A Kingdom of Quartz by Bomhat
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Special thanks to Kodansha Comics for sending a copy for review.
Summary:
In a world where angels protect the people against demons, a young orphan with pitch-black wings may hold the key to the kingdom’s fate. An exquisitely drawn, dark fantasy manga for fans of Puella Magi Madoka Magica , Made in Abyss , and Witch Hat Atelier .
An orphaned girl named Blue has always dreamed of joining the ranks of the noble Angels, servants of the floating palace who protect the Quartz Kingdom against demons. Yet, Blue is not like the other children at the orphanage. Where their fledgling angel wings are downy white, Blue’s are pitch black, giving rise to whispers that she is cursed.
One day, the orphanage comes under attack by a host of demons. Angels swoop down from the palace to drive the demons back, but Blue watches in horror as they are cut down one after another. Just when all seems lost, Blue feels a dark power welling up inside of her. It may be enough to avenge her friends…but will the cost prove too great? (Goodreads).
Thoughts:
I usually don’t read manga, but A Kingdom of Quartz immediately caught my eye with its outstanding cover and beautifully designed graphics. Each page held a whirlwind of emotions which were expressed by the precisely drawn pictures. The plot is also engaging, and it had me instantly hooked from before even the first page; the summary took hold of me and forced me to choose it without even glancing at other books.
The cover is full of vibrant and cheerful colours, and the expression of Blue, the female lead, was incredibly realistic. She seemed like an actual human rather than a two-dimensional drawing on paper. I especially loved how the colours compliment each other so well.
The world is created beautifully. The manga takes place in the Kingdom of Quartz, which is a kingdom of light established by angels. Demons, creatures of darkness, have never set foot there after being banished. Information is given steadily and supported by the expressive images. I quickly understood how the world was set up with the help of the author’s perfect descriptions.
The story revolves around a young orphan that dreams of serving in the Quartz Palace as an angel. Unlike the other angels, her wings are black and some people in their hometown think she has demon attributes, which may be true. When the nun who had taken care of her sacrifices herself to save Blue from a demon, Blue discovers her powers are similar to the demons. She is able to manipulate shadows to get revenge on the demon that killed the nun. I’ve never read anything with the same plotline as this, so it was a nice change of pace.
The panels flowed smoothly to bring the story to life. I was usually never confused about the setting or what was happening in the book, and even if I was, just re-reading a small section was enough to understand what was happening. The transition from full-page illustrations to smaller panels perfectly set the mood of each scene and improved the quality of the manga.
I’d recommend this manga to any lovers of fantasy. All aspects of the book were done perfectly, and no mistakes caught my eye.
Reviewed by Romina P.