Young Hag and the Witches' Quest by Isabel Greenberg (review)

Reviewed by: Young Hag and the Witches' Quest by Isabel Greenberg Meg Cornell Greenberg, Isabel Young Hag and the Witches' Quest; written and illus. by Isabel Greenberg. Abrams Fanfare, 2024 288p Trade ed. ISBN 9781419765117 24. 99 Paper ed. ISBN 9781419765124 17. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 8-12 After her coming-of-age naming ceremony, which includes getting knifed in the hand by her affable grandmother, Ancient Crone, and kissed on the forehead by her mom, Nearly Wizened One, Young Hag is eager to learn magic. However, it's revealed that there isn't any real magic left in Britain ever since the Lady of the Lake shut the door between the Otherworld—Avalon—and the mortal realm. Her grandmother says they must return the broken pieces of Excalibur to Avalon to restore the flow of magic between the worlds, later revealing herself as Morgan le Fay. However, this standard quest goes off the rails when Nearly Wizened One is killed by a rock volleyed from a vicious crowd, incensed at the coven for their acknowledging Uther's rape of Igraine. Young Hag feels like magic or prophecies can't exist in the face of such senseless violence, until they stumble upon a changeling baby and a villager named Tom looking to swap the infant for his snatched sister at the upcoming Goblin Market. Greenberg confidently presents Young Hag's story and the mythological world of medieval Britain with inimitable style and freshness in this graphic novel. The embedded narratives are organically arranged, each unraveling the fascinating untold life of Morgan le Fay and her complicated family dynamics, interspersed with tales of other Arthurian figures such as the high-camp Britomart and the lothario Lancelot. Sketchy, asymmetrical lines and charcoal shading bring traditional material textures and coloring into a fantasy market often oversaturated with sleek digital rendering, and Greenberg offers interesting medieval character designs and costumery on every page. For readers ensorcelled by the quirky witches of Terry Pratchett and empowered by Shammas and Alfageeh's Squire (BCCB 2/22), consider this Otherworld worth getting stuck in for a few decades. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois