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The Last Witch #1-5
The Last Witch: Fear & Fire
A new young adult fantasy trilogy about a young girl named Saoirse who must save everyone she loves by discovering the truth about the mysterious mark on her shoulder - and embracing her secret magical powers!
YOU HAVE THE POWER.
It's the one time of the year when the witch known as Cailleach hunts the children of the village - so Saoirse, a brave and reckless young girl, decides this is the perfect opportunity to defy her father and discover the secrets of the witch’s tower!
But when the Cailleach captures Saoirse and her brother Brahm, their lives are forever changed in ways they never expected.
Now, Saoirse will have to save everyone she loves by discovering the truth about the mysterious mark on her shoulder - and embracing her secret magical powers!
Conor McCreery (Adventure Time/Regular Show) and V.V. Glass (Doctor Who) kick off a new young adult fantasy trilogy that shows the greatest magic of all lies inside of us!
Collects The Last Witch #1-5.
YOU HAVE THE POWER.
It's the one time of the year when the witch known as Cailleach hunts the children of the village - so Saoirse, a brave and reckless young girl, decides this is the perfect opportunity to defy her father and discover the secrets of the witch’s tower!
But when the Cailleach captures Saoirse and her brother Brahm, their lives are forever changed in ways they never expected.
Now, Saoirse will have to save everyone she loves by discovering the truth about the mysterious mark on her shoulder - and embracing her secret magical powers!
Conor McCreery (Adventure Time/Regular Show) and V.V. Glass (Doctor Who) kick off a new young adult fantasy trilogy that shows the greatest magic of all lies inside of us!
Collects The Last Witch #1-5.
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2021
5 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
March 30, 2022
This was excellent.
The art, the plot, the characters. Everything.
Excellent.
Went into it thinking this was going to be some goofy young adult comic and I came out of it completely blown away. Where is the next volume!?
That was my first thought when I finished this.
WHERE IS THE NEXT VOLUME!?
The gist? A teenager sets out on a journey to kill her aunts and stop a fairy king from taking over the world. She's initially just traveling with her grandmother and little brother, but meets a halfling along the way that may or may not be hiding something sinister.
Either way, he's cute and charming.
I know it doesn't sound like much, but this was an incredible readable comic that completely captured my attention and left me wanting more.
Highly Recommended.
The art, the plot, the characters. Everything.
Excellent.
Went into it thinking this was going to be some goofy young adult comic and I came out of it completely blown away. Where is the next volume!?
That was my first thought when I finished this.
WHERE IS THE NEXT VOLUME!?
The gist? A teenager sets out on a journey to kill her aunts and stop a fairy king from taking over the world. She's initially just traveling with her grandmother and little brother, but meets a halfling along the way that may or may not be hiding something sinister.
Either way, he's cute and charming.
I know it doesn't sound like much, but this was an incredible readable comic that completely captured my attention and left me wanting more.
Highly Recommended.
September 23, 2021
This was fantastic. It's got this Irish folktale vibe to it with some banging animation influenced art. It's about a girl who goes in search of a witch on the one day a myth says the witch is out hunting for children. She, of course, realizes there is truth to some folktales as she looks to defeat all the witches left in Ireland.
Received a review copy from Boom and NetGalley.
Received a review copy from Boom and NetGalley.
July 18, 2021
Classic storytelling structure - child warned of danger beyond the village, child goes anyway, adventure ensues. Hopefully the rest of the story gets told quickly.
January 2, 2022
Check out my review here: https://youtu.be/Kl4YqbjPgHk
March 16, 2022
Thoroughly engaging, unique, and a breathtakingly beautiful endeavour. This volume was brimming with authenticity and heartfelt emotions from the very first pages and upheld that high level of emotions throughout. It wore it's Irish origins with pride and it suited the comic very well.
This was genuinely faultless and the best example of a witch story executed with finesse I've probably ever seen. Even with a simple premise it implemented shock twists and exciting moments between raging battles and gentler magic moments. And to top it all off, the art was absolutely stunning. It completely brought the story and the characters to life and was the kind of art you could stare at for hours and not tire of. This was a joy to read and a masterpiece for which the creators should be extremely proud of.
This was genuinely faultless and the best example of a witch story executed with finesse I've probably ever seen. Even with a simple premise it implemented shock twists and exciting moments between raging battles and gentler magic moments. And to top it all off, the art was absolutely stunning. It completely brought the story and the characters to life and was the kind of art you could stare at for hours and not tire of. This was a joy to read and a masterpiece for which the creators should be extremely proud of.
November 18, 2021
Sure this was fun but it just... ends? It's like I just read 5 issues of a 12 issue series, and has barely reached a midpoint. So many lingering plot threads, nothing resolved. There's no real arc that satisfyingly concludes with the end of this volume, this book is paced like an ongoing series but collected as an OGN. It's pretty good! I was enjoying myself, but I was wondering where it was going and it just... ended. That's it. Which is disappointing, of course. For a single read it didn't give me anything to chew on and felt like a generic witch story with no arc to it. Is she losing herself to the power? Who knows, maybe in a sequel. Is there more to the supporting cast than meets the eye? Who knows, maybe in a sequel. Is she close to saving the world? Who knows, maybe in a sequel.
October 9, 2021
I own this book.
I picked this book up from my local shop after the creator was on their podcast and I was not disappointed. Despite being a young adult story I suppose, or more of an all ages title, this book was so enjoyable. It's set in Ireland, around the time of the famine, and stories of witches and darkness run rampant. Soarise and her friend Padraig are in the woods, attempting to find an old witch's tower when her dad stops her and Padraig gets a head start. Spurred on by her grandmother to find the tower, she and her younger brother go and find it is occupied by a witch, and when they escape, they find their village has been slaughtered. This changes Soarise's life forever. Soarise carries the mark of the witches and has to find and defeat each one of the main witches to restore peace.
The art in this book is great. Very animation like, vibrant and I really enjoy the story. Irish mythology is so rich in stories and I loved seeing some of it adapted into animation form. We have dealings with the Chulainn, the fae and so on in this story. It really is one of steely determination and love. Really dug it.
I picked this book up from my local shop after the creator was on their podcast and I was not disappointed. Despite being a young adult story I suppose, or more of an all ages title, this book was so enjoyable. It's set in Ireland, around the time of the famine, and stories of witches and darkness run rampant. Soarise and her friend Padraig are in the woods, attempting to find an old witch's tower when her dad stops her and Padraig gets a head start. Spurred on by her grandmother to find the tower, she and her younger brother go and find it is occupied by a witch, and when they escape, they find their village has been slaughtered. This changes Soarise's life forever. Soarise carries the mark of the witches and has to find and defeat each one of the main witches to restore peace.
The art in this book is great. Very animation like, vibrant and I really enjoy the story. Irish mythology is so rich in stories and I loved seeing some of it adapted into animation form. We have dealings with the Chulainn, the fae and so on in this story. It really is one of steely determination and love. Really dug it.
April 3, 2023
I found about the first half of this book to be fairly predictable. The beats of the hero's journey unravel pretty much as expected. However, the necessity to use magic while that same use of magic also being a threat to the protagonist makes the story interesting. The end of this volume has me ready for the next one.
August 22, 2021
Beautiful art. Well built story, incorporating myth and legends into a new tale. I enjoyed this so much. I am excited for it to come out, and for the next one too!!
April 6, 2022
The art is cute, but it moves way too fast even for the comic book format; the way it zips from one plot point to the next doesn't give any time for character development. It feels more like a video game novelization than anything.
April 16, 2022
As an avid fan of fantasy, fantasy heroines, magical girls, and witches, after reading 'The Last Witch', I have to say...
I don't get it.
I really don't.
Why do so many people like this? It is severely underdeveloped, even for a supposed start of an ongoing series. There are plot holes galore, it is predictable, poorly planned and structured, and to top it off, it is almost shamelessly unoriginal.
Apart from it being virtually no different from any other seemingly-ordinary-girl-discovers-she's-magical-and-is-in-fact-the-most-powerful-witch-ever-and-only-she-can-stop-the-big-bad-evil-from-taking-over-the-world story out there (complete with her having a dead mother and a useless little brother to protect), there are elements that blatantly rip off 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. Honestly, I can't describe it any other way - "ripoff" is fitting. The magic (faerie? witch? what's the difference? or is it the same?) is mainly made up of the elements water, fire, air and earth - there are evil witches who have an affinity for each - and only the main heroine, Saoirse, can master all of the magic, and defeat them herself. She literally glows (notably her eyes, every time she performs magic) when she becomes too powerful or overemotional, and she floats in the air. Her finding her balance involves meditating and going into a garden, spiritually. There is a character, Hugh the faerie boy, who looks exactly like Sokka with white hair (he ties it back the same as Sokka, too!), and he even acts like him, only he's smugger, and an annoying sonofabitch who exists to "protect" the "poor, helpless" heroine, because the most powerful witch ever apparently can't take care of herself, nor learn anything by herself. Got to have a male potential love interest in these types of stories!
FFS, even the title has the word 'Last' in it. I've seen reviews that do compare 'The Last Witch' to 'Avatar', and I think the creators of the comic intended it that way, when they should have tried harder to make 'The Last Witch' stand out, as its own unique creation.
Before I go any further, I'll get the positives out of the way:
The art is brilliant. It's vibrant, bold, expressive, and I can really see top tier animation studios hiring the artist and colourist to come work for them. One original idea I can give credit to the comic is the use of Irish folklore and mythology as the basis of its worldbuilding; there aren't many modern fantasy stories about them. And as much as I think that the characters are generic templates found in any fantasy quest fiction, there is one that stands out to me: Saoirse's grandmother. It's nice to show that yes, older people can have adventures too, can be a part of a heroic team, and not exist solely to be the know-it-all mentor who typically dies at some point in the story to further the protagonist's development. Nan doesn't die in this book. In fact, Nan might be the only character I consistently liked. As flawed and even stupid as she is (I blame the idiot ball handling done for plot convenience, same goes for her plot convenient secrecy), she is at least aware of it, and tries to redeem herself. Her cigar chomping and smoking (yet the smoke is hardly ever drawn in, for some reason) is charming, too.
Now that that's brought to pass, back to the problems I had with 'The Last Witch':
Urgh, that title. It makes no sense. There are loads of witches and magic users in the graphic novel; the super special female protagonist, Saoirse, is not "the last witch" in any sense. Existing evil witches are common knowledge in this world. Wait, or are they myth, according to what info is given at the beginning? It's very inconsistent and haphazardly thought out, like most things in 'The Last Witch'.
Saoirse's grandmother is a witch!
Speaking of, slight spoiler here, but whatever: The four evil witches that Saoirse has to kill - yes, kill - in order to save the world from the unleashing of the darkness of a faerie king...they are her grandmother's sisters. Nan is the weakest of the sisters, she is barely a witch, and apparently there are only a few witches around who are considered "good". What makes someone who uses magic "good"? Is it just about corruption?
Anyway, to get back on track, the plot is about Saoirse killing her great-aunts - her own family, right after a great tragedy that made her little brother and grandmother her only close relatives left. Her father and her entire village die. This is never addressed. Ever.
I forgot to mention that Saoirse just turned twelve-years-old at the start of the story. She's a child, an orphan wracked with grief, and she is made to kill more members of her family, because it's her destiny. Apparently. Again, this is never addressed.
She does give the witches she encounters a chance to back down and surrender before she battles them, but this seems like a last minute editorial decision, quick and arbitrary, probably done in order to allay her murdering them, her fellow witches and great-aunts. And this is a children's comic.
(Her father's death is barely mentioned again, either, after it is announced. Great writing there.)
On that note, let's talk about Padraig. Remember him? The comic doesn't seem to, once the adventure starts rolling. Even though he's introduced at the very beginning as Saoirse's friend. And potential love interest, like Hugh (yeah, $%!!^**&^!!! off to $**%$!&^%&!!! with that). Also like Hugh (%$!!**^!, I swear they even have the exact same character model), Padraig is an annoying, smug little shit who insults Saoirse, calls her poor, and calls her grandmother a loony. He borderline abuses her, not merely teases her. You have to wonder why they are friends, and why the stubborn and headstrong Saoirse puts up with him.
Another spoiler here: Padraig disappears from the story as quickly as he appeared in it. It is revealed a little later that he died, and was eaten by the local legendary witch. Yeah, she's real, and the myth of her being evil is true, and she's a cannibal, because of course. Or, Padraig was about to be eaten by her; the artwork and dialogue are not clear.
So not only does Saoirse lose her father and her village to a witch, but she loses her childhood best friend to one at the same time. She saw him being cannibalistically eaten before her eyes.
Guess what? Once her quest with her brother and grandmother begins, Padraig is never mentioned again. He might as well never have existed. What masterful storytelling and character writing.
There is a moment near the end where Hugh casts a spell on the group's wagon - or at least, that's what the reader is told he did at the end-end, that he cast a protection spell on the wagon, before setting off to find Saoirse. But the art and dialogue at the occurrence itself strongly indicated that Hugh stole magic from Nan while she was asleep - draining her, absorbing her magic for his own - before going after Saoirse, marking him as a turncoat. There was nothing to suggest that he cast a protection spell over the wagon. Nan, afterwards, is angry at the faerie boy for what he did to the wagon, not for what he obviously did to her. So he's not a villain, then? Then what was Nan saying "It's not yours...it's not..." in her sleep while Hugh's light show is happening around her all about?
Was there no editor for this graphic novel? How do you get away with this kind of sloppiness, and with such fantastic artwork?
Why do the evil witches, who according to the story must die, have darker skin than the light-skinned heroes? Nan is white, but her corrupted sisters are not. Yikes. How the hell did that fly under everyone's radar, too?
And wow, do these powerful witches (and faeries? Apart from Hugh they barely factor into the book) really have to die at the hands of a twelve-year-old? At the hands of a young girl who a day ago didn't know she was a witch, and who wasn't even sure witches existed up until now?
Additionally, the witches killed both Saoirse's parents on two separate occasions. How convenient.
Finally, there's Saoirse's witchmark. It's what initially marks her as super special. She's had it her whole life, and it has made her an outcast in her village. A freak. Although this is yet another underdeveloped thread that goes nowhere, as well as an example of telling instead of showing. Her secret witch grandmother never explained to her what the mark was and why it was there before, because of reasons. Said mark is an intricate symbol (I think it's supposed to be Celtic?) on her shoulder, that she can just easily cover up with her clothes anytime, if she has to hide it. It's not ugly, like Padraig the dick and sham of a friend says. It's cool. It's pretty. It's the source of her magic powers.
FFS, writers and artists, if you want your heroine to be an outcast because of something to do with her appearance, have the guts to make her ugly! Give her big marks or scars on her face, things she can't hide as easily. Give her a deformity. Or a disability, for some much needed diversity in the fantasy genre. Saoirse is an able-bodied redhead who has boys keep saying how pretty she is! (I remind you, she's twelve!)
Have people who are not white not be the villains or suspicious! This is ridiculous and unforgivable for a 2021 publication.
Okay, one more example of how unoriginal 'The Last Witch' is: It uses a little girl's cloth doll, found by the heroine in a perishing town, as a signifier that people have died, including, likely, the doll's owner; just like in Disney's animated 'Mulan' movie.
Well, I'm done.
I'm sorry, I wanted to like 'The Last Witch', truly, for it seemed like my kind of thing. But I can't overlook bad storytelling, bad, inconsistent editing, overused clichés, tropes and archetypes, and how it offers nearly nothing new to the table. I have no doubt that the production team behind it tried to make it epic and awesome and worth remembering. Sadly, it didn't work for me.
Final Score: 2/5
P.S. I've hesitated to call Saoirse the overused and sexist term "Mary Sue" throughout this review, even though she legitimately ticks most of not all of the boxes for it. The more I think about it, with the evidence presented, the more likely it looks that she is a Mary Sue.
P.P.S. Hang on a second, what about Saoirse's father having the same name as Hugh's faerie warrior grandfather, in a tale told by Hugh? Is that ever going to come back, into play, or in any way? Argh! Stick with your ideas or don't include them at all, comic!
I don't get it.
I really don't.
Why do so many people like this? It is severely underdeveloped, even for a supposed start of an ongoing series. There are plot holes galore, it is predictable, poorly planned and structured, and to top it off, it is almost shamelessly unoriginal.
Apart from it being virtually no different from any other seemingly-ordinary-girl-discovers-she's-magical-and-is-in-fact-the-most-powerful-witch-ever-and-only-she-can-stop-the-big-bad-evil-from-taking-over-the-world story out there (complete with her having a dead mother and a useless little brother to protect), there are elements that blatantly rip off 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. Honestly, I can't describe it any other way - "ripoff" is fitting. The magic (faerie? witch? what's the difference? or is it the same?) is mainly made up of the elements water, fire, air and earth - there are evil witches who have an affinity for each - and only the main heroine, Saoirse, can master all of the magic, and defeat them herself. She literally glows (notably her eyes, every time she performs magic) when she becomes too powerful or overemotional, and she floats in the air. Her finding her balance involves meditating and going into a garden, spiritually. There is a character, Hugh the faerie boy, who looks exactly like Sokka with white hair (he ties it back the same as Sokka, too!), and he even acts like him, only he's smugger, and an annoying sonofabitch who exists to "protect" the "poor, helpless" heroine, because the most powerful witch ever apparently can't take care of herself, nor learn anything by herself. Got to have a male potential love interest in these types of stories!
FFS, even the title has the word 'Last' in it. I've seen reviews that do compare 'The Last Witch' to 'Avatar', and I think the creators of the comic intended it that way, when they should have tried harder to make 'The Last Witch' stand out, as its own unique creation.
Before I go any further, I'll get the positives out of the way:
The art is brilliant. It's vibrant, bold, expressive, and I can really see top tier animation studios hiring the artist and colourist to come work for them. One original idea I can give credit to the comic is the use of Irish folklore and mythology as the basis of its worldbuilding; there aren't many modern fantasy stories about them. And as much as I think that the characters are generic templates found in any fantasy quest fiction, there is one that stands out to me: Saoirse's grandmother. It's nice to show that yes, older people can have adventures too, can be a part of a heroic team, and not exist solely to be the know-it-all mentor who typically dies at some point in the story to further the protagonist's development. Nan doesn't die in this book. In fact, Nan might be the only character I consistently liked. As flawed and even stupid as she is (I blame the idiot ball handling done for plot convenience, same goes for her plot convenient secrecy), she is at least aware of it, and tries to redeem herself. Her cigar chomping and smoking (yet the smoke is hardly ever drawn in, for some reason) is charming, too.
Now that that's brought to pass, back to the problems I had with 'The Last Witch':
Urgh, that title. It makes no sense. There are loads of witches and magic users in the graphic novel; the super special female protagonist, Saoirse, is not "the last witch" in any sense. Existing evil witches are common knowledge in this world. Wait, or are they myth, according to what info is given at the beginning? It's very inconsistent and haphazardly thought out, like most things in 'The Last Witch'.
Saoirse's grandmother is a witch!
Speaking of, slight spoiler here, but whatever: The four evil witches that Saoirse has to kill - yes, kill - in order to save the world from the unleashing of the darkness of a faerie king...they are her grandmother's sisters. Nan is the weakest of the sisters, she is barely a witch, and apparently there are only a few witches around who are considered "good". What makes someone who uses magic "good"? Is it just about corruption?
Anyway, to get back on track, the plot is about Saoirse killing her great-aunts - her own family, right after a great tragedy that made her little brother and grandmother her only close relatives left. Her father and her entire village die. This is never addressed. Ever.
I forgot to mention that Saoirse just turned twelve-years-old at the start of the story. She's a child, an orphan wracked with grief, and she is made to kill more members of her family, because it's her destiny. Apparently. Again, this is never addressed.
She does give the witches she encounters a chance to back down and surrender before she battles them, but this seems like a last minute editorial decision, quick and arbitrary, probably done in order to allay her murdering them, her fellow witches and great-aunts. And this is a children's comic.
(Her father's death is barely mentioned again, either, after it is announced. Great writing there.)
On that note, let's talk about Padraig. Remember him? The comic doesn't seem to, once the adventure starts rolling. Even though he's introduced at the very beginning as Saoirse's friend. And potential love interest, like Hugh (yeah, $%!!^**&^!!! off to $**%$!&^%&!!! with that). Also like Hugh (%$!!**^!, I swear they even have the exact same character model), Padraig is an annoying, smug little shit who insults Saoirse, calls her poor, and calls her grandmother a loony. He borderline abuses her, not merely teases her. You have to wonder why they are friends, and why the stubborn and headstrong Saoirse puts up with him.
Another spoiler here: Padraig disappears from the story as quickly as he appeared in it. It is revealed a little later that he died, and was eaten by the local legendary witch. Yeah, she's real, and the myth of her being evil is true, and she's a cannibal, because of course. Or, Padraig was about to be eaten by her; the artwork and dialogue are not clear.
So not only does Saoirse lose her father and her village to a witch, but she loses her childhood best friend to one at the same time. She saw him being cannibalistically eaten before her eyes.
Guess what? Once her quest with her brother and grandmother begins, Padraig is never mentioned again. He might as well never have existed. What masterful storytelling and character writing.
There is a moment near the end where Hugh casts a spell on the group's wagon - or at least, that's what the reader is told he did at the end-end, that he cast a protection spell on the wagon, before setting off to find Saoirse. But the art and dialogue at the occurrence itself strongly indicated that Hugh stole magic from Nan while she was asleep - draining her, absorbing her magic for his own - before going after Saoirse, marking him as a turncoat. There was nothing to suggest that he cast a protection spell over the wagon. Nan, afterwards, is angry at the faerie boy for what he did to the wagon, not for what he obviously did to her. So he's not a villain, then? Then what was Nan saying "It's not yours...it's not..." in her sleep while Hugh's light show is happening around her all about?
Was there no editor for this graphic novel? How do you get away with this kind of sloppiness, and with such fantastic artwork?
Why do the evil witches, who according to the story must die, have darker skin than the light-skinned heroes? Nan is white, but her corrupted sisters are not. Yikes. How the hell did that fly under everyone's radar, too?
And wow, do these powerful witches (and faeries? Apart from Hugh they barely factor into the book) really have to die at the hands of a twelve-year-old? At the hands of a young girl who a day ago didn't know she was a witch, and who wasn't even sure witches existed up until now?
Additionally, the witches killed both Saoirse's parents on two separate occasions. How convenient.
Finally, there's Saoirse's witchmark. It's what initially marks her as super special. She's had it her whole life, and it has made her an outcast in her village. A freak. Although this is yet another underdeveloped thread that goes nowhere, as well as an example of telling instead of showing. Her secret witch grandmother never explained to her what the mark was and why it was there before, because of reasons. Said mark is an intricate symbol (I think it's supposed to be Celtic?) on her shoulder, that she can just easily cover up with her clothes anytime, if she has to hide it. It's not ugly, like Padraig the dick and sham of a friend says. It's cool. It's pretty. It's the source of her magic powers.
FFS, writers and artists, if you want your heroine to be an outcast because of something to do with her appearance, have the guts to make her ugly! Give her big marks or scars on her face, things she can't hide as easily. Give her a deformity. Or a disability, for some much needed diversity in the fantasy genre. Saoirse is an able-bodied redhead who has boys keep saying how pretty she is! (I remind you, she's twelve!)
Have people who are not white not be the villains or suspicious! This is ridiculous and unforgivable for a 2021 publication.
Okay, one more example of how unoriginal 'The Last Witch' is: It uses a little girl's cloth doll, found by the heroine in a perishing town, as a signifier that people have died, including, likely, the doll's owner; just like in Disney's animated 'Mulan' movie.
Well, I'm done.
I'm sorry, I wanted to like 'The Last Witch', truly, for it seemed like my kind of thing. But I can't overlook bad storytelling, bad, inconsistent editing, overused clichés, tropes and archetypes, and how it offers nearly nothing new to the table. I have no doubt that the production team behind it tried to make it epic and awesome and worth remembering. Sadly, it didn't work for me.
Final Score: 2/5
P.S. I've hesitated to call Saoirse the overused and sexist term "Mary Sue" throughout this review, even though she legitimately ticks most of not all of the boxes for it. The more I think about it, with the evidence presented, the more likely it looks that she is a Mary Sue.
P.P.S. Hang on a second, what about Saoirse's father having the same name as Hugh's faerie warrior grandfather, in a tale told by Hugh? Is that ever going to come back, into play, or in any way? Argh! Stick with your ideas or don't include them at all, comic!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2021
Voto libro: 4.5
Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:
https://ilconfinedeilibri.blogspot.co...
Hello readers! I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had the opportunity to read the first volume of a graphic novel duology that will be released on September by BOOM! Box: “The Last Witch: Fear & Fire”. Written by Conor McCreery (Adventure Time / Regular Show), illustrated by V.V. Glass (Doctor Who), and colored by Natalia Nesterenko.
“The Last Witch: Fear & Fire” is inspired by Scottish mythology and folklore, in particular by the Cailleach, a very powerful witch.
It is Imbolc day, the sun is shining and children should not wander in the woods. Saoirse and Padraig, however, challenge each other to reach the hedge.
Saoirse's journey is immediately interrupted by her father, who brings her back home to take care of Brahm, her sick brother.
But Saoirse is stubborn, besides she has to prove to Padraig that she is not a coward, so once she put Brahm to sleep, she returns to her challenge… followed by Brahm, who has only pretended to fall asleep.
They are about to lose hope when they reach the hedge, and behind the hedge there is a destroyed tower.
The tower, however, is not empty: the witch really exists and she wants to eat them! Suddenly a great force pervades Saoirse, a heat that defends her and her brother and kills the witch.
Nan, their grandmother, an expert in herbs and natural remedies, finds them with answers, but also terrible news. The entire village was exterminated by the Cailleach, which is not the one defeated by Soirse. That was Annis, one of three other sisters, four powerful and cruel witches who are bringing famine and diseases to the population to gain power, so that they can reopen the portal to the fairy world and help their king, the eater, to return and subdue humans.
Saoirse is the only one who can kill them, stop their plan and restore peace to a land devastated by the terrible ambitions of the four witches. But before she can defeat them, she must learn to use her power and not to be corrupted by it.
“The Last Witch: Fear & Fire” was quite a surprise. I was intrigued by the plot and the cover, they promised me an adventurous and beautiful story, and my expectations were not disappointed.
Let's start from the story, inspired by Irish and Scottish folklore: I loved the idea that, at first, the Cailleach was just a story, but then it becomes reality in the most classic way, with the discovery that the witch exists and she eats children.
But then the witches became four, one for each element, we learn about the history between humans and fairies, the war and its consequences, and above all the unexpected truth about Nan and why Saoirse is the only one who can defeat them.
The world, already interesting in its being like a fairytale, widens and we find ourselves catapulted into a much more ancient, epic and dangerous fantastic story.
Let's move on to the characters. Saoirse is adventurous, brave, she doesn't listen to anyone in order to live her adventures and she has a beautiful relationship with her brother. She undergoes one terrible revelation after another; her first reaction is despair, then anger, but then she accepts her task, her mission, and she does everything to carry it on without losing herself, without becoming like the witches she must defeat.
Saoirse is one of those characters that you admire right away, enchanted by her enthusiasm and spirit of adventure.
Brahm is the little brother who would follow his sister to the end of the world, toothless and courageous, he is a source of continuous joy and laughter.
Nan is the grandmother we all want, always with a remedy, many secrets about plants and little magic. She has kept so many secrets hidden to protect her grandchildren, but now she must give them the choice of how to live and what to fight for.
Towards the end of the graphic novel, appears another interesting character, which brings a pinch of humor and... something else!
Terrible as they are, the witches are beautiful visually: earth, water, air and fire. Bronagh and Badb, water and air respectively, were beautifully drawn; Bronagh looked like a sea witch, while Badb looked like a mythological creature. Just WoW!
I can say that I am in love with the illustrations and I can't wait to have them on paper. The colors are bright, strong, powerful, vivid. The story focuses a lot on the characters, which are very defined, but the surroundings are rich in details too.
I also loved the way flashbacks are introduced, very nice.
This graphic novel won me over, history and illustrations. It's a pity that we still don't know when the second volume will be published. I was so caught up in the story and in the drawings that I didn't realize that there weren’t any pages left, and when I turned the last one I was very upset. So, I look forward to the sequel!
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Hello readers! I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had the opportunity to read the first volume of a graphic novel duology that will be released on September by BOOM! Box: “The Last Witch: Fear & Fire”. Written by Conor McCreery (Adventure Time / Regular Show), illustrated by V.V. Glass (Doctor Who), and colored by Natalia Nesterenko.
“The Last Witch: Fear & Fire” is inspired by Scottish mythology and folklore, in particular by the Cailleach, a very powerful witch.
It is Imbolc day, the sun is shining and children should not wander in the woods. Saoirse and Padraig, however, challenge each other to reach the hedge.
Saoirse's journey is immediately interrupted by her father, who brings her back home to take care of Brahm, her sick brother.
But Saoirse is stubborn, besides she has to prove to Padraig that she is not a coward, so once she put Brahm to sleep, she returns to her challenge… followed by Brahm, who has only pretended to fall asleep.
They are about to lose hope when they reach the hedge, and behind the hedge there is a destroyed tower.
The tower, however, is not empty: the witch really exists and she wants to eat them! Suddenly a great force pervades Saoirse, a heat that defends her and her brother and kills the witch.
Nan, their grandmother, an expert in herbs and natural remedies, finds them with answers, but also terrible news. The entire village was exterminated by the Cailleach, which is not the one defeated by Soirse. That was Annis, one of three other sisters, four powerful and cruel witches who are bringing famine and diseases to the population to gain power, so that they can reopen the portal to the fairy world and help their king, the eater, to return and subdue humans.
Saoirse is the only one who can kill them, stop their plan and restore peace to a land devastated by the terrible ambitions of the four witches. But before she can defeat them, she must learn to use her power and not to be corrupted by it.
“The Last Witch: Fear & Fire” was quite a surprise. I was intrigued by the plot and the cover, they promised me an adventurous and beautiful story, and my expectations were not disappointed.
Let's start from the story, inspired by Irish and Scottish folklore: I loved the idea that, at first, the Cailleach was just a story, but then it becomes reality in the most classic way, with the discovery that the witch exists and she eats children.
But then the witches became four, one for each element, we learn about the history between humans and fairies, the war and its consequences, and above all the unexpected truth about Nan and why Saoirse is the only one who can defeat them.
The world, already interesting in its being like a fairytale, widens and we find ourselves catapulted into a much more ancient, epic and dangerous fantastic story.
Let's move on to the characters. Saoirse is adventurous, brave, she doesn't listen to anyone in order to live her adventures and she has a beautiful relationship with her brother. She undergoes one terrible revelation after another; her first reaction is despair, then anger, but then she accepts her task, her mission, and she does everything to carry it on without losing herself, without becoming like the witches she must defeat.
Saoirse is one of those characters that you admire right away, enchanted by her enthusiasm and spirit of adventure.
Brahm is the little brother who would follow his sister to the end of the world, toothless and courageous, he is a source of continuous joy and laughter.
Nan is the grandmother we all want, always with a remedy, many secrets about plants and little magic. She has kept so many secrets hidden to protect her grandchildren, but now she must give them the choice of how to live and what to fight for.
Towards the end of the graphic novel, appears another interesting character, which brings a pinch of humor and... something else!
Terrible as they are, the witches are beautiful visually: earth, water, air and fire. Bronagh and Badb, water and air respectively, were beautifully drawn; Bronagh looked like a sea witch, while Badb looked like a mythological creature. Just WoW!
I can say that I am in love with the illustrations and I can't wait to have them on paper. The colors are bright, strong, powerful, vivid. The story focuses a lot on the characters, which are very defined, but the surroundings are rich in details too.
I also loved the way flashbacks are introduced, very nice.
This graphic novel won me over, history and illustrations. It's a pity that we still don't know when the second volume will be published. I was so caught up in the story and in the drawings that I didn't realize that there weren’t any pages left, and when I turned the last one I was very upset. So, I look forward to the sequel!
August 30, 2022
Jesus, freaking loved this!
In some place in Ireland, Saoirse lives with his brother Brahm and his father. Then, we got a legend of some witch that comes to kidnapp and eat children one time a year. Then the brothers went to find her tower, but things goes wrong and Saoirse learns something about a mark on her shoulder.
Great fantasy book, man. Conor did an amazing world building here, with great characters, a nice mystery and a very nice hands on powers, witches and the elements. It's that story of a chosen one girl, who's gonna evolve through the story and face some enemies as bosses in a video game. Great book, great and clean art by V.V. Glass and an amazing cliffhanger for the next volume. Can't wait.
In some place in Ireland, Saoirse lives with his brother Brahm and his father. Then, we got a legend of some witch that comes to kidnapp and eat children one time a year. Then the brothers went to find her tower, but things goes wrong and Saoirse learns something about a mark on her shoulder.
Great fantasy book, man. Conor did an amazing world building here, with great characters, a nice mystery and a very nice hands on powers, witches and the elements. It's that story of a chosen one girl, who's gonna evolve through the story and face some enemies as bosses in a video game. Great book, great and clean art by V.V. Glass and an amazing cliffhanger for the next volume. Can't wait.
December 17, 2022
I really liked this book, and the only thing stopping me from giving it a 5 star rating is that it isn’t finished yet.
I really liked Saoirse, Brahm and their Nan. I liked seeing them travelling and searching for the witches. Near the end of the book, another character appears (Hugh) who I really liked but the book ends before you see enough of him.
The plot was interesting, and I really liked the illustrations. The characters and settings were great, and the dialogue was easy to follow. I did think that there could have been more editing as in some of the scenes, the characters didn’t have eyes.
I can’t wait for the next volume to come out. I hope that there will be more of Hugh.
I really liked Saoirse, Brahm and their Nan. I liked seeing them travelling and searching for the witches. Near the end of the book, another character appears (Hugh) who I really liked but the book ends before you see enough of him.
The plot was interesting, and I really liked the illustrations. The characters and settings were great, and the dialogue was easy to follow. I did think that there could have been more editing as in some of the scenes, the characters didn’t have eyes.
I can’t wait for the next volume to come out. I hope that there will be more of Hugh.
March 2, 2025
4.25/5
This was good, I really liked this! My only real gripe is that it seems the story was never finished and by result, we are left with an unsatisfactory cliffhanger.
Other than that, I really enjoyed exploring the themes of loss of childhood innocence and the transition into young adulthood with Irish folklore, everyone feeling both so far away and long ago and also just like people you'd meet today.
There were some surprisingly dark turns I wasn't expecting, but YA always catches me off guard with that stuff, and I don't mean that in a bad way! I think the elements really bluntly show the raw ways that sometimes we're forced to grow up.
This was good, I really liked this! My only real gripe is that it seems the story was never finished and by result, we are left with an unsatisfactory cliffhanger.
Other than that, I really enjoyed exploring the themes of loss of childhood innocence and the transition into young adulthood with Irish folklore, everyone feeling both so far away and long ago and also just like people you'd meet today.
There were some surprisingly dark turns I wasn't expecting, but YA always catches me off guard with that stuff, and I don't mean that in a bad way! I think the elements really bluntly show the raw ways that sometimes we're forced to grow up.
October 15, 2021
This was so incredible! Like a mixture of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, Faerie Lore, and Arthurian Legend (without Arthur or Merlin, just the setting)! I enjoyed every second of it and can’t wait for the next book!!!
Thank You to NetGalley for this eARC in return for an honest review.
Thank You to NetGalley for this eARC in return for an honest review.
June 2, 2021
Very much enjoyed this story and hope to see it continued!
October 12, 2023
+ I loved the relationship between the
+ Nice art style.
+ High stakes.
- Rather abrupt ending.
+ Nice art style.
+ High stakes.
- Rather abrupt ending.
December 22, 2022
It finally got exciting when the fairy boy showed up.
May 12, 2021
I really enjoyed this series! I’m hopeful there will be more of Saoirse’s story.
October 11, 2021
A superb start to the saga!
I was struck by the discovery of this intrigue. The Irish mythology it was inspired by was interesting and the pace was breathtaking. The characters are well developed and the end ... makes you want to jump into the rest!
The drawing also charmed me, and some of the plates were particularly beautiful and epic.
In short, to discover! ^^
I was struck by the discovery of this intrigue. The Irish mythology it was inspired by was interesting and the pace was breathtaking. The characters are well developed and the end ... makes you want to jump into the rest!
The drawing also charmed me, and some of the plates were particularly beautiful and epic.
In short, to discover! ^^
August 4, 2021
Loved this.
This is the collection of issues 1-5 of the comic book, and so good, I stopped working to read it, because I wanted to know what would happen next.
Saoirse doesn’t know she is a witch. She had a mark, on her arm, but she doesn’t know what it means, and her mother died, and her father doesn’t know.
But, as usually happens with heroines, they are thrust into the story without this knowledge, and survive, or die trying.
She does have help along the way, which is good. A grandmother figure who may or may not be her actual grandmother, and her brother, and they set out to bring down the evil that is out there trying to kill them.
Fast paced. And this first volume ends on a cliff hanger.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
This is the collection of issues 1-5 of the comic book, and so good, I stopped working to read it, because I wanted to know what would happen next.
Saoirse doesn’t know she is a witch. She had a mark, on her arm, but she doesn’t know what it means, and her mother died, and her father doesn’t know.
But, as usually happens with heroines, they are thrust into the story without this knowledge, and survive, or die trying.
She does have help along the way, which is good. A grandmother figure who may or may not be her actual grandmother, and her brother, and they set out to bring down the evil that is out there trying to kill them.
Fast paced. And this first volume ends on a cliff hanger.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
August 7, 2021
This is a fast paced, epic read with huge character development and wonderful drawings.
I got the same feeling as when I read the W.I.T.C.H series a loong time ago, and can easily see myself recommending it so fans of said series.
It takes direct inspiration from Irish mythology, which I love, and we follow a young girl who finds she has magical powers, her young brother and her kick ass nan on a journey to rid the world of the terrible witch Cailleach and save the world.
Can't wait to read the next volume.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Boom! Studios for an ARC!
I got the same feeling as when I read the W.I.T.C.H series a loong time ago, and can easily see myself recommending it so fans of said series.
It takes direct inspiration from Irish mythology, which I love, and we follow a young girl who finds she has magical powers, her young brother and her kick ass nan on a journey to rid the world of the terrible witch Cailleach and save the world.
Can't wait to read the next volume.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Boom! Studios for an ARC!
April 22, 2022
I feel like this book had a pacing issue it moved way too fast.
January 7, 2025
⭐️3.5⭐️
December 6, 2021
12/3/2021 4.5 stars. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
12/6/2021 Gosh, 'tis the season for some truly affecting graphic novels!
The Last Witch is the story of Saoirse, a young Irish girl who just wants to beat her best friend Padraig to the witch's tower on the outskirts of town one Imbolc, never mind the superstitions about witches coming out to prey on children that very day. Her father totally busts her for venturing into forbidden territory, and while Padraig slips away, she gets sent back to the village to mind her younger brother Brahm. He isn't feeling very well, and their dad wants her to fix some soothing tea for him. Resentfully, she does so, but once she thinks Brahm is asleep, she sets out to find Padraig and prove that she's just as brave as he is, if not more.
Alas, Brahm only pretended to be sleeping and demands she take him with her. Saoirse reluctantly accedes, but while walking through the forest, they run into their wise grandmother, Nan, who promises to keep their secret: every kid needs a little adventure in their life, after all. After another long walk, Saoirse and Brahm reach the hedge that's meant to block off the forbidden area, and think they hear Padraig calling for them. It's not a spoiler to say that it isn't Padraig, or to say that what the siblings encounter will turn their lives upside down. Soon, they're on the run with their Nan as Saoirse must learn to control her powers in order to stop a great evil from destroying the entire world.
Rooted in Celtic myth, this was a wildly entertaining, beautifully illustrated tale of a young girl's coming-of-age while fighting evil and trying to protect those she loves. Saoirse has to face down elemental witches and grapple with the cost of both power and sacrifice. Brahm is a delightful companion, just the perfect younger brother: not so cute or helpless as to be annoying, but not so resourceful as to seem completely unrealistic either. Honestly, some of the discussions Brahm had with Saiorse made my eyes well up. He's pretty much the gold standard of younger sidekicks for me now.
I was deeply impressed with how V. V. Glass' and Natalia Nesterenko's talents combined to bring Conor McCreery's words to life. Apart from depicting compelling characters and fluid movement, they're tasked with scenes straight out of fantasy -- some delightful and some downright disturbing, tho nothing out of place for a YA book -- and particularly tricky elemental battles. The scenes with the Wind Witch stood out for the sheer level of craft put into the artwork. There were a few rough edges, but overall, this was a magnificent graphic novel, from art to story to words. I can't wait to read the rest of the books.
The Last Witch: Fear & Fire (The Last Witch #1-5) by Conor McCreery, V.V. Glass & Natalia Nesterenko was published September 14 2021 by BOOM! Box and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
12/6/2021 Gosh, 'tis the season for some truly affecting graphic novels!
The Last Witch is the story of Saoirse, a young Irish girl who just wants to beat her best friend Padraig to the witch's tower on the outskirts of town one Imbolc, never mind the superstitions about witches coming out to prey on children that very day. Her father totally busts her for venturing into forbidden territory, and while Padraig slips away, she gets sent back to the village to mind her younger brother Brahm. He isn't feeling very well, and their dad wants her to fix some soothing tea for him. Resentfully, she does so, but once she thinks Brahm is asleep, she sets out to find Padraig and prove that she's just as brave as he is, if not more.
Alas, Brahm only pretended to be sleeping and demands she take him with her. Saoirse reluctantly accedes, but while walking through the forest, they run into their wise grandmother, Nan, who promises to keep their secret: every kid needs a little adventure in their life, after all. After another long walk, Saoirse and Brahm reach the hedge that's meant to block off the forbidden area, and think they hear Padraig calling for them. It's not a spoiler to say that it isn't Padraig, or to say that what the siblings encounter will turn their lives upside down. Soon, they're on the run with their Nan as Saoirse must learn to control her powers in order to stop a great evil from destroying the entire world.
Rooted in Celtic myth, this was a wildly entertaining, beautifully illustrated tale of a young girl's coming-of-age while fighting evil and trying to protect those she loves. Saoirse has to face down elemental witches and grapple with the cost of both power and sacrifice. Brahm is a delightful companion, just the perfect younger brother: not so cute or helpless as to be annoying, but not so resourceful as to seem completely unrealistic either. Honestly, some of the discussions Brahm had with Saiorse made my eyes well up. He's pretty much the gold standard of younger sidekicks for me now.
I was deeply impressed with how V. V. Glass' and Natalia Nesterenko's talents combined to bring Conor McCreery's words to life. Apart from depicting compelling characters and fluid movement, they're tasked with scenes straight out of fantasy -- some delightful and some downright disturbing, tho nothing out of place for a YA book -- and particularly tricky elemental battles. The scenes with the Wind Witch stood out for the sheer level of craft put into the artwork. There were a few rough edges, but overall, this was a magnificent graphic novel, from art to story to words. I can't wait to read the rest of the books.
The Last Witch: Fear & Fire (The Last Witch #1-5) by Conor McCreery, V.V. Glass & Natalia Nesterenko was published September 14 2021 by BOOM! Box and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
September 22, 2021
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5
The Last Witch: Fear and Fire by Conor McCreery is an excellent beginning to what is shaping up to be a very interesting, epic story. Saoirse is a young girl who knows she is different, and wants to prove that she is brave. However, her father just wants Saoirse to live quietly as to not draw attention to herself. After an event that changes Saoirse‘s world, she’s thrown into a quest to avenge what was taken from her. But is also a quest to find who she really is. The problem is, is Saoirse prepared to discover the truth about herself and what she really is?
The art for this book is beautiful. There are some really fun characters an interesting plot lines forming. As far as action goes, it’s pretty standard. I do like that it’s set in an alternate Ireland. The plot can go quite fast at times. Maybe I’m just used to more slow burning adventure plots.
But all together this first instalment is a great window into what’s to come. So I am very excited to continue reading the story and see how it might end.
Also I loved the artwork at the end of the book. Whomever’s decision it was to include them, thank you so much!
3.5/5
The Last Witch: Fear and Fire by Conor McCreery is an excellent beginning to what is shaping up to be a very interesting, epic story. Saoirse is a young girl who knows she is different, and wants to prove that she is brave. However, her father just wants Saoirse to live quietly as to not draw attention to herself. After an event that changes Saoirse‘s world, she’s thrown into a quest to avenge what was taken from her. But is also a quest to find who she really is. The problem is, is Saoirse prepared to discover the truth about herself and what she really is?
The art for this book is beautiful. There are some really fun characters an interesting plot lines forming. As far as action goes, it’s pretty standard. I do like that it’s set in an alternate Ireland. The plot can go quite fast at times. Maybe I’m just used to more slow burning adventure plots.
But all together this first instalment is a great window into what’s to come. So I am very excited to continue reading the story and see how it might end.
Also I loved the artwork at the end of the book. Whomever’s decision it was to include them, thank you so much!
August 26, 2021
This is a pretty cute little fantasy story in comic form. It's a fairly standard "chosen one versus evil witches" type storyline that won't be new to any avid fantasy reader. I can see it appealing to younger readers who aren't burnt out on this trope.
I enjoyed the setting of Ireland and the use of Irish words and lore. The art was nice.
One of my main problems with this story was the way the 12 year old girl is repeatedly "romanticised". I don't want to say "sexualised" as that sounds a bit extreme. But the grandmother makes insinuations that she's attracted to her male friend (who is drawn as very much still a gangly tween, not a young man), and then we have this fairy character who repeatedly tells the MC how pretty she is and seems set up as a romantic interest. The character seems clearly older than the 12 year old MC, so this is just gross to me. Why is any of this necessary in a story about a literal child?? It would cost nothing to make her a few years older if you really want those aspects in your story. I don't get it.
Overall a fairly cute read but nothing groundbreaking.
I enjoyed the setting of Ireland and the use of Irish words and lore. The art was nice.
One of my main problems with this story was the way the 12 year old girl is repeatedly "romanticised". I don't want to say "sexualised" as that sounds a bit extreme. But the grandmother makes insinuations that she's attracted to her male friend (who is drawn as very much still a gangly tween, not a young man), and then we have this fairy character who repeatedly tells the MC how pretty she is and seems set up as a romantic interest. The character seems clearly older than the 12 year old MC, so this is just gross to me. Why is any of this necessary in a story about a literal child?? It would cost nothing to make her a few years older if you really want those aspects in your story. I don't get it.
Overall a fairly cute read but nothing groundbreaking.
October 6, 2021
I received an eARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Saoirse wants to celebrate her by going on an adventure to the witch's tower outside of her village. This propels her to discovering her gift. She is a witch and thrust into an adventure with her brother Brahm and her Nan. The goal? Defeat the 4 maidens of Cailleach, witch's in their own right, before they unleash the King of the Faeries who wants nothing but to destroy the world.
This is such a good story. Saoirse is a strong child who has already suffered heartache and loses even more when Cailleach kills everyone in her village. Although, through it all, she finds her strength and pushes through to not only destroy those who caused her hardship, but also protect her little brother. The story is heartwrenching and beautifully dialogued. The art is well done and at times mesmerizing. Brutally honest and beautifully penned, Saoirse's story is not one to be missed. A mesh of Irish folklore and magic, the first installment of Saoirse's journey is just beginning, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
Saoirse wants to celebrate her by going on an adventure to the witch's tower outside of her village. This propels her to discovering her gift. She is a witch and thrust into an adventure with her brother Brahm and her Nan. The goal? Defeat the 4 maidens of Cailleach, witch's in their own right, before they unleash the King of the Faeries who wants nothing but to destroy the world.
This is such a good story. Saoirse is a strong child who has already suffered heartache and loses even more when Cailleach kills everyone in her village. Although, through it all, she finds her strength and pushes through to not only destroy those who caused her hardship, but also protect her little brother. The story is heartwrenching and beautifully dialogued. The art is well done and at times mesmerizing. Brutally honest and beautifully penned, Saoirse's story is not one to be missed. A mesh of Irish folklore and magic, the first installment of Saoirse's journey is just beginning, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
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