Coven
Author: Jennifer Dugan.
Illustrator: Kit Seaton. Date: 2022.
ISBN: 9780593112182
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Genre: Graphic novel.
Reading Level: Grades 9-12.
Trailer: Emsy knew she was a witch but she was a fun, tan, surfing California witch. Now, all of a sudden, her parents want her to go be a rainy-gray-East Coast witch with some coven she's never met? If it were not for it already being a life-or-death situation, Emsy would say "over my dead body"!
Emsy had everything she wanted in California. Sunny days, a glorious beach to surf on, a solid group of friends, a super cute girlfriend, and no one breathing down her neck about all that funky witch stuff her family is involved with. Everything is going great for Emsy until a cataclysmic event on the East Coast results in her parents uprooting her entire life to go help a coven she's never even met! Begrudgingly, Emsy heads to Upstate New York and finds herself more wrapped up in being a witch than she ever was before. Embracing her power as a fire elemental, Emsy and her newfound friends fight against a danger that could tear their whole coven apart.
For most teens, a long distance relationship would be one of the most dramatic parts of a move. Emsy definitely thought that would be the case for her and her GF. Little did she know that moving coasts would actually mean moving into the eye of a witch-killing storm that is threatening to destroy her entire bloodline plus maybe the world?!?! Even though she's always known about her powers, she's never had to use her powers like this before.
Before we go any further here maybe we should take a second to set the mood with the perfect witchy playlist...
Created by: Jennifer Dugan lives in Upstate New York with at least one cat of questionable moral alignment (jldugan, n.d). She writes YA books, usually focusing on female characters, and has a few graphic novels out as well. Kit Seaton, the illustrator of this graphic novel, is a very experienced comic book illustrator who has studied all over the nation (Kit Seaton, n.d). In 2019, Seaton won the Eisner Award Nominee: Best Graphic Novel for Teens (Kit Seaton, n.d).
Analysis: Attention! Attention! Breaking news! It is INDEED the Season of the Witch, y'all.
Break for Lana:
Seriously though, this book and the aesthetic it conveys is so relevant today. I am seeing a big shift to witchy aesthetics and alternative spiritualism all over the internet these days. Wether it is an interest in witch craft or a proclivity for corset tops and black cats, people are talking about witches and their style. This book starts with one style, sort of a 1960s Cali-Girl style and then transitions into a moodier East Coast aesthetic. Throughout the different aesthetics the adorable illustration style keeps the reader captivated throughout the many panels. Illustrator Kit Seaton is a master of the sequential art medium. The story flows well and is super cute. I could totally see people cosplaying as either version of our magical sapphic cutie, Emsy.
Speaking of sapphic cutie! I really loved how Queerness played a role in this story. Although the characters are all experiencing various hardships, there is a lot of Queer joy in this story. The characters have great, Queer relationships and they are never traumatized because they are gay. It's more like they are traumatized and they are gay. Which is nice! A lot of stories that feature Queer characters focus on the worst parts of Queerness (experiencing homophobia) rather than the rewarding parts (being in great relationships/being true to yourself).
Potential Issues: I can only see someone having an issue with this book if they had an issue with Queer people. Concerns about Queerness in literature will be directed to the collection development policy.
In the Library: The aesthetics of this graphic novel are so cute I would love to have some sort of witchy escape rooms for teens. In the escape room participants would have to solve multiple puzzles in order to figure out who was threatening an imaginary coven.
Reason for Inclusion: I want to emphasize Queer joy and normalize the inclusion of Queer characters in stories that do not revolve around Queer trauma. This book has a fabulous and timely aesthetic and provides an example of awesome Queer characters.
Sources:
About. (n.d). Kit Seaton. https://kitseaton.com/about
Anastasia. (2022). a modern witch playlist | spellbound aesthetic. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyx4PwyLfEI
Dugan, J. (2022). Coven. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Coven. (n.d.). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59883558-coven?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=TGGd5UEf5e&rank=1
Presskit. (n.d) Jennifer Dugan. https://jldugan.com/press-kit/
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