howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

 

This is definitely one of Darcy's cozier titles, and it hit me in the feels in all the right, subtle ways. I loved how atmospheric the Bellamy setting was and the way Leanne's memories slowly came back to her, making her a bit of an unreliable narrator at times. I could see this making such a good horror movie, especially reminding me of something Guillermo del Toro might direct: gothic, isolated, and a bit heavy. I definitely recommend it to anyone who's already a fan of Darcy's or anyone looking to try out her work in a quick, bite-sized portion. (Plus, for it to be such a short story, it felt very developed!) 

 

What a dark, messed up, sad little story. I kept expecting this piece to go in one direction, but then it went somewhere totally different and caught me fully off-guard in the end. I love horror shorts with a technology element behind them, and the idea of a guy being this haunted by an online snuff film is one I hadn't seen written before, plus I always love Kealan's writing — needless to say, I enjoyed this a lot. 4.5 stars! 

 

I've had Cynthia Pelayo's books on my TBR for quite some time and have been especially interested in her poetry, so I was incredibly excited to read Crime Scene, especially once I learned it was more of a story in verse than a collection of poems (while I love the latter, the former is one of my favorite methods of storytelling!).

I was immediately taken in not only by how clever and unique Cynthia's ways of phrasing things can be, but also by how necessary her viewpoint on true crime feels. I enjoy true crime books and documentaries as much as many others do, but there's certainly something to be said for the way true crime consumers can take things too far, even exploiting the victims' memories and glorifying the killers at times. Crime Scene shines a light on that problem, in a way, as it exposes the ugly underbelly of crime work by showing us Agent K's ghosts and personal demons that have arisen from her work investigating these murdered victims.

I immensely enjoyed the premise of Crime Scene, but I'll be totally honest: I didn't "get" some of the entries. Something about the flow of thought processes was at times too abstract for my brain to latch onto, but even with that said, I still found myself unable to put it down. I think it's going to hit home with so many readers and I highly recommend picking up a copy, especially if you enjoy horror poetry or poetry with heavy, dark themes like this. And of course, I can't wait to read more from Cynthia soon!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own. 

 My son is 6, and luckily for me, he's become a major fan of scary stories. We read this together and he stopped everything he was doing to pay attention before asking at the end, "Are there more?" I've already bought the next book in the Mister Shivers series and I'm looking forward to reading it with him! These little stories were really cute and reminded me so much of growing up on Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, etc. I'm absolutely delighted that Max Brallier is taking on the torch and making something similar (but new) for today's kids!
 

 I always love Catana's Comics so much, and this was no exception. I joked with my spouse while reading this that my favorite part of any new Catana collection is just constantly shoving the book at my spouse going, "Look, it's us!" 😂 I feel like these comics are always incredibly relatable for people in healthy, happy, long-term relationships, especially if you or your partner are anxious, introverted types like we are.
 

 I'm really happy that this collection exists and I highly recommend it to anyone who is autistic or thinks they might be, or even has a loved one who is autistic and would like to understand many autistic people's experiences better.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own. 

 This was so cute! I love Sleepy Hollow retellings and this was an incredibly fun, fresh take on the story, especially since it's less of a retelling and more of a "sequel" set many, maaaany years later, following the Crane and Van Tassel descendants. The plot was a lot of fun, and I loved the Headless Horseman getting to be involved as a major character with a bit more dimension, even if it was a surprising change from what I'd typically expect in a story with this setting. The art was lovely, the characters were sweet and charming, and my little queer heart swooned for the sapphic romance playing out in the subplot. ♥ I highly recommend this for your Halloween TBR, or any time of year!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Representation: Izzy is half-Latinx and sapphic; Vicky is sapphic; Croc is Asian; a side character uses crutches/mobility aids 

 This was so action-packed! I've gotten so attached to these characters that I was on the edge of my seat through the entire volume and now I'm wondering HOW I'm supposed to cope with the wait for vol. 9 😭
 
 Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

 This was such a lovely, quiet, gloomy little manga and I really enjoyed it! My only complaint is that, while the art was lovely, it tends to run so dark and shadow-y that it was a little bit lacking in details sometimes; that said, it feels like an intentional art design and one that I just need to get used to. I definitely want to continue this series, especially with that little "twist" at the end catching my interest!
 

 What an incredibly sweet sequel to what is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time. ♥ I feel absolutely blessed that Bree Paulsen created this world and these characters and brought them to life in this way, and Garlic has a big place in my heart. I don't know if there will be more books following these characters, or what they would look like if there are, but I do know that Bree is going to be an author to watch for me from here on out!

In Garlic and the Witch, we start off with a little peek back at how Garlic and the other vegetable-people came into being before picking back up some time after the events of Garlic and the Vampire. Garlic is undergoing some unexplained changes (growing new fingers, and becoming taller), and she learns that Witch Agnes has been hiding something from her: Garlic and the others are becoming human!

Much like in the first book, Garlic goes on a scary, exciting adventure as she learns to cope with her own anxiety and to have faith in herself, her friends, and the world around her. I mentioned in my review of Garlic and the Vampire that Garlic is one of my favorite examples of anxiety representation I've ever read, and that remains true now.

Needless to say, I adored Garlic and the Witch and I'm going to be recommending it to anyone and everyone who will listen!

✨ Representation: Garlic has anxiety; Carrot uses they/them pronouns; Count is queer