After moving to London for her dream job making potions, young witch Joana seems to have it all. She’s got a great group of friends and a lovely boyfriend. Sure, her boss is a jerk, work is stressful, and figuring out housing is a pain, but really, she doesn’t have much to complain about. Really. Except exhaustion, sadness, and doubt take their toll, and Joana needs help to figure out how to take care of and accept herself.
This is a graphic novel that I wish I’d had as a teenager/college student. I see a lot of myself in Joana, and I could have used a number of the messages in the book. It is a gentle graphic novel about therapy and asking for help. Joana is a great character, especially in the fact that she has enough personality to stand on her own and yet a lot of her experiences are universal enough that many people will be able to relate.
I really appreciate the fact that the book makes clear that healing is an ongoing process, and that Joana isn’t magically fixed. I definitely think this could count as cozy fantasy. A number of the issues are dealt with in ways that are a little too pat, but I appreciate the fact that Joanna is still struggling, even if she is doing better, at the end of the book and it deliberately calls out the fact that it’s okay not to be okay. I can see a lot of teens connecting with this and getting something out of it. Four out of five stars.
CBR 16 Sweet Books – Cozy