FATE

A mysterious entity threatens fairies and their magical school in Cuartero-Briggs’ YA graphic novel and fantasy series launch.

This graphic novel picks up where the two-season Netflix series of the same name left off. Bloom Peters, who wields powerful Dragon Flame, has disappeared by choice. Now the school she left—Alfea College, where fairies and non-magical Specialists hone their skills—is without clear leadership. When seemingly possessed animals suddenly attack the campus, students Aisha, Terra, Musa, and others fight them off. That’s all it takes for Luna, Queen of Solaria (one of the realms of the magical Otherworld), to put the school under military control and protection. To prove they’re united and to get Luna to “stand down,” the friends decide they need to find Bloom. Stella, a fairy, uses her powers to make everyone see Bloom in her place while Musa searches the Realm of Darkness, where the dead usually go and where Bloom is hiding out. The clock is ticking as the animal attacks continue; if Bloom doesn’t leave the Realm of Darkness soon, her stay will be permanent. Cuartero-Briggs here deftly reestablishes the streaming series’ cast of characters, including romantic couple Terra and Specialist Kat. There’s an even blend of melodrama and magic throughout; in between battles with snarling, red-eyed beasts, Stella frets over her mother, the queen, choosing someone else as her successor (“I know I said I didn’t want the responsibility…but I was scared, mother!”). This smartly simple tale bounces back and forth between chaos at the school and Bloom’s dilemma in the Realm of Darkness (will her potent Dragon Flame inadvertently hurt her loved ones in the Otherworld?). It all culminates in a stellar, twisty final act that will leave readers itching for the next installment. Gillenardo-Goudreau’s illustrations superbly depict the diverse characters’ assorted facial expressions along with their keen fashion sense.

A colorful, diverting paranormal tale and first-rate follow-up to the live-action TV show.