Review: The Witch Boy (The Witch Boy, #1) by Molly Ostertag

Title: The Witch Boy

Series: The Witch Boy, #1

Author: Molly Ostertag

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy, Graphic Novel

Publication Date:  November 2017 by Scholastic

Format: Paperback

Source: Library

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Rating:

In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . . and he's still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.

When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help -- as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.

I absolutely and thoroughly loved and enjoyed The Witch Boy! I don't remember where I came across seeing this graphic novel at. I don't know if I saw it on a book blog or I saw it on a booktube channel all I know when I first lay eyes on it piqued my interest and when I read the synopsis I was sold and very intrigued on checking this book out from the library. And when I finally got my hands on it from the library I was so glad and happy that I check it out because this graphic novel was a lot of fun reading it. Now I don't want to go into any details about this amazing graphic novel without getting a spoiler but I will tell you what I absolutely loved about The Witch Boy. I absolutely love the new and refreshing plotline and the concept of this book I haven't read a graphic novel quite like it before until now but I do know there are some books and probably some graphic novel with male witches out there. But I haven't read or come across these books or graphic novels yet if you have, can you please recommend me some. Now if you know me by now I absolutely love a very beautiful and pretty artwork in the graphic novel that I can take hours just looking at the artwork alone and the artwork in The Witch Boy was so, so, so pretty. The artwork reminded me so much a new upcoming graphic novel that I finished reading called Sheets by Brenna Thummler and I also loved and enjoyed that graphic novel as well. The writing style flows absolutely well and I understood everything the author wrote and I also thought the writing style was absolutely beautiful as well. I thought all the characters well very well developed and well rounded too I absolutely loved all the characters especially Aster and his new non-magical and non-conforming friend Charlie the both of them always had each other backs. Even though it is forbidden for Aster to talk to a non-magical person and to even befriend one, but Charlie knows how Aster exactly feels like at his home with his family because Charlie feels the same way at her home so the both of them clicked right away. I also really love the family dynamic in the Witch Boy you could tell that each family members loves and cares for one another and they try to understand Aster but they really don't understand his infatuation to becoming a witch when it is forbidden for a male magical person to become a witch in the family. It is a rule that all magical males should only be shapeshifter, not witches and only females can become be witches. Which Aster totally disagrees on he wants to become a witch, not a shapeshifter. But there are big things that happen to Aster and his family and the events that unrolled in this graphic novel will change Aster and his family lives forever. All and all I absolutely loved everything in The Witch Boy that I can't wait to read The Hidden Witch that will come out on Holloween of this year, which I think that it will be a really great time to read The Hidden Witch during the Holloween and fall season!

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Molly Ostertag

I grew up in the forests of upstate New York, where I spent the first half of my childhood reading about fantastical adventures and the second half acting them out with foam swords at a live-action roleplaying camp. I graduated in 2014 from the School of Visual Arts, where I studied cartooning and illustration, and I currently live in Los Angeles. My artistic interests include women in fiction, fantasy and sci-fi, superheroes, and history.

I illustrate a twice-weekly webcomic called Strong Female Protagonist with co-creator Brennan Lee Mulligan, which was listed as one of io9's Best New and Short Webcomics when it launched in 2012. I ran a successful Kickstarter in the summer of 2014 to print the first volume, which was distributed by Top Shelf comics and is now available in stores and online.

I'm currently working on a graphic novel with First Second named Shattered Warrior, coming out in Spring 2017