Like a lot of people, I started reading Lumberjanes because of the involvement of Noelle Stevenson, whose comic book work I'm generally a fan of. So when her involvement mostly ended with volume 6, I didn't know what to make of the new artistic direction, and basically just stopped buying the issues when they came out on Comixology.

Then I read the book Snapdragon by Kat Leyh, and thought it was one of the more refreshing graphic novels I'd read in a while, and when I looked up her other work, I found that she's one of the coauthors of the current Lumberjanes run, so I picked up this volume to see if I was being unfair.

And yes, I gave up on this series too quickly. Leyh and Watters add a breezy, fun charm to the series while keeping all the open-minded eccentricities that first made the series an award winning success, and they definitely bring their own energy to the stories.

If there's one thing that's kind of a bummer, it's that I wish Leyh had the time and energy to draw this series as well, because every time I see her covers in the gallery at the end, the dynamic arrangements just seem so appropriate for the characters.

And the premise of this book, involving both impressing council elders and playing matchmaker for a giant bird, really let the whole cast shine, especially since previous volumes left them with a group of magical cats.

After reading this volume I went back and bought 5 more, so clearly something about this creative team is working for me.