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adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Shakti has moved a LOT. She's used to being the new girl, though her newest school has more problems than usual. Shakti and her friends will need all their skills, magic and otherwise, to deal with the trio of girls running the school.
Very fun, quick read that shows the power of intention and emotion while also humanizing even antagonists. The art is absolutely gorgeous.
Very fun, quick read that shows the power of intention and emotion while also humanizing even antagonists. The art is absolutely gorgeous.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse
Pregnancy is of one of the moms, not the school-age main character. Mom's pregnancy is endangered by magic - both the original spell the antagonists try to cast and the mis-done summoning Shakti does in response. Child abuse is shown briefly and is of the antagonists.
- you can’t go wrong with a good witchy, middle grades graphic novel about family and friendship!
- I loved the representation in this one! South Asian lesbian moms!!! I had so many students who would’ve seen themselves in this book, and I would’ve added it to my library in a heartbeat.
- I loved the magical system in this one. There’s so many interesting ways that this universe could be explored, and I really hope they’re sequels.
- I love the way light and dark or good vs evil/chaos was explored. This is such a key concept for this age group, and it was done really well!
- the illustrations were incredible! I’d highly recommend a physical book to really appreciate some of the larger spreads.
- I loved the representation in this one! South Asian lesbian moms!!! I had so many students who would’ve seen themselves in this book, and I would’ve added it to my library in a heartbeat.
- I loved the magical system in this one. There’s so many interesting ways that this universe could be explored, and I really hope they’re sequels.
- I love the way light and dark or good vs evil/chaos was explored. This is such a key concept for this age group, and it was done really well!
- the illustrations were incredible! I’d highly recommend a physical book to really appreciate some of the larger spreads.
Wow, this absolutely blew me away. This is pretty much a perfect graphic novel. It has so much heart, the right amount of magic and mythology mixed into a contemporary setting, and amazing family and friend relationships. I'm definitely going to have to pick up a physical copy so I can reread it lots!
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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
SHAKTI follows an eponymous 12-year-old as she harnesses her ancestral magic, blessed by the Hindu Goddess Durga, to try and save her town from a terrible curse.
This story precisely covers a range of topics including bullying, body hair and shaving, the arrival of a new sibling, moving schools and making new friends, and first crushes in a short span of time.
My heart swelled with the representation of Shakti’s two moms, middle schoolers expressing their queerness in the tenderest of ways, and the portrayal of spiritual practices like “getting rid of the evil eye.”
Meanwhile, the colours and illustrations are brilliant, and this one spread of Durga had me stumped and scarcely breathing as I took it in. I just adored every bit of this book.
I love witches and magic and mythology, but I’ve always longed for stories that represented the mythos in my inheritance. I’ve also felt just outside the perception of “South Asian” because Tamilness is buried under that monolith and the truest parts of my existence lie in my Tamilness.
The author, SJ Sindu, and the illustrator, Nabi H. Ali, are Tamil creatives, so this is an especially moving project for me. Shakti feels like a promise of all the stories we can write ourselves into, everything we ever dreamed of and beyond, and I’m so thrilled to experience it all.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
I cannot wait to purchase this Graphic Novel for my friends children. This is an amazing story that should be shared. Thank you to the author, Net Galley, and the publisher for allowing me to read this in advance for my honest opinion.
If you love to see a powerful young girl doing everything she can to not only protect her family but also her area you're in for a treat. This graphic Novel gives us the chance to see that Indian tradition has many intricate and interesting stories that are available for one to look at. The legends here felt realistic, like something could go awry at any moment.
The family and characters are diverse in the fact that there are all different ethnicities and locals to the characters and there are also. Each moment felt like it was leading to something and the desire to help ones community really helped me lock in on the premise of this novel. I honestly loved the story board of this one.
If you love to see a powerful young girl doing everything she can to not only protect her family but also her area you're in for a treat. This graphic Novel gives us the chance to see that Indian tradition has many intricate and interesting stories that are available for one to look at. The legends here felt realistic, like something could go awry at any moment.
The family and characters are diverse in the fact that there are all different ethnicities and locals to the characters and there are also. Each moment felt like it was leading to something and the desire to help ones community really helped me lock in on the premise of this novel. I honestly loved the story board of this one.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
adventurous
informative
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:
Complicated
First, the illustrations in this are INCREDIBLE. Truly fantastic. Second, I LOVED the history of witches lessons throughout, as well as the Hindu mythology. I loved learning so much while reading this. And third, I just thought the story was really great. I really enjoyed this.
adventurous
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
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
The cover and premise of this graphic novel immediately caught my attention, and I’m so glad I was able to read it. Shakti and her moms have just moved to Amherst and she immediately makes a new friend in Xi, but they quickly realize something isn’t quite right in the town. A group of three girls - Harini, Emily, and Kelly (aka: HEK) - have been casting ingratiation spells to make the whole school seem them positively, even as they actively bully the other students. When Shakti and Xi learn of HEK’s plan to cast the spell in a bigger way so the whole town will be under their spell, they try to call on Durga Ma to stop it from happening. Unfortunately Shakti isn’t as peaceful in her heart as she needs to be and instead they summon Kali Ma.
This is a really great story of friendship, community, and family. I also really loved the mythology and story of Durga Ma and Kali Ma, as I’m not as familiar with them. The art is also such a perfect accompaniment to the story and flowed really well. Overall I really loved this graphic novel and Shakti’s story.