The Magic Fish

Gorgeous, moving, and thoughtful, what an exquisite graphic novel that shows how a true marriage of both text and art can create an alchemical change to storytelling. Nguyen's use of colors to orient the reader to each different storyline/timeline will be so helpful for the MG/YA audience, because he doesn't pander to the audience in complexity of word choice or theme, especially in the back matter. So many weighty topics for discussion, all beautifully explored. This would make an excellent book group/lit circle pick.

Woah. This comic tackled so much in so few pages, and pulled it off beautifully. The main character, Tien, is a Vietnamese kid with a crush on his friend. Interspersed between his troubles and conflicts as a kid exploring what it means to be queer are modern/different takes on fairy tales told between Tien and his mom. The fairy tales are twists on traditional tales (Cinderella, Little Mermaid), but are told with gorgeous visuals and parallels to Tien's life. The color palette of the panels changes to indicate what is being focused on, which I think is a neat touch that really lends itself to this comic. The visuals and artwork are absolutely stunning, and I appreciated the author including thoughts and concept art at the very end.

I don't fit into any of the groups this story is aimed at, but I still found myself drawn into the stories being told. It really hit me in the feels, honestly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this comic in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing book!!! I loved all the artwork and the stories equally. I love how Prince Maxwell immediately called Al “they” when he wasn't sure of their pronouns and how easily Julian agreed to dance with Tiến in front of the school. I know it could be hard for thirteen-year-old boys to show any kind of affection for their friends at the risk of being labeled as gay and ostracized by society, but Julian had no problem dancing with his friend. Whether or not he has a crush on Tiến, it is still really sweet and encouraging.