Sleepless, Volume 1
by Sarah Vaughn
Sleepless is an inventive and incredibly gorgeous romance told in two volumes, both of which are out now. It features one of the best love stories I’ve read in comics and with every page I exclaimed, “That dress tho!” The setting, a fantasy kingdom, is inspired by the Italian and Moroccan Renaissance. The heroine is a woman of color with a pet fennec fox. The hero is her bodyguard. Every page is frameable.
The heroine, Poppy, is in an awkward position at court. She’s the only child of a deceased king, but she’s illegitimate. Her mother lives in exile and her uncle, who holds the throne, demands that Poppy stay at court where he can keep an eye on her. Poppy has no desire to make a claim for the throne but everyone is suspicious of her anyway.
Poppy is assigned a Sleepless guard named Cyrnic. The Sleepless are an elite group of guards who literally never sleep until the one day their sleeplessness catches up to them. At this point, they fall asleep for a period of time as long as the sleep they missed while awake – usually forever. The two fall in love while trying to navigate court politics, manage Cyrnic’s increasing physical problems with sleeplessness, and avoid assassination.
In addition to having fabulous art, this comic has a fabulous romance. Poppy and Cynric’s loyalty, mutual respect, and protectiveness of each other is touching and they have great chemistry. The reason I’m giving this an A- grade is that in Volume 2 I found myself to be confused by a couple of plot twists that seemed to come out of nowhere. I would happily read this comic again and again for the romance and the lush, detailed, and inventive art!
– Carrie S
Lady “Poppy” Pyppenia is guarded by Cyrenic, her faithful Sleepless Knight. But when a new king is crowned, an assassin threatens her life, ushering in a new and dangerous time. As Poppy and Cyrenic work to discover who wants her dead, they must navigate the dangers of life at court—and of their growing feelings for one another. Collects SLEEPLESS #1-6
Graphic Novel, Science Fiction/Fantasy
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