Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this Arc in exchange of an honest review.

I went blind in this comic, I just saw the cover and I was a fan.

It starts as a fantasy book with an elf and a human in the escape with their twin kids in a beautiful forest then we see them settled in their life, and then, the story changes completely into Sci-fi. I was like where is it going?
I was like Griffon and Rana, the twins, whom their parents Morgan and Yale had hidden the truth about the real world they come from and about their real identity .

The Glass family have been living in a Haven "Frostbrook" a sleeping ancient forest until they are found out and must flee to the big city of Silver Bay where everything is technology. They are tracked by soldiers from the Muse and the twins find themselves lost with this new situation and world.

The mix of fantasy, magical power, elves and trolls with science fiction, technology and cyborgs was pretty crazy intersting. I just could not stop reading and I loved so much the parents Morgan and Yale. For once the parents are very cool and not dead! Their relatioship and mysterious past make the story so much captivating to read.

That ending wasn't fair, I just want to know what is going to happen.

I got to read an advanced readers copy. I asked for it because the cover made it look like it was a straight up fantasy. Also one of the creators did Rat Queens so bonus points there.
If you’re old enough to remember Shadowrun that’s what this turns into. The fantasy setting you think you’re getting from the cover and the first handful of pages? Nope, this is cyberpunk mercs shooting s*** up.
Now I’m fine with that. It’s all genre and this first volume feels like they’re setting up a big world that’s going to take multiple volumes to really delve into. But I can see someone starting this thinking they’re getting one thing and being really disappointed that they aren’t.
I will read volume two. There’s worlds of potential here but this first volume is mostly setting up a bigger story and the characters.

Dryad Vol. 1 is an intriguing start to the fantastical world of ancient ruins, elf-like creatures, and the reintroduction of magic. While the story took a slow start in the beginning, it allowed the reader to catch up to the sequence of events that the parents are on the run from something or someone. The mystery is great, you don't understand what is happening until a few pages in and time skips 13 years into the future. The children are now curious teenagers (I'm guessing twins) and have a strong connection to the earth around them. However after chapter 2, the series of events becomes confusing; the beings that come out of the ruins look otherworldly but then it's later stated that they are from the city. And if that's so, then how did they find the Glass family? There are several questions and none of then are unfortunately answered in the first volume. I would have liked to have seen the twins test their abilities before hand and maybe that's how the soldiers from the city found them.

At first glance, the comic holds your interests. Although there is an overwhelming amount of talking and information being given, I think that the story is interesting enough and I would like to see what happens next to the family now that they are in the city. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc!

Dryad by Wiebe and Barcelo is an action-packed visual romp that unites fantasy and elements of science fiction seamlessly. I loved the detail in the images, the color choices, and the way this creative team brought this visual story together. This would have made my reading life as a middle grades or young adult adventure — and it’s entertaining for adults, as well. Recommended graphic novel!

The glass family is really something. I downloaded this one first because of the drawings that appealed to me. The artwork here is really stunning, everything is so colourful and full of expression. Justin Osterling really brought to life this complex and fantasy world. However, I found it hard at the beginning to know who was who. This is also due to the story which was quite confusing. It is confusing at the end because the story raises so many questions but I found the beginning to be confusing in a messy way. There were just so many information coming out of nowhere and without any context sometimes. So yeah, I would say the way this graphic novel is structured is the only problematic thing of this graphic novel but it does take down the whole reading experience. Besides that, I think the story is promising and I still want to read the second volume to get answers to my questions. Moreover, the characters all seem complex and full of mystery and the twins, especially Griffon, are quite likeable; I really want to know what will happen to them. I would recommend this book to adults who enjoy a bit of fantasy.
3/5

One of the many problems with the highly-detailed fantasy quest/journey novel is that some of them seem to detail every sight, every thought, every footprint of the way, and nobody ever needs to go behind a bush for a widdle. In contrast to that, our two questors here open the book by changing a soiled nappy. It's an indication that this is an earthy, human fantasy, even if that's borne out as falsely as the promise that everything here is sylvan. A generation later, the nappy-soiler is a young teenaged twin, with a history teacher for a father, and a town guardswoman for a mother. Both of whom have much in the past that's a firm secret, which all comes to the fore when devilish creatures from either an underworld or the city the family fled years ago come to town…

This was alright, but I can't say I got to love any of it. The artwork certainly could have been better – more clarity was needed for both the battle action and the cityscapes when the family return there. But the ideas behind the book, of the way the twins are so exceptionally ignorant of what their parents' pasts were, is more annoying than intriguing. We get guild names, character names and more rattling around, and we're still not really any the wiser when we turn the last page, final sting included. I think the book sets up a lot that sci-fantasy genre fans will enjoy – nappies regardless – but I can't see the reader or the kids learning everything needed, and the current dramas resolved, nearly as quickly enough for my taste. Two and a half stars.

I haven’t read a comic on a long time, but Dryad’s cover caught my eye immediately.

Dryad Vol. 1 starts like a proper fantasy comic but somehow evolves into a combination between fantasy and sci-fi within the first half. I didn’t see this coming, but it was a very pleasant surprise.

The story follows Morgan and Yale, and their twins Griffon and Rana, who lived a happy and peaceful life in the sleepy settlement of Frostbrook. Unfortunately the four of them are targeted during a manhunt across Frostbrook, and dragged back to Silver Bay, a giant metropolis that Rana and Griffin have no idea how to navigate. They now have to find their place in a world they know nothing about, while navigating the consequences of their parents’ past choices and actions.

Dryad Vol. 1 asks a lot of questions and answers just enough of them to keep you interested. The world is vibrant and colorful, the characters unique and interesting and the story mysterious and intriguing. The art by Justin Barcelo is gorgeous and the story and dialogue by Kurtis Wiebe is great. I’ll definitely pick up Vol. 2 once it’s out.