Title: The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow
Author: Emma Steinkellner
Type: Graphic Novel
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Aladdin
(Simon & Schuster)
Date published: July 6, 2021
A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
The below synopsis may contain spoilers as this is a sequel in a series.
Moth Hush is starting to settle into her newfound witch heritage and powers, but life at school continues to be rough. Even her best friend, Charlie, doesn’t entirely understand what it’s like for her to always be the one who gets mocked, and things only get worse when Moth’s mom starts dating one of the dorkiest teachers in the school! Then Moth gets hold of a mysterious charm that can unleash another version of herself—one who is confident, cool, and extremely popular. What could possibly go wrong?
⤖ My Review ⬻
I had been eyeing volume 1 of The Okay Witch for some time before noting the sequel in a newsletter from the publisher. I took this as a sign that I should read both back-to-back, so I requested an ARC of the sequel, The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow. It was fun to get to know Moth and her family and friends (especially her cat) in the first volume and then spend some more time with them in the volume 2 while seeing what they get up to after the events in volume 1.
I really enjoy Emma Steinkellner’s style of storytelling as well as her style when it comes to the illustrations in her graphic novels. It’s really fun to look at, and I like how expressive all of the characters’ faces are. I don’t read a lot of middle grade at all, so the fact that I not only read the first volume but then continued on with the 2nd (and plan to read the 3rd when it comes out) is a big sign for me.
I definitely enjoy this series, and while I can’t say whether volume 1 or 2 was my favourite over the other, I can say that I enjoyed them both equally for their respective contents. I definitely recommend!
⤖ About the Author ⬻
Emma Steinkellner is an illustrator, cartoonist, and writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She is the author and illustrator of the middle grade graphic novel The Okay Witch (Aladdin, Fall 2019). The Okay Witch tells the story of 13-year-old Moth Hush, who learns that magic is to be expected when you’re a Hush in an adventure that spans centuries,
generations, and even worlds as Moth unravels the complicated legacy of witches at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.
She is a graduate of Stanford University’s department of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, where she created, wrote, and illustrated her thesis It Gets Weird, a science fiction sex ed graphic novel for adolescent readers and where she proclaimed herself “one of Stanford’s most elite goons”.
Working in print and webcomics, Emma has illustrated projects with her radiant sister, writer Kit Steinkellner, including the teen rom-com webcomic Aces and the Eisner-nominated superhero coming-of-age story Quince with Fanbase Press and is the creator of the comic diary Pow Slam Sparkle.
⤖ Places to Purchase the Book ⬻
⤖ Let's Chat ⬻
Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
Haven’t read this one yet, but I really want to! Looks like a spooky, but magical graphic novel
It was definitely both of those things as well as cute! I hope you enjoy 🙂