Coral’s Reef is the adorable tale of Coral, a teenage sea-sprite who lives in the riverside town of Reef Beach. Populated with creatures that are not quite human, Coral’s Reef is a fantastical delight. If you love high school tales, full-color mangas, and stories of sweet friendships, Coral’s Reef is perfect for you.
| Title: Coral’s Reef, Vol. 1 | Author: David Lumsdon Illustrator: Shiei |
| Genre: MG/YA Fantasy | Publisher: Seven Seas |
| Release Date: October 3, 2023 | Page Count: 256 |
Synopsis
A full-color fantasy manga/graphic novel series about the fun daily life of a teenage sea sprite!
An all-new tale for kids and adults from the creative team behind My Little The Manga (also from Seven Seas).
Meet Coral, a sweet-natured girl who lives with her parents, kid sister Maki, and pet sea otter in the seaside town of Reef Beach. She’s no different than any other teenager–except like all inhabitants of New Lemuria, she’s not quite human. Coral is a sea sprite, and when not at school, or helping out in her mom’s dress shop, or hanging out with friends, she’s out catching waves on her beloved surfboard. But Coral’s life is about to turn upside down once dreamy fire ifrit, Nick Inferno, comes to town. How can she not crush on this boy who is literally burning hot?!
Review:
If I were to describe Coral’s Reef in one word it would be “adorable.” I’m a simple girl – give me a story with a cute animal companion, a quirky high school girl, and a fantasy setting, and I’ll be happy. Make it a sweet story with friendships, family, and crushes, and I’ll be even more thrilled. Coral’s Reef is a massive manga, coming in at 256 pages. But, somehow, the time passed by quickly reading Coral’s Reef. I was so invested in Coral’s life and friendships.
In this volume, Coral’s life is turned upside down when a new boy, Nick Inferno, comes to town. Coral, along with nearly every other girl in school, is immediately enamored by Nick. Unfortunately, she has very little experience wooing boys. The romance is very innocent. I’m not an expert at guessing the age-appropriateness of books, but I think it Coral’s Reef would be appropriate for an older middle-grade audience through a young adult audience.
The story did slip for me some towards the end as things derailed between Coral and Nick due to interference from Nick’s sister. The ending was left open for further volumes, and I’m interested in reading further installments. Hopefully, the toxic sister behavior calms down and is explained!
Art:
The art in Coral’s Reef is absolutely beautiful. I was blown away by the full-color art throughout the book. Each character’s design is so well done. Each character is easy to distinguish and has their own look and style. I adored Shiei’s art and will look for more of their work in the future.
Final Thoughts:
Coral’s Reef is an excellent graphic novel/manga for middle-grade and young adult readers. I also enjoyed it a ton as an adult reader. Though some story elements irked me later in the story, the great friendships and mother/daughter relationships mostly made up for these.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars.
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