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wornpagesandendlesscoffey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
It was cute, but could have used better character development.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Violence, Child death, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
shaipanda's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
I thought this was well done- definitely not a favorite and almost DNF’d 35% in or so because I just wasn’t super invested and it returned to the library but didd end up finishing it and I’m glad I did. However honestly my favorite part was that it was gay lol while overall I thought the storyline was good I wasn’t obsessed with it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Animal death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Medical content
Minor: Blood and Cursing
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What I loved the most about this was the art, to be honest, though YA graphic novels seem to be slaying with the art lately. There are some really excellent panels throughout this book, helping to build the witchy community that Emsy finds herself in when her parents move her back to the east from California.
For the most part, the characters were well-developed, and we get a lot of diversity that's just there. Some of the side characters blend a little into the background, but the main characters do get chances to shine, even if they are teenagers who don't make the best choices. We've all been there.
The plot of the story was fairly easy to predict; the "twist" is pretty easy to see coming. I also kind of wished that we got a little more backstory from the coven. Emsy's parents were like, we had to leave for safety reasons, but the stakes didn't feel high enough for me? Besides the fact that the bad guys had killed an entire family. I wanted that aspect to be a little more fleshed out, to help add more of an urgency to the plot.
Despite that, I'm all for all of the queer witchy graphic novels currently coming out, so keep them coming! I will absolutely keep reading them.
For the most part, the characters were well-developed, and we get a lot of diversity that's just there. Some of the side characters blend a little into the background, but the main characters do get chances to shine, even if they are teenagers who don't make the best choices. We've all been there.
The plot of the story was fairly easy to predict; the "twist" is pretty easy to see coming. I also kind of wished that we got a little more backstory from the coven. Emsy's parents were like, we had to leave for safety reasons, but the stakes didn't feel high enough for me? Besides the fact that the bad guys had killed an entire family. I wanted that aspect to be a little more fleshed out, to help add more of an urgency to the plot.
Despite that, I'm all for all of the queer witchy graphic novels currently coming out, so keep them coming! I will absolutely keep reading them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content
Minor: Cursing and Blood
robinks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked all the queerness and witchy magic. There were a lot of unanswered questions about the world though, and Emsy kind of annoyed me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Murder, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Medical content
emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I just felt annoyed reading this book. Everything seemed to get on my nerves and this review is an attempt at explaining why.
It fell at the first hurdle with the main character, Emsy. I’m still appalled over that choice in name. I’m an Emily and have met plenty of Emilys and not one of them have called themselves Emsy! Emsy is like a jokey nickname your family calls you, not something to VOLUNTARILY attach to yourself. I couldn’t get past it the whole book. But my issue with the MC doesn’t stop at her name. She was super unlikeable. It wasn’t even her attitude to moving or her frustration with her girlfriend, both of which seemed understandable to me; I just did not like her. And this sentiment extended to pretty much all the characters. I usually don’t even mind unlikeable characters but for some reason this cast just did not work for me. A final note on Emsy (ick): her character development is not shown on page well; she does a sudden switch between wanting to leave and wanting to stay .
In terms of plot, the mystery was intriguing enough to keep my hooked and reading and was perfectly fine for a YA graphic novel. However, the ending was so abrupt. There was no real resolution concerning Emsy’s mum, girlfriend, or best friend . Also, I found it totally unrealistic that the adults would use the kids as bait without their knowledge, after all the fuss they kicked up over keeping them safe, and Ben having just gone through one of the most traumatic events that a human can. At the very least the adults could have clued the kids in on their involvement. But to be honest I find it unlikely that there wasn’t another way to flush the murderer out that didn’t have to involve the kids at all .
Finally, the art was mostly good but there were definitely some weird panels that didn’t look like they were meant to be the final version of themselves. So yeah, this book was not a hit with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Medical content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Grief
Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
Major: sick parent Moderate: loss of a loved onesfbookgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spooky season may be over, but the spooky reads will continue to be a staple on my bookshelf and TBR list. I read Coven a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. The art is incredible and I loved the detailed illustrations in tandem with vibrant colors and hues. This binge-able graphic novel is centered around Emsy and her family’s coven. While she would rather spend her days surfing the waves with her friends, a sudden death struck her family’s coven back east and Emsy is forced to return to her roots to provide extra aid and protection.
I was expecting this to be very witchy and I was glad that it has a balanced mixture of contemporary and spooky spell vibes. I easily fell in love with all of the characters - especially her coven of whom Emsy was originally hesitant to attempt to re-establish a connection. While it reads quickly, the characters appear well-developed with excellent dialogue. It’s a great read for any time of year - not just during spooky season.
Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy!
Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Animal death
Moderate: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
tamaralh7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Death
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This seemed like a good introduction to this witchy world and potentially compelling cast of young LGBTQ covenmates but fell short of being a satisfying story in its own right. The pacing was off for me, with too many panels committed to early angst and stubborn ignorance, leaving too few for later character development and story resolution. I'm not the target YA reader, though, so their mileage may vary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
Moderate: Death, Violence, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Blood and Cursing
booksnbones13's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
loved the art style and concept, but the second half of the story was rushed— the first set-up for the big ending didn’t set in until almost 80% through and for all the build up of the conflict the ending felt rushed and tied up too neatly too quickly
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Body horror, and Death
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an arc of this book.
Emsy's world is shaken when she has to move back to New York from California to be with her family's coven. She doesn't want to leave her home, friends, or girlfriend, but her parents are insistent that it isn't safe for them anymore. But Emsy gets into even more dangerous territory in New York when she teams up with Ben to figure out who killed his parents and to master her neglected elemental magic.
This was really fun! Firstly, the arc is not in color which I understand but am sad about. I'm imagining the full color version will be extremely vivid and beautiful, so I can't wait to read that.
Emsy is an interesting character and I liked her, but I honestly liked some of the side characters better. I like her emotional journey, but wish the romance aspect had been dealt with a little differently. The magic is really interesting and I especially like the spirit witches! Excited to read the final copy.
Emsy's world is shaken when she has to move back to New York from California to be with her family's coven. She doesn't want to leave her home, friends, or girlfriend, but her parents are insistent that it isn't safe for them anymore. But Emsy gets into even more dangerous territory in New York when she teams up with Ben to figure out who killed his parents and to master her neglected elemental magic.
This was really fun! Firstly, the arc is not in color which I understand but am sad about. I'm imagining the full color version will be extremely vivid and beautiful, so I can't wait to read that.
Emsy is an interesting character and I liked her, but I honestly liked some of the side characters better. I like her emotional journey, but wish the romance aspect had been dealt with a little differently. The magic is really interesting and I especially like the spirit witches! Excited to read the final copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Grief