Cover Image: An Unkindness of Ravens

An Unkindness of Ravens

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I liked the art and some of the ideas, but ultimately I'm REALLY tired of secret real witches in Salem. It's been done roughly 6.8 million times.

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I liked the premise, and I liked the artwork; I would have just liked a bit more.

I honestly want to see where this goes next, so I'll be keeping an eye out for the next installments, but I just feel like more could have been done across the collected volumes in this edition. So far, it all just feels like a prelude to the actual story - even after more than a hundred pages, I was left feeling like I hadn't really read much at all.

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This mysterious graphic novel is a very interesting start to a series I hope to continue! An Unkindness of Ravens begins after Wilma moves to her dad's old hometown, she finds out on her first day of school that a missing girl, Waverly, looks exactly like her. More family mysteries, betrayal, and a magical war between two factions hundreds of years old quickly follow as Wilma gets stuck between the high school's two main cliques: the popular kids led by Scarlett, and the Ravens, Waverly's old group of friends.

I love anything having to do with ravens, clearly, so I was delighted to see this graphic novel delivered on its witchy premise! I enjoyed the pacing and the plot, and did enjoy the characters. I would have liked to see more personality from the side characters like the Ravens, but I'm anticipating based on the events of the book their backstories will come later. Overall, I enjoyed the twist and foreshadowing, and can't wait to see where this series will lead.

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When Wilma returns to her father's home town she finds herself in the middle of an ancient battle which has been raging in the town for hundreds of years. She also discovers things about herself and her past which show that everything she has been told is a lie.

Wilma finds that she is in the centre of a battle in the town which is actually a power struggle between two magic weilding factions in the town. In addition to this she is the spitting image of a girl who has just gone missing.

Wilma realises that she needs to find out the truth about herself and about the town, but all she really wants is to graduate and get out of town. First she has to navigate the factions, the magic and stay alive long enough. This first volume was engaging and interesting with good artwork. It is a dark story which promises twists and turns to come.


Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Feeling heavily targeted at fans of Sabrina (the spooky version, not the animatronic cat one) and The Craft, An Unkindness Of Ravens knows writers who use subtext – and they're all cowards. We open with evocatively folk horror pages from the book within the book, illustrated in tangled folk horror style by writer Dan Panosian, and rehearsing the familiar story of witch trials, how there have always been terrible consequences for those caught practising magic, and how these have mostly fallen on women. Now, you might think that if you're interested in that whole inglorious area of history, it would make sense to read the most thorough work of history investigating it, Ronald Hutton's The Witch – but as I can testify, the problem is that if you do, every time you run into this narrative in almost any fiction relating to the matter, you will sigh at how wrong the accepted version is. Moving on, and with the main story illustrated in a far less knotty and more straightforward fashion by Marianna Ignazzi, we're in even more familiar territory. Our heroine, Wilma, is starting at a new school, her dad having relocated to his old home town ("Crab's Eye...they could have picked a better name. But you could say that about most towns in New England. They all sound like bad side dishes at an all-you-can-eat buffet.") She turns out to be the spitting image of another girl who recently disappeared, and whose locker she inherits, finding inside a glowing invitation which other people can't see. The school has a queen bee! And a witchy clique who don't like the queen bee! They're called the Ravens, hence the title. Hence also the scene at the queen bee's house with her dad shooting at birds: "Oh, god. He hates birds. To be honest, I do too – especially the ones at school, if you know what I mean. The Ravens pester me at school, and ravens pester Donald at home." Notice the way that if you work from the end of that, each sentence you cut would make the whole thing sound 30% less like Darkplace: The Early Years? And did I mention that the first friend our protagonist makes at school is called, I shit you not, Ansel Friend?

Despite all of which, somehow I didn't hate this. Possibly because I was reading all the narration in Garth Marenghi's voice. At times I could even believe it was intended as a spoof, as when Wilma finally loses her rag at everyone in town dropping enigmatic hints and nobody just saying what they mean. Or when we get the climactic masked ball, and someone whose mask is blatantly a fox is greeted with "A wolf in sheep's clothing. How appropriate" and is obliged to point out the error. But even if not, that's certainly how it works best.

(Netgalley ARC)

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Wilma moves back to her hometown where she finds that a girl who recently disapeared looks just like her. Turns out Wilma isn't who she thought she was and things in town are not normal.

An interesting start to what could be a intresting twist on witches. But I felt that the story was a little slow going and left too much out of the narrative. It also jumped around a lot and sometimes made it difficult to follow along with the story. It would be better if it was a little fleshed out and had clearer plot structure.

*The review is based on a free copy I received from NetGalley for an honest review.

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Gracias NetGalley y Boom Studios por enviarme una copia de esta novela gráfica a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Les presento a Wilma, la chica nueva en un pueblo lleno de misterios donde encuentra que no todo es lo que parece. De una manera extraña Wilma es identica a una chica que recientemente se reportó desaparecida, situación que causa gran interés hacia ella.

Al inicio creí que sería algo al estilo pretty little liars y minutos después lo relacioné más con Mean Girls aunque resultó ser una mezcla de ambas añadiendole magia y cultos, quizá ese sea el motivo por el que me gustó. Aún así tengo que admitir que me costó seguirle el ritmo pues en algunos puntos llegaba a ser un tanto confusa.


pd: tengo un crush con xooey

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**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of An Unkindness of Ravens by Dan Panosian through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

An Unkindness of Ravens by Dan Panosian is a YA fantasy graphic novel about a teenage girl who returns to the town her father was from, and mysteriously looks very similar to a girl who just disappeared.  She quickly finds that things are not what they seem.  An Unkindness of Ravens published on June 8th, 2021.  I rated it 3 stars on Goodreads.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Acclaimed cartoonist Dan Panosian and rising star artist Marianna Ignazzi present a new supernatural mystery about a group of high schoolers steeped in witchcraft and the town they live in filled with long-hidden secrets and unchecked power.
WELCOME TO CRAB’S EYE. A SMALL TOWN WHERE MAGIC IS REAL AND GOSSIP CAN KILL.
Not all the witches burned during the Salem Witch Trials—and the ones that survived did so together, protecting the ancient secrets entrusted to them for generations. They call themselves the Ravens. Wilma is the new girl in school, and she plans to go completely unnoticed—except that she bears an eerie resemblance to the Raven member Waverly, who just went missing. The truth behind Waverly’s disappearance will put the entire coven in danger—and Wilma will have to rely on power she never knew she had if she wants to save her new friends!
Acclaimed cartoonist Dan Panosian (Slots) and rising star artist Marianna Ignazzi present a new supernatural mystery about a group of high schoolers steeped in witchcraft and the town they live in filled with long-hidden secrets and unchecked power. Collects An Unkindness of Ravens #1-4.

I really enjoy stories about witches and I was really excited about this graphic novel.  I will admit that while I overall enjoyed the graphic novel, I did find it a bit disappointing.  I wanted a bit more build up and development, but it kind of felt rushed.  I was also a little bit disappointed that it ended in a cliff hanger, because I wanted the story to keep going on.

I really enjoyed Wilma's character.  She's intriguing and I appreciated the way she reacted while being tugged at by characters from all different sides of this conflict she didn't even know existed.  I wish that we could have seen more of who she was and get more information about her origins and what the backstory of this world is.  I'm hoping that the author will be creating more.

I liked the ideas behind the story, and the art was beautiful.  However, I just found that it didn't necessarily completely match the summary (there was no murderous gossip that I noticed).  I also just really wanted it to be longer and more in depth.  I would totally read a novel along these lines because it's a fun premise.

If you're at all intrigued, I recommend that you check this one out!

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With it's gorgeous art and unfolding mystery, An Unkindness of Ravens is a welcome addition to our collection!

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It doesnt support or open after I download the protected pdf version of it.

It's also not showing in my shelf in netgalley and I cant open it to read

Please look into the issue and if you can send me the pdf in my mail ID- taniagungunsarkar@gmail.com

I cant read the book from here.

Please look into the issue and deliver me the book to review properly, moreover i was pretty excited about this book

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trigger warning
<spoiler> grief, painkiller addiction </spoiler>

Wilma was prepared for a weird first day in a new school, but she was not prepared for magic, or for being drawn into a battle that has been going on for generations.

The city of Crab Eyes is divided into two parties: The Survivors and the Ravens, based on their roles in the Salem witch trials. Surviving this fight would mean destroying the opposite side.
This is what Wilma stumbles in unpreparedly.

I had thought this would be focused on petty problems on schoolground, or maybe solving crimes with magic. Didn't expect this scope of events, if I am honest.
This felt like it just scratched the surface of the plot, and if there would be more available right now, I'd continue. But I am not sure if I will bother after a amount of waiting.

I came here for the Ravens, and am kind of disappointed they were more on periphery of things. I want to know more about the people, while the focus is more on the sides they're on, which is not really what I like.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

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"You grew up in a weird town, Dad."
"It takes some getting used to."

It's a witch cult/high school tale told, partially, from an enemy's unique perspective. Very cool. If you're into witchy things and don't mind following some teens around while they do some modern, gothic, mystical shenanigans, check it out.

Immediately I felt The Craft atmosphere-not in a rip-off way, but more like a nod. Once I figured out who was who, it was kind of a blast. I love a story that's not just men vs. women. It's more like a free-for-all Hatfields-and-McCoys style. The fun wasn't supposed to be a mystery you couldn't solve...the lore is where it's at. I'll read the next.

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Okay this kinda made me think if that toy doll line brats had a edgy comic. Bit of a coming of age with magic and surprise family.

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Thanks to BOOM! Studios & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very entertaining and thrilling mystery revolving around witches. I'm so happy witches are getting popular again! Definitely recommended to those who are fans of the Sabrina (the darker version) since it's in the same boat. A spooky mystery that slowly unravels...there's a cliffhanger, but it's still entertaining.

The only thing I didn't like was how the faces were drawn sometimes, but that's just me. The colors were beautifully done, however.

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Great illustrations, fascinating mystery and compelling plot! I will definitely be recommending this graphic novel to all of my friends!

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This was enjoyable enough to read but it was very much just an introduction to the world and characters.. The end of this introduction left me wanting more. If you don’t like a cliffhanger I’d say wait for the second book to come out but if the description sounds good to you; you should give it a try and see if the world and characters appeal to you. I enjoyed it having found the description appealing and would happily read more.

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I thought it was going to be interested, but it ended up being super predictable. A new girl comes to the old towns of Crab's Eye and find out that she's a witch. The amount of attention that she gets both from the cool group of girls and the weird gang of girls is insane. I didn't like it a lot, there's nothing like a plot. But, the art it's quite beautiful if you enjoy the dark style.
There's also a lot of unnecessary build from a novel this type were the lector can guess a lot without context, the writing is not great but if the storytelling were simpler, It would be better.
I wouldn't recommend this book, though, it's a shame I was expecting something different.

*Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.*

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NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

ABSOLUTELY phenomenal. I wish all of the titles had been released. The art storyline and content, will keep you on the edge of your seats. I hope Netflix takes this under their wing and a series comes out of it. Amazing. You will not regret reading this story.

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I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I hadn’t heard much about this (could be out of the loop) but I really enjoyed the storyline and the art. The story kept my interest and I want to know more about the main character and what happened to her family. Looking forward to reading volume 2.

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