This was absolutely the queer, sweet, beautiful found family of witchy students I needed in my life, and I loved every page of this story. The characters are so lovable and the plot was interesting and suspenseful, all set in a magical world that I wanted so much more time in!

I loved the Younwity school setting, and most of all, I adored the familiars — especially Seymour, the nervous, kindly little cat that accompanies Abby, the protagonist. And then that ending, too?

Truly, everything about this graphic novel made my witchy little heart sing and I can't recommend it highly enough! ♥

✨ Representation: Goldie is Black and queer; Goldie's father is Black; Violet is queer (and Asian?); Enver uses they/them pronouns

I wanted to like it. Hell, I wanted to love it. But, so much of this was unoriginal. It felt like a cheap Harry Potter knock off to the point where even lines were the same. Only thing, the main character was a female instead of male. The super smart, school first best friend and then the just there for support other best friend. The head master looked IDENTICAL to Mcgonagall, and there was a teacher, who was actually just a disguised individual looking for revenge. The story line had a lot of potential. The graphics were beautiful and the bright orange with the cool blue and green undertones really set the mood for the novel.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel! 4.5/5 stars.

This is such a good spooky season graphic novel. I was kind of hesitant at first because I hate the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (I can't do scary) but this had all the elements of Dark Academia and witchiness I love. It's such a quick read (since it's a graphic novel) and the illustrations are beautiful. I love the witchy vibes it gives off, and I would love to have more done in this series to explore what seems like an interesting world.

I think this could be an amazing series. And I would love to learn more about the characters, their magic, the familiars, and how the world works SO much. Abby is an interesting MC with being an orphan, and I would love to see her and Noreen's (her mentee) relationship even more so.

This was a pretty good, quick read! I loved how the author created a flow of mystery in the story while still scaring you on the spot. The depiction of the characters was done well, but I didn't really feel a connection to them as I hoped I would. The plot made up for this though and I was always guessing on the edge of my seat! Definitely one to read if you are in the mood for a quick horror/mystery read.

Will I read any book, graphic novel or comic simply because it has witches in it, no matter what the actual plot is? Indeed, I will. Over My Dead Body follows Abby at the Younwity Hidden Institute of Witchcraft, who’s looking forward to a year of finally buckling down and taking her studies seriously. All her plans are thrown off course, though, when her mentee Noreen goes missing. Abby’s classmates are quick to put Noreen’s disappearance behind them—they’re sure the Coven will find her soon. But Abby can’t let Noreen’s absence go and decides to search for answers, which lead her down a rabbit hole that threatens to uncover old secrets others will do anything to keep her from exposing. As Abby begins to connect the dots between Noreen’s disappearance and a similar one years and years ago, the mounting evidence draws Abby to the off-limits woods outside the academy…and what she’ll find there might just blow up everything.

This is undoubtedly one of those perfect reads for fall, y’all! Now, I’m absolutely no connoisseur of artwork or illustration, but Boo’s art style just really worked for the depiction of this magical school. Many of the panels are set wide so you actually get to see a lot of the setting beyond where the characters are at any given time. There were so many details to The Younwity Hidden School of Witchcraft and the Untamed Woods that I could almost picture walking through the halls or stumbling across the grass and the characters’ emotions were drawn so clear as well! Sometimes, you could almost tell what they’d say based on their expression before you read the actual text which I actually really love in graphic novels?

While the story might be a bit predictable, it didn’t take away any of my enjoyment because Boo manages to put their own twist on it all. We have fun mystery elements going on as Abby uncovers evidence that might help her locate Noreen, we have fierce friendships that are thrown into turmoil when Abby wants to take matters into her own hands to find Noreen who’s more like a sister than a classmate to her and we have a ticking time bomb since Samhaim, a time “when the veil between the world of the dead and the living is at its thinnest”, is right around the corner. All these elements combined with some very interesting relationship dynamics (picture enemies-to-reluctant-allies) make for a quick-paced and atmospheric read that will have you itching to try out spells yourself!

With vibrant characters, gorgeous illustrations, a mystery and all the spooky vibes, Over My Dead Body is the perfect witchy read for anyone who’s ever wanted to attend a school for witches—or just can’t get enough of fall!

The seldom acknowledged disappearance of witch and the monster is the woods lead our characters into a Chilling Adventure of Sabrina-esque mystery. Very fun witchy and mysterious graphic novel with dark academia vibes. There's quick queer representation with two side characters.

I have read this ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Over My Dead Body is a story about a young witch whose friend went missing and she wants to find her. The story is a pretty basic mystery story, I do wish it were longer as it felt that the characters were not super developed just yet (I think this was due to the length of the story). I really like the world and the characters and would like to see more of them.

I give it a 3/5 mostly because it didn’t feel super developed but overall the story was good, I was interested in the characters (though I wish we had more about them), I love the witches theme of the story and the art was GORGEOUS. I definitely will be buying for my library!

This was a super intense graphic novel. I got some Sabrina the Teenage Witch mixed with some Harry Potter Vibes while reading it, It's beautifully illustrated in full color (except for the flashback purposely rendered in grey scale). I love how each character had their own quirky personalities, their own distinct style and their own familiar. The familiars were amazing: cats, dogs, squirrels, birds, rabbits, mice and more.

What I loved:
Each chapter started with a quote that connected to the chapter.
The colors: super vibrant and golden hues throughout the whole story.
The murder mystery narrative - not often done in graphic novels and I think it paired nicely with the paranormal witch world that was built.
Super diverse representation in the characters but not made a central theme of the novel: just accepted as part of the world as it should be.
The spells are told in rhymes.

Will definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good mystery graphic or a witchy read. For fans of things like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Afterlife with Archie and Scooby Doo Apocalypse. Good read.

Younwitty, a secret school of witchcraft, is getting everything ready for their Samhain celebrations. It’s the day that the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest, and it’s a spectacular day for the school and coven to celebrate all night long. When a student named Noreen goes missing, it weighs heavily on many of the students, especially Abby Younwitty. Noreen is the closest thing to family she’s ever had, and now she’s missing after going into the forbidden forest. Determined to find Noreen, Abby is willing to do anything she can to find her friend and bring her back safely, even if it means she’ll be kicked out of the coven.

I absolutely loved this book! We follow Abby, a witch senior foundling of Younwitty, and her familiar, Seymour. While she likes to sleep in and is often late getting to where she needs to go, no one can say she’s not 100% devoted to her friends. It’s why she’s willing to face getting kicked out of the coven if it means she did everything she could to find Noreen. I love Abby and Seymour and would love it if we got a second installment, but it appears that this will most likely be a stand alone book.

Other than Abby and her familiar, we also see a lot of her friends, Goldie and Enver. While they are both devoted friends, neither are willing to put their necks on the line when it looks like the investigation is way out of their league. We also frequently see Abby’s roommate, Violet, who strongly dislikes Abby. There’s also the school staff, which includes Goldie’s father and the strange groundskeeper who unintentionally spooks many of the students. One of the things that I love about the characters is that there is a lot of character growth throughout the story, especially for a few characters in particular. I also found that many of them were relatable in different ways, making them even more realistic.

I did find that there were some similarities to Harry Potter. There’s the forbidden forest that everyone is banned from stepping foot in, a groundskeeper that seemingly doesn’t like anyone, ghosts that will go out of their way to bother students if they are out after curfew, and a protagonist who is willing to stick their nose where it doesn’t seem to belong if it means it’ll help someone in addition to solving a mystery.

However, that’s where the similarities begin and end. The remainder of the book is different down to many of the characters with the surname Younwitty. These characters are each a foundling, which are magical people born to non-magical folks. Foundlings do not know their biological families, and because of this, Noreen Younwitty and all of Abby’s other friends are the only family that she’s ever had. It makes me sad that foundlings never got to know their biological family.

I’m curious to know how the process of being taken in by the coven and school goes, but it’s not information that we are given. This is where headcanon comes in, but I’d love it if we got another book set in the same world that covers this even if it meant we didn’t follow Abby and her friends again. All in all, this was a wonderful read, and I’m excited to check out more of Sweeney Boo’s books in the future.

Fun magical academy graphic novel with mischief, mystery, and talking animals. Will appeal to readers of light fantasy or magical academy fans. Younger Riverdale and Sabrina fans will also enjoy the mystery and magic of this graphic novel.

Beautifully illustrated! In true graphic novel style, the images tell just as much of the story as the words do. The characters are relatable and the story line keeps you invested.

Sweeney Boo is a comic artist and illustrator living in Montreal, Canada.
When she’s not busy drawing witchy girls and hairless cats, she works with various publishers including BOOM! Studios, Archie Comics, IDW, Marvel, Image Comics and DC Comics. She is also the author and illustrator of graphic novel Eat, & Love Yourself. Her newest graphic novel is Over My Dead Body.
Over My Dead Body is a YA-graphic novel set at Younwity Institute, a school for witches. Abigail's friend, Noreen, has gone missing, and Abigail, along with her friends Goldie and Enver must search the school grounds to find her. However, not is all as it seems at the Younwity Institute, and the girls must venture into the Untamed Woods to find their friend.
The description of this book reads like Harry Potty, but with witches. It’s not that. The graphic novel literally starts out with a young woman as part of a blood sacrifice inside a candlelit pentagram, so Boo is clearly aiming for an older and more mature audience. Still, there are hallmarks of any good boardings school adventure story, and the conflicts with teachers, other students, etc. are relatable and believable enough to keep readers grounded. The characters themselves read very much like adventurous young women, and they all have their unique quirks and character traits to be distinct and different from each other. On top of that, Sweeney Boo’s art style and narrative structure is really innovative for this sort of tale. She clearly takes the graphic novel format and makes it her own and makes it work for her story. It’s a really lush and gorgeous book to read, as well as entertaining and engaging.
Overall, Over My Dead Body is a clever YA graphic novel. Sweeney Boo creates a unique and absorbing tale built off various fantasy tropes, but makes those tropes cleverly her own. With engaging characters, dark twists, and a unique mystery, Over My Dead Body will be a favorite tale of horror readers young and old alike.

Over My Dead Body is a graphic novel set at Younwity Institute, a school for witches to hone their craft. Abigail's friend, Noreen, has gone missing, and she's enlisted friends Goldie and Enver to help in the search. I loved the art style; it worked really well for the story and the setting considering that it deals with heavy topics and horror. Several of the big surprises at the end were pretty obvious early on, but I'm willing to forgive graphic novels for that if the character development is good - and it definitely is here. I'd recommend this to fans of other witchy reads, or those who want a mild horror/creepy graphic novel for Samhain.

Thank you to HarperAlley and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

I’m not a huge fan of graphic novels, but this was super fun. The illustrations were awesome and the storyline was super engaging!

I would like to first thank Netgalley and HarperAlley for sending me this E-ARC.

When I saw the cover and title it intrigued me, and then reading the synopsis I knew I had to read this graphic novel. Books about Witches have always been books that I love to read, especially when it has a dark and twisty atmosphere. The story about a witch named Noreen going missing, and then discovering it is similar to another missing case that happened awhile ago made me want to find out what had happened, and what the mystery was.

The artwork is stunning! I love Sweeney Boo's artstyle, and the flow of the scenes. I loved each of the characters and the quick banter between them all. But for me what was lacking was I felt that the story was quite vague. Here was a dark mystery to be promised in the synopsis, and yet I felt it gave up short. It did have promised, but I feel like the direction of it could have gone elsewhere rather than how it ended. Another aspect is that I felt the story was rather rushed. I wish there had been more exploration of each character, and especially more exploring of the past.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, and I loved the art style.

OMG!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

What other word can I use to express my undying affection for Sweeney Boo’s artwork?!? The beauty that is this book!

I am and have been a HUGE fan of The Worst Witch from the time I was a child watching the Fairuza Balk iteration all the way to the current Netflix adaption and Over My Dead Body was giving me all the best parts of it in inspiration. The Younwity Hidden School of Witchcraft and Miss Cackles Academy for Witches could be sister campuses.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE books about witches. Maybe it’s the child in me who always wanted to wake up with magic in my fingertips or the hope that I’d wake on another birthday to my mother telling me that she had a secret to tell me about my family legacy in the dark arts… which never happened by the way… but I always hoped. And this book let me live out my witchy fantasy realness in 244 pages.

Like many children before her, Abby was brought from the human world, lives at the School, and given the surname Younwity to symbolize her being a foundling… someone not born into a witch’s family. She spends her days studying, spending time with her friends, and taking care of her hairless cat familiar, Seymour. But when her friend and mentee Noreen goes missing, she’ll stop at nothing to find her… even entering into the Untamed Woods and solving a Century old mystery.

I adored all of the characters in Over My Dead Body!!! Every familiar has personality, which I love, and gave me all kinds of Disney animal friend vibes. Goldie is her beautiful best friend (whose father is a professor there), Enver is Noreen’s best friend (they/them pronouns), and Violet is the gorgeous mean girl (who of course has no friends)… and Noreen with her incredible head of shockingly red hair and the reason everyone is searching.

This is definitely a book that I need to have in my hands IMMEDIATELY!!!! It’s beautifully drawn and the story is not soon to be forgotten. I WANT MORE IN THIS WORLD!!!!! Please make it a series!!!!!

Thank You to Epic Reads & NetGalley for the eARC!!!

Got an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bizarre and thrilling read.

The mystery, spells, witchy vibe, art, and colour palette were amazing! Plus, I thought I won't like Violet but guess what? She's sapphic (possibly a lesbian) and it's cute how she turns to someone else because she's nervous around a specific someone.

The main character's adventure to finding the truth is the main thrilling part. The last chapter had me tensed.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, but it was definitely reminiscent of many other stories involving Witches and magic. As Samhain gets closer, Abby, a student at the Younwity's Institute of Magic, is distracted by the disappearance of her friend Noreen. Abby cannot let go of the idea that not enough is being done to find her. Abby, along with her familiar Seymour, research Noreen's disappearance and how it seems to be connected to another disappearance over a century ago. The more Abby tries to discover where Noreen is and how to help her, the closer to danger Abby gets.

Sweeney Boo is back with another delightfully drawn graphic novel, this time diving straight into a paranormal plot. The young witches of Younwity's Institute of Magic are gearing up for Samhain, when the veil between the world of the dead and living is at it's thinnest. Just before the festivities can get started, a student has disappeared into the forbidden forest.
Noreen is the closest that Abby has ever had to a sister and now she has vanished into the forest. Abby is determined to rescue her even though all the teachers keep getting in her way. Something else seems to be going on at the school and Abby plans to get to the bottom of things.

Beautiful artwork, rich colors, and an enchanting storyline. This is a great suspense thriller heaped with magic and the supernatural. Perfect for fans of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina or anyone who enjoys a spooky read.