A simple, informative graphic novel that is a good starting point for anyone looking for a historical introduction to witchcraft. The narrative structure helped make it more interesting than a dry article or textbook, and the gorgeous illustrations kept me engaged. Many props to Lisa Salsi for the art!

Those looking for more in-depth information about witches or specific types of witchcraft won't find anything new here, and while Biddy Early is the "main character" there isn't much biographical information past the introduction that sums up her life.

I actually used this as a supplemental resource for my visual-learning homeschool for our Halloween witchy themed lesson. It was great! The art was fantastic and the details were a wonderful addition as we explored a tangent history between Halloween and witches!

Witchcraft: A Graphic History offers a visually captivating exploration of the history of witchcraft, bringing the subject to life with stunning illustrations. The artwork is truly the highlight of this book, with each page bursting with vibrant details that engage the reader and help to illuminate the various periods and events discussed. The historical facts and insights are plentiful and well-researched, making it an informative read for anyone interested in the subject.

However, while the visuals and facts are impressive, the storytelling itself falls a bit short. The dialogue between characters can feel awkward at times, and the narrative structure doesn’t always flow smoothly. The combination of these elements makes the story feel somewhat disjointed, which may take some of the enjoyment away from readers hoping for a more immersive experience.

"Witchcraft: A Graphic History: Stories of wise women, healers and magic" is an interesting book. Part fiction, part non-fiction, it tells the story of Biddy Early an Irish witch from the 19th century.

Let's start with the highlight of the book: the art. A star is exclusively for the art and beautiful layout. I would love an encyclopedia of witchcraft by this illustrator.

That being said, the way the story interacts with the witchcraft information didn't work for me. It affected the flow of the story, cutting off the plot to info dump.

My biggest issue with the stort was the pacing. There are some conflicts left unresolved or solved off page (like Biddy's trial), some abrupt time skips and suddenly it ends. I guess the author is expecting we fill in the gaps with external knowledge, but considering there are a lot of explanatory boxes on page for things that are not Biddy related, it feels weird.

I don't mind Lindsay as a self insert, but she doesn't add anything to the plot, sometimes the fictionalised story overpowered the facts. The same story could be told without Lindsay and keeping the focus on Biddy.

About this edition there were some formatting issues: a page was rotated and in several pages the text wasn't lined up and blending in with the illustrations. I hope this will be corrected for the final print.

Overall, it's a book that could be better if it focused on Biddy's story instead of trying to do so many different things (tell a true story, a fictional one, and teach about witchcraft).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A quick read, packed with information and history of Witches throughout our history!

This book is based on the life of Bridget Ellen Early, better known as Biddy Early Ireland's most famous witch. Everything in this graphic novel is true and based on the historical findings on biddy's life. The relationship between biddy and her apprentice is, however, a work of fiction.

The artwork in this graphic novel is gorgeous, and i really enjoyed reading all the added facts and history sections. It gives you some perspective into how you were treated back then for being different from others in society, and this is still true today. If you are someone who is fascinated by the history of Witches over the centuries, I think this is a perfect place to start. While it is a very short read, there is a great deal of information!

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THE E-ARC!

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group –Leaping Hare | Leaping Hare Press for the e-ARC of 'Witchcraft: A Graphic History by Lindsay Squire.'

5 out of 5 for this graphic novel about Biddy Early an important witch in history.

Please be aware of the fact that this is a review of a book still in it's early ages and ARCs often need more editing and work. My review is not for the finished product and should be treated as so.

Beautiful artwork / illustrations throughout the entire book, there is some editing needed on a few pages where the font / writing is not in the speech bubbles and instead are blurred into the background which make them hard to read. Thankfully it's only on a couple pages.

I love reading about witches and witchcraft throughout history.

I, myself, have been curious about it my whole life, having often dabbled.

The information provided about Biddy and other witches accused through history was really interesting and put forward in a unique manner.

It was an easy, but quick read that had me wishing for more.

I think this was a wonderfully artistic portrayal of Witchcraft History and provided a lovely snapshot of how and what witches are, what they're like, and how they practice. Lindsay did a wonderful job at portraying the history and the distain towards them. The artwork was beautiful.

I was really impressed with Witchcraft a graphic history so much information presented in a beautiful way. Lindsay Squire tells the history in graphic comic format with information sections to add to the story as it goes along. I adored this and learned so much, types of witches, tools and historical events Pendle Hill is not far from my home and I am interested in reading more. The facts are overwhelming and I admit to taking a few notes of things I want to look up.
This book is fabulous and suitable for most I feel, it’s informative and fun to read.

#witchcraftagraphichistory #netgalley #thebookcaseofkay

This book is a great book for anyone who likes to research the history of witches or is just curious. I absolutely loved the graphics and the information is broken into bite size chunks which keeps it interesting.

⭐⭐

This book wasn't what I expected going into it. I thought it was going to a graphic history of witchcraft (as it says in the title) but it's more the author fictionalising Biddy's history and having herself as her apprentice. I don't think it worked for me as it was more about actually believing in witchcraft (which I don't) rather than a history of women accused of being witches. The story felt all over the place and I wouldn't recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Leaping Hare Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The graphics were very beautiful but I found the content of the book itself somewhat confusing and it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. A lot of information was shared but then there was also the attempt of a story alongside it but there it also kind of fell short

This book was just lovely. A mix between the story of an important woman and then informations on a lot of different subjects that relates with witches. It was a really cozy, quick read, really enjoyable. I especially liked the art style, which was beautiful and the colors scheme was amazing and matched well with the story and vibes of the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who like a bit of fantasy in their read and anyone interested to learn more on history and facts about witches.

This graphic novel tells the story of witchcraft by telling the story of Biddy Early, an Irish witch.

It's informative, beautifully illustrated and a great story about strong women that I need these days more than ever.

I had never heard of Biddy but her story was beautiful and inspiring. I loved how the author added information about the different magical creatures, types of witchcraft and the little spells recipe.

I was expecting something different based on the description of this book. I enjoyed reading it for the most part and it was interesting but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for and I don't think I would've picked up this book after flipping through it in a bookstore. I don't read a lot of graphic novels so I don't have a lot to compare this to. I was intrigued by this one because of the subject matter. While I liked learning about witches and the history of witches, I don't think I am a graphic novel person and my review is probably more a reflection of that, as opposed to the actual book. Thank you for the ARC.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.


Overall I like this book I think that some of the historical facts about witchcraft are not necessarily the truth (much about the lives of long ago persecuted "witches" are unknown but most of them never dabbled in the arts at all and were just accused because of petty arguments and superstition) but the basic knowledge of witchcraft explained throughout the book can be helpful to someone just beginning in their craft.

A beautifully illustrated graphic novel on the history of witchcraft in Europe. This was deeply fascinating and informative, with some of the most gorgeous illustrations I have ever had the pleasure of reading in a graphic novel, I'm thrilled that I read this! I would highly recommend to ANYBODY who is interesting in history of the occult and witchcraft, especially during this time of year!

It was a fun read, no matter your prior knowledge of Biddy's life or witchcraft. Through the graphic novel you get to know Biddy Early in a natural way alongside other facts and explanations of witchcraft. Biography, history, and theory were blended into the story very nicely, and the beautiful illustrations only elevated the entire experience.
However, there was an unexpected jump between the last two chapters. I felt like there could be another chapter in between that would provide a smoother transition.

2.5/5
This was disappointing, honestly. I was curious to learn about the history of witchcraft (which, granted, is a huge task for one book), but this book was a factionalized non-fiction story between an imagined, younger version of the author and a witch from the 1700s with a few facts here and there.

I don’t know how credible the facts in this book were because there was no bibliography or reference list at the beginning or end of this e-ARC, and I’m not sure if that will be included in the finished copy. Also, some of the information was about modern day beliefs or practices, but it was relayed to us while still in this fictionalized narrative in 1700s Ireland. Very confusing and disorganized.

The overall plot of this book between the author and Biddy Early wasn’t very effective in my opinion. Most of their interactions boiled down to, “I want to learn about your magic!” “Haha, you’re too young, so.” (Also, the amount of ‘haha’s and the word ‘so’ used at the end of a sentence irritated me so much. Why write in such a bizarre, formal, “old-fashioned” way and then have Biddy call her a know-it-all? Did they call people that in the 1700s? I don’t know, but it seemed out of place.)

I would have much rather had a more literally historical, factual book than a weak fictionalized narrative with sporadic facts sprinkled throughout. Disappointing for me, but maybe people who know next to nothing about this topic would enjoy it.

A graphic novel about a famous witch that lived in Ireland in 1798

I loved the illustrations!
The tidbits about witchcraft are good for people that approach it for the first time

It could have been more flowly without the division in chapters but I still really enjoyyed it

Thanks to the author to have it available on NetGalley