This has a fairly common plot for fantasy books - somebody is going after a royal who has to be in hiding and teams up with a commoner who helps them see the truth about their family's reign. There also happen to be goats involved.

There's romance at the end that felt completely unnecessary and came out of nowhere. It seemed like the characters were going to be each other's first close friends, but instead they have to kiss.

The art is fine, but the characters are often shown in profile with their mouths open and no teeth and it looks weird to me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

J'ai beaucoup apprécié cette BD, elle me fait pensée a ces nouvelles BD jeunesse plus longue et très bien construite. Les personnages ont un design simple mais des caractères forts et intéressants. Le développement de la princesse et somme toute assez classique, mais je trouve que l'univers est très bien approfondit.
Je suis très heureuse de voir ce genre d'histoire en format de Bande Dessinée être de plus en plus publiée, elle me rappelle le travaille de Kay O'Neill ou Molly Knox Ostertag avec leurs histoires pleines de douceurs et de personnages à la fois complexes et attachants.

Inclusive LGTBTQIA2S+ friendly fantasy story about a peasant who doesn't think much of her magical abilities with goats and a princess who is turned into, you've got it, a goat. The art style is warm and almost friendly, the plot moves quickly and the slight twist at the end was appreciated.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

This one caught my eye when I spotted it on Netgalley, the title and cover just sounded so fun and I knew I had to read it. I am so glad I got approved for it as I had a fun time reading this one. It's a fun fantasy adventure type story following a goat herder with special magic that let her talk to her goats and a princess who gets cursed to turn into a goat during the day.

I liked Trill from the start, she's just such a fun character with her goats and her magic and her desire to explore the world and do something more. She has some self esteem issues as she always was made to feel her magic and powers weren't enough, but she does have a supportive mother. Alya is the princess of the kingdom, she is called the "Ordinary Princess". She struggles really feeling like a princess and when she gets cursed to turn into a goat during the day and only be in her human form at night she meets Trill while she's a goat and joins the herd. This set up gave me a bit The Emperor's New Groove vibes, which I liked.

I liked reading about these character and especially the character related plot lines and seeing them grow throughout the book. Alya has been a bit sheltered and now that she travels throughout the world she hears of people havign issues with the way the kingdom is governed and hearing their complaints and seeing different sides. While Trill gains in confidence during this journey and realizes how handy her magic can be. There are quite some interesting parts to the story like who the villain is who cursed Alya and why, his motivation makes sense too. There also is the whole part about the magic schools and Alya wanting to change how the kingdom is ruled and slowly growing into her confidence as a princess too.

Next to the bigger plot and adventure there are all these quieter and cozier scenes as well and I thought those were great. I liked seeing Trill and Alya grow closer and be there for each other. There's even a bit of romance there. There also are some fun side characters along the way like the moth lady they go to for advice. And ofcourse all the goats are so fun to read about and they have their own personality as well.

The artwork was pretty and fit the story well. It was all full color and the story really came to life with the help of the artwork. I liked seeing the different scenery along their adventure. And I liked seeing all the different facial expressions of the characters, the art could convey so much and it was just nice to look at it all.

To summarize: I had a great time reading Goat magic, this was such a fun book. It features two likable characters who grow a lot and learn about themselves along the way. The plot is a fantasy adventure style with a villain who curses one of the main characters, the villain has a solid motive. There is a touch of romance as well. I liked reading about the characters and their adventure and learning about this world. There are lots of fun side characters like the goats and the moth lady. The artwork was beautiful and I liked how the art added to the story, I liked being able to see all the different scenery as well as the character facial expressions. All in all I had a great time reading this one, it's a fun read and the artwork looks great.

Goat Magic is a wonderful middle grade graphic novel fantasy adventure! With goat magic, gorgeous illustrations that bring to life all of the fantastic creatures, and royal assassination plot, Goat Magic held my attention from page 1. I loved the way the 2 protagonists worked together even though they were from completely different worlds, they both had so much heart in this book! Overall, definitely one I would recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley, Oni Press, and Kate Wheeler for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own!

This was such a great story! So many elements of this story that I adored, the magic system being one of the big ones. The magic system in the book is so well done, and I think some elements have a basis in real-world "folk magic" pagan practices. The journey of this story does remind me faintly of Emperor's New Groove, but it's mostly the "royalty gets turned into an animal and has someone of a lower social status help them return to a human" concept that's doing that. I love that Alya learns more about herself, her people, and the state of her country on the journey to become human again! You can watch her grow as a person and a ruler. She doesn't shy away from the truth and tries to accept it honestly. I also adored that Trill learns to step into herself, and learn to accept herself and her magic. The way they both think of themselves as lesser, and together learn that no, they are NOT lesser, and it is so sweet to read. I also enjoyed the art style. It was a bit simple, and there are sketches of them prior to the book that had a style I adored. But the art is honestly great with how it handles page flow. Nothing is confusing, and there is equal attention paid to the details of characters and cities. I honestly think this book would do amazing as an animated movie or series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

"Goat Magic" is a middle grade graphic novel by Kate Wheeler. Princess Alya is called the "ordinary princess" because she doesn't seem to de talented at anything. Trill, a goatherder, is very talented in goat magic and speaking to her goats. When Alya is turned into a goat and runs into Trill, they try to find a way to turn Alya back. Along the way, Alya learns a lot about how her kingdom is failing her people. Can she turn things around? This was a beautiful and well-written story. A recommended purchase for middle grade graphic novel collections.

Trill's life and magic are tied to goats—which she loves, but she also dreams of something more. And she just might find that when her story intersects with that of Alya, who is usually a princess but currently a goat...

This was super cute. I love the way Trill in particular is drawn, and her attitude is great—she's competent and a bit snarky; she's practical and stubborn in a way that she miiiight have learned from her goats. Alya has a bit more to learn; she's lived a privileged life but never had to prove herself in a real way. If anything, life as a princess has set her up to be a disappointment, and finding a way to de-goat-ify herself (and, oh yeah, save her kingdom and her mother in the process) is the first time she's had to step up in a way that has stakes.

The villain is intentionally tricky (and that's all I'll say about that), and there's plenty of tension to carry the book through. I didn't really need the romance (a platonic friendship story would have been just fine), but as written it's sweet and low-key, and very little of the tension is relationship drama, which is nice. Really, I'm mostly only sorry that "Goat Magic" wasn't longer—it felt complete, but I would have kept reading.

I hope this one makes it into a lot of middle school libraries.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

'Goat Magic' is a really fun and really sweet graphic novel that I devoured the second my request was accepted.

I love goats! I love graphic novels! I love magical girls turned into goats!

This was so fun, had a pretty artstyle and a really touching relationship between our two mc's - an ever present reminder that you can find your place, even if that place is in a different herd.

This Graphic Novel is visually stunning with many of the background behind the panels having colour, or blending with the panels to extend the art. This is also a very unique art style which I can appreciate as some all blend together after a while. The fact that the main characters are also unique in their styles is also refreshing as you can really tell that they belong in this world.

A goat herder, Trill, and a princess Alyannu (that has fallen under a curse where she becomes a goat during the day), travel together to try and find a cure and get back to Alya's mom who has been injured in a road side attack.

The troubles that they have on the road, and at the capital are understandable (nothing can ever be easy on a quest), but it also helps the characters come into their personalities and show their true potential!

A wonderful graphic novel for those that want some adventure with coziness sprinkled in.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in August. A funny sapphic magic story involving goats? I immediately signed up for it and my "Yes please" turned into a "I knew this was going to be good and I was right".

This is a wholesome story full of magic and goats.

Going into this graphic novel I expected to get a lighthearted story but it was a pleasant surprise that the story arc of the characters had an amazing development.

This is about a princess where she doesn't know if she will be ever fit to rule and about a girl that has the unique magic to talk to goats and consider this magic insubstantial. I loved both of them and I would highly recommend to take a look when it is published.

When I saw the title “Goat Magic”, I was intrigued: magical goats?, goats doing magic?, I had to read the blurb and then immediately picked it up, the story follows Trill a young goat herder who can communicate with her flock and can do magic, but dreams of a life beyond the mountains, a life full of adventure and not just goat magic, on her way to the market she meets a small black goat who turns out to be none other than the royal princess Alya, whose been cursed to turn into a goat each sunrise, together, they must embark on a journey to break the curse and save the kingdom.

I recommend this book for people who like whimsical fantasy adventures.

This was such a lovely graphic novel.
The main characters were both very distinct and grew a lot over the course of this book and their relationship was beautiful to watch blossom as well.
While the plot was predictable, the world building and magic system had many unique ideas, I especially loved the goat magic.
I also loved the art style a lot, it’s perfect for the story.
All in all a beautiful graphic novel, highly recommend.

I want to say thank you to Netgalley and to Oni Press for this magical and cozy graphic novel. Middle-grade readers will love to read this, especially if they are animal lovers. I did feel that the start of the main characters’ romance was very sudden, lacking any longing glances or awkwardness before they held hands and then kissed. But overall the romance aspect was fine for a kid’s book. I would definitely recommend this to children who are reluctant readers and/or animal lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of Goat Magic!

It tells the story of Trill a goat herder who has powers related to goats and she meets Alya- a princess who got cursed and transforms into a goat during the day.

I adored this book! The concept was rather unique and I enjoyed the Alya’s character development and various realisations on how the kingdom functions.

The drawings were so cute and I loved reading about how the author designed and worked on Goat Magic!

I would highly recommend it!

Well, I love magic, and I squeal every time I see a goat (doesn't happen too often, sadly), so of course a graphic novel called "Goat Magic" worked for me. It was a cute story, and yes, there were many goats. It's about the young goat herder Trill who is out traveling with her herd when she meets an unusual black goat. Unusual as in it's actually the cursed princess Alya. Luckily, Trill has goat magic, so she can understand Alya in her current form. She decides to help her, and so the two of them search for a way to remove the curse and also try to figure out who put it on Alya in the first place. It's a straightforward story, but there is some worldbuilding involving magic as a privilege of the rich. I liked that this sort of conflict was shown in a middle grade, but it was resolved pretty easily in the end. The art was simple but charming, and I really liked the panels full of nature (and goats within nature) and the design of the city. During dialogue the backgrounds were often empty, though, and close-ups of the characters weren't my favorite either. It's still a solid story for me and I'm sure the intended audience will like it very much. It was great to see how both girls came to terms with their minor magic, and there even was some unexpected queer rep. Overall, I got exactly what I came for, and that was ... well, goat magic.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Very warm and cute story, I would also like to have a giant goat
The world was well established, the plot was a classic but always fun to read, and the art was very cute! The only thing I didn't really like was their romantic relationship, it seemed out of place and it was a bit rushed but it was still sweet, I wish there had been more pages to explore that part of the story

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

This was a really lovely graphic novel about two girls finding their courage, and also each other, on their quest to save the kingdom.

The art was absolutely beautiful and I really loved the facial expressions - especially the goat's side-eye at the end.

I really liked the narrative of Ayla figuring out that just because she's lived a prosperous upbringing, not everyone has, and that the monarchy has done things to harm the citizens. It was a really powerful development of self-discovery and I loved that it made her more dedicated to fixing what had gone wrong and pushing for positive change.

I loved Trill's own journey of discovery with her magic and finding confidence in her abilities. It was really lovely to see her confidence grow and how she developed throughout the novel.

Thank you to Kate Wheeler, Oni Press, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review (unpaid).

Goat Magic is the sapphic romance The Emperor's New Groove retelling of my dreams, I really truly loved it, I loved the worldbuilding, the emotional turmoil, the characters (especially the goats ofc), and I loved the storyline of royalty realizing how fucked up the system they created is and actually fixing it.