true.

I kind of would have loved to learn more about the magic system, especially the Council and what all it does, the layers to it, and how it works properly. For the amount of time we spent with Ray interning at the Council, I still felt like I didn’t know what exactly she did, or what they were doing. I know that was kind of the deal with it and their memories and such, but I felt a bit confused at some points.

Overall though, I really enjoyed the story and art of this graphic novel and was so glad I picked it up to read it.

Really sweet story! Loved the art, loved the magical world, loved the characters. I really enjoyed that Laurie and Ray are both dealing with juggling new careers and the demands that takes on their time and away from their relationship, and that in a lot of ways they choose to take their time with the relationship while they follow their individual interests and dreams. It makes them into stronger and more interesting people. I also really enjoyed the difficulties that Ray has a someone who's talent lets them know more than most people do, and how she navigates that.

middlegrade/teen/adult graphic fiction, magic and romance and baked goodies - from the webcomic, with incidentally queer characters.

cute and sweet, with a beautifully rendered magical setting.

A gentle and bittersweet coming of age romance set in a vague world of magic users with casual LGBTQ+ representation. It's all about relationships and thinking about relationships and talking about relationships while dealing with some annoying job issues, like imposed temporary amnesia and long commutes. It meanders a bit too much and the baking isn't as central to the book as the title would have you believe, but its a comfortable ride. I do fear it may evaporate from my mind within a few weeks though, being a sweet confection more than a hearty meal.

This is so sweet it gives me a tooth ache. Ray is just a girl sitting in a café wishing for romance. She is a Council intern as has been her dream for years. But she finds herself frequently stopping by a bakery where the treats are baked with spells. She is drawn to the woman who runs the place and the magic she can weave. There she meets Laurie, an up-and-coming musician who works for his aunt at the bakery while paying his dues. Here the romance is not just baked in the scones, it develops between these two in a slow and subtle way. But, as with any good romance, there are complications. Laurie can not fly. He has been scared of heights since his parents’ disappearance. Ray, as a council intern has her work memory wiped daily. And if she becomes a full council member she will be wiped from the memories of her friends and family until such time as she is no longer a council member. This is a very unique romance, and a great format with fantastic illustrations. I was a bit sad to see the story end, but it ended in a place of love and hope that just leaves the reader with a smile on their face.½

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

4/5 stars

Ray lives in a world where magic is a normal part of life. A seer who's had her sights (lol) set on becoming a member of the Grand Council of Sorcerers since she was a little girl, Ray wants nothing more than to use her talents to help others. Just as she's embarking on an internship in the Council Academy, Ray meets Laurie - a barista at his aunt's cafe - throwing her well-laid plans into question.

Once a week, Ray treats herself to a slice of Romance at Marigold's, where the pastries are imbued with a little something extra. Whereas most patrons claim that they're ordering Romance "for a friend," Ray unabashedly enjoys her flight of fancy right there in the cafe - and this is how she catches Laurie's eye.

An aspiring musician who lost his parents in a tragic riding accident when he was a kid, Laurie is a bit more adrift than Ray. Before she retired, his aunt Marigold was a legendary member of the Grand Council of Sorcerers - no pressure! Whereas Ray's future seems all but guaranteed, Laurie grapples with rejection after rejection.

Is Ray willing to sacrifice love for her dreams? And what if those dreams are a little less dazzling than she thought?

Overall I enjoyed CRUMBS - the world-building is, ahem, magical; the artwork is endearing; and Stirling delves into myriad issues that young adults, magical and otherwise, commonly grapple with: self-esteem, self-discovery, navigating relationships, career paths, rejection, and coping when you get what you want and are yet still dissatisfied.

CRUMBS started out as a webcomic from WEBTOON, which might explain its odd pacing: it starts to drag around 2/3 of the way through (the Ray/Laurie angst does get a little tedious, ngl), then comes to a very swift and satisfying conclusion. It almost feels like it would be better off as two books than one?

Otherwise I really liked it - for me, the highlights are Sian (I love that there's no needless girl-on-girl hate); Aunt Marigold; Stella and Wobble, Ray and Laurie's magical AI assistants; and Ray's unnamed (?), tough-but-fair mentor at the Scrolls branch.

A sweet (haha) fantasy romance. Lovingly rendered in both story and and art. The fantasy elements were really well thought out and integrated into the personalities and conflicts between characters. I really liked that we saw more than just the intial parts of a romance, that the seeming perfection of each love interest was interrogated, and some of the deeper issues that can come up when dating for more than a short time were a central part of the story.

Wow! Such a great story, I loved how Ray worked through everything. Her determination and drive were boundless. The ending got me all verklempt, such a lovely ending. Here's hoping there is more to this story and we will see a sequel.

Highly recommend.

3.5 stars