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Salt Magic
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.
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.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2021
43 people are currently reading
4,280 people want to read
About the author
Hope Larson
146books702followersHope Larson is an American illustrator and comics artist. Hope Larson is the author of Salamander Dream, Gray Horses, Chiggers, and Mercury. She won a 2007 Eisner Award. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 592 reviews
November 17, 2021
This was really lovely! It has an Emily Carroll creepiness coupled with Studio Ghibli cozy-weirdness. It's surreal and beautiful and thoughtful, and I think kids that gravitate towards darker, more intense stories will totally devour it.
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October 16, 2023¡Pero qué libro tan sorprendente! «La maldición de la sal» te engaña creyendo que es un cómic juvenil de corte histórico para, poco a poco, irte metiendo en un mundo de magia y fantasía de lo más original. Me ha gustado muchísimo el personaje de la protagonista, Vonceil, que solo intenta recuperar su vínculo con su hermano recién vuelto de la Primera Guerra Mundial y que acaba teniendo que enfrentarse a la maldición que asola sus tierras. Y me ha gustado muchísimo el dibujo tan vibrante y lleno de vida. Creo que tiene mucho mérito introducir la fantasía hasta intercambiar un mundo por otro y que las autoras se han coronado a la hora de crear una historia compleja, original y llena de matices.
April 27, 2024
Un cómic que mezcla el corte histórico con la fantasía más imaginativa, con brujas y oasis llenos de criaturas imposibles.
Me ha encantado la frescura de la narración y la belleza de las ilustraciones.
Ojalá hubiera sido un poquito más largo porque creo que daba para más, pero es una lectura bonita y ligera muy bien contada que recomiendo especialmente para lectores jóvenes.
Me ha encantado la frescura de la narración y la belleza de las ilustraciones.
Ojalá hubiera sido un poquito más largo porque creo que daba para más, pero es una lectura bonita y ligera muy bien contada que recomiendo especialmente para lectores jóvenes.
July 5, 2022
Vonceil is the youngest of five siblings, but she's always related most to her oldest brother, Elber; but when he comes back from the trenches of WWI he has changed. He isn't willing to play with Vonceil the way he did before- he immediately proposes to and marries a young woman Vonceil finds deeply boring. She wanted her brother to stay in Europe, where she might eventually join him; she doesn't understand his rush to settle down. Then, a woman in white arrives in their small Oklahoma town. She and Elber were lovers in the war, and when she finds him married she puts a curse on his family. Vonceil decides it is her job to break it. This comic is magical, beautiful, whimsical, and emotional in the mold of a Ghibli film. I was knocked over by the level of comics craft. The pacing, the page layouts, the color palettes, the expressive cartooning and character designs! This one became an instant favorite and I am extremely likely to purchase it sometime in the future so I can pour over the pages.
January 1, 2023
4.5 rounded up to a 5!
This was…beautiful. As a graphic novel, it has a LOT of depth. The characters are amazing, the plot is really strong, and the ending was absolutely perfect. I wish we had more in this world because it’s very intriguing.
This was…beautiful. As a graphic novel, it has a LOT of depth. The characters are amazing, the plot is really strong, and the ending was absolutely perfect. I wish we had more in this world because it’s very intriguing.
March 26, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
this is one of the most beautifully crafted graphic novels I've ever read! witches, curses, shape-shifters, lovely illustrations, innovative storyline, and an epilogue that will have your jaw on the floor..this was so good!!
this is one of the most beautifully crafted graphic novels I've ever read! witches, curses, shape-shifters, lovely illustrations, innovative storyline, and an epilogue that will have your jaw on the floor..this was so good!!
October 5, 2021
I’m on a book tour for this book, so I’ll keep my thoughts to myself until then, but OMG. Do not sit out on this book!!
May 22, 2023
Salt Magic initially presents itself as the down-to-earth tale of a young girl troubled by her older brother's changed mentality upon his return home to the Oklahoma farm after fighting in the trenches in World War I. If it had stuck to that idea, I think I might have liked it more.
But "Magic" is in the title, so I should have known better. Salt Magic is very much a fantasy read. The brother met a witch in Paris and she's tracked him home. She also has a tangled past with an addled great uncle. Young Vonceil must appease the witch to save her farm - a fun, fast-paced quest that sees Vonceil meeting a maybe-friendly sugar witch and learning the dark backstory of her great uncle.
Where did these witches come from? Why are there magical kingdoms floating around the American West? Salt Magic never clarifies. The fantasy adventure is fun enough, but I maintain the real adventure would have made for a better book. That said, this one is still pretty enjoyable as is. And the art alone is easily worth a star.
But "Magic" is in the title, so I should have known better. Salt Magic is very much a fantasy read. The brother met a witch in Paris and she's tracked him home. She also has a tangled past with an addled great uncle. Young Vonceil must appease the witch to save her farm - a fun, fast-paced quest that sees Vonceil meeting a maybe-friendly sugar witch and learning the dark backstory of her great uncle.
Where did these witches come from? Why are there magical kingdoms floating around the American West? Salt Magic never clarifies. The fantasy adventure is fun enough, but I maintain the real adventure would have made for a better book. That said, this one is still pretty enjoyable as is. And the art alone is easily worth a star.
December 3, 2021
4.5 stars. I need this to be a movie ASAP. It would look so beautiful animated
January 20, 2022
Absolutely perfect. Larson has managed to distill that Ghibli essence onto a page (no doubt through her own magic powers), who could ask for more?
Also, where do I sign-up to be a candy witch?
Also, where do I sign-up to be a candy witch?
February 16, 2022
Studio Ghibli vibes with a western cowboy magic feel. The story was so original and fantastical which was only elevated by the gorgeous illustrations. I loved the dark undertones to the whole story too which made it feel deeper and more complex. Definitely a favorite!
March 22, 2023
Gorgeous illustrations and a really interesting story. I really wanted more from the characters, and I wanted more depth in the plot. I'd love to have seen this as a much longer book, or maybe a series.
December 29, 2021
I definitely need time to process this book before I give it a review. It was good, but I'm not really sure what I read.
February 6, 2022
This was such a beautiful, interesting story. Big Ghibli energy.
5/5
5/5
March 14, 2022
I don't get it. What am I missing? Where is the good part? This graphic novel just did not make a lot of sense to me! But there are rave 5-star reviews for it. So I have to be missing something. Yes, it was ethereal but I just didn't care for the plot. It didn't make sense! The illustrations are nice though, I loved the candy witch!
October 24, 2021
Salt Magic is a graphic novel written by Hope Larson and illustrated by Rebecca Mock. It is an eerie graphic novel that slides from apparent historical fiction into an unsettling fairy tale.
When her older brother Elber returns to Gypsum, Oklahoma from the First World War profoundly changed and ready to settle down, 12-year-old Vonceil misses his adventurous spirit, which previously matched her own.
After Elber marries his sweetheart, Amelia � accused at the wedding of being a witch, his past intrudes in the form of the arrival of an elegant woman who nursed him in Paris. Spurned, the newcomer turns the family spring � the only reliable source of water in a drought affecting the farming community to saline.
Determined to lift the curse, Vonceil rides out at night, encountering her bizarre family history and a hidden world of dangerous magical beings that will require grit, resourcefulness, and unexpected allies to navigate.
Salt Magic is written and constructed rather well. Mock's washed-out, dusty palette and carefully observed fashion swiftly conjures rural Oklahoma in 1919, while occasional bursts of bright, clear color separate the magical from the mundane. Despite uneven pacing at some transitional moments, this story unfolds skillfully, taking time to develop memorable heroine Vonceil and her quotidian world, before setting her on an adventure that echoes fantasy classics yet feels entirely distinct.
All in all, Salt Magic is an unusual and excellent graphic novel, containing wonder within.
When her older brother Elber returns to Gypsum, Oklahoma from the First World War profoundly changed and ready to settle down, 12-year-old Vonceil misses his adventurous spirit, which previously matched her own.
After Elber marries his sweetheart, Amelia � accused at the wedding of being a witch, his past intrudes in the form of the arrival of an elegant woman who nursed him in Paris. Spurned, the newcomer turns the family spring � the only reliable source of water in a drought affecting the farming community to saline.
Determined to lift the curse, Vonceil rides out at night, encountering her bizarre family history and a hidden world of dangerous magical beings that will require grit, resourcefulness, and unexpected allies to navigate.
Salt Magic is written and constructed rather well. Mock's washed-out, dusty palette and carefully observed fashion swiftly conjures rural Oklahoma in 1919, while occasional bursts of bright, clear color separate the magical from the mundane. Despite uneven pacing at some transitional moments, this story unfolds skillfully, taking time to develop memorable heroine Vonceil and her quotidian world, before setting her on an adventure that echoes fantasy classics yet feels entirely distinct.
All in all, Salt Magic is an unusual and excellent graphic novel, containing wonder within.
September 26, 2022
[ tw // violence against elderly people on p. 32 ]
sooo i finished this book and i am left with mixed feelings. yes, it had studio ghibli vibes and the color palettes were so amazing. yes, there was a variety of characters, different from one another. however, my main problem was the plot.
the plot was quite deep and interconnected but i feel that it was communicated to the reader quite poorly. i did not understand many key points of the plot bc they were brushed off very quickly. also, i found myself confusing character names quite often (i still don't know for sure who jesse is??)
overall, i would describe this as studio ghibli meets the american west (with cowboys etc). the idea was great, the art style was amazing but the plot was not communicated to the reader in a good flow or in an understandable manner.
my rating might change but for now it's a 3.5 �
sooo i finished this book and i am left with mixed feelings. yes, it had studio ghibli vibes and the color palettes were so amazing. yes, there was a variety of characters, different from one another. however, my main problem was the plot.
the plot was quite deep and interconnected but i feel that it was communicated to the reader quite poorly. i did not understand many key points of the plot bc they were brushed off very quickly. also, i found myself confusing character names quite often (i still don't know for sure who jesse is??)
overall, i would describe this as studio ghibli meets the american west (with cowboys etc). the idea was great, the art style was amazing but the plot was not communicated to the reader in a good flow or in an understandable manner.
my rating might change but for now it's a 3.5 �
September 20, 2022
TW: Violence against old people.
A beautiful creative whimsical story that I could not put it down until Fin! (Okey, I had an issue with p.32).
I liked Vonceil character and the witches, mostly Dee but let's be honest I didn't like her brother with that "No woman of mine..." and for what he did in Paris knowing that his fiance was waiting for him. Also, I wanted to see that Vonceil had a great life before that ending but it's my opinion and my wishes. Anyway, it was really nice and it's true that it has some Ghibli's vibes more like Howl' Moving Castle kind of story.
A beautiful creative whimsical story that I could not put it down until Fin! (Okey, I had an issue with p.32).
I liked Vonceil character and the witches, mostly Dee but let's be honest I didn't like her brother with that "No woman of mine..." and for what he did in Paris knowing that his fiance was waiting for him. Also, I wanted to see that Vonceil had a great life before that ending but it's my opinion and my wishes. Anyway, it was really nice and it's true that it has some Ghibli's vibes more like Howl' Moving Castle kind of story.
January 24, 2024
I loved it. When Vonceil's brother returns from World War I, a witch puts a curse on her family's farm. Vonceil is determined to lift the curse, but what will it cost her?
If you're looking for a graphic novel that's not realistic fiction, liked how blended historical fiction and fantasy or are looking for a story with witches, this graphic novel with magic of all kinds is for you.
If you're looking for a graphic novel that's not realistic fiction, liked how blended historical fiction and fantasy or are looking for a story with witches, this graphic novel with magic of all kinds is for you.
September 4, 2022
3.6 stars; First half is middle of the road in terms of interest and originally but the artwork in the second half (once Vonceil begins her adventure) makes up for the fairly predictable story/characters arcs. Vonceil is clearly influenced by Studio Ghibli art style. Especially liked the setting/time frame.
June 11, 2023
A fun and exciting little adventure has a 12-year-old girl setting off on a road trip and risking her life to save her family's Oklahoma farm from a witch's curse in 1919.
After taking time throughout the story, the ending seemed abrupt and the closing pages of the flash-forward epilogue felt like a mistake, making me close the book with a slight scowl.
After taking time throughout the story, the ending seemed abrupt and the closing pages of the flash-forward epilogue felt like a mistake, making me close the book with a slight scowl.
February 7, 2022
Vonceil's older brother Elber comes home after fighting in World War I. Vonceil’s family lives on a modest country farm in a quiet town of Oklahoma. Vonceil was hoping her brother would find a beautiful French nurse to marry while he was there. But to her disappointment her brother quickly marries the woman he loves and left behind during the war. During the wedding their uncle who they barely knew, gets upset and calls the bride the White Witch. He tries to throw a strange rock at her. After the wedding festivities, Elber begins to do chores around the house and doesn't have time to goof around with Vonceil any more.
One day, Vonceil goes into town and sees a beautiful elegant woman who feels familiar when they both stare at each other. When Vonceil and her mom are back home and doing chores, the woman Vonceil sees is at her house! Elber suddenly appears too and it turns out that he knows the woman! To Vonceil's surprise, she thinks she wished this woman here. But Elber refuses the woman and tells her to go back home without him. The fancy woman in white curses the family farm by making their fresh water turn into salt water. Elber is horrified by the curse and is overwhelmed by what to do next. Vonceil decides that it is up to her to fix this and runs to find the white witch to ask her to reverse the curse whatever it takes. Will Vonceil be able to convince the White Witch to reverse the curse? Find out!
This graphic novel is recommended for readers who love a story about curses, witches, and overcoming the odds.
Reviewed by: Miss Nessa, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library
One day, Vonceil goes into town and sees a beautiful elegant woman who feels familiar when they both stare at each other. When Vonceil and her mom are back home and doing chores, the woman Vonceil sees is at her house! Elber suddenly appears too and it turns out that he knows the woman! To Vonceil's surprise, she thinks she wished this woman here. But Elber refuses the woman and tells her to go back home without him. The fancy woman in white curses the family farm by making their fresh water turn into salt water. Elber is horrified by the curse and is overwhelmed by what to do next. Vonceil decides that it is up to her to fix this and runs to find the white witch to ask her to reverse the curse whatever it takes. Will Vonceil be able to convince the White Witch to reverse the curse? Find out!
This graphic novel is recommended for readers who love a story about curses, witches, and overcoming the odds.
Reviewed by: Miss Nessa, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library
February 8, 2022
practically every review i've seen of this book mentions ghibli vibes which is true but not the first thing i thought of reading it so idk if everyone got a playbook i didn't? liked it a lot though! and when i think on it spirited away feels like a very natural comparator in terms of beautifully told children's stories with an edge
4 stars
4 stars
May 3, 2022
Wow! Having enjoyed several of Hope Larson's other titles, I picked this up on sight at the library. The story is really engaging and feels different and unique while giving off a great Studio Ghibli/fairy tale energy. I loved the setting, the characters, the story, and the artwork.
September 10, 2023
Super nette Geschichte
March 7, 2023
3.75/5 ⭐️
Want to read
September 21, 2024(Recommended by Ms. B)
May 20, 2023
"On ne ment pas tant qu'on ne répond pas à la question."
October 20, 2021
This stunningly original graphic novel tells a tale of life in Oklahoma after the Great War, when a young soldier returning from Europe triggers a curse, leaving his younger sister to find a way to save their family farm.
Vonceil Taggart is the youngest of five children growing up on a farming homestead ten miles north of the nearest town. The Taggarts' farm has a freshwater spring that sustains them even when the rains fail, as they're threatening to do around the time Vonceil's beloved oldest brother Elber returns from fighting in Europe. To Vonceil's disappointment, Elber barely has time for her now, having eyes only for Amelia, the sweetheart he left behind. Vonceil finds Amelia crushingly dull, and had secretly prayed that Elber would meet and marry a sophisticated European beauty while deployed and whisk Vonceil off with them afterwards to tour the world. Instead, Elber seems fairly intent on being boring and grown-up and marrying Amelia and settling down in Oklahoma for good.
When a beautiful Frenchwoman sweeps into town shortly after Elber's wedding, Vonceil feels instantly drawn to her. Greda is exotic and lovely, but has come bearing a grudge. Apparently, she and Elber had embarked on an affair while in Paris, and now she wants him to come away with her again. Elber refuses, at which point Greda curses the farm's spring, telling Elber and Vonceil that it will only run salt water till he forsakes his family and comes lives with her in Sere.
Guilt-stricken at the thought that it was her own injudicious longing that caused all this, Vonceil embarks on a perilous mission to find Greda and Sere and lift the curse. Resourceful and smart, she figures out how to find this mythical place, making unlikely friends and rescuing the helpless in the process. But Greda won't lift the curse without exacting a price, one that may be more than even brave Vonceil can pay.
Gosh, I cried at the end of this lovely, moving book, which moved me in a way I haven't felt since reading Mark Siegel's brilliant . Salt Magic effortlessly blends American history and folklore with entirely new fantastic constructs to build a truly unique fairy tale suitable for ages 10 and up. Rebecca Mock's wonderfully emotive illustrations breathe life into Hope Larson's smart, thoughtful story, occasionally hiding important plot points in plain sight, where they can sneak up on the reader for another emotional sucker punch after you've just gotten over the first few.
I really hope these authors write more set in this wildly original universe they've created. There are so many rich, wonderful characters I'd love to revisit in future books, especially if their stories are told as movingly as Vonceil's was here.
Salt Magic by Hope Larson & Rebecca Mock was published October 12 2021 by Margaret Ferguson Books and is available from all good booksellers, including
Vonceil Taggart is the youngest of five children growing up on a farming homestead ten miles north of the nearest town. The Taggarts' farm has a freshwater spring that sustains them even when the rains fail, as they're threatening to do around the time Vonceil's beloved oldest brother Elber returns from fighting in Europe. To Vonceil's disappointment, Elber barely has time for her now, having eyes only for Amelia, the sweetheart he left behind. Vonceil finds Amelia crushingly dull, and had secretly prayed that Elber would meet and marry a sophisticated European beauty while deployed and whisk Vonceil off with them afterwards to tour the world. Instead, Elber seems fairly intent on being boring and grown-up and marrying Amelia and settling down in Oklahoma for good.
When a beautiful Frenchwoman sweeps into town shortly after Elber's wedding, Vonceil feels instantly drawn to her. Greda is exotic and lovely, but has come bearing a grudge. Apparently, she and Elber had embarked on an affair while in Paris, and now she wants him to come away with her again. Elber refuses, at which point Greda curses the farm's spring, telling Elber and Vonceil that it will only run salt water till he forsakes his family and comes lives with her in Sere.
Guilt-stricken at the thought that it was her own injudicious longing that caused all this, Vonceil embarks on a perilous mission to find Greda and Sere and lift the curse. Resourceful and smart, she figures out how to find this mythical place, making unlikely friends and rescuing the helpless in the process. But Greda won't lift the curse without exacting a price, one that may be more than even brave Vonceil can pay.
Gosh, I cried at the end of this lovely, moving book, which moved me in a way I haven't felt since reading Mark Siegel's brilliant . Salt Magic effortlessly blends American history and folklore with entirely new fantastic constructs to build a truly unique fairy tale suitable for ages 10 and up. Rebecca Mock's wonderfully emotive illustrations breathe life into Hope Larson's smart, thoughtful story, occasionally hiding important plot points in plain sight, where they can sneak up on the reader for another emotional sucker punch after you've just gotten over the first few.
I really hope these authors write more set in this wildly original universe they've created. There are so many rich, wonderful characters I'd love to revisit in future books, especially if their stories are told as movingly as Vonceil's was here.
Salt Magic by Hope Larson & Rebecca Mock was published October 12 2021 by Margaret Ferguson Books and is available from all good booksellers, including
December 2, 2021
Oof, ow, my heart. I was already in love with it, but that ending really cinched it for me.
Maybe because I loved Little House on the Prairie as a kid (I joined the fan club!), but everything about this did it for me. The setting. The magic system, which felt intuitive and grounded despite being fantastical. The characters, including one very tragic villainness, which gets me as a fan of well-written terrible people. The gorgeous art, which made me slow down just to appreciate the pages even though I wanted to devour the story. An endearing if annoying main character, who was just bratty and hard-headed enough to sell me on the wild adventure.
I'm definitely buying a copy of this for my shelf at home - this blew me away.
Maybe because I loved Little House on the Prairie as a kid (I joined the fan club!), but everything about this did it for me. The setting. The magic system, which felt intuitive and grounded despite being fantastical. The characters, including one very tragic villainness, which gets me as a fan of well-written terrible people. The gorgeous art, which made me slow down just to appreciate the pages even though I wanted to devour the story. An endearing if annoying main character, who was just bratty and hard-headed enough to sell me on the wild adventure.
I'm definitely buying a copy of this for my shelf at home - this blew me away.
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