Althalia is a bruja - a hot-headed one at that. While her Abuelita has been preparing her to embrace her powers, Althalia has been recklessly making deals with demons to save kids and helping her friends solve magical calamities around their town. When a priest threatens everything Althalia knows, she realizes it's time to embrace the lessons her Abuelita has taught her - and her powers as the last bruja.

I really loved this graphic novel! The art absolutely blew me away in Season of the Bruja, Soler does an incredible job at keeping panels clean and colors vibrant. It was very easy for my eyes to flick across the page and understand what was going on and what location the characters were in. The plot was also fascinating! As someone who can't speak Spanish, I did find myself pausing and looking a couple things up to wrap my head around the mythology, but it was such a fun adventure and a heavy plot handled delicately.

One of my only issues I had with Season of the Bruja was the pacing. Because it's the first in a series, I can let it slide as there's plenty of time to fill in gaps, but this graphic novel really just throws the reader in. I needed a couple pages at the beginning to really establish who the characters were - or at least some character info sheets at the end to clarify. I got confused often in the beginning and genuinely thought I'd missed a page or two because I wasn't quite wrapping my head around who Dana and Chuey were to Althalia. After referencing the description of the graphic novel, confusion cleared, but I felt like I should have been able to pick up the book sight unseen and go into it with some of the baser questions answered and addressed before the plot picked up.

Season of the Bruja was a fantastic read! I'm actually really excited to recommend this to my audience because I have a few people in mind who'd enjoy the folklore/religious aspect of it (like I did!). I'll be eagerly awaiting volume two from Durán and Soler to see what other adventures Althalia, Dana, and Chuey go on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

In the Season of the Bruja, we are following Althalia, a young bruja coming into her powers. The church is out to destroy the last of her kind, continuing the years of hate towards Althalia and her abuela. Althalia, her friends, and abuela are on a mission to stop the church and keep their ancient ways alive.

I loved this little graphic novel. It is really short so I don't want to give too much away, but the art is beautiful, and the colors are bold and vibrant (fantastic color palate!). I love the story so far, and I can't wait to continue on in the series. The conversation surrounding colonialism and how it resulted in religion oppression in other cultures, and how it still affects us today is very important. I love that this graphic novel is fun, but still has an overlying message.
Thank you so much #OniPress and #NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I was waffling between 3 or 4 stars for this one, so I'm giving it 3.5, rounded up.

The art is beautiful in this graphic novel. The art style and use of color add another level to the story, and add a lot of impact. Story-wise, I was confused in a few parts. There is no worldbuilding, you're thrust into the story and have to pick up history and facts as you go along. Normally I would have a bigger problem with this, but it's the first volume in a graphic novel, so there's room to grow. Althalia is a little too hotheaded for my taste, but growth is happening. I love the commentary on colonialism and theft by museums, so I think I will continue with this series. Hopefully it will clear up a lot of questions I have with the story.

4,5⭐️

Magnificent visuals, linked with intriguing story about loss, culture, magic and what part of your life family plays. I was hooked from the first page thanks to the art, and the deeper I went, the more I wasn't disappointed. Althalia as the main character works greatly – she's a good at heart but flawed person, it's very easy for her to do action before thinking, but she learns from her mistakes and deals with consequences. Supporting character stole my heart, I already can't wait for the next volumes, and although the villains were barely introduced, it is something I'm not going to complain about. They will receive plenty more time next, I'm sure, but as a welcome to the story, "Season of the Bruja" works marvellous.

Cannot not recommend!

I really love the art style of this book. On top of that the story line and the dark magic/fantasy aspect was really fun. Can’t wait for more!

Reading for Hispanic Heritage Month

I don't think I'm the right audience for graphic novels, but the art in this one is beautiful. A lovely story about a girl, her grandma, evil priests and a hot blue demon.

My high school level Spanish helped with a few phrases, but I really do need to brush up on the language. A beautiful family oriented culture.

Just go along for the ride.

Was given an ARC by Netgalley & Oni Press in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoyed this but I wish Netgalley would allow graphic novels to go to kindle because it’s extremely difficult to read on my phone!

The graphics were insanely beautiful! I really enjoyed the magic element and the plot perfect for fall!

This book is a fun, magical adventure rooted in some serious feelings. Althalia is a young woman caught between two worlds - one of an American teenager, the other, her powerful Mexican heritage. She is trying to understand her ancestors and her newly found powers - she comes from a line of powerful brujas (witches.) But Althalia feels other - she was not raised speaking Spanish - despite being surrounded by loving friends and family. Though fantastical, it is really a story of culture and heritage. I only wished it was longer!