Fans of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will love diving into the mysterious and witchy world of award-nominated creator Sweeney Boo. Enchanting full-color illustrations will be sure to charm readers as they explore the halls of Younwity's Institute of Magic and the forbidden forest that lies beyond. In the days leading up to Samhain, the veil between the world of the dead and the living is at its thinnest. One day, everything was exactly as it was supposed to be. And the next, the closest thing Abby ever had to a sister, Noreen, was just… gone. Distracted by the annual preparations for the Samhain festival, Abby’s classmates are quick to put Noreen’s disappearance aside. The Coven will find her, Abby’s friends say. They have it under control. But Abby can’t let it go. Soon a search for answers leads her down a rabbit hole that uncovers more secrets than Abby can handle. As mounting evidence steers her toward the off-limits woods that surround the academy, she begins to see that Noreen’s disappearance mysteriously has a lot in common with another girl who went missing all those years ago…
Sweeney is a comic artist and illustrator living in Montreal, Canada. She grew up in the southwest of France, where she studied graphic design and listened to really loud rock music. She started working as a comic letterer and colorist for french publishers right after graduation, while pursuing her dream of being a comic artist. In 2015 she made the decision to move to Canada. One short year after the big jump across the ocean she started working at a mobile game company as a 2D Artist. She never lost sight of her true dream though, so she continued to draw comics during the nights and weekends. Her comic debut happened during the summer 2016 when she created a cover and a short story for Rat Queens (Image Comics). Later on, in December 2016 she launched a Kickstarter campaign for her first graphic novel called "Eat, and Love Yourself", a 150-page story about eating disorders, depression, body dysmorphia, and ultimately self-love; a subject really important to her. The book was financed and picked up by Boom! Studios in 2019, for publication in 2020. In 2017, she had the chance to work on the costume designs of America Chavez, Inferno, and Patriot for the show "Marvel Rising", combining two of her favorite things, fashion and superheroes. Today Sweeney lives a happy, full time freelance life of drawing all day, watching of true crime shows and eating lots of nice cheeses. All the while being kept company by her feline assistant Loki, who doesn't do much except sit pretty while being a fluff. Sweeney loves drawings edgy fashion ladies, especially if they are witches.
Dark academia, witchcraft, deadly mysteries and snarky familiars, Over My Dead Body from author/illustrator Sweeny Boo is as cool as it is creepy. This book is gorgeously illustrated with a sharp character design and excellent use of vibrant colors that radiate autumnal vibes across the boarding school setting where young women are educated in the ways of witchcraft. When a student’s disappearance parallels the unsolved disappearance of a girl decades earlier—rumored to have been taken by a demon that stalks the woods beyond the schoolgrounds—Abigail and her friends risk expulsion and death to uncover the truth against the wishes of the Headmistress and the ruling coven. The darkly alluring atmosphere and allarming imagery creates some real frights and the tension grows with twists and turns and an uncertainty of who to trust in this fun graphic novel that is sure to have you biting your nails and eager to keep reading. Give me all the pretty library art
The group of students sneaking about the castle, researching dark magic in the library, and taking matters into their own hands despite warnings to stay away from teachers will likely remind readers of the early Harry Potter books. Dark academia with a witchcraft angle isn’t exclusive to HP, but it admittedly feels quite similar at times and has a few similar twists. Though Sweeny Boo makes it feel rather fresh nonetheless, and almost like a queer reclamation, and the overall aesthetics and vibes are something like witchcraft noir. Though the detective work Abigail and friends down library corridors instead of dark alleyways and instead of fog everything is awash in golden hour light rays and falling leaves. The characters are often small against their ornate settings, Boo’s color palettes are breathtaking and the use of light is astonishingly good. While a lot of modern YA graphic novels tend towards aesthetics and style seemingly influenced by Studio Ghibli, Boo’s settings and especially the use of light feel more akin to the stylings of Makoto Shinkai films. Boo’s use of light is gorgeous
Abigail is aided in her search for her missing friend, Nooreen, by her best friend Goldie and newcomer Enver, Nooreen’s closest friend. Uncertainty if Enver can be trusted, being tailed by the mean-spirited Violet, the adults betraying shady motives and using administrative politics to their advantage push the stakes higher and higher, not to mention being mauled by a demon is also a possibility. The characters are great and it is fun to watch them move through their ulterior motives with some nice twists and budding romances in the mix, though Seymour the snarky cat familiar is one of the most endearing (okay, fair, snarky cat familiar is a bit cliched at this point and none can ever top Gigi from Kiki's Delivery Service). There is an attempt at least for inclusivity of skin color and body types (less though for the latter as most characters are drawn as very slender and beautiful) and the character design reminds me a bit of Yana Bogatch’s gorgeously illustrated figures in Grimoire Noir, another witchcraft noir that you should check out if you enjoyed this. Count me as scared
Did I mention there are some truly unsettling moments? Boo has some very creepy moments where the artwork really delivers some frights. It all boils over into a pretty dramatic climax full of big reveals and magical action and while that scene is a bit rocky on pacing, Boo’s use of collaged frames colliding or overlapping is a great technique to convey motion and organize the actions of multiple characters. I honestly cannot praise the art in this enough.
So if you like dark academia, witches or just a good creepy mystery, Over My Dead Body is for you. This was so much fun and I would love to see a whole series of stories set in this world. Huge thank you to Hope for recommending this by quite literally handing it to me saying “read this, you’ll love it.” I did, and Over My Dead Body is a true autumnal treat.
This cover does not do a good job representing this graphic novel—the art is gorgeous with a vibrant dark academia color palette, the story is autumnal in the BEST way, and it’s a witchy magical school that perfectly straddles multiple age groups. It’s also fantastic. I have NO idea why it has such a dull cover and a generic title.
Artwork: ★★★★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★
With the quaintness of Mooncakes, the grit of a young adult mystery thriller, and the atmosphere of of a witchy magical boarding school, Over My Dead Body is definitely a graphic novel to pick up this spooky season. (And the artwork is GORGEOUS.)
In the days leading up to Samhain, the veil between the world of the dead and the living is at its thinnest.
Abby Younwity is a senior student at Younwity's Institute of Magic, a boarding school for witches. Foundlings with no parents are given the surname of the school, Younwity, and Abby is one such witch.
Younwity students tend to do well at the school, but there's a cautionary tale told by the older students: don't go into the Untamed Wood. Especially if you're a Younwity.
Younwity students who go into the woods...don't always make it out. A girl went into the woods a long time ago and was taken by a demon, so they say. Better safe than sorry.
When Noreen Younwity, Abby's young fledging student pair, is discovered missing, Abby knows something is wrong. Very wrong.
It's time to find Noreen and get to the bottom of the demon in the woods... before it's too late.
And that's all I'll say about the plot. I really want to leave some of the magic and mystery to the reading experience. No spoilers here!
All in all, I think Over My Dead Body was a stunning young adult graphic novel. It was atmospheric, beautiful drawn, and had an engaging plot. This is the perfect read to put you in the fall mindset—the color palette, the witchy vibes, the dark academia setting... Perfection.
I thought the characters were authentic, the representation was fantastic, AND to top it all off, nothing in this graphic novel felt forced or sped up for pacing flaws. This was just... really well done.
This review is a bit bare bones, I know, but don't let that stop you. This was a lot of fun. Pick it up if you're in the mood for a moody autumnal read!
LOVED this graphic novel!! The perfect witchy spooky read for october with the most stunning art. I really loved the mystery in here as well as the found family trope! Wish there was more magic happening but it didn’t take away from the story. Highly recommend 🔮✨🍂
"This secret you will bury. Forever your voice I will keep."
Witches will always hold a special place in my heart. They always get a bum rap but they are beautiful and powerful beings that will one day take over the world. Just you watch. So I'll give all the witchy books a read.
The story was a simple one where the dark secrets of the forest lead to mysterious disappearances of local Witches that attend the academy. A few Witches make it their business to find the missing witch and uncover the secret that has been haunting the academy for years. Let's not forget the trouble they'll get in for breaking the rules.
This was an okay story. It was pretty predictable as far as mysteries go. The characters were flawless though. They stood out on their own and weren't like one another. The different personalities shined through and it made this a little more unique. The art was spectacular and made you enjoy the story a bit more. The colors were bright, even in the darkest of locations.
Over My Dead Body has the best title for a graphic novel. The mystery on the other hand wasn't as thrilling as I had hoped. It did keep me interested enough to complete it but not enough to feel excited. I also felt that this was too long, that could be because I wasn't fully invested.
Un très bon roman graphique pour ado sur le thème dark academia je l’ai trouvé très bien amené l’histoire est plaisante. Nous suivons la jeune Abigail qui étudie dans une école de sorcellerie, elle est la tutrice de la jeune Noreen qui disparaît mystérieusement dans la forêt qui entoure les bois se cache un esprit maléfique que lui est-il arrivé ? Que va découvrir Abigail ? Quel est le lien avec l’étrange disparition quelques années auparavant d’une autre étudiante ? Un roman graphique à lire à cette période de l’année . Les dessins sont très jolis et les personnages bien construits pour un public à partir de 12 ans
Друзі, я не прям вражений. Так, графічно це прям дуже-дуже. Все яскраво і привабливо. Персонажі милі і навіть красиві - я б повчився з такими дівчатами, чесно Вам кажу. За це і поставив три зірочки.
Але сюжет передбачуваний і слабкий. Мене не вразив. Взагалі.
beautiful art style, but i didn’t like this very much. the blatant harry potter references/parallels were so annoying. the plot was also a bit of a mess and there was no world building to be had. for a story set at a magical school, the characters use as little magic as possible, and what magic does exist has no rhyme or reason or rules that i could grasp. overall, a disappointing story with great visuals.
Просто вау вау 😍 Ідеальний комікс для гелловінського, а перепрошую саванського вечора знайдений)
Читала і просто кайфувала від цієї атмосфери темної і відьомської академії з таємницями, зникненнями і навчанням відьом. Хто був винним вгадала, а от мотивацію ні, тому для мене детективна лінія залишилася крутою 🥰
Дуже сподобалися персонажі. Спершу плуталася, а от потім як прониклася, то аж в захваті
it was perfect, perfect, perfect. the illustrations are immaculate. when they say "for fans of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina", they're spot on. my new favorite graphic novel hands down. loved every second.
Моя душа прагне більше відьомських історій! Прочитала «Тільки через мій труп» і прийшла вам його радити!
Це дуже класна історія про школу відьомства, таємниче зникнення однієї з учениць і розслідування, яке приводить до розгадки подій в минулому! Ідеальна всесезонна історія, але я точно перечитуватиму в жовтні, ну тому шо ви бачице цю атмосферу?
— не вистачило більше інформації про саму школу і систему магії; — хочеться ще 100 томів
Якщо ви бачили перший сезон серіалу на Нетфліксі «Моторошні пригоди Сабріни», то можете зрозуміти атмосферу цього коміксу. Мені захотілося знову перердевитися цей серіал, хоча останні сезони там трагічно погані. А от комікс — топовий, читайте!
Я повезу його своїй сестрі, бо вона дуже любить таку тематику і пригоди Сабріни! А ще «Тільки через мій труп» буде ще ідеально на подарунок підлітку!
A great YA graphic novel that deals my favorite subject, witches. This is a fast paced magic mystery. The illustrations were amazing and middle school students would love to read this.
Thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Books for an E-ARC via NetGalley. Anticipated publication date is 8/30/2022.
This graphic novel was a fun read. The art was really good except I didn’t love the hats, they seemed a little over the top. The story was more than a little predictable but it was still a fun ride. Abby and her friends are upset when their friend Noreen goes missing in the dark woods. Abby doesn’t feel like the school is doing enough to find her so she and her friends sneak around to try to find Noreen. But the school is hiding more than a missing student. The school did look a little like hogwarts and making everyone wear the witches’ hats didn’t help to make it look different enough. I did really like the talking animals that were bonded to each witch. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up for star selection purposes.
This was absolutely the queer, sweet, beautiful found family of witchy students I needed in my life, and I loved every page of this story. The characters are so lovable and the plot was interesting and suspenseful, all set in a magical world that I wanted so much more time in!
I loved the Younwity school setting, and most of all, I adored the familiars — especially Seymour, the nervous, kindly little cat that accompanies Abby, the protagonist. And then that ending, too?
Truly, everything about this graphic novel made my witchy little heart sing and I can't recommend it highly enough! ♥
✨ Representation: Goldie is Black and queer; Goldie's father is Black; Violet is queer (and Asian?); Enver uses they/them pronouns
I really enjoyed this spooky and colorful graphic novel. The plot might not be groundbreaking, and it actually was a bit stereotyped/cliched at times, but it's still a good story, with cute and relatable characters, great atmosphere, and such a gorgeous art.
4.5 /5 THE PERFECT SPOOKY SEASON READ! I fell in love with this world and got sucked into its mysteries in no time. I cannot stress enough how obsessed I am with this story and especially these illustrations. A treat start to finish.
The art is mostly nice, though the tall conical hats the witches wore were distracting. The story and characters just fell flat for me though, no spark of magic to be found.
Meh, перша половина була така: школа чаклунів у замку, всі їдять у великій залі за довгими столами, ще є лазарет (ці локації чисто як у фільмі ГП), заборонено ходити у Незвіданий ліс (куди дехто, звісно ж, ходить), зникає руда дівчинка, у головної героїні кучерява подруга-відмінниця, яка боїться, що їх відрахують за власне розслідування зникнення, небінарна особа з фаміліаром-жабкою (Невіл, це ти?), блаблабла. Але головна героїня дівчинка, з Гаррі не вийшло злизати, тож вона зовнішньо нагадує Венздей , і злюка тут веде той самий предмет, що злюка у Венздей. Якщо фанфік-кросовер намальований, а не писаний, то він усе одно фанфік. Чисто через мальовку рука не підіймається поставити 1, слабкий сюжет - одна справа, а такий злизаний дещо інша. Ще один плюсик - нашим перекладачам, особливо за римовані закляття.
Арти просто фантастичні, можна тільки на їх розглядання витратити годинку. Але для самої історії мені не вистачило трохи розгорнутості, хотілось би побачити більше «дій» та мотивів персонажів. Якщо в цілому, то дуже класна графічна новела. Spooky season, вайби дарк академії та таємниць, відьомство та ��илі фамільяри. Детективна лінія передбачувана, але заради атмосфери точно варто прочитати
The cover doesn't Over My Dead Body justice. The art style and color palette for this dark academia mystery. If I were one of these witches I'd make sure I had plenty of high ceilings and doorways! Plus, their familiars are so good.
I have yet to read this book, but I can’t believe there has already been a review-bomb. I’ll come back and edit this later once I’ve read it. This is my attempt to counteract the unwarranted 1 star
You've got to love a witch magic school with a dark academia aesthetic. This graphic novel had all of the autumn vibes and the artwork was gorgeous. It's definitely worth the read.