Lily Halfmoon: The Magic Gems by Xavier Bonet

Title: Lily Halfmoon: The Magic Gems

Author: Xavier Bonet

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 29^th August 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 80

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: A magical graphic novel about a secret school of witches, animal guardians and magical gemstones from an international comic artist!

‘Witches and Wizards, Sorcerers and Enchanters, by the magic granted to you, you must solemnly promise to keep your powers a secret forever …’

Lily Halfmoon has just moved to the town of Piedraville. New house, new school and … new powers?

Surprise – Lily is a witch! She must learn magic, and find her animal guardian and gemstone, while keeping her new identity a secret.

Protecting the people of Piedraville from evil is no easy task. Especially when a dangerous creature is on the loose. Will Lily finally discover her gem’s unique power with the help of her new friends, Gigi, and Mai, all without attracting attention?

~*~

Lily Halfmoon has just moved to Piedraville, and she’s off to a new school. And she has new powers because Lily is a witch. And now Lily has to attend magic classes with her new friends, Gigi and Mai as well as finding an animal guardian, a magic gem, and keeping her magic a secret – her family can’t know at all. And Lily is now part of a group of witches who have to protect the people of Piedraville from evil. And she’s found a rare and unique gem that no witch has ever had before – what does it all mean?

This is the first book in a new graphic novel series by Xavier Bonet and translated by Marie Trinchant. Lily’s story starts off on her birthday and once she is at school, we learn about her talents and powers. Soon enough the story unfolds to let us know she is a witch and how she starts out in her magical school and world. Every class has its own purpose and skills to learn. But when Lily and her friends get bored during one class, they’re sent off on a task that puts them in danger – and Lily must learn what her power and her gem are truly capable of.

Any series that involves magic and a magic school of some kind will always be interesting to read. There are so many around, that you might think everything has been done, but there is always a new story, a new take, or a new character who can bring the magic school and magical learning to life for readers, and this one has done that in an excellent way for readers aged eight and over.  I liked the way the story played out, with a great balance of dialogue with the illustrations so that readers are given everything they need to enjoy the story and appreciate the different levels of storytelling at play here. Another aspect that worked was the length – it is a great length for a graphic novel, especially as it is part of a series because it gives enough detail to set up the characters like Lily and the setting, but also, in holding back, it gives great scope for the series that is to come. This is also a great graphic novel series to start with, I think, as the layout felt more natural than some, and worked with the way one’s eyes track across a page. It meant that it was easier to work out what panel to read next. For me, this made it a really nice graphic novel to read. The story worked well, giving readers a taste of what is to come, and I loved Lily as a character.

Another great thing about this book was the friendships Lily made with Gigi and Mai, and her relationship with her family, especially little sister Zoe. It felt as though the relationships were genuine – Zoe was cute, but I could see how Lily felt she could be annoying. Yet at the same time, they had a very good relationship and that played out very well throughout the novel when they were together. I hope that we get to see more of Lily and Zoe as the series progresses, and what will happen next. I am also interested in the world of witches – how witches are created or chosen, and if runs in families. I hope this comes out in subsequent novels, as we learn more about Lily’s new world and life.

I hope readers of graphic novels and magical adventures enjoy this story and new series.