Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through Edelweiss and NetGalley. ( )

A steampunk, graphic novel? YES!! Well described as a cross between Japanese manga and Jules Verne, this book has been translated from French to English. At the heart of the story is the mysterious element of aether, which is thought to be usable to power ships for interplanetary travel. Young Seraphin and his engineer father are reeling from the loss of their intrepid mother/wife, whose aether experiment went too high in the atmosphere. They are invited to Germany to retrieve her journal, and then asked to assist in making a spaceship work. However, there are subversive elements in play. I think smaller pages would have improved the story, which seemed helter-skelter, but I liked the illustrations and look forward to the sequel being translated.

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A la fin du XIXe siècle, la communauté scientifique pense l'espace fait d’éther, qui, utilisée comme énergie, permettrait d’explorer le ciel. 1868, Marie Dulac, scientifique qui a consacré sa vie à la recherche de l’éther, s’élève en montgolfière pour ce qui doit être le vol du succès : elle atteindra l'éther... mais personne ne pourra en attester, elle ne survivra pas au vol. Seuls son mari, également professeur, et son fils Séraphin, restent détenteurs de ses recherches et de son savoir. Un an plus tard, Séraphin et son père reçoivent une mystérieuse lettre faisant allusion au carnet de la mère de Séraphin les invitant au château du roi de Bavière. Celui-ci, fou ou visionnaire, financera les recherches sur l'éther. En parallèle, Bismark, prince de la Prusse voisine, fera tout pour placer le royaume de Bavière

This "little" book is wondful, fantastic, a delight to read and look at. Not only the pictures are fantastic, the story is too.


Thank you to the publishers for the ARC I received through NetGalley. ( )

I saw this graphic novel at our library and it immediately grabbed my attention. This was a very well done graphic novel and is appropriate for middle grade and older readers.

The artwork is done in a watercolor style and is absolutely amazing; incredibly detailed and easy to follow.

This is a steampunk story full of adventure and intrigue. The story is exciting, magical, and has great characters throughout.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and plan on continuing with the series. My 11 year old son also really enjoyed this book. I am exciting to see what book 2, The Moon King, is like when it releases in September. ( )