Tag: Molly Knox Ostertag

The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag, color by Maarta Laiho

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“Sometimes you have to let your life get messy. That’s how you get to the good parts.”
― Molly Knox Ostertag, The Girl from the Sea

Lee Knox Ostertag has written and/or drawn some of my favorite graphic novels, Strong Female Protagonist and The Deep Dark, to name a few. When I spotted The Girl from the Sea on the shelves and realized that I hadn’t read it yet, I knew I needed to give this one a go.

Published in 2021, The Girl from the Sea is a queer, coming of age romance graphic novel set on an island. Telling the story of fifteen-year-old Morgan and her secrets, readers are drawn into her world as she works to figure out who she is and who she can trust. Morgan can’t wait to escape the island where she lives. Her life may seem perfect, but her mom is sad because of the divorce, her dad is nowhere to be seen, and her little brother keeps getting angrier. Morgan should be able to rely on her friends, but lately her secrets are pushing them farther and farther apart. Morgan’s biggest secret is that she wants to kiss another girl, but she hasn’t been comfortable enough to tell anyone else. Sitting on the cliffs by her house one night, Morgan suddenly finds herself falling into the sea. When a mysterious girl named Keltie saves her, Morgan is convinced she’s in a dream. Waking up the next morning, Morgan realizes that Keltie is, in fact, real. The two become friends, going on adventures across the island that help Morgan to come out of her shell and enjoy life more. Who exactly is Keltie though? She has her own secrets, which could destroy their friendship and budding romance.

The vibrant colors and beautiful artwork pulled me to this graphic novel. I love a coming of age romance, especially when the characters are queer and struggling to figure out who they are. The struggles between friends were realistic, while the romance and relationships were wholesome and relatable. The ending was a bit bittersweet, but still somewhat happy. All in all, I’m glad I picked up this book.

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Family secrets live at the center of Molly Knox Ostertag’s newest graphic novel, The Deep Dark. A mix of fantasy and romance, Ostertag has written a deeply emotional story of identity, grief, trauma, family, and loss all from the point of view of a high school student with serious adult responsibilities.

Everyone has secrets and high school senior Magdalena Herrera has many. Her secret just happens to be deadly and hidden in the dark basement of her family home. Mags and her family have been keeping this secret for decades, keeping friends at bay while they keep this secret safe and away from others. Mags spends her day working a part-time job, going to school, caring for her sick grandmother, and making out with a girl who already has a boyfriend. Mags wishes that she could have a happy, shiny life, but she is drawn to the basement every night to have her energy drained by her secret.

Mags has been isolated in her small desert community for years, seeming to have everything under control, while really she is slowly unraveling. When childhood friend Nessa walks back into her life, Mags begins to come out of her shell. Nessa brings hope for the future, but her motives aren’t entirely pure. Nessa remembers certain things from their shared past that she has questions about, putting the future that Mags has just started hoping for into question. Quickly Mags realizes that while she wants to be with Nessa, she has to stay behind with her secret without anyone’s help. Mags can’t afford to get attached or be distracted. When Mags’ darkness becomes too big for her to manage, she must decide what she is willing to sacrifice. Will she bring her secret fully into the open or will she remain locked in the dark with her secret, unable to live her life to the fullest?

This queer story with monstrous elements had me hooked from the start with unique page layouts and mixed use of black and white, and color. This is actually the second time I have read this book. This re-read allowed me to catch some foreshadowing that I missed my first read. The tension hit me harder on my second read. This is a story of learning to love and accept the darkest parts of yourself, even when they are angry and have the power to hurt you. Don’t let grief hold you back from overcoming your demons and learning to let other people love all of you no matter what.