It was good but I felt it was lacking something. Maybe if I see it developed more, story wise, in future issues I would be more interested in continuing the series.

The art style of Witchy is really interesting - while it's perhaps sketchier than some comics I've seen, there's a vivacity to the drawings which is really cool to see. You get a real sense of motion and fluidity in the way characters' actions are drawn, and the colours are really wonderful.

The plot is exciting and explores deep themes underneath its relatively simple storyline. I loved the diversity of the characters, in terms of race, gender and sexuality, and the commentary on ability through hair is fascinating. I did think it ended abruptly, but I know this is only volume 1, and I've read further in the online webcomic, so I'll be excited to see volume 2, when it's ready!

Witchy is a graphic novel that tells us the story of Hyalin, a land where the length of a person’s hair determines how powerful their magic is. When the Emperor felt threatened by the length of a witch or wizard’s hair, he would burn them to maintain the kingdom without rebellions. However, that was before he had been defeated, and now, though the new ruler seems honest and just, he too might be hiding some dark plans for the land of Hyalin.

The concept for this graphic novel is incredibly original, the magic system and the history of the land and people, was all really fascinating to read about. But unfortunately, I felt that something was missing. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters and the plot didn’t grip me completely. Though the magic system was pretty original and interesting, the plot wasn’t original at all and that surely influenced my enjoyment of the story.

Nevertheless, though this might not be a new favorite, I am glad I gave it a go.

Happy Reading,
Jabnia

This was right up my alley! The art style was absolutely gorgeous and the story arc really addicting to follow! Cannot wait to get more of Nyn's story.

Nyneve lives in a world where the length of your hair determines your path in life. Nyn doesn’t want to face the same fate her father did and decides to take matters into her own hands. Full of witches, magic, darkness and rebellion, this novel is sure to ignite the minds of more mature readers. The theme of this book goes even deeper than what stands at the surface. By the end you will be wishing there was more as the unique characters begin to unfold before your eyes.

I LOVED IT !
I felt so invested in the story, thanks to the characters, who are amazing and well-developped. I really appreciated the diversity of representation ; I also loved the political intrigue. I can't wait to read the rest of the story !

I received this from Lion Forge via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Death of a parent (in the past), bullying

Witchy takes place in a kingdom where your hair length determines how powerful your magic is. The longer your hair, the more powerful you are. But if your hair is perceived as too long, you’re considered an enemy of the kingdom and are burned for it. We follow Nyneve as she deals with being forced into a path she doesn’t want and resenting the kingdom for killing her father because of the length of his hair.

For whatever reason, the art was really not my thing. I think it might have been the colours chosen as well as I found the lines to look a bit sloppy.

I think the premise is a pretty cool one and I did enjoy what we learned about the world. However I found I didn’t really understand much about the world, and made it a bit confusing as to why certain things were happening.

The characters did have clear motivations which I enjoyed, but I don’t think any of them will leave a lasting impression on me.

I really appreciated how diverse this graphic novel was. There are multiple people of colour as well as a trans girl.

There were quite a few humourous moments that definitely lightened the tone.

Whilst reading I did enjoy the plot, but this volume only just scratched the surface of it and it wasn’t enough for me to feel like continuing.

Overall, this did nothing new for me but was a quick and fun read for the most part.

I went into reading <i>Witchy</i> by Ariel Slamet Ries intrigued and with very little by way of expectations. A story that followed a young girl in a society were the magical prowess one has is directly related to the length of your hair, where if your hair was <em>too long</em> you would be executed or praised for your powers, was fascinating. The concept behind this story was so brilliant, in fact, that it wouldn't have been surprising if the story fell flat as that does seem to happen rather often.

But <i>Witchy </i>was one of the most brilliant graphic novels I've ever read. Wonderfully diverse, this story features characters of different races, sexuality, a trans character, and characters with different body types. It even featured an interracial relationship which I frankly just don't see often enough. In a great many ways the characters were all exceptional. They felt so real, despite living in a magical society, and I adored getting to know each of them. You really felt connected to everything. And then there was the story.

I loved every bit of it.

Without getting into any spoilers, I think it's important to note that there is not only great world building, but the characters' backstories and motivations are portrayed so brilliantly and effortlessly that it's nearly impossible not to love this story. Understanding where each character comes from and how they feel is easily accessible to the reader. This is brilliant because it builds such a strong connection with the story as a whole and the person who is reading it.

Artwork was gorgeous throughout and exceedingly unique. You'd definitely be able to tell this story apart from all the others, to see it in a store and single it out. I definitely did not expect to fall in love with this story when I requested it, but I am so glad that I did.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Review goes live on my blog on 07/24/19. Until then, the link won't work.

This graphic novel was so amazing! The art style and the plot of the story was absolutely HUGE! This is a great book, sooooo great. I look forward to reading more from this author and this series in the future!

I would recommend this book to fans of The Amulet series, sarting with The Stonekeeper, and Avatar: The Last Airbender with the caveat that only time will tell if it is as thought-provoking and well-executed. Witchy does a lot of things well, such as including diverse characters (racially, body type, family structure), though the inclusion of pseudo-indigenous culture makes me twitch a little bit, especially because, as per usual, the main character is white (-passing) and blonde. It will also be interesting to see how the premise of magic being proportional to one's hair length will work out. Many cultures believe that there is power in long hair, but there is a lot to weave and braid (pun intended) due to the way that hair plays a huge role in gender expression and all the complexities of politics and identity that go with it.

Actual rating: 2.5

While Witchy definitely has interesting world building, I had a hard time getting into it. The art just didn't really work for me, unfortunately. And I found it quite hard to actually follow the story, as everything moved very slowly, but new scenes weren't really introduced either, which meant I had to infer a lot from context. All this made it quite a tiring read for me, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

Rep: trans side character, multiple characters of colour

CWs: past death of a parent, bullying

I just finished this book. The plot was actually excellent. I loved how everything went down. The pace was a little bit weird, sometimes too fast, the other times too slow. The characters were okey, it wasn’t bad nor good. I would love to know how this story will end...

The ARC of this book was provided by Netgalley.

Nyvene is truly more brave than anything or anyone in the whole book. It made me so sad everytime she called herself a coward. In her crazy world she knew what was right and wrong when others didn't yet see it. Her back story is heartbreaking & makes her that much stronger, she did/fought for what she believed in heart was right. The viceroy was power hungry & wouldn't have stopped being interested in Nyvene anytime soon. It was clear he was going to push her to her limits regardless. Her mother, Veda, was also surprisingly very powerful being a witch with hair on "shorter" side. I'm still very intrigued by the Raven, banana, & what he promised Nyvene. I can't wait to read more! I'm obsessed with Nyvene & hope she stays safe!

3.5 stars!

This was quite a interesting read. First the world and its magic system was truly distinct, especially based on hair of all things. Like any fantastical based story it was hard to get into the world and how the magic works, this took off a bit of the enjoyment. Same as trying to understand how the rules on magic based on hair and what is allowed and what isn't.

We follow our main character Nyneve whose father was killed in a witch hunt, since then she hides her long hair with magic, pretending it's much shorter, which causes her to be bullied in the school they are trained to see if they are gonna join the guard force that serves the kingdom.

I like our main character same as the side characters, the mother-daughter relationship between Nyneve and her mother was really sweet. This story also featured a trans side character which I absolutely adore!

It's a very interesting story regarding what it's expected of you and what you truly want to do and I'm very curious to know more.

I was promised magic and intrigue and instead was left with not so much magic and too many questions. There were a few pages that had dialogue bubbles but no words written in them. This was inconvenient because it was also at a seemingly pivotal moment in the story so I certainly missed important details. I liked the main character and the representation and diverse cast of characters throughout. The story was more political than I imagined, but still not enough to give us all the details. Also the ending was completely unsatisfying and left me with more questions than answers.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

A wonderfully illustrated, lush, and well-realized world is what awaits in Witchy, this graphic novel about a young girl who hates that her long hair marks her as a powerful magic user when it was precisely that that got her father killed. Even with her long hair, which is supposed to connote incredible magical talent, Nyneve isn't very good at her magic lessons and is the brunt of every joke her classmates can think of.

When her hair-shortening spell is discovered and she's conscripted in the Royal Guard, Nyneve cuts off her hair and is forced to flee, fearing for her life. On the run, she meets a group of hidden revolutionaries who practice different disciplines of magic than what she's used to. Fearing retaliation on them for harboring her, Neve runs off again, vowing to go far, far away.

She's joined by a talking raven and (in the sequel(s), I assume) her two school friends: Bantu and Prill, new members of the Royal Guard.

The characters are all lovely and well-drawn, distinct when they need to be. The only things is that it's hard to tell who's male and who's female: just because everyone has long hair doesn't mean that their faces and bodies need to be androgynous to the extent that they are.

A fun, standard tale of rebelling against something you don't like, even if you don't quite understand it yet.

The art on this was fabulous! Really loved the world building and the concept of hair length vs power. Wish there was more action, since the second half seemed like an information dump about the world building. Would definitely read the next volume!

I was intrigued by the concept of this book, with magic being gauged by the length of your hair. It's a creative idea, and I liked how it was executed.

What I really liked about this book was the casual diversity. Prill is a trans girl, but it's never explicitly stated. There's lots of characters of different races and genders and sexualities. This was really nicely done, especially in graphic novel format, because it's obviously quite visual!

The world-building is great, even if the history was a bit hard to follow sometimes. I liked all the characters. Nyneve is likable and relatable.

The hair-length-magic did raise some questions, because doesn't all hair grow at the same rate? Wouldn't everyone be equally powerful, then, if they just let their hair grow? That question never gets answered. I wasn't a fan of the art style, honestly, which is the main reason why I gave it 3 stars. It's just a little too stylized for my personal taste. However, this was an interesting read and I would consider picking up the next one.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Witchy is a graphic novel set in a world where magic comes from the length of one's hair, but when one's hair is too long, the government takes it as a threat and executes them. Our main character, Nyneve, is about to go through circumscription but she really doesn't want to be part of the army since her dad was one of the people burnt at the stake by the government.

I liked the drawing style, it was very unusual, in a good way. The plot was very good too and I really liked the characters. I felt like it jumped a bit fast at times though and I wished it had been longer on some parts, that it would have explored some things more thoroughly. It was still a great read though and I would love love love for it to have a sequel.

i loved this!
the illustrations are so pretty, the colors, the style, everything.
i really enjoyed the plot ant it left me wanting more.
i liked how there's something to each character that makes them interesting even if we don't get to learn they're whole story.
representation, character development, confrontation, relationships, friendships, everything was just great and so enjoyable.