Very well done! Story and illustrations were amazing!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this! The historical setting in Depression era Mississippi combined with the fantasy world building of magic and broom racing is so well done. The main characters are all from marginalized communities and are faced with period typical racism and racist laws. In this story, Black people aren't allowed to learn or practice magic, and Indigenous children are often taken to residential schools if their families can't pay to exempt them. In this time of scarcity and danger, this band of young women and girls compete in dangerous broom races to win prize money that will get them closer to securing safer futures for them all. The story is compelling, and I love the glimpses of backstory that reveal the early friendships between Bille Mae, Luella, Loretta, and Cheng Kwan. I especially liked how the girls learn that Cheng Kwan is trans and immediately accept her and welcome her into their friend group. The art is so good! I've been a fan of Teo DuVall's work for years, and I thoroughly enjoyed gazing upon their artwork in Brooms. The character designs are really cool; I like that there's a wide variety of body types, ages, skin tones, etc.. There's also disability rep with multiple characters, all of which is portrayed with care. I was really impressed by how this story skillfully shows these characters in all their complexities, and tells an exciting tale of magic, risk, and new beginnings. A must read!

This is such an emotional, cozy and heartwarming read! This is everything you'd expect from a perfect underdog sport story but finally made queer, and inclusive for BIPOC characters and people with disabilities and sprinkled with magic broom-racing badassery.

What I especially liked about the story is that the underground world of broom racing (it is allowed for white people only) is also queernormative and if one'd talented and determined to practice magic and broom-racing, no-one will tell them their disability would stop them from having a chance at a race.
If you want to see an underground community creating a safe haven for all the marginalized, discriminated and persecuted people, go for this book!

The beginning of the story feels a bit didactic, choosing the method of informing the reader by characters informing other characters who are all perfectly aware of what's said already but that is for the sake of the medium and pacing I guess. It gets quite fast-paced soon, while still being reflective and highly emotional.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC.

This book was so so cool! The diversity of backgrounds and identity in the historical setting is very meaningful. I loved all the characters. The color palette is gorgeous and the storyline is engaging.

Perfect

5 stars

In this alternate history, set in 1930s Mississippi, magic is generally not allowed to be performed unless you have a certain background or have the license to do so. Mattie and Emma, are starting to develop powers. After the situation with Luella, their elder cousin, the family is scared and unsure of how to protect the girls. There are the broom races where one can make money quickly. Mattie and Emma are interested and against their family's wishes, start racing to raise money for protection.

This super layered and nuanced story is a must read. Not only is there fantasy and magic, but there is a lot of discussion on abilities/disabilities, LGBTQ+ issues, race, and more. It would be great to revisit this world again. It is an absolute must read alternate history that tackles a lot of tough discussions framed around magic.

Queer found family with such good representation and well researched details. And it’s witchy and fun. I loved it !

To start, this was an amazing book worth a 5-star review.

The reason:
Brooms is a book set in 1930 Mississippi, where things are not that great for magic users of color, and the protagonists need to start participating in clandestine races to gain money and be safe.
The plot is so much more than that. The amount of research and care that was put into this graphic novel is impressive. The parallelism with the history of queer people is also great. You can sense the authors' care about the topic.
I am queer, but not from the country this is set on, so I can’t talk a lot about the history part of the book, but I am happy to see the representation of so many people with such amazing character design.
But I don’t love this novel just for the representation. All the magic and races are entertaining, and I hope to read more books like this. It left me with so many emotions, and the ending was what I hoped for.
I am thankful for the opportunity NetGalley gave me in reading this novel. It is going to be my favorite for a while.

4/5

I don't know why it took till last day of availability to read this one because it turned out into a very fun read.
It's basically a story based on brooms races and it was a very adrenalinic experience.
I honestly never read anything even close to this theme and it was very fun to both read and look at.
The drawings were very good and the story was very fast paced.
I liked how it was developed and of course ended even if I found the entire book a maybe too fast read to fully appreciate the whole story.
There's not much backstory to the characters, and the one we find is very brief and not very detailed.
A dozen more pages dedicated to some past were needed, but still a very enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this a ton! I finished this in one sitting because I didn’t want to stop reading! It was thrilling, excellent, really well done all over.

The artwork was stunning. I liked seeing ASL and the one character has a leg brace when she rides her broom – so cool. There were a lot of blues and cool tones in the panels which I liked. But there were also warm colours as well, which was great to see.

I definitely need to make a note of the illustrator because I would love to see this type of artwork soon again. I connected to the characters quickly, not just because of the story and dialogue, but because of how they were drawn. I could tell their personalities, if they were friendly, if they would even make you a cup of tea if you were down – just from what they looked like on the page (screen).

Brooms is a stunning historical fiction, fantasy graphic novel.

This story follows a group of girls in 1930's Mississippi who use their magic to broom race to win money. This is a secretive practice as it is not allowed and if they were caught, they could be punished.

This cast of characters is extremely diverse as it is made up of Black, Choctaw and Black, Chinese, and queer girls. The story takes on racism, assimilation, residential schools, and disability. These hard hitting topics are weaved together to tell an important story about friendship, love, family, and being who you are. Many of these characters are working towards leaving the South so they can more freely live as they are.

The art and color scheme of this graphic novel perfectly emulate the witchy and magical vibe of the story.

I would highly recommend this to graphic novel lovers as well as those of you who like to read diverse stories with good representation!

I love the idea of “underground” broom races. The story was so magical and delightfully queer. I loved the found family, diverse representation, and the historical elements. The art was perfect for the story.

Rep:
Luella - Mexican and Choctaw
Mattie & Emma - Black and Choctaw, Emma is deaf and uses Indian Sign Language
Billie Mae - Black, has chronic joint pain, in a relationship with Luella
Cheng Kwan - Chinese-American, trans female
Loretta & James - Black couple, Loretta uses a leg brace because of a stroke

What a joy! Brooms was an absolute ride, pun intended. Somehow Jasmine Walls was able to bring to life a story that felt so authentic and familiar that even though it was new, I was immersed immediately. The representation was also top-notch, with queer identities, disability, and BIPOC characters, and the real historical undertones to the setting and story were well done.

I thought this was clever in the way it addresses discrimination and oppression, telling the story of forced re-education using magic. I enjoyed the artwork which is beautifully clear and well drawn. It is a lovely graphic novel for both young adults and adults alike.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

We love a graphic novel with representation! BIPOC, LGBTQ+, deafness, etc. Plus, it’s witchy! The plot and characters weren’t overly captivating, hence the lower rating. I appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to an eARC, but I think I’ll need to stick with physical copies of graphic novels to maximize the experience.

Witchy graphic novels are so totally my jam. Just see my previous five-star posts about Coven, Over My Dead Body, and both volumes of The Okay Witch.

“Brooms” written by Jasmine Walls and illustrated by queer chicanx artist Teo Duvall only fuels that fire.

At the surface, “Brooms” is a story about magic and unsanctioned broom racing, with an unapologetically diverse cast of witches, including lesbian and trans representation, along with characters from many different racial groups.

Just below the surface, “Brooms” is an allegory for government corruption and control, set against depression-era Mississippi, and telling the story from sorely underrepresented perspectives.

Ultimately, “Brooms” highlights the unbalanced division of power, and the importance of standing up not only for what you believe to be just, but also for what you deserve.

And the illustrations are just breathtaking.

In this graphic novel we follow a group of friends as they illegally race brooms to try and win money to better their lives. Billie Mae, Loretta, Cheng-Kwan, Mattie, and Emma make up the broom racing team known as the Night Storms. Together they enter one of the biggest races with the biggest pot. Can the girls win the race and the life changing money?

This was such a fantastic graphic novel. I loved all of the different characters. They all had their own issues and well fleshed out personalities. I loved all of the artwork too, it really made this graphic novel stand out among the many I've read this year. Overall, a great graphic novel and one I think would be a great addition to your collection!

BROOMS is a powerful queer & witchy graphic novel by Jasmine Walls and Teo DuVall. It’s set in 1930s Mississippi, where magic use is limited and broom racing is banned. But some witches see broom racing as the only way to make enough money to leave the state for good, or as a way to avoid government officials who want to send young witches away to a boarding school that will prevent them from using their ancestral magic. For other witches, it's a way to be true to themselves. This book follows six BIPOC witches as they turn to broom racing as the only way out of their hardships.

This graphic novel tells the heart-wrenching story of what it feels like to have things taken away from you—your magic, identity, and ability to live as your true self while living in a constant state of fear. But it also shows the importance of fighting back and reclaiming your power; of believing in yourself and knowing that no one can ever steal what’s rightfully yours. This story actively chooses not to focus on pain and hatred, and instead focuses on love, community and acceptance. It allows us to dream of a kinder world and imagine what’s possible.

The characters resist colonialism by embracing who they are, which is a beautiful thing to witness. They fight for survival in the face of injustice, and they lean on each other through it all. Their friendship is the glue that holds the book together, and although there are six main characters the story feels well-balanced and each witch has enough time to tell her story. Their ancestral and familial ties to magic guides them and moves the story forward.

BROOMS is a profound and thoughtful exploration of what it’s like to be a rebellious queer woman of colour in the face of adversity, but also a tender and magical story about friendship and community.

My thanks to NetGalley and Levine Querido for providing me with an eARC.

TW: racism, mentioning & flashback of reservation schools

Wow, this was a star studded read. I love the diversity in this and the world-building was fantastic and was perfect for the story. I do wished that the story’s as longer and possible have gotten more content as to what happened after the race with girls when they were older. The only thing that I have minor critique on is the villianious school boys and in connection the magical schools. I felt like we need more information about the schools especially with one of the characters having lost her powers because of the school. it just didn’t really seem clear enough for my liking.

“Your hatred is your curse. It tightens around your heart like a noose. Act in violence and pay the price.

Live in kindness and you will go unharmed.”

Happy Indigenous People’s Day! It actually worked out perfectly that I finished this #graphicnovel in time to post about it today!

The author Jasmine Walls masterfully blends Choctaw heritage into her story of communities at the margins - those of the mixed race Black Indigenous and Mexican Indigenous, Chinese, disabled and queer communities. These characters came to life in the span of a few pages with the mastery of the author and her team of artists. Swipe ⬅️ for a synopsis, and thank you to @netgalley and @levinequerido for my eARC ahead of publication!

This book is available tomorrow October 10th!!

The basis for the main plotline in this graphic novel isn't wholly unique (some of the characters need money and therefore enter a dangerous competition to win a money prize), but it's the world and the characters that make it interesting. I do wish I had learned a little more about the world, but I feel like I got enough information to feel a true sense of danger and I think it was interesting to see how magic was incorporated into true historical events. My favourite aspect of this graphic novel was definitely the characters. They are very diverse (Choctaw, Black, Chinese-American, Mexican, trans, queer, Deaf and disabled) and all of these identities were incorporated really well. It got enough attention and felt relevant eventhough it wasn't the main plot. It was also lovely to see such a supportive group of friends and family. Everyone had their own struggles going on but they respected others when they made decisions that were different from what they themselves would have liked and it was so nice to see such healthy communication.

I also liked the artwork, especially how distinct all the characters were and the use of clean lines. Personally I do prefer a little more shading as the illustrations appeared quite flat, but that is only a minor complaint.

Over all this was an enjoyable read with enough depth that is great for this time of year!