3.5/5

The Last Witch: Fear and Fire by Conor McCreery Is an excellent beginning to what is shaping up to be a very interesting, epic story. Saoirse is a young girl who knows she is different, and wants to prove that she is brave. However, her father just wants Saoirse to live quietly as to not draw attention to herself. After an event that rocks Saoirse‘s world, she’s thrown into a quest to avenge what was taken from her. But is also a quest to find who she really is. The problem is, is Saoirse prepared to discover the truth about herself and what she really is?

The art for this book is beautiful. There are some really fun characters an interesting plot lines forming. As far as action goes, it’s pretty standard. I do like that it’s set in an alternate Ireland. The plot can go quite fast at times. Maybe I’m just used to more slow burning adventure plots.

But all together this first instalment is a great window into what’s to come. So I am very excited to continue reading the story and see how it might end.

Also I loved the artwork at the end of the book. Whomever’s decision it was to include them, thank you so much!

A superb start to the saga!

I was struck by the discovery of this intrigue. The Irish mythology it was inspired by was interesting and the pace was breathtaking. The characters are well developed and the end ... makes you want to jump into the rest!

The drawing also charmed me, and some of the plates were particularly beautiful and epic.

In short, to discover! ^^

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

I really liked this story, I liked how it mixes magic and mythology and creates an amazing world.
It's quick to read as you get very involved with the story.
The illustrations are beautiful and I loved that they are colorful because they give a very nice vibe to the story and make it even better to read in my opinion.
This is a children's comic but I loved it and I think no matter what your age you will like it too because it's very well done in every way.
I will definitely continue this series of comics if I can find somewhere to read the rest of them!

Celtic mythology has never been so fun. The Last Witch uses mythology to weave a tale of love, family, coming-of-age, and power. This story will warm your heart.

This is a pretty cute little fantasy story in comic form. It's a fairly standard "chosen one versus evil witches" type storyline that won't be new to any avid fantasy reader. I can see it appealing to younger readers who aren't burnt out on this trope.

I enjoyed the setting of Ireland and the use of Irish words and lore. The art was nice.

One of my main problems with this story was the way the 12 year old girl is repeatedly "romanticised". I don't want to say "sexualised" as that sounds a bit extreme. But the grandmother makes insinuations that she's attracted to her male friend (who is drawn as very much still a gangly tween, not a young man), and then we have this fairy character who repeatedly tells the MC how pretty she is and seems set up as a romantic interest. The character seems clearly older than the 12 year old MC, so this is just gross to me. Why is any of this necessary in a story about a literal child?? It would cost nothing to make her a few years older if you really want those aspects in your story. I don't get it.

Overall a fairly cute read but nothing groundbreaking.

I love that this book uses old myth and legend in a new way. The art is STUNNING! The writing is cleverly giving a lesson in the style of classic fairy tales, without letting the reader know that they are learning a lesson. It's clever and I am very excited to read the next one now as well.

Rate: 4.5 ⭐️

Hello readers! I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had the opportunity to read the first volume of a graphic novel duology that will be released on September by BOOM! Box: “The Last Witch: Fear & Fire”. Written by Conor McCreery (Adventure Time / Regular Show), illustrated by V.V. Glass (Doctor Who), and colored by Natalia Nesterenko.
“The Last Witch: Fear & Fire” is inspired by Scottish mythology and folklore, in particular by the Cailleach, a very powerful witch.

It is Imbolc day, the sun is shining and children should not wander in the woods. Saoirse and Padraig, however, challenge each other to reach the hedge.
Saoirse's journey is immediately interrupted by her father, who brings her back home to take care of Brahm, her sick brother.
But Saoirse is stubborn, besides she has to prove to Padraig that she is not a coward, so once she put Brahm to sleep, she returns to her challenge… followed by Brahm, who has only pretended to fall asleep.
They are about to lose hope when they reach the hedge, and behind the hedge there is a destroyed tower.
The tower, however, is not empty: the witch really exists and she wants to eat them! Suddenly a great force pervades Saoirse, a heat that defends her and her brother and kills the witch.
Nan, their grandmother, an expert in herbs and natural remedies, finds them with answers, but also terrible news. The entire village was exterminated by the Cailleach, which is not the one defeated by Soirse. That was Annis, one of three other sisters, four powerful and cruel witches who are bringing famine and diseases to the population to gain power, so that they can reopen the portal to the fairy world and help their king, the eater, to return and subdue humans.
Saoirse is the only one who can kill them, stop their plan and restore peace to a land devastated by the terrible ambitions of the four witches. But before she can defeat them, she must learn to use her power and not to be corrupted by it.

“The Last Witch: Fear & Fire” was quite a surprise. I was intrigued by the plot and the cover, they promised me an adventurous and beautiful story, and my expectations were not disappointed.
Let's start from the story, inspired by Irish and Scottish folklore: I loved the idea that, at first, the Cailleach was just a story, but then it becomes reality in the most classic way, with the discovery that the witch exists and she eats children.
But then the witches became four, one for each element, we learn about the history between humans and fairies, the war and its consequences, and above all the unexpected truth about Nan and why Saoirse is the only one who can defeat them.
The world, already interesting in its being like a fairytale, widens and we find ourselves catapulted into a much more ancient, epic and dangerous fantastic story.

Let's move on to the characters. Saoirse is adventurous, brave, she doesn't listen to anyone in order to live her adventures and she has a beautiful relationship with her brother. She undergoes one terrible revelation after another; her first reaction is despair, then anger, but then she accepts her task, her mission, and she does everything to carry it on without losing herself, without becoming like the witches she must defeat.
Saoirse is one of those characters that you admire right away, enchanted by her enthusiasm and spirit of adventure.
Brahm is the little brother who would follow his sister to the end of the world, toothless and courageous, he is a source of continuous joy and laughter.

Nan is the grandmother we all want, always with a remedy, many secrets about plants and little magic. She has kept so many secrets hidden to protect her grandchildren, but now she must give them the choice of how to live and what to fight for.
Towards the end of the graphic novel, appears another interesting character, which brings a pinch of humor and... something else!
Terrible as they are, the witches are beautiful visually: earth, water, air and fire. Bronagh and Badb, water and air respectively, were beautifully drawn; Bronagh looked like a sea witch, while Badb looked like a mythological creature. Just WoW!

I can say that I am in love with the illustrations and I can't wait to have them on paper. The colors are bright, strong, powerful, vivid. The story focuses a lot on the characters, which are very defined, but the surroundings are rich in details too.
I also loved the way flashbacks are introduced, very nice.

This graphic novel won me over, history and illustrations. It's a pity that we still don't know when the second volume will be published. I was so caught up in the story and in the drawings that I didn't realize that there weren’t any pages left, and when I turned the last one I was very upset. So, I look forward to the sequel!

This was a fun and prettily illustrated fantasy novel of a young girl with magic who has to defeat the witches threatening her land. Grade school appropriate but there’s death of both parents, starvation, violence if not explicit. It might be a bit much for a more sensitive child. It is a book one and things are looking pretty grim at the end of this volume! I had a good time reading it as an adult reader so if you’re looking for something to read with your kid you’ll likely enjoy this too.

This was a great read, the art work looks amazing and the plot of the story is really good. I love all the magic and elements all mixed in together. Good read so glad i read it.

I am really excited for this to be published as a graphic novel because I have the first two comics and it will be nice to have it all together.

I love the way this story proceeds through Saoirse's discovery of the mark on her shoulder and what it means to be a witch and come into her powers!

I like this book. The story is good. It reminds me of Hansel and Gretel a little bit.
I especially like the drawings, some are very scary though. Still, I enjoy reading this book.

This is a fast paced, epic read with huge character development and wonderful drawings.
I got the same feeling as when I read the W.I.T.C.H series a loong time ago, and can easily see myself recommending it so fans of said series.

It takes direct inspiration from Irish mythology, which I love, and we follow a young girl who finds she has magical powers, her young brother and her kick ass nan on a journey to rid the world of the terrible witch Cailleach and save the world.

Can't wait to read the next volume.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Boom! Studios for an ARC!

This was such a fun adventure! I love the art, it was almost like watching a disney movie or something. The characters are great too, I liked them all, and the villains were sufficiently creepy. The pacing was done well and there was so much happening from the get go. I think anyone, especially those in the targeted age group, will really enjoy this! Honestly can't wait for the nexy one.

Loved this.

This is the collection of issues 1-5 of the comic book, and so good, I stopped working to read it, because I wanted to know what would happen next.

Saoirse doesn’t know she is a witch. She had a mark, on her arm, but she doesn’t know what it means, and her mother died, and her father doesn’t know.
But, as usually happens with heroines, they are thrust into the story without this knowledge, and survive, or die trying.

She does have help along the way, which is good. A grandmother figure who may or may not be her actual grandmother, and her brother, and they set out to bring down the evil that is out there trying to kill them.

Fast paced. And this first volume ends on a cliff hanger.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Saoirse has always been an outcast in her village because of the mark on her shoulder. When almost everyone in her village is killed, her grandmother reveals that Saoirse is a witch and that she needs to defeat her four great-aunts to prevent the release of the Fairy King. Her grandmother begins to train Saoirse to use her powers. As she becomes more powerful and defeats more witches, she fears what she will become.

This reminded me so much of the W*I*T*C*H comics I read as a child, both storywise (in part) and drawing style. So thanks for that! But where the Italian comic is placed within its own sort of world The Last Witch is set in Ireland and takes direct inspiration from Irish nythology!

This is the five first chapters of this comic and the story is presented to us very fast from the get go. A young girl, 12 year old Saoirse, finds out she has magic and promptly sets out to save the world from its impending doom.

I surely would have LOVED this had I read it 18 years ago, but as an adult I'll give it a solid "it was fine".

Hopefully there will be more to the story, because I need to know what happens next for Saoirse! There was a lot of set up in volume 1, so I think the next volume will be even better, and more action! If you like character driven fantasy tales about sorcery, then definitely check this one out. Also, the art is fantastic.