Delilah Dawson is a relative newcomer to the world of graphic novels, having previously made her name as a steampunk and dark fantasy author for teens and adults. In Ladycastle, she collaborates with Ashley Woods for a new take on the standard medieval cursed castle fairytale. When King Mancastle and the rest of his men ride off on crusade, they leave the women in charge of the castle. When the men meet with an unfortunate end via a wizard’s curse (it does not pay to cheat people with magic), it’s up to the women to take charge. Mancastle and the men not only managed to get themselves killed but caused the castle itself to be cursed. When the Lady of the Lake presents a sword to determine the new king, it is none other than Merinor, the blacksmith’s wife, who finds herself as king. The two daughters of Mancastle, Princesses Aeve and Gwyneffar, become her knight and squire respectively and the rest of the women at the castle pitch in to not only make life at the castle sustainable but to defend themselves from the threats drawn by the curse. It’s a fresh take on the cursed castle theme with women at the center of the action as they try to make their own way in a world which has historically done its best to exclude them.

When you have a series that’s setting stereotypes on its head, the danger is always in becoming too gimmicky. I will admit that I had some frustration in reading Ladycastle in this regard. While the story is entertaining and filled with all sorts of allusion to standard fairytales and fantasy (randomly breaking out into song, the lady of the lake, etc, etc), it tends to feel like it’s checking boxes rather than organically having characters or themes. Towards the end of the series, Merinor becomes a very interesting, fully fledged character but at the beginning, she feels like the token sassy black lady. The same can be said for several other characters. Ladycastle has a lot of heart but it’s plagued with the kind of heavy message that overwhelms an otherwise interesting story and take on the old standard. The artwork by Woods is a perfect match for the writing though, with a comedic but pretty style (overlooking silly armor choices) that fits Dawson’s writing.

If you’re a fan of fantasy and want something with a different take and plenty of strong female characters and girl power, Ladycastle is well worth checking out. It isn’t perfect and may annoy others in the same spots that it did me but I’m still glad to see a fantasy story try to upend the stereotypes and gender roles that have been so prevalent in the genre until recently.