Cursed Princess Club: Season Four - LambCat - ★★★★★
AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: LambCat
SERIES: Cursed Princess Club #3
GENRE: Webcomic, Graphic Novel.
RATING: 5 stars!
In a Nutshell: By far, among the best graphic novels I have read. An astounding combination of plot, characters, social issues, and art. This review is for the ENTIRE fourth season and not specifically for this graphic novel.
NOTE: I'm reading this book on the WEBTOON app, but as Goodreads doesn't have that option, I'll be updating my progress against the graphic novel entries.
The first two graphic novels corresponded with the first two seasons of the webcomic. However, from the third book onwards, the paths diverge. This unreleased fourth volume of the graphic novel series is based on episodes 78 to 93 of the webcomic, which means season three (which ends with episode 106) is still going on the physical books. My review, however, is for the entire fourth and final season, so it will go far beyond the content of this graphic novel.
The plot continues from the events of the third season, and should NOT be read as a standalone work. No plot preview, as I don’t want to go into spoilers.
All feedback from the first three books is applicable for this one as well. I have already spoken about the characters and the themes in my earlier reviews. As this is the final season, I shall focus on the overall plot development and execution.
First off, anyone who thinks that this is a straightforward story with a linear plot and suitable only for young girls is SO wrong! There are various subtracks in the storyline, partly connected to the characters and partly connected to the group they belong to. So the basic plot demarcation is the Pastel Kingdom, the Plaid Kingdom, and the Cursed Princess Club. Then you have the character-oriented subplots, such as the “princels” (note the word play with 'incels') who love to hate not just women but also Blaine and all he stands for, elder children such as Blaine and Calpernia who are stressed out by the role they need to play as future rulers, or even shy Gwen who is so comfortable in her own skin until someone calls her ‘ugly” and destroys her self-image, literally. The story arcs span romance, humour, satire, fairy tale, mystery, dark fantasy, coming of age, and in the finale, even a thriller.
This was the longest season, not just in terms of number of episodes but also wrt the length of each episode. The start of the season is a bit complicated as there is so much going on. Keeping track of everything is tricky, though the author does help with many clues and reminders of past incidents. I was a bit afraid that my rating for this would drop a little as the detailing was going at a slower pace. But once the events from all the arcs began to come together, it was mind-blowing!
What a nail-biting finish this was! I laughed, I cried, I yelled at the characters, and I rooted for (some of) them with all my heart! It was an amazing ending that ties every single thread of the plot neatly without going into clichés or OTT rainbow finales. There’s no cliffhanger, and no forced coupling.
I think the story ended at a good place, and there is no need of (or a hint of) any sequel or extension. But it should be apparent that if any new CPC story does come out, I will definitely read it.
I have praised the book enough through these reviews. As this is the final review of my CPC experience, I want to shower praises on the author:
🙌 For handling art and story and music for such an extended story so capably.
🙌 For providing cute little content warnings where necessary, such as for depiction of terminal illness or depression or graphic violence or even spiders.
🙌 For keeping such a complicated storyline together without faltering.
🙌 For redefining what “princess” and “witch” and “cursed” can stand for.
🙌 For highlighting the poison that comes from bearing grudges and the freedom that comes from trust.
🙌 For the creativity of her pop culture references.
🙌 For all the smashing of negative social attitudes and cliched beauty standards.
🙌 For showing that some things cannot be and must not be forgiven.
🙌 For showing that there’s no shame in asking for help.
🙌 For not forcing romantic arcs where they aren't needed.
🙌 For so many memorable characters, including Laverne the llama. 👑🦙
🙌 For proving how a 'Happily Ever After' could mean so many things.
🙌 For making me feel teenage enthusiasm once again.
🙌 For penning a fairy tale beside which all other fairy tales pale.
🙌 For doing complete justice to its genre and performing well beyond its target audience.
🙌 For proving how indie doesn't mean low quality.
🙌 For giving me a wonderful chance to bond with my daughter.
Thank you, Lambcat! And best wishes in getting all the graphic novels released soon. It must be a mammoth task to convert a vertical scroll story into a comic book layout.
My thanks to the WEBTOON app for this free access to the story!
For your reference: here’s a comparative listing of the episodes on the WEBTOON app and the physical graphic novels.
WEBTOON:
The end.
PHYSICAL GRAPHIC NOVELS:
Volume 1: Complete Season 1, Episodes 1 to 29.
Volume 2: Complete Season 2, Episodes 30 to 61.
Volume 3: Season 3, Episodes 62 to 77.
Volume 4 (To be released in December 2024): Season 3, Episodes 78 to 93.
The author has mentioned on her Instagram account that it might take 10 or 11 physical books to complete the whole webcomic. So I've effectively read at least 10 full-length graphic novels within 4 days! 😱
One feature that some WEBTOON readers might enjoy is that all the seasons come with their own background music, which matches the mood of the panels you are on. This is a novel feature. While I admire the effort this must have taken, I confess that I kept the music muted after the first few episodes; my mind can’t handle music and reading together. But I must give credit to the author for this. She handled the art and the story and the music – wow!
Comments
Post a Comment