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The Midwinter Witch
(The Witch Boy #3)
by
The acclaimed graphic novel world of The Witch Boy and The Hidden Witch comes to a thrilling conclusion in this story of friendship, family, and finding your true power.
Magic has a dark side . . .Aster always looks forward to the Midwinter Festival, a reunion of the entire Vanissen family that includes competitions in witchery and shapeshifting. This year, he's especially ...more
Magic has a dark side . . .Aster always looks forward to the Midwinter Festival, a reunion of the entire Vanissen family that includes competitions in witchery and shapeshifting. This year, he's especially ...more
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Paperback, 208 pages
Published
November 5th 2019
by Graphix
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Start your review of The Midwinter Witch (The Witch Boy, #3)

I feel like Molly wrote this story with me in mind as the reader. It's perfect.
I have been waiting for this and I find out this is the 3rd volume in the series and so I have to go back and pick up the 2nd volume. I simply adore this series.
It says this is the conclusion, but it doesn't feel like an ending. This is a great story and I want more. I want to know more of this world and what's going on and I want to see more Aster. There needs to be more of these.
This is a wonderful story. It's a Bi ...more
I have been waiting for this and I find out this is the 3rd volume in the series and so I have to go back and pick up the 2nd volume. I simply adore this series.
It says this is the conclusion, but it doesn't feel like an ending. This is a great story and I want more. I want to know more of this world and what's going on and I want to see more Aster. There needs to be more of these.
This is a wonderful story. It's a Bi ...more

I know there are a lot of comics series and graphic novels out right now about the Power of Magic to Do Good in the World (that Harry Potter milieu), all that facing down the Dark Arts and/or Black Magic, but I happen to be reading two of them, including the manga series Witch Hat Atelier and this one, which I just learn is concluded! Witch Hat has dramatic swirling crazy detailed imaginative art work, and this (Western) one is Noelle Stevenson-style, brightly colored, Scholastic-designed and hi
...more

A solid middle volume in what I hope will be a long-running series. Aster continues to struggle against his mother's expectations by taking his nonconformity with gender roles public at a large family reunion. And a new villain is introduced who I hope to see more fully fleshed out in a future volume. Even if the adventure this outing did not have me on the edge of my seat, I'm still quite enthralled with characters and the world being built here.
p.s. Oh, wait, having posted my review I see now ...more
p.s. Oh, wait, having posted my review I see now ...more

The gang from the previous two books in this series -- Aster, his cousin Sedge, their friends Charlie and Ariel, and the entire Vanissen family -- head to an annual family reunion/Midwinter festival. Aster is especially excited, since he plans to be the first boy to compete in the “Jolrun,” a magic contest for the younger teen witches. But trouble just can’t stay away, and shows up from both outside the friends, and from within.I enjoyed this book just as much as the first two! I can’t say ...more

I was lucky enough to get a black and white advanced reader copy of this at BookExpo. The series continues to be extremely charming, with the characters facing challenges in the magical world which are often very easy metaphors for queer experiences. As the main character friend group has grown larger, each character's story arc is a bit shorter because the author must balance out more character's time on the page. But I am still very captivated by this series and glad that this book ended in a
...more

4.5 stars. More wonderful stuff! Friendship, self-confidence issues, anger, resistance to change, gorgeous artwork.....what’s not to love in the continuing story of witch Aster, and his friends Charlie (not magical, but totally will not give up on you, ever), shifter Sedge (growing in confidence and exploring everything he can), and Ariel (really not eager to trust and powerful witch)?
The Midwinter festival and the competition for Witch Queen and Shifter King is tough, and Aster is determined to ...more
The Midwinter festival and the competition for Witch Queen and Shifter King is tough, and Aster is determined to ...more

Dec 23, 2019
Erica
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
jf,
mothers-and-their-kids,
orfums,
adorable,
bffs,
fantasy,
growing-up,
men-and-boys,
christmastime,
girlfriend-power
This third installment in "The Witch Boy" series is as adorable as the others.
In this go 'round, it's time for Winter Solstice celebrations which means I timed this perfectly, reading it two days before the 2019 Winter Solstice.
Since Ariel is now going to school at the Vanissen house, she is invited to the family reunion in a mountain chalet where leylines converge. There will be snowball fights, food and singing (I assume), and competitions for the witches and the shapers. Since Ariel's not qu ...more
In this go 'round, it's time for Winter Solstice celebrations which means I timed this perfectly, reading it two days before the 2019 Winter Solstice.
Since Ariel is now going to school at the Vanissen house, she is invited to the family reunion in a mountain chalet where leylines converge. There will be snowball fights, food and singing (I assume), and competitions for the witches and the shapers. Since Ariel's not qu ...more

Jul 21, 2020
rachel ☾
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
rep-bipoc,
middle-grade-lit,
fantasy,
5-star,
rep-queer-author,
graphic-novel,
rep-queer,
own
➸ Trigger warnings for (view spoiler) .
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram ...more
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram ...more

Aster and Ariel are attending magic classes with Aster's family and Charlie and Sedge attend the local school now. A family festival is coming up and Aster's mother invites Ariel as Ariel is now their ward. Ariel doesn't want to attend but when Charlie insists she wants to go, Ariel also thinks it to be a good idea.
At the festival each year, one boy is crowned the midwinter shifter and one girl is crowned the midwinter witch. Aster wants to take part but his mother refuses as she thinks that peo ...more
At the festival each year, one boy is crowned the midwinter shifter and one girl is crowned the midwinter witch. Aster wants to take part but his mother refuses as she thinks that peo ...more

Honestly, I didn't love this graphic novel. Overall, it kept me occupied but it's not a favorite.
...more

4 stars
I absolutely adore Molly Ostertag and everything about this story. The art style is so gorgeous and homey and it gives off a very nice vibe that I am a very big fan of. I also really love the message of this story and I think it wraps up the series really nicely. I loved the setting, which felt incredibly atmospheric and made me want to go back to winter and the simpler times. The characters own my heart and I absolutely adore the way the found family trope is done in this book and it mak ...more
I absolutely adore Molly Ostertag and everything about this story. The art style is so gorgeous and homey and it gives off a very nice vibe that I am a very big fan of. I also really love the message of this story and I think it wraps up the series really nicely. I loved the setting, which felt incredibly atmospheric and made me want to go back to winter and the simpler times. The characters own my heart and I absolutely adore the way the found family trope is done in this book and it mak ...more

I was able to get a hold of an uncorrected proof of this book (THANK YOU Ali!). Yeah, it's not in color, but I can wait for that. But the story was a wonderful continuation with more characterization and more interesting twists for Aster and his friends. The blurb on the book makes it feel like a conclusion, and while it could be an ending, I'm really hoping it is not. I really like these characters and I would LOVE to see more stories as they grow, get older and more advanced with their skills.
...more

The Midwinter Witch was the perfect conclusion one of the best graphic novel series. Molly Knox Ostertag’s books are perfect for middle grade readers as well as any other interested parties (Every queer person will love The Witch Boy.) The art is warm and inviting, the story strong and intelligent, and the characters are sweet, well-rounded, and genuine. Fans of the other two books are sure to enjoy this third, packed with magic, snow, and snow magic.

Flint: "Aren't you embarrassed? It's not normal."
Aster: "You keep saying that like it's a bad thing."
That exchange is why I love The Witch Boy series so much. The friend group celebrates each other's differences. The characters find joy in what makes them unique, even when others might not. Tradition is important, but so is following your own path.
...more
Aster: "You keep saying that like it's a bad thing."
That exchange is why I love The Witch Boy series so much. The friend group celebrates each other's differences. The characters find joy in what makes them unique, even when others might not. Tradition is important, but so is following your own path.
...more

Did I cry while reading this book during lunch before our The Hidden Witch book club this afternoon? Yes, yes I did. A truly satisfying conclusion to a powerful series about identity, self-acceptance, being . yourself, being an ally, changing your community, and more, all through the metaphors of magic and transformation.

perfect as always :')
...more

THIS SERIES IS SO UNDERRATED GRRRRRR
although I enjoyed the previous two books, I wasn't "disappointed" in this one. I'm sad the series is over because I loved it so much, but all good things must come to an end right. ...more
although I enjoyed the previous two books, I wasn't "disappointed" in this one. I'm sad the series is over because I loved it so much, but all good things must come to an end right. ...more

Jan 08, 2020
Damon Kimball
added it
I absolutely loved this book i hope to read more of these books when they come out but I loved it because I love the magic in this and the detail they put in to it

This was a good story, just not a great story.
The first book in the series had much more heart and soul, as the Witch Boy tried to do something that boys were forbidden doing, and seemed to be the equivalent of how trans people feel.
By the third book, in this trilogy, the story has gone over to how a child who grew up outside of a witch family would feel. And while there is nothing wrong with it, but it just wasn't quite the sorrow and heart pull as the first one did. ...more
The first book in the series had much more heart and soul, as the Witch Boy tried to do something that boys were forbidden doing, and seemed to be the equivalent of how trans people feel.
By the third book, in this trilogy, the story has gone over to how a child who grew up outside of a witch family would feel. And while there is nothing wrong with it, but it just wasn't quite the sorrow and heart pull as the first one did. ...more

I love this series. I love that societal expectations are changed by those brave enough to be who they are and proud of who they are. And I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the Torres family.
...more

Aster looks forward to the Midwinter Festival every year. The festival is a yearly gathering of the entire Vanissen family and filled with competitions in the annual Jolrun tournament for both shapeshifting and witchery.
After earning his hard-won right to study witchery with the Vanissen girls, Aster is eager to compete and prove his skill as a witch.
But challenging generations of tradition isn't easy. Especially when Aster's new friend and fellow witch Ariel is still trying to prove to herself ...more
After earning his hard-won right to study witchery with the Vanissen girls, Aster is eager to compete and prove his skill as a witch.
But challenging generations of tradition isn't easy. Especially when Aster's new friend and fellow witch Ariel is still trying to prove to herself ...more

I love this series. Ostertag has written another amazing story and with the mixing of gender roles she ties in the difference between blood family and chosen family and the issues that come with both. I would recommend this series to anyone.
The artwork is colorful and imaginative and really brings the story to life as well.
The artwork is colorful and imaginative and really brings the story to life as well.

I really like the story here--Aster, a transgender girl, wants to compete in the Midwinter Witch competition her family holds every year. But as the first transgender witch in a very patriarchal traditional family, some don't like that idea. Meanwhile, her friend Ariel struggles with feeling safe in this new, kinda adoptive family, and with her magic, especially when she starts dreaming about the aunt she never knew about.
This would've been perfect longer. The story just felt rushed to me. ...more
This would've been perfect longer. The story just felt rushed to me. ...more

I love this story so much. When I got this copy at BookCon I didn’t know much about the series. It’s really just a lovely coming of age story about what family/friendship/maybe life in general can really mean to one person and something different to another. Acceptance is the overall theme. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked Molly Ostertag's series of Witch Boy. I think the third book was all about fitting in. Ariel really learned her lesson about that. Considering, she thought that nobody liked her and she didn't belong. Ariel thought that she always hurt someone even when she didn't try too, but her friends helped her realize that she can be good. Even when the bad side controls her.
...more
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I grew up in the forests of upstate New York, where I spent the first half of my childhood reading about fantastical adventures and the second half acting them out with foam swords at a live action roleplaying camp . I graduated in 2014 from the School of Visual Arts, where I studied cartooning and illustration, and I currently live in Los Angeles. My artistic interests include women in fiction, f
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The Witch Boy
(3 books)
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