Molly OstertagReseñas

{My thoughts} – Aster is still struggling to find his place within his family. It has become widely well known that he is a witch boy and most individuals keep telling him how it isn’t normal. His own mother doesn’t seem to be very accepting of it either. His friends on the other hand and his sister all seem to have his back a bout it from the beginning.

This is a special time for Aster because it is time for the Midwinter Festival. He and his family attend and he wants to take part in the annual Jolrun tournament as a witch. His mother is against it and tells another witch Ariel that she should compete. She isn’t sure about it but she does consider it. Aster ends up getting his feelings hurt after the tournament and we learn some new and interesting information about Arial and where she comes from – in terms of her blood line.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has wonderful illustrations that go nicely with the story. I look forward to reading the next book in this series when it is released. I do believe that this is by far one of my favorite graphic novel series! I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading graphic novels! It will not disappoint you!

{My thoughts} – Aster is a remarkable character. He has the desire to learn spells and witchery, but that is what girls are meant to learn. Since he was born a boy he is suppose to learn to shapeshift and to become a demon hunter. He is one of the last boys in his age group that hasn’t been able to shapeshift. He doesn’t seem to let it bother him. Instead he sneaks around and he listens in on the girls witchery lessons and takes as many notes as he can. He also takes any and all opportunity that he is presented with to ask questions when witchery is taking place so that he can better understand how spells are done and cast.

Aster doesn’t feel like he is able to talk to anyone that he lives around. He feels like he has to keep his feelings and thoughts about wanting to learn witchery to himself. One night when he goes for a walk he meets a human girl. They become close friends and he starts confiding in her about his life and why things are so different and complicated for him.

It is the friendship that he builds with Charlie that helps him to see that he can do witchery and that he can make a difference. It is her support and help that leads him to helping his family and friends when a mysterious danger appears and starts causing trouble for all the young boys that are learning to shapeshift.

I really enjoyed this book for so many different reasons. The first is that the artwork on the pages is incredible. It stands out and it helps to pull you into the story. I also loved seeing that even though Aster chose not to conform to the gender roles of his family and friends that they eventually came around and accepted that he was born a witch and not a shapeshifter.

I think that all too often children are forced to conform to the beliefs of those around them and that causes so many problems. I don’t think children should be forced to be anything other then who they are on the inside. I think that by allowing children to be true to themselves that we as their family and friends are able to show them that despite their differences they are still very much loved and accepted.

I highly recommend this book for any child that seems to be struggling and having problems conforming to the gender roles that society has forced upon them. I think that any and all children can learn that it’s alright to be different. It’s alright for them to stay true to themselves!

{My thoughts} – Aster and his family are finding a new normal with him studying witchery as opposed to shapeshifting and demon hunting. All of the girls are learning to accept that he is in their classes, however, some of his teachers are still not happy about the new accommodations that everyone is making for him.

It’s a new year and with a new year usually brings new students to the nearby schools. This seems to be the case for Charlie’s school and class. She has a new student in her class named Ariel. Ariel is a bit different from Charlie because she is so closed off and keeps to herself. She doesn’t like to let others in and has a lot of anger within herself for the way people have treated her in the past. She is a foster child, which makes things more difficult. She has no idea where her parents are, and she is very confused about herself and why everyone treats her so differently.

Charlie tries to become friends with her, but she forgets to call her after school and Ariel makes it a point to attack Charlie and not in a good human way. Ariel uses a form of dark magic. It takes awhile, but Aster and his grandmother figure out what kind of magic it is and they work to protect Charlie from getting hurt again in the future. It takes a long while before they figure out that Ariel is the cause of the dark magic.

Ariel has no idea that she is practicing dark magic and that she can not only hurt herself but those she attacks with it. She was never taught how to use her magic. Aster and his family decide that they are going to do what they can to help her before the dark magic consumes her.

All to often there are foster kids that get lost in the shuffle. Like Ariel many of them have anger issues. Many of them don’t know where they come from. They don’t know their actual family or their parents. They just know that they are different and they feel different. It takes children like Charlie and Aster to help them feel like they are wanted and like they belong when more often then not they are treated like outcasts due to situation and circumstance. I’m not saying all foster kids are treated poorly, I am just saying that it happens more then people might realize.

I recommend this book for children in the foster system. I also think that children that aren’t living with either parent could benefit from reading this book as well. It has a lot within its pages that can help children to better understand that just because things aren’t alright for them all the time, that it isn’t always going to be like that. It can also help to show them that it may take them time to find their place, but once they do, everything should start making more sense for them and they should begin to find their place and fit in. Most importantly, it should be able to show them that there is hope for a better tomorrow.

{My thoughts} – Aster is a remarkable character. He has the desire to learn spells and witchery, but that is what girls are meant to learn. Since he was born a boy he is suppose to learn to shapeshift and to become a demon hunter. He is one of the last boys in his age group that hasn’t been able to shapeshift. He doesn’t seem to let it bother him. Instead he sneaks around and he listens in on the girls witchery lessons and takes as many notes as he can. He also takes any and all opportunity that he is presented with to ask questions when witchery is taking place so that he can better understand how spells are done and cast.

Aster doesn’t feel like he is able to talk to anyone that he lives around. He feels like he has to keep his feelings and thoughts about wanting to learn witchery to himself. One night when he goes for a walk he meets a human girl. They become close friends and he starts confiding in her about his life and why things are so different and complicated for him.

It is the friendship that he builds with Charlie that helps him to see that he can do witchery and that he can make a difference. It is her support and help that leads him to helping his family and friends when a mysterious danger appears and starts causing trouble for all the young boys that are learning to shapeshift.

I really enjoyed this book for so many different reasons. The first is that the artwork on the pages is incredible. It stands out and it helps to pull you into the story. I also loved seeing that even though Aster chose not to conform to the gender roles of his family and friends that they eventually came around and accepted that he was born a witch and not a shapeshifter.

I think that all too often children are forced to conform to the beliefs of those around them and that causes so many problems. I don’t think children should be forced to be anything other then who they are on the inside. I think that by allowing children to be true to themselves that we as their family and friends are able to show them that despite their differences they are still very much loved and accepted.

I highly recommend this book for any child that seems to be struggling and having problems conforming to the gender roles that society has forced upon them. I think that any and all children can learn that it’s alright to be different. It’s alright for them to stay true to themselves!

{My thoughts} – Aster and his family are finding a new normal with him studying witchery as opposed to shapeshifting and demon hunting. All of the girls are learning to accept that he is in their classes, however, some of his teachers are still not happy about the new accommodations that everyone is making for him.

It’s a new year and with a new year usually brings new students to the nearby schools. This seems to be the case for Charlie’s school and class. She has a new student in her class named Ariel. Ariel is a bit different from Charlie because she is so closed off and keeps to herself. She doesn’t like to let others in and has a lot of anger within herself for the way people have treated her in the past. She is a foster child, which makes things more difficult. She has no idea where her parents are, and she is very confused about herself and why everyone treats her so differently.

Charlie tries to become friends with her, but she forgets to call her after school and Ariel makes it a point to attack Charlie and not in a good human way. Ariel uses a form of dark magic. It takes awhile, but Aster and his grandmother figure out what kind of magic it is and they work to protect Charlie from getting hurt again in the future. It takes a long while before they figure out that Ariel is the cause of the dark magic.

Ariel has no idea that she is practicing dark magic and that she can not only hurt herself but those she attacks with it. She was never taught how to use her magic. Aster and his family decide that they are going to do what they can to help her before the dark magic consumes her.

All to often there are foster kids that get lost in the shuffle. Like Ariel many of them have anger issues. Many of them don’t know where they come from. They don’t know their actual family or their parents. They just know that they are different and they feel different. It takes children like Charlie and Aster to help them feel like they are wanted and like they belong when more often then not they are treated like outcasts due to situation and circumstance. I’m not saying all foster kids are treated poorly, I am just saying that it happens more then people might realize.

I recommend this book for children in the foster system. I also think that children that aren’t living with either parent could benefit from reading this book as well. It has a lot within its pages that can help children to better understand that just because things aren’t alright for them all the time, that it isn’t always going to be like that. It can also help to show them that it may take them time to find their place, but once they do, everything should start making more sense for them and they should begin to find their place and fit in. Most importantly, it should be able to show them that there is hope for a better tomorrow.

Gay, fae, and YA? Perfection. The art is incredible. And, though I'm not the target audience, I certainly remember my days as a teen and trying to keep every aspect of my life in a separate box like the main character does; especially avoiding discussing my attraction to women.

The book begins with the main character, Morgan Kwon, nearly drowning when she's saved by a mysterious girl named Keltie. When Morgan kisses her, thinking she's having a near-death Hallucination, she learns that Keltie is actually a selkie, and her kiss has granted her the power to walk on land in human form. From there on, the aspects of Morgan's life that she's so carefully kept separate become much harder to maintain. She eventually learns that sometimes plans don't go the way we hoped, but the messy parts of life can make living so much better.

I think this is a great story for LGBTQ teens (and anyone really) who might feel like they have to hide parts of themselves from others.

Another thing I loved about this book is the representation of different body types and people of color. The main character isn't white, for one thing, and Keltie is drawn as a bigger girl. It's also nice to know that this is a queer romance written by a queer woman. All in all, I highly recommend reading The Girl from the Sea.

Lovely art and a lovely story; characters that I got attached to (and even the ones I didn't like were interesting and well-developed, even sympathetic) and a storyline that left me feeling good after an adventurous ride with them. And looking forward to the sequel, which wasn't out yet when I first read it!

High drama, angst and emotions, lovely art, very real characters, and a deadly dangerous dystopia of a world post-conquering. . .

The story drops the reader into the middle and you pick up history and context along the way, done very smoothly. As are the changing allegiances and relationships between the characters. Consequences lurk around every corner, but as the characters themselves voice repeatedly, everything is dangerous in this world. The ending is open, but hopeful and not unsatisfying.½

Jess (who is half Diné, living alone with her father after her mother left them) has a tough time making friends. She and Olivia, her best (and only) friend, bonded over their mutual love of roleplaying. Jess has created a lone-wolf D&D character named Sir Corius, who goes on solo adventures while Olivia acts as Dungeon Master.

Jess is happy with the way things are, but Olivia seems intent on shaking things up, going so far as to create a D&D club where anyone could join her and Jess's game. She's also considering running for student council, which would make it tough for her to find the time to continue acting as Jess's DM. Jealousy and hurt feelings abound.

This reminded me very much of Jasmine Walls' The Last Session, except that one starred college students instead of middle schoolers, and this one was maybe higher on the "hurt feelings" percentage. In both works, D&D offered the characters a way to work through their issues with each other and learn to appreciate newcomers to their established groups.

I loved the artwork and thought Olivia's plans and ideas were pretty clever. All in all, this was a good read.

Extras:

Some character designs and concept art (all squeezed onto one page, so super tiny), and a page showing how the graphic novel went from script to final art.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Una buena secuela de Witch Boy donde profundiza en la identidad y en el amor de las amistades. La capacidad para abrirnos. Me gusta como Molly es capaz de dar mensajes tan wholesome de una manera tan sencilla y eficaz.

Una historia preciosa con salida del armario y mitologia marina. Una construcción de personajes y de trama perfecta. Previsible quizá, pero no tiene nada de malo en ello.

Personalmente me ha enamorado, fuí más fan de Witch Boy (de la misma autora) pero este creo que es mucho más redondo.

Un comic sobre la familia que escogemos. Quiza es la entrega “más floja” de las tres, pero sigue siendo igual de entretenido y magico.

Un comic maravilloso que habla sobre como nos sentimos y como nos ve la sociedad. Aceptarnos a nosotros mismos y no discriminar ante estereotipos, todo con una capa de magia y aventura.

Pedazo comic.

Keltie and Morgan have a cute dynamic, but I wanted the secondary characters to be more fleshed out than they were

Strong Female Protagonist explores the nuances of privilege: being born with power you didn't ask for, being admired for things you regret doing, feeling simultaneously too big and too small for your britches... and it's also about superheroes.

The story and art are a little unpolished (it gets better in later chapters), but dang the moral quandaries in here are just so ~spicy~

Content warnings for this series as a whole: physical and emotional abuse of a child, graphic violence, gore, homophobia mention, transphobia mention, kidnapping, torture, pregnancy, mental illness

Wish the story had at least another dozen pages to breathe, but it's good at what it does.

HECK. YES.

Really cute and fun read!

Charming.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this graphic novel (which as of this review, March 8, 2017, is a stand alone according to the publisher). I found Colleen to be a good blend of traits - strong, but hiding her vulnerability which made her realize she was missing something.

This isn't a "soft" book - quite a few chars who don't deserve it get beaten, killed or abused in some way. It's also not too worried about history building - we learn about the Chromatti and how they evolved to the group they were. We learned a brief bit about why the Derichet came to the planet, a little about the social structure before they came to the planet.

Agnit, a Derichet overseer who is...well the best way to describe him versus Korso, another overseer, is the difference between Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Fassbender's characters in "12 Years a Slave". Agnit is a villain who pretends at decency, but ultimately agrees with the status quo while Korso is a creep & a bully and doesn't pretend otherwise.

Also a bit loosy-goosy, but something fans of Shinn's novels are well used to, is how the book meanders to it's point. This isn't to say it has filler for filler's sake, but with no real concept of time the pacing is both too slow and too fast.

I did love the artwork here. It's not overly complicated, but very well detailed. I haven't seen Ostertag's work before, tho I've heard of her comic.

My only real unease is the flat nature of the Derichet. We have no real sense of their culture, no real sense of why they conquer instead of negotiate/trade. Korso & Agnit are the only two named, despite dozens of extras, and they're two ends of the same stick really. While the reader is given all the reasons to side with the humans, there's no nuance so no matter what Agnit does you are waiting for him to turn into a villain because the only other Derichet given time is a villain.

I'm also somewhat confused by Jann's insistence about Colleen's family's birthright. He's the only one who puts emphasis on it (aside from a few remarks about the estate) and it makes no sense. It's not like Colleen is lost royalty who, once the Derichet are dealt with, can reclaim her throne. It was as maddening for me as it was for Colleen.

Picked it up because I'm a big Molly Ostertag fan. Great worldbuilding, but a disappointing story.

Maybe the real Dungeon and Dragons were the friends we made along the way.

When people treat you like a monster, you start to act like one" (pg 195).

Great. I think it's possibly better than the first. Although it's a lot darker, those dark demon eyes were creeping me out. ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ

A middle grade graphic novel about a Morgan, who feels out of place in her small island town, and who befriends/is befriended by the eponymous girl, who in turn changes both their lives.

Sweet and fun and sad and very well written/drawn. Definitely recommended.

6.5/10, this was an interesting fantasy novel, but enjoyable nonetheless. I couldn't feel any connection with most of the characters except the main one, Aster. I couldn't see any reason why Aster couldn't practice spells, and why witchcraft is typically only for girls? However, Aster still wanted to practice witchcraft, and that became useful when the villain tried to escape from the parallel world, but he trapped him. I noticed that there was no explanation about how the parallel world came into being, which was a bit irritating, but it was a minor issue, maybe I could find out more in the next book in the series. The romance was kind of forced in, because I didn't feel anything when Aster and Charlie fell in love with each other. If you like a fantasy story, this is the book for you.