O'Connor manages to work some magic herself, breathing new life into this "be careful what you wish you" comic fable. While working at her local library, painfully unpopular Willow finds a secret room of magical books chronicling the lives of every town resident -- including herself. When she realizes that she can change her future by writing in her book's pages, she is quickly gains popularity, stylish clothes, and a new outlook, but she realize what she has lost -- and what really matters in life -- before it's too late? There are no surprises in the narrative, and the rushed ending and shallow secondary characters drag things down a bit, but the look and lingo of the characters and the high school setting feel remarkably real and ultimately help this story shine.

This is a cute but well done coming of age story. As a teenage girl, you are never quite confident in your skin but this story reminds us that it is ok to be you. I think the artwork worked perfectly with the beauty of the story and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This book explores the one way how magically altering your life could play out. I have mixed feelings about this book because I wanted to love this book. The idea is right up my alley. But sadly I didn't love it, I liked it. It wasn't that it was bad it was just that I wanted more out of it. I felt that the plot was kinda slow and the high school drama was a little too much for me. This is marked as a YA book but felt like a middle-grade book and there's a chance I would have liked it more if it was marked as middle-grade, I would have gone in with a different mind.

However, I did enjoy the library, any book that based in or with a library is one I tend to like. Scenes with books just make me happy. The magic was sprinkled on top, wish I knew more about it but still like that part. Both the library and the magic is the best parts of this story. This story is told from different characters. The art is simple but it works with this story.

Overall, this story is good, light and simpler than what I thought it was going to be. I read it all in one setting, and enjoy parts of it.

High schooler Willow Sparks is tired of being bullied by her school's "in crowd". Staying out of their way doesn't seem to do anything - they find a way to go after her and tease her about her clothes, her skin, her everything. When she stumbles on a hidden library while at her public library job one night, she finds books with people's names on them - including hers - that record every moment of their lives. She discovers that she can write her own story, and instantly, her skin clears up, her fashion gets an upgrade, and she's getting attention - good attention - from one of the guys in the in crowd. As life improves for Willow, she grows farther away from Georgia and Gary, her best friends who've stuck by her. What Willow doesn't realize is that for every give, there's a take, and the future, whether or not Willow's writing it, has a way of defending itself.

There's a lot going on in this graphic novel: Willow and her transformation is the main plot, but there are subplots that get a short shrift: I'd love to have learned more about why these books exist and where they came from - it's alluded to that other libraries have these hidden libraries; I'd love to see a book about them. (I do love the idea of a librarian being the keeper of this secret, valuable information.) Willow's friend Georgia is moving, and George is starting the process of coming out; both of these stories are glanced over, and have the potential to be really interesting, especially when combined with the hidden histories. That said, the story is relatable, especially to teens: who wouldn't want to be the author of their own life? Write out those potentially embarrassing moments, the bad skin, the crush(es) that didn't work out. Start a booktalk with that idea, and watch the teens perk up.

The Altered History of Willow Sparks is a quick, enjoyable read. It starts a good discussion about the downsides of wish fulfillment, and illustrates that everything comes with a price. The realistic artwork is largely rendered in gray and white and is reminiscent of Faith Erin Hicks' work. Booktalk with other creepy fantasy graphic novels like Hicks' Friends With Boys, Vera Brosgol's Anya's Ghost, and Doug TenNapel's Ghostopolis (the latter two skew younger in age). The book is a Spring 2018 Junior Library Guild Selection.

This is the comic version of mean girls to me. It isn't amazing but not bad either.

I thought this was ok but the art wasn’t really for me and I felt like an ending was missing.
Other than that, the characters were kinda interesting and the story too...

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One thing that I greatly admire about graphic novels is the artwork. The artwork of Altered History if Willow Sparks is gorgeous. Through the artwork and dialogue, I was transported into another world. I was expecting a little bit more original characters rather than stereotypical high school tropes. But there was a story to get lost in. I wish there was more.

I was unable to read this / review this because there were no pictures, just text bubbles.

A teen girl finds a creepy library which contains books with nothing but people's names written on them. When she picks up her own book, she realizes that her entire life is written inside - and if she writes anything in it, it will come true... but with some unintended consequences.
It sounds like a good premise, BUT the "consequences" turn out to be so minor and silly that it kind of makes you wonder if they would really be enough to make someone stop writing in the book or freak out as much as the characters in this graphic novel seem to.
At least it's a quick read with some good artwork - but it's not much beneath the surface.

What if you could change parts of your life by simply writing in a book. Willow Sparks comes across a mysterious book that can do just that. Of course, her life is changed forever. Great responsibilities come with such powers. It's not easy to climb to the top of the social ladder at your high school without leaving some people behind.



This book has high school drama, bullying, and all those classic teen tropes. I would absolutely classify this as a Young Adult graphic novel. There are some great paranormal concepts added to the regular high school dynamic. I enjoyed that Willow works at a library and the library (as well as books) are heavily featured.



I give this graphic novel a 4/5. It has all the classic high school teen drama aspects with an added supernatural twist. Plus the artwork is beautiful.

Have you ever read a book that made you wish you had something similar back when you were a teenager? That's what this book made me think once I finished reading it. I wish I had this book back when I was an awkward teen.

The idea of the book is pretty simple: you have a regular teenage girl, Willow, working at a library in her spare time, that isn't popular, and is bullied, alongside her best friend, Georgia, by a group of really popular kids. After an incident in the library, she discovers some books, one of which carries her name. Once she realizes what this book really is, she takes it, and tries to write herself a better story. Simple, right? Something I most certainly would have done had I been in Willow's shoes. Because what teen doesn't want to escape those years, when it's all awkward, and when acne, bad hair days, not being noticed by your crush, and not being picked for one of the teams in sports class seem like the worst thing that could ever happen.

But as simple as it may seem, it's also really complex. Because in doing so, Willow has to face the consequences of her actions, one of which is losing her best friend. The other visible effect of Willow altering her life in such a way is the signs that she has on her, some marks that look like lines made with a pen. I kind of get the symbolism behind it, but I would have wanted a bit more time spent on that aspect. I loved the fact that Georgia, Willow's best friend, lectures her on the fact that she's using this book to have an easier life, when she should find a different way to deal with life. At the same time, Georgia is going through some changes in her life, and seeing Willow exchanging their friendship for the company of the popular kids in school hurts her enough to stop trying to reason with Willow.

While the story itself is great, and some of the effects of Willow's tampering are mostly explored in this book, there were a few things that were left untouched, like the parents angle. I would have wanted Willow's parents to notice something. There's an interesting moment that shows the limitations of the book, but it wasn't completely explored. I am hoping that there's a volume 2 in the works, because the ending was a bit too abrupt. While I do remember how fights between friends resolved at that age (God knows I've had some of the most "epic" fights with my BFFs that ended in tears 5 minutes afterwards and promises to never fight again), I feel like Willow needs to face the school crowd without the help of the book, she needs to be exposed to the same popular kids after she returned her book. I'd love to see how she's going to do that.

Aside from that, there's a wonderful moment of someone having a crush on somebody, and it turns out that somebody is a gay character, and it's a beautiful conversation between friends that warmed my heart, really.

The artwork is pretty simple. It wasn't the best I've seen, but it's cute and it's in line with the story. The drawings are black-and-white, which is a nice change for me. The panels were easy to follow, and they weren't too crowded by dialogue. I liked the fact that the author shares, at the end of the book, a little bit of this book's history, with the changes in artwork that went on over the years. I've said this before, but I really enjoy seeing this behind-the-scenes type of segment in comic books.

Overall, this was a pretty good book, but I would have wanted a bit more. I hope the story will be continued in the future, and I'll definitely read the next volume if and when it comes out.

I first looked into this book because of the cover and then once I read through the description I was intrigued. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The art was beautiful and I really loved the story, but I do wish that some of the consequences of the characters choices where explored a little more in depth. I would absolutely recommend this book for the art alone but fortunately it has a beautiful story to go along with the art.

The Altered History of Willow Sparks is a graphic novel that explores the concept of magically altering your own life. It was a very quick and interesting read. A high school girl encounters a magical book that can be used to change your life, but she must remember that everything has consequences. The art is great and I enjoyed the story a lot. Would be great for high school/middle school aged kids facing bullying.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalleyfor letting me review this title!

A graphic novel about magical books?! Completely in my wheel house! And, it didn't disappoint. Love stepping into this world and I always enjoy an author's postscript about their inspiration and process.

"What if you had the power to rewrite your life?"

Yep, I would definitely rewrite some parts. Just like Willow (and also Georgia) I was bullied immensely in school. I know I wouldn't be able to resist the chance to rewrite things, even if it meant that I would be in trouble later on. Even a few moments of bliss years ago would save me the a few shitty feelings I still have today. :( I know the consequences (I was wondering why Will never saw that there would be consequences, nothing comes for free), but yes, I would still do it.

I hated the bullying, it was terrible. Throwing a whole load of balls at someone? Especially aiming at their faces? Dunking them in toilets? Other crappy things? And I despised the teachers, they are bound to know something is going on, but none of them react. That one teacher (I am guessing she is at least) should have done something during that dodgeball game. Instead she just did nothing and stood there. :|

But I also hated Will at one point. When she dumped her best friend because she had the in-pass to the popular group. I do understand that she is happy it is not her, but this is also your friend.

I like the idea that there is a whole library (libraries I should say) that hold everyone's life books. It is a bit dangerous to have such a library, one wrong person can alter so much. But even with that there is something magical about it all. That you can see life change, that books disappear and appear.

Bonus points to the fact the Georgia and Will loved to read. That Will worked at the library.

The art was pretty OK, it was quite pretty at times, though I didn't always like the facial expressions/faces of the characters.

But all in all, I would recommend this book to people. It is a really good read.

A highschool girl is closing up shop at the library she works for, when she takes a tumble and finds a hidden floor to the library - stocked with books that have only individuals' names on the spines. When Willow finds the book with her name on it, she realizes that she can write in the book, and whatever she writes will come true - at a price.

I thought this was a pretty fun idea, and the art was nice enough, but I just didn't really find it particularly interesting. I didn't get attached to the story or characters, and probably wouldn't continue the series; that said, if the synopsis intrigues you, I'd recommend giving it a try!

The Altered History of Willow Sparks is a story about growing up and accepting yourself instead of trying to be someone else. It's a story about how you can own it - your life. Willow and Georgia are bullied in school and at the bottom of the popularity ladder. Willow, the book nerd, finds a book of her own life and when she writes in it, the wishes will come true. Of course she makes herself popular, but the book needs to protect itself too and thus Willow will be infected with its curse. The plot is quite cliched in a sense and offers nothing new except the creeping ink, which was awesome. The problem is that there's not enough pages to make this different and O'Connor cannot get enough out of the setting. The ink veins are the best part, but are now left on the sidelines, which is sad. The other characters aside from our duo don't really have enough space in the story and the content base is slightly dull because of it.

The art is great, though. It works well with the story and the sketches and whatnot at the end are a great way to show how O'Connor has gotten better and how the current style was created. O'Connor's art reminded me of Faith Erin Hicks. The line art makes this easy to approach and softens the story, which is nice. I kind of wished there was more creepiness with the ink, though. With this, the style eats the suspense as it makes the story cute, but nothing else. More depth could've worked better, like with Anya's Ghost. Cute and creepy work well together. I'm not saying The Altered History of Willow Sparks isn't good. It's an OK comic with nice art. It just could've been more with enough pages and a slightly heavier approach.

While I enjoyed the art, I have to admit that this felt very much like I've read this story before: there were no hooks, no world building, and no real character development. Girl gets magical book, changes her world with bad repercussions, and then stops using the book when she realizes she has it pretty decent already. Cue mean girls, bullying, typical nerdy but faithful/good best friend and this feels like a rejected script for a Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode.

Story: Willow feels like an oddball - bullied by the pretty/popular, overlooked and unattractive with short hair and pimples, and just wanting to get through high school. When she stumbles upon a secret room in the library with strange books in them, she finds one with her name and her history in it. So she takes a chance and rewrites her future in the book - alienating her best friend and making her feel horrible about herself for being shallow. But the book has a way to protect itself from overuse - and Willow is going to have to face the consequences.

So yes, there's nothing new here. Mean but pretty girl spends most of the day harassing the nerds (including Willow and her friend Georgia). In the city library, there's an unexplained secret room with unexplained books, in which Willow miraculously finds hers despite there being thousands in there, one for every person in the entire city. We don't get any backstory or world building - we don't even get to see what Willow writes in her book. She just shows up with no pimples, better clothes, and the cool guy is suddenly hitting on her. It felt so underwritten and underwhelming.

The characters were high school cliches - pretty b****, shallow and stupid sycophant of the pretty B, cute but stupid popular guy, and nerdy best friend who is incredibly nice and well grounded despite the bullying. The lack of imagination in the characters, that they didn't really grow through the series (except perhaps remorseful at the end), and that there really weren't any lasting repercussions were rather disappointing. In a way, Willow got to have her cake and eat it too and everything works out at the end.

The art is decent and the style changes shown at the end as the story evolved over the years were interesting. The story was easy to follow and wasn't overly dialogue heavy. But it didn't help elevate the characters above being caricatures, either. It was all so painfully earnest.

In all, it's a book I read and will honestly soon forget. I was left wanting more depth in the story and nuance in the characters. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

***Thanks to the author and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***


When I first saw this book on Netgalley I did not know what it was about, I just picked it because of the drawings. It shows how bullying happens to some teens in high school, it had very little magic, it had friendship and it also had an impossible crush.The part I liked the most is that the author actually explained everything about how she went about to write the book and she also showed the changes she made, the music she listened, even how many cups of coffee,tea and expresso she had, that was pretty cool.

When I finished reading this, I felt as though I had read it before, and perhaps I have, different versions, different ways of telling this same story, which is, what would you do if you could change your future? Would you change it? And how much would you change it?

The characters are all Mean Girls&trade; types, and of course the heroines are the underdogs, the nerds and the dull. There is even a love interest among the unloved<spoiler>but he turns out to be gay</spoiler>.

The artist writes, at the end of the book, how long she has been working on this story, and rewriting and redrawing it over the years, and the illustrations are quite professional, but the ending, as others have mentioned, seems a bit quick, and the story wraps up far to quickly, with a lot of questions hanging.

This is probably more like a four star for its intended audience of young teens, but for me, I wanted more.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.