Castle Waiting

Vol.1 & Vol.2
Author: Linda Medley
Ages: 14+
Rating: 4/5

What is it about?
Once upon a time there was a castle. In that castle were a good and wise King and Queen, and in their kingdom was peace. But the King and Queen wanted a baby, and this is where the trouble begins. Fast forward a hundred years and everybody in the castle awakens when a prince wakes a princess with a kiss. Then the prince and princess abandon the castle and all the people in it. This book is about what happens after that.


Why I loved it?
This is a story about stories. Many many years after the prince and princess abandon the castle only three handmaidens remain of the original inhabitants. The castle becomes a place where misfits find refuge from a cruel world outside. The characters are dynamic and each has a background story, though we're not introduced to all the backgrounds yet. The characters are a family: the love each other and they drive each other crazy, and they have secrets from each other -seemingly convinced that the rest couldn't accept or love them as well if all the details were known. The stories are endearing and funny and some are a little bit heartbreaking -which is a trait I kind of love in a story.


I would recommend this graphic novel for an older audience because I don't think that it would be as well appreciated by anyone younger. But, somebody younger might read it and enjoy it, then come back in a few years and appreciate it in a different way. NOTE: Some 'cussing', nothing too harsh but probably not something you'd want a 9 year old repeating.  

This rating could only be higher if I didn't have to wait so long for the next volume, which as far as I can tell doesn't even have an anticipated release date yet.