Kelly Fernandez

A graphic novel about a religious school for witchlings, starring Manu, an extraordinary child. A foundling from the forest, she has powers no one can explain, and has difficulty controlling them. Loved the unconditional support of the Mother Superior. Loved the solid friendship with Josephina, and the really cute demons. Love that the author talks about drawing on her Dominican and American heritages.

Some things that are cool but unresolved for me: Manu is depicted as possibly gender show more nonconforming -- cool, but unexplored. I like that there is sort of a burgeoning romance with Josephina, but it's not the focus of the book, and it might just be friendship. I didn't really like that "curses can't be removed" and yet there are books about black magic just lying around, and there really is very little discipline for Manu's misbehavior. The shallow reactions from the adults -- for instance, after Manu spills the black magic books from the shelves, the nun who helps replace them can tell she has a book behind her back but doesn't want to know -- are just frustrating. It's hard to imagine that the school is effective at keeping its students safe from themselves or each other -- oh, wait, that's right, they aren't. And they don't seem particularly bothered by it. It's just off for me. I like the compassion that the adults show to Manu, because they can tell she is an outsider in her class, but it still just makes the whole story read more like a zany Asterix adventure than something with more emotion, like Telegemaier or Hale's books. show less

I adored the relationship between Mother Dolores and Manu; so unconditionally loving! Manu herself was very rambunctious, and it seemed she never learned. But some of that is to be expected because she's just a kid. There was a strong theme of Catholicism and witchcraft that I’ve never seen before, and it is a bit uncomfortable but reminiscent of the author’s life and culture. Also, loved the bits of Spanish infused here.

I adored the relationship between Mother Dolores and Manu; so unconditionally loving! Manu herself was very rambunctious, and it seemed she never learned. But some of that is to be expected because she's just a kid. There was a strong theme of Catholicism and witchcraft that I’ve never seen before, and it is a bit uncomfortable but reminiscent of the author’s life and culture. Also, loved the bits of Spanish infused here.

Cute “kid who always messes everything up” friendship story, but not a standout for me. The “magic school run by nuns” setting, inspired by the author’s Dominican heritage, was original and lovely. But the ending was unsatisfying — a book that talks so much about exploring “the mysterious parts of yourself,” as the author note says, should give the protagonist enough time and information to do that — and I found the action scene panels too small to follow. I would’ve show more appreciated a whole-page layout or two. (Review based on an ARC without final art, but it looks like the finalizing is shading and coloring, not redrawing whole panels.) show less