I adored this!! This had everything you look for when you pick up a graphic novel. Gorgeous artwork, amazing plot/story and memorable characters! I laughed and felt emotions in between. You won't want to pass up on this one!!

This was a short and beautiful graphic novel. I loved the colors and the lore. If you're looking for Hispanic/Latin Authors, novels or graphic novels this is for you! I hope to read more and keep up with the series as it comes out. There is a bit of Spanish in this graphic novel, as a Spanish speaker (half Cuban) I really enjoyed this. Made me miss my own Abuelita. Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and Publishers for letting me read this ARC!

“Season of the Bruja” is a cute and easy to read graphic novel surrounding Hispanic folk and mythology placed in our current days. I liked a lot the artwork and the colour pallet used by the artist, it really helps build a cozy setting in which to tell the story of Althalia and her friends! I also liked the combination of Spanish and English texts and the exchange between languages of the two generational figures, it made the story all the more real.

Special thanks to NetGalley, OniPress, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

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#SeasonoftheBruja #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning

I was looking for a witchy story around Halloween and the cover caught my eye.
The story starts immediately with a demon exorcism, where our main character Althalia saves her companions (a Chupacabra and a were-coyote...*) and the possessed boy.

*Anyway, we don't know much about them, apart from the fact that they are our main character's best friends and also have a human form. they can wear it as a disguise.

Althalia is a witch, bruja, who learns her knowledge from her grandmother, but during a visit to a museum, a priest attacks them, and grandmother dies. Althalia then, driven by revenge, tries to bring her grandmother back and at the same time prepare for her future, in which she must stand alone as a witch.

The comic shows the actions of Columbus and the Spanish conquistadors, the exploitation of the natives. In the first part, the author tried to cram a lot of things in - not so much was revealed about the world, the most important point of the story was the grief and the revenge of our protagonist.

The ending is a bit short, I think another fifty pages could have been included.

The visuals are stunning - Sara Soler's work is magical - the cover first caught my eye when I was browsing through the new releases.

*3.5

So right off the bat, I want to say that I loved the artwork. The character designs, the beautiful colour palettes, and the overall look of the entire graphic novel was amazing. It really was able to bring to life the culture and history, especially to someone who hasn’t had the chance to get a glimpse of that before. I think the concept is amazing, and though there were moments where I wished there were translations, ultimately it isn’t for me. It’s for people like Althalia, and that representation is something I know so many will appreciate and hold dear. As a South Asian who has had trouble connecting to some of my roots, the base of this story is not something new, and so all kinds of people will be able to relate to that feeling of otherness that Althalia experiences.
The story is so rich, that my biggest complaint is that I wish we had more of it. Personally, it felt as if I was suddenly thrust into the plot, and that I was missing that first chapter where we get to meet the characters and understand their relationship to their surroundings and the magic system. I think because there was such a gap, it was harder for me to love the characters and feel a connection to them. I wish that we were able to see more of Althalia and her Abuela, as well as the remaining characters and understand their relationships to one another as well. That would have really brought the whole thing together! Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Althalia, Lia, is a young woman, eager to use her abilities to help people. She loves her grandmother but doesn’t like to sit for lessons and is very conscious of the history of colonization of her people. I really liked that this was taking a look at the colonization of indigenous people native to South America and how the effect of losing cultural knowledge is a detrimental. The plot of this first volume was very common (young person with powers doesn’t want to learn, has lost family, loses the only family they have left who can teach them, they’re angered into almost losing control, and then learning that’s not the way to go about things). But I think every one deserves to have these kinds of stories told about people like them and I’m interested to see where this story goes!

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

this was such a fun read! the story was addicting and the ART. literally stunning! can't wait for volume 2!

I'd just like to say a quick thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this copy.
Duran throws you right into the story and I loved the introduction so much. Obviously it was a little confusing because it's a new world, a new magic system and entirely new characters but I got the grip of the story relatively quickly. I loved the art style and really enjoyed the very interesting and frankly beautiful character designs. The one flaw that dragged this rating down for me was just that the ending felt slightly rushed with our main character Althalia (excuse me if I'm wrong with the spelling there) doing a 180. I wish it was just a few pages longer but other than that I have no more faults. It was a very fun read and I also have to say that the cover is so gorgeous!
My rating for this graphic novel was a 3.75 stars.

✨ Review ✨ Season of the Bruja Vol. 1 by Aaron Durán

The story features Althalia, a bruja, the last of her kind, tasked with keeping the power and stories of the ancient ways from fading into the past. She works with her friends, a Chupacabra and a were-coyote at a paranormal museum, as she's developing her brujeria skills. But she quickly faces a threat to her abuela's life, a sketchy priest, and "the weight of hundreds of years of religious oppression coming down upon her and her abuela." Will she be able to save her abuela, her friends, and her legacy?

The illustrations in this book are JUST SO MUCH FUN. It gave me Spirited Away meets Stranger Things meets Silvia Moreno Garcia vibes.

A small critique is that in places the story line was a little muddled -- the graphic novel perhaps leaves too much to the reader to put together. But this is a minor critique, and I loved it and can't wait for more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: graphic novel, fantasy/magic
Reminds me of: Spirited Away meets Stranger Things meets Silvia Moreno Garcia
Pub Date: 24 Jan 2023

Thanks to Oni Press and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was very excited to read this one for several reasons, and it did not disappoint. The cover caught my eye and the title brought me in as this is exactly the type of story I was hoping to find. I was even more sold by the premise and just all around thrilled to read a book with a culture closely related to mine but still so different. Although you read it casually and for fun, you walk away having learned a lot.

My one complaint is me just being confused about a lot of aspects of the story. We are brought right into a fight scene, which is entertaining and draws you in, but when you have no concept or understanding of the world or their powers it can be confusing as to what is going on. There weren't a whole lot of moments where I felt like I fully understood the world, the characters, their relationships with each other, etc. I don't understand who Chuey and Dana are to our main character, and even to each other. Upon a reread it is a little more clear but I just felt like the author knew these characters so well and so vividly that introducing them to us got a little forgotten. I'm sure there are plenty of others who will clue in to all of that right away, but as someone who needs it spelled out a little more obviously, I struggled a bit.

I think the plot is a little murky too. In the beginning after the fight scene I felt like I knew where we were going but towards the end there were different characters, and some were morally gray and others just down right bad, and I felt a little lost.

Although a lot of this book went over my head, I did enjoy the characters and Althalia's journey. She was very mercurial but headstrong in seeing things through when she set her mind to it. I think a lot of younger kids will read this and look up to her tenacity and the rawness of her grief and strength. Dana was also a fun comic relief character.

What ultimately draws me in is the representation this story will hold for so many. What really stood out to me was Althalia's abuela essentially telling her not to feel bad for not understanding Spanish because her ancestors did not speak it either. I have a lot of friends I grew up with who shared similar feelings to Althalia, who felt they were less than because they didn't speak Spanish. At the time I remember not knowing what to say because I didn't understand it but now that I do, I wish there had been more books out there with this sentiment back then. This book is going to heal a lot of people and save a lot of kids from not feeling good enough or whole enough or an outsider in their cultures. Even as an indigenous person who speaks English but not my native languages, I felt choked up. That seems to be the core understanding of this book and I think that aspect of it shines. This book is going to change undoubtedly change lives.

TW: possession, mild fat shaming, mention of colonization, victim blaming?, racism, use of s slur, death, genocide, prediabetes joke, police brutality, and corruption.
Rep: reconnection

Magical isn't enough to describe this story. What this story does really well is bring pieces of Latinx culture and showcase them as magical elements that feel warm. I'm not sure how else to explain it. It reminds me of Coco and Encanto because it was magical but also because of generational and family love. Wheather they're family but blood or family because they choose to be.
The whole thing is beautifully drawn that even more showcases various aspects of Latinx culture. The bright colors and beautifully drawn people invite you in before you even start reading the first page.

Thank you to NetGalley and OniPress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Season the Bruja Vol. 1, which is a graphic novel, has a beautiful art style, colourful and magical. Athalia is training to be a bruja by her abuela. She works to expand her skills and keep the ancient ways from fading into history. However, there are forces working against her.

I really like magical realism and stories that explore grief, so I quite enjoyed this one. I especially liked seeing magic from the view of different cultures instead of focused purely on European witches. I didn't find the untranslated Spanish an issue. I looked it up if I didn't understand the basic meaning via context clues and very minimal Spanish knowledge.

There was a lot going on with themes of religious extremism, colonization, grief, and death. It also seemed to mix different religious and cultural gods and demons, which was fascinating. I think the pacing could have been improved a bit. I didn't mind jumping straight into the story but wanted to spend more time with the different character relationships. I feel like the actions of the side characters would have had more impact if their relationship to the main characters was explored more at the beginning. I also would have liked to see more background on the antagonist, but perhaps that will show up later. Some character details confused me, but that's a spoiler (available on my Goodreads and Storygraph reviews).

As this is the first in a series, I'm excited to see what the stakes are going to be going forward. There was decent set up for a more complex plot in future volumes. And there's a recipe at the end!

From a young age, Althalia knew she would someday be the last of her kind—a bruja, tasked with keeping the power and stories of the ancient ways from fading fully into history. Never alone, Althalia works in a paranormal museum with her friends, a real-life Chupacabra and a were-coyote, while living with and caring for her beloved abuela. Through these powerful connections, her skills and knowledge grow.
But the prejudice her people have always faced continues, and after a seemingly random encounter with a priest, Althalia feels the weight of hundreds of years of religious oppression coming down upon her and her abuela. She must realize her destiny and grow into it quickly if she is to prevent the church from achieving its ultimate goal—destroying the last bruja.

I really liked the way the mythology was depicted and the story has some very cool elements. But I've missed something to finish understanding the plot, maybe it's because it's the first volume of a longer series, but there are some things in the story that are not very clear to me. Even so, the drawing is wonderful and I'm looking forward to see what the next volume brings.

Season of the Bruja is a graphic novel about a bruja, Althalia, who is learning to use her magical abilities. She comes face to face with the history of her people and must connect with her powers to save her abuela.

This book started right in the middle of the action which left me feeling a bit disoriented. As the story continued, more was revealed about what was happening, but by the end, I still felt confused overall. It was a super quick read and the art was beautiful, but I would’ve liked to have gotten to know the characters more. If you enjoy graphic novels and magical stories, I think this is worth the read since it’s short.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Oni Press, and Aaron Durán for allowing me to read this work in exchange for an honest review!

"From a young age, Althalia knew she would someday be the last of her kind—a bruja, tasked with keeping the power and stories of the ancient ways from fading fully into history. Never alone, Althalia works in a paranormal museum with her friends, a real-life Chupacabra and a were-coyote, while living with and caring for her beloved abuela. Through these powerful connections, her skills and knowledge grow."

This graphic novel is a very short, fun read with beautiful art! Without reading the description, you feel a bit thrust into the story, almost feeling as though you may have missed something. Nonetheless, the characters are easy to care for, interesting in design and dynamics, and the story, though quickly paced, is still interesting and makes you want to keep reading.

"Season of the Bruja" leaves you wondering: where is the next one?

Some things I loved, more easily digestible listed:

- Beautiful character designs and art,
- Representation that feels authentic and not overtly stereotypical and disingenuous,
- Emotional moments that hit you hard and appreciate all the character interactions
- Speaks of the long forgotten by too many past
- Very fun little witchy things and well set up universe
- HER FAMILIAR IS ADORABLE
-A good laugh here and there!

I have few issues:
- The formatting for what I was reading on (cell phone) made the art seem very compact and pixelated. Granted, I was still able to read and enjoy the story but it was noticeable enough I thought of it a few times.
- The book felt very fast paced at times, but in so few pages, it's not that surprising and it is kind of standard for graphic novels/comics.

Overall, I recommend the book for a fun short read! Thank you if you read this far and please leave a like. <3

I loved this graphic novel. The art style was beautiful, and I loved how vibrant and colourful everything looked. The beginning was quite fast, not much time is wasted by introducing each character, instead the reader is thrown right into the story, which was just a bit confusing initially, but it didn’t bother me for long. I also really loved the characters. It didn’t take long to feel connected to them, and I’m looking forward to reading more about their adventures in the next volume.

The illustrations were beautiful. The overall story plot line was good, a girl traversing grief. The beginning of the story you feel like you’re dropped into it, with no character introduction. It is a graphic novel so maybe there will be a character page. It took some time to figure out who was who and what their role is. That’s my only complaint. Otherwise it was enjoyable

3.5

I was really intrigued by this one and I'm glad it did not disappoint. I really liked the characters and their dynamics, the art was very pretty but the plot seemed to move a little too fast and sometimes I lost sense of what was going on. I think this would have worked better as a novel than a graphic novel

I receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Haley Aaron Durán!

I'm reading a lot of spooky and urban fantasy books lately and there all amazing books and Season of the Bruja is not different! I love the art style, the magic elements and all the side characters, especially her abuela. I speak Portuguese and a little bit of Spanish so I didn't have any problems with the Spanish sentences, I know a lot about Latin America so I was delighted to read about the Chupacabra friend.

The discussion about heritage and colonialism was very on point, and I love that they talked about the Church too, especially because much of our history has been marked by the erasure of our cultures and peoples by the Church.

This graphic novel is so beautiful, but my rating is 3.5 because I think the plot was kinda messy? It seemed like everyone knew what was going on except me, and we never really had the time to connect with the characters and truly be emotionally engaged and rooting for them. I hope we can see more about the their background and new creatures. Overall, it was a great book!

3.5 rounded up.

This was a great YA thriller graphic novel.
The illustrations were stunning. The story was easy to follow, with Spanish sprinkled throughout. I loved the friendships between these characters.

A great series to start this Halloween.

Thanks NetGalley and Oni Press for the chance to read this one.