Synopsis:
Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjanes scout camp… defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons… what’s not to love?!
Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way!
Lumberjanes is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things. It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist Noelle Stevenson, talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing, and Brooke Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won’t want to miss.
Review:
I purposely didn’t read the synopsis of Lumberjanes as I’ve heard incredible things about it so I wanted to go in blind. That was 100% the correct choice. This graphic novel was nothing but chaos from start to finish and I LOVED it.
Firstly, I have to talk about the art style. The cover of Lumberjanes is what put me off reading it for years. I wasn’t a big fan of the art style but this isn’t what it looks like inside. You actually get to see the different cover concepts at the end of the novel and the one they went with is my least favourite. The art style of the story is whimsical and just so fun. I adore the character designs. They have so much life and personality to them.
Going into this blind and not realising it has magical creatures and a mystery plot lead to a wild ride. From page one I was fully into the chaos and was actually conceived for a while this was a ‘they’re all having the same vivid imagined event’ but no, there are genuinely three-eyed foxes and huge water creatures trying to kill them but no one believes it’s actually happening.
I loved the contrast between the girls and the boys. The girls were all about kicking butt and diving head first into action and the boys were baking and making tea. This doesn’t stay that way for long, but the reversal of what are seen as stereotypical gendered activities was great. I won’t spoil what happens though, I really wasn’t expecting that twist.
Our main cast of characters were incredible. Firstly, they’re such a diverse group from ethnicity to body type to how they present themselves. I loved how each of them got their chance to shine and their personalities really did shine through.
I am 100% going to continue this series at some point. The first few instalments are available through Kindle Unlimited, so I’ll be waiting until I have that again, but just know I’m excited to dive back into this crazy, chaotic world again.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: To Be Read: ARC Updated // June 2025