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howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)
I think this may have been my favorite Locke & Key volume so far. There's been such a solid well of character development built up in the last two volumes that this one was capable of playing off of nonstop action without feeling rushed or lacking. As usual, the artwork is beautiful and the writing is Joe's typical bizarre, creepy, delightful style.
In volume 3, Dodge is determined to find the Omega Key, and raises an army of shadows to fight the poor Bode children, who are realizing that the stakes are steadily increasing. Sharks are circling them fast, and blood is in the water.
Series content warning: violence, sexual assault, homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism. All negative views are challenged by the text, but are very present.
In volume 3, Dodge is determined to find the Omega Key, and raises an army of shadows to fight the poor Bode children, who are realizing that the stakes are steadily increasing. Sharks are circling them fast, and blood is in the water.
Series content warning: violence, sexual assault, homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism. All negative views are challenged by the text, but are very present.
Another great volume of Locke & Key! I love Joe Hill's bizarre, creepy writing style, and the illustrations in this graphic novel are just gorgeous. There's so much detail and intricacy, and you really want to look closely at every panel because sometimes, there are tiny little details hidden that are just so neat.
This volume introduces the Head Key, which is literally a key that, when inserted into the back of one's neck, opens their skull and allows them to see all the little goodies (and baddies) inside their brain. You can remove items you don't want to remember, or shove in a book you need to learn the contents of... the possibilities are endless.
Series content warning: violence, sexual assault, homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism. All negative views are challenged by the text, but are very present.
This volume introduces the Head Key, which is literally a key that, when inserted into the back of one's neck, opens their skull and allows them to see all the little goodies (and baddies) inside their brain. You can remove items you don't want to remember, or shove in a book you need to learn the contents of... the possibilities are endless.
Series content warning: violence, sexual assault, homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism. All negative views are challenged by the text, but are very present.
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.
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.
Currently free in the kindle store!
Trick or Death is a fun, eerie little story that reminds me of a classic horror trope—the protagonist who just can't seem to leave well enough alone, no matter how foreboding the situation might seem. Calvin Demmer's writing is entertaining and to the point, and while the ending wasn't what I expected it to be, I really enjoyed it.
Free on Kindle US right now!
A Monstrous Love is a collection of two very short, spooky, delightfully queer stories, and is a perfect Halloween read. I enjoyed every brief little moment of this book and am now so glad that I've already purchased another of Magen's collections, as her writing voice is lovely and enchanting. The prose is beautiful and packs one hell of a punch in a very short time span.
The first story, "The Haunting of Divinia", is a unique ghost story about a young woman who's just moved into a haunted house. Things aren't quite what they seem, though, and without spoiling the ending for you, I'll just say that I was pleasantly surprised by the level of emotions it pulled from me in only a few pages.
The second story, "Taste", offers a peek into the lives of two young lovers whose hobbies are unique, to say the least. After you meet these two ladies, you might think twice the next time you read a cooking scene in a book.
These days, everything in her life seemed mismatched: from the little house to the tidy belongings inside of it, with its fragile tea saucers and cups. Divinia didn't have the luxury of such fragility. She had to be made of granite.
A Monstrous Love is a collection of two very short, spooky, delightfully queer stories, and is a perfect Halloween read. I enjoyed every brief little moment of this book and am now so glad that I've already purchased another of Magen's collections, as her writing voice is lovely and enchanting. The prose is beautiful and packs one hell of a punch in a very short time span.
The first story, "The Haunting of Divinia", is a unique ghost story about a young woman who's just moved into a haunted house. Things aren't quite what they seem, though, and without spoiling the ending for you, I'll just say that I was pleasantly surprised by the level of emotions it pulled from me in only a few pages.
The second story, "Taste", offers a peek into the lives of two young lovers whose hobbies are unique, to say the least. After you meet these two ladies, you might think twice the next time you read a cooking scene in a book.
Halloween 2018 group read #thehallowormtree on Instagram and Twitter!
I'd never read anything by Rad Bradbury before—I just never felt any pressing, urgent need to—but when some of my friends decided to host a readalong on Halloween, and I saw that the book was only a few dollars online, I figured now was a great opportunity to try Bradbury's work out! Sadly, I was super unimpressed and ended up skimming the second half of it because I was so bored. The writing feels very dated, which obviously isn't a bad thing for its time, but it wasn't tremendously enjoyable to read in modern times. More than that, though, the writing style itself felt like it was trying too hard to be "weird" and the whole thing was super disinteresting.
I've been hearing a lot of positive chatter about Kristi DeMeester's work lately, so I was eager to give her a try for myself, and I definitely wasn't disappointed! I'd say Everything That's Underneath is a healthy mixture of horror and speculative fiction: while some pieces were perfectly creepy, others were confusing and immersive—the kind of stories that you finish and have to clear your head for a moment because you're not sure what you just read, you just know you really liked it.
I happily gave every single story in this collection at least 3 stars, but most of them were 4-5 star reads. While I'm tempted to give a rundown for each story, some of them would be too hard to describe without spoiling them, so I'll just list my favorites:
→ Everything That's Underneath:
The title story follows a couple reeling from the husband's recent MS diagnosis, which lends an eerie, sorrowful feel to the entire story as the wife and narrator is forced to find a balance between helping her spouse and not interfering with his autonomy. He decides to take on a new project of carving a door for their home, but the longer he works the wood, the more terrifying his behavior becomes.
→ All That is Refracted, Broken:
A girl's younger brother wasn't supposed to live, but he did, and she loved him very much, despite the fact that he refused to look at her unless he could look at her reflection in a mirror. The ending to this story actually stunned me, and I've got chills just remembering it right now.
→ December Skin:
A brother is forced to go to terrifying, dreadful lengths to save the world from the monster his sister has become. This, like so many other stories in the collection, is equal parts creepy and tragic—my very favorite combination.
Overall, Everything That's Underneath is a fantastic collection of stories and was a perfect introduction to DeMeester's work. It's piqued my interest enough that I can't wait to read more from her, and I highly recommend picking this one up!
That night, she locked their bedroom door. Outside, the creature moved up and down the hallway. She did not sleep.
I happily gave every single story in this collection at least 3 stars, but most of them were 4-5 star reads. While I'm tempted to give a rundown for each story, some of them would be too hard to describe without spoiling them, so I'll just list my favorites:
→ Everything That's Underneath:
The title story follows a couple reeling from the husband's recent MS diagnosis, which lends an eerie, sorrowful feel to the entire story as the wife and narrator is forced to find a balance between helping her spouse and not interfering with his autonomy. He decides to take on a new project of carving a door for their home, but the longer he works the wood, the more terrifying his behavior becomes.
→ All That is Refracted, Broken:
A girl's younger brother wasn't supposed to live, but he did, and she loved him very much, despite the fact that he refused to look at her unless he could look at her reflection in a mirror. The ending to this story actually stunned me, and I've got chills just remembering it right now.
→ December Skin:
A brother is forced to go to terrifying, dreadful lengths to save the world from the monster his sister has become. This, like so many other stories in the collection, is equal parts creepy and tragic—my very favorite combination.
Overall, Everything That's Underneath is a fantastic collection of stories and was a perfect introduction to DeMeester's work. It's piqued my interest enough that I can't wait to read more from her, and I highly recommend picking this one up!
I've been watching The Walking Dead for years on AMC (though I'm not up to date on the latest season), but this was my first time picking up the graphic novel series that inspired it. I've been told by so many people that the graphic novels are incredible, so I finally decided to see what the hype was about. Those people were not wrong, let me tell you!
I LOVED this graphic novel. The art is fantastic (and I was amazed by how similar some of the characters look to the actors/actresses who were cast to play them), and the story line is, as expected, really enjoyable and action-packed. There are a few differences from the show, as I assumed there would be, but without spoiling anything, I'll just say that the ending of this graphic novel was so different and unexpected that it made my jaw drop.
I LOVED this graphic novel. The art is fantastic (and I was amazed by how similar some of the characters look to the actors/actresses who were cast to play them), and the story line is, as expected, really enjoyable and action-packed. There are a few differences from the show, as I assumed there would be, but without spoiling anything, I'll just say that the ending of this graphic novel was so different and unexpected that it made my jaw drop.
I positively love fairytale retellings, so friends have been recommending this series of graphic novels to me for quite a while, and I finally decided to pick up the first two volumes from the library. I wasn't sure at first how much I would enjoy it, as it's drawn in a very "comic"-esque art style, which I'm usually not a big fan of (I typically prefer more artsy styles, circa the Saga or Monstress series). That said, this was a really fun read, and I loved how many classic characters were represented.
Volume 1 follows Wolf, who is a detective investigating the case of Rose Red's apparent death, as her sister, Snow White, tags along. None of the details really match up, so Wolf and Snow are forced to investigate everyone they can as they seek out the truth behind her sudden disappearance. I normally am not big on whodunits because too many years of watching CSI, Law & Order, NCIS, etc. has brought me to a point in my life where I'm rarely surprised, and it tends to put a damper on things, but I actually didn't peg the ending of this one! I was pleasantly surprised and now I'm looking forward to continuing the series soon.
Volume 1 follows Wolf, who is a detective investigating the case of Rose Red's apparent death, as her sister, Snow White, tags along. None of the details really match up, so Wolf and Snow are forced to investigate everyone they can as they seek out the truth behind her sudden disappearance. I normally am not big on whodunits because too many years of watching CSI, Law & Order, NCIS, etc. has brought me to a point in my life where I'm rarely surprised, and it tends to put a damper on things, but I actually didn't peg the ending of this one! I was pleasantly surprised and now I'm looking forward to continuing the series soon.