This is so cute I could puke.
Eli is a barista who dabbles in a little magic on his own...until he is discovered by James, a witch who is part of the Arcana organization. A romance blossoms between the two of them while something more sinister and mysterious lurks in the background. They, alongside Sonny, Koko, and Daphne, attempt to figure out what is being hidden by Arcana leadership and what really happened to their parents.
The romance in this is very insta-love, but it's so cute I forgive it. I was intrigued by the story and by each of the characters and their personalities, but the real star here are the illustrations. They are FANTASTIC. The color choices give it a bit of an old-timey and cozy charm, there is a plethora of body types and skin tones and gender expressions, there's also lots of queer rep. The characters are implied to be in their 20s (and James's "Tender" profile says he is 20), and the pop culture references and relationships and vibes give it more of an adult feel (I'm 32 and I feel like this is PERFECT for my friends), but there's nothing inappropriate that would mean teens couldn't/shouldn't read it. I can't wait to see what book two brings!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Lost Heirs scratched that itch that can only be scratched with a queer coming of age witchy story full of love and friendship. I don't make the rules! Gorgeous artwork and charming storytelling by Sam Prentice-Jones with found family vibes, dark magic brewing, a secret magical society and an intriguing mystery to solve. I need the next installment!

Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Arcana by Sam Prentice-Jones is a paranormal, witchy graphic novel with queer representation! This is like my second graphic novel ever, and I am loving them. I love how the author used tarot cards as the chapter names. The illustrations were greatly done! The storyline had me hooked, and the characters are well-developed! Please give me book two now!

Thank you, NetGalley, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

James, Daphne, Koko, and Sonny have grown up in the Arcana, Britain's MI6 for the paranormal. They're witches, from families of witches, specifically the former ruling families of the Arcana, before democratization...that happened because the last set of leaders died when our main characters were young. Eli doesn't even think of himself as a witch, doesn't realize that there's anyone like him out there, but when James finds him as the source of some mysterious magic, Eli quickly makes it into the fold. For the first time in his life, he has a family, a community. But there's some sinister things at play, between mysterious history and a newly unveiled curse.
So, tragically, my only complaint is that this is the first in a series and it ends on a cliffhanger, so if that's a problem, maybe put it on your TBR and wait for the next one to come out. Okay, I lied, there are two complaints, I really wanted to see more of my dude Sonny. I think he was my favorite, as a major history nerd and general little sweetie. Daphne was also an absolute star and she deserves all the best. I really loved the art style and color palettes. I'm already looking forward to the next volume, because this left so much to be known and found out.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel and I'm looking forward to volume 2! The art style was simple but very cute and I loved the author's use of colors. I love a good witchy story and I really liked the use of tarot cards---as chapter headers, hierarchy of the witch council, and plot points.

My biggest complaints about the story is that the romance was quick quick and I wished it was a much slower burn. This volume also felt almost like a prologue to the main story, with many of the first chapters focusing on just getting to know each of the characters. I feel like we didn't get to see much of the main plot with the curse and their families' shared history.

Regardless, I still enjoyed this story a lot and I'm definitely going to read volume 2 so I can see where Eli and his friends end up!

This was very fun. I love a fully queer cast of witches! It had a nice balance between the bigger plot and the new friends and relationships. Though there is a cliffhanger ending which now I have to wait for the second volume and I don't know when it comes out! I definitely am invested in these characters and am intrigued to know just what happened to the old families.

ummmmm im kinda obsessed!! i need the next novel immediately. the art style and pacing was very enjoyable, making the experience so so good. i love supernatural things so this was virtually perfect for me

A wild ride mystery centered around witches and the major/minor arcana cards of tarot? Yes please! This was a good story with mystery, family dynamics, friendship, romance, and great LGBTQ+ representation! I really enjoyed the story and look forward to the next installment!

I loved this graphic novel and am looking forward to reading the series. I really liked the illustrations including the color choices and character proportions. It made it interesting! I think the storyline is super interesting and I can't wait to find out more about the curse!

Absolutely obsessed love the story love the characters kept me hooked and wanting more throughout the whole graphic novel and I cannot wait until the next part comes out .

Love the lgbt representation , love the plus size positivity the only issue I have with this book is the font that they use , I am visually impaired and struggled a significant amount trying to read a good chunk of the graphic novel.

I highly recommend this graphic novel it is a lot of fun to read, witches, magic , curses and mysterious pasts!

Thank you Netgalley Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends

After discovering that a world with witches exists thanks to a run in with witch James, Eli Jones is thrown into the organization known as Arcana. Arcana protects the magical world, but suddenly something sinister is happening. Eli and other witches try to figure out what is happening.

Rating: 3.7/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed the tarot card concept in this graphic novel. I also loved the mystery and how it wasn’t completely answered in this debut book in the series.

The art is incredible beautiful. The blues and browns, are you kidding me?! Stunning..

The romance between Eli and James felt really insta-lovey, which took me out of it completely. I also thought the pacing in the book was incredibly fast in general, but maybe it’s correct for a graphic novel…I’m not sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARac in exchange for an honest review.

I like graphic novels, but while the premise of this book is interesting, it is slow to start and does not realize its full potential. Character development is meager and none of the scenes made me want to stop to relish it. I was expecting there would be a character to parallel each card in each chapter, or some connection with the card each chapter was named after, but there was none. This seems to be executed by a children's comic writing team who wanted to throw adult themes into their work.
I thank Netgalley and the publishers for a copy to review. I want to wish the author and his team the best success for the book and will look forward to the conclusion. It was a quick read on a lazy afternoon, and while I did feel an X-factor was missing in this work, I appreciate that I was granted a first look at this.

Arcana is an organization of witches who protect the magical world. This organization consists of James, Koko, Daphne, and Sonny. One day, James has a mission to go to a spot on a farm that’s actually pretty difficult to get to. Before he goes, he decides to stop by at a coffee shop, where he meets Eli. The two totally have an instant crush on each other, but are too shy to say anything. James asks Eli if he knows about this house and how to get to it and Eli knows exactly the stop that James is talking about.

Once James gets to this place, he gets a weird feeling about it and talks to his witchy friends about it. He then sees Eli again and realizes that Eli is a witch and doesn’t know any other witches. James invites Eli to be part of the Arcana. Will Eli join this organization? What does James and the rest of the Arcana group discover?

I really enjoyed this book and the graphics are great! Kind of a spoiler, but not…there’s a crazy cliffhanger! I can’t wait for the next book!

I am pretty new to reading graphic novels but I loved the premise of Arcana: The Lost Heirs. The illustrations were beautiful and I liked the color palette a lot. I did feel like it was a little slow, but I would definitely read more. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review, all opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed the premise! I’m a sucker for witch and magic stories. The tarot aspects? Super cool. I would have loved to see more of the magic in practice, rather than theory.

It has lots of lgbtq rep. The cast is large, so it’s hard to get enough depth in each character. Maybe it’s not necessary, because Eli and James are the MC’s, but getting the POV from other characters made me more interested in their lives.

The story felt… slow. Not much happened until the very end, then it was a big cliffhanger. It was mostly set up for a conspiracy we don’t understand by the end.

Don’t get me wrong, the series has potential. I’m interested in where it goes! If you’re looking for secret witch societies and/or lgbtq rep, this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan, Feiwel & Friends for the ARC!

First, let me RAVE over this gorgeous artwork. The art style initially reeled me in, and I can officially say I’m a fan (especially as a fellow illustrator—the spread of the Halloween scene was one of my faves <3).

The story is oh-so cozy! This feels like a perfect book for Autumn—full of witches, Tarot, mysteries, spooky curses, and a fun cast of characters. Some of my favorite moments in the story included Sam’s humor—it’s very cute, and I found myself giggling often.

That being said, the pacing felt a bit rushed, and there was some info-dumping to get the reader up-to-speed. I would have liked to see Eli grappling with their magic studies and maybe some scenes with James to give us a more solid foundation of their relationship. (Also, the spit part was a bit odd imo, but not the weirdest thing I’ve seen lol.)

Overall, though, I had a lovely time! I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and I’m excited to see where the story goes!

Witches, covens, secrets, lost families, adorable queer characters - there is nothing NOT to love about this book. The art is simplistic, but expressive, and I adore it.

This is exactly the kind of graphic novel I wish I’d had growing up: cozy, queer, magical, and just a little darkness. As someone who hasn’t really touched graphic novels in quite a while, this felt nostalgic. The pages flow so naturally and so quickly, the art is warm and expressive, and the characters are instantly lovable. It reminded me why this format can be so powerful, especially for stories like these.

There’s real darkness bubbling under the surface (parental deaths, secretive magic hierarchies, creepy curses), but the tone stays welcoming and gentle even when things get serious. That balance works because the characters themselves feel so grounded and we get to know them all so quickly. James, Daphne, Koko, Sonny, and Eli all shine in their own way. It’s hard not to root for them, especially as they begin unraveling their shared pasts. A celebration of identity, acceptance, and magic that queer teens (and all of us) deserve more of.

The romance did feel a bit rushed for me. And some of them getting to know one another likely happens off-screen, so we're not really privy to that. Still, this has larger themes it wants to cover and I understand that we couldn't dwell in the relationship forever. Also, small nitpick, but the constant “haha” sprinkled across panels started to get distracting. It’s such a short word, my eyes kept jumping to it and it was overdone. Still, those are tiny quibbles in an otherwise lovely read.

If you’re looking for something soft, inclusive, with mysteries and magic, this is a great choice to add to your TBR for Pride! I adored the art so very much!

Thanks so much to the author, publisher, and TBR and Beyond Tours for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an arc!

I really enjoyed the style of artwork that was done! The premises of the plot is really intriguing. I do feel it was a little info dumping, but I am sure it is due to being the first one in a series.

This book is has a lot of LGBTQIA+ rep in it and I really like that!

I did find the romance to happen to fast and came out of nowhere. I do wish that it didn’t happen so early in the story.

I loved the art and enjoyed the story line but feels rushed. Like how each chapter was represented my a tarot. Look forward to reading next installment.