I loved this so much!! Not only was it a great, true story but the illustrations were incredibly beautiful.

This was so easy to digest but was also very detailed. I enjoyed the mix of storyline and historical elements as well as the witchy descriptions of the different tools, herbs, and plants.

I feel like this would be great for readers of any age! I’ll be adding this one to my forever shelf😁

This was a very cool book.
Witchcraft: A Graphic History by Lindsay Squire

This was literally history and the way everything is put as a story and the details are entrancing.

I liked the art, it was decent and good. The history of witches who were tried was particularly insightful. The laws and actions on men and women were good to know about.

The particular part about the herb spells, what to do for inviting luck, money and love, and the familiars was so beautiful and cozy to read.

The whole graphic novel was based on a herb healing witch and her apprentice who sees that the whole town is not really nice to the witch and then when things indeed take a turn for the good, all the people get some common sense in them.

Even though this was a tiny book, it was beautiful and informative in content.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

This book covers a topic I'm unfamiliar with, which made me gravitate towards it. For someone with little to no understanding of witches, I found this informative and easy to digest. I also liked that the facts were relevant to the current plot.

I liked how it starts with a word from the author explaining the reasoning behind the existence of this book and how it came to be. Although the story itself is dramatised, I felt that a lot of research went into this and that the author handled the material with a lot of respect and admiration which was evident through the content.

In this engaging graphic narrative, Lindsay Squire breathes vibrant life into the often-misunderstood history of witchcraft through the compelling lens of Biddy Early, the renowned wise woman of County Clare. By framing the story through a curious 19th-century protagonist named Lindsay, Squire creates an accessible entry point into a complex historical tapestry of healing, persecution, and folk wisdom.
The book's greatest strength lies in its thoughtful approach to demystifying witchcraft while honoring its cultural significance. Through detailed illustrations of healing practices, herbal remedies, and potion-making, Squire grounds magical traditions in practical knowledge and community care. The author particularly excels at showing how figures like Biddy Early served as essential community healers, offering their services not for money but for simple trades like home-brewed alcohol.
Squire deftly handles the political and social complexities of the era, especially the tension between folk traditions and institutional power. The portrayal of Biddy's conflict with the Catholic Church adds crucial historical context about the persecution of wise women, while her connection to the sidhe (faeries) captures the rich supernatural beliefs of Irish folklore.
The graphic format proves perfect for this material, making complex historical concepts accessible without oversimplification. Detailed illustrations of medicinal plants and healing practices serve both educational and artistic purposes, while the visual storytelling brings warmth and humanity to historical figures who often exist only in dry records.
"Witchcraft: A Graphic History" succeeds as both historical document and engaging narrative, reminding us that what we call witchcraft often represented practical knowledge, community service, and resistance to institutional control.

Witchcraft: A Graphic History is a beautifully written and illustrated book focusing on the history of Irish legend, Biddy Early. I loved that this book focused on the more European aspects of the history of the craft and the witch trials as most focus on the American side. I found that the writing for the story sometimes came off a bit too expositional, but loved the spreads showing the items, creatures etc to keep and informative nature alongside the narrative. However, between chapters there is a description of what is to come, which I do think spoils the narrative the author is trying to tell because you know what to expect and how. Overall a recommended read for some simplified history of witchcraft.

The main takeaway from this book is how stunning the artwork is. The style is whimsical and comforting, reminding me of classic fairytale books of my childhood. I am aware I am older than the intended demographic of this book, however I have been dabbling in researching witchcraft recently and how the modern day witch culture has developed from those in the history book. This graphic novel was a perfect starting point, telling the story of the history of witchcraft in an easy and digestable way using an overarching narrative whilst pinpointing important elements such as famous historical witches or the types of witches that exist. This book was absolutely stunning and I cannot wait to buy a physical copy, merely to just look back over the illustrations and be able to reference back to it when I do further research into the topic.

I am unfamiliar with this topic and found this book extremely interesting. However, I am curious about the historical accuracy and if anything this book has encouraged me to do a little research to make comparisons. The artwork is absolutely beautiful and felt very whimsical; the format was perfect and helped the book flow. I do feel I have a number of patrons who will naturally be drawn to this book and know that it will circulate well. It seems that it will lend to good discussions and lands more on an upper-young adult interest level.

This graphic novel explores the history of witchcraft and Biddy Early. In the story we different aspects of witchcraft are explained and different techniques that are used. I thought the art was so cute and I found the story to be very clear and compelling! A great read for anyone looking for my info on witchcraft or for a fun graphic novel to read during spooky season!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Such a great informative story while also having beautiful illustrations! I will absolutely be buying a physical copy when it releases! A much for a beautiful story

Es una historia informativa y entretenida, me gustó ver todo a traves de los ojos de la nena. Si queres aprender lo básico de lo básico en brujeria, te conviene leer este libro!

This is a beautifully illustrated story of one witch and some history and background information about witchcraft. It was both an educational and engaging read. I really loved the art work for the book and it added a lot to the book. It's informative without being overwhelming, making it perfect for someone without a lot of background knowledge of witchcraft or the history of witchcraft.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book.

A very pretty book with a very simple story, nicely illustrated, containing tid-bits of information about the history of witches and a feminist subtext. Kind of a good-night, go-to-sleep, quick read.

thanks NetGalley!

I loved the concept of this! This makes it easy to explain the history that many witched have gone through. This was also a fun teaching guide for herbs and different kinds of witches. Definitely recommend for those who want their littles to learn the craft.

Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publishers for the eARC.

While this was a beautifully illustrated book/graphic novel I found it a bit lacklustre in its storytelling. I think this was intended for a much younger audience and readers so that could be as to why I found it a bit juvenile at times. I did however enjoy the history aspects woven into the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto for an advanced copy of the book.

I have given it 3 stars because although I did not particularly enjoy it, I feel I was just not the audience. THat is not to say the book is necessarily bad. I expected something different, but the illustrations are beautifully made plus there are some snippets of interesting facts interesting historical facts. Unfortunately, I was expecting more of the latter

Possibly best for people who are into the spiritual and religious side of Witchcraft rather than its history throughout the times.

This really is such a beautiful book. The illustrations are so whimsical - they have a real 'old fashioned nursery rhyme' vibe.
I really enjoyed reading this book - it had a ton of witchy facts embedded within the magical storyline. I liked learning about the Goddesses from historical literature.

Really cute, and would make a lovely christmas pressie.

This was such an enjoyable and informative read! I really appreciate the seamless blend of knowledge (e.g. types of witchcraft, famous witches in history, herbal benefits) and history. The artwork is beautiful, and really adds to the impact that this graphic novel makes. The author doesn't bombard us with facts, but instead creates a whimsical narrative that is historically-based. If you're curious about witchcraft and its history, this would be a great (and seriously beautiful) graphic novel to pick up.

Thank you to Leaping Hare Press and Netgalley for the advance copy of this graphic novel.

Witchcraft: A Graphic History caught my attention on NetGalley and I decided to give it a go. So glad that I did! It was such a fun and quick read with stunning illustrations. It follows a story of an Irish witch - Biddy Early, as she mentors her young apprentice, Lindsay. Along the way, we learn some interesting facts about witchcraft history and practice. I honestly wish it were longer and delved deeper into Biddy's story and the world of witchcraft itself. Regardless, I devoured it in one sitting and enjoyed it so much.

I absolutely adored this, thank you so much for this ARC opportunity!! The story was beautiful and the history and learning was incredible. I really want this for my shelf and will be checking out the author’s other work!

I loved it! It was so informative but also interesting. The story was well done, the art was stunning and overall had an amazing time!