Tegan

Such a devastating but also loving story about life and loss and holding on too long. What a beautiful but confronting metaphor for moving on from grief. This story has affected me a lot but I'm glad to have been given the opportunity to read it.

The art is gorgeous and the way the panels are put together to tell the story is perfection. Really sets the mood and the pace and gives the reader tidbits of the world/history without using clunky exposition. The pace is exactly what it needs to be for this story as we flip back and forth from present to past.

Would definitely recommend but be warned there is gore and nudity. There are also racist/homophobic slurs used (briefly).

Thank you so much to Tate Brombal, Image Comics, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

I adore this in ways I can't fully explain. I loved this world and characters and everything that happened so much and I was enraptured by the first chapter. I wish I could live in this world, be one of the characters, live a life like this.

This book was clearly made with hands and hearts full of love and devotion. The events, the memories, the interactions all felt so real but also so suited to the world. The level of craftsmanship that went into this book is phenomenal. I think this novel healed something in me that I didn't realise needed healing.

If there isn't a sequel or prequel, I'll be sorely disappointed (but understanding). I would love to see this made into a movie or tv show, animated or not, but I'm not sure that medium could do it justice. There was so much beauty and magic in reading this that I think would be lost in a visual medium but I'd still love to see it, regardless.

I absolutely recommend this to anyone. The LGBTQIA+ rep was just the *chefs kiss* cherry on top and I loved to see it.

Thank you very much to Autumn K. England (aka M. K. England), Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are given voluntarily.

I loved this right up til the end. The art is flipping GORGEOUS! If you told me each panel was a painting, I'd believe you. I loved all the attention to detail including the song and artist titles. It's a little rehash of the Dracula book but with a very different ending for some characters. The setting and vampire genre worked well together for a one-off, insular story. The ending was quite abrupt and I wish we had more closure, even if it was just the fallout from the event.

Thank you to Darin S. Cape and Felipe Kroll, SHP Comics, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

I really liked this! Ended on a cliffhanger just as it was getting good. I liked the different designs for the kaiju! I'll be looking up more volumes for sure!

Thank you to Kent, Kodansha Comics, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this graphic novel in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this! It's short but still captivating. The art is gorgeous and it was perfect for plot - a murder mystery in a secluded location with ties to the Cold War. I wish the ending was more solid but that's my only critique.

Thank you to Szymon Kudranski, Image Comics, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

I really liked this! Ended on a cliffhanger just as it was getting good. I liked the different designs for the kaiju! I'll be looking up more volumes for sure!

Thank you to Kent, Kodansha Comics, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this graphic novel in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

What an amazing story for such a short amount of time. I haven't read any of the Chaos Walking series before this one and that didn't hinder my experience at all. I'm very curious about the rest of the series so I'll definitely be checking those out, hopefully in audiobook form. This was only eight hours long and that seems wild to me because how could it be that short and cover so much content?? I've read books three times as long that haven't made me feel this way.

The narrators for this were *chefs kiss* perfection. It took me a bit to get used to them (which isn't a knock against them, I'm very picky with narrators) but once I did I fell into the world head first.

Not only did they create wonderfully real voices for the main characters but also the side characters. Each of the voices were distinct and recognisable from both narrators, even when side characters were portrayed by both of them. That might not seem like much of an achievement to some people but it definitely is to me. To keep that amount of consistency and quality is amazing and I am thoroughly impressed! The narrators also nailed the tempo we needed for the intense scenes which definitely improved the overall experience.

The story was amazing and while I'm a little mad at the end (and I hope there's another novella very soon!) I really enjoyed it, even when it made me cry. I need to know more about this world and the rest of the series ASAP because I am VERY curious about everything.

The characters were fully realised and impactful, even the... difficult ones. The way this was written is fascinating to me and perfect for the tone of the novella.

I must be on a roll with picking good YA books because I enjoyed both of the main characters despite them being teenagers. My issue with YA teen characters in general is they often behave like someone much older than their age. The main characters here act their age and have flaws and fight with each other but the sibling love is still there and I just love that. There's depth and layers to their personalities and relationship and I adore that kind of attention to detail. It's so authentic to how actual siblings act.

I also need to give a shout-out to the transgender and disability representation in this book! I loved it so much and those points are another reason why the siblings are fully realised characters.

I don't really need to say anything else except READ THIS especially in audiobook form. I would argue listening to the audiobook might be the only way to truly experience the story because of the points above but also because the sound design is top notch and very relevant to the story itself.

Thank you very much to Patrick Ness, Bolonda Audio, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own and are left voluntarily.

What an amazing ride! I thoroughly enjoyed this, particularly due to the excellent narration by Victoria Nassif. I loved being able to experience a different culture and it's customs via this book. What a striking but subtle commentary on generational abuse and those who try to break the chains.

I'm usually not a big fan of YA characters but this is another notable exception. They're teenagers and act like it (which is a compliment). The characters and interactions felt so authentic to me. I loved the diversity of each character and how the narrator brought them to life. I would love to read more books narrated by Victoria Nassif.

I enjoyed the setting and how portions of the chapters flipped between present day and others memories. It was cohesive and I was never bored. Their wasn't any point where I thought I solved the mystery or predicted how this would end (with the tiny exception of the mothers motivation) and I love this book for that.

The ending absolutely stuck the landing and while I'm emotional about it (and have a few questions for closure) I still think it was the right way to go. I highly recommend everyone read this, especially in audiobook form.

Thank you very much to Sara Hashem, RB Media, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

This was... wow. Haunting and horrifying, a declaration about queerness in the Victorian era, the passing down of generational trauma, and the cages we are placed in and place on ourselves.

I read this in twelve hours because it was fascinating and I needed to know the ending but also partially because I couldn't look away. It was hideous and poignant. It was a car crash and a cry for help. I absolutely recommend reading it, especially with the author interview at the end.

This one will stick with me for a long time.

TW for graphic descriptions of body horror

I liked this a lot! It starts as a supernatural mystery based around the death of a woman 30 years prior, sneaks in some good queer and trans rep (which was a surprise to me!) (complimentary) as the puzzle pieces come together, and it ends fairly well, if a bit shaky.

This book made me realise that I like reading YA when the characters act their age. They're teenagers and act like it, externally and internally. I liked the characters themselves although I wish I had felt the connection between the two MCs more. Some of the conflicts with her sister and others seemed contrived on Hazel's side. I wanted more depth to Hazel's character, especially towards the end.

The plot in this moves FAST which I enjoyed. This book does *not* move at a snails pace like some mysteries tend to do and it was refreshing. I got to the 50% mark and didn't know what to expect next because, in other novels, the book would be over at this point.

It's set in a small and seemingly isolated town/suburb in New York, USA but I'm not sure if it's our timeline. There are certain events that are commented on in the book that made me think it was in our timeline (or a less supernaturally cynical version of it) but the ending made me question that assumption. The setting does feel detached from the rest of the world with a dash of the slice-of-life this-small-town-is-f*cked-up subgenre thrown in there. It has 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' merged with 'Scream' vibes and a supernatural twist. The characters do reference horror movie tropes quite a bit which I enjoyed.

I take issue with one part of the ending which glossed over some of the events that happened. I wish the ending was stronger and had the courage of its convictions like it did for the first three-quarters of the book. I can't help feeling a little unsatisfied and I wish the ending had more ripple effects on the world they're in or more effect on the characters.

I have more than a few questions about the end that I'd like to hide under a spoiler tag but apparently they don't work on this site anymore. I believe they work on Storygraph so check out my review there if you're interested (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/539cb3b4-991a-4d8e-827b-fc96f2ade698).

That said, I did enjoy the ride. It had twists and turns I didn't expect (although I did predict a couple) and I absolutely devoured this book. I had a hard time putting it down last night so I could sleep and I stayed up a while pondering the possibilities. It's almost like I fell into the town via my e-reader, I was so engrossed. This book had me hooked by the first sentence and that's not an exaggeration.

I'd recommend this to YA and non YA fans, murder mystery fans and/or anyone looking for good LGBTQ rep in those genres. I wouldn't describe this book as horror specifically but I also don't think it's just a thriller either. It sits between the two with elements of both.

Thank you to Dana Mele, Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are posted voluntarily.

I really liked this! Every chapter being a new story and new artist made it fun. I really liked Chapter 9 which was Godzilla appearing in 1888. I'm a sucker for historical fantasy after all.

I had some file issues which I reported to Netgalley (and hopefully they passed the feedback into the publisher) so I wasn't able to read approx half the book. What I could read, I liked a lot.

Thank you to all the writers and artists who contributed to creating this book! I'm sorry I wasn't able to read all of it.

I really enjoyed this! I almost put it aside within the first two chapters but I'm glad I persisted. Loved that the MC is in his 50s! That was really refreshing. This is definitely a folk horror and the dips into the past were presented in a way I hadn't seen before. I liked the ending as well (even when it reminded me of a certain ensemble franchise which I found amusing) and I wonder if there'll be a sequel. The author has other works in that universe so I'm interested to check them out!

Thank you to David Barnett, Canelo, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

A gorgeous collection! I particularly liked the autumn and winter collections the most plus the artwork for God's Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins. I want that artwork framed as a series of prints on my wall, I love it that much. Highly recommend this poem collection if you want to see fascinating interpretations of these poems in different art styles.

A big thank you to Julian Peters, Plough Publishing House, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this collection in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine and are voluntary.

I LOVED this book! The journey was amazing and there were multiple points where I gasped out loud as I realised something. I thought the romance was very grounded (and the same goes for most of the characters) and was believable to me. This plot is one of the rare instances where I'll admit there was legitimate reasons for having the MC being so young (around 20) that made sense for the overall plot.

I really liked the MC and I didn't find her to be tedious or cliche (which is often the case with me and YA books). I was rooting for her the whole way through.

The narrator, Maddy Lenny, was great! It took me a bit to get used to her voice and cadence (which is a purely me issue, I'm picky with narrators) but I think she did a brilliant job with all the voices (and there were A LOT of them).

I would recommend this if you like fantasy, revenge plots, academic romance plots, or mysteries. If you don't like YA books I still recommend you give this a try, especially the audiobook.

I've seen that the author is considering writing a sequel and I would absolutely be on board to read/listen to it!

Thank you to Caitlin Breeze, Netgalley, and Little, Brown & Company for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

I had to DNF at 15%. The writing is awkward, some sentences make no sense, and it feels like we were dropped in the middle of the story. Explaining to the reader at the 15% mark why the MC is there was very awkward even though it gave me some of the information I needed. This isn't the type of bread crumbing that usually works in horror or any genre of fiction. In my opinion this book needs to be revisited by the writer and editor asap. It shouldn't be a struggle for the reader to get through each chapter which was unfortunately my experience. Was this translated from a language other than English? That might account for some of the odd sentences. I think the writer has some solid ideas that are worth exploring but the delivery needs work.

This book was provided to me by Netgalley and all opinions are given freely and of my own volition.

I loved this so much. It is so enthralling and more emotional than I thought it would be. The MC who is disabled, the mystery of who killed him, the plot twists and turns (of which there were many), the gorgeous art style that balanced telling a story with art vs text vs letting us fill in the blanks, the fully realised characters that were so flawed and human (and their past with connection to the MC)... I could go on and on.

I'm heading towards book grief (which is a compliment!) as I feel sad closing this graphic novel. This feels too short for me for purely selfish reasons and nothing to do with the creation of this GN. I fell right into this world and I didn't want it to end. I would gladly read more stories in this world (massive understatement) but I think this is a one and done situation.

If you like flawed superheroes, disability representation, murder mysteries, rapid action that jumps off the page, deep and complicated relationships, and rugs being pulled from under you re: plot twists... You're in the right place. Read this. It is very much worth it.

A big thank you goes to Peter Warren, Image Comics, and Netgalley for providing this graphic novel for free in exchange for a review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.