Graphic Novel

The Moth Keeper / K. O’Neill

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
The Moth Keeper
By: K. O'Neill
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 272
Published: March 7, 2023
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Dates Read: February 20, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

Anya is finally a Moth Keeper, the protector of the lunar moths. Lunar moths help the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year and her village uses the flower’s nectar to thrive and survive. But, the nights in the desert are cold and lonely, and Anya finds being a Moth Keeper isn’t exactly what she thought it would be. She finds herself wondering what it would be like to feel the sun’s warmth. One day, she decides to stay up during the day to experience the sun and her village and the lunar moths are left to deal with the consequences of her choice.

I absolutely adored the Tea Dragon Society series, so I knew as soon as I saw K. O’Neill had a new graphic novel coming out, so I needed to read it as soon as possible.

It wasn’t a disappointment.

This is a story about burnout and loneliness that is written alongside beautiful artwork from K. O’Neill that is done in such a way that younger audiences will be able to understand the message too.

Overall, this is a beautiful and gentle graphic novel that I can see those of all age groups loving and enjoying – both for the story and for the art.

*Thank you Random House Graphic and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth / Zoe Thorogood

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth
By: Zoe Thorogood
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir
Number of Pages: 120
Published: November 15, 2022
Publisher: Image Comics
Dates Reads: February 20, 2023
Format: eBook

Trigger Warnings: Mental health; depression, mentions of suicide and suicide attempts

Cartoonist Zoe Thorogood records 6 months of her life as it falls apart and she tries to put it back together, all while trying to battle the inner demons of her depression.

By now, I’ve read my fair share of mental health battling graphic novels. Sometimes the writer’s battles are not quite the same as my own, Zoe Thorogood’s battle is still not 100% me, but my goodness, did she mention stuff that hit my gut and gave me tears. Growing up, talking about mental health wasn’t a thing quite yet – I remember after my dad passed, being asked by my mom if I wanted to speak with a therapist and being horrified about even the thought of it. Now, my siblings and I are pretty open about our mental health, but I still don’t always talk to my mom about it though, and this quote from Thorogood was me:

“…But now that I’m an adult I feel like I can protect them (parents) from it now, or at least I should. That’s the isolating part of mental illness- It seems to come after the ones you care about most.”

This isn’t an easy read, and it’s not going to necessarily be one you would probably read for the enjoyment aspect either – though there are pieces of art in this that are phenomenal. Thorogood captures the embodiment of depression, and the different stages and types of depression. She even has versions of her depression from when she was a little girl and at different stages of her life, that all still hang around with her today. It’s very well done.

Overall, this is an excellently drawn and written graphic novel that explores the inner battles of one cartoonist’s battle with depression.

“I can’t change my brain chemistry, but I can change how I choose to interact with the world around me… Life is merely a collection of good and bad experiences loosely held together by the void in between- and that void is your space to mold, a space to harness and create in. Just be careful not to get stuck there.”