I am always on the lookout for new graphic novels by authors I haven’t read so I was excited to read Sleepless.  I didn’t know much about the story beforehand so it was a nice surprise to find out that I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I can’t wait to read volume two!

Lady Pyppenia “Poppy” is the illegitimate daughter of a recently deceased king who is struggling to find her place in the new monarchy.   While she has been treated fairly by the new king, she has made some enemies in the court as evidenced by the numerous attempts on her life.  She is guarded by her sleepless knight Cyrenic who has taken a vow to protect her.  Together they must figure out who wants her dead while fighting an increasing attraction to each other.

This was a unique story and overall I really liked were it went.  Both main characters, Poppy and Cyrenic, had depth and were well thought out. Poppy is a strong female character who has to fend for herself at times (despite her guard) and makes decisions on her own.  She doesn’t let anyone walk all over her and will defend herself if needed. Some of the side characters could have had more backstory there are still more volumes in the story so they may have more to do and say in future issues.  The idea of having a group of knights that take a vow of sleeplessness in order to provide protection for people is a brilliant idea.  I really loved how the drawing of Cyrenic reflected his tiredness by increasing the bags and shadows under his eyes.   Even though we learn a bit about the knights, I wanted more to their story and the reasons why they choose to take this vow and how the vow works.  How do they not sleep for years?  What is this dementia like illness that seems to afflict them? So. Many. Questions.  Hopefully more of their story will also be included in future issues.   The illustrations had an old time feel to them while still feeling modern and they were pleasing to look at.  There was a lot of detail in the drawing and I enjoyed the art immensely. I will definitely be seeking out more of Vaughn’s work because of this.

Overall, this was a solid start to a series that I look forward to continuing.  It has romance, action, and court intrigue—so I would recommend to fans of fantasy or fans of well-illustrated graphic novels.

Author: Sarah Vaughn, Leila del Duca (Artist), Alissa Sallah (Colorist), Deron Bennett (Letterer)

Published: 2018

Rating: 5 Stars