For generations, witches and shapeshifters have protected the forest and the people beyond. The girls in Aster's family are those witches, raised with spells and the ability to scry, make fruits grow from buds, and sense spirits. The boys are the shapeshifters, trained for battle and willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their female relatives. As one of the youngest boys, Aster is expected to follow in his elders' steps and become a shapeshifter. Unfortunately he has never been able to find his inner animal, despite years of trying. His true interest is in witchery, and he carries a notebook around where he records the magic he sees his female cousins perform.
His father is disappointed, and so his mother, but Aster cannot let go. As boys begin to disappear from the family compound, however, the whole family comes under attack. Aster wants to help, but the only thing he can bring is his growing control of witchery. Grandmother, the matriarch of the clan, had a twin brother once who also dabbled in witchery, but he became corrupted and stole a precious artifact before fleeing. Aster's mother is worried about her son and the path he might be on.
To compound his problem, Aster has stepped outside the protected boundaries of the compound, and made contact with a local girl, Charlie. She's an athlete with a broken leg, and like Aster she pushes the boundaries of traditional gender roles. With the clan under menace, can the two of them work together to resolve the danger and pursue their interests instead of what the other people in their lives think they should be doing?
Gorgeous and colorful illustrations make this author's first graphic novel a pleasure to read. Any reader who has not felt totally comfortable in society's gender norms will appreciate Aster's desire and struggle to be something different.
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