Beautifully written and drawn story and brings a new view to the legends of Arthur and focus on the women in the stories

I just adore fairy tale/legend retellings so I was obsessed with this from the start. Fun, this graphic novel feels alive.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley/Edelweiss. Content warning for rape and suicide.)

Accompanied by her mother, Nearly Wizened One, and grandmother, Old Crone, Young Hag wanders the British countryside, learning potions and spells - and trying to stay one step ahead of the superstitious villagers who shall not suffer a witch to live.

We meet the trio on the day of Young Hag's naming ceremony ... the morning after which a disappointed, newly-minted young witch learns the truth: that there is no "real" magic left in Britain. Not since the Lady of the Lake closed the doors between the worlds, in the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

The next morning, Young Hag is orphaned, thanks to an angry mob and an (un)lucky shot.

After her mother's death, Young Hag loses her taste for magic - and stories. Never mind that her grandmother's own lore has deep roots in Camelot.

When Young Hag and Old Crone stumble upon a boy named Tom who's trying to track down his kidnapped sister Alice - a changeling left in the baby's place - it ignites a fire in the two women. If faeries are making mischief in the human world, this must mean that the doors to the otherword are once again open. And so the group - once again a trio - sets out the find the doors, rescue Alice, and maybe even save magic as well.

YOUNG HAG AND THE WITCHES' QUEST is a brilliant feminist retelling of the King Arthur legend from the perspective of the female protagonists: namely, Morgan Le Fay and the Lady of the Lake. (Guinevere is rather insufferable tbh.) I really want to say more, but honestly, the joy is in the discovery and I wouldn't want to rob any readers of that. It's just lovely.

Honestly, I'm not super into medieval literature - my knowledge of King Arthur is pretty bare bones - but YOUNG HAG AND THE WITCHES' QUEST definitely has me wanting more.

Even though the subject matter is a bit different, YOUNG HAG has the same vibe as THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EARLY EARTH and THE ONE HUNDRED NIGHTS OF HERO, two of Greenberg's earlier graphic novels. The art is quite similar - you might even say instantly and uniquely recognizable - as is the story-within-a-story narrative structure, and overall feminist sensibility. Throughout all three books, there's a celebration of storytelling and the power of stories to shape the world that I just love.

If you're a fan of Isabel Greenberg - and great visual storytelling in general - YOUNG HAG is a must read. It's easily one of my favorites of 2024.

As a funny aside: I originally received a free e-galley for review through NetGalley/Edelweiss, but gave up after a few pages because the text was too small and pixelated to read without getting a headache. When my library finally got a copy in, I snatched it up ... only to find that the text in the print copy is *teeny tiny* as well. Ack! I know this makes me sound a gagillionity years old, but pleeeeaaassse make the font readable, publishers.

"Young Hag and the Witches' Quest" spins the classic King Arthur and his Round Table folk tales into a feminist lens. This graphic novel explores how oral tales and stories can shift through time, and how male presence shifts the truth of these stories. Prophecies, moral grayness, and quests all blur together in this epic story of reigniting the magical spark within the world.

Though this novel was enjoyable, I found some of the finer details of the story lacking or confusing. This concept could have been better achieved in a traditional novel or novel in verse format, as aspects of the story like Amoretta's scene and the Goblin Market lose their mysticism when the reader can see, clearly, the amount of danger that the protagonist is in. The ending of the story also feels rushed and visually cluttered, detracting from the power of reclamation that Greenberg was trying to achieve.

Overall, I think this was a successful graphic novel that will engage readers interested in Celtic mythology and general fantasy. The distinct representation of queer relationships and a variety of races further defines this graphic novel as an accessible and unique take on beloved classic tales. I would not hesitate to recommend this title to lovers of fantasy, but I may warn them about the amount of business in the work.

I absolutely loved this retelling of the Arthurian legend of Morgan La Faye. Instead of Arthur taking center stage, we see Morgan's side - a girl inspired and doomed by magic, used as a pawn in Merlin's plans to restore the "old ways." There are new characters of Greenberg's creation that add to the freshness of the tale. I would follow Young Hag on any quest.

This was a really interesting take on Arthurian legend from the female perspective. It also dealt well with issues of female agency and manipulation by men.

I thought this was a really interesting and powerful interpretation/reimagining of Arthurian legend!
I really enjoy Greenberg's artistic style, the subtle humor throughout the text, and how each of the main characters of the legend were portrayed!

I enjoyed reading this graphic novel. I think it would made a great addition to anyone's graphic novel collection.

An endearing reimagining of the tales of King Arthur and Merlin and the Lady in the Lake and Morgan Le Fay, with many new and interesting characters thrown in for good measure. The dialogue is catchy and casual and it's easy to find yourself sinking into the story, amongst these characters from Camelot, with the barrier of formal and stuffy language removed completely. Young Hag is a delightful character, with a delightful character name. She learns and grows and becomes a story in her own right after years of avoiding listening to stories at all. I think this is a great book for readers wanting to understand the stories of Camelot, of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, without getting weighed down by all of the legends, books, movies, and shows about these popular and ancient characters.

Young Hag and the Witches Quest was a great read! I loved the drawing style as it was pretty unique. Text was easy to read and storyline was fun.

Thank you Netgalley, ABRAMS Kids, and Abrams Fanfare for the ARC!

- I love King Arthur/Camelot stories, and this one was such a fun rendition of the legends!
- It can be hard to still have unexpected twists in retellings/remixes, but this one managed to keep me guessing while also keeping true to the legends!
- I loved the art style, and it showed the mischievous energy of Young Hag so well.
- The way the story mixed in stories with the main plot was so well done!

This is a super cute story/graphic novel. While the art is beautiful, the text that was chosen for the story make it unusually difficult to read.

Thank you ABRAMS Kids, Abrams Fanfare, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This different take on an Arthurian legend with a feminist spin was fast paced with some elements added by the author. Lots of magic, quests, adventure, and storytelling. The art is crude but fits the story well. This book is a great fit for those who enjoy fast-paced fantasy graphic novels.

This was an interesting take on Arthurian legends. I think that the art style is underwhelming, but I did find the story to be engaging.

A really fun Camelot re-telling, with Isabel Greenberg's characteristic storytelling, where one story is not full till you understand another. We get a feminist spin on the classic King Arthur story in this, with Greenberg adding her own elements to the story. It feels both familiar and unique, which means it easily grabs your attention. The overall pacing of the story it also really quick, meaning that this is an easy book to pick up in an afternoon. Especially if you like magic and adventure.

This does not translate well to ebook format. The text is too pixelated. I also wish it was in color? I think it would give the book a better life if in color. I tried scrolling thru to get a gist of the story. Seems interesting wish I could’ve actually read it.

Young Hag grew up hearing stories about dragons and wizards and magical quests. She has always wanted to be a part of the adventure. However, ever since the door to the Otherworld had been closed, magic has ceased to exist in Britain. But when tragedy strikes Young Hag and her grandmother, maybe she doesn't want anything to do with magic after all.

When a Changeling crosses their path, Young Hag has no choice but to accept that magic exists. And that maybe, it might be up to her to eventually bring it back to Britain.

Thanks to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Young Hag and the Witches' Quest by Isabel Greenberg to review! This is a King Arthur-based graphic novel, filled with magic, quests, and lots of storytelling. If King Arthur is your jam, this book might just be your thing!

We get a feminist spin on the classic King Arthur story in this, with Greenberg adding her own elements to the story. It feels both familiar and unique, which means it easily grabs your attention. The overall pacing of the story it also really quick, meaning that this is an easy book to pick up in an afternoon. Especially if you like magic and adventure.

I wasn't necessarily a huge fan of the art style. I do think it fits the overall tone of the story, it just wastn' my favorite thing. It's not super detailed, though it feels like it fits the time period that this is set in.

All in all, if you like fast-paced fantasy graphic novels, this might just be for you!

The tone of this was not quite what I was looking for. I found the story difficult to be interested in and ended up DNFing.

I’m not able to review this book at this time. As other reviewers pointed out, the quality of this digital ARC is very poor. Only with great effort am I able to read the text.
The black and white images doesn’t bother me but I would love to see how this will look in color. I’m still interested in reading this one and have put in an early request with my local library.

Preemptively giving this one 5 stars because based on the synopsis and what I’ve seen so far I think I will end up loving it.

DNF, as others have said, the digital ARC is nearly impossible to read. Publisher warned that the ARC would be in black and white, not the final product colors, which I was fine with until I saw how pixelated the text and images are and everything was increasingly hard to parse out.

If there is an update to the ARC file, I will revisit this and be able to actually review content. I'd rather not leave stars for this book since I cannot know the actual quality, but NetGalley requires it to post the review, so three stars in anticipation.

The art looks like it's going to be super cute!