The Well

Starred review from February 1, 2022
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* When Li-Zhen comes up short for her return fare home after her first day at the market on her own, she grabs three coins from the wishing well to pay the ferryman. But that well is mystical, and stealing the coins leaves her with a curse--either she fulfills the wishes attached to those coins or she's doomed to be the well's servant. The wishes send her on three quests, which ultimately reveal secrets about the foggy archipelago's monsters, her own innate magic, and the fate of her family, most of whom died battling a sea dragon when she was a baby. Wyatt and Choo's gorgeously illustrated adventure follows a classic three-quest fairy tale structure, but the matter-of-fact queer representation and lush, manga-inspired artwork set it apart. Towering waves, grotesque monsters, sharply expressive faces, and evocative settings appear in a luminescent palette dominated by periwinkles, mauves, and sunset yellows in high contrast to the crisp black shadows. It's a dynamic visual style, reminiscent of Miyazaki's animation and rich with world-building detail. Wyatt neatly folds backstory reveals into the action, and Li-Zhen wrestles with some poignant questions when she considers whether to do the well's bidding. With captivating artwork and a compelling adventure that has surprising depth, this is a top pick for teen readers who liked Tillie Walden's On a Sunbeam (2018).

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Starred review from March 25, 2022

Gr 8 Up-Shui Jing is an archipelago of monsters, magic, and mystery. In a last-ditch effort to rid the archipelago of the menacing Leviathan and its all-consuming mist, a witch, her husband, and her mother set sail for a final battle against the beast, and so the witch's daughter, Lizzy, grows up without any of them. Lizzy lives a mundane life with her grandfather, hiding her burgeoning magic powers and selling goats' milk to the local merchants. On a trip to the annual fair, Lizzy accidentally spends the money she needs to take the ferry back home. She takes the money from the Shui Jing wishing well, and that night, her life changes forever. The three coins she took from the well each had specific wishes attached to them. It's up to Lizzy to fulfill those wishes before the well claims her life as payment, but she has no idea where to begin-and her journey will bring her face to face with the Leviathan itself. The Well is a triumph of a graphic novel. Wyatt's story and dialogue are reminiscent of the beloved animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender"; Choo uses large panels, pastel colors, and lovingly rendered distance portraits to bring Lizzy's richly detailed world to life. Lizzy's journey is a page-turner, and while older readers might be able to see the plot twists from afar, the younger set will be blown away by the scope of the plucky heroine's quest. The Well features numerous same-gender couples, including a romance between Lizzy and another young woman. VERDICT A quick, immersive, and gorgeous read that's welcome on any graphic novel shelf.-Matisse Mozer

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 23, 2022
A farmer’s teenage granddaughter embarks on a perilous journey to break her curse in this Chinese-inspired heroic myth. Li-zhen is three coins short to pay the fare back home after a laborious day selling her and her grandfather’s wares at the market. Desperate, she steals from the village’s wishing well, which curses her. To remove her affliction, Lizzy must fulfill the wish of each person whose coin she stole, lest the ocean consume her in recompense. With the well’s mysterious, cloaked guardian as her guide, Lizzy is tasked with ferrying a stranger to a faraway land, helping a greedy man gain immeasurable wealth, and slaying the Leviathan—a monster she thought dead after her late witch mother felled it years before—that is terrorizing her island home of Shui Jing. Choo’s thinly lined inks render intricately detailed characters, and pale-hued coloring and expertly prioritized negative space ground the expansive worldbuilding. Wyatt enlivens classic fantasy tropes and themes through the lens of a tenacious heroine whose rapidly expanding worldview and patchy memories of her complicated past build toward a poignant resolution through a compact, immersive narrative. Characters are portrayed with varying skin tones. Ages 14–up. Agent: Charlie Olsen, InkWell Management.

July 1, 2022
This post-apocalyptic, archipelago-set graphic novel teems with atmosphere and angst, in addition to gutsy witches, mysterious curses, and horrifying monsters. Teenage Li-Zhen, or Lizzy, is a witch with a tragic family history -- her mother, father, and grandmother died fighting a sea serpent, the Leviathan, when she was an infant. Now Lizzy, traveling on her own for the first time to market to sell her and her grandfather's farm goods, spends all her money at the fair (where she passes time with her same-sex crush, Eli). She steals three coins from a wishing well to pay her ferry fare home; cursed, she must fulfill the three wishes that she stole, or the well will take her "down into the water, into the dark." A series of accelerating adventures unfolds, all leading to a ferocious battle between Lizzy and the Leviathan. Choo's manga-influenced cartooning is cinematic and immersive, expertly balancing long-distance establishing shots with up-close character-driven action. The digitally produced illustrations are rendered in a thin black line, providing plenty of open space for an ever-changing, emotive color palette within immersive, intriguing visuals. Patrick Gall

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
This post-apocalyptic, archipelago-set graphic novel teems with atmosphere and angst, in addition to gutsy witches, mysterious curses, and horrifying monsters. Teenage Li-Zhen, or Lizzy, is a witch with a tragic family history -- her mother, father, and grandmother died fighting a sea serpent, the Leviathan, when she was an infant. Now Lizzy, traveling on her own for the first time to market to sell her and her grandfather's farm goods, spends all her money at the fair (where she passes time with her same-sex crush, Eli). She steals three coins from a wishing well to pay her ferry fare home; cursed, she must fulfill the three wishes that she stole, or the well will take her "down into the water, into the dark." A series of accelerating adventures unfolds, all leading to a ferocious battle between Lizzy and the Leviathan. Choo's manga-influenced cartooning is cinematic and immersive, expertly balancing long-distance establishing shots with up-close character-driven action. The digitally produced illustrations are rendered in a thin black line, providing plenty of open space for an ever-changing, emotive color palette within immersive, intriguing visuals.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)