I was very excited to receive a copy of this for review as the concept was absolutely <i>fascinating</i> to me -- a sapphic gothic-horror inspired story? Sounded absolutely perfect.

The setting of this book is developed within the frame of Marion's knowledge -- we do not really get to know more than she knows, which does at times mean that some questions are left unanswered. It was an interesting choice not to give the country in which the book is set a name; of course, that isn't actually the important part of the book.

Marion was a brilliant character to follow: she is not completely naive and helpless, but neither is she calculating: you know, like a real person is not ever one thing. Lisbet was fascinating as well. The way Marion interacted with the characters around her was always different. Speaking of side character, they were all unique -- it was wonderful to see a range of character types within a paranormal-ish horror novel as I feel like characters in horror always fit into a mould. 

The way that the book is written was quite intricate, I would love to pick apart the language in it one day. The overall message of the story was somehow overt and quiet at the same time. The atmosphere of the book is haunting; beautiful and grotesque at the same time. 

The only issues I had were slight ones with the pacing and structure of the story. The pacing was such that the story felt very slow but as though some parts were rushed at the same time. My issue with the format is that it's slightly formulaic. 

Overall, though, I really did enjoy the book! There is definitely a specific atmosphere to it that many readers will enjoy. 

What a fun, spooky story! I'm glad I picked it up.

The art style was wonderful, the characters were depicted in an expressive manner and the setting was incredibly atmospheric. What I enjoyed the most was the characters -- they're vibrant, easy to like and well developed. The romance here was so cute and, honestly, the depiction of developing a crush was just incredibly accurate. The mythos of the story was uncomplicated but developed enough not to leave many questions unanswered, the threat sufficiently scary. I really enjoyed the Horseman, the final scene and Victoria's development. 

Listen. I am slightly reviewer-blocked today so here's a TL;DR: it's a fun, interesting graphic novel that's perfect for Halloween. Just trust me. 

The cover really makes it seem creepier than it actually is. 

I feel like I can split this book into parts in the way in which I experienced it. Here's how it was: First 30% - a really slow start, between 30% and 60% - an intriguing story with easy-to-root-for characters,  between 60% and 90% - absolutely getting beaten over the head with the message and themes, the last 10% - a well developed ending. 

Anyway. Apart from that, this is actually a pretty good book! The main 4 girls are well developed and distinct from one another. I think that fans of The Raven Cycle series will enjoy this -- the characters have a similar dynamic with each other. The concept of the story is quite interesting in of itself and there were some really twists of phrase used to created a particular image at times. I really enjoyed how characters' feelings were never stripped of complexity -- even if we only saw them experience something for the equivalent of a glance, the multi-layereness of their experiences was always there. Also, the sapphic elements were immaculate. 

The book lacks atmosphere. In a story such as this one, with a magical small town, it's quite crucial to create a really heavy sense of atmosphere, it is what makes these kinds of stories memorable. We never really see much of the town and the magic/horror element doesn't really land quite well because it's not really built up towards from the very beginning, if that makes sense. 

Which leads us to my main gripe with this book: it lacks subtlety, in such a way that it makes me think that the author perhaps underestimated her target audience. Everything is very obvious, all the time and, like I said, at one point it feels like you're getting bludgeoned with the message. It was really quite frustrating. I hope you'll allow me one moment to express it: you DO know that young adults aren't idiots, right? You really don't have to painstakingly spell out what you mean to say. You can have subtle themes in YA novels, things don't have to be overexaggerated to the point of almost cartoonish-ness for teens to pick up on what you're saying. 

Overall, a pretty good book except for the incredibly heavy handed messaging and lack of atmosphere.