The Keeper of the Little Folk Vol. 1 Review

 

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Elina finds out she’s the next Keeper of the Little Folk, a society of fairies and other small fantastical beings, to succeed her now incapacitated grandmother.

 

My Thoughts: Story and Lore (5/5) – I get a kick of plots showcasing miniature societies which parallel ours but with sui generis natural elements to set them apart. I especially liked how it explained the existence of the little folk who dwell within our reality but are only visible to animals and some people.

Characters (3.5/5) – The most fleshed-out characters here were Elina and her grandmother Adelaide who shared a wholesome dynamic that made me feel a skosh of sorrow seeing how Elina’s mother Morgan reasonably assumes Adelaide is simply losing it due to her belief in fairies and whatnot. Most of the little folk, however, didn’t have enough screen time for me to have any real idea of their personalities though I’m pretty sure they’ll be further explored in subsequent entries.

Art (5/5) – This was the book’s greatest strength and what propelled me towards reading it. The soft, diverse colors used felt pretty naturalistic which fitted the Ghibli-esque aesthetic which loosely reminded me of the film The Secret World of Arrietty. The same can be said for the background lighting and shading. Additionally, the line art was pretty smooth and clean which fitted the somewhat light tone well.

 

 

Final Thoughts: All in all, this was a decent opening entry which, as with most of Europe Comics' other titles I’ve read, shows promise for grander lore and plotting. I’d say it’s worth taking a peek at and giving to a middle-grade kid for the beautiful artwork alone.

 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with my first advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.