Salomey Doku is known for illustrating heart-warming children’s books, including How Fish Became Stars and Emi’s Dreamscape. Now, she’s taking her first step into YA fiction with a magical fairy tale retelling. The first in a duology, Brielle and Bear: Volume 1 follows the budding romance between two bookish college students as they overcome past hurts and discover who they truly want to be. Here’s everything you need to know before the book hits shelves on April 22!
Synopsis
As a lifelong book lover, first-year college student Brielle Da Rosa is an expert on fairy tales. After four years away, she’s back in the city of Rosebridge to attend Once Upon a Time University, where she hopes all her fantastical dreams will come true. When she meets shy rugby player Atohi Yonas, AKA Bear, she can’t help but fall for him — in more ways than one. Luckily, Bear feels the same way, and as the first semester unfolds, their love starts to blossom. For Brielle, their romance is like a fairy tale made real — until she discovers there’s more to Bear than what meets the eye. Will Brielle and Bear get their happily ever after, or will their secrets tear them apart?
A Masterful Modern Beauty and the Beast Retelling
The magic of a fairy tale is in how easily it can sweep you off your feet. Before you know what’s happening, you’re soaking in the experience fully and completely.
Salomey Doku, Brielle and Bear: Volume 1
Salomey Doku’s Brielle and Bear places the beloved Beauty and the Beast fable in a modern-day context, adding a contemporary spin to a classic tale. It retains crucial themes like the transformative power of love, the importance of inner beauty, and the value of compassion but creates further nuance with discussions of anxiety, bullying, and learning disabilities. Although the archetypes of Belle, the Beast, Gaston, and others are undeniably present, Doku gives each character a more developed backstory and personality, enriching the original narrative while honoring its foundational morals. The resulting story embodies both the comfort of nostalgia and the intrigue of something new.
A Candid Look at Anxiety and Trauma
Fairy tales pull you in way over your head, promising even more magic under the waves. They dare you to plunge in. Entice you into new whirlpools. Until the only thing you can do… is allow yourself to be pulled along. All the while hoping that you’ll remember your way back to shore.
Salomey Doku, Brielle and Bear: Volume 1
Despite the bliss of their spellbinding romance, Brielle and Bear are both running from something they’d rather not talk about, but eventually, the baggage gets too heavy to carry alone, leaving them no choice but to open their hearts to one another. Bear’s past trauma manifests as anxiety and fear of rejection, which initially prevents him from sharing his true self with Brielle. His negative thoughts and emotions swarm around his head like bees, and only his creative outlets seem to keep the buzzing at bay.
Conversely, his positive emotions are represented by lilting butterflies, which flutter around whenever he plays the cello, writes a poem, or reads a fairy tale — and when he talks to Brielle, who understands and supports him unconditionally. Unlike Bear’s former peers, Brielle doesn’t see his dyslexia or his interests as anything shameful — in fact, she admires his passion for music and literature — and this reassurance gives him the courage to step into his true self.
A Beautiful Bookish Love Story
‘Real love believes, endures, and hopes in all things. Perfect love is our victory over fear. Above all, love never fails.’
Salomey Doku, Brielle and Bear: Volume 1
Daydreamy English major meets a shy, cinnamon roll rugby player in a cozy campus bookshop, and the rest is history. Brielle and Bear’s endearingly awkward meet-cute is every bookworm’s dream. Their romance unfolds like a fairy tale, with both characters learning to love themselves a little more through the mutual respect and appreciation they find in each other. For all the bibliophiles out there waiting for your special someone to come along, don’t give up hope! As this story attests, you just might find them among the shelves at your favorite bookstore.
A Fairy Tale Come to Life
Fairy tales can surprise you. They can make you laugh, make you angry, or make you cry. Just like in life. But one thing about fairy tales is certain: They stay with you long after the final page.
Salomey Doku, Brielle and Bear: Volume 1
Salomey Doku’s hope-infused writing is accompanied by gorgeous illustrations, which bring the fictional town of Rosebridge and the university campus at its heart to dazzling life. Each drawing, from those of the story’s central settings to its diverse cast of characters, reflects the world as she experiences it — with a whimsical twist, of course. Through creative visual metaphors, Doku captures the character’s thoughts and emotions in their full intensity, immersing readers in the narrative. This story positively dances off the page and into your heart, and Doku’s breathtaking illustrations are to thank.
Final Thoughts
In Brielle and Bear, Salomey Doku finds something novel to draw from a tale as old as time, reinventing the enduring Beauty and the Beast story for a modern audience. Her debut YA graphic novel illuminates vital issues like mental health against the tender backdrop of a university romance. Enchanting from start to finish, this ravishing retelling has something to offer readers of all ages — and charm enough to last until the highly anticipated second volume graces our shelves.
You’ll love Brielle and Bear if you enjoyed these titles:
- Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
- I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
- The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
- The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Bookstr’s Brielle and Bear Dream Cast
We’re dying to see this story on the big screen. Here are our top picks to play the titular couple!
Laura Castro as Brielle
As the stunning voice behind the Portuguese dub of Ariel in the live-action Little Mermaid film, Laura is undoubtedly princess material. Plus, she’s radiant in Belle’s signature color!
Michael Cimino as Bear
Michael stole our hearts as the titular character in Love, Victor, and we’re certain he could steal Brielle’s, too!
Final Score: 4.5/5
If you want to add Brielle and Bear to your TBR, you can preorder it on Bookshop and Amazon! Thank you to Random House Children’s Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For another Bookstr starred review, click here!
To browse more books like this, check out Bookstr’s Graphic Novels shelf on Bookshop!
