By Yo Yo (Tokyopop)
ISBN 978-1-905239-60-3
This is a light quirky fairy tale for adults, which blends traditional fantasy elements with modern artefacts and idiom to tell short gag tales. Narrated by a chain-smoking cat in leather boots, it details the sad-sack exploits of cute but uninspiring witch Laya, and the growing coteries of extraordinary friends who come to stay with her in her capacious house in the wild woods.
The creative anachronism and willingness to meddle with both context and the fourth wall might bewilder some readers, but generally the fun and frolics centre around the kind of problems teenaged girls fret about, such as boys, shopping, friends and social or family approval. My old soul wants to call this a very “girly†book but that’s not meant in an accusative or prejudicial way.
There’s fun and meat here but Laya isn’t about depth or challenge, so if you can’t just go with the flow or need a certain amount of tension in your entertainment, you might want to look elsewhere, and parents might want to screen this before letting younger kids at it
Jolly and competent, but not to every fan’s taste.
© 2001 Yo Yo, DAIWON C.I. Inc. English text © 2006 TOKYOPOP Inc. All Rights Reserved.