Book Review: Fence [Vol. 1]; C.S. Pacat, Johanna The Mad & Shanen Pae.

I've seen this series floating around the blogosphere as a good LGBTQ+ friendly read, and I'm so glad I finally got round to reading the first volume myself!

SOURCE: Web-Comic
TYPE: E-Read

TITLE: Fence [Vol. 1]
AUTHOR: C.S. Pacat, Johanna The Mad & Shanen Pae
SERIES: Fence (#1 - #4)
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Box
PAGES: 106
GENRE: Graphic Novel, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Young Adult

RATING: 4.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
Nicholas Cox is determined to prove himself in the world of competitive fencing, and earn his place alongside fencing legends like the dad he never knew, but things get more complicated when he’s up against his golden-boy half-brother, as well as sullen fencing prodigy, Seiji Katayama.

Nicholas, the illegitimate son of a retired fencing champion, is a scrappy fencing wunderkind, and dreams of getting the chance and the training to actually compete. After getting accepted to the prodigious Kings Row private school, Nicholas is thrust into a cut-throat world, and finds himself facing not only his golden-boy half-brother, but the unbeatable, mysterious Seiji Katayama...

Through clashes, rivalries, and romance between teammates, Nicholas and the boys of Kings Row will discover there’s much more to fencing than just foils and lunges.

What I Liked:

• I LOVE these characters. Every one. I honestly love slow-building m/m romance so much! Nicholas is the perfect protagonist - hot-headed but loveable, and he contrasts nicely with his rival, the arrogant prodigy Seiji. These two are my fave, but I also adored sweet-natured Bobbi, lazy lothario Aiden and determined leader Harvard. Amazing characters who I know will only grow better as the series goes on.
• The diversity is really cool - obviously a lot of queer rep (YAAAAASS) and I loved the variety of ethnic and class backgrounds too. It made for a much more interesting story.

What I Disliked:

• I did find the plot pacing a little on the slow side. I foresee a lot of Fencing matches (duh, the sport this series focuses on is Fencing) but each match takes away from the character development I love and replaces it with Fencing commentary. I enjoy reading it, but it is slow-going.

Overall Conclusion:

This was a really enjoyable read, and I can tell you that I am already hooked on this series. I'm shipping so many couples so hard right now, and I can't wait to watch all of the characters I already love develop, blossom and win some Fencing matches!!