Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner

Summary from Goodreads:

In this hilarious and heartwarming sequel to the bestselling and critically acclaimed graphic novel, The Okay Witch, half-witch Moth Hush uses magic to boost her confidence with disastrous results—perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Molly Ostertag!

Moth Hush is starting to settle into her newfound witch heritage and powers, but life at school continues to be rough. Even her best friend, Charlie, doesn’t entirely understand what it’s like for her to always be the one who gets mocked, and things only get worse when Moth’s mom starts dating one of the dorkiest teachers in the school! Then Moth gets hold of a mysterious charm that can unleash another version of herself—one who is confident, cool, and extremely popular. What could possibly go wrong?

Review:

I found this sequel just as enjoyable, if not more so to book 1. I hope this becomes a long series. I love seeing a POC main character in what is typically such a white role. I also love the fresh take on bullying, on self-esteem, on teen witches, and even on talking cats. Everything about this story is a re-fresh on a classic trope, and I’m all for it.

It was also kind of nice to have a main character who isn’t secretly crushing on anyone. It’s not about being saved by a boy or even rescuing a boy. It’s serious about Moth, and her needs and wants. And again, I’m all for it! I also love the intergeneration storyline with the daughter, mother, and grandmother. The world-building is fantastic. I also felt like I was getting to know some of the side characters a bit more. There are some other characters I want to know more, but  I feel like this could be just the beginning. I hope it’s just the beginning. I really think it could be the start of something big and wonderful.

Moth has to learn when to do things the hard way, and when to do things with magic. But what young witch wouldn’t have to learn that? And who wouldn’t want to use magic to get people to like them, or to stop bullying them? I really like Moth and her mother. I can’t help but want them to succeed.

I highly recommend these books to all graphic novel fans, particularly ones who like fantasy. I give this one a 9/10.