Magnetic Press launched another Kickstarter, so I couldn't say no. This time around the offering is a coming of age fairy tale from creators JC Deveney and Nuria Tamarit in a (as usual from Magnetic) gorgeously published hardcover package.
The tale follows a farmer who finds a giant baby in the forest one day, deciding to bring her home to raise with his wife and six sons. Named Celeste, we see her life unfold through numerous misadventures as each chapter pushes her life forwards down a rocky path. Her tale tackles the complexities of societal expectations on women, agency in decisions regarding their own body, love and sex (particularly regarding polyamorous relationships), and more.
The scripting does a great job of pacing out how all of Celeste's life events unfold to inform her growth as a person, while also hitting up different social issues along the way without whacking you over the head with them too hard. Deveney and Tamarit work well together to create a really charming style of storytelling that pulls you into an engaging little world, hitting all their key points and arcs in such a way that doesn't feel excessive or too short. You come for a brisk little fairy tale, you get a brisk little fairy tale with some bonus subtext that doesn't overstay its welcome.
The book itself is a handsome 9x12 hardcover package that clocks in at 200 pages for $30. It's more than worth the price, but I should note that I did the Kickstarter for $35 + shipping, and automatically doing Magnetic Kickstarters might not always be the best decision depending on what you're looking for. This was still technically a well priced package because I got the book, a bookmark, a bookplate, and the digital copy. The thing is, I almost never use digital copies. Also, previous Magnetic Kickstarters usually have an exclusive cover, or some additional add-ons, but that was just not the case on this one. Still a good value overall I think, you just might want to pick and choose between those Kickstarter offerings and supporting a local bookstore as I sometimes notice Magnetic books arriving to retail before Kickstarter shipping fulfillment.
If you're in the mood for a lighthearted fantasy tale with some minor social commentary underpinning the larger framework of a coming of age story then you should give it a look. I really enjoyed Tamarit's art and the general tone, and will be keeping an eye out for more by these creators in the future.
