I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let Me Out was decidedly okay. Like a lot of standalone graphic novels, I think it falls into the trap of trying to have too many main characters: I didn’t have a good sense of the kids’ dynamics, or even a grasp on all of their names by the time we reached the finale, and I definitely wasn’t emotionally invested in them.

I love the tropes and themes at play here, but I don’t feel like Let Me Out really got its teeth into them so much as brushed past them lightly on its way by. I wish this could have been much longer- I know the ending is open to a sequel, but I feel like a slow buildup would’ve been useful not just for added nuance but to build up the eerie atmosphere more gradually. The pacing here simply didn’t work for me.

The character designs are good, and there’s some memorable panel composition, and nice use of limited palettes- in short, the art is giving my middle-of-the-road rating a bit of a boost.

All in all, there wasn’t really anything objectionable about Let Me Out- but I wouldn’t call it a memorable read or be particularly inclined to recommend it as it didn’t really evoke any emotion in me as a reader.