EMILY RYAN

Absolutely hilarious!

Another author suggested this book on her mailing list and I am indeed an elf book junkie. What's even better than an elf book? A lighthearted comedy featuring bloodthirsty drows!

The USA has gained 2 million non-human immigrants after a mining company bumped into a group of dwarves who took a fancy for the country. When news spread that dwarves were immigrating to the US in huge numbers, elves, faes, orcs and centaurs followed suit and have been living in harmony as second class citizens. They are mostly tolerated, but are relegated to undesirable jobs and aren't allowed to legally leave the country.

Noelle is a young elf who owns a coffee shop. She has accepted the status quo until one day, her cafe is attacked by the current bloodthirsty drow queen Celeste. After an amusingly easy struggle, Noelle defeats her and most of the drow have returned underground. Noelle is declared a hero and granted a real passport. Not that her oddball exile drow roommate Drel seems to care. As a matter of fact, Noelle isn't entirely sure why Drel is willingly living with her in the first place. She assumed all drow were bloodthirsty savages who hate the surface. But save for the fact that Drel has somewhat dubious morals; he enjoys living with her... and his mom Celeste. Apparently, Noelle didn't kill Celeste, and having nowhere else to go now that she lost the crown and respect of her people, she lives in her apartment as well and steals her food.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg from the story because Noelle has just been kidnapped by a drow named Cole, and tossed on Celeste's throne chair! Being the queen of the drow might sound cool at first, until Noelle discovers that everyone wants to kill her and become the next ruler.

The story is insanely funny, I liked pretty much all of the characters. They are simply really charming (my favorite is Cole, but Ascha and Celeste are also great antagonists), and the story is a fun take on the drow/elf animosity. I loved the world building of the drow city, and their nonsenical culture. This is an anime manga inspired style webcomic that was turned into a paperback, and the drawings are quite good.

I heavily applaud the author for doing a great job and will be excited to read the second and final part of the story. Highly reccomended!… (més)

The sequel continues where the first book ends. Noelle (disguised as a fake Drow by applying shoe polish on her pale skin) accompanies a reluctant Cole from the fully surrounded Matriach Castle via a secret exit and wanders through his seemingly endless undergound city in the hopes of reaching the surface and to her previous life.

Little does Noelle know that Cole as an agenda of his own, and she must use her wits to avoid getting killed in a hostile and dangerous place.

Emily takes us into a world where the motto of "Kill or be killed" rings true with force, and a society that both flaunts the scourge of slavery while at the same time, everyone is obsessed with getting their daily horoscope even though they have never seen the stars before. Drow society is rich by its peculiarities and odd sense of organization. Magic runs through the air, and Cole has conveniently found a way to safely harness it.

We also get to see a kinder side of the ever ruthless exiled drow queen Celeste, and the overbearing love she feels towards her werewolf adopted son Drel. I think the story continues to be fabulous, and it's a shame that the author hasn't published a third volume even though more chapters of the comic exist. The artwork is simple but expressive, and it was a heartily entertaining read.

I award it 4 1/2 stars, mostly because it is 20 pages shorter than the first volume.… (més)