Book Review Of Over My Dead Body By Sweeney Boo: An Unputdownable Witchy Graphic Novel

Synopsis

Fans of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will love diving into the mysterious and witchy world of award-nominated creator Sweeney Boo.

Enchanting full-color illustrations will be sure to charm readers as they explore the halls of Younwity’s Institute of Magic and the forbidden forest that lies beyond. In the days leading up to Samhain, the veil between the world of the dead and the living is at its thinnest. One day, everything was exactly as it was supposed to be. And the next, the closest thing Abby ever had to a sister, Noreen, was just… gone.

Distracted by the annual preparations for the Samhain festival, Abby’s classmates are quick to put Noreen’s disappearance aside. The Coven will find her, Abby’s friends say. They have it under control. But Abby can’t let it go. Soon a search for answers leads her down a rabbit hole that uncovers more secrets than Abby can handle. As mounting evidence steers her toward the off-limits woods that surround the academy, she begins to see that Noreen’s disappearance mysteriously has a lot in common with another girl who went missing all those years ago…

Genres/Categories

YA/Middle Grade, Cozy Mystery, Cozy Fantasy, Dark Academia, Magical Realism.

☆☆☆

If you’re from down south in the United States, you know hurricanes swooped in with their own set of rules for fun.

While they did their job of overturning pool chairs and blowing roofs away, I curled up with Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo. It struck the trifecta that makes any graphic novel, webtoon, or comic a must-read for me.

My Review Of Over My Dead Body

Over My Dead Body Has Characters That Will Resonate With You

While the plot of this novel is anything but real (oh how I wish magic was real), the characters were so beautifully crafted, it felt as if they were jumping from the pages.

Characters from graphic novels don’t have to be likeable all the time, but they have to be relevant and intriguing enough for me to read about them (this also applies to books or mangas).

Over My Dead Body has a wonderful set of characters who’d do anything for their friends, unlikely allies that make you feel hopeful about the world, and even off-page characters that you would root for. The LGBTQ+ representation added an extra touch of realism.

The Atmospheric Art Style

I adored the art style in Over My Dead Body. When I consider graphic novels, webtoons, and/or comics in terms of art style, I’m not always looking for something pretty and glittering, but something that’s so expressive, it sucks you right in.

Over My Dead Body has some of the best art I’ve seen. It brought the plot to life. It brought the school for witches to life (That’s right! Boarding school for witches). Over My Dead Body has a dark academia aesthetic, so if that’s your thing, I promise you that the graphic novel will not disappoint.

Over My Dead Body has a storyline that will make you utter “And The Plot Thickens” every new page

If you’ve been looking for a book that is a mixture of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Harry Potter, look no further than Over My Dead Body. It has a gripping mystery, a hidden diary (which has to be one of my favorite plot devices), and have I mentioned that it’s set in a boarding school for witches?

I, for one, loved the concept of every student in the school having a familiar (basically, a talking animal companion). I wish this part was explored further but with the amount of world-building in Over My Dead Body and an illegal cliffhanger, there’s hope for this book to be part of a series.

Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo In A Nutshell

Pros

Spells, just the right amount of sleuthing, and a whole lot of suspense. Plus, incredible art style.

Cons

That. Cliffhanger.

Recommended For

Those looking for a cozy, atmospheric novel that can be read in one sitting with autumnal vibes (think burnt orange tones). Anyone who loves dark academia.

Comment Down Below!

Have you read Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo? If yes, what did you think of it? If not, do read it! Have you read any great graphic novels recently? I’d love to know about them in the comments down below!