Member Reviews
This is such a wonderful a sweet graphic novel. I think the cover is gorgeous and immediately makes you think of Little Women. I think that the artwork is wonderful and really helps the story come to life in a way that mere words on a page sometimes don't quite manage to do. I'd be interested in reading more adaptations like this one.
Fun idea - bad execution.
I liked the idea of taking the March sisters and turning them into witches. Unfortunately the plot itself just didn't work for me and the pace was off entirely. It took too long to get the the climax, considering how quickly it was then resolved. I would also have liked to see the magical side explored more - we really only got to know what Beth could do.
A shame - it really had potential, but unfortunately just couldn't deliver.
A magical twist on the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The story and the characters were great, though the ending felt a little rushed.
I was curious to read this book, which is an adaptation of the beloved classic Little Women by L.M. Alcott, with the proviso that the March sisters here are witches. Good witches, mind you, keeping even their ideas of Transcendentalism.
The plot is similar: four sisters living with their mother in Concord during the Civil War; the father is absent in the aforementioned war minding the wounded. The fact that they are witches is a fact known to all, as well as the existence of magues. So this is a historical fantasy / alternative reality. New neighbors arrive at the house in front of the March and they are witch-finders. At first, the girls are worried, but soon discover that Mr. Lawrence and his grandson are rather new inhabitants of the city and no some fanatics. Actually, grandfather is an ex-slave who desire to fight the evil mages of the south.
However (and here taking a break to note that my copy is an ARC ), one of my major problems with the book is that it has serious problems in its edition in account of the content of the lettering, because many letters are missing throughout this work which does not allow to appreciate it as it should. Besides that the font used is not very good either, not very clear to read.
The story continues along the same lines of the original, with the different personalities characteristics of the four sisters, and the charm of Laurie. But then there is a twist of the plot with a mystery that increases an atmosphere of fear and suspicion in the town about the magic.
The obstinate and brusque personality of Jo here is exacerbated and torn almost caricatured and it is not too much to my liking, (as I join the millions of admirers of Miss Jo March).
Oh, this is for youngers readers, middle graders I think, and there is no romance.
-The Art is simple, but aesthetics is not very to my liking either.
Funny and entertaining. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Would be interested in reading more from this author.
The title of this might sound somewhat familiar and it is because it is a play on Louisa May Allcott’s Little Women. In fact this is a retelling. I don’t consider it inspired as other reviewers have said because it holds to close to known events. While I might not have read Little Women I do know a bit about the story.
In this graphic novel retelling the Marches are witches and the Lawrences are witch hunters. An interesting concept if it had been worked out properly. Instead the Lawrences know they are witches but won’t prosecute them because they aren’t a certain type witch. That was confusing and there was very little explanation there as to these different types. And that is quite honestly the gist of the whole story. It wants to do a lot but it really doesn’t have the room in the 140 pages to make a proper world building which leaves a lot confusing. It’s a shame this seems to be all shoved into one graphic novel (that I can tell as of now) because I think if this story and world could have been able to go over a few volumes you could have had a great little series. Instead its lukewarm at its best.
Having said that, it was enjoyable to read just for the interactions between the characters. You do get that homey and family feeling between the sisters. I wish there had been more time to develop their relationship and their relationship with Lauri. Even so, it was still cute and felt.
The change of the Lawrences to being black was something I much applaud and was glad to see.
Cute middle grade level comic. Original story, and use of magic in the story, storyline was a little slow at first and finished quickly but not badly.
This graphic novel is adorable! I hope that it's going to be a series, because it's really lovely seeing the March girls come to life on the page, and the inclusion of magic is just perfect. The vibe of the original is kept, but having the girls be witches makes this feel almost like a Stephanie Burgis or Mary Robinette Kowal novel - cosy but original.
The artwork is gorgeous, with a really perfect colour scheme and lots of really temptingly-drawn snow! It would be a really lovely book to read with a kid, or to curl up with on a wintry afternoon on your own.
The concept of a witchy retelling of Little Women was so intriguing but I didn’t feel like enough happened. The dialogue and events almost too closely resembled that of the original.
Little Witches is a fun magical retelling of Little Women that presents the March sisters as witches in training.
The story is captivating, and I appreciate that, while being a fantasy retelling, it deals with serious and real issues (like racism and slavery). I liked the simple but original magic system and I loved the simple but beautiful artwork. I have never read Little Women, but I still fell in love with the characters. That being said, I feel like I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had read the original story first.
My only criticism is that the ending felt abrupt, (or maybe it just need a sequel soon), but it truly was a very good graphic novel.
Inspired by Little Women, Little Witches is a fluffy and magical tale. The illustrations are very cute and the plot alluring. However, I wish the story was longer. There was so much going on that I didn't feel 140 pages were enough. Also, I'd love the magic system to have been better explained - close to the end, there's some insight on it, but I spent several pages trying to understand its intricacies.
Little Witches is an interesting retelling of Little Women. While the illustrations were cute, I was just not a fan of this rendition. Young readers will enjoy the graphic novel format and it is a nice way to introduce new readers to the characters.
Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.
*e-arc gotten from NetGalley*
Stars: ✦✦✦✧✧
A short graphic novel retelling of Little Women.
The plot is a fun retelling of Little Women with some magic, and it also had lots of references to the book with it's own unique spin on them.
The illustrations are beautiful and fit the feel of the book.
The story arc was simple and predictable, so maybe someone a bit younger would love it.
It was a short magical read about witches who just wants the best for all. They showed courage, bravery and so much more than that.
Little Witches follows the story of four young witches-- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy-- and their mother as their father is off fighting in the Civil War. When a new boy, Laurie, and his witchfinder grandfather move in next door, the girls have a new friend. But something dark is moving through Concord, and more and more things are disappearing... Could it be magic? Could the five children do anything about it?
First of all, the idea of Little Women retold to be about witches is just a delightful idea, and I liked many of the story beats it took from the original story. But the magic system (including what exactly a witchfinder does and why some magic is okay but not other kinds) was never fully explained. I liked the way this book addressed race and slavery in a way that the original book did only obliquely if at all. I'm not sure it was 100% successful at making the diversity we see in Concord believable, but I'd rather the book tried to include and address that than not. Overall, the plot of this book followed its own arc rather than hewing too closely to Alcott's original. While I didn't mind that, I did think it wrapped up far too quickly, with far too little explanation.
The art is lovely overall, although I wish that more had been done to differentiate the sisters earlier. I had a hard time telling who was who for the first half of the book, despite being very familiar with each sister's personality.
Overall, I think this graphic novel is fine, but I don't think I'll be preordering it for my library's collection.
I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this, a supernatural retelling of Little Women. The plots are related, but not identical, the characters are all well drawn, literally and emotionally. The story was a lovely mix of a Charmed and the original material. Really fun with emotional depth.
Little Witches: Magic in Concord is a graphic novel adaptation of the classic, Little Women. This version of the story contains magic, lots of it. The March family are mages/witches who have good, useful magic. Mr. Laurence and Laurie are witch finders who hunt down bag witches. The two families get along since the Marches are not evil. Many things around Concord have gone missing and there may be magic behind it. When Marmee and Mr. Laurence are both gone, Jo and Laurie must try to figure out the mystery and fight against an unexpected source of dark magic. I would recommend this for anyone who likes the original story or likes stories about magic.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
2,5/5 stars. While I appreciated that the author included POC characters and removed the tragedy, I felt like the pace was off, especially near the end, it was too fast and not much was explained. I liked that Amy and Jo's relationship here seems to be the main focus and I liked the magical elements. However, the villain was too obvious and there was not really any depth. The art was cute but sometimes the characters had really awkward expressions.
This is a very light comic, more suitable for children and I think it would have worked better if it was not a retelling of Little women.
The March sisters live in Concord, Massachusetts with marmee, while their father is off at war. The big house across the street is finally being moved into! The sisters are excited until the sign is nailed up, declaring their new neighbour a witch hunter. Of course this wouldn't be a problem, except the March sisters are witches.
When I first read the description of this book, I was very unsure. It always worries me when people rewrite classic stories with their own twists, and I was afraid that Leigh Dragoon may have desecrated the lovely, innocent story that is Little Women. However, I was very pleasantly surprised.
This graphic novel is charming and enticingly readable. The classic Little Women story still remains, as does it's innocence and quaint setting. The big difference is that it takes place in a world where many people are mages, and there are laws about magic and it's uses. The story world is different to ours - the characters are not witches as we know them, but are part of a world where magic is a force of nature, not part of any religion.
I enjoyed the references to how history would be effected by magic, especially in reference to slavery and the plantations of the old south.
The illustrations in Little Witches are absolutely lovely, and endear you instantly to the characters (and their pets!). I loved every picture, and enjoyed graphic nature of the story. It means that it is well suited to both younger and older readers.
Thank you to Goodreads for the access to this pre-publication copy of Little Witches.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this early copy.
This was interesting retelling of Little Women mixed with fantastical elements.
However, I found parts of the story hard to follow. I felt that the reader did not learn enough about the magic system.