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ブナの森のアリア #1
Aria of the Beech Forest, Vol. 1
Deep within a certain forest lives a young witch named Aria. She spends her days alone, growing herbs and knitting―until one winter morning when she encounters a white wolf collapsed in the snow! The mysterious beast not only talks but also, to her surprise, asks to live with her…Could this be the start of a big change for the small, lonely witch?!
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2021
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431 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
March 5, 2025
So adorable!
July 18, 2024
4.5 Stars
Thank you to IZE Press for sending me a copy of Your Letter.
I hadn't heard of this at all and when it came through the door I fell in love with the cover and then the synopsis. I am obsessed with the wolf and also Aria, this story is so cute and adorable and I can't wait to read more in this series.
Thank you to IZE Press for sending me a copy of Your Letter.
I hadn't heard of this at all and when it came through the door I fell in love with the cover and then the synopsis. I am obsessed with the wolf and also Aria, this story is so cute and adorable and I can't wait to read more in this series.
August 7, 2024
I loved this so much, it made me laugh so many times as well. I can’t wait for volume two
August 3, 2025
Snooze fest
June 30, 2024
This was so incredibly cute and so very enjoyable!
I felt a little hesitant that I would like this, but I can't tell you why I felt that way. At the least, I felt I would only read volume one and call it a day, but this first volume was so delightful that I WILL be getting more volumes as they release!
Goodness, I loved everything about this story! It has slice-of-life vibes, but just when the story may seem to fall into the "mundane" of everyday life (which I personally don't mind if it had), a new character pops up and brings more excitement to Aria's life! It really felt like just when you might even feel you could get bored, something new happens, making you sucked back into the story in a new way. I loved it so much!
The art style is deeply charming and LOVED many of the expressions Aria makes as well as the white wolf! Seeing them together made me laugh more than once and would often say something involving how cute they were together. The ending was especially endearing and I'm very excited to see what will happen next!
Plus, I can't wait to meet all the characters we met briefly! I will also mention that I LOVE how we met characters who were not all the same age! That's about all I can say about it without giving away spoilers, but I deeply appreciated it!
Though I'm not sure my stomach appreciated all the food because that last chapter definitely had ALLLL of the yummy food and made me hungry! LOL! Granted, *I* loved it and thought it was such a pleasant surprise to even have mini recipes after some of the chapters! How fun was that!
Truly, this is easily one of my favorite reads this month simply because of how wonderful this story was! I'm not sure what I was expecting when starting it, but it wasn't this overwhelming cuteness and fun that's for sure!
Highly recommend it if you're looking for a wholesome story with a witch, great art, and maybe something with a little bit of Ghibli vibes! Volume two definitely can't be released fast enough!
I felt a little hesitant that I would like this, but I can't tell you why I felt that way. At the least, I felt I would only read volume one and call it a day, but this first volume was so delightful that I WILL be getting more volumes as they release!
Goodness, I loved everything about this story! It has slice-of-life vibes, but just when the story may seem to fall into the "mundane" of everyday life (which I personally don't mind if it had), a new character pops up and brings more excitement to Aria's life! It really felt like just when you might even feel you could get bored, something new happens, making you sucked back into the story in a new way. I loved it so much!
The art style is deeply charming and LOVED many of the expressions Aria makes as well as the white wolf! Seeing them together made me laugh more than once and would often say something involving how cute they were together. The ending was especially endearing and I'm very excited to see what will happen next!
Plus, I can't wait to meet all the characters we met briefly! I will also mention that I LOVE how we met characters who were not all the same age! That's about all I can say about it without giving away spoilers, but I deeply appreciated it!
Though I'm not sure my stomach appreciated all the food because that last chapter definitely had ALLLL of the yummy food and made me hungry! LOL! Granted, *I* loved it and thought it was such a pleasant surprise to even have mini recipes after some of the chapters! How fun was that!
Truly, this is easily one of my favorite reads this month simply because of how wonderful this story was! I'm not sure what I was expecting when starting it, but it wasn't this overwhelming cuteness and fun that's for sure!
Highly recommend it if you're looking for a wholesome story with a witch, great art, and maybe something with a little bit of Ghibli vibes! Volume two definitely can't be released fast enough!
August 1, 2024
Aria is a witch who inhabits a forest all alone since her grandmother died. One day the definitely-not-a-former-human wolf Gwyn enters her life and suddenly things aren’t as lonely as they seemed. But, much of Aria’s life is not quite as it seems…
The best parts of this story, which initially presents as a very enjoyable slice of life tale, cannot really be discussed without massively spoiling something that I feel is a genuinely good and worthwhile reveal. So do keep that in mind.
What will ultimately make or break this is how that twist plays out going forward, but it definitely offers a lot of tantalizing questions amidst the very simple story of Aria being lonely and having that loneliness sated by new friends.
Not that simple is bad. A lot of this is as snug and comfy as the cottage that Aria occupies and her existence in this seeming idyll is enviably quiet and relaxed. There’s a charm to all this, albeit a charm with a decided edge.
Seemingly innocent antics are very easily reframed with a shift in the story’s position and I love how the more we learn the more it forces the reader to reevaluate pretty much everything going on and how the story got there.
The witch angle is mostly down to Aria’s hat, as her spellcasting leaves a lot to be desired, to the extent that you might wonder if she’s even a witch to begin with. There are little hints that she’s got more going on than she seems, which would probably annoy me except it’s part of the potent stew being made here.
Speaking of stew, I have to admit that while I admire the mangaka’s research on Irish food, this is an Irish story and no mistake, there are definitely some points where this shifts into cooking manga mode and it’s where things are at their least interesting. It’s filling as filler and not to my taste in this space.
Aria’s possibly a little bit undeveloped, beyond kind and shy, though she’s entirely more wary than a lot of similar heroines and she does become a much fuller character as the story progresses. She opens herself up to Gwyn, but who wouldn’t open up to a talking wolf?
Minus the food, the Ireland angle is employed to much better effect at other points. So much of this story is not at all what it seems and seeing the layers of obfuscation fall off amidst the coziness gives it an edge that absolutely guarantees I’ll be back for more.
The slice of life angle prevalent here really keeps things from feeling like endless scoops of mystery. Everything here is moving from moment to moment and it knows when to let itself breathe and when to goose the narrative with another revelation. The pacing, minus those cooking digressions, never feels too rushed or too slow.
My score ultimately comes down where it does because I want this to show it has the chops to follow through on the edge it has. There’s a delicate balancing act in progress that promises many things to come and I want to see what they are before I unabashedly recommend this.
3.5 stars - I just gave my reasoning why up above, but this is a corker of a first volume that sets up a lot of things and has a ton of inventive ideas that I dearly hope it can weave into something as special as it seems to be working towards.
The best parts of this story, which initially presents as a very enjoyable slice of life tale, cannot really be discussed without massively spoiling something that I feel is a genuinely good and worthwhile reveal. So do keep that in mind.
What will ultimately make or break this is how that twist plays out going forward, but it definitely offers a lot of tantalizing questions amidst the very simple story of Aria being lonely and having that loneliness sated by new friends.
Not that simple is bad. A lot of this is as snug and comfy as the cottage that Aria occupies and her existence in this seeming idyll is enviably quiet and relaxed. There’s a charm to all this, albeit a charm with a decided edge.
Seemingly innocent antics are very easily reframed with a shift in the story’s position and I love how the more we learn the more it forces the reader to reevaluate pretty much everything going on and how the story got there.
The witch angle is mostly down to Aria’s hat, as her spellcasting leaves a lot to be desired, to the extent that you might wonder if she’s even a witch to begin with. There are little hints that she’s got more going on than she seems, which would probably annoy me except it’s part of the potent stew being made here.
Speaking of stew, I have to admit that while I admire the mangaka’s research on Irish food, this is an Irish story and no mistake, there are definitely some points where this shifts into cooking manga mode and it’s where things are at their least interesting. It’s filling as filler and not to my taste in this space.
Aria’s possibly a little bit undeveloped, beyond kind and shy, though she’s entirely more wary than a lot of similar heroines and she does become a much fuller character as the story progresses. She opens herself up to Gwyn, but who wouldn’t open up to a talking wolf?
Minus the food, the Ireland angle is employed to much better effect at other points. So much of this story is not at all what it seems and seeing the layers of obfuscation fall off amidst the coziness gives it an edge that absolutely guarantees I’ll be back for more.
The slice of life angle prevalent here really keeps things from feeling like endless scoops of mystery. Everything here is moving from moment to moment and it knows when to let itself breathe and when to goose the narrative with another revelation. The pacing, minus those cooking digressions, never feels too rushed or too slow.
My score ultimately comes down where it does because I want this to show it has the chops to follow through on the edge it has. There’s a delicate balancing act in progress that promises many things to come and I want to see what they are before I unabashedly recommend this.
3.5 stars - I just gave my reasoning why up above, but this is a corker of a first volume that sets up a lot of things and has a ton of inventive ideas that I dearly hope it can weave into something as special as it seems to be working towards.
July 23, 2024
This was so cute and cottagecore to the max! Aria lives alone in a beech forest, and she encounters a lone wolf freezing in the snow one day. The two form an unlikely friendship - one that is quite interesting because the wolf can talk. This has some shades of "Little Red Riding Hood", but the wolf is not much of a threat in this story - the other people pose the real threat.
The one thing that I found kind of disappointing is that this story includes our world as part of the narrative - I did not want to hear about Instagram, or being an influencer, or any of that other nonsense that we typically deal with everyday; I picked this up because it was about a witch living alone in a forest and I wanted to hear more about that life.... far away from social media and the internet. There were a few people introduced that I would like to learn more about, so I may give this series another try to learn more (if I decide that I am okay with enduring the present day technological intrusions :).
The one thing that I found kind of disappointing is that this story includes our world as part of the narrative - I did not want to hear about Instagram, or being an influencer, or any of that other nonsense that we typically deal with everyday; I picked this up because it was about a witch living alone in a forest and I wanted to hear more about that life.... far away from social media and the internet. There were a few people introduced that I would like to learn more about, so I may give this series another try to learn more (if I decide that I am okay with enduring the present day technological intrusions :).
August 4, 2025
So cute and entertaining. I really enjoyed it. Aria is a great character. The wolf is so cute and that he can talk is so fun. I love their life together and how they become friends. There's more to him I just know it. I can't wait to read more of it!
July 22, 2024
This was cute and adorable. I love friendship between aria and Wolf. Cart, wait for next volume
September 25, 2025
serving witch realness
September 19, 2024
SO ADORABLE AND WITCHY! Beautiful artwork too <3
July 7, 2024
➸ 4.5 stars ★★★★
Aria Of The Beech Forest is a heartfelt + sweet witchy fantasy manga, easily one of my new favorites! The lovely artwork, slice-of-life story, and magical ambience were brought together to tell the tale of a shy witch who lives in a quiet cottage where she cooks, knits and gardens everyday content with the quiet life she has, until one day a talking wolf collapses in front of her cottage - they quickly become friends and Aria's new adventure begins!
Aria lives her quiet life in a secluded forest cottage in Ireland where she keeps busy with various tasks from cooking delicious meals, foraging + growing her own herbs, knitting, etc. but during a particularly strong snow storm, a white wolf passes out near her cottage, so she takes him in. Unbeknownst to her, he can *talk but they quickly forge a lovely friendship spending their days together from enjoying irish cuisine, reading, cooking, etc. but when an average human learns about Aria, things get very interesting!
a shy witch & her wolf bestie enjoying cozy days together in a cottage + making friends, gosh this was the cutest cozy read! ೀ⋆｡♡
the aria + gwyn duo is so charming & cute too, ahhh I'm so eager to see how their friendship grows throughout the series (i think its only 3 volumes tho??! aahh why??)
Yugiri Aika's illustrations and linework show in the unique character designs from Aria with her vibrant red hair to her adopted uncle/relative Theodore, to the locals who discover the witch's cottage - Alvin and his younger sister Colleen. Setting an atmosphere surrounded by nature, the rural cottage-y backdrop immerses you into Aria's world.
I also liked that there were many moments of humor interwoven among the story, which does have its serious moments (especially when it comes to learning a little bit about Aria's past) but overall its very lighthearted which was something i needed rn.
For the fantasy elements, there's some use of spells and magical objects, but its very light which surprised me when I realized its more of a contemporary fantasy - unexpected for sure, but it worked so well. Seeing how witches are viewed among average people made the contemporary setting add a richness to the themes of friendship + isolation layered within this first volume.
Aria is a fun character to follow - she is comfortable with her cottage life but there's those moments where you sense her loneliness + desire to make friends! It was so heartwarming to see Gwyn (the wolf) and the visitors show her there's adventures to be had when she's willing to try.
That said, I'd love to see more of the magic explored alongside the cute slice-0f-life moments as the series goes on. It was minimal when it came to worldbuilding, but moreso an atmospheric set-up which usually doesn't work out for me but this time it ticked all the boxes.
Aria Of The Beech Forest is a sweet witchy manga sure to charm anyone who loves quiet, slower fantasy stories! A magical start to a new fantasy manga!!
♡ thank you to Yen Press for the review copy! (full review to be posted on my blog)
Aria Of The Beech Forest is a heartfelt + sweet witchy fantasy manga, easily one of my new favorites! The lovely artwork, slice-of-life story, and magical ambience were brought together to tell the tale of a shy witch who lives in a quiet cottage where she cooks, knits and gardens everyday content with the quiet life she has, until one day a talking wolf collapses in front of her cottage - they quickly become friends and Aria's new adventure begins!
Aria lives her quiet life in a secluded forest cottage in Ireland where she keeps busy with various tasks from cooking delicious meals, foraging + growing her own herbs, knitting, etc. but during a particularly strong snow storm, a white wolf passes out near her cottage, so she takes him in. Unbeknownst to her, he can *talk but they quickly forge a lovely friendship spending their days together from enjoying irish cuisine, reading, cooking, etc. but when an average human learns about Aria, things get very interesting!
a shy witch & her wolf bestie enjoying cozy days together in a cottage + making friends, gosh this was the cutest cozy read! ೀ⋆｡♡
the aria + gwyn duo is so charming & cute too, ahhh I'm so eager to see how their friendship grows throughout the series (i think its only 3 volumes tho??! aahh why??)
Yugiri Aika's illustrations and linework show in the unique character designs from Aria with her vibrant red hair to her adopted uncle/relative Theodore, to the locals who discover the witch's cottage - Alvin and his younger sister Colleen. Setting an atmosphere surrounded by nature, the rural cottage-y backdrop immerses you into Aria's world.
I also liked that there were many moments of humor interwoven among the story, which does have its serious moments (especially when it comes to learning a little bit about Aria's past) but overall its very lighthearted which was something i needed rn.
For the fantasy elements, there's some use of spells and magical objects, but its very light which surprised me when I realized its more of a contemporary fantasy - unexpected for sure, but it worked so well. Seeing how witches are viewed among average people made the contemporary setting add a richness to the themes of friendship + isolation layered within this first volume.
Aria is a fun character to follow - she is comfortable with her cottage life but there's those moments where you sense her loneliness + desire to make friends! It was so heartwarming to see Gwyn (the wolf) and the visitors show her there's adventures to be had when she's willing to try.
That said, I'd love to see more of the magic explored alongside the cute slice-0f-life moments as the series goes on. It was minimal when it came to worldbuilding, but moreso an atmospheric set-up which usually doesn't work out for me but this time it ticked all the boxes.
Aria Of The Beech Forest is a sweet witchy manga sure to charm anyone who loves quiet, slower fantasy stories! A magical start to a new fantasy manga!!
♡ thank you to Yen Press for the review copy! (full review to be posted on my blog)
January 11, 2025
Another day, another cosy witchy manga.
So far, there is nothing particularly groundbreaking or spectacular about 'Aria of the Beech Forest, Vol. 1' - it won't be adapted into an anime any time soon - but it is a nice escapist fantasy to dive into for an hour. Its main hooks and driving points are its comedy, its mystery element, its autistic-coded, sheltered, naïve witch protagonist who lives in the woods, a cute talking white wolf, and its tea cosy atmosphere and aesthetic, complete with, ahem, tea (from a clear glass tea set), herbs, bread, pancakes, cooking, dishes, fireplaces, and sprinkles of witchcraft thrown in here and there.
It's an episodic, slice-of-life witch and nature fantasy tale, similar to 'Flying Witch' and 'A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch', and even a bit of 'The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún', 'Witch Hat Atelier', and Natsuki Takaya's 'Liselotte & Witch's Forest'. It is also set in Ireland in modern times, which may come as a surprise to some readers.
I won't spoil anything else - from any magical elsewhere - but I hope my above description gives a general idea of what 'Aria of the Beech Forest' is about, and to whose tastes it'll suit.
Plus, if the young redhaired and green-eyed witch Aria is not the cutest girl character in the manga, then a literal little girl character in it - a little sister archetype who is not annoying - definitely is. And seriously, that wolf is absolutely effing precious, and I want to cuddle him and take care of him, and this is coming from a cat person.
Overall, 'Aria of the Beech Forest, Vol. 1' is a light(ish), cute, funny, witty, sometimes irreverent manga, for the forest, herbal and kitchen witch in us all. It is not as innocent, sweet, adorable, gentle, quiet, or benevolent as it first appears. There is an underlying sneakiness, darkness and tragedy in the first volume. Again, it may surprise you in many ways...
It could become something truly ethereal and enchanting later down the line. But for now, it is yet another addition to my witchy bookshelf, manga or no.
Final Score: 3.5/5
So far, there is nothing particularly groundbreaking or spectacular about 'Aria of the Beech Forest, Vol. 1' - it won't be adapted into an anime any time soon - but it is a nice escapist fantasy to dive into for an hour. Its main hooks and driving points are its comedy, its mystery element, its autistic-coded, sheltered, naïve witch protagonist who lives in the woods, a cute talking white wolf, and its tea cosy atmosphere and aesthetic, complete with, ahem, tea (from a clear glass tea set), herbs, bread, pancakes, cooking, dishes, fireplaces, and sprinkles of witchcraft thrown in here and there.
It's an episodic, slice-of-life witch and nature fantasy tale, similar to 'Flying Witch' and 'A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch', and even a bit of 'The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún', 'Witch Hat Atelier', and Natsuki Takaya's 'Liselotte & Witch's Forest'. It is also set in Ireland in modern times, which may come as a surprise to some readers.
I won't spoil anything else - from any magical elsewhere - but I hope my above description gives a general idea of what 'Aria of the Beech Forest' is about, and to whose tastes it'll suit.
Plus, if the young redhaired and green-eyed witch Aria is not the cutest girl character in the manga, then a literal little girl character in it - a little sister archetype who is not annoying - definitely is. And seriously, that wolf is absolutely effing precious, and I want to cuddle him and take care of him, and this is coming from a cat person.
Overall, 'Aria of the Beech Forest, Vol. 1' is a light(ish), cute, funny, witty, sometimes irreverent manga, for the forest, herbal and kitchen witch in us all. It is not as innocent, sweet, adorable, gentle, quiet, or benevolent as it first appears. There is an underlying sneakiness, darkness and tragedy in the first volume. Again, it may surprise you in many ways...
It could become something truly ethereal and enchanting later down the line. But for now, it is yet another addition to my witchy bookshelf, manga or no.
Final Score: 3.5/5
July 31, 2025
This is a librarian review. I try to leave notes on books I’m considering for a middle school library for others in the school library profession because manga is hardly ever professionally reviewed for us to properly vet before buying. I mainly just look for troublesome issues for younger ages, such as sexual content, language, or extreme violence. I also leave other mentions and notes further down.
Language:
The book is rated for teens with a warning for language. The language in question consisted of 'dumb hag' (a rather prickly boy character referred to his mother this way in his thoughts), 'Jesus!' as a curse from that same boy, and 'hell' in the context of 'It must have been hell" when referring to a hard time. In volume 2, unfortunately, "bitches" comes into play during one scene when a character shows Aria a video of a rockstar shouting to her concert attendees. "Bloody" is also used as a British curse, though I don't really see any issue with that one personally.
Sexual Content:
This manga is mostly clean. There are no sexual images or overly revealing outfits. That's particularly important given the age of the main character. However, in volume 2, there is a mildly sexual joke in which the boy character accidentally walks in on Aria while she's mending her shirt. She's wearing an undergarment (not a bra), so nothing is shown and she's bare-chested anyway, but it's played for the somewhat 'undressed' embarrassment. And during one scene when an adult character is outside of Aria's door in V2, she hears the wolf talking to Aria about how great she was and how much he appreciated her, and the character seemed to think some major "heated" love confession or something else was taking place behind the door and gets really flustered while listening in.
There are more weird grey areas that were a bit uncomfortable in volume 3; find my review on that page because it's quite long.
Substances:
An adult character is shown smoking a cigarette for perhaps aesthetic. Mild, but not great.
(I came back to this review and removed a star for those above issues in volume 2).
Other Mentions:
There is LGBTQ rep in this series that is more leaned into during the 3rd and final volume. In the second volume, one of the little girl characters jokes that because of Aria's good cooking, she should marry into the family and offers to marry Aria herself. This is repeated in this final volume, in which the girl character mentions her neighbors are women who got married when Aria expresses confusion. At the end of the book when the two are saying goodbye (Aria is going to London to learn magic and is 13 by this point), Aria gives her a ring from a Irish Halloween cake, which has different luck tokens in the slices, and says "It's supposed to bring good fortune. I want you to have it," and puts it on the other girl's finger before final farewells.
Overall, this was a somewhat simple but cute slice of life and coming of age story that wrapped up in 3 volumes. I loved the small recipes given throughout the book when she made something in the story. The cursing was very mild aside from that unfortunate line in volume 2, Aria was never drawn in a sexual or revealing manner, and it had some good messages. It was just oddly uncomfortable in its grey areas as mentioned in my 3rd volume review. The series is probably better for older teens at least by the 3rd and final volume.
Language:
The book is rated for teens with a warning for language. The language in question consisted of 'dumb hag' (a rather prickly boy character referred to his mother this way in his thoughts), 'Jesus!' as a curse from that same boy, and 'hell' in the context of 'It must have been hell" when referring to a hard time. In volume 2, unfortunately, "bitches" comes into play during one scene when a character shows Aria a video of a rockstar shouting to her concert attendees. "Bloody" is also used as a British curse, though I don't really see any issue with that one personally.
Sexual Content:
This manga is mostly clean. There are no sexual images or overly revealing outfits. That's particularly important given the age of the main character. However, in volume 2, there is a mildly sexual joke in which the boy character accidentally walks in on Aria while she's mending her shirt. She's wearing an undergarment (not a bra), so nothing is shown and she's bare-chested anyway, but it's played for the somewhat 'undressed' embarrassment. And during one scene when an adult character is outside of Aria's door in V2, she hears the wolf talking to Aria about how great she was and how much he appreciated her, and the character seemed to think some major "heated" love confession or something else was taking place behind the door and gets really flustered while listening in.
There are more weird grey areas that were a bit uncomfortable in volume 3; find my review on that page because it's quite long.
Substances:
An adult character is shown smoking a cigarette for perhaps aesthetic. Mild, but not great.
(I came back to this review and removed a star for those above issues in volume 2).
Other Mentions:
There is LGBTQ rep in this series that is more leaned into during the 3rd and final volume. In the second volume, one of the little girl characters jokes that because of Aria's good cooking, she should marry into the family and offers to marry Aria herself. This is repeated in this final volume, in which the girl character mentions her neighbors are women who got married when Aria expresses confusion. At the end of the book when the two are saying goodbye (Aria is going to London to learn magic and is 13 by this point), Aria gives her a ring from a Irish Halloween cake, which has different luck tokens in the slices, and says "It's supposed to bring good fortune. I want you to have it," and puts it on the other girl's finger before final farewells.
Overall, this was a somewhat simple but cute slice of life and coming of age story that wrapped up in 3 volumes. I loved the small recipes given throughout the book when she made something in the story. The cursing was very mild aside from that unfortunate line in volume 2, Aria was never drawn in a sexual or revealing manner, and it had some good messages. It was just oddly uncomfortable in its grey areas as mentioned in my 3rd volume review. The series is probably better for older teens at least by the 3rd and final volume.
December 1, 2024
Another witchy manga I picked up to try. This caught my eye after watching Steph Loves rave about it.
"Aria is a gentle, shy witch with a knack for cooking, knitting, and growing herbs—but magic? That’s not her strong suit. Living a quiet life in the forests of Ireland, she’s never had a true friend—until the day she meets a talking wolf. Their unlikely bond blossoms into a heartwarming partnership as they navigate cozy days and mysterious happenings in the woods. With a touch of magic, plenty of comfort, and a sprinkle of intrigue, this enchanting tale will charm anyone looking for a story full of friendship and warmth."
This was truly adorable. We find that Aria is not only young but also young at heart in many ways. Her treatment of the wolf that enters her life and her limited interactions with the 'outside world' all hint at something deeper. I believe Aria will need to both emerge from her shell and prove her capabilities to herself. Gwyn, the wolf Aria names, is more than just a comical, sarcastic sidekick. There's a genuine affection for Aria, and I eagerly anticipate the evolution of their friendship. 4.5 Stars.
"Aria is a gentle, shy witch with a knack for cooking, knitting, and growing herbs—but magic? That’s not her strong suit. Living a quiet life in the forests of Ireland, she’s never had a true friend—until the day she meets a talking wolf. Their unlikely bond blossoms into a heartwarming partnership as they navigate cozy days and mysterious happenings in the woods. With a touch of magic, plenty of comfort, and a sprinkle of intrigue, this enchanting tale will charm anyone looking for a story full of friendship and warmth."
This was truly adorable. We find that Aria is not only young but also young at heart in many ways. Her treatment of the wolf that enters her life and her limited interactions with the 'outside world' all hint at something deeper. I believe Aria will need to both emerge from her shell and prove her capabilities to herself. Gwyn, the wolf Aria names, is more than just a comical, sarcastic sidekick. There's a genuine affection for Aria, and I eagerly anticipate the evolution of their friendship. 4.5 Stars.
August 26, 2025
Deep in the Irish woods lives a young witch named Aria. Aria has been all alone since her grandmother died. But then a talking wolf gets shelter with her for the winter, and in the spring a human boy and girl stumble across her cottage. Are these new visitors possible friends?
This was cute and charmingly illustrated. There’s something mysterious about the wolf, Gwyn. I don’t think it stumbled across Aria’s cottage by accident. There’s also something up with Aria’s magic…or her lack of it. And something is up with the wards her grandmother set in place to protect the cottage, which has readers left wondering if Aria is safe or not. There’s enough questions left unanswered that I definitely want the next book soon. It’s also just a charming read, and I’d like to slip into this world again. It would have been a 5 star read if the boy didn’t suddenly use strong profanity out of nowhere on one page. That came out of nowhere.
Notes on content:
Language: 1 use of strong profanity.
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: The human characters are Irish.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: There’s a bit of loneliness explored.
This was cute and charmingly illustrated. There’s something mysterious about the wolf, Gwyn. I don’t think it stumbled across Aria’s cottage by accident. There’s also something up with Aria’s magic…or her lack of it. And something is up with the wards her grandmother set in place to protect the cottage, which has readers left wondering if Aria is safe or not. There’s enough questions left unanswered that I definitely want the next book soon. It’s also just a charming read, and I’d like to slip into this world again. It would have been a 5 star read if the boy didn’t suddenly use strong profanity out of nowhere on one page. That came out of nowhere.
Notes on content:
Language: 1 use of strong profanity.
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: The human characters are Irish.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: There’s a bit of loneliness explored.
June 23, 2025
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Aria is a young witch who lives all alone in a secluded forest, protected by a magical barrier put in place by her dearly departed grandmother. She has to keep to herself to keep the existence of magic and witches safe. One day, a talking white wolf wanders into her sphere, cold and alone, and the two become friends due to their want of companionship. Aria names the wolf Gwyn and offers to let him stay with her. Gwyn begins to notice a few off things, like Aria seems to never do magic, and he wonders about the barrier that seems to have let him and other humans into Aria’s space… there’s more to this world than Aria may know or has been told about!
What started out as a somewhat carefree, kind of slice-of-life buddy adventure ended as a bit of a mystery with some twists along the way. There’s a dash of food-manga for posterity, highlighting traditional Irish dishes Aria cooks for herself and Gwyn, and some beautiful illustrations to round it all out. There's enough intrigue here to pique readers' interest, but it's also very cute and full of heart. Everything so far is sweet and rather innocent, though it's hard to say if it will get darker later based on the small crumbs of mystery we have so far. Aika mixes beautiful scenery illustrations, delicious-looking food, and some cutesy reactions every so often for Gwyn and Aria.
Yen Press rates this for Teen, so the series could become something darker later. In one of Aria's recipes, she does use wine to simmer her vegetables, but she does not drink it herself. Otherwise, there was nothing in volume 1 that would make this inappropriate for upper elementary audiences.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-10
Aria is a young witch who lives all alone in a secluded forest, protected by a magical barrier put in place by her dearly departed grandmother. She has to keep to herself to keep the existence of magic and witches safe. One day, a talking white wolf wanders into her sphere, cold and alone, and the two become friends due to their want of companionship. Aria names the wolf Gwyn and offers to let him stay with her. Gwyn begins to notice a few off things, like Aria seems to never do magic, and he wonders about the barrier that seems to have let him and other humans into Aria’s space… there’s more to this world than Aria may know or has been told about!
What started out as a somewhat carefree, kind of slice-of-life buddy adventure ended as a bit of a mystery with some twists along the way. There’s a dash of food-manga for posterity, highlighting traditional Irish dishes Aria cooks for herself and Gwyn, and some beautiful illustrations to round it all out. There's enough intrigue here to pique readers' interest, but it's also very cute and full of heart. Everything so far is sweet and rather innocent, though it's hard to say if it will get darker later based on the small crumbs of mystery we have so far. Aika mixes beautiful scenery illustrations, delicious-looking food, and some cutesy reactions every so often for Gwyn and Aria.
Yen Press rates this for Teen, so the series could become something darker later. In one of Aria's recipes, she does use wine to simmer her vegetables, but she does not drink it herself. Otherwise, there was nothing in volume 1 that would make this inappropriate for upper elementary audiences.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-10
October 11, 2024
Mixes several story elements, but not very comfortably. About half of this book is a cozy slice of life starring a young witch and her talking wolf, set in her forest treehouse. But it's also apparently set in modern Ireland, and the scenes that incorporate modern life felt jarring to me. I also felt like the neighbor kids who show up for a few chapters change the tone too much for me. I was loving the calm coziness, so veering into the kind of humor where characters yell a lot didn't work for me. The motorcycle riding, Instagram posting, traveling merchant who shows up towards the end felt significantly less out of place. There's a bunch of mystery quietly in the background, and I don't doubt that it'll all eventually get resolved, perhaps dramatically. I just think the different tones will miss a lot of readers.
February 18, 2025
A sweet start to a series about a witch in the woods who happens upon a wolf who can speak to humans (well, witches). So they become fast friends and live a quaint existence where Aria's talents with her herbs mean a stop every now and then from a man who sells her wares that was introduced to her when her grandmother was around. This is coupled with a brother and little sister who stumbled upon Aria while he was in the woods and was invited for tea.
Aria's quaint existence might be coming to an end because thoughts about introducing her to the world of city life might be around the corner. But will she like it if that becomes a possibility?
I adore Aria's witch hat and tree house with her wolf friend and all the forest coziness.
Aria's quaint existence might be coming to an end because thoughts about introducing her to the world of city life might be around the corner. But will she like it if that becomes a possibility?
I adore Aria's witch hat and tree house with her wolf friend and all the forest coziness.
August 8, 2025
This is a really cute manga. Aria is so cute, and her relationship with Gwyn is so wholesome. At first I wasn't sure how it would work out, especially because he's keeping a pretty big secret from her, but so far all of their interactions are so funny and sweet.
I hope this remains sweet and wholesome. I feel like we keep getting bits of foreshadowing that are making me nervous, and I hope I'm just overthinking it. I definitely want the plot to develop, and I want Aria to grow beyond her small, safe but isolated, world. But it would also be great if Aria and us readers weren't emotionally damaged in the process.
I read the digital version of this on ComicsPlus. I'm looking forward to the next volume.
I hope this remains sweet and wholesome. I feel like we keep getting bits of foreshadowing that are making me nervous, and I hope I'm just overthinking it. I definitely want the plot to develop, and I want Aria to grow beyond her small, safe but isolated, world. But it would also be great if Aria and us readers weren't emotionally damaged in the process.
I read the digital version of this on ComicsPlus. I'm looking forward to the next volume.
September 1, 2024
3.75*
Aria is a witch who lives in Beech Forest. She spends her days growing herbs, drinking tea, and knitting. She's been particularly lonely since her grandmother died, but one day she gets an unexpected guest in the form of a wolf. Aria decides to let him stay and the rest of the story is about her making friends and finding a new lease on life.
The book is very cottage-core and slow. It's not for everyone and there's basically no stakes to speak of. It's just her and her friends doing their daily things with us slowly finding out different facts about the world and Aria's background. There are a few tiny mysteries that need to be solved, but there's no rush for it.
Aria is a witch who lives in Beech Forest. She spends her days growing herbs, drinking tea, and knitting. She's been particularly lonely since her grandmother died, but one day she gets an unexpected guest in the form of a wolf. Aria decides to let him stay and the rest of the story is about her making friends and finding a new lease on life.
The book is very cottage-core and slow. It's not for everyone and there's basically no stakes to speak of. It's just her and her friends doing their daily things with us slowly finding out different facts about the world and Aria's background. There are a few tiny mysteries that need to be solved, but there's no rush for it.
September 22, 2024
This book was charming and adorable, but I think I would've preferred the setting to have been purely magical fantasy, instead it mixes magical with modern. I loved the protagonist and her companion spending time together in the beech forest house, but didn't care for any of the side characters.
Lovers of cooking and herbs will enjoy this one, theres a few recipes in there that sound delicious.
Lovers of cooking and herbs will enjoy this one, theres a few recipes in there that sound delicious.
July 9, 2024
This was an absolutely adorable start to a cozy fantasy that has threads of a larger plot that I am excited to check out. The art is beautiful and I was surprised at the real setting in which it is placed. I also loved the side note on what Aria is making and eating. it makes me want to bake some bread, try some recipes, and drink some tea. An absolute delight!
May 15, 2025
Sweet story. Little orphaned witch Aria meets and befriends talking white wolf “Gwyn”. You don’t really know why Gwyn is a wolf or where he came from, and even his connection to Aria’s grandma is questionable like was it a dream or did that encounter happen in the past? The recipes are a nice addition. Probably won’t go out of my way to read more, but would peruse if another volume came my way.
June 15, 2025
Great book really funny and silly. I feel like it’s gonna get darker with each new book added to the series. Because it had its moments where it’s sad and obviously the characters aren’t telling the truth in some parts… so maybe there is more to learn? Also hope that we get to know more about the world and magic and stuff. Just more world building would be fun! Which will likely happen!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2025
This was was adorable! I Absolutely love the cozy, witchy vibes, the art style is so cute and I really like that you get the recipes sprinkled thorough out. This is such a fun and comforting read.
I’m excited to see where this series goes. I can’t wait to watch Aria grow, make friends, and come out of her shell even more!
I’m excited to see where this series goes. I can’t wait to watch Aria grow, make friends, and come out of her shell even more!
July 23, 2024
This was quite cute, but also quite odd - it first seems to be set in olden times, but then it turns out it's not, Aria is just very isolated from it. Gwyn was cute, but it explains very little about him and why he became a wolf. Not sure I'll continue, it didn't really grab me.
August 6, 2024
I loved this so much! The story is about a girl and her wolf living alone in the forest. Most of this first volume is about getting to know the characters and their daily lives while setting up for the future. The art was wonderful as well! I can't wait to get my hands on the second volume
September 24, 2024
No plot (okay just a little plot) just vibes. Very cute and wholesome and human. Had great art, both beautiful and goofy. The little mysteries that were introduced were intriguing but not so high stakes as to be stressful. A very pleasant read!
November 30, 2024
Super cute, good start for any first time manga readers. Aria is such a sweet girl and it’s so sad that’s she’s all alone. Will the little witch make friends to keep her company and to keep loneliness at bay?
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