I love - no, really, love Joe Hill's writing. I think he has a beautifully wicked imagination, and to be frank, I believe that even the man's grocery lists are probably strange.

Like everything else I have read by Joe, the story line was simultaneously sad, unsettling, and downright odd; however, the icing on the cake came from Gabriel Rodriguez's gorgeous illustrations. From the front cover to the back, each panel was just captivating, with brilliant color schemes and mind-blowing attention to detail. Artistically speaking, this was by far one of the most enjoyable graphic novels I've had the pleasure of reading.

As far as the story goes, where do I begin? It's devastatingly sad, in parts; right off the bat, we're dealing with a couple of kids who have just watched a classmate murder their father, and to make matters worse, the big brother of the crew blames himself for every bit of it. His guilt is positively tangible, as is the sense of loss their mother drowns in spirits, or the desperation to go unnoticed that his previously free-spirited younger sister falls into.

Beyond the sadness, there's just a fantastic sense of dread from start to finish, and that's got to be one of my favorite qualities to Joe's writing. Once the action really got going, I was on the edge of my seat through to the very end. I found myself rooting so hard for the Locke kids, especially little Bode, who was just adorable and zany and loving.

I would recommend this to any horror lover - especially those who love Joe Hill's quirky writing as much as I do.

Series content warning: violence, sexual assault, homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism. All negative views are challenged by the text, but are very present.