No One Returns from the Enchanted Forest

by Robin Robinson

In this fantasy adventure graphic novel, a shy goblin must play the role of hero.

They say no one returns from the Enchanted Forest—but that won’t discourage Pella. Earthquakes are destroying her village, and worst of all, they’ve caused the Midsummer Festival to be canceled. According to legend, the Earth Queen is to blame for these violent quakes—and the Earth Queen’s tower lies at the heart of the Enchanted Forest. Late one night, Pella sneaks away to find the Earth Queen and give her a piece of her mind. But she’s not afraid—she’s never afraid.

It’s Bix, Pella’s sister, who does the worrying for both of them. She’s the one, after all, who was tasked with keeping her sister safe after they lost their parents. But despite her fears and the very real dangers that lie ahead, Bix will do anything to protect her little sister—even walk into the Enchanted Forest with only a ball of yarn to guide them home.

They say no one returns from the Enchanted Forest. Will Bix and Pella be the first?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Comics, Fiction, Childrens

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[howie · Rating 4 out of 5]

goblin unions goblin unions goblin unions goblin unions goblin unions

[Juan Manuel Sarmiento · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goblins, mischievous sisters, festivals and earthquakes in this colorful and funny comic.
In 'No One Returns from the Enchanted Forest', goblins Bix and Pella mut find the elemental queens in order to stop the earthquakes at her home place, thus providing a big adventure full of dangers, odd creatures and even more odd characters. I love the illustrations and it was the cover who got me hooked on reading it in the first place.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very adorable middle grade graphic novel! I loved how much anxiety Bix had, but she was willing to face it all to find her little sister anyways. So cute, and very much worth a read.

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I immediately fell for the art in this book, all of the whimsical, magical creatures and landscapes of Teacup island. The story opens with orphan goblin siblings Pella and Bix's home being threatened by a series of earthquakes. Goblin lore says that earthquakes happen when the Earth Queen is unhappy. Reckless Pella, the younger sister, decides to head into the Enchanted Forest to confront the Earth Queen. Anxious Bix has to chase after her to try and save her, even though Bix has always been told that no one returns from the Enchanted Forest. Both sisters paths lead them towards different allies and enemies, dodging dangerous wildlife and carnivorous plants. I really liked all of the goblin and troll characters in the story, but was less captivated by the powerful beings who lived in the forest's center. I think their motivations fell a bit flat for me. But I still think this is a very charming book for young readers, who likely wouldn't notice the minor things that bothered me.

[Camille Caliman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Pella and her older sister Bix annoyed me at points (Pella for the most part was unbearable), I enjoyed this story. I loved the friendship between Cici and Bix and the world-building was awesome.

And also, thank you for writing true villains. It's popular now to write villains that you can kind of support but it's nice to have a villain that's a villain, you know?

Hopefully there will be other stories in this world, I would love a deeper look at the Enchanted Forest and all of Teacup Island.

[AK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister story! With magic! And problem solving! I especially enjoyed the extra little comic about the nymphs unionizing.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel was a joy to read, something I could barely put down once I had opened it. This is a lovely book about overcoming anxiety, finding your inner strength and understanding one another.

[Lovely Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️

I thought this would be a cute magical adventure, but I felt like the author was communicating a misguided view of God’s sovereignty over mankind, and all of creation….also there seemed to be some subtle social agenda slipped in with a possible F/F relationship? That part was a bit unclear.

Also-unrelated…a full spread of spiders that I had to quickly flip past 🤮🤣

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet graphic novel with a lot of Moominesque qualities about it. A pair of orphaned Goblins find themselves and their community in peril when the island they inhabit becomes threatened by a series of earthquakes. Is the Earth Queen unhappy with them? The younger of the sisters, Pella - who is definitely channelling a lot of Little My, sets off into the Enchanted Forest to find out. But no one ever returns from the Enchanted Forest...will her older sister, Bix, be brave enough to go after her?

This is a lovely book about companionship, being happy with who you are and the strength and loving and caring for one another. A little delight. My 8-year-old son, a reluctant reader of fiction, devoured it in a single evening.

[Tory Koshivas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely graphic novel! I was given an advanced read on NetGalley for an honest review: I absolutely loved this book. The art is stunning, full of life and colorful, the creatures are creative and mystical and the story was wholesome and relatable. It was a perfect story for a middle grade reader

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute new middle grade graphic novel series about goblins and tree trolls and other mythical, mystical creatures. When Pella the goblin goes to give the Earth Queen a piece of her mind, her ever anxious big sister Bix has to come to her rescue. Along with the help of her new friend, the tree troll Cici, Bix embarks on the adventure of her life!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

No One Returns From the Enchanted Forest is a cute story of sisterhood, friendship, dealing with anxiety, the value of community, and toppling tyranny. It's fun, relatable, has some great messages, and the art is super cute. I really enjoyed Robinson's art in The City On The Other Side so I've been looking forward to seeing it here, as well as seeing Robinson's debut as an author. Recommended!

[Allison Schoel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely graphic novel! Themes of how your actions can effect others and responsibility. A lot of colorful and unique characters that feel so full of heart and complex. The art style and storytelling reminds me a lot of Steven Universe which I adore so this was a very pleasant time. Also, letsss goooo knitters!

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some of the POV transitions were a bit fast for me (flipping between the two sisters' POVs page by page), it was an adorable story and adventure. The themes felt a bit heavy-handed, but I can see readers enjoying the story and relationships.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since their parents' deaths, Bix has watched over her impulsive little sister Pella. So when the little goblin takes off into the Enchanted Forest to confront the Earth Queen about all the earthquakes that are destroying their home, Bix has to follow. Even though she's scared . . . and only armed with yarn.

[sparklemaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is adorable! Big shoutout for the color work and all the art of the forest, which is like a magical candy-colored dreamscape. Bix and Pella are both a bit obnoxious characters, but I also found Bix and her severe anxiety disorder pretty relatable. My main complaint about this book is that some of Bix's overhead narration feels a bit unnecessary and distracting, but other than that, this is a cute, quick, kid-friendly read about sisters, bravery, collaboration, loyalty, and creativity.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely story! So many issues kids go through are addressed- sibling rivalry, feeling like you're not being listened to, being scared and worried, feeling helpless, not wanting things to change, and more. It's told in a way that is relatable without being too obvious; you know how Star Trek addressed societal problems by using alien species and worlds, to sneak in the lesson without making it too obvious it was a lesson for the humans watching? This story is like that. We have Bix and her little sister Pella, two goblin children living in the underground goblin city alone, since their parents died. Earthquakes have been troubling the city, and the goblins decide they must move to the northern mountains immediately, cancelling the midsummer festival they normally have. Headstrong troublemaker Pella runs away in the middle of the night, to go find the Earth Queen in the dangerous Enchanted Forest, and give the Queen a piece of her mind. When Bix discovers her sister is missing the next morning, she goes after Pella, despite her own fears and worries. When Bix gets into a scary situation, a tree troll named Cici comes to her rescue, and tags along to help Bix find Pella. They learn that the Earth Queen and her sister, the Water Queen, have a rivalry going about how the island should be, and they now must rescue Pella and keep the Queens from destroying the island trying to one up each other. Will they succeed, or will all be lost?
The story is well paced, with a good balance of action and quieter moments, and the characters develop nicely as the story progresses. Everyone learns something, including the adult characters, and I appreciated that the adults had flaws too. The art is so lush and gorgeous, and the world building is well done; we learn about the world of the island as Bix does, without info dumps. The ending leaves us hopeful for a better future; the story could continue should Robinson decide to do a sequel, but we're not left with a cliffhanger, this stands alone nicely. I enjoyed the story a lot, and would've loved it when I was a kid. Definitely recommended!

#NetGalley

[Shylo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for people of any age who worry or have anxiety and who wish they could see themselves in a protagonist. Very cute artwork.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

FOUND FAMILY VIBES

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute character designs. I didn't love it, but it was a nice story.

[Lisa]

This one was not for me.

[J MaK · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story reflects all perfectly imbalanced sister-ships. Coupled with beautiful landscapes and wonderfully written (layered) characters. What’s not to love?

[Kiera Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Español…

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quin món més interessant! I preciós! les històries de germanes són la meva debilitat.
Crec que quedaria molt bé en una sèrie animada amb coses que passen a l'illa una vegada ha acabat la història.

[lys · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved loved loved this graphic novel <3 new comfort for sure

[Kamentag · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wholesome story with colorful, breathtaking illustrations <3.

[Anilú Zavala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que bonito que las amigas y hermanas te salven <3

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many times did my little sister drive me mad? How many times did I know best? How many times did I have to rescue my little sister from an angry earth queen who had the power to create volcanoes? Seriously, I lose track of all the shenanigans!

So maybe I didn't have to rescue my sister from imprisonment from an angry earth queen, though our MC now has that as part of her litany of worries. When two sister queens, literal opposites, cannot stop fighting over a magical island, all the island's creatures, large and small, will pay. Fighting has a price: floods and earthquakes, homes and lives lost, and families destroyed.

However, the Earth Queen and the Water Queen don't care. Midsummer Festivities approach and the two sisters are locked in rivalry again this year. Little Pella, who isn't afraid of anything (even when she maybe should be), is furious that Midsummer is being spoiled and sets off to tell the Queen off. Big sister Bix is terrified of EVERYTHING, and only the mingled fear and love for her sister will get her to go into the Enchanted Forest on a doomed rescue mission. What Bix finds there is totally unexpected.

The art was what kept me going with this story. The story was a bit long at times and bumpy. I think that it could have been trimmed just a bit and as a big sister, I would have wished for more of an arc with Pella; the story hinted at it but then nothing happened. I felt a bit like I was overpromised on something. Though Bix's story certainly lived up and beyond! Thank you for that and for Cici's character as I thoroughly enjoyed her.

It seems like there might be a continuation which I would like to read. This is not your usual fantasy quest fairy tale which is good! The usual tropes certainly don't always hold here. I will recommend this.

[Fern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute! I hope the author decides to do more stories set in this world.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars--A young goblin summons strength and skills she didn't know she had when her sister is in peril. Cute, clever junior graphic novel.