Girl Haven

I loved this middle grade graphic novel about a kid struggling with gender identity who gets whisked away to a fantasy world that supposedly is girls only. Ash starts to believe that being in Koretris means that she (pronoun chosen at the end of the GN, so that's what I'm going with) really is a girl, but when an enemy group of boys shows up, she questions how she's supposed to know who she truly is. Along with her new friends from her middle school's Pride Club, Ash is tasked to rescue Queen Cassandra and save Koretris from the Scourge. The fantasy elements in this book are very reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia--in the best way. Definitely recommend for kids who love fantasy worlds, playing make believe, talking animals, and are looking for queer stories with multiple queer characters. It's heartwarming to see a group of queer kids come together, as friends and as supporters.

Huge thank you for Oni Press and NetGalley for granting me this ARC.

Y’all, I loved every minute of this book. Just by looking at the indie art style I knew I would like this. One of the authors worked on Lumberjanes, which I have not read yet, but heard great things about. I also just love the title. Based on these two I expected something good and feminist and possibly LGBTQIA+ and I was not disappointed.

The inner design sports a three colored flag-like set up, but I am unsure what these colors mean. It is closest to the trans flag, but this one has dark blue next to the pink and white-ish color. If this is symbolism I guess that is kinda cool but it definetely went over my head.

I love the character designs and the comic was very enjoyable. I felt that sometimes the backgrounds were a bit rushed, but I was happy with the art overall.

Content warnings
death mentioned but not shown, gender dysphoria, sexism (it is very frowned upon)

The plot
Ash is a lonely kid, who’s mom disappeared a few years ago. One day Ash sits next to the school’s tiny Pride Club at the cafeteria and ends up making friends with the members. Promptly joining them for the next club meeting. This was an adorable set up, the kids having fun and painting each other’s nails. Ash wanting to join in simply because it looks like fun. Later on, Ash invites the gang over to their house and shows them the shed where Ash’s mom left behind a treasure trove: books, art, costumes all made for an imaginary world, *looks at smudged handwriting*: T*tris. No, wait let me try again, Kore.. a, no, wait, it’s called Koretris actually.
The club is delighted by the idea of a magical land that only welcomes girls, regardless of your species. They get into a bit of roleplaying when suddenly, the magic spell written by Ash’s mom turns out to be real - and transports them all to Koretris. This is where their magical quest starts and among other things Ash has to fight the expectations everyone has of them.
I am using they/them pronouns for Ash in this review in an attempt to not sound too spoilery. As the blurbs promised this book is very much about gender and discovering who and what can decide your gender at the end of the day.

Junebug: Hey, look! I’m a flag!
Ash: I’m so jealous!

I loved the flow of the book. We start with a short introduction written by the author that offers a bit of an explanation about gender. There is a short glossary at the end of the book too. This is a great way to introduce gender discussions for people who are not very informed about the topic. I appreciated that instead of the generic LGBT acronym throughout the book the more inclusive LGBTQIA+ was used.

The main characters

Ash, like the tree
I absolutely loved our main character, Ash, and it was awesome to be a part of their journey. Honestly they were way too chill, given the stuff they had to deal with. I loved learning more about their thoughts and feelings. I was glad they could find someone to trust who helped them come to terms with their feelings.

Eleanor, like the president
She was just the nicest person in the book. She cares a lot about her friends. No wonder Ash immediately liked her. She was warm and welcoming, always trying to help Ash but never overstepping. I wish we learned a bit more about her.

Junebug, the awesome
What a super chill character. Though we don’t learn a lot about Junebug during the story, I enjoyed their spontaineity.

Chloe, the feminist killjoy
If the book had any downfall for me, it would be Chloe. From the first moment she has been hostile to Ash, for absolutely no reason. I get that informing others of sexist language they are using is important, but there is no reason to be rude about it if there is obviously no malicious intent. The joke about her being a “feminist killjoy” right after she bulldozes through the newest member of their pride club just felt super cringey.. I wish her behaviour towards Ash was reprimanded a bit.

Overall rating
I loved this book a lot. Gender was discussed in a natural way, focusing more on the feelings of the characters and not on the shiny glossary terms. There was a quest, magic and bonding time for the characters and it was just an overall uplifting read. I was surprised by the end reveal about Ash’s mom, not quite what I expected.
I felt like the whole of Koretris was a great commentary on how society views gender and how literally everyone has an opinion of what gender people should be and how they should act to fit this assigned role. As a cisgender woman (don’t worry there is a glossary that explains) I learned a lot about gender and how difficult it can be to learn your own preferences when literally everyone is shouting their own expectations at you.

I love this book! I will most certainly add this to the library's collection. We need more LGBTQIA+ friendly content in the collection.

I really enjoyed reading this fantasy graphic novel. It is filled with LGBTQ+ and I loved the idea of Koretris and a whole new world. The story was really sweet and I had a lot of fun reading it!

I just finished reading the ARC of Girl Haven by the writers who started <em>Lumberjane</em>> I had no idea, going in, what to expect.

This was both so much fun, and so deep, it had be going both ways. The story is of a child born into a boy’s body, who always felt they were a girl, but since they didn’t know of anyone else with that issue, they stayed as a boy. They meet some other queer folks, and decides to hang out in their mother’s old workshop. The mother has been missing for three years. She was a writer and artist and had created a world of only women, and the other kids, start reading what she left behind, and find a spell that sends them into to this world.

That is the story. But through it all, Ash is beginning to understand that it is ok to be a girl, or whatever they want. It isn’t the main point of the story, but it is important to the story. Both good as a fantasy, and as a coming out story. And having representation.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Powerful, moving and thought provoking.

This fantastic LGBTQIA graphic novel is perfect for anyone aged 10 up in my opinion.

Beautifully illustrated and perfectly detailed on one person's journey through self identity. Coupled with a fantasy world setting, strong friendship and love - this was a graphic novel I struggled to put down.

If you're looking for a great introductory book/graphic novel to give someone on gender identity, as well as sexual orientation and pronouns, I feel that Girl Haven does a wonderful job.

This is a fun, sweet read which a lot of readers will enjoy. It's so important to have stories in all genres which feature LGBTQIA+ characters, as well as for all age ranges and in different formats, such as this graphic novel. Trans kids who love reading fantasy and graphic novels may find that they rarely see their experiences reflected in their favorite genre. This book provides that for them, as well as a well-rounded cast of characters and an exciting story. Girl Haven hints at more adventures to come, and I hope that's the case!

The artwork wasn't my favorite, but very well done and visually easy to read and look at. 4.5*, rounded up.

Think middle grade fantasy book. Now add graphic novel to the mix. Finally, spice it with gender identity and real but simple talks about all things LGBTQ+.
Does that sound amazing? Well, that's because it is.
Ash is magically transported with some friends into a magical world that allegedly only allows girls. But everyone thinks Ash is a boy... But is it what Ash feels?
We follow Ash and Ash's friends in an adventure to save the magical world of Koriantris and maybe find Ash's long lost mother. We meet bunny-people, horse-people, candy-people and all kinds of anything-people. It's fantastic and whimsical, and Ash's identity journey is wonderfully written and explained.
I really enjoyed reading this, and it's existence makes me sincerely happy. The world's needs books for children that aren't afraid of being real and beautiful and magical and inclusive.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

**I was given a free digital copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

I absolutely adored this book! Fantasy books are nearly always a hit with me, so as soon as I read the description I knew this was going to be a great read. This tackles difficult topics like gender and sexuality in a way that is approachable and relatable for young adults or teens. I loved all the characters, and I really really hope there will be more books in this particular world. The Rabbits of the Reeds were absolutely adorable, and so were Ash and her friends. The art style is gorgeous, and it fits the tone of the story. Seriously, fantastic job!

This graphic novel tells a beautiful story. Ash has no idea what gender really suits them. They know that they love nail polish, and that they've never felt quite right being called a boy, but there are so many expectations on them that they don't know how to deal with all of them.

Ash and their friends from Pride Club at school find their way into a magical land that Ash's mom (who left one day and hasn't come back) made up, called Koretris, which she made to be a haven for girls. The magic of the land is said to not allow boys to come through. But Ash HAS come through, which just makes them more confused. What does that mean? Ash wants to figure it out, but first there are things to be done. Queen Cassandra is missing, there's a scourge on the land, and the reed warren is under attack.

The story is about discovering who you are, and learning to accept yourself. It's about learning to believe that love is stronger than fear. It is about gender identity (which Ash has chosen by the end, but I don't want to spoil you on it, thus my continued use of they/them pronouns in this review) at the heart, and it tells its story in a gentle way that is easy to understand for a younger audience, but still subtle enough to be appreciated by an older audience. Both will find lessons here, and they are lessons of love.

What a novel. This book took off from the very start and I was right there with it. As someone who struggles with gender I really related to Ash. Seeing the journey through the book was so nice. The support she had and the love from everyone around was what everyone should have. This is the perfect novel for someone questioning and just people in general. Who doesn’t love a good fantasy with gender identity mixed in?

This was so lovely.
This comic did such a good job of explaining gender identity in a way for children (and adults) to understand and connect with.
The story was full of adventure and heart as well as some laughs.
I think this well help a lot of people feel seen and help others to understand an experience different from their own.

This outstanding graphic novel is at its core a story of gender.
Ash's struggles with gender are brought to light when Ash and his new friends are teleported to a fantasy land his mother used to tell him about, a place only accessible to girls. Ash must decide whether to reject or accept the feelings inside.
This story is powerfully told and I am so excited for all of the people of any age that will be able to relate to this story in one way or another. I loved Lilah Sturges' preface and post note about identity.
The art is wonderfully done and draws the reader into the story.
This story is sweet and contains so much depth. On the surface it is a story of good versus evil but it is so much more. It is heartbreaking at times and full or both internal and external conflict but is ultimately an inspiring and uplifting story. This story shines with hope and gave me all the feels.
Ash, Eleanor, Chloe, and Junebug make up this stupendous cast of characters and I love them all to pieces.
This story is beautiful and perfectly told.

This was such a cute graphic novel! The art work was amazing and the story really touched my heart. The found family aspect of it was beautiful and the world was so unique. The discussions of gender and identity were so sweet amd well worded while also being easily accessible to children who may be questioning their identity. I honestly don&apos;t have much else to say beyond I adored this and I am eagerly awaiting the next one. I also can&apos;t wait to get a physical copy once it becomes available!

Such a fun read! I absolutely love graphic novels and comic books I wish more people could see how enjoyable these are

I absolutely loved this. It has an amazing, diverse cast of characters, and honestly every single one of them is lovable. I personally especially love Junebug, but they are all amazing. I loved the way this graphic novel casually discussed gender, and it showed in an honest way how hard it can be to figure your gender out if it's something you have been questioning.

I definitely recommend this one.

With several fun nods to a couple different fantasy worlds, this comic feels wholly original. Girl Haven is an immensely positive journey. Sturges understands the power of the representation, how to demonstrate thoughtful dialogue around gender identity/questions, and as always knows how to dole out a decent helping of fantastical adventures. The world building felt a little rushed at times, but it has all the right ingredients. This story is sure to delight readers and spark some meaningful conversations and introspection. I look forward to the next adventure, and will definitely be reading whatever comes next.

I read this with my 7-year-old twins after they selected the graphic novel from the cover. They really enjoyed the story and the illustrations and it opened up discussion and gave them a greater understanding of gender and identity. This was done in a clever way with the fantasy world of Koretis and we'd recommend it!

Great young ya graphic novel. Action, adventure, feelings, coming out to yourself, LGBTQ+ rep... just really excellent.

Ash has been struggling with a lot, including the disappearance of their mum and questioning their gender identity (AMAB protag who comes out as trans girl during story). When Ash and friends get swept into a fictional world - one Ash finds was created by her mother, a "girl haven" made for only girls - adventure ensues as the friends must complete a quest to free Girl Haven's captured queen from the "scourge" and restore balance.