Friday, December 10, 2021

Witchlight

Witchlight

by Jessi Zabarsky

RH Graphic, 2020. 200 pages. Graphic Novel.

Meeting in the marketplace amid community fears about witchcraft, Sanja and Lelek begin uncovering difficult magical secrets about Lelek’s past while making unexpected discoveries about friendship, family and falling in love.

This story is all about Sanja, a repressed merchant’s daughter and Lelek, a witch with half a soul, their meeting, their scheming, and their learning to trust each other and other people.  The illustrations are round and full of light. The world building of Lelek’s spells and her witchlight, all through illustration, is powerful.  The portrayal of the girls’ growing relationship is tenderly and carefully handled. This graphic novel also portrays the power of "found families". Every place the girls go they meet someone, usually a woman, who opens their arms and home to them. This is a moving, romantic, and whimsical story that will gently lead you to an understanding of two compelling characters.

If you like Witchlight, you might also like:

Mooncakes

by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

Lion Forge, 2019. 256. Graphic Novel.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmother's bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help.  

 

The Girl from the Sea

by Molly Ostertag

Graphix, 2021. 245 pages. Graphic Novel.

Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends . . . who don't understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan's biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface . . . whether Morgan is ready or not.

AG

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