Curse and Reverse

Witches of Brooklyn #5

by Sophie Escabasse

Effie, a tween-witch in training, navigates the highs and lows of coming of age in Brooklyn from this smash hit graphic novel series! This time she must uncover a local witch playing with teens emotions.

Being a teenager is hard — and twelve-year-old Effie's about to find that out for herself! When a witch targets the emotions of teenagers, Effie and fellow witch-in-training Garrance have to go undercover as teenagers themselvesn—luckily it's nothing magic can't do! But this witch might be more than Effie can handle and Effie finds herself in the middle of a duel! Will her friends and family help her through?

Don't miss out on the latest Witches of Brooklyn graphic novel! This series continues to grow along with our favorite witch, Effie!

“Charming beyond belief.” –Entertainment Weekly

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Witches, Childrens, Young Adult, Magic

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2025

About the author

Sophie Escabasse is a French author and illustrator who lives in Montreal with her husband and three children, and their black cat, Terrence. She has illustrated many books for middle-grade readers, including Florence Parry Heide and Roxanne Heide Pierce’s Spotlight Club Mysteries series and the Freestyler Funnies series by Tom Easton. She has been a graphic novel lover for as long as she can remember, and she enjoys fun and expressive characters.

Reviews

[matina · Rating 5 out of 5]

ugh the cliffhanger 😭❤️

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great instalment in the series... but holy cliffhanger! Can we get the next book pronto??? Pretty please???

[K.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally some real character development!
But that cliffhanger….

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book so much but WHAT THE HECK THE CLIFFHANGER???? especially after the kiss from yvan… oh well! i’m excited for the next one escpecially since i’ve been waiting for this one for a while!

[eva ⚘ · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely ADORED this volume 🤍 meeting with my fav tween witches again and seeing them grow made me so emotional; witches of brooklyn really is h o m e 🫶🏻

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witches of Brooklyn series of graphic novels by Sophie Escabasse is cosy, low fantasy, witchy perfection. Effie and her quirky found family are some of my favourite characters ever to appear in the medium.

I’ve loved the series since its start: Effie, grief-stricken and angry, moves in with her weird aunts. After a while, she begins to warm to their weirdness through sharing tales of their family’s past. When weird things start to happen to Effie, it’s time for a big secret to come out: Effie is the latest in a long line of witches in her family. And she’s soon to come of age.

In the latest volume (vol 5), Carlota and Selimene, Effie’s guardians, are acting strangely (more strangely than usual!) like they’re on some sort of secret mission and they’re deliberately keeping Effie out of the loop. Tween witches Effie and Garrance also get wind of a teen in trouble, who has been entranced by dark magic. The two threads coincide on the same night and Effie finds herself bound up in a whole lot of trouble!

I’ve always enjoyed the depiction of the world of witches in the metropolis in these books. Escabasse somehow manages to weave together the lives of contemporary teens with universal issues, and the arcane, traditional world of witchcraft. And it’s fabulous. Escabasse’s illustrative style is perfect for telling these stories, capturing the miraculous and the mundane equally well.

The books are full of positive messages about friendship and what you can achieve with love and support. There’s also some some pretty high stakes and Vol 5 was brutal! The ending leads into Book 6 and I cannot wait…

Here, there’s also a cute little romance blossoming between Effie and Yvan & the books seem to be growing up a little -incrementally- along with the girls. Diversity is wonderfully woven through these books.

If you haven’t picked up this series yet, you’re missing out!

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witch-in-training, Effie is back in the fifth installment of the Witches of Brooklyn series. Effie’s aunts Selimene and Carlota have been secretive lately.  Effie is struggling in her magical combat class and becoming increasingly frustrated.  Her aunts’ secretiveness is not helping Effie’s mood and her friend Garance is anxious about her upcoming 12th birthday- an important milestone for young witches.  When they discover that an older sibling of their friend Oliver is being influenced by a strange dark magic, the pair decide to investigate and rescue Fanny themselves.  To do that, they’ll need the help of Yvan and his family’s grimoire, which contains a spell that will allow the trio to turn themselves into teenagers.  Soon the teenage trio encounter another surprise set of teenagers - Effie’s aunts who are on the hunt for an escaped evil witch.  Suddenly Effie finds herself in the middle of a magical duel. Can her friends and family help her find her way out of this trouble?

Escabasse has created a charming world full of diverse characters that readers will be happy to return to again and again.  A perfect blend of everyday reality and magic that includes solid friendships, found family, and interesting adventures to keep readers engaged.  While the story can be read independently, readers are better served having read the previous installments.  There is no recap of any of the previous adventures or characters to refresh readers’ memories. This installment ends with a major cliffhanger that will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next book. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Linda (The Arizona Bookstagrammer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you RHCB influencers, Random House Children’s Books @randomhousekids and Sophie Escabasse @esofiii for this free book!
“Witches of Brooklyn: Curse & Reverse” (Witches of Brooklyn #5) by Sophie Escabasse⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel. Location: Brooklyn New York, New York, USA.

THE SERIES: When Effie moves into the gigantic house of her really weird aunts Selimene and Carlota, she learns more about her family and herself-and finds out she’s a witch-in-training. Normalcy is not in the cards for her-and life will never be the same. The series follows her as she navigates her magical education and growing up. 

THIS BOOK: When a new witch targets teenagers’ emotions, Effie (12) and fellow witch-in-training Garance go undercover as teenagers-luckily they have a little magic to help them. But this witch may be more than Effie can handle. When she finds herself in a duel, will her friends and family help her through?

Author Escabasse’s book (and series) blends magic, friendship, and the challenges of being a young teenager. Her books are known for charming characters and magical world building. The gentle fantasy is a mix of everyday and magical adventures focusing on growth and change. Colorful graphics and expressive lettering really bring this graphic novel to life. It’s found family, healing, humor, magic and it’s 5⭐️s from me 📚👩🏼‍🦳 #witchesofbrooklyn #witchesofbrooklyncurseandreverse

[Hannah Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folks, this ends with a mega cliffhanger. It really doesn't wrap up anything at all. It ends during the super murky outcome of a life and death duel! I was super miffed after finishing. I couldn't even rate it for a while.

But it still got a high score, and it's really because the series is just so spectacular. There's so much world and character building going on. I love the characters and care about them just like they're my family (my niece, who has been reading this series with me feels the same). The illustrations are incredible. I got so lost in the spreads where the writer/illustrator depicted the passing of time. There's a fine blend of comfort and adventure, which is important for me. I like action just as much as anyone else, but please include a movie night with friends or a mini nail painting party! I'll accept the cliffhanger with only a little grumbling but only because I adore this series. I highly recommend waiting until the sixth book comes out to read this!

[Jaime Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always feel like I inhale these books, but I love reading them. I'm so glad that I finally read the 1st book after it being on my TBR for several years. I found this installment very fun. I loved seeing Effie's friends, who are amazing role models for friend support, along with her aunts, who I truly aspire to be when I grow up. I liked seeing the team try the aging spell and Yvan and Effie start a spark. I think Effie did fantastic in the duel and while I wish there was a little more to the conclusion before the cliffhanger, I think this was a very fun installment. I wish more people were reading these books, as they are great for both adults and kiddos. I will read *every* installment that comes out because this series has quickly become a favorite of mine. I guess I'll just have to go re-read the first four installments until I can get my hands on the next one.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Effie is struggling to control her magic during combat training while her best friend is nervous about visiting the seer and getting the news about what her powers are capable of. While they're stressing about that, they realize that there's something really weird going on with a friend's older sister, so they devise a plan to uncover the magical source of some weird poetry and eventually find themselves facing off against a vengeful witch.

This is a good continuation of the series that shows character growth without forgetting the humorous and heartfelt moments of previous volumes. Of course, I didn't like how abruptly this book ended, but I'll be first in line to read book 6.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Gorgeous art! I am so happy to be back into the world of WOB!! The world continues to expand, and it is so cool! I like the reference to the other books and we get to see all of the friends together. Effie is learning combat magic! There are so many moves to learn in combat magic, and I'm glad we got to see the classes with Yvan. I love how we got to see what kind of a witch Garance is! I like how this book shows just how scared Effie can be but that her aunts and friends are always there for her. The cliffhanger!!! I wish I had the next book in my hands already!!!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun addition to one of my favourite graphic novel series. I love how our group of friends gets up to so many shenanigans, yet they always find a way to help people out and learn new things as they do it.

[Geiosh A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book but I just don't like that they were talking about calories in this book and how 11-year-old didn't like her own birthday she's still young she should love celebrating her birthday can't wait to see what's going to happen in the next one

[Olivia Guimond · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are spoilers in this review. I love that Effie‘s green plant is ivy. I feel like it just matches her. I read all five books and my favorite is number three. I also love Francis and that he calls him ducklings and I think you should read it was just so good.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another darling installment in the Witch of Brooklyn series. The stakes felt way higher in this book than they have in pervious volumes. I'm not even mad at the cliffhanger since that means there will be another one!

[Kristen]

I love this series, its so funny and the characters are great!! The kids hex themselves to be teenagers which makes it really funny. This story is incomplete, but ends with a "to be continued" so hopefully the next story comes quickly.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are really cute and quite wholesome.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute middle grade graphic novel series.

[Charleigh Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

that cliffhanger!! such a good book!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read in this series. Can't wait for the next one.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cliffhanger!??!? 😡

[norah melden (death by tbr) · Rating 5 out of 5]

YESSS I SHIP ❤️❤️❤️

[Donna Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel series is so good!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Effie and her witchy friends and family. These are always so cute.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite graphic novel series—STILL! This installment was excellent and made me want to go back and reread the whole series from the start.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than number four, there are a few good things in this.My favorite was the characters as teenagers, that was pretty great.Will be looking forward to the next volume.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ellen]

Terrific as always, with some really surprising and fun new magic.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of several graphic novels I read in December to help meet my yearly page goal.