Review: Les Normaux

Les Normaux by Janine Janssen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

Les Normaux was a Webtoon series turned graphic novel about late twenty something characters trying to find their place in the world. Centered on human, but has the magical capabilities of a wizard, Sébastien has just moved to magical Paris and meets vampire Elia. They're both taking a moment in a hidden alcove in a club when instant chemistry hits them and they're making out, only for Sébastien to call a halt to things and run off. Which would have been less embarrassing if Sébastien didn't run into Elia the very next morning, as they both live in the same building now.

   

The story started off immediately with them meeting and readers are thrown into the world without a lot of context. Later in the the book, we get a little nugget of worldbuilding when it's relayed that a wizard created, built this magical Paris parallel to the human Paris, as a haven for supernatural beings that may feel lost. We do get some backstory on Sébastien and Elia as we get to know they're characters separately. Sébastien's parents tried to get him to suppress his magical abilities as the magical gene skipped them, this, along with being gay in an environment he thought he had to hide it, has left Sébastien having some social anxiety, being an overthinker, and just wanting to run away when things feel overwhelming. His first step to independence is him moving to magical Paris, his aunt and uncle who do have magical abilities are there to support him, and attending university, where he'll study and learn about his wizard magic. Elia seems to come from a storied, wealthy family where he helps with their fashion line business. We don't get as much about his background but he seems to feel immense pressure from his family and this causes him to dissociate when he gets overwhelmed.

   

Along with our main couple's story, we get some secondary character side-story lines from Elia's three girl friends, with a focus on Ronnie's budding romance, and an introduction to two male friends that Sébastien meets at university. There's also a few side-story inserts about Sébastien's bunny Pierre (a normal rabbit that was given infused magically by Sébastien's grandmother) and how he seems to be about world domination. It was cute but not fully making sense to me.

   

The jump from scenes sometimes didn't feel smooth, I was left questioning how much time had passed between scenes but the artwork added to the characterization and world, giving it a more inclusive and lively reading experience. This was volume one and that was felt in it's more introductory feeling, I do wish world-building had been laid out a bit more. If you're looking for a different kind of reading experience than you're usual written novel, this graphic novel had magic, budding romances, friendships, familial and personal issues working through, and a bunny bent on world domination.

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