I'm a huge fan of fantasy where the storytelling itself, in this case oral history of how the witches defeated the colonizers, is a character. 
I didn't finish this one in time for a book club, but will come back to it at a later date. 

Full RTC upon further edits of the book.

This heartfelt middle grade novel tackles some big themes including depression, anxiety, and child abuse. 
This story unfolds over a day, but what an exciting day it is as Tacoma meets Denver (who lives pretty much the exact reciprocal of her lifestyle) and finds herself working with Hudgie (who's bullied her for years). The way in which Tacoma and Denver deepen their friendship through sharing memories feels very authentic. The cast of characters in the diner and across towns are colorful and make the story feel full.
While the hints along the way are recognizable to me, an adult, I'd bet a tween would be thrilled with the twists and turns in this adventure. I'd recommend this title to a tween dealing with anxiety or anyone that has had to grow up too fast. 

This strong sequel tackle big topics that leave a reader reflective like the fear of friends drifting apart, and making big school/work related decisions. The colors in the artwork are stunning and the length is standard for a teen graphic novel. I enjoyed spending more time with these characters, especially since Sunati's best friend Rae has a big role to play in this half.
I have two criticisms that make this a 4-star in my mind. 
First, art-wise I found it odd that Austen's facial expressions don't really change much. An instance in particular where I noticed this was during an emotionally taxing conversation with her advisor, it looks like she's wearing the same smile the whole time. Granted, this could be due to her masking her feelings in the meeting, but it knocked me out of the story somewhat. Another perfectly resonable explanation could be since this is an adaptation from a webcomic, and I know artists often have unreasonable deadlines to turn in chapters, so this could be from that.
On more of a story-beat note,

I was hoping to see some of Sunati's experience in space, after that was such a big decision for her! A page of vignette's of her work over there, while Austen is reading the incredibly thoughtful/romantic notes back at home could provide some nice detail instead of just jumping ahead to when Sunati returns. This opportunity was a big deal for Sunati, and I'd like to see why.

Clans vying for power, a murder mystery, a group set up to fail, and a sapphic romance! This sci-fi novella truly had it all and I got chills reading the end. All of these characters had such depth to them and the worldbuilding is strong, especially for a book of this size. This served as a reminder that Aliette De Bodard is an auto-buy author, for me. It's early in 2025, but this already feels like a contender for a favorite book read this year.