Seeking a story that feels as gentle as lying in the grass with your eyes closed on a breezy spring day while the sun warms your cheeks? Look no further than K. O’Neill’s latest masterpiece, A Song for You and I.
This new graphic novel is a different take on an epic fantasy adventure. Rather than being fast-paced and action-packed, it’s slow and winding in the best way, like taking a deep, calming breath. With beautiful artwork to accompany every moment of Rowan and Leone’s journey together, you’ll fall in love with this story about growth, self-discovery, and learning from your mistakes.
Rowan is a ranger who, with the help of their trusty winged horse Kes, takes their job of protecting the village very seriously. They’re skilled and capable, but when their first expedition isn’t what they expected, Rowan makes a decision that ends up getting Kes hurt, and is assigned to help make deliveries across the meadows.
Being a ranger means adventure, action, and protecting the weak. But who protects the ranger when they lose their way? From the bestselling author of The Moth Keeper and the Tea Dragon Society comes a must read MG graphic novel for fans of soft sweeping fantasy romances.
Rowan knows exactly what they to be a ranger, protecting their village alongside their trusted flying horse Kes. But when Rowan’s eagerness to show off their worth gets Kes injured, Rowan is suddenly unsure if they’re capable of being the protector they’ve always dreamed of becoming.
With Kes needing to heal, Rowan is assigned a slow and winding expedition across the outlying lands. Paired with a lackadasical sheep hearder Leone, Rowan only finds frustration as they seem to fail even the simplest tasks. But Leone’s own struggles, and endless support brings a new possibility to Rowan. Could their unlikely friendship be something more? And if it is, will Rowan be able to leave Leone behind to pursue being a ranger once Kes is healed?
A Song for You and I
AUTHOR: K. O’Neill
PUBLISHER: Random House Graphic
DATE: March 4, 2025
That’s where they meet Rowan, a laid-back shepherd with a big heart and a love of music – music he only ever performs in front of his sheep. Rowan’s chill nature bothers Rowan at first, but as they embark on their journey together, they slowly realize that they’re not so different, each with their own fears of being known and seen for who they truly are. Rowan and Leone seem so different at first, but what if the thing they’ve been missing all along is each other?
A Song for You and I is a cozy hug of a story that feels like taking a nap inside a video game. Since we knew our readers would want to know more about Rowan and Leone and their unlikely bond, we asked author and illustrator K. O’Neill to share some details about the lovable characters they’ve created.
Get to Know Rowan and Leone from A Song for You and I:
ROWAN
✨🏹Rowan is a serious, dedicated young ranger-in-training who lives and studies out in the wild.
✨🏹A ranger’s job is to stand in between people and nature—to protect the balance and make sure none does harm to the other.
✨🏹Every ranger bonds with a flying horse that becomes their partner for life—Rowan’s horse is named Kestrel, which is a kind of small falcon.
✨🏹The trust between a ranger and their horse allows them to do all kinds of dangerous work, such as rescuing people from floods or fires.
✨🏹Rowan loves Kestrel and wants to prove their bond and teamwork to their fellow students and ranger teachers.
✨🏹Have you ever felt like people around you are judging you, or that you need to do better, even if no one has ever said that to you? That’s how Rowan feels.
✨🏹Something in Rowan’s heart doesn’t feel right, has never felt right, but it’s hard to explain exactly what that is…
LEONE
🎻✨Leone is a shepherd, but his real passion is playing the violin.
🎻✨He loves his sheep and all animals. The sheep are a perfect audience who never judge his playing.
🎻✨Being a shepherd isn’t too hard, but it requires a lot of concentration so a sheep doesn’t wander off and get lost or harmed.
🎻✨Frequently, Leone gets so into practicing violin that he gets completely lost in the music.
🎻✨Leone comes across as lazy to others like Rowan, who considers protecting animals and doing a job correctly to be a great responsibility.
🎻✨Why doesn’t Leone give up shepherding and pursue playing the violin properly? Well, then he would have to play in front of other people, and other people can judge and hurt with words without even realising it.
🎻✨ It’s safer to just play for the sheep, but will Leone really be satisfied if no one else ever gets to hear his music…?
📚LOVE ADVENTURE?: Get lost in the Underwild with Senka and Poppy in a Greek mythology-inspired romp through the underworld in River of Spirits. Enter to WIN a copy HERE!
