There is a fun story in this graphic novel. The author sneaks the coming of age/identity (allegorical) themes in with the realization that she comes from a long line of witches. The book reminded me of the days when kids would explore the world around them looking for adventures. I love the storyline between Kat and Mari, but I would have like to see more with her family. The art was vibrant and was an excellent compliment to the storytelling. The GN is a tad long, but the story is engaging enough for readers.

The story building is done really well here and I think that lends into this graphic novel being a little longer than usual for its genre (something I am absolutely ok with!). I enjoyed the spooky storyline of a creepy/secretive small town and as a big time podcast listening myself I really loved that aspect of this story as well. There were some pages that felt heavy to me in terms of dialogue which I wished would have been spread out more but the full pages of spooky and interesting imagery were wonderful.
This is the first time I have come across this artist and I was not the hugest fan of the character illustrations here as they felt more comic strip than graphic novel to me? - I recognize that is very much a personal preference and didn’t take away from how much I did enjoy the originality of this tale!

Special thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I actually really enjoyed this one. The mystery was unique and entertaining and I liked all the main characters. The artist is popular but I haven’t read anything else they done so this was exciting!

When Mari’s grandmother dies, she’s whisked away on her break to attend the funeral and see her family. She hasn’t been back to Estrella Roja since she was a kid. Kat cohosts a podcast where she and her best friend Clem talk about paranormal experiences and discuss cryptic creatures. When Kat is emailed about strange things happening in Estrella Roja, she decides to drive there on break by herself. The locals aren’t friendly and she is pretty much warned against getting too involved in the town. When she meets Mari, things change & the two girls begin to uncover the conspiracy the town is trying to hide away while also falling for each other along the way.

At the end there it was actually getting into creepy territory. I was also pleasantly surprised that there were creatures talked about that I haven’t heard of before. I’m a sucker for the trope of “person A goes to investigate something and meets person B is actually involved even though they don’t know and they fall in love and spooky stuff happens” because that is actually used a lot more then you think. This was a cute & spooky little graphic novel that I’m glad I got to read.

Two girls, one horrifying mystery, and an unexpected romance. Kat Fields receives a mysterious email that urges her to visit an unknown town in Texas that has a history of witchcraft, strange sightings and “devil lights”. Kat runs a spooky podcast and she can’t resist this new story. She takes a solo road trip to Estrella Roja but the moment she gets there everybody is closed off and refuses to answer any of her questions, in fact she is urged to go away. Marisol “Mari” Castillo is also in Estrella Roja, but rather than a spooky investigation she is there to attend her abuela’s funeral. Things are tense because her mother had cut ties with the family and left Estrella when Mari was only a child but now she is back. Mari begins to notice that her family is extremely secretive and now she is determined to help Kat investigate. From going on cute investigations and research outings, the two girls begin to fall for each other but they both begin to realize that there is something much stranger going on in the town and that Mari’s family is definitely involved somehow. A dark legacy, monsters, and the bonds that bring us together, can these two girls make it out of Estrella Roja alive when they unlock the mystery? This was a fun read and I enjoyed the mystery! The art is cute and the overall romance was sweet. I liked how spooky the story was and the twist at the end was nice. Overall, definitely a fun spooky read!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Loved this story!! The pacing was good and I didn't know what was going to happen next. Will there be more adventures with these characters?