Member Reviews
I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it took me about an hour or so; a really easy and fun read. In my opinion, some of the lines sounded a bit "childish", I think this has potential to be a great children's book. What I loved the most about this book is the art. The illustrations are super cute and pretty!
The story was adorable and easy to follow. The artwork was a weird combination of cute and creepy. I'm not sure if it was the characters' eyes that upped the creepy factor, or something else. If the second volume becomes easily accessible I might continue the story, but I'm not invested enough to track it down to read.
Thank you NetGalley for the free copy in exchange of honest review.
I picked up this book merely because it has cute little witch on the cover. The story was actually simple, and I love the found-family trope so much, how there's always one grumpy character that has to deal with chatterboxes. It's so cute! I didn't expect to be invested in the story but the characters are so adorable and I am in loooove. It's really a great one ♡
I cannot explain how much I love these characters and the style of this graphic novel with lowercase so yeah I'm gonna use ALL CAPS FROM NOW ON.
I FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS ADORABLE (AND HILARIOUS) MIDDLE-GRADE, FANTASY, GRAPHIC NOVEL FROM THE FIRST PAGES IN WHICH THE MC, PLANCHETTE, BREWS A KITCHEN POTION (SHE'S A KITCHEN WITCH AND I ALSO LOVED THAT IDEA BCZ COOKING ALREADY SEEMS LIKE WITCHCRAFT TO ME :D). THE NEXT DAY SHE MOVES INTO A NEW (HAUNTED) HOUSE AND WHILE SHE TRIES TO SOLVE HER TINY PROBLEM MAKES FRIENDS WITH A COUPLE OF OTHER WITCHES. ALSO IN THIS WORLD, EVERYONE HAS A FAMILIAR (KIND OF PET BUT THEY CAN TALK ETC.) AND THE ONLY CHARACTER I MIGHT NOT LOVE AS MUCH AS THE OTHERS IS A FAMILIAR CALLED EDGAR. EDGAR LOOKS LIKE AN ASS FOR NOW BUT WHO KNOWS MAYBE IN THE LATER VOLUMES I CAN LIKE IT TOO. OH AND BEFORE I FORGOT, EACH CHARACTER (AND I INCLUDE FAMILIARS AND GHOSTS TOO BY SAYING THAT) HAS A UNIQUE APPEARANCE THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE AND PERSONALITY. WE SEE/READ GLIMPSES OF THEIR BACKGROUND AND THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE WHILE READING THE PRESENT DAY AND WHY THEY ACT OR EVEN TALK LIKE THEY DO. SO OVERALL, I LITERALLY CANNOT EVEN SAY A TINY MINY BAD THING ABOUT THIS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GRAPHIC NOVEL. WISH IT COULD BE A NOMINEE FOR GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2022. CANNOT WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE ELSE READING IT!
Thank you NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Unfamiliar is so stinking cute and LOVE the art. This is a cozy story about a witch named Planchette that moves to a new town but her new house is haunted. She goes into town to find help and meets all kinds of witches who need help with problems of their own. This story is heartwarming and funny, I highly recommend it.
This was a slightly confusing start, but as I kept reading it grew on me. I love the beginnings of community and friendship Planchette is building with Pinyon, Babs, and Sun. I’m really curious about who murdered Lucy and all the other ghosts hanging around Planchette’s home. The art style is interesting and works really well for cute, almost creepy story.
This was my first time hearing about Haley Newsome and I loved her comic! The story is something that I definitely can't wait to keep reading on about. It's a very different type of book with a great plot to it. Everyone wants to feel like there's a home and a place where they belong. The characters are all introduced in a great way that really shows who they are and there's definitely some dimension to each of them. I like seeing the different struggles they're all going through and that there are several "B" plots throughout to follow along with the main plot. The only criticisms I really have for this book would be that there was a typo on page 133 and that the wording on page 137 felt clunky. I haven't looked into her work past this book but the only other thing I could see some improvement on would be to clean up the artwork a bit, at times it feels a bit messy and hard to follow what's happening.
Unfamiliar by Haley Newsome is an absolutely delightful graphic novel about a young witch, Planchette, who moves to a new house with her familiar, a snarky bunny named Winston. Unfortunately upon entering, she understands why she received such a good deal on the house. It’s haunted. Knowing that she now lives in a town with other witches, she seeks help, finding other witches and magical beings who are as different as she is.
Haley Newsome’s art work is really charming, making me wish that when I picked up a pencil I could portray half of what she does.
While the plot seems obvious, a stranger in a new town kind of thing, it’s really about a young woman who has always been different finding a place where there are other people like her. In fact, different seems to be the commonality among the young woman in this new town.
She meets Pinyon, who seems to be the only non-magical being in her family; Babs, a siren, who really wants to not be so popular; and Sun, who has been cursed and is trying to find a way to break the curse.
This first book in the series deals with Planchette trying to find a way to help the ghosts in her house move on and Babs seeking Sun’s help to alienate people or, at least, keep them at a distance. Pinyon who has never been able to find a familiar because she can’t talk to animals is suddenly talking to a bird that was almost fox food.
Quirky, with interesting and equally charming artwork, Unfamiliar is quickly devoured and leaves you wanting more. I can’t wait to see the next installment. A lovely read.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sometimes friendship truly is magical.
Unfamiliar is an adorable comic about a socially awkward and shy witch overcoming her fears and dare I say defying gravity. The characters are absolutely adorable and leave you wanting to read more. Not to mention the art style feels fresh and maintains this fun border between adorable & sharp (providing a somewhat jarring but enjoyable experience). I totally recommend checking this graphic novel out!!
It's a cute, witchy story drawn in a beautiful, pastel colour palette.
It's not really a graphic novel with a coherent plot but rather random stories with the same characters, so it jumps a little from place to place. It could definitely work in a printed format but the different stories aren't clearly marked, which confused me a little. But I think that if you're aware of that ahead of time, you can definitely have fun with this one.
The art style didn't speak to me, either - it was too Cartoon Network like which I always found a bit ugh but it's a personal thing and I'm sure that many people will love it.
"What kind of necromancer would I be if I couldn't bring you back for a song?"
Planchette is a kitchen witch. In fact, kitchen witch is kind of her specialty. When it comes to other types of spells, though? Well, she might as well be hopeless. When she realises that her new house is overflowing with ghosts, she seeks out other witches in town to help her solve the spooky problem – and maybe even become friends in the meantime.
I was unfamiliar (pun intended) with Haley Newsome's art before picking up this little comic, and I'm actually very glad I've found it because her art style is adorable. The whimsy pastel colour palette works really well in the setting, creating a very Pushing Daisies-esque environment, which I adore as an aesthetic choice. There are so many little details that have been lovingly designed to make each character stand out, and the cuteness is balanced by the spookiness. From the art side of this, this comic is amazing.
I can't quite say the same for the dialogue, though. The concept of the story is interesting and has piqued my interest, and I think I will be tuning in for the next volumes, but the writing style of the dialogue just didn't jam with me too well. That being said, I think it has its audience, and it didn't take too much away from the story itself.
Also, I'm in love with Babs and I need that cat onesie in my life.
Really pretty drawings, albeit sometimes too simple for my taste. The story is very good tho, it's about friendship and confiance en soi !
This is a really cute whimsical graphic novel about four witches that for different reasons don't have any friends. When Blanchette moves into a haunted house she meets the other three witches in an attempt to banish the ghosts from her house. I love the color contrast between black and pastels and the differences between the four characters. They each have their own chapters tying their backstories to their present. Also I love that Blanchette is a kitchen witch. I would love to have her magical abilities.
Unfamiliar is about a kitchen witch called Planchette who buys a haunted house. It's a debut graphic novel by Haley Newsome.
Planchette is very excited to live in her new house, but she needs to deal with the ghosts living there. She seeks help with her newest friend in town, Pinyon, a cursed witch. Throughout the story, we meet other characters, each one of them with an interesting background story and their cute familiars.
I recommend this for the ones who enjoy cute witches, deep stories, and The Owl House series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC.
I never heard of this graphic novel / comic before but the cover and the witch-y vibes really did it for me. The characters are great and absolutely lovable, all with their little twists and turns and quirks. The story so far was easy enough to follow and got me absolutely hooked. Not going to talk much about it here, though, because I do not want to spoil anything.
The art style was something else but after a few panels to adjust it really grew on me. In my opinion, it takes a huge part in creating the charme this graphic novel has in the first place. Cannot wait for the next volumne.
This is a cute graphic novel! The art and the story are cute!
I love everyone in this graphic novel including the ghosts!
It can be read during rainy days since it's a heartwarming, light and easy story with witches and animal companions in it. Recommended to everyone!
Quirky and cute story. I believe it would be great to be an October read, as it tells about witch and ghosts. How a witch wants to clean her haunted house, yet ended up making lots of friends with different issues is SO heart-warming. I couldn't wait for Vol. 2.
I received a free digital ARC from Andrew’s McMeel Publishing via NetGalley. This tween/teen graphic novel follows a young witch named Planchette and her familiar as she moves into a new house in a new town. She meets some fellow witches with the hopes of learning how to exercise the ghosts from her home. The art is absolutely adorable and intriguing. I wish there was more of a conclusion to the first book — rather we met a bunch of characters, learned their stories and need to follow them into another volume. Very cute though.
Perfect for fans of cozy magic and witches, this story is full of exciting loveable characters, and beautiful illustrations!
➽ <b>This was such a cute, wholesome graphic novel!</b> It’s about Planchette trying to rid her new home of the various ghosts that have taken residence there. The problem? She’s only good with cooking magic, which doesn’t really help with ghosts! I loved this premise so much, especially as <b>Planchette seeks help in town and gets close to several other girls – called Babs, Sun & Pinyon – who each have their own issues</b>. I loved the art style and witchy vibes of this graphic novel. We’ve got sirens, powerful witch covens, and curses!
➽ <b>The story is quick to read</b> and I loved seeing how everyone came together to help Planchette. I didn’t follow the webcomic, so I hope we get to see more of this world in more volumes as we’ve only scratched the surface so far!