A great graphic novel for middle grades and under. Awesome graphics.
A young witch has high hopes to become a paid witch. She finds out about a job for a royal witch and she applies. She’s knocked down but uses her heart to lead her and ends up winning the job. She beat out an evil witch who was trying to infiltrate the queens kingdom and kill the queen. What will this convene do next?

Queen's Favorite Witch #1 is a fun addition to graphic novels. With the real characters of Elizabeth 1 and John Dee it was an incentive to find out more about the era in which the story takes place. One has to root for Daisy against her competitors for First Witch.

A funny and silly historical comic for kids of all ages! Teach your little witch about history and have fun the whole time!

This was a fast paced and delightful graphic novel. I appreciated the historical background into Queen Elizabeth I at the beginning of the novel and the political undertones in the story that would have been common during her reign. Daisy is a fun character with lots of room to learn new things. I am excited to see what she can accomplish in the next book.

This first book in a series was an intriguing introduction to both the Elizabethan era and the gutsy little witch who is (I assume) our heroine for the whole series. Though the dialogue is stilted at times this is a good read for 4 grade on up. There are some reference to demons, hangings, and classism that may be hard for younger ages to handle. I will be very excited to read more in this series. It has a charm about it despite the dire circumstances that make it a relaxing enjoyable read.

This was such a charming graphic novel, one of which, I think, many young people will be able to relate. Lovely characters, adorable illustrations, great storyline. I cannot wait for the next installment!

This is an interesting comic for middle-graders. There are some good values, a well-paced simple plot and a great setting... but there are also a lot of clumsiness that makes it quite amateurish. It is not as pretty as the comics we are now used to, the bullying is very cliche and the reasoning overall is very simple, even for a younger audience. I think fans of witches might like it but it is not going to stick in their minds very much, which is a shame because it does have interesting elements that needed just a little twicking to be more impactful.

A charming middle-grade coming-of-age story as a poor, young witch attempts to prove herself by trying out for the position of Royal Witch in Queen Elizabeth's court. Set against a backdrop of political intrigue in the royal court, this story is really rooted in our 12-year old heroine's journey of self-growth--overcoming her prejudice against the peasant class that she wants so desperately to rise above, gaining confidence in her own abilities and instincts, and learning what it means to be a good friend.

A fun, fast-paced adventure with historical tidbits, Queen's Favorite Witch #1 is a quick read that will delight any middle-grade (or adult) history aficionado. Dickinson includes a note at the beginning to contextualize the story, which would be helpful to those who are curious about the Elizabethan era. I only wish the book were longer and a little more fleshed out, but it's set up to be a series, so Dickinson can't give TOO much away in the beginning.

Queen’s Favorite Witch #1 is a quick enjoyable read with excellent art. The Graphic Novel flows really well from panel to panel with an engaging story that pulls you in and makes it hard to put this book down. Looking forward to the next installment. Well done.

"The Queen's Favorite Witch" is a middle grade graphic novel about a young witch named Daisy who lives in Elizabethan England. In an alternate history full of witchcraft, Daisy aspires to become Queen Elizabeth's new Royal Witch, and enters a cutthroat magical competition for the coveted title.

"The Queen's Favorite Witch" has a lot going for it; fun fantasy antics, cute artwork, and the promise of further adventures to come. For me, this graphic novel also had a few significant drawbacks: alcohol, references to violence, and dark spirituality feel like an odd fit for the novel's middle grade protagonist and audience, and I would have loved to see more historical detail in a story set in Elizabethan England.

Ultimately, this graphic novel is a light fantasy reminiscent of "Kiki's Delivery Service" with a fun concept, but not much story substance.

First - thanks to Papercutz and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

I enjoyed this historical fiction/fantasy graphic novel based around the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 but with a fantastical element added. I liked that the author's included a brief historical note at the beginning so readers would understand that the story takes place during the mid to late 1500s.

The story itself is one that tweens should enjoy. Daisy is 12, the witch daughter of a peasant witch who makes a living selling potions and charms. But Daisy wants to be more than just a peasant witch - she wants to leave home and "make something of herself." So when the position of Queen's Witch becomes available, Daisy decides to apply. The cards are stacked against her since she is a peasant and also a bit unsure of her magic. Plus we know that there are evil forces at work that want the Queen dead. Does Daisy have what it takes to be the Queen's Witch? And become more self-confident in the process?
The book will be published this October and it looks like the first book in a series, which is exciting news.

This book was a charming and fast paced graphic novel set during Elizabethan England from the eyes of a twelve year old witch. After the death of Queen Elizabeth's "royal witch", Daisy makes it her goal to compete and win in the trials to find a replacement witch so she can move from her position as a lower class peasant to a part of the royal court.

Some pros for this book:
- The setting for this graphic novel is the most interesting part of it! A really unique snapshot of life in Elizabethan England which gives the novel a dark, atmospheric vibe.
- Similarly, the history is a huge plus to this novel! It gave interesting insight into Queen Elizabeth's leniency toward witches and her tendency to use witches as "consultants", despite growing resentment toward them at the time. I was really fascinated by the treatment of witches during this period, and after doing some research of my own, loved the inclusion of real people in this little novel! Dr. John Dee was my favorite character in the novel, so it was really fascinating to learn more about him in real life! I also loved the inclusion of facts about the Queen in the beginning.
- Witches. Need I say more? I love literally anything with witches in it.
- I really loved Judith's character and I hope we see more of her in the next book! Honestly, if she was the main character, I would read a million more books about her. I loved her involvement in the plot and the twist at the end! She was a clever villain for the book.

Some cons:
- Since this book was such a fast read, the plot felt a little rushed and the overall climax fell short for me. There were some plot points that didn't feel concluded properly, which makes sense to an extent since it's only the first of a series, but I felt confused and unfulfilled by a couple of the plot points (Valentyne, her training with lighting the cauldron, speaking with animals, her fight with Edith, etc.) I wanted the "villains" of the story to make an appearance more frequently, and I felt like their involvement fell flat.
- There was a lack of character development and overall depth. Daisy didn't really go through any overt changes, and I didn't feel emotionally pulled to any aspect of her story. The side characters, too, were very one dimensional. I kept waiting for Daisy's mother, the Queen, Jerome, and Edith to have a more powerful presence in the story, but their contributions to the story were almost easy to skip over. I definitely expected a deeper dive into Queen Elizabeth since the book was named after her.

Something about the whole thing felt unfinished/unpolished. The art was fine, but the coloring seemed off or like it was done in paint. The story itself was alright. At times it didn't make complete sense why people did the things they did, and there were some major holes in the story.

When a sinister cabal sets in motion an attempt at the life of the Queen Elizabeth I she is in need of a witch. Daisy's a young witch intent on proving herself. When the Queen's current witch passes away Daisy takes the opportunity to try to prove to her mother that she can become the witch to the Queen. When Daisy gets to the palace it takes some work for her to get to be a witch but with a little help, a little luck and alot of hard work Daisy just might be the witch that the Queen needs. This is a wonderful book that teaches many wonderful lessons about the importance of manners and asking questions rather than making demands, the power of hard work and the importance of listening as well as the importance of being a good friend. Wonderful story, beautiful artwork and a compelling tale.

I really enjoyed this book!

I love the Tudor period and I am intrigued by everything that happened in the Royal Court of the time too – Elizabeth I is my favourite monarchy by far and this book gave a different view on what would have been going on at the time.

Elizabeth faced plots against her life on a weekly basis if not more often and this book introduced Dr John Dee to the series and he was a fascinating character in his own right! It would have been such an interesting, dangerous and worrying time at Court!

I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series now!!

I loved the illustrations and the way the story was told – it is 5 stars from me for this one – I loved it and can’t wait to see Daisy develop!!

This story was so magical. It follows Daisy and her dream to be the royal witch for Queen Elizabeth. Will she win??? only you can find out when you read it. I loved the plot of this story and I cant wait to see more.

I always kinda feel mixed seeing real historical figures being represented. But I just try and focus on the story, not historical accuracy. I thought this was really cute and solid. I could see myself reading more of it.

I wouldn't have thought there were too many comics for the young set in the times of Elizabeth I, but this is one, and it's actually pretty cool. Our heroine knows she could become a good witch in due course, but her mother keeps her working the market stall selling tat to twits. But when the Royal Witch – the servant who has the job of absorbing all magical attacks, and deflecting all curses, upon the royal personage – becomes available, she literally flies off to take her chance. The resulting extended training-up-to-find-ones-destiny storyline is a mixed bag, however, gaining much from including Dr John Dee, and losing the same courtesy of some boring scenes of mild bullying and the usual antagonism-instead-of-better-plot stuff. That said, this certainly has promise as an interesting series. Now this initial book has set its stall out I would hope for a beefier drama next time – but luckily the closing pages are full of promise of just that. Four stars, then, because while this volume might not deserve that alone I suspect the series, if fulfilling its potential over time, would easily merit them.

Great little graphic novel read this with my son and we both really enjoyed it. Looking forward to continuing with the series.