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drtlovesbooks 's review for:
Witchy
by Ariel Slamet Ries
What it's about: Nyneve is growing up in a world where magic is real, and the longer your hair, the more magical potential you have. Nyneve's father was executed for having very long hair, so Nyneve has spent most of her life trying to convince everyone her hair is much shorter than it really is - very successfully. She's the butt of every joke at school because she is so magically inept.
When the time comes for everyone in Nyneve's grade to take part in a contest to see who will be recruited into the land's magical military force, things don't go as planned, and Nyneve finds herself fearing for her life. In helping her escape, Nyneve's mother shows she has a lot more magic - and skill - than Nyneve ever realized; but they are separated, and Nyneve finds herself in a strange place, facing strangers who may be more like her than she realizes.
What I thought: This is a really interesting world, with an engaging backstory and characters who pull the audience in.
I also appreciated that one of the characters is low-key trans, and most of the characters seem fine with it when they find out; but, as in our world, there are folks and forces that are not happy with such a situation. Representation matters, and it's great that M-to-F trans teens can see themselves in this story.
Why I rated it like I did: I would be inclined toward a 4 star rating, but after reading 253 pages, the story is JUST starting to sketch out its broad outlines. It's a really interesting world, but having a graphic novel that doesn't bring closure to ANY of its story lines is not knocking my socks off.
When the time comes for everyone in Nyneve's grade to take part in a contest to see who will be recruited into the land's magical military force, things don't go as planned, and Nyneve finds herself fearing for her life. In helping her escape, Nyneve's mother shows she has a lot more magic - and skill - than Nyneve ever realized; but they are separated, and Nyneve finds herself in a strange place, facing strangers who may be more like her than she realizes.
What I thought: This is a really interesting world, with an engaging backstory and characters who pull the audience in.
I also appreciated that one of the characters is low-key trans, and most of the characters seem fine with it when they find out; but, as in our world, there are folks and forces that are not happy with such a situation. Representation matters, and it's great that M-to-F trans teens can see themselves in this story.
Why I rated it like I did: I would be inclined toward a 4 star rating, but after reading 253 pages, the story is JUST starting to sketch out its broad outlines. It's a really interesting world, but having a graphic novel that doesn't bring closure to ANY of its story lines is not knocking my socks off.