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The Marble Queen
The Marble Queen is a YA Fantasy graphic novel that’s the political drama of Nimona meets the heartfelt romance of The Princess and the Dressmaker, but this time in a sapphic romance surrounded by a mist of magic.
Princess Amelia’s kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad—a country shrouded in mystery—Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life.
But she lands on Iliad’s shores to find that her betrothed isn't the country’s prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira.
Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen's sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife's, all while war looms on the horizon.
Princess Amelia’s kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad—a country shrouded in mystery—Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life.
But she lands on Iliad’s shores to find that her betrothed isn't the country’s prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira.
Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen's sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife's, all while war looms on the horizon.
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2024
About the author
Anna Kopp
40 books55 followersAnna Kopp is a children’s author who lives in Ohio with her husband, two boys, and two cats. She was born and raised in Russia, and immigrated to the United States when she was 11. She was an IT specialist in the US Army and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, but her true passion is writing.
Anna loves creating fantastical stories for children of all ages, from picture books to young adult novels. When she’s not writing she’s playing video games or reading the latest books about lost princesses.
Anna loves creating fantastical stories for children of all ages, from picture books to young adult novels. When she’s not writing she’s playing video games or reading the latest books about lost princesses.
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March 12, 2024I love lesbians. I love swords. and I love lesbians with swords.
This book really worked for me on a surface level. The story was exciting, there were a substantial amount of twists, and I really enjoyed the balance of romance and political intrigue, with a sprinkle of discussion on mental health. Seriously, if you really want to read about some sapphic queens in an anime-inspired romance with sword fighting and court politics and a little bit of fantasy, it's right here.
Critically, I had a few issues with it. Firstly, this book was delayed a year and a half (I hope everyone who worked on it is okay!) so I had higher hopes for the quality of a book that took so long to complete. The writing was... fine, but nothing to write home about, and the pacing was a little off at times. But I was honestly mostly disappointed by the art. This is by no means a dunk on the artist, in fact, directly the opposite. I was SO excited for the art in this book having just read No Holds Bard, also illustrated by Gabrielle Kari. The art in that book BLEW me away, with complex composition, expressive characters and body language, and overall just a really beautiful and detailed style. So it was disappointing to see that most of the panels in this book contained stiff composition, were weirdly simplistic, and lacked movement and dimension (this doesn't apply to the characters' hair, which was stunning always). The art was still good! Very cute! But not up to the caliber I've seen from this artist.
But this was a great story, even if the craft was somewhat lackluster for such a prolonged wait. And I'm truly never going to say no to a story about lesbians and swords.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
CW: anxiety attacks, mental illness, blood, violence, war, gun violence, death, imprisonment, character death, homophobia, poison, death of parents (past)
This book really worked for me on a surface level. The story was exciting, there were a substantial amount of twists, and I really enjoyed the balance of romance and political intrigue, with a sprinkle of discussion on mental health. Seriously, if you really want to read about some sapphic queens in an anime-inspired romance with sword fighting and court politics and a little bit of fantasy, it's right here.
Critically, I had a few issues with it. Firstly, this book was delayed a year and a half (I hope everyone who worked on it is okay!) so I had higher hopes for the quality of a book that took so long to complete. The writing was... fine, but nothing to write home about, and the pacing was a little off at times. But I was honestly mostly disappointed by the art. This is by no means a dunk on the artist, in fact, directly the opposite. I was SO excited for the art in this book having just read No Holds Bard, also illustrated by Gabrielle Kari. The art in that book BLEW me away, with complex composition, expressive characters and body language, and overall just a really beautiful and detailed style. So it was disappointing to see that most of the panels in this book contained stiff composition, were weirdly simplistic, and lacked movement and dimension (this doesn't apply to the characters' hair, which was stunning always). The art was still good! Very cute! But not up to the caliber I've seen from this artist.
But this was a great story, even if the craft was somewhat lackluster for such a prolonged wait. And I'm truly never going to say no to a story about lesbians and swords.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
CW: anxiety attacks, mental illness, blood, violence, war, gun violence, death, imprisonment, character death, homophobia, poison, death of parents (past)
March 21, 2024
Super disappointing, felt like sapphic romantasy in graphic novel form and if that concept works for you, you’ll probably enjoy this.
The focus in this overly long graphic novel is on the sapphic romance, which is nicely done, but everything else fell to the wayside. The side characters were nearly indistinguishable from one another - one example is how each queen’s brother was the same happy go lucky dude, only one was white and one was brown. It had the most generic political palace plot you can think of. The anxiety rep felt alright though it seemed like it fell away toward the end, rather than seeing it truly be worked on.
The art is the biggest let down here, and that cover is so misleading. The actual art in the book is like a rough sketch version of the polished cover. 90% of the art was a character set against a solid color background with no indication of space or setting. It felt very amateur.
I was really looking forward to this one, alas.
The focus in this overly long graphic novel is on the sapphic romance, which is nicely done, but everything else fell to the wayside. The side characters were nearly indistinguishable from one another - one example is how each queen’s brother was the same happy go lucky dude, only one was white and one was brown. It had the most generic political palace plot you can think of. The anxiety rep felt alright though it seemed like it fell away toward the end, rather than seeing it truly be worked on.
The art is the biggest let down here, and that cover is so misleading. The actual art in the book is like a rough sketch version of the polished cover. 90% of the art was a character set against a solid color background with no indication of space or setting. It felt very amateur.
I was really looking forward to this one, alas.
January 10, 2024
Is this romantasy? I keep seeing that term, and this is a mix of romance and fantasy.. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of romance, but this seems fine on that front. The art sometimes reminds me of murals, which is nice, but then the faces are overly manga-esque, which I'm not a fan of. Too many panels with just characters and no backgrounds, a real no no to me.
I'm clearly not the audience for this, but it's fiiiine.
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
I'm clearly not the audience for this, but it's fiiiine.
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](http://web.archive.org/web/20240428153720im_/https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1645808644i/7494844._UX200_CR0,6,200,200_.jpg)
March 26, 2024
When I saw this cover and that premise back in 2022 and I fainted and fell to the floor.
I waited. I watched. I anticipated. My library bought some copies and I immediately placed a hold—number 10! I watched and waited more and then screamed and damn-near ripped the copy out of a coworker's hands in my delight at seeing this book in the flesh.
The feral-ness I felt in wanting to read this.
So imagine how heartbroken I feel to rate this two stars.
Look.
It could have been great. The ingredients were all there.
But.
So much was crammed into one 336-page graphic novel that a lot was left to be desired, and many elements were rushed. I wish that as much time and consideration was spent developing the plotlines and characters as was spent on Amelia lying in bed, getting ready, and the depictions of thorns around her for anxiety. Show me her and Salira! Show me more! Instead, a good chunk is spent getting Amelia to Iliad, then getting her acclimated, and then all of a sudden there's a huge chunk of plot that's thrown out of nowhere (okay it's there but it's clunky) and there's a few weird plotlines that didn't really need to be there as undeveloped as they were.
And the artwork itself...as my coworker said and I agree, if just a little shading had been used it would have helped. But the illustrations were inconsistent and the printing of them looked real bad. Like the printer was using a low pixelation for the images. And the images themselves...I prefer something a little more polished.
It felt like a 7 book series that was compressed into one 90-minute movie.
Edit: I just saw on the author's profile that it was meant to be a standalone and I—no.
I waited. I watched. I anticipated. My library bought some copies and I immediately placed a hold—number 10! I watched and waited more and then screamed and damn-near ripped the copy out of a coworker's hands in my delight at seeing this book in the flesh.
The feral-ness I felt in wanting to read this.
So imagine how heartbroken I feel to rate this two stars.
Look.
It could have been great. The ingredients were all there.
But.
So much was crammed into one 336-page graphic novel that a lot was left to be desired, and many elements were rushed. I wish that as much time and consideration was spent developing the plotlines and characters as was spent on Amelia lying in bed, getting ready, and the depictions of thorns around her for anxiety. Show me her and Salira! Show me more! Instead, a good chunk is spent getting Amelia to Iliad, then getting her acclimated, and then all of a sudden there's a huge chunk of plot that's thrown out of nowhere (okay it's there but it's clunky) and there's a few weird plotlines that didn't really need to be there as undeveloped as they were.
And the artwork itself...as my coworker said and I agree, if just a little shading had been used it would have helped. But the illustrations were inconsistent and the printing of them looked real bad. Like the printer was using a low pixelation for the images. And the images themselves...I prefer something a little more polished.
It felt like a 7 book series that was compressed into one 90-minute movie.
Edit: I just saw on the author's profile that it was meant to be a standalone and I—no.
Shelved as 'anticipated-releases'
March 14, 2022this cover... my heart can only handle so much!
March 16, 2024
I know - I am also shocked that I read something that's not MM. But with a cover like that, I couldn't resist.
This was super cute! The story was sweet & the art was lovely.
This was super cute! The story was sweet & the art was lovely.
March 18, 2024
2.5⭐
I am devastated that I didn't love this.
I have been excited for this release since I knew of it's existence. The concept = great; the cover = phenomenal! Sadly, this was just meh...
Although I adore the cover of this graphic novel, the art inside was just fine. Some panels were good, but others were kinda wonky and I wasn't a big fan... I wish the entire book could have been of the same quality (or at least the same style) as the cover.
As for the story, I wish we could have gotten more. The plot in and of itself was okay, but the pacing was a bit too fast for my liking and I didn't feel any connection to the characters. I would have liked to see the gradual progression of the MCs' relationship. We didn't get to see them get to know each other, and I honestly couldn't tell you a single thing about the love interest's personality.
I am devastated that I didn't love this.
I have been excited for this release since I knew of it's existence. The concept = great; the cover = phenomenal! Sadly, this was just meh...
Although I adore the cover of this graphic novel, the art inside was just fine. Some panels were good, but others were kinda wonky and I wasn't a big fan... I wish the entire book could have been of the same quality (or at least the same style) as the cover.
As for the story, I wish we could have gotten more. The plot in and of itself was okay, but the pacing was a bit too fast for my liking and I didn't feel any connection to the characters. I would have liked to see the gradual progression of the MCs' relationship. We didn't get to see them get to know each other, and I honestly couldn't tell you a single thing about the love interest's personality.
Want to read
May 20, 2021'A sapphic YA graphic novel with sword fighting, political intrigue and magic where the princess needs a marriage alliance for the welfare of her kingdom, but she unknowingly accepts a proposal from a mysterious kingdom, having come not from the prince, but the recently coronated queen'
March 8, 2024
(2.5) disappointed :( I liked it but it felt sort of half finished, never really connected with the characters or the plot. The way the MC’s anxiety was portrayed was sick asf tho, and obviously I would never one star lesbians
March 19, 2024
Sword Lesbian x Math Lesbian
you're laughing! most of the men who set foot on this book are dead and you're laughing!
you're laughing! most of the men who set foot on this book are dead and you're laughing!
March 19, 2024
I waited literally years for this graphic novel.
After having been delayed a hundred times, 'The Marble Queen' by Anna Kopp and Gabrielle Kari has finally been published in March 2024, at least in physical form, in paperback. I had lost and gained patience. I was assured, then I was frustrated, and then I was reassured again and again of its eventual existence. I was overhyped by the time I at last got my hands on this tome.
So after all that, what are my final thoughts? My conclusions? What did I think of 'The Marble Queen' in the end?
Ehhhhhh.
Okay. I am quite disappointed.
It's by no means terrible, nor especially bad. It's just kind of uneven and clunky.
The plot basically goes as follows: Amelia is a princess with anxiety, whose kingdom of Marion is at the mercy of pirates, and near-broke. A political marriage alliance is decided with another, more powerful yet mysterious kingdom, Iliad. It turns out Amelia is not marrying the prince (who is already married with a daughter), but his sister, the queen - the handsome and aloof Salira. Both women - both queens - are dealing with their own internal issues, and all the while there is political intrigue, espionage, attempted assassinations, frame-ups, riots, shady dealings, and attempted mutiny. And a tragic past coming back to haunt the two women, in their budding, blossomy romance. A royal pain, indeed.
An LBGTQ+ romance between two queens in a fantasy epic, with an obvious 'The Rose of the Versailles' and 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' influence, sounds absolutely marvellous, doesn't it?
Unfortunately, 'The Marble Queen' contains many flaws in its execution. I'll start with:
The pacing. It's all over the place. Really, nothing happens in the first half of the book, just slice-of-life stuff in Iliad and Amelia settling there, and being introduced to the assemble cast. Then a riot and deaths happen, and Amelia moves to another place for a bit, then she has a birthday, then she marries Salira, then a framing and imprisonment happens, and then corruption and betrayals are revealed, and then a sudden move to somewhere else before we rush to the battle climax, which ends too quickly, and then the comic ends too quickly and abruptly, teasing a sequel.
Nothing is built up properly; the plot begins by moving slowly like molasses, leaving behind a saccharine syrupy trail that might be sweet and cute, but nonetheless doesn't stay with you on a deeper, meaningful or memorable level in your heart and soul. Then it rushes its action in the middle of its second half; the rapid, hasty pace only gets worse as it hurriedly battering-rams its way towards the end. It gets so bad that certain characters would be forgotten about, but then would suddenly appear in a panel and the subsequent scene later on, with no explanation. Characters keep disappearing and reappearing like ghosts of forgotten-notes past.
The beginning and middle of 'The Marble Queen' may give the reader time to breathe, relax and get to know the characters, but at the third act and denouement, we are awarded no such thing; no cathartic payoff.
The rushed elements and plot points are not given the emotional weight, impact and aftermath that is appropriate to the situation. Like, people die horribly and then it is forgotten about and followed up on with lighthearted, jokey moments. Main character deaths are not given any time to be grieved over by the other characters - they will be forgotten about too, or at least will not be mentioned again. It's rush rush rush!
This links to my problem with Amelia, our main heroine. Amelia, who is terrified throughout her story, who is supposed to be suffering from a serious anxiety disorder, and is in a dire situation where she can't go back home to her own kingdom again, doesn't know who to trust, and there are attempts on her life. With these important and potent details in mind, there is the dissonance in that she moves on from traumatic events very quickly and easily. For example, moments where people die bloodily right in front of her, and when she is sentenced to death (I won't give context since I've decided to make this a spoiler-free review). Amelia forgets about people when they are not standing directly in her line of vision. It's fairly ridiculous.
It suits the rush-rush-rush pace of the book, though. Even when Amelia is eventually reunited with her family from Marion, she takes it in stride, no weight, no stakes, no big deal, no heartfelt scenes. Oh, did she have a birthday somewhere in here? Why was that included? What was the point? What an odd detail to include right after a traumatic plot point that won't come to fruition until the end!
Amelia does train with a sword and pistol at some point in the second half of the story, but - slight spoiler - she ends up not using any weapon in the climax. It's Salira who's the action queen with a sword. No other woman is allowed to fight alongside her, apparently. No other woman is allowed to be useful in a war.
To be honest, Amelia on the whole is a pretty useless protagonist, except when it comes to finances, reading, and emotional support. She doesn't have to be a physically tough, Xena-type action girl, of course, but just because she can run headfirst into battles, conflicts and clashes with no weapons, no plans (she doesn't even use her "intelligence" in these, she's just... present), and have a gun pointed at her, and she miraculously survives all these ordeals unscathed, it doesn't mean her anxiety is magical cured! If anything it should be worse now! Her lack of PTSD is a result of the rushed pace, but is it also because she loves Salira? Love doesn't fix everything! Having a romantic partner doesn't fix everything! What is this 2000s-2010s YA romance tropes BS?
The magic element, which is exclusive to Iliad and only Iliad in this fantasy world, is a strange and somewhat pointless inclusion to 'The Marble Queen'. In one scene Salira takes Amelia, who had thought magic the stuff of fairy tales beforehand, to Iliad's secret caves, where magical stones reside, and she explains her kingdom's history, but not what the magic is, what it does, and where it comes from. It's a vaguely defined life force of some kind. Like chi, or Mother Nature, but far more vague. Is it used for fertility and growth? I don't know. Is it a kind of love-bond connection magic, given to the people of Iliad - oh wait, never mind, that's forgotten about as soon as it's suggested. It's not clear if the stones are actually worth anything; are worth the other lands stealing for themselves. The magic is there as a power symbol, as far as I can tell.
The magic stones (or life force? Which is it, exactly?) also cause outsiders of Iliad to lose their memories of their time in the kingdom once they leave it, hence why no one outside of Iliad knows about the magic, and how Iliad has managed to keep its secrets. And why Amelia can't go back home, or else she'll forget about Salira. But don't worry, this isn't important. It's only bought up once later, and isn't a huge issue at all.
The pirates issue ends up being no big deal, too. They're barely a part of anything. They're dealt with off-page and explained away in a single line of dialogue, with no details given, it seems, when they were a such a threat at the beginning and were the reason why the plot happened in the first place. WTF?
If you are coming into this graphic novel expecting pirate action and adventure, yeah, no, you will not find it here. What a letdown.
I will mention that Salira is a cool character. Complex, multilayered and with a deep, dark, distressing secret past. Gorgeous, refined, regal and badass on the outside, and kind and 100% respectful to Amelia and her boundaries. This shouldn't be such a high bar to reach in terms of decency, but unfortunately, it is, so there you go.
Salira's face also literally cracks a few times in the comic, whenever she is stressed, or at her lowest point, which I think is meant to be symbolic of her cracking under pressure. It's an understated detail to her character. And I think it is the reason why the book is called 'The Marble Queen'. Marble symbolism, in many ways! Or it could be just a very odd, random artistic choice. It even looks comical in places - in dramatic, tragic scenes, where it absolutely should not look stupid and laughable.
Speaking of: the artwork. Let's talk about the artwork.
I'm going to come right out and say it - the cover art is much better than what is inside the book. For the actual art in 'The Marble Queen' is... not very good. It's not horrible, and some panels on their own are fine, and it is colourful enough, but there is a haphazard, slapdash mixing of different styles. There's a pastel, childish look and tone to the whole thing; not clean and polished. It's mostly cartoony and manga-esque, which I did not expect. I expected art that is more richly detailed, and smooth and flows effortlessly from one panel to the next, based on the cover, and the historical-lite, regency setting with a fantastical touch (another thing not found in the real story; again, the "magic" element is a small and completely superfluous addition).
I swear, 80% of the panels have no backgrounds, with the characters drawn to look simple, silly and manga-like in the forefront, and it feels less like a stylistic choice and more like laziness, which is shocking for a comic like this. Movement arrows, with descriptions, and descriptions of sounds and facial expressions, are included, which is helpful, given the lacklustre art that doesn't convey action properly a lot of the time.
Heck, in the scene where Amelia is at a ballroom for her engagement party, there is one particular error where a big front strand of her hair, which is down when the rest of her hair is up, disappears in one panel! It's impossible not to notice. How did that get past the editing stage? In a book that has been delayed numerous times!
Plus, nearly all the male characters look the same. I could hardly tell them apart, and I had to go back and doublecheck who was who several times. I like most of the character designs, however, and some of the facial expressions are well drawn and convey emotion well.
How Amelia's anxiety is depicted and expressed, through symbolic purple thorns growing around her, is a good, effective choice.
*sigh* And we have yet another regency/historical fiction story where the queen - in this case I mean the queen of Marion, Amelia's mother - is a horrible, uptight, one-note, conservative shrew who is borderline abusive towards her daughter, while the king is kind and more openminded. Amelia's mother is a haughty, controlling, homophobic, bourgeoisie narcissist. As little as she appears in the book, it is clear she is responsible for a lot of Amelia's anxiety issues. 'The Marble Queen' wants to make it clear to the reader, more than once, that the marriage of the king and queen of Marion was arranged, neither of them had a choice in the matter - because why else would anyone marry such a bitch, amirite?!
I'd thought that pop culture, mainstream media would be careful and thoughtful in this modern era. By now we should be aware enough to subvert harmful stereotypes, not perpetuate them. Like, say, depict queens who are good and not evil; who can handle power without going mad.
But I guess since Salira technically counts as a good queen (debatable, given the decisions she made in her dark, complex past, and how we scarcely see her actually perform any queenly duties), we have licence to throw other queens under the bus to make her look better in comparison!
Amelia doesn't have much in the way of positive, non-romantic female influences and companionship. Most of the other female "characters" don't appear much in the book, and are fundamentally useless. If I was being generous, I would say that maybe Amelia's maid from Marion, Mina, and her sister-in-law Anita, are nice, supportive friends to her. Iris, Amelia's bodyguard and guide, is cool like Salira, although the potential of her character is utterly wasted. I can't elaborate due to spoilers, but I am miffed by how she's treated and what ends up happening to her.
It is also made clear near the beginning that same-sex couples are common and normalised in Iliad, unlike everywhere else, apparently. But we only see evidence of this in the engagement party scene - after that, apart from Amelia and Salira's courtship and relationship, there is otherwise a bubble of heteronormality. Anita's, and then Amelia's, three court lady "friends" all have husbands, and are man-crazy (BTW, they vanish without a trace after appearing in a few scenes, they don't amount to anything vital to the plot). Salira's brother and Amelia's brother both have wives and children. Amelia and Salira's relationship is nice, if a little rushed and insta-lovey, typically, but they can't be the only queer couple in 'The Marble Queen', surely? One sapphic queen pair is cool and awesome, but give us other queer couples, too, especially if they're supposed to be normalised in the world you created and the story you're telling! It's part of the show don't tell rule of writing.
I think that does it for this review.
I should have loved 'The Marble Queen'. It contains nearly everything I love, and I waited years to get my hands on it, so I desperately wanted it to be worth it. Sadly, it was not to be.
It is not a bad graphic novel, and there is stuff to like about it, certainly. But after finally reading it, and after a few days of distancing myself from it, finding what exactly it is I remember about it, and how much I actually enjoyed it, if I did enjoy it at all, I'm afraid I'm going to have to come to the conclusion that, to my eyes, it is mediocre.
Maybe my standards are too high, but I've been reading graphic novels for over a decade now, and my seasoned, jaded self sees no problems with having high standards nowadays. I know what is good, I know what I enjoy. I know what I like, and what is worth keeping and remembering. 'The Marble Queen' falls just short of this Artemis Crescent moon estimation.
At the end of it all, I am glad I read it, if that's any consolation.
Keep on drawing and writing, and telling stories, everyone. Keeping being creative and artistic. Keep demanding your voice, your work, your heart, your soul, be heard.
Take care and be kind. Look out for one another always.
Final Score: 3/5
EDIT: I just noticed another thing: Since 'The Marble Queen' hasn't met a negative older woman stereotype it didn't like, we have the nagging, fussing, disapproving mother-in-law in Lady Rhea, Anita's mother and lady of one of Iliad's provinces. She is only in a few pages, but like with Amelia's mother, we get the full picture of her one-dimensional prop-ness (to call her a character would be inaccurate) right away. After Rhea unabashedly finds flaws in Anita and Amelia upon seeing them, Salira's brother Mateo says to Amelia that his mother-in-law is hard to impress, and he's accepted long ago that he'll never be good enough for Anita in Rhea's view. HE'S THE FUCKING PRINCE OF HER COUNTRY! HIS SISTER IS THE QUEEN! HIS DAUGHTER - HER GRANDDAUGHTER - IS THE OFFICIAL HEIR TO THE THRONE! IS THAT SERIOUSLY NOT ENOUGH TO IMPRESS HER! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!
After having been delayed a hundred times, 'The Marble Queen' by Anna Kopp and Gabrielle Kari has finally been published in March 2024, at least in physical form, in paperback. I had lost and gained patience. I was assured, then I was frustrated, and then I was reassured again and again of its eventual existence. I was overhyped by the time I at last got my hands on this tome.
So after all that, what are my final thoughts? My conclusions? What did I think of 'The Marble Queen' in the end?
Ehhhhhh.
Okay. I am quite disappointed.
It's by no means terrible, nor especially bad. It's just kind of uneven and clunky.
The plot basically goes as follows: Amelia is a princess with anxiety, whose kingdom of Marion is at the mercy of pirates, and near-broke. A political marriage alliance is decided with another, more powerful yet mysterious kingdom, Iliad. It turns out Amelia is not marrying the prince (who is already married with a daughter), but his sister, the queen - the handsome and aloof Salira. Both women - both queens - are dealing with their own internal issues, and all the while there is political intrigue, espionage, attempted assassinations, frame-ups, riots, shady dealings, and attempted mutiny. And a tragic past coming back to haunt the two women, in their budding, blossomy romance. A royal pain, indeed.
An LBGTQ+ romance between two queens in a fantasy epic, with an obvious 'The Rose of the Versailles' and 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' influence, sounds absolutely marvellous, doesn't it?
Unfortunately, 'The Marble Queen' contains many flaws in its execution. I'll start with:
The pacing. It's all over the place. Really, nothing happens in the first half of the book, just slice-of-life stuff in Iliad and Amelia settling there, and being introduced to the assemble cast. Then a riot and deaths happen, and Amelia moves to another place for a bit, then she has a birthday, then she marries Salira, then a framing and imprisonment happens, and then corruption and betrayals are revealed, and then a sudden move to somewhere else before we rush to the battle climax, which ends too quickly, and then the comic ends too quickly and abruptly, teasing a sequel.
Nothing is built up properly; the plot begins by moving slowly like molasses, leaving behind a saccharine syrupy trail that might be sweet and cute, but nonetheless doesn't stay with you on a deeper, meaningful or memorable level in your heart and soul. Then it rushes its action in the middle of its second half; the rapid, hasty pace only gets worse as it hurriedly battering-rams its way towards the end. It gets so bad that certain characters would be forgotten about, but then would suddenly appear in a panel and the subsequent scene later on, with no explanation. Characters keep disappearing and reappearing like ghosts of forgotten-notes past.
The beginning and middle of 'The Marble Queen' may give the reader time to breathe, relax and get to know the characters, but at the third act and denouement, we are awarded no such thing; no cathartic payoff.
The rushed elements and plot points are not given the emotional weight, impact and aftermath that is appropriate to the situation. Like, people die horribly and then it is forgotten about and followed up on with lighthearted, jokey moments. Main character deaths are not given any time to be grieved over by the other characters - they will be forgotten about too, or at least will not be mentioned again. It's rush rush rush!
This links to my problem with Amelia, our main heroine. Amelia, who is terrified throughout her story, who is supposed to be suffering from a serious anxiety disorder, and is in a dire situation where she can't go back home to her own kingdom again, doesn't know who to trust, and there are attempts on her life. With these important and potent details in mind, there is the dissonance in that she moves on from traumatic events very quickly and easily. For example, moments where people die bloodily right in front of her, and when she is sentenced to death (I won't give context since I've decided to make this a spoiler-free review). Amelia forgets about people when they are not standing directly in her line of vision. It's fairly ridiculous.
It suits the rush-rush-rush pace of the book, though. Even when Amelia is eventually reunited with her family from Marion, she takes it in stride, no weight, no stakes, no big deal, no heartfelt scenes. Oh, did she have a birthday somewhere in here? Why was that included? What was the point? What an odd detail to include right after a traumatic plot point that won't come to fruition until the end!
Amelia does train with a sword and pistol at some point in the second half of the story, but - slight spoiler - she ends up not using any weapon in the climax. It's Salira who's the action queen with a sword. No other woman is allowed to fight alongside her, apparently. No other woman is allowed to be useful in a war.
To be honest, Amelia on the whole is a pretty useless protagonist, except when it comes to finances, reading, and emotional support. She doesn't have to be a physically tough, Xena-type action girl, of course, but just because she can run headfirst into battles, conflicts and clashes with no weapons, no plans (she doesn't even use her "intelligence" in these, she's just... present), and have a gun pointed at her, and she miraculously survives all these ordeals unscathed, it doesn't mean her anxiety is magical cured! If anything it should be worse now! Her lack of PTSD is a result of the rushed pace, but is it also because she loves Salira? Love doesn't fix everything! Having a romantic partner doesn't fix everything! What is this 2000s-2010s YA romance tropes BS?
The magic element, which is exclusive to Iliad and only Iliad in this fantasy world, is a strange and somewhat pointless inclusion to 'The Marble Queen'. In one scene Salira takes Amelia, who had thought magic the stuff of fairy tales beforehand, to Iliad's secret caves, where magical stones reside, and she explains her kingdom's history, but not what the magic is, what it does, and where it comes from. It's a vaguely defined life force of some kind. Like chi, or Mother Nature, but far more vague. Is it used for fertility and growth? I don't know. Is it a kind of love-bond connection magic, given to the people of Iliad - oh wait, never mind, that's forgotten about as soon as it's suggested. It's not clear if the stones are actually worth anything; are worth the other lands stealing for themselves. The magic is there as a power symbol, as far as I can tell.
The magic stones (or life force? Which is it, exactly?) also cause outsiders of Iliad to lose their memories of their time in the kingdom once they leave it, hence why no one outside of Iliad knows about the magic, and how Iliad has managed to keep its secrets. And why Amelia can't go back home, or else she'll forget about Salira. But don't worry, this isn't important. It's only bought up once later, and isn't a huge issue at all.
The pirates issue ends up being no big deal, too. They're barely a part of anything. They're dealt with off-page and explained away in a single line of dialogue, with no details given, it seems, when they were a such a threat at the beginning and were the reason why the plot happened in the first place. WTF?
If you are coming into this graphic novel expecting pirate action and adventure, yeah, no, you will not find it here. What a letdown.
I will mention that Salira is a cool character. Complex, multilayered and with a deep, dark, distressing secret past. Gorgeous, refined, regal and badass on the outside, and kind and 100% respectful to Amelia and her boundaries. This shouldn't be such a high bar to reach in terms of decency, but unfortunately, it is, so there you go.
Salira's face also literally cracks a few times in the comic, whenever she is stressed, or at her lowest point, which I think is meant to be symbolic of her cracking under pressure. It's an understated detail to her character. And I think it is the reason why the book is called 'The Marble Queen'. Marble symbolism, in many ways! Or it could be just a very odd, random artistic choice. It even looks comical in places - in dramatic, tragic scenes, where it absolutely should not look stupid and laughable.
Speaking of: the artwork. Let's talk about the artwork.
I'm going to come right out and say it - the cover art is much better than what is inside the book. For the actual art in 'The Marble Queen' is... not very good. It's not horrible, and some panels on their own are fine, and it is colourful enough, but there is a haphazard, slapdash mixing of different styles. There's a pastel, childish look and tone to the whole thing; not clean and polished. It's mostly cartoony and manga-esque, which I did not expect. I expected art that is more richly detailed, and smooth and flows effortlessly from one panel to the next, based on the cover, and the historical-lite, regency setting with a fantastical touch (another thing not found in the real story; again, the "magic" element is a small and completely superfluous addition).
I swear, 80% of the panels have no backgrounds, with the characters drawn to look simple, silly and manga-like in the forefront, and it feels less like a stylistic choice and more like laziness, which is shocking for a comic like this. Movement arrows, with descriptions, and descriptions of sounds and facial expressions, are included, which is helpful, given the lacklustre art that doesn't convey action properly a lot of the time.
Heck, in the scene where Amelia is at a ballroom for her engagement party, there is one particular error where a big front strand of her hair, which is down when the rest of her hair is up, disappears in one panel! It's impossible not to notice. How did that get past the editing stage? In a book that has been delayed numerous times!
Plus, nearly all the male characters look the same. I could hardly tell them apart, and I had to go back and doublecheck who was who several times. I like most of the character designs, however, and some of the facial expressions are well drawn and convey emotion well.
How Amelia's anxiety is depicted and expressed, through symbolic purple thorns growing around her, is a good, effective choice.
*sigh* And we have yet another regency/historical fiction story where the queen - in this case I mean the queen of Marion, Amelia's mother - is a horrible, uptight, one-note, conservative shrew who is borderline abusive towards her daughter, while the king is kind and more openminded. Amelia's mother is a haughty, controlling, homophobic, bourgeoisie narcissist. As little as she appears in the book, it is clear she is responsible for a lot of Amelia's anxiety issues. 'The Marble Queen' wants to make it clear to the reader, more than once, that the marriage of the king and queen of Marion was arranged, neither of them had a choice in the matter - because why else would anyone marry such a bitch, amirite?!
I'd thought that pop culture, mainstream media would be careful and thoughtful in this modern era. By now we should be aware enough to subvert harmful stereotypes, not perpetuate them. Like, say, depict queens who are good and not evil; who can handle power without going mad.
But I guess since Salira technically counts as a good queen (debatable, given the decisions she made in her dark, complex past, and how we scarcely see her actually perform any queenly duties), we have licence to throw other queens under the bus to make her look better in comparison!
Amelia doesn't have much in the way of positive, non-romantic female influences and companionship. Most of the other female "characters" don't appear much in the book, and are fundamentally useless. If I was being generous, I would say that maybe Amelia's maid from Marion, Mina, and her sister-in-law Anita, are nice, supportive friends to her. Iris, Amelia's bodyguard and guide, is cool like Salira, although the potential of her character is utterly wasted. I can't elaborate due to spoilers, but I am miffed by how she's treated and what ends up happening to her.
It is also made clear near the beginning that same-sex couples are common and normalised in Iliad, unlike everywhere else, apparently. But we only see evidence of this in the engagement party scene - after that, apart from Amelia and Salira's courtship and relationship, there is otherwise a bubble of heteronormality. Anita's, and then Amelia's, three court lady "friends" all have husbands, and are man-crazy (BTW, they vanish without a trace after appearing in a few scenes, they don't amount to anything vital to the plot). Salira's brother and Amelia's brother both have wives and children. Amelia and Salira's relationship is nice, if a little rushed and insta-lovey, typically, but they can't be the only queer couple in 'The Marble Queen', surely? One sapphic queen pair is cool and awesome, but give us other queer couples, too, especially if they're supposed to be normalised in the world you created and the story you're telling! It's part of the show don't tell rule of writing.
I think that does it for this review.
I should have loved 'The Marble Queen'. It contains nearly everything I love, and I waited years to get my hands on it, so I desperately wanted it to be worth it. Sadly, it was not to be.
It is not a bad graphic novel, and there is stuff to like about it, certainly. But after finally reading it, and after a few days of distancing myself from it, finding what exactly it is I remember about it, and how much I actually enjoyed it, if I did enjoy it at all, I'm afraid I'm going to have to come to the conclusion that, to my eyes, it is mediocre.
Maybe my standards are too high, but I've been reading graphic novels for over a decade now, and my seasoned, jaded self sees no problems with having high standards nowadays. I know what is good, I know what I enjoy. I know what I like, and what is worth keeping and remembering. 'The Marble Queen' falls just short of this Artemis Crescent moon estimation.
At the end of it all, I am glad I read it, if that's any consolation.
Keep on drawing and writing, and telling stories, everyone. Keeping being creative and artistic. Keep demanding your voice, your work, your heart, your soul, be heard.
Take care and be kind. Look out for one another always.
Final Score: 3/5
EDIT: I just noticed another thing: Since 'The Marble Queen' hasn't met a negative older woman stereotype it didn't like, we have the nagging, fussing, disapproving mother-in-law in Lady Rhea, Anita's mother and lady of one of Iliad's provinces. She is only in a few pages, but like with Amelia's mother, we get the full picture of her one-dimensional prop-ness (to call her a character would be inaccurate) right away. After Rhea unabashedly finds flaws in Anita and Amelia upon seeing them, Salira's brother Mateo says to Amelia that his mother-in-law is hard to impress, and he's accepted long ago that he'll never be good enough for Anita in Rhea's view. HE'S THE FUCKING PRINCE OF HER COUNTRY! HIS SISTER IS THE QUEEN! HIS DAUGHTER - HER GRANDDAUGHTER - IS THE OFFICIAL HEIR TO THE THRONE! IS THAT SERIOUSLY NOT ENOUGH TO IMPRESS HER! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!
May 19, 2022
the cover and description!! so excited for this ♥️
December 4, 2023
Oh I just loved this! Fast paced but also with enough story to keep me on the edge of my seat! The art style was absolutely stunning as well
January 28, 2024
2023 Winter Bingo (#SnowInLoveBingo❄️): Fewer Than 5000 Ratings
Ehhh. Fine, but not great. Liked the sapphic romance but the art was lackluster in certain panels, especially the backgrounds.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Ehhh. Fine, but not great. Liked the sapphic romance but the art was lackluster in certain panels, especially the backgrounds.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2024
This is a cute, quick read. My favorite part was the portrayal of anxiety as growing vines; it was an effective way to externalize an internal experience. Plot-wise, it was admittedly thin, I couldn't tell you who did what and why, but that was not really the point of the story, was it? It's a sweet romance with vague intrigue in the background. (Not usually my thing, admittedly, but in a fast-paced graphic novel with cool dresses, I'll take it.)
March 26, 2024
THIS WAS SO FREAKING GOOD?!?!?! 😱
Not only was this a sapphic story, which I was so excited about, but the MC, Amelia, has debilitating anxiety. I didn’t know about the mental health rep going into it, so I was shocked (in a good way). We always need good representation, especially in fantasy stories.
In the very beginning of The Marble Queen, Amelia’s family has lost all of their riches to the infestation of pirates on the surrounding seas. They’ve put their money into a fleet of ships, which wasn’t a smart investment, and it’s all gone. Now the only way for their kingdom to survive is for her to be (for lack of a better explanation) sold. If she’s engaged to a royal from another land, her marriage contract could restore their wealth.
So what do royals do when they need to find eligible candidates to marry? They have a ball! While she does meet all of the options, Amelia decides to go with the one who offered them the most money. It’s not until she’s sailing away on a ship, leaving behind her family and friends, that she finds out her betrothed is not the prince, but the Queen.
Salira is poised and statuesque and she’ll do whatever she has to for her people. But like all royalty, she knows how to keep secrets. The entire story we find out one after another thing that she’s been keeping from her soon to be wife.
This ended up being even more incredible than I thought it was going to be. The entire book was action-packed. It didn’t stop from page 1 and I couldn’t stop until I knew what happened. So to say I loved it would be an understatement.
I will say this: I hate when the characters that I’ve grown attached to are killed off. And that’s all I’ll say on the matter… as I cry in a corner huddled into a little ball. 😭
Not only was this a sapphic story, which I was so excited about, but the MC, Amelia, has debilitating anxiety. I didn’t know about the mental health rep going into it, so I was shocked (in a good way). We always need good representation, especially in fantasy stories.
In the very beginning of The Marble Queen, Amelia’s family has lost all of their riches to the infestation of pirates on the surrounding seas. They’ve put their money into a fleet of ships, which wasn’t a smart investment, and it’s all gone. Now the only way for their kingdom to survive is for her to be (for lack of a better explanation) sold. If she’s engaged to a royal from another land, her marriage contract could restore their wealth.
So what do royals do when they need to find eligible candidates to marry? They have a ball! While she does meet all of the options, Amelia decides to go with the one who offered them the most money. It’s not until she’s sailing away on a ship, leaving behind her family and friends, that she finds out her betrothed is not the prince, but the Queen.
Salira is poised and statuesque and she’ll do whatever she has to for her people. But like all royalty, she knows how to keep secrets. The entire story we find out one after another thing that she’s been keeping from her soon to be wife.
This ended up being even more incredible than I thought it was going to be. The entire book was action-packed. It didn’t stop from page 1 and I couldn’t stop until I knew what happened. So to say I loved it would be an understatement.
I will say this: I hate when the characters that I’ve grown attached to are killed off. And that’s all I’ll say on the matter… as I cry in a corner huddled into a little ball. 😭
April 27, 2024
A great Sapphic YA graphic fantasy novel full of romance, political intrigue, marriages of convenience, secrets, lies and great artwork. I especially loved how well done the anxiety rep was in this book. Highly recommended for fans of The Princess and the grilled cheese sandwich (just without all the great cheese puns)!
April 12, 2024
You ever read a book and want to swear in awe, because like goddamn right, so good. Also everyone in this graphic was sooo hot, I was attacked. Political kerfuffles, deceit & betrayal, with a healthy dose of pining & anxiety. Top tier. Is there a book 2?!!
April 5, 2024
3.75 ⭐️
April 25, 2024
Lesbians with swords!!
March 29, 2024
6/10
I regrettably have to admit I was mildly disappointed by this graphic novel.
While searching for a way to read it (being not from the US), my excitement kept growing. I expected cute art, f/f romance, and an arranged marriage plot that would focus on our two MCs getting to know and love each other.
1. The art delivered beautifully. Despite some plain backgrounds, the characters were very expressive and the panels were easy to follow.
2. The anxiety portrayal was very clever and conveyed perfectly the taxing nature of thought spirals.
3. The romance was cute if rushed. I believed the characters really did come to care for one another, but it always seemed to skip any scenes between bonding moments and that felt odd.
4. The pacing was atrocious. Chapters might be devoted to a single event or dialogue but then in the next each important moment barely took up an entire page.
5. The political plot was not entirely unexpected, given the "arranged marriage between nobles" trope, but the pacing once again ruined it. We had a mini riot out of the blue, then slice of life moments, conspiracies, betrayals all packed in this one volume with no space to breathe. No space to get to know the characters and suspect them, or to feel the full scale of an uncovered machination; everything moved way too quickly.
I believe the author bit a bit more than they could chew when trying to stuff this entire story in a single volume. It might have flowed better had it been split between 2 different volumes instead.
I regrettably have to admit I was mildly disappointed by this graphic novel.
While searching for a way to read it (being not from the US), my excitement kept growing. I expected cute art, f/f romance, and an arranged marriage plot that would focus on our two MCs getting to know and love each other.
1. The art delivered beautifully. Despite some plain backgrounds, the characters were very expressive and the panels were easy to follow.
2. The anxiety portrayal was very clever and conveyed perfectly the taxing nature of thought spirals.
3. The romance was cute if rushed. I believed the characters really did come to care for one another, but it always seemed to skip any scenes between bonding moments and that felt odd.
4. The pacing was atrocious. Chapters might be devoted to a single event or dialogue but then in the next each important moment barely took up an entire page.
5. The political plot was not entirely unexpected, given the "arranged marriage between nobles" trope, but the pacing once again ruined it. We had a mini riot out of the blue, then slice of life moments, conspiracies, betrayals all packed in this one volume with no space to breathe. No space to get to know the characters and suspect them, or to feel the full scale of an uncovered machination; everything moved way too quickly.
I believe the author bit a bit more than they could chew when trying to stuff this entire story in a single volume. It might have flowed better had it been split between 2 different volumes instead.
March 23, 2024
Ending felt rushed but the art was very nice.
March 29, 2024
I liked the premise - girl unknowingly enters into a marriage with the sister, not the prince. This is definitely YA and the romance and drama had that vibe. I may be getting too crotchety to enjoy YA romances, I don’t know, but if you like YA give this a go. 3 stars for the story, 4 for the artwork. 3.5 overall.
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March 9, 2024absolutely gorgeous art, bit of a rushed story
March 9, 2024
Lesbian arranged marriage fantasy romance??!?! Yes please!!
I loved this book so much. The art was lovely and the story was engaging, yes, but the romance. The ROMANCE. Amazing, lovely, chef’s kiss, no notes, perfection. Rarely, and I mean rarely, do I find a sapphic romance that has me kicking my feet and getting butterflies, but I was doing that THIS WHOLE BOOK. It probably has something to do with Salira’s gender-play, because I really prefer butch/femme romances (which are few and far between)and this was close enough for me. But I’d say it also has to do with the physical intimacy the characters share. It’s got the hurt/comfort cuddling in bed because neither can sleep alone trope like CRAZY and I absolutely love that.
All in all, fantastic book. I need more yesterday
I loved this book so much. The art was lovely and the story was engaging, yes, but the romance. The ROMANCE. Amazing, lovely, chef’s kiss, no notes, perfection. Rarely, and I mean rarely, do I find a sapphic romance that has me kicking my feet and getting butterflies, but I was doing that THIS WHOLE BOOK. It probably has something to do with Salira’s gender-play, because I really prefer butch/femme romances (which are few and far between)and this was close enough for me. But I’d say it also has to do with the physical intimacy the characters share. It’s got the hurt/comfort cuddling in bed because neither can sleep alone trope like CRAZY and I absolutely love that.
All in all, fantastic book. I need more yesterday
December 18, 2023
3.5. It was cute, fast paced, and had a lot of adventure. I wasn't the biggest fan of the art sometimes.
April 26, 2024
2.5
Cuando el reino de Marion ya no puede controlar sus problemas con los piratas, la princesa Amelia acepta un matrimonio por conveniencia con el reino de Iliad para unir fuerzas. Lo que Amelia no sabe (porque es tonta y no lee la información que le dan) es que su casamiento es con la reina de Iliad, Salira.
En esta novela gráfica tenemos un conflicto político con traición y dramas, un gay awakening con un personaje muy confundido al inicio que va desarrollando sentimientos por su nueva esposa, y una lucha interna contra un trastorno de ansiedad.
Arriba las lesbianas con espadas que luchan por defender su tierra. Yo también me hubiese enamorado de Salira, i mean.
Lo que me falló fue el ritmo de la historia, o cómo estaba contada, no sé. Había algo que no terminó de convencerme del todo, demora mucho en llegar Amelia a su nuevo hogar y luego todo sucede rapidísimo y al final todo termina sin terminar de desarrollar ciertos temas (como su ansiedad). El dibujo está súper bonito en la portada y sinceramente fue lo que me atrapó cuando recién vi el libro, pero el interior no es tan bonito sino que se siente un poco como que le faltó trabajo, no se ocupó demasiado de los detalles en el fondo de las escenas.
Cuando el reino de Marion ya no puede controlar sus problemas con los piratas, la princesa Amelia acepta un matrimonio por conveniencia con el reino de Iliad para unir fuerzas. Lo que Amelia no sabe (porque es tonta y no lee la información que le dan) es que su casamiento es con la reina de Iliad, Salira.
En esta novela gráfica tenemos un conflicto político con traición y dramas, un gay awakening con un personaje muy confundido al inicio que va desarrollando sentimientos por su nueva esposa, y una lucha interna contra un trastorno de ansiedad.
Arriba las lesbianas con espadas que luchan por defender su tierra. Yo también me hubiese enamorado de Salira, i mean.
Lo que me falló fue el ritmo de la historia, o cómo estaba contada, no sé. Había algo que no terminó de convencerme del todo, demora mucho en llegar Amelia a su nuevo hogar y luego todo sucede rapidísimo y al final todo termina sin terminar de desarrollar ciertos temas (como su ansiedad). El dibujo está súper bonito en la portada y sinceramente fue lo que me atrapó cuando recién vi el libro, pero el interior no es tan bonito sino que se siente un poco como que le faltó trabajo, no se ocupó demasiado de los detalles en el fondo de las escenas.
March 27, 2024
3.75*
Rep: lesbian MC with anxiety, Middle Eastern-coded lesbian love interest & characters, queer-normative world
Some random thoughts:
- this Iliad posse is so tall, damn
- the pace for this was FAST 😭 I have never thought I would have a problem with a fast pace but here we are
- the art style!!
- lesbains 💕
- anxiety rep <33
Rep: lesbian MC with anxiety, Middle Eastern-coded lesbian love interest & characters, queer-normative world
Some random thoughts:
- this Iliad posse is so tall, damn
- the pace for this was FAST 😭 I have never thought I would have a problem with a fast pace but here we are
- the art style!!
- lesbains 💕
- anxiety rep <33
April 2, 2024
the art in this was super cute i really liked it.
the characters were kind of flat. the romance rushed. the story choppy. its a nice quick read about royal sapphics and treason but it could have been so much more.
the characters were kind of flat. the romance rushed. the story choppy. its a nice quick read about royal sapphics and treason but it could have been so much more.
March 6, 2024
My queens are so cute! 😍 Fast-paced but really enjoyed the plot. The art was amazing.
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