dbguide2's Reviews (863)

I keep on thinking of this as Here Be Monsters because one of my wips (currently on pause) is titled similar. But that’s definitely where the similarity ends

The cover is absolutely stunning. I’m now more for illustrated people on covers but this model did a really good job in holding up an animal skull in the creepiest way ever (which sounds weird because I don’t think there’s a non-creepy way of doing it 😂).

I love reading books that scare me and this was definitely one of them! I think I said it before – Bérubé writes amazingly – those types of stories that you could easily see yourself rereading and still getting scared every time you read them! Like I want that type of story that I can pick up, not want to read it (because it’s scary), but I can’t seem to put it down. And I definitely got that with this book.

I think this book is just steeped with amazing aesthetics and a rich story and characters you want to root for. Of course, I’d want to go nowhere near whatever was happening in the woods, but I love all of it.


I really felt for Deidre. Sure, Skye as well, but Deidre way more. Skye just completely judged her sister – like, yes, she might be weird but she’s still your sister! You have to be there for her and pay attention to her – especially since she could definitely tell Skye wasn’t interested in her anymore and didn’t want to spend time with her anymore. And that really hurt Deidre, which is probably why she started the odd experiments – she wanted to be noticed, she wanted her parents and sister to pay attention to her and they weren’t!

Also like, her parents kept saying they needed to get help for her but they just dragged their feet in doing so? And also never tried to pay attention to their own daughter to try to see if they could help in some way? Sure, you could use the move as an excuse but at the same time… when you have kids, they’re pretty important. Especially if you know they might be affected by the move or something that would affect them – help them, figure something out!

The plot and the story are both stellar. I would want more of the paranormal and the creatures in it and probably less of Skye but that’s because I didn’t like Skye as much. But the plot coupled with the creepy creatures were definitely the highlight of the book. I loved when they showed up, their descriptions and how Skye felt around them.

 Is it 5 stars because they have like 5 or something cats? What? No! I’m not that superficial (honestly it probably is). But even if there were no black cats I’d still rate this a full 5 stars. Because it was so so fun and adorable. This had me grinning from ear-to-ear and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a wholesome graphic novel. 

I loved seeing the forest creatures – I wanted to know more/see more of them. I loved how they were drawn – I mean I loved how the entire book was illustrated, but I think the forest creatures have my heart the most.

I liked how the plot was laid out and how everything happened. It kept me intrigued and I was never bored even though it’s a short book. Although, as it’s over 200 pages – is that considered big for a graphic novel? The element of mystery was done well and I didn’t suss out the plot twist! 

Nova and Tam were two absolutely adorable characters and I loved getting to know them. They had such a sweet relationship and made me feel warm all throughout. This is certainly a warm hug in a book – in fact it’s like a warm hug for every page in the book. Nova’s grandmothers were also sweet and funny and I loved how welcoming and caring they were! 

The Pan’s Labyrinth movie is probably my absolute movie, one that I’ve watched about ten million times. So when I heard there was a BOOK coming out WITH Cornelia Funke, aka one of my favourite writers – I know I needed to get my hands on it. Luckily I was approved to read it and I was so excited because my favourite director plus my favourite children’s author – sounds like a recipe for YES PLEASE. 

I’m very glad to say that it delivered far beyond my expectations! It was literally like I was watching the movie but in book format – which was exactly what I wanted. Funke was definitely the right co-author for this. I could absolutely feel her influence in it. It felt like I was reading one of her books but with the added benefit of also being told it by my favorite director. Literally like a dream come true. 

I loved that they added little stories in between the normal (i.e. – what happened in the movie) – it added to the overall creepiness of the story and never felt out of place. Also The Pale Man? Just as creepy written down as he is in the movie, and I both loved and was once again, scared of that. It wa