Season of the Bruja Vol. 1 by Aaron Duran and Sara Soler throws us right into the action as Althalia struggles to come into her powers as a bruja with the help of her abuela and friends. She must learn to find her own way of defeating paranormal demons as the last bruja while also fending off a religious sect that wants to destroy her kind.

The illustrations in this graphic novel are absolutely gorgeous and the concept is interesting. Jumping into an ongoing story is never my favorite way to begin a book and I wish we had more back story or development so I could have connected to the characters more. Lots of potential for this story though.

Thank you to #netgalley and @onipress for the ARC.

This title releases on January 24th, 2023.

(Review will appear on @backlistblooms bookstagram in January 2023).

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this graphic novel! The art was fantastic (seriously, the colors and emotions were *chef's kiss*) and the story left me desperate for a second volume! The world-building in this first volume has left me intrigued, and watching Althalia grow into her powers makes me wonder just how powerful she'll end up being! As well, Althalia and her Abuela (and Chuey and Dana!) made for a great cast of characters, and the love between Althalia and her Abuela made you really feel Althalia's grief. While the novel is quite face-paced and you're thrown right into the action (admittedly it does take a minute to catch up), "Season of the Bruja" is still a great read! Would recommend!

4.25 ⭐️

God i loved the art style and colors in this one! I felt connection to the main character Althalia, and even enjoyed the action that we are thrown into from the start.
I love the characters who are althalia’s family, and altahlia is now the last bruja to protecting not only her powers but the stories that shall not fade.
Althalia works with her friends for a paranormal museum, which then everything changes one day with a encounter with a evil man which now Althalia must figure out her own destiny and grow.

I cant wait for the other vol because i was so hooked! I even liked how the dove into the culture of Latin America!

A graphic novel with a fantastic story and colorful illustrations is perfect for falling in love and connecting with its characters.

Firstly, Althalia is a bruja. She works in a museum full of eccentricities, learning about her powers from her Abuela (Grandmother). Both, her co-workers are also capable of helping. Since they can transform, one from a were-coyote and the other into a Chupacabra. Along with magical pets that share a lifeline with their owners.
Indeed everything was going great, Althalia had just handled an exorcism with her co-workers, and goes out to enjoy a museum visit with her grandmother. At that point, we get introduced to this priest and in the scuffle of unexpectedness, something happens to Abuelita. Althalia is attempting to navigate her grief but something far beyond is calling her, because as it stands, she is the last bruja.

Season of the Bruja Vol. 1 describes the conquest and oppression caused by the Europeans to the people of Mesoamerica. Let’s face it…and beyond the Mesoamerica area. Furthermore, that is why this story will appeal to so many. For one thing, it is wonderful that our own voices are heard and stories are told.

Aaron Durán and Sara Soler have created what is a start to a phenomenal series. The Season of the Bruja Vol. 1 is a page-turner!

Gorgeous artwork and an emotional story of growing up and letting go. I'm intrigued by Chuey and Dana and want to learn more about them. I also loved Althalia and her Abuela and their pets/familiars Gordo and Loquita. The depictions of the underworld were beautiful and I am very interested in continuing the series when it is available! I will be recommending in Words & Whimsy for our comics feature closer to it's release date.

I love that you jump right into this story with a bang! Right from page one I just had to know what was going to happen, and find out more about these characters.

Beautiful artwork and a touching story about a granddaughter/grandmother bond (with magic of course, demons, and a trip to the underworld of course!).

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing, and every character they included felt necessary to the story and world. It was fabulous!

Will most definitely be following this series.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this graphic novel.

Season of the Bruja is a fantastic young adult graphic novel about Althalia, a young bruja learning from her abuela. This graphic novel was instantly engaging and threw you into the action from the first panel. The dialogue felt natural, and the artwork/dialogue felt cohesive as a whole. I personally loved the showcasing of Althalia's culture. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and I look forward to the other volumes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Onipress for the ARC!

After losing her grandmother suddenly after a random encounter with a priest, bruja Althalia grieves for her. Althalia is not ready to be on her own. She isn't trained in her powers enough. She is soon drawn in by the whispers of ancient gods promising to bring her grandmother back.

Loved this book a lot! I liked the world, the story, the artwork, colors, character; the list can go on and on!
I read this super fast—the story kept me invested and entertained.

Althalia is a bruja and is learning about her abilities from her abuela. She is currently working at a paranormal museum with her friends, who also just happen to be magical beasts. One day Althalia and her abulea encounter a priest and Althalia's life is turned upside down. Will the church achieve their goal of eliminating the last bruja, or will Althalia strengthen her abilities and be able to fight?

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC!

Season Of The Bruja is an amazing graphic novel. The art is beautiful and left me in awe of with all the colors and style.

The story is captivating, with lots of magic and paranormal elements that will keep you hooked from beginning to the end. We have a strong protagonist, Althalia who is a bruja, last of her kind. She lives with her abuelita (you gonna love her, believe me), who teaches her what is necessary to carry out the mission she was given as well as two friends who are always helping her.

I really liked how the Hispanic culture was presented, how the characters spoke Spanish as well as English, never erasing that part of their culture. Not only in the language but in the elements, culinary (I loved that a recipe was added at the end of the graphic) and customs of Althalia with her grandmother.

And the graphic shows you a beautiful message about family and friendship, it was one of the parts I liked the most.

To finish I would like to thank Netgalley and Oni Press for the copy.

Such a fun read! Loved the illustrations, the storytelling, the history, the family aspect, the sarcastic witty humor and Latin representation. Would definitely love to read more from this series.

This was so cute! I love the family storyline, the culture, and the art style was gorgeous. I loved the adventure and the characters, as well. A very cute little volume.

Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. I really enjoyed the story but especially loved the art — vivid colors and gorgeous illustrations made me want to be inside the story with the characters. I can’t wait to share this gem with my students and am keeping my fingers crossed for more volumes.

ARC provided by NetGalley

DNF @ 40%

I really hate to be that person who doesn't finish their arcs but I just can't with this one. I was so excited for this book when I saw it because it looked so wonderfully Hispanic and perfect for October. I tried to read this book for the entire month and I just couldn't get through it. The story itself starts in medias res and I don't really think I grasped what was happening. From there I wasn't able to get into the story and got bored really fast. Which is such a shame because the art in this book is really beautiful. I thought the concept was interesting but the pacing was just not something I could get into.

I dont know eherre to begin. This book shows a lot all at once and it can be confusing. Although the style is super spooky season' I'm far from thinking that I would keep reading the series.

This was a great book to read during fall and Halloween. The cover of the book got me attention as well as the title.

I loved the mix of magic and witchcraft. The book started off fantastic and got my attention. However, it did slow down a bit, but picked up immediately a little more than halfway through the story. I wish they book was a little longer because the ending felt a bit rushed. The characters were all entertaining. I hope there are some spin-offs for the other characters.

I honestly don't know how to review this. While I liked the idea behind this book, I found the execution lacking? The pacing was off and some scene would cut off and change and I was so confused. I thought pages were maybe missing, but no. Because of that, I had some trouble really enjoying the plot. I felt like I was playing catch up the entire time and it also kept me from truly connecting with the characters. Maybe it's just me though. Why don't you give it a read and tell me if I'm wrong? I hope it's just me. The concept was so interesting...

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC!

While the Latin American history was beautifully written, the storyline and pace were off to me. It feels as if the first part of the novel went at an appropriate pace and then sped up drastically at the end. It left me confused. I loved the depictions of historical figures, as well as the artwork and coloring.

I read this comic book from NetGalley, and this is a voluntary and honest review.

I love graphic novels and reading this through a digital copy only reinforced my opinion that graphic novels should always be read in physical format. Anyway, even though I haven't enjoyed the magic of paper yet, I really liked the start of this new comic book series.

The story is based on lore, stories, and myths from Latin America and starts off with a bang: a dark artefact and a possession by an evil god. Then we meet Althalia, our main character, a Buja apprentice who is learning magic from her granny. There's also an impossible quest, supporting friends (who love good food!) and exciting villains, which is enough to grab anyone's attention. Am I right?

The pace is quick, and there's constant action, which was great to keep me on my toes. But, unfortunately, the story suffered from a lack of downtime to really get to know Althalia and her friends and be able to feel for them.

As for the artwork, the illustrations are stunning and bring all the characters and creatures to life. And I’m still definitely interested in reading the sequel, though.

Seasons of the Bruja follows a young girl coming into her magical abilities and facing a threat from the past. The story is so good. I needed to know what was going to happen next. The art fit very well I loved all of the bright colors. Since the book was about Bruja the bright colors really helped set the tone and mood. The characters are super relatable and the animals adorable. Hoping more than anything that there is a next. I need more from this world!

5 stars

Creative Team:
Written by Aaron Duran
Illustrated and colored by Sara Soler
Letters; Jaime Martinez