Witchlight

by Jessi Zabarsky

Love -- loss -- witches -- this YA fantasy graphic novel has it all! This thoughtful, emotional story will entrance you with its moving story and organic artwork.

Lelek is a witch.

That's all Sanja knows when she meets Lelek in the marketplace. But Lelek is hiding something -- and as her life begins to intersect with Sanja's, all that she's kept to herself starts to come to light.

Secrets, friendship, and magic all come together as Lelek gets closer and closer to uncovering the truth about her past. . . .

Witchlight is a wonderful adventure filled with friendship, family, falling in love, and dealing with the hardest bits of your past all along the way.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, LGBT, Young Adult, Comics, Queer, Witches

208 pages, Hardcover

First published December 3, 2016

About the author

Jessi Zabarsky lives in Chicago with her cat and forty three plants. She was raised in the woods and will one day return there. Her first graphic novel, Witchlight, was published by Random House Graphic in 2020. You can find her online at @jessizabarsky.

Reviews

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my first classes in college was an Intro to Philosophy class. The professor used "she" as the default pronoun. It blew my teenage mind. Similarly, Witchlight's world is overwhelmingly populated by queer female characters. They are the default. It's a similar kind of breath of fresh air.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhhhh it was okaaaaaay.

Witchlight had a lot of potential and a fairly cool story-idea, but I felt that it wobbled hard on the execution. I liked that it did have some pretty awesome fat-rep, but I felt that the witch (forgot her name) was tokenized by her skin color, and there were some depictions early on of her that felt dehumanizing and othering.

It got better, but there were some aspects that I didn't really enjoy.

[Nore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was.... okay. The art style was pretty (if inconsistent - it goes from a fairly unique style to a Steven Universe knockoff by the end of the book), and the character designs were nice, but that's about it. The story fell completely flat for me; there's very little solid world building, no basis for the character development we're shown, gaping plot holes are never addressed, and the development of their relationship is inorganic and forced. As a result, even the emotional climax left me cold.

(Seriously, she didn't care one bit about being kidnapped... ? It was never mentioned again!)

[Avani ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just expected it to be a little bit better than what it turned out to be.
It was a good one time read for me, nothing more.

[Valeria · Rating 2 out of 5]

BIG SIGH. I liked the concept! I love lesbian fantasy novels, especially a graphic novel! But! Their relationship makes no sense at all!!! I feel like if there were beta readers for this, the book could've been a lot more fleshed out, but this feels like a very vague first draft of the series of events that the author wanted to happen. Every major thing that happens comes out of the blue and falls completely flat. Also, she can't seem to draw even one good face. How.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was so cute!! Witchlight is a graphic novel following two girls who end up on a quest together and begin to fall in love. One of them is a witch seeking the other half of her soul. It's a quiet, sweet story with great body diversity and artwork I found adorable. It's a fairly simple story but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable queer witch with queer swordfight girl

LITERALLY what more do you need??

While the story is light on the surface, it brushes against some deep issues in a way that I found sweet and thoughtful, though I can understand why other people might find some parts unsatisfactory. This story is about momentum and growth and it leaves some morals more open, in a way that I interpreted as ever-changing, because people are always moving forward.

[Marit Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt like the plot was a bit messy and the relationships could've been developed more. The climax was out of left field and didn't really feel cohesive. Not a big fan, but the pictures were pretty so it was an okay experience.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and sweet tale about a witch who kidnaps another young girl. Stockholm syndrome sets in, secrets are revealed, drama unfolds, and a good time is had by this lucky reader.

[⛅ Sunny (sunnysidereviews) ⛅ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I found this to be too confusing. Loved the concept though!

[Esme · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Honestly s/o to graphic novels for getting me out and keeping me out of my reading slump 🙏🏻

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently moved houses and “pared down” my book collection. I gave away 8 bags of books, and when the movers came I still had 16 boxes for them to haul… (!!!). Jessi Zabarsky's young adult graphic novel Witchlight moved with me, and I’m glad I finally got around to picking it up. The combination of girls doing things, a Black main character, cooking, sword-fighting, and witchy magic was delightful, escapist, and just the thing to kick off my first summer as a teacher.

Sanja and Lelek’s world is one of small hamlets, markets, and magic. When Sanja (a good cook and fighter from a family that values boys and violence) and Lelek (a witch! you can tell by the candle over her head!) meet for the first time, assumptions are made, challenged, and eventually the two join forces on an epic quest. Along the way they search for truths and find fragile friendship, interesting people, and eventually love (yes, this is a gentle queer love story!).

Zabarsky’s storytelling heavily centers the two main characters, Sanja and Lelek, with fleshed out secondary characters joining the storyline only rarely. The timeline of their journey is nebulous (over a season or maybe two?), but flashbacks and/or dream sequences referencing both characters’ pasts offer clarity about what shaped them and why they might be willing to join forces. The slow reveal of Lelek’s past trauma especially engages the reader’s interest and information reveals and reactions keep the narrative moving forward.

The heart of Witchlight is its depiction of Sanja and Lelek’s relationship: learning to compromise and learning to trust and making real mistakes – the kind that can break fragile friendships – and figuring out how to move past that. One of the themes that runs through the book is that while there are those who are fearful and make awful choices because of that fear, people are essentially good, or they can learn to be, and that it is human to extend them grace. Another thread that was present but not fully fleshed out: that it is important to find nonviolent ways of being.

Also of note: Lelek’s witchy creativity and setting healthy boundaries in relationships! This really is a wholesome, lovely sort of book, with character growth and relationship growth and companionship and food. So cozy! I want a series of books about the various side characters that Sanja and Lelek meet on the way! They don’t get much page time but the art and thought that went into creating each of them shows that there’s backstory there!

Speaking of art, it is very striking, and a definite strength of the graphic novel. Author-illustrator Zabarsky works in ink on paper, then colors digitally. The most impressive bit is the way that Zabarsky plays with lighting, as Lelek has a candle (light source!) atop her head. The color palette shifts throughout the journey, but each combination feels warm, if you know what I mean. Most of the way magic works in this world is shown through artwork, and not included in dialogue – overall the book feels a little light on words. That’s okay, obviously – because the art tells its own story.

In all, Witchlight is an appealing story of friendship, healing, and love, and it’s hygge as all get out. If you want a warm blanket of a book, this is it!

Recommended for: fans of graphic novels, readers who enjoy upper middle grade and young adult books, and anyone who liked Molly Ostertag’s The Witch Boy and/or Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu’s Mooncakes.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two young women come together, initially because young, angry witch Lelek kidnaps Sanja for her sword fighting skills (and actually also, in a way, rescues Sanja from her family who only see her as a useless girl). Lelek has secrets, and over many months, Sanja finds out what these are, and the two also become close.
This is kind of a sweet story, and it was great to see a variety of body types portrayed in this story. And the way the trust grew between Lelek and Sanja.

[☁️˚ʚ oriana ɞ˚☁️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought this story was really adorable, and i’ll read anything with witches in it. there was an element missing for me though, maybe the pacing of the story? i’m not exactly sure. nevertheless, i thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Nilab · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. it was fine. not very deep, and the art also didn’t really do it for me. some parts were pretty cute though.

[marilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cute :(

[Chelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lelek is a witch searching for half of her soul, taken from her when she was a child. When she steals Sanja away from her hometown and family, the two seem unlikely to work well together, but as they grow and learn more about each other, anything is possible.

The art is solid, and the representation, both of queer ladies and of all different shapes and sizes, is delightful. That being said, I spent the majority of this story in a vague state of confusion. The art alone didn't tell the story well enough, and it never really flowed seamlessly.

[Lindsay♫SingerOfStories♫ · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who loves graphic novels--especially in this style--this one just missed the mark. I constantly found myself looking back a few frames because I thought I missed certain details that weren't even there to begin with. The whole thing just fell short. I just wanted more in terms of our main characters, Lelek and Sanja, their origins and their meeting, and the ending of the story (which, by the way, was really good!). So do I think its worth a read? Yes, maybe. But could it have been developed 20% more? Yes please.

[Haze · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

[Neo · Rating 4 out of 5]

weirdly obsessed with graphic novels about queer women

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I wrote a whole review for this book and it didn’t save so here goes again 😂

Set in a pre-industrial magical world where queerness is the default, Sanja has been born into a family that values boys and thinness; she is neither. Lelek is a witch born into a village that demands salvation from their neighbors; she does not save them.

Brought together by a scuffle in the local market, Lelek kidnaps Sanja and asks her to train her in sword fighting. Soon, the two travel from village to village making money by hosting friendly fights between Lelek and the local witches in each town. But as they travel, the two slowly begin to their assumptions about the other and reckon with both of their haunted pasts. What follows is a deepening relationship built on trust and acceptance.

Not only does Zabarksy’s cozy artwork perfectly portray the cozy fantasy that is Witchlight, but Geov Chocteau’s colorings really bright its beauty to light. A lot of the panels are absent of text which really forces the reader to contemplate each detail in each frame to understand the emotional depth of this story.

Highly recommended and good for middle grade all the way to new adult. Perfect for readers who enjoy Kate O’Neill, Noelle Stevenson, and Wendy Xu’s work.

[Nicole Field · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I had just finished an absolute stunner of a graphic novel immediately before this, but I did not love this story. I didn't even really like it. (Although I did at least finish it.)

There are a lot of reasons for this. I might just list them in dot points here:

* I found the action sequences where the witch was fighting against others to be really difficult to understand what was going on. This is an existing gripe that I've only experienced once before and it really lowers my enjoyment of the graphic novel if I can't understand what's going on
* I didn't really feel like we had characterisation of the two main characters
* It was clear that this was meant to be a lesbian relationship by the end but, again, probably due to the poor characterisation, I didn't feel anything about them or their relationship
* One character was white, one character was brown, and I feel as though there should have been more distinction in characteristics. Instead, I feel that most of it relied on their visual differences
* They both had tragic backstories that I didn't feel actually added anything to the plot
* I read this yesterday and I literally cannot remember the plot still. Did it have a plot beyond these two characters wandering around... somewhere?

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really sweet and adorable and adventurous manga about a witch and a girl who go on adventures together (mostly to find Lelek's soul). The start was a bit eh, given that Lelek kidnaps Sanja, but quite soon thereafter the girls are growing closer and I just love seeing them together. Loved their little moments of romance, of sweet gestures, and more. These two fit together so well and I loved their relationship. I loved seeing both of them grow in their skills, in how they do things. I hope I say it right, because I am dead tired. Haha.
I wasn't a fan of Sanja's brother, but I did love other characters that we meet along the way. Like Sanja's grandmother!
There were moments that had me swooning, moments that had me frustrated, moments of sadness.
The art is just absolutely the best and gorgeous, I would love to have some pages as a print on the walls in my house.

[Amelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

cute concept for a story, love some magic lesbians, wish i could give it a better rating. i just got so incredibly frustrated with this book because the illustrations were just not doing the descriptive work they needed to do, and it made even very simple scenes extremely confusing. when you combine that problem with the fact that the author is trying to portray magic, and battles, and magical battles, it just got even worse. some moments of ineffective visual pacing and strange/unclear panel order as well that really took me out of it. worldbuilding was super barebones, characters also quite barebones with unearned development, ‘twist’ at the end that comes out of nowhere, ton of plot holes/things left unaddressed…idk. pretty disappointing. :/

[Elysian · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

It was okay? Little bit underwhelming. If it had more pages the story would have been able to breath more, it probably would have been better. It felt a bit too fast paced for a "Friends travelling through the country bc of a quest" type of story.

Nonetheless the characters were kinda fine, but very flat with no depth. The lore could be expended and better explained with the different kind of witches etc. The aesthetic and vibes are great and probably the only redeeming qualities (with the beautiful drawings ofc).

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lelek is an angry young witch who makes her living by swindling villagers from town to town. Sanja is the daughter of a merchant who gets tangled up in Lelek's fight with an angry customer. When Lelek sees how well Sanja can handle a sword, she decides to kidnap her. The two girls form an uneasy alliance that softens into friendship as they journey together, through a beautifully drawn world of rolling hills and fields, forests of strange plants and winding rivers.

[aqilahreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was oooookaaaaaayyy. was quite disappointed bc i was actually liking it in the first few parts but it got a bit off halfway through.

the art & colours used are amazing but the story was not as satisfying. felt that this could have been better if the story flow was more organized. appreciate how the story focuses on being kind though. :")

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn by the gorgeous cover but unfortunately this was a miss for me. The story was more confusing than enjoyable. Despite the representation and important themes covered, the book lacked both emotional and character depth.

Overall it's a quick read, but not particularly memorable or adventurous.

[meghana. s · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lovely fairytale of a girl who was taught to fear witches and a witch trying to find the answers to the trauma she experienced. If you love Helnik and want a wholesome happy slightly sad read please check this one out!!