Chilling Adventures: Two Books, One Sabrina

Posted September 11, 2019 by shooting in Book Review / 23 Comments

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Vol 1: The Crucible by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Robert Hack (Artist)

copy from the library; all opinions are my own

Official Summary (add to Goodreads): On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, the young sorceress Sabrina Spellman finds herself at a crossroads, having to choose between an unearthly destiny and her mortal boyfriend, Harvey. But a foe from her family’s past has arrived in Greendale, Madame Satan, and she has her own deadly agenda. 

Review: First off, I have to say that I’ve never watched The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina show on Netflix. I do want to, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to get a little primer on this new version of Sabrina. This graphic novel introduces readers to Sabrina Spellman – a witch yes, with an Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda, yes, and oh yes, Salem is there. This Sabrina is a patron of the Dark Arts though, so it’s definitely a darker, more gruesome Sabrina we have here.

This volume was in the adult section of my library, and it makes sense, though I feel like I’ve seen it in the YA section too. I’d put it more in adult though. Sabrina might be a teenager but she’s not the Teenage Witch many of us grew up with. I thought the first volume, The Crucible, was done really well. I was riveted by the story and the wonderful artwork. It looks like there is only one other volume currently out, but I hope we get more!

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Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Season of the Witch (a prequel novel) by Sarah Rees Brennan

won in a giveaway from the publisher; all opinions are my own

Official Summary (add to Goodreads): It’s the summer before her sixteenth birthday, and Sabrina Spellman knows her world is about to change. She’s always studied magic and spells with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda. But she’s also lived a normal mortal life – attending Baxter High, hanging out with her friends Susie and Roz, and going to the movies with her boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle.

Now time is running out on her every day, normal world, and leaving behind Roz and Susie and Harvey is a lot harder than she thought it would be. Especially because Sabrina isn’t sure how Harvey feels about her. Her cousin Ambrose suggests performing a spell to discover Harvey’s true feelings. But when a mysterious wood spirit interferes, the spell backfires in a big way.

Sabrina has always been attracted to the power of being a witch. But now she can’t help wondering if that power is leading her down the wrong path. Will she choose to forsake the path of light and follow the path of night?

Review: Season of the Witch is classified as a prequel novel, which I assume means it’s a prequel to the Netflix show, which again, I have not seen. Regardless, I was excited to have won a copy of this book to check out. I think Brennan is a wonderful author – I’ve read other books by her – but this one didn’t quite captivate me as much. It wasn’t bad, by any means, but I felt like it took me such a long time to read and I could easily put it down for something else.

One of the things that I really loved about Season of the Witch though is the sections throughout the book with a black background and white lettering. They are always titled What Happens in the Dark and they give you an interesting perspective on the various people and entities in Greendale, since the rest of the book focuses on Sabrina. This is definitely a YA title, and it deals a lot with growing up and making choices about the person you want to be. It’s about first love and friendship. It has some darker elements, but it’s not terribly scary or anything.

***

All in all, I enjoyed both books in different ways but I definitely prefer the graphic novel. Regardless, I do want to watch the Netflix show and hopefully I can do that soon. Fall seems like a great time to start!

Tell me: have you read either of these, and what did you think? Or are they on your wish list? Have you seen the Netflix show? Leave your thoughts below! 

23 responses to “Chilling Adventures: Two Books, One Sabrina

  1. Nah, I’ve never seen the show nor have read these books. Idk, it wasn’t my thing back in the day, and my taste haven’t change. Lol. Glad you’re curious enough about the show to read these books, though!

  2. I haven’t watched the new series yet either, but I do enjoy a good witch story here and there, I’d be curious to see what this version of Sabrina is like. I always loved Salem too.

  3. Oh how interesting how connected these books are. I’ve never seen (or heard of!) the show though. The graphic novel especially sounds interesting!

  4. I haven’t seen the show- I’m kind of afraid that it’s a little TOO dark for me. I’d definitely be interested in checking out the graphic novel, though. I didn’t even know that existed!

  5. Jen

    My teenage kids are hooked to the new Sabrina show. Dang it is dark and scary though. So I get the YA and adult conundrum. I just told theme there is a book out and now they are trying to grab it on Amazon! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  6. I also love Sarah Rees Brennan, and wanted to read the book just because she was the author, but just didn’t get around to it. Sounds like that was probably the right decision for me. But the first one maybe I should get for my graphic novel loving students at school if they’ve watched the show. Great reviews!

  7. I started the Netflix show but got sidetracked, but I’m definitely interested in the graphic novel. Sounds fun! The show is definitely adult though- I was surprised how dark it was! lol definitely NOT the previous one for sure!

  8. I actually never saw the more light-hearted version of Sabrina when I was younger, but I watched the Netflix show and it’s wayyyy darker than I thought it’d be, haha. (I enjoy watching it though–looking forward to another season soon, hopefully!) I’m gonna need to pick these up at the library!

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