Brielle and Bear: Once Upon a Time
SHORTLISTED FOR INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2025
‘Doku’s fairytale-inspired story is a warm hug of a book. Unashamedly feel-good, with gorgeous artwork and a romantic love story that readers can lose themselves in’ Bookseller Highlights of Autumn 2024
A wonderfully romantic love story perfect for teen readers – the first in a full-colour graphic novel series
Fairytale Rule No.1: All the best fairytales start with ‘Once upon a time . . .’
First-year student Brielle, a daydreamy book lover, knows everything there is to know about fairytales. Returning to the city of Rosebridge four years after moving away, she attends Once Upon a Time University, with the intention of living her fairytale dream. And when she meets Bear, shy vice-captain of the Princes rugby team, at the bookshop where she works, Brielle’s dream is off to a good start.
Determined to forget the past, and with an unexpected new relationship blossoming, Brielle feels she’s finally living the dream. That is, until she discovers that she’s not the only one hiding something . . .
Salomey Doku is a self-taught author-illustrator from Leeds. Originally trained in architecture, she started watercolour painting in 2018 and quickly fell in love with the art of storytelling. When she is not drawing, she is either daydreaming, going on long walks, at church, or talking to her pet hedgehog Strawberry. Brielle & Bear is her first graphic novel.
@salomeydraws | @sa.dokuillo | salomeydraws.com