This graphic novel is the story of a journey in which magical outcasts, thrown together by fate, must learn to trust and rely on one another in order to heal, grow and find the strength to battle demons. Aminder Dhaliwal has created a magical world with its own unique set of rules. Witches are valued and esteemed so long as they do their job for their towns. Once their magic weakens, they are “cleansed” by fire and a new witch takes over. It’s an old system that everyone seems to accept as right, until the main character Singe discovers otherwise.
When we are introduced to Singe, she has been burned at the stake but is not dead. Her memories and her magic are mostly gone when two travelers, the witch Yew Veda and the toad Bufo find and save her. Yew Veda was herself nearly burned at the stake and managed to heal herself. She now makes it her business to try to save other witches whose towns have written them off. In this world, every town has a witch whose job it is to ensure that the town’s economy thrives. If a witch’s magic begins to weaken — as it inevitably will when it is overused and when witches are not allowed to pursue other interests for themselves — it can begin to leak out of the witch. When this happens, the magic can “spoil”, leading to the creation of curses and the arrival of demons. The combination of a witch whose magic seems to be lessening and the arrival of curses and demons leads townspeople to feel justified in burning their witches. Some witches also believe this burning is justified. Yew Veda and Bufo are on the run, Yew Veda because she is a witch who was supposed to burn and Bufo because he is a witch who accidentally transformed himself into a toad by using magic in unacceptable ways. Yew Veda and he are on a quest to find the ingredients to make the potion that will transform him back to his human form when they find Singe and bring her along on their journey.
Yew Veda, as a healer with experience, explains to Singe that in order to heal, she will need both rest and time. It is essential that Singe regain her memories before she tries to use magic again. As the three travel, Yew Veda will perform healing rituals on Singe, but Singe struggles to regain her memories and grows frustrated by Yew Veda’s strictures against using magic. At the same time, the three friends will have to fight demons (Disgust, Doubt and Despair), and deal with serious cracks in their own relationships with each other. Moreover, someone from Singe’s past is on their trail, and as Singe begins to remember her past, she must decide what it is she wants to do with her magic and her life.
This novel brings home some really wonderful messages about community and self. Serving a broader community is all well and good so long as you are not taken for granted and worn completely down by working. A person needs to take care of themselves and have interests that bring joy and personal fulfillment as well. Finding a community where one belongs and is treated as equal and valuable, where one is heard, is also important. The Smoke Witch is a fascinating character; it is essentially the souls or spirits of witches who were burned at the stake. They are a collective soul but have no control over their movement; they arise at night and are blown by the winds, and if at daybreak they are over water, they fall there never to return. They are a community but they also need others to help them.
The climax of the novel is quite exciting, and the various threads of the story come together here and get a satisfying resolution. I first read A Witch’s Guide to Burning in serial form on Instagram, and I always looked forward to the next installment. Having the entire story in book form reminded me of how well Aminder Dhaliwal planned out this tale. I started following her on IG after reading and reviewing Cyclopedia Exotica, which is also outstanding. This is an author/creator to watch.