This graphic novel definitely took its world building seriously, which I really appreciated. It's got light queer romance, a journey, magic and action, plus a bunch of ADORABLE goats. Every time the kids appeared on page I was so happy, they were always super cute. This is a great middle-grade story about two girls from two very different spots in their class system who are forced together and uncover a political conspiracy. I had fun reading the story and it was pretty quick to get through. I liked the art style, and I enjoyed the ending.

Before I begin, I would like to thank Kate Wheeler for allowing me to read a Net Galley copy of her upcoming graphic novel, Goat Magic, which will be available on August 19th, 2025.

Goat herder Trill’s magic allows her to communicate with her flock, but she yearns for a life that doesn’t involve guarding goats in the mountains. She knows that her magic is probably too simple compared to the city’s infamous magic schools she’s forbidden to attend. In contrast, Princess Alya, or the “Ordinary Princess”, worries that she’ll ever be ready to take her place as ruler of Capeya. When there’s an assassination attempt on the queen, Alya finds herself cursed to transform into a goat every sunrise, and Trill agrees to help her figure out a way to break the enchantment. As they spend more time together, Trill and Alya form an impenetrable bond. Can Alya defeat those that betrayed her, claim her right to the throne, and guide an unstable kingdom to peace? Can Trill embrace her magic and the feelings that start to bloom for her new friend?

This was a wonderful book. You have Trill, a sassy, clever, kind, and lovely young girl that has spent her life caring for goats in the mountains and craves for something different. You have Alya, a sharp, honest, thoughtful, and pretty girl that feels confined by people’s expectations of her as the crown princess and wonders if she can ever live up to them. I enjoyed the interactions between Trill, her goats, and Alya. The art is gorgeous, and the developing romance is sweet. The magic system in this world is great, and I appreciated how the author handled the privileges that the upper class has often in detriment to the other working people and remain oblivious to their discontentment and anger. Overall, if you like beautiful art, fantastic worldbuilding, goats, LGBTQIA+ representation, and sweet romance, then I would highly recommend this book.

Goat Magic was perfect to mark 200 books for the year so far! If you love Shrek and The Emperor’s New Groove, this is the graphic novel is for you. There is the perfect balance of wholesome whimsy and real world topics covered through that wholesomely whimsical lens. I adored Trill and Alya. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Imagine The Emperor's New Groove, but goats, queer, and absolutely adorable! I loved the main characters and their road to finding themselves while also trying to break a curse.

Known as the "Ordinary Princess," Alya is heading home from a state dinner with her mother and uncle when their carriage is attacked and Alya finds herself cursed to turn into a goat every sunrise. Meanwhile, Trill doesn't think her magic is much good, as all she can do is talk to goats. She finally convinces her mother to let her go to market by herself, but when she meets a strange talking goat along the mountain trail, she realizes that even though she's just a humble goatherder, she has to help.

Honestly, the romance in this book felt a little forced, but otherwise, I'm a big fan of this book. The goats were authentic and adorable. The way this book combined political conflict with personal struggles resonates well and offers a lot to think about. I was suitably shocked by the climax but happy with the way things turned out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sort of like "The Emperor's New Groove in the style of K O'Neill." Wholesome, queer, funny, action packed, and critical of those in power. What more do I need from a comic?

This was a delightful middle-grade adventure filled with magic, intrigue, and complicated emotions. Oh yeah, and goats!

This was a very cool read the art style was really fun and colourful and i enjoyed the overall plot. i think id love to read more from this artist in the future so i would love that but it was a little strange to get used to.

First I would like to thank NetGalley, the Author, the Artist and the Publisher for this ARC.

Hoooo, I really enjoyed this one!
It was a cute, heartfelt and recognizable story, with a lot of even cuter Goats! 😍😍😍
The story is about finding yourself, accepting yourself and finding your place in the world.
It's also about corruption, privilege and being blind to the world and people around you, due to the fact that you are raised in a castle, treated differently and have been thought the history your predecessors found accurate, and learning that there are two sides to a story.

I loved it and could not put it down.

Goat Magic is charming, cozy graphic novel about a magical goat herder, Trill, her herd of adorable goats, and a cursed princess, Alya, in need of rescue. When Trill ventures through the mountains to bring her goats to market, she comes across a goat in need of rescue. But this goat isn’t actually a goat; she’s the princess! And there’s some bad people looking to capture her. As her simple trip to the market turns into a rescue mission, Trill learns to trust in her magic. Meanwhile, Alya learns how the people in her kingdom really feel about the royal family and finds some joy in letting go a bit while she’s a goat.

This graphic novel has a strong political underpinning, but focuses on how the state of the world affects our heroes. Trill and Alya are both strong in their own ways and each makes you want to route for them. I love the artwork and how it fills out the fantasy world. I also adore how expressive the characters (including the goats!) are! If you love goats, fun magic systems, or cozy adventures, this one is for you!

I’ve always been a casual goat fan. They have such adorable faces. And when they’re lil’ babies, they are the most precious beauties. But I heard that as they grow, they can get a little mean, which makes me just a bit scared to get nipped. So, alas, my love will be from afar. That’s why this was such a good book for me to read. I can love the magical 2D goat here and not be afraid of getting hurt.

Starting this book, I assumed it would be sweet, but also have some adventure. I didn’t know that the fate of a kingdom would be in the hands of two young girls, one of which had Rey from Star Wars hair. I had mad respect for holding her head up that long with space buns in a mohawk formation btw. While on this journey, one would be transformed into a goat and the other’s magical powers are tied to the exact same creature… she can even understand them.

My favorite part though was when the girls finally realize that they like each other. So it turned from a good book to a queer one, which made me love it 10 times more!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC.

This follows Trill & Alya—Trill is a goat herder, Alya is a princess cursed to be a goat. They team up to try and save Alya from becoming a permanent goat.

There were so many goats and I loved every single one, I loved the different personalities each goat showed.

Both the girls had strong character development and I loved watching them get closer with one another.

This is for those within the middle grade and I think it would be perfect for them! I enjoyed it and I had fun reading it.

Thank you to Oni Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

An enjoyable cozy read - rich illustrations which support and augment the text - fun to read but wouldn't purchase for personal collection. Would recommend for libraries. Queer friendly.

I don’t think I was really the intended audience for this book, but that’s okay. It was a cute and magical coming-of-age story with a lot of heart. I struggled to connect with the magic system—it just didn’t fully click for me—but the artwork and the goats were absolutely lovely. There’s definitely charm here, even if it didn’t fully work for me.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF @30%

This is a very charming graphic novel about a goatherd with dreams of being a hero and a magical affinity for goats and the adventures they find themselves in on the road.

This was nice, but I just wasn't vibing enough to read another 200 pages.

I could see this being very appealing to younger readers.

If you liked the world of Bergères Guerrières, then Goat Magic by Kate Wheeler is bound to appeal to you. As soon as you open the book, you're greeted by an adorable little map (admittedly a little simplistic, but which immediately sets the cute tone for the adventure).

The real charm of this graphic novel lies in its characters: a gallery of goats of various species, each more endearing than the last, an apprentice shepherdess and a mysterious black goat encountered along the way.

The magical aspect is also a strong point: here, magic is a privilege reserved for the rich, a superbly interesting idea, especially through the eyes of the princess, who takes a long time to realize the injustice this represents for the people. This is much more than a fantasy adventure: it's a story of awareness, maturity and transformation, where the characters really grow up before our very eyes.

I was far from expecting romance! (very cute, by the way)

Graphically, the drawings fit the mood perfectly: a style that exudes gentleness and humor, perfectly aligned with the story being told. It's impossible to close this book without dreaming of having a giant goat by your side!

In short: Goat Magic is an adorable little nugget, and I can't wait to see what Kate Wheeler has in store for us next.

Trill is a village goat herder with magic that lets her understand goats. Alya is a princess who's been cursed to turn into a goat. They run into each other while travelling and team up to save Alya. And it's adorable! Especially the goats❤️

Both girls grow throughout the story, learning to like each other and themselves. There's minor sapphic representation, and major social commentary in a way that feels appropriate for middle grade readers. I would have loved it when I was the target age range, and I love it now.

Big thank you to Oni Press for letting me read an advanced eCopy of this via Netgalley. I had a great time!

There’s a lot to appreciate about Kate Wheeler’s Goat Magic, a rather whimsical and magical fairytale-esque story that follows two girls on an epic journey. But there’s also a lot to feel quite meh about as they venture to return a princess to her home and save the kingdom along the way—moderately, I suppose, reminiscent of The Emperor’s New Groove, especially in how it falls in line with a very idealistic view of the ruling class learning to be better.

Perhaps this is a result of my being older or one of developed disillusionment as a result of the unending greed of those in power I’ve experienced so far in my life, but I can’t help feeling that it’s exceedingly unrealistic to hope that if you introduce a privileged royal to the horrors of what the powers that be have done to their people, suddenly said royal will be deeply invested in changing how things are. It instills what I believe to be a false hope in young readers, leading them only to extreme disappointment as they grow and learn more about the world.

I should know; I was one of them.

So, yeah. It’s a cute story. The girls and the magic are adorable. The artwork is creative and pretty and colorful. The journey their relationship and development take is nothing short of beautiful. But it’s idealistic to the point that I can’t help feeling how unfair it is for kids to grow up with these ideas surrounding them only to have those beliefs and ideals destroyed when they get older. It’s what the world should be, but it’s not what it is. And I suppose, with how often we see stories like this, it has just begun to feel disingenuous.

What I will give Goat Magic credit for, however, is the fact that there’s a true admittance to the fact that change—good change—cannot and will never happen overnight. It takes hard work and debate and argument and the right people fighting for change—and hopefully not finding themselves corrupted along the way.

I think, in the end, I can see Goat Magic as a starter story. But I implore parents not to forget to have a conversation about the world with their kids afterward.

This was a very cute and heartwarming story between a goat herder and a princess. Trill is disappointed that all her magic can do is take care of goats, however one day she runs into Alya who has been cursed into a goat. These two will have to work together to help Alya get her throne back and stop the rebellion.
Personally I loved the style of drawing this graphic novel has and I also loved all the goats. The premise sounded super fun and the story delivered just that!
I really liked both MCs and I think anybody can enjoy this story.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for giving me a free copy of an eARC!

Goat Magic is a middle grade graphic novel about a goat herder girl Trill, and the palace princess Alya. The story is set in a magical world, where not everyone is allowed to use their magic, only the ones who are able to attend the magical school... For the rich.

Trill has magic, but she's "just" a countryside girl, with "goat magic" which makes her able to talk to her flock. It's a unique ability, though she's definitely undervaluing her skills, especially compared to other, fancier magic skills. Trill and Alya's fate collide after the princess' convoy gets attacked and the princess gets cursed and has to run.
The story was fast paced and cute. Other than the two main characters, a couple of other, interesting characters were also introduced, like the Moth lady, who helped out our two girls. And of course, the goats! If you love goats you'll probably love this little story, they're definitely a shining part of this graphic novel.
The art style is cute, it has its highlights too, with hilarious facial expressions, pretty landscapes and lovely panels. But unfortunately, for me, the art style was the weakest part of the reading experience, and I do feel bad about it. I think a little polishing could have helped and some more details here and there. Some panels felt a little bit too weird, i saw someone else mentioning this too, 'the side profiles with the open mouths' design choice was often quite often, but it wasn't working for me.
I have two more things to say about the plot itself:
Can't go into too much details about the villain without spoilers, but he did have good points. I'm not sure if it's the best message that the awful royal family's doing, who socially and/or magically excludes their own people based on position and money, can be changed by one person from the same royal family.
And I'm always down for a sapphic couple but i believe our main characters would have worked better as best friends in this one.

3.5/5 (rounded up)