*I was sent a copy of Brooms in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to everyone involved in the making of this graphic novel.*
Synopsis:
It’s 1930s Mississippi. Magic is permitted only in certain circumstances, and by certain people. Unsanctioned broom racing is banned. But for those who need the money, or the thrills…it’s there to be found.
Meet Billie Mae, captain of the Night Storms racing team, and Loretta, her best friend and second-in-command. They’re determined to make enough money to move out west to a state that allows Black folks to legally use magic and take part in national races.
Cheng-Kwan – doing her best to handle the delicate and dangerous double act of being the perfect “son” to her parents, and being true to herself while racing.
Mattie and Emma — Choctaw and Black — the youngest of the group and trying to dodge government officials who want to send them and their newly-surfaced powers away to boarding school.
And Luella, in love with Billie Mae. Her powers were sealed away years ago after she fought back against the government. She’ll do anything to prevent the same fate for her cousins.
Review:
I had such a great time reading Brooms. I’m a huge fan of witchy media and I especially love it when it has a story rooted in history and ancestral magic. It felt like these characters and their struggles were real.
The art style was fairly simplistic, but this really gave Brooms a minimalistic beauty. The finer details were used when magic was performed and this really made it feel, well, magical. The colouring was also stunning, the palette was understated yet looked amazing.
I really loved the character designs and I feel like they conveyed each character’s personality perfectly.
It feels like there’s actually a lot of story going on considering this is a graphic novel. The pacing and world-building were done fairly well. An introduction to the world and characters would have made this even more enjoyable as it does throw you straight into the story, but there’s nothing wrong with that.
The worst part of Brooms for me was the ending. It felt too abrupt and I didn’t really understand what happened. The tension builds to a confrontation and then suddenly the characters have all disbanded and we don’t know what will happen next. Will this be a series? I’d read the next one if it is.
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