Castle Waiting Vol. 1

Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting is one part fairy tale and one part domestic drama. There is some mystery, sure, but mostly, it deals with the day-to-day lives of those left behind after Sleeping Beauty departs with her prince.

It may sound kind of quiet and boring, but it’s not. It’s delightful and sweet and constantly surprising. Medley handles the fantastic elements with such grace that it’s easy to forget you’re reading a book that has anthropomorphic bears and bearded nuns. They may be living in a castle, but the interpersonal relationships feel very genuine.

Her art takes its cues from Arthur Rackham and other turn-of-the-20th-century illustrators, but it still feels very modern. Her faces are lovely (even on the more fantastic characters, like the horse-headed Chess) and her page compositions are compelling and diverse. I’d still be recommending this book if it was just her drawings. It’s incredibly lovely to look at.

My only complaint is that I want more (I’ve been assuming volume 2 is going to be collected … at some point) and I think after reading this, so will you.