The Marble Queen

i just absolutely ADORED this.

the art style was so gorgeous. i loved how the illustrator drew hair specifically, both curly and straight hair was drawn with such personality and care, and there was a really good variety of hairstyles employed as well. and don't even get me started on the OUTFITS. outfits always truly sell a fantasy setting for me and they did not hold back at all in this one. the dresses were absolutely gorgeous and Queen Salira's fits were breathtaking. the colors and styles were so very dreamy and just exactly what i want from my fantasy settings. don't even TALK to me about the wedding outfits i was SPEECHLESS.

the story was also very well done for how quick it went by (out of necessity, with this being a graphic novel). arranged marriages are a hit or miss for me but GAY arranged marriages? sign me up every. single. time. absolutely loved how they gentle they were with each other and even though time skips were employed to pass time quickly for the plot i still think they did a phenomenal job of showing how the two of them grew closer together. they were so sweet and so in love and i wish them every happiness in the world.

another thing i loved about this story was how they depicted the MCs anxiety. it's not that rare to see a protag with anxiety but i feel it is rare to see one who openly acknowledges it and tries to manage it, even if she comes at it from a “please get rid of this so i can be normal” standpoint which, though an unhealthy view to see it from, is definitely something i've thought to myself on more than one occasion when dealing with my own anxiety. the visual representation of the vines wrapping around her (and later the snakes wrapping around Salira when she has a nightmare) and scratching/choking her was a stunning way of showing how anxiety and fear effects us in a physical sense.

i just loved everything about this to be honest. i'd love a million more volumes of this series with just the two of them ruling Iliad and being two beautiful queens in love.