M. T. Anderson

An Atlantis-like city from Celtic legend is the setting of The Daughters of Ys, a mythical graphic novel fantasy from National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson and artist Jo Rioux. Ys, city of wealth and wonder, has a history of dark secrets. Queen Malgven used magic to raise the great walls that keep Ys safe from the tumultuous sea. But after the queen's inexplicable death, her daughters drift apart. Rozenn, the heir to the throne, spends her time on the moors communing with wild animals, while Dahut, the youngest, enjoys the splendors of royal life and is eager to take part in palace intrigue. When Rozenn and Dahut's bond is irrevocably changed, the fate of Ys is sealed, exposing the monsters that lurk in plain view. M. T. Anderson and Jo Rioux reimagine this classic Breton folktale of love, loss, and rebirth, revealing the secrets that lie beneath the surface.

The Daughters of Ys

Alli

Miracles have a dismal way of favoring the rich.

Beautifully tragic folklore paired with stunning illustrations.

Heather Anne

It's chaotic in a good way, a good mix of dark magic and romance

Mahogany Skillings

This is a tale of two sisters and their division.But it is also the tale of the great rising and destruction of their home. Dahut and Rozenn must both make sacrifices in their lives, but the true question is whether those sacrifices are worth what they receive.

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Dark re-telling of an old Breton fairy tale with a welcome evolution in plot crafted by M.T. Anderson. The story centers on two sisters Rozenn, eldest and in line for the throne, and Dahut, her willful, powerful younger sister, who discover both the light and the dark powers at play in their parents' enchanted kingdom of Ys. After they learn a very disturbing fact about their father the King, who is all too human, after their fairy mother's death, they grow apart in glowing, Maxfield Parrish style, page-wide panels depicting Rozenn's life growing up on the moors surrounding the castle and Dahut playing queen-in-training by dancing and entertaining visiting nobility. There are horrible costs to pay for the magics that hold the sea at bay outside the castle fortifications, which Dahut finds herself willing to pay, and a reckoning that takes the sisters to the darkest points of their lives as the castle walls are threatened. The artwork is lyrical and Celtic in feel, water and air symbols guide the paths of the sisters as they turn away from each other, and the tension between civilization and the natural points to an inevitable cataclysm.

There is a great review available here from NPR and writer Etelka Lehoczky

Eliza Gonzalez

I expected there to be more of a moral here or some satisfaction to the ending but they just pulled out a random evil man to defeat and the person who did the most harm got to live a grand life till old age. Yoinks. Also there was no explanation on Dahut's ending.

Sheila Goicea

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, First Second, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication. 

Content Warning: Death, Murder, Premarital Relations, Gore
"Rozenn, my eldest, to you she gave her love of wild things and lonely places...And to you, Dahut, her love of wonders and miracles.”
The mythical Celtic city of Ys is surrounded by many tales and legends. The Daughters of Ys manages to combine some of the different variations into one. Gorgeously illustrated, this rich story ultimately revolves around siblings and the choices that drive them apart.

Two sisters, Dahut and Rozenn, are daughters of Queen Malgven and King Gradlon of Kerne. Wildly different, the two must learn to step up and fill in their mother’s shoes after her passing. Determined to keep the impressive city of Ys from being swallowed by the sea, Dahut participates in some unsavory acts to secretly appease the monsters lurking in the deep. Rozenn, next in line to take the throne, desires anything but a life away from her beloved wilderness. 

  Ocean, sweet ocean blue…
You drown ships and hearts.
Now bring me beautiful shipwrecks,
Bring me vessels full of silver and gold.

As Dahut follows a path descending into darkness, she commits the ultimate sin against her sister. The ultimate seductress, she leads Rozenn’s love interest astray and almost uses his as her next sacrifice. Despite her poor judgment, Dahut remembers her sister and puts an end to the terrible deed. In turn, a force lending aid to keep Ys safe arrives, bringing havoc for the city in his wake. 



While this story doesn’t give much credit to its male characters, Rozenn and Dahut represent strength in their own ways. Dahut sacrifices everything to protect her kingdom, no matter the cost. Rozenn is the picture of purity and propriety. The strain put on the relationship between these sisters is devastating and heart-wrenching. Paired with eerie and stormy illustrations, this read is one to quench the thirsty souls of lore-lovers.

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Moderate.
Violence: Moderate.

My Rating: ★★★★★

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Erin 

This is one of the first graphic novels I've read of my own volition instead of being recommended by other people, and I was not disappointed. I really liked the story of the Daughters of Ys quite a lot. The summary didn't give away much of the plot, and I found that going in a bit blind as to what it may be about was actually quite thrilling. I'm not familiar with any Celtic tales, and I do find that now I want to go researching and reading more. I have very few critiques about this, actually, as I really enjoyed the storyline and characters and how they interacted with each other. The art style I wasn't a huge fan of, and sometimes there seemed to be gaps in the plot that were a bit jarring - like I wasn't ready to be finished with a scene, but it ended and moved on anyway. There also wasn't any specific chapters or indication of change of scene, which could be normal for graphic novels, I'm not sure. I'm not an expert on them but in my experience, they can be really helpful, especially when a lot happens in a short amount of time, and the author chooses pictures instead of words to depict a certain scene. Something I do think was done really well were the action scenes - I often find in graphic novels (or comics in general) they are cheesy and don't really give a sense of urgency like they intend to. I didn't find that here with this book, instead I felt like I could actually hear some of the sound effects and progression of the action. Again, this could be due to my relative inexperience with graphic novels, but a bonus in my reading nevertheless. I would recommend this to other people based on the story alone, however, which I thought was really interesting and made me wish it was longer and more fleshed out.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Daughters of Ys

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