In a world where all magic disappeared with the Guardians and their Khats, a young girl starts to exhibit the old signs. Not many people remember, but her mother remembers the stories. The Queen Drucilla remembers: she’s the one who killed them all. She is rooting out anyone who, like Rose, starts to show signs of magic, and she’s not discriminatory about who else she kills. Rose’s entire village is eradicated, leaving her devastated, angry, and out for revenge. Once she meets her Khat, marking her as a Guardian of the realm – all bets are off.

I found the story pretty generic. It’s that classic high fantasy coming-of-age story, with the typical characters to match. The thing that bothered me the most was the Queen herself: all evil, no questions asked, with stereotypical dark skin. The art made the writing bearable, though. It was lush and detailed, like the prose of my favorite fantasy novels. It’s an okay addition to the fantasy graphic novel genre, but those who prefer more finesse in their writing might want to look elsewhere.

– Kathleen

Finch, Meredith, and Ig Guara. Rose (Vol. 1). 2017.