Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: A purple-haired girl named Evelyne is sent to live with a convent of nuns and later apprentice by her parents who suspect she’s a witch.

My Thoughts: Plot and Pacing (3/5) – I can’t say I was in awe of it as it threaded the generic overambitious witch and snarky/conscious cat tropes I’ve seen in many of these types of narratives (i.e. Kiki & Jiji and Sabrina & Salem) with the only difference being that Evelyn is a little kid. However, I did like the idea of having a witch be raised by nuns of all people who were surprisingly caring and nurturing towards her despite her mischievous antics and magical abilities. The pacing was a tad uneven with the book starting with a fairly dark opening for a middle-grade graphic novel which hints at some darker overtones. Meanwhile, the remainder of the story is mostly cute, light-hearted fare centering around Evelyne's various bouts of adventures both within the nun convent and under the tutelage of queen hatmaker Neil Farfadet. Being a reader who enjoys sweet, wholesome material, that didn’t bother me in itself, but I wish there was more focus on the lore aspects. Hopefully, future volumes will expand upon the worldbuilding and darker themes presented here.

Characters (3.5/5) – The main character is a strong one with an overachieving yet playfully waggish demeanor that’s a delight to watch. In some respects, it felt like a crossover between Madeline and Hilda. Her cat served as a useful foil who, like most witch familiar’s, can be seen as a personified extension of their conscience. Furthermore, Neil was effectively established as a sharply dressed man with a dash of wit mildly reminiscent of Willy Wonka. Not much can be said about the rest of the cast since the book was too short to establish their characters beyond narrative props to advance the plot.

Art (5/5) – The color scheme leaned on the vivid, bright side with some textual softness which perfectly complemented the fantasy, Victorian-esque setting. There was also a kawaii and chibi aesthetic which fitted the mostly light tone well having me smile a few times throughout.


Final Thoughts: Magic isn’t magically outstanding, but it is a charming little hex I would recommend to middle-grade readers looking for a fun fantasy adventure.


Thanks to Europe Comics and NetGalley for providing me with my first advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Magic was such a cute and fun little graphic novel! I absolutely LOVED the art and couldn’t stop admiring it while reading. The characters were wonderful, and I can’t wait to see how their adventure continues.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Europe Comics for the ARC of Magic by Lylian K. & Audrey Molinatti.

A baby girl born with purple hair is promptly handed over to a convent by her horrified father, who fears she bears the sign of the witch. And indeed, little Evelyn seems to have strange powers and to attract supernatural manifestations as she grows up among the nuns, who patiently put up with it as best they can. But after one scary “trick” too many, she is entrusted to the care of a hat-maker, who whisks her off to London, where she will learn about much more than making hats! For as Evelyn and her talking cat Benedict will soon find out, Master Neil has a few tricks up his sleeve, too, and his hat shop might not be exactly what it seems…

Review

It’s been a while since I last read a good comic and going through Magic by Lylian K. & Audrey Molinatti was such a joy.

I like the art in the comic. The drawings were so cute that it was the first thing that attracted me to the book because it gave off such a ‘kawaii’ vibe. In addition, when I downloaded the book, I expected it to be like a manga where the images will be in black and white and it was a pleasant surprise to see that they were colored. The different palettes used in each panel blended so beautifully. it added to the overall ‘kawaii’ atmosphere of the book.

Another factor that I liked are the characters. Evelyn is a little girl who acts her age and I found this adorable. Her cheekiness and wit seemed a bit advanced for her age, but I found this amusing and the drawing style used in the comic emphasized her overall charm.

The story is very interesting and it gets you hooked immediately as the comic starts with a very dramatic scene. As the story progresses, you learn about the plight of witches and wizards and the issues they face. Making you wonder how a little girl is going to overcome these challenges.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Magic. This comic is recommended for middle-grade children but I also believe that older readers will enjoy this book. Magic transports its readers into an enchanting world full of witchcraft and wizardry and the beautiful artwork is a visual treat. For those who are a fan of this genre, I would highly recommend they read this comic.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and I confirm that this is an honest review that I am writing voluntarily.

This story is about a girl and a people who don't belong—witches. Born with purple hair, on the brink of exterminating a known witch, Evelyn is passed on from home to home trying to find her rightful place. With her friend Benedict, her black cat, whom she understands, she's able to go about the world with the free spirit of a child.

I thought the story was a great, "the one" trope. It did it in such a way that it kept the reader and the main protagonist within a mystery. We are all still piecing together information as we find it and that's exciting. The overall aesthetic of the book is beautiful. The graphics are nicely done and really add to the story's general presence. The author makes you feel for Evelyn, even though her character is very much a child. The lore and mysterious nature behind witchcraft and wizardry is still a mystery to me and I'm eager to learn more. I am excited for book 2 and would love to read it. This is just the type of graphic novel I'm drawn to!

This book/ graphic novel was disappointing. I was hoping to read a cute witchy children's book about a girl with purple hair but instead it was about a whiney girl and the images in the book were disturbing, not cute. Although the book was about a 7 year old there were topics meant for much older individuals, starting with a witch being burned in her house alive. The book also had no ending, just to be continued in book 2.. I won't be continuing on with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very middle-of-the-road graphic novel. It was difficult to tell exactly what age range this is meant to be for, because the art style is extremely juvenile almost verging on a very young children's game sort of style for the people (close to chibi) but the plot points were more young adult or adult. The dialogue was not bad per-say, but at least for the main character who is a 7-year-old she did not speak like a child, but like a snarky teenager.

This is a plot that has been done a million times over, and frankly, done better.
Can't say for sure I will be coming back for volume 2.

First ever read from NetGalley!
To be honest, the cover of this got me! I just had to read it after seeing it and im so glad i did.
The bright colourful artwork inside is gorgeous. and the story is really intriguing to me. I will definitely want to read another one.
Evelyn is a typical 7 year old - causing havoc wherever she goes - only she has the added bother of being a witch and not knowing how to control or use these new powers she is coming into. She has also been adopted by a convent of nuns so you know that behaviour isnt going down too well.
This was more historical than i expected it to be - i dont know what time period it is supposed to be as history is NOT my strong suit. but i just assumed it would be super modern with her having purple hair and all so that was unexpected.
Like i say, it was a great storyline with great artwork and i would definitely continue to see what Evelyn and her sidekick cat get up to!

I received an advance e-copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Read this with my 11 yr old daughter and it was such a cut story.
This was the first book in a series about a little girl with purple hair, who grew up in a convent, then sent to live with a hat maker and then realizing he is a wizard and will teach her on how to become the witch that she.
This was so fun to read, and the illustrations was so bright and captivating. I can’t wait to continue this series with my daughter.

I loved the art style of this graphic novel!! It’s very cute and it looks amazing. I also really enjoyed the story. I loved the characters especially the cat.

A young witch with purple hair!

Cute illustrations and nice plot. The main character is grumpy but adorable. I like the settings too! Can't wait for the next volume.

E-arc from Netgalley and Europe Comics in exchange for an honest review.

This book is difficult to categorize as childrens, young adult or adult. The language was mixed and seemed to alternate between avoiding curse words, which indicates it more for children, and advanced language, for the adult population.

This was a very cute and adorable graphic novel. It's a simple story but perfect for spooky season with witchy vibes of course and the appearance of vampires and ghosts. It was comforting and easy to read, which is just what you want from a graphic novel. Overall 3 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a digital copy for review.

I'm completely hooked! I can't wait for the second installment.
The story follows this nice and fancy girl with purple hair, a sign of magical abilities. Since the world she lives in doesn't accept too well magic, she's sent from her family to a convent where nuns raise her. When her power become stronger and difficult to hide or handle without a proper education, she's sent away for her own sake and a new adventure begins.
Every drawing was beyond perfect and the plot was so cute and charming; I just want the second part (and I hope many other to follow) to know what happen next.
Huge point in favor to this work are the characters:I loved them all, even those I wasn't really fond of at the beginning turned quite enjoyable and tender hearted. But most of all I adored Benedict: that cat owns my heart.

I am in that LOVE with the comic that I was so suprised when I saw that I have finished it!!
The way it was drawn, painted and the way the author explain everithing to be able to start the history is amazing!
I am definitively going to wait for the 2nd book and read it!
I just feel that it could include more history in the book!

This was all I needed today! Lovely, cute, and colorful! Evie's story of being a little witch who never knew her parents is both sad and happy. If you're looking for a quick uplifting read, I highly recommend this graphic novel. The art style is absolutely beautiful, the details made me zoom into every page and the fact that there's a talking cat.. I was in love with this story and the characters and I would love to continue reading this series in the future.

This book was honestly the cutest graphic novel that I've read in a long time, it was adorable and the art style was certainly the same, everyone should pick it up

I loved this graphic novel! The art style had to be my favorite in any graphic novel I’ve ever read, everything was just adorable. The actually story was also very heartwarming and I loved the main characters spunky attitude. I can’t wait to follow her as she grows up in the next installment. I hope to see more of the backstory of the witches history and how everyone came to hate them so much that they’ve had to go into hiding. I have a feeling that will change!

I figured that with “spooky season” already afoot, another witch-related book would be in everyone’s wheelhouse right about now. Europe Comics has been on a roll with a handful of somewhat “Halloween-inspired” books this past month, which has been pretty cool. I like how they have grouped these together, and hope they do others for upcoming holidays that we share with them. Today’s review is for a short book about the life of a small witch, who despite being thrown into what I would consider a great tragedy, finds a way to really be herself and embrace her destiny as a great magic user.

“A baby girl born with purple hair is promptly handed over to a convent by her horrified father, who fears she bears the sign of the witch. And indeed, little Evelyn seems to have strange powers and to attract supernatural manifestations as she grows up among the nuns, who patiently put up with it as best they can. But after one scary “trick” too many, she is entrusted to the care of a hat-maker, who whisks her off to London, where she will learn about much more than making hats! For as Evelyn and her talking cat Benedict will soon find out, Master Neil has a few tricks up his sleeve, too, and his hat shop might not be exactly what it seems…”

Despite the obvious art style that would lead one to think this is a kid’s book, it has some pretty heavy themes like forced orphanhood, suicide, and questioning of one’s own religion that sort of took me aback. Granted, living in America, I’m used to watered-down baby-ish children’s material like Dora the Explorer and Paw Patrol, so maybe I’ve become soft with how I view such material. Having it be a bit more “edgy” definitely makes it feel more substantial, as most kid’s material is basically just fluffy nonsense most of the time. I mean, my favorite movie as a kid was Conan the Destroyer, so I think 2021 kids can handle this.

While this story isn’t anything earth-shatteringly new in any way whatsoever, if you are jonesing for something akin to a Harry Potter story with a more pastel color palate, this might just be the book for you. I enjoyed the storyline for all of it’s surprising depth, and can’t wait to see what happens in future installments. I’m sure Evelyn’s past as a descendant of a supremely powerful witch which will come into play, as well as her birth from a noble family no matter how much her villainous father wants that to be brushed under the rug. I can’t wait to see who the “bag guy” is and how the heroes overcome it. I will definitely keep reading.

NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.

It was fine, it was cute. The art is neat. The dialogue of the little girl was a bit weird though because she didn't speak like a little girl. That's pretty much all I have to say

I adored this book. It was fun, colourful and whimsical. It was so heartwarming and it kept me hooked the entire time.
I can’t wait to continue.