It was a solid historical fantasy story. The author had good grasp of location and time period. I think it’s going to land solidly in the range of good to great for almost any reader that like fantasy graphic novels. If you read the premise and think OMG that sounds amazing you’ll probably love it. If you read the premise and go cool, fantasy graphic novel I’m in then you’ll probably read it and like it just fine but move on to the next book quickly. I’m rounding my three stars up to four for the readers who are going to love it. I liked it but couldn’t bring myself to adore it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
I think this is the perfect mix of historical fiction and magic realism. Ideas of race and gender are handled tastefully and the plot is engaging for young readers.

I LOVED THIS!!!
thank you NetGalley, this is my honest review,
Brooms is a Historical Queer and Magical graphic novel about a small team of strong people as they defy the so-called laws of the 1930's and work together to build a new life where they can fly and ware what they want in a safe space.
Broom racing looks like so much fun, the diversity of all the characters was great to see and made me smile with the small details the author had put in.
I loved this so much, the message was strong and the magical vibes on point.
five stars!

Thank you Levine Querido, for letting me read this before the release date, October 3. I ended up crying like a baby, but I have never felt my heart more open and full. The premise is great and the execution really delivered. But first things first. In the 1930s Mississippi, this queer, witchy Fast and the Furious shines light on themes of discrimination, oppression, and the resilience of not one but many marginalized communities.

The story begins by introducing the magical society and the oppression faced by BIPOC magicians, who are either forced into boarding schools to conform to "white-washed" magic or have their powers stripped away. One of the MCs, Louella (queer Choctaw), serves as a cautionary tale. She lost her powers and was sent to a boarding school, where she was forced to forget her heritage and magic. But there's an underground Broom Racing Circuit, that helps people like Billie Mae (Black queer with chronic joint pain), Loretta (Black disabled woman), Cheng-Kwan (trans-femme Chinese American), and Mattie and Emma (both are of mixed heritage, Black and Choctaw, and Emma is also deaf) to resist and experience what it is like to have a safe space where they can be happy and free. Although there are challenges to overcome, such as evading authorities, Brooms is all about working towards a better future, and I loved how it concludes with a balance of hope and realism.

I wholeheartedly endorse this deeply thought-provoking and emotionally resonant exploration of social injustice and the strength of the human spirit. While the story's depth and impact would undoubtedly benefit from the extended format of a series, it remains an important and masterfully executed narrative in its current form. Its themes of oppression, resilience, and found family is not only capable of captivating readers but also serve as a powerful lens through which to examine real-world issues. I hope we can all reflect a little more on the significance of heritage, community, and the pursuit of justice and equality.

This is very much an issue with me, not the book, but I just didn't get pulled in by the art work as much as I wanted. I also thought there were a little too many protagonists, which I found confusing and hard to follow along with in a graphic novel. That's just a matter of personal preference though, and it's why I couldn't fully enjoy this graphic novel. That being said, I did find the premisse of this to be very intriguing: the historical setting, the magical twist on residential schools, the broom racing. This is such a solid concept, so I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy it more.

The world-building in this book drew me in and the illustration style kept me around till the end. I loved the underground broom racing and how fleshed out the magic was. The characters were ones I wanted to see happy.

Brooms is a wonderful use of the comics medium — as a long-time fan of the medium, as well as an educator, I see so much possibility in the readership for this book.

This was such a beautiful read that touched on heavy topics in Mississippi in the 1930s. It explores race, trans identities, culture, and disabilities. I found myself truly rooting for these characters. I wish we have gotten more of Chen’s backstory. I was hoping that these characters got to use their magic and cringed whenever they experienced injustice.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the storyline and how the characters grew throughout the book. This was the first book I read from this author, but I will be keeping up with the future publications from this author.

Love, love, love! I didn't know I needed a magical Fast and Furious graphic novel in my life but, very obviously I did.

Inspired by underground queer communities of colour, Brooms is set in 1930s Missippi where magic is heavily monitored. It follows a family who have been hurt by this heavy monitoring as they try to protect Emma and Mattie from having to attend a residential school like their older cousin.

Bolstered by lovely art, Brooms is a queer, witchy story about love, family and togetherness. I read it in one sitting and it'll definitley be a story that I'll be returning to!

I loved this. I absolutely LOVED this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read a graphic novel and this was the perfect one. It was tender, exciting, sweet, and is all wrapped up in a world just a shade magical than our own. I teared up by the end with the montage of photos. It was beautiful and I just want more and more and more of the adventures of these characters.

In an alternative world of 1930’s Mississippi where magic is real, but only legal to use if you're white, a group of women fight to retain and practice magic through participation in dangerous underground team broom racing. Beautifully written and illustrated, this graphic novel covers a time period of American history often avoided. Through a magical/sports lens it showcases marginalized communities fighting back against white supremacy and oppression.

My only minor complaint is I wish it was longer. The author created such a rich world and there was so much more I wanted to know.

Sisters Mattie and Emma have just come of age and started showing signs of magic, being Choctaw gives them a legal pass to practice magic but the government wants to take them away to learn approved white magic. Only through a petition (pay-off) can they retain their ancestral magic, and it costs more money than their family has.

Their cousin Luella, who had her magic sealed away years ago and wants better for her family, introduces them to Billie-Mae (a Black woman, and team captain of the Night Storms,) Loretta (a Black woman, defensive flyer), and Cheng-Kwan (an Asian Transwoman, offensive flyer) who are all determined to make enough money to live as their true selves through dangerous illegal broom racing.

As they train the girls to join their team in secret, the oppressive outside world is slowly creeping closer, closing down the racing rings and arresting the magic users. Can they make enough money in time to protect themselves?

This was really fun! My biggest gripe with graphic novels is often that they feel too short for me to get attached to the characters or story. That definitely wasn't the case with this one—it was a good length and every page contributed information and moved the plot forward.
I did find that it took me quite a while to get acclimated to all of the different characters and the fantasy world that we are brought into. I wish I could've spent just a little less time confused and more time captivated.

This story about broom racing contains a diverse cast and serves as a metaphor for different forms of social injustice and discrimination in the past and present. I enjoyed the setting but I had my issues with the style of the illustrations and the amount of main characters. I found it hard to follow each ones arc as they were intertwine and shifted quite often. As the world portrayed feels so rich I would have wanted the illustrations to have a bit more depth and details to underline that notion. Still I cannot say this is a bad book by far, the representation of various minorites and the portrayal of magical sport definately is worth looking into it.

I really enjoyed this! The magic system, art, and story were very engaging, i will be looking for more by these authors!

This was a perfect winter read, a cosy heartwarming story about a diverse group of witches as they traverse the challenges of being a witch in 1930s Mississippi. Emma and Mattie are trying to train their magic while avoiding attention from the authorities who would force them into residential schools, or the white-way of doing magic.
This book had the potential to be preachy, but the complex topics were expertly navigated to convey the seriousness of the problems faced by the diverse characters. The drawings are stunning, and the characters switch to their native languages as they would have in real life.
This is a beautiful book that I would encourage everyone to read.

In the state of Mississippi in the 1930s, magic exists and broom racing is all the rage. Except they’re only allowed for white people. Young POC who are discovered to have powers are sent to government boarding schools to be taught the “right way” (meaning : white) of doing magic.

Mattie and Emma, two young girls who are both Black and Choctaw, are trying to train their magic while avoiding being sent to such schools. Their cousin, Luella, came back from one years ago with her powers locked up after she revolted against the government officials mistreating her.

While their family is trying to find a way to pay for an exemption permit (allowing POC to avoid having to learn white people’s way of doing magic), Luella finds the solution : broom racing. While forbidden and quite dangerous, it can be quite lucrative. Also, very fortunately, her girlfriend, Billie Mae, is the captain of the best broom racing team in the state, and is also one of the best at flying.

Then there’s magic and training montages and chosen families as well as supportive bio families and it’s super cute but also infuriating because racism and entitled white dudes. There’s really everything you could wish for (except for the entitled white dudes).


I had such a great time reading Brooms! While dealing with difficult subjects (I mean, POC in Mississippi during the 1930s… do I need to say more), Brooms still manages to be light-hearted and pretty optimistic. The ending and post-credit snippets brought tears to my eyes. Chosen families and queer people growing old are my weaknesses, OK?

There is such great representation in this graphic novel! All main characters are POC, with queer representation, trans representation, as well as people with disabilities and people using sign language. Sign language! Not to take anything away from the rest of the great cast of characters, but seeing a young character using ISL as a primary means of communication, and having the rest of the cast actually make an effort to make her comfortable and call out any behaviour that would keep her from being part of a conversation made me SO happy.

There is so much love and acceptance inside the found family unit of the main characters. The magic and broom racing are great and witchcraft is a theme that I love reading about, but to me the characters are the real high point of Brooms.

I just really want to read it again, and I really encourage you to do the same!

This was such a heartwarming story, blending history with magic and fantasy elements. The story is based in the first half of the 20th century, where young women and men of color are prohibited from using their traditional and natural magics. This is a reference to Jim Crow and other legislations that occurred. There are so many diverse experiences portrayed within the novel.

There is a lesibian couple consisting of a black woman and a native woman. The native woman, Luella, had lost her magic after reacting to abuse in a residential school. The black woman, Billie Mae, suffers from chronic pain and fatigue related to her magic and lost her entire family.

There is a plus size black woman, Loretta, who is an academic, multi talented and married to her very sweet husband.

Cheng Kwan is a Chinese-American Trans woman.

Mattie and Emma are Luella's younger siblings who are black and native. One of the sister is deaf, and everyone works to accommodate her.

There is just so many layers to the representation, especially with the vast amounts of skin color diversity. And to tie it in, all of this is told through a story that is deeply compelling and made me cry from happiness.

This was truly awesome. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is the perfect Fall read. The animation style was incredible and well organized, making it easy to follow the story. Something about October makes me crave graphic novels and this one hits every mark with the cozy artistic style, magic, and broom racing! The representation in the story was impressive but not over done. Certainly a story for fans of found family, magic, and Fall. I can’t say I understand the magic system but I had fun on this journey. I haven’t read a graphic novel, or any novel for that matter, like this one. I cannot overstate enough the significant representation blended beautifully with historical reality. To be clear, this is fantasy but it drew on reality.

I implore folks to pick this one up.

Great graphic novel, with tons of representation, that deserves to be the Next Big Thing!
Brooms is a graphic novel about witches (magic people and they also race on brooms) set in 1930s Mississippi, with the background of discrimination of who gets to have their powers without restrictions. The plot follows our characters trying to navigate that world, with a focus on the illegal broom racing (à la Fast&Furious, of all pop culture references). To note that the story was inspired by underground queer communities of colour around the time period.
I loved the story and the characters, and the subject matter is really well-handled and brought to light! The final pages with tastes of epilogue really won me over. I loved seeing all the different types of representation, especially in terms of disability rep, that you don't see often, as well as the diverse background (the bits of native, non-translated text were such a nice touch in the characters' stories!).

Thanks to NetGalley and Levine Querido for the eARC. All thoughts are my own and freely given.