Interesting first volume of A Witch's Life in Mongol, which follows the experiences of a Persian slave girl who is first given to a house of scholars, where her intellectual interests are encouraged, before being captured by Mongolian raiders and her new life among them. This volume focuses on the MC's early education, her (very tame) romance with the family's scholarly son, the raiding of her hometown and enslavement by the Mongols. and her journey to the steppes of Mongolia where her education causes her to find favor with the wife of the Khan in waiting.

Fatima, previously a slave in Tus known as Sitara, is taken by the Mongols to serve Töregene, the sixth wife of Ögedei. She harbors resentment towards them and secretly plans to undermine her captors.

I really enjoyed both the story and the art style of this manga. There is a pleasant mix of fictional storytelling within a historical background. I am looking forward to reading the next volume.

Thank you NetGalley and Yen Press for the e-book copy!

Rarely do I leave a manga volume in utter awe of what I've read. This manga seems like a straightforward story of a girl whose life was torn apart when The Mongols invaded her country. The author not only set up this story to be epic but to also give readers a chance to reflect on what they have read and possibly whats to come. I am excited to see where this series goes and I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

A Witch’s Life in Mongol, Volume 1 by Tomato Soup is a manga following a young slave girl in 13th-century Iran during the tyranny of Genghis Khan. She is very smart under the circumstances, as her owners raised her with a love of studying. This first volume mostly felt like set-up for the story to come as much of the page time was spent traveling to a new location after her city gets raided. The art style is very different from other manga I have read, looking a lot like manga from its earliest days, which helps fuel the historically driven story. However, I didn't really connect with the characters or the story as much as I'd hoped, and I would recommend reading the "A Bride's Story" series by Kaoru Mori for something similar, but in my mind, a lot better. It was just an okay read for me.

Firstly, this manga was very different from what I expected it to be. The plot blurb for the manga describes the main character as an adult woman. She's not, for this entire volume, she's either a child or a teenager. I was also expecting more of a political thriller with hints of fantasy. I admit that I got tripped up on the Witch part of the title, and didn't realize they meant as in"Educated woman", not "Woman with magic powers". This manga is mostly telling historical facts and feels like I was reading one of those comics meant to be used in a history class instead of a textbook. The plot is a little all over, there are multiple time skips. I think this first volume is trying to do a LOT of setup and explaining the world for people who don't know Islamic or Mongolian history in a very short amount of time. It doesn't quite work and just makes the story feel crammed. Also, the art style is very kiddish. It's pretty jarring to have such a simplistic and cutesy smile you expect to see in comedies but use in a story that's supposed to be a historical political drama that covers some horrific events. It makes you think it's a children's story when you look at the art style. And yes, I know that style =/= story, but still, my point still stands.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC.

The first volume of A Witch's Life in Mongol presents the impact of war in all its pain. Sitara starts out life as a slave in the city of Tus. It's a peaceful existence, spent learning vast knowledge in her owner's library.

However, her peace ends when the Mongols attack. The horror of war may not be entirely shown, but the stark contrast between the bustling areas of Tus and the remaining rubble says enough. Sitara loses all hope as her loved ones are either slain or die of harsh conditions. When she's told of the possibility of rising beyond her status as a slave within the Mongol ranks, Sitara decides to utilize her wits to bring about revenge. I'm eager to see how Sitara will enact her plans!

A Witch’s Life in Mongol, Vol. 1 is an in-depth exploration of power dynamics in the context of Mongolian culture.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this advanced reader's copy.

Really excited for this author to become licensed in English! I think she is a very unique voice in Japanese manga. The first volume sets up the story, making the reader anticipate what will become of Sitara/Fatima. I loved the unique art style, details of medieval Islamic culture and Mongol culture, and the political drama of the story. Excited to read the next volume when it comes out!

Thank you to netGalley and Yen press for the eARC!

A Witch's Life in Mongol was a fantastic historical manga filled following Sitara, who later becomes Fatima. The style is cute and the introduction to the world at large by our main character as she grows up creates a seamless narrative. This makes me think of a Bride's Story, but with what seems like a more direct line on historical events.

I'm excited to see where this story goes, and can't wait for more volumes!

A Witch’s Life in Mongol reminded me a lot of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. The story is set in the 13th century in Yeke Mongol Ulus, the greatest empire ever. The main character is Sitara or later known as Fatima. She was a slave, but an educated one until she ended up with the Mongols. This first book tells her story thus far and how she despises Töregene, the sixth wife of Ögedei, the second Great Khan. The Arabic culture from long ago is utterly interesting and Fatima is Persian. I especially enjoyed that our main characters are women. Fatima has an actual persona and it will be interesting to see how grand she will become thanks to her hunger for knowledge. Historical josei is surely something else and I wish more was made.

The art is very Western in a sense and fits this very well. The story moves quite fast even, perhaps I wished we would've seen the world and cultures more. I love to learn about the world through comics. A Witch’s Life in Mongol is a different kind of manga, more political than Kaoru Mori's A Bride's Story. Refreshing, I'd say.

A beautifully illustrated and well written historical graphic novel. I enjoyed reading this, and I found myself drawn to the art most of all.

A very cool historical manga set in 13th century Mongol Empire and centered around a young slave girl taken in and taught by a family of scholars in Persia, who is then captured and taken to the Mongol court.

Sitara (Fatima) is a clever, quick-witted, charming and determined protagonist. I am really curious to see what she does and whether her plans/intentions/feelings regarding her new situation change with time.

The historical details are great - the sun dial tents, the geometrical calculations, etc - I really enjoyed all of them. And I especially loved how knowledge and the pursuit of it are at the center of the story - knowledge is power, curiosity about the world is the driver of progress and we need to remember it.

The almost chibi-style art is fun, and perhaps extra effective in really dramatic panels - the contrast between the cuteness of the characters and the dark events that unfold is quite jarring, but in an effective way (it was for me, at least).

Overall, a hugely enjoyable historical manga.

P.S. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a historical illustrated story. Very engaging, the art wasn't my favorite, but it's still pretty. The story at times felt like a history lesson, too much for my taste, but again, still a nice book.

Thank you NetGalley and Yen Press for the digital ARC of “A Witch’s Life in Mongol” by Tomato Soup! I had a lovely time reading this manga! The history of Eurasia and its people is so interesting. I’ve read two other historical manga that travel across the vast region, “Red River” and “A Bride’s Story”. I think this manga will be a new favorite in that genre! I felt the historical, scientific, and cultural explanations were easy to understand. The main character Sitara’s (later Fatima) journey was engaging and exciting. In fact she’s actually based on a real person who rose to power in the Mongol court! Looking at the whimsical art style you might think this is a cozy manga, but there are some dark and violent moments in this tale, never overly graphic, but still violent, so be forewarned. If you are a fan of historical fiction, especially the stories of women often forgotten by history, you should give the first volume of “A Witch’s Life in Mongol” a try. I know I’ll be on the lookout for volume 2 coming out later this year so I can find out what happens next for Sitara/Fatima!

I really enjoyed the art style of this book. It brought to mind Osamu Tezuka's work and felt nostalgic, while still being appropriate for the time place and setting. I learned some new things from the information contained in the story, and while I didn't feel particularly strongly about the characters I felt they were enmeshed with the plot enough to keep me curious. Very curious to see how the story progresses and how the witch aspect comes to be, as that hasn't really come up yet. Looking forward to the next volume!

The fact that this is a historical tale set in the Mongol Empire was enough to make my history loving heart sing :)
This did a great job of spotlighting the cultural diversity of the region as well. Mood whiplash and poorly handled time jumps abound and somehow there is more math involved than I would have expected??? ( which is to say none). The heavy lines of the art style won’t resonate with everyone but, I didn’t mind. Reminded me a bit of Persepolis or maybe that old movie everyone always gets confused with Aladdin, The Thief and the Cobbler.

This first volume of 'A Witch's Life in Mongol' follows Sitara, a slave girl taken in and educated by a family of scholars in 13th Century Persia. Her life is upended when she's captured by Mongol invaders, but through her knowledge and resilience, she carves out a place for herself as a trusted aide/teacher in their service.

I absolutely loved the art style of this--it's a unique blend of the intricate detailing of 'A Bride's Story' by Kaoru Mori and the retro style of classic manga, like Osamu Tezuka's works. But while the art style is cute, the story is a historically accurate portrayal of the Mongol invasions and the brutality and devastation that was left in their wake.

This manga also reminded me of Kaoru Mori's works in that it was very well-researched. I came away from reading this with a deeper understanding about 13th-century life in Persia and the Mongol steppes, from Islamic belief and mathematical knowledge of the time, to Genghis Khan's family tree and their military campaigns.

A lot of emphasis is placed on the knowledge in this manga and Sitara wields it like a weapon. I found her very compelling as a protagonist--highly adaptable and a true survivor, with no one in the world to trust or rely upon but herself, and nothing to her name but her own intellect.

I think fans of historical manga like 'Vinland Saga' or 'A Bride's Story' would really enjoy this. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing the series and seeing where Sitara's journey takes her next.

TW: graphic war themes, murder, slavery.

Thank you to Yen Press for providing this ARC for review!

“A Witch’s Life In Mongol” by Tomato Soup is a 193-page fiction comic book released in Japan in 2022. It was first published by Akita Publishing Company Limited, Tokyo, and translated into English by Yen Press, New York, 2025. The book design was produced by Wendy Chan of Yen Press Designs. The paperback has ISBN 979-8-8554-1421-9 and costs $15.00, and the ebook has ISBN 979-8-8554-1422-6 and costs $6.99.

This story begins in the city of Tus, Iran, in the early 13th century and centers on Sitara, a beautiful young girl who was sold as a slave to Mistress Fatima, who is from a household of scholars. There, she meets Mohammed, who encourages her to be educated. Years later, she was captured by Prince Tolui, son of Genghis Khan, and made to serve his wife in Toluqan, Mongol. There, she changed her name to that of her former mistress and sought to face the new life ahead of her.

What will become of Sitara in Mongolia? How will she cope with life under Genghis Khan’s shadow? Find out in this interesting book!

An aspect of this book that I admire is the protagonist’s notable traits. Sitara is able and always presses herself to move forward. Inspired by her previous moments with young Mohammed, she is keen on making the right choices to be a better person, no matter the circumstances. She is adept in her knowledge of linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, history, astronomy, and many much more. Her belief in education as the key to her success is remarkable; even the Mongolian royal family was less educated than she. Her personality is befitting of her name, which means “star.”

The author is very adept at imbuing the narration with moral lessons. This book is very informative in that education is for all, whether rich or poor, slave or free. As Chinqai once said, “When it comes to wisdom, there is no east or west.” Lady Sorghaghtani also sought her knowledge and saw her as a valuable asset and good company. The moral lessons in this book make me have no negative view of it.

I did not find any typographical mistakes or grammatical errors because this book is excellently and thoroughly edited. I, Michael Lartey, the reviewer, find this book to be filled with emotional suspense, as well as being among my favorite genres. It possesses a well-crafted storytelling. Because of this, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

This book is a means to educate the young, especially those from Muslim families, on the importance of education and its role in uplifting individuals up the societal ladder. I recommend this book to lovers of fiction, history, and the Islamic religion. A must-read for the whole family!