witch hat atelier vol 10 by kamome shirahama

The Atelier is busy preparing spells and selling their goods at the Silver Eve festival. While out and about, Tetia stumbles upon a young boy who is avoiding the festival guards. She uses her sand tent to hide them both, and discovers that he is the crown prince of the kingdom, Eolio! He's slipped away from his bodyguards to more fully enjoy the festival, but he also fantasizes about being a witch. Tetia and Eolio switch cloaks for a while and walk around the various stalls. In another part of the festival, Agott sets her new spells on fire after learning the Head Librarian of the Tower of Tombs, her mother, will not be attending the festival and won't see her in the Silver Eve Procession. In another place, Coco and Tartah try to figure out how they can get into the procession as they are being forced to work with the Brimmed Hats and their former friend, Cuestas. They also find Dagda and realize that a seal has been inked on his chest - a counter clock seal, which is setting him back a day but only temporarily staving off his life-threatening injuries.

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The many different storylines weaving throughout this volume makes this one of the most fast-paced of the series thus far. I'm on the hook with Coco and Tartah trying to do what's right for their friend, but having all of their good intentions twisted and fall apart. My heart hurts for Agott and her quest for her mother's love, and this new twist with the prince and Tetia makes that storyline also feel high-stakes. There is a lot of action and moving plot, but everything is also getting more intense and in need of some resolutions, but Shirahama will probably keep building into the next volumes instead.

Sara’s Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

​Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8, vol 9
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Publisher: Kodansha
Publication Date: September 28, 2021​
ISBN: 9781646512690 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Fantasy, Magical Girl, ​Kodansha