{Review/Giveaway} SALT MAGIC by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/4/2021	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt
10/4/2021	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
10/5/2021	YA Books Central	Excerpt
10/5/2021	Little Red Reads	Review
10/6/2021	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
10/6/2021	Pick a good book	Excerpt
10/7/2021	Celiamcmahonreads	Review
10/7/2021	History From A Women's Perspective	Review
10/8/2021	Nerdophiles	Review
10/8/2021	The Momma Spot	Review

Week Two:

10/11/2021	Books Are Magic Too	Review
10/11/2021	Lifestyle of Me	Review
10/12/2021	two points of interedt	Review
10/12/2021	@coffeebooksandmascara	Review
10/13/2021	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review
10/13/2021	@abackwardsstory	Review
10/14/2021	Nonbinary Knight Reads	Review
10/14/2021	Midnightbooklover	Review
10/15/2021	@bookisheclectic	Review
10/15/2021	The Bookwyrm's Den

Review

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

(Pages 1-2, US ARC edition
©Copyright Hope Larson & Rebecca Mock for Holiday House)

There is nothing quite like the magic of picking up a new work and discovering an instant classic, one you could instantly see animation studios fighting over movie rights for. SALT MAGIC has that sparkle and has a bit of a Studio Ghibli aesthetic that would make the perfect pairing, but also has a whimsy that would appeal to Disney lovers. I first discovered the writing / illustration team of Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock a couple of years ago when I read former New York Times Best Selling Graphic Novel COMPASS SOUTH and its sequel KNIFE'S EDGE. Larson has since won an Eisner Award for A WRINKLE IN TIME: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, and an Eisner Nomination for ALL SUMMER LONG. SALT MAGIC is just as adventurous and big-hearted as COMPASS SOUTH, full of magic and whimsy and the lengths one will go for family.

Set in Oklahoma during the early 1900s, our spunky heroine Vonceil is ecstatic when her her older brother Elber returns home after serving during World War I, but is quickly upset when he instantly proposes to his sweetheart Amelia. Vonceil resents Amelia, who isn't "right" for her beloved brother. She isn't adventurous enough, and Vonceil wishes he'd found a girl in Paris and she could have gone abroad with him, and the three of them could have gone on adventures together. She doesn't understand why he would want to settle down in Oklahoma and become a boring adult. When a spurned nurse who helped heal Elber in France comes to Oklahoma to claim his hand only to find out he is married, she reveals herself to be a powerful Salt Witch and curses the family. From now on, there will only be salt water and their land will be ruined. Vonceil refuses to let this witch ruin her family's livelihood and happiness, and sets off on a quest to find her and make things right -- but is she willing to make a hard sacrifice in order to save her family? 

A powerful Salt Witch curses Elber and his family!
©Copyright Hope Larson & Rebecca Mock for Holiday House

Middle-grade readers will embrace Vonceil and go on the journey of a lifetime with her. She's a plucky youth unafraid to brave the wild west on her own in the dead of night, knowing little about her opponent or where to find her, and encountering various horrors and unexpected help along the way. It is a spoiler to say too much about some of the plot, but some of the stand out characters are Crazy Great Uncle Dill, who seems at first to be a stereotypical throwaway character but turns into so much more, and a dangerous but beautiful Sugar Witch, who you can see in the below panel. Once I met her, I couldn't stop seeing an animated movie in my head! (And also, I kind of want a spin-off centered around her now because SPOILERS......)

Help in Unexpected Places -- Be Careful What You Wish For!
©Copyright Hope Larson & Rebecca Mock for Holiday House

The graphic novel is a perfect blend of whimsy and danger, and balances itself well. Sometimes stand-alone stories can feel rushed and incomplete, but SALT MAGIC paced itself well and never felt like too much or too little. Vonceil's quest felt epic and full, and the stakes were properly high, as was the payoff. This is the perfect enchanting, captivating tale to appeal to readers of all ages and genders. If you need a great holiday impulse gift this year, take a look at SALT MAGIC!

    ~*~

C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: G ( Panels of adult couples kissing a couple of times  )

Language: --
Violence: G ( Someone cuts themselves on glass and is bleeding. The aftermath of someone being killed by a snake bite that happened before the character arrived. Bandits trying to be dastardly when the MC sees too much and saying they'd take her home, but she escapes. )

Other: --

~*~

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

I will always love a good horse on the cover! ^.~ Especially if it's because there's a strong-hearted girl riding off on a great adventure to save her family! It really captures the spirit right away. Plus, that dangerous glint of an evil witch in the background? This will attract its audience for sure!

~*~

O F F I C I A L    I N F O:

Title:  SALT MAGIC

Author: Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock

Release Date: October 12, 2021
Publisher: Holiday House
FIND IT: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

SUMMARY:

When a jealous witch curses her family's well, it's up to Vonceil to set things right in an epic journey that will leave her changed forever.

When Vonceil's older brother, Elber, comes home to their family's Oklahoma farm after serving on the front lines of World War I, things aren't what she expects. His experiences have changed him into a serious and responsible man who doesn't have time for Vonceil anymore. He even marries the girl he had left behind.

Then a mysterious and captivating woman shows up at the farm and confronts Elber for leaving her in France. When he refuses to leave his wife, she puts a curse on the family well, turning the entire town's water supply into saltwater. Who is this lady dressed all in white, what has she done to the farm, and what does Vonceil's old uncle Dell know about her?

To find out, Vonceil will have to strike out on her own and delve deep into the world of witchcraft, confronting dangerous relatives, shapeshifting animals, a capricious Sugar Witch, and the Lady in White herself--the foreboding Salt Witch. The journey will change Vonceil, but along the way she'll learn a lot about love and what it means to grow up.

Hope Larson is the author and illustrator of the Eisner Award nominated All Summer Long and the illustrator of the Eisner Award winning A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel. Salt Magic is an utterly unique graphic fairy tale complete with striking illustrations by Rebecca Mock.

 ~*~ 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Hope Larson has written and illustrated many graphic novels including All Summer Long, which was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018 and an Eisner Award nominee, as well as its recently published sequel, All Together Now. She adapted and illustrated A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, which spent forty-four weeks on the New York Times graphic novel bestseller list and for which she won an Eisner Award. She is also the author of Compass South (A New York Times Bestseller), and its companion volume, Knife's Edge, both illustrated by Rebecca Mock. She lives in North Carolina. 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Rebecca Mock is an illustrator and comics artist. They illustrated the graphic novels Compass South and Knife's Edge, both written by Hope Larson. Their work has also appeared in various publications, including the New York Times and The New Yorker. They are the co-organizer of the Hana Doki Kira anthology. They live in Brooklyn, New York. Visit their website at https://rebeccamock.com

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads 

  

~*~

****Giveaway*****

You could win...

-   Win (1) of (3) physical copies of SALT MAGIC by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock!

US Only

You must be at least 13 years old to enter or have a parent's permission!

Enter now!

.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~*~