Tidesong by Wendy Xu (review)

Sophie wants to be the witch that her family longs for—skilled, confident, and easily accepted into the best magic school. Unfortunately, her magic seems to have other plans, and time spent with her great-aunt and cousin has not improved things as Sophie had hoped. A rogue attempt to practice on her own nearly kills her, and the water dragon that saves her, Lir, somehow ends up magically entangled with Sophie. At first, Sophie caves into the temptation to use Lir’s magic to augment her own; he is kind and trusting, plus he’s lost nearly all of his memories, so he’s a perfect tool. As they grow closer, however, and Lir understands that he is being used, Sophie is faced with one of the first key choices of her life: be the person that her family expects her to be or be a person who chooses the difficult but moral path. Resplendent hues, big-eyed magical creatures, and vivid setting details enhance this lush graphic novel, and Xu blends elements from Chinese mythology seamlessly with a magical, witchy world. Although the focus remains primarily trained on Sophie and Lir, there is a whole world of relationships, small mysteries, and family dynamics happening around them, and those elements sink in best with repeated readings. A sequel to see where Sophie goes on this newly forged path would certainly be welcome, although a brief epilogue may have to do.