Member Reviews
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.
Title: Little Witches: Magic in Concord
Author: Leigh Dragoon
Genre: Children's/Middle-grade Fantasy Graphic Novel
Publication Date: August 27th, 2019
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley
->Click for Synopsis<-
This magical retelling of a classic, Little Women, features your favorite March sisters but with a delightfully witchy twist.
I haven't ever read Little Women but I have always enjoyed the movie. I saw this title and was instantly drawn in because who doesn't love a story about witches? The cover is gorgeous as well.
I thought that the story of the March sisters was very cute. There was a touch of magic and also had important lessons, like working together and not judging a book by its cover. Although it was a little on the short side, the plot was interesting and it wrapped up quite nicely by the end. The illustrations are great as well!
Overall, it was a cute children's graphic novel and one that I would read to my daughter as she gets older. If you would like to read a magical retelling of Little Women then give this book a try!
Classics are well classic. As a child, Little Women & Anne of Green Gables had movies & multiple versions in print. However, retellings were not really a thing at that time. I picked up Little Witches, Magic In Concord by Leigh Dragoon on NetGalley and I found several pros & cons.
Pro: The artwork is absolutely adorable. I wish I could post some on here but, copyright & all.
Con: The magic system is not completely defined. In theory, all four March girls, their parents & aunt have their own powers. However, only one parent & one girl's power are talked about in a defining way.
Pro: Several references from Little Women is included. Pickled Limes. Hair Cutting. Works in the fire.
Con: Several key references from Little Women is missing. I am hoping this is the first in a series and will continue.
Proish Con: This graphic novel addresses race in the Civil War that the original did not. However, this is geared to Middle-Grade readers and I feel it was not addressed in a way that most readers aged 10-13 would understand. They use abolitionists and never stop to define it. In my opinion, young readers may also be confused with the use of magic to enslave people.
Lastly, I believe the premise of Little Witches was a good one. Little Women with magic, sign me up! However, the heart of the original novel is the four girls growing up with defined different personalities and finding sisterly love and unity. In this book, some of that is there but I hope there is more in the series to explore & develop this concept more.
Would I have loved this book if I was the age range targeted? Yes. It was fun & cute.
Three Stars
Little Witches will be published on August 27th, 2019.
"A charming and magical graphic novel adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN!" sums it up pretty good!
This just didn't work for me.
I liked the fact that the author decided to use the March sisters as characters, it was a nice idea. The magic aspect was what intrigued me at the beginning but I don't think it was explained well and it kind of became useful only at the end of the book.
The plot was kind of complicated and I would have liked some more explanations.
Considering it was a 150-page book things weren't done really well, in my opinion.
An odd but interesting concept. Sometimes the modern references threw me off so I couldn’t tell if this was supposed to take place during the Civil War or during modern times, but due to the context of everything else, it’s Civil War like Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Because of that, it gives off the impression that it’s desperately trying to be modern and unique when it just feels odd. Honestly, I think that this would’ve been much more compelling as an original period piece without the March sisters tie-in.
Little Witches is a graphic novel, magical retelling of Little Women. It was a fun, cute and quick read that I can see myself rereading over and over.