leahrosereads's Reviews (1.04k)

First, thank you BOOM! Studios and NetGalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

BRZRKR Vol. 1 is an incredibly violent, gritty story following an immortal being who has been seen and used as a weapon his entire life - all 80,000 years of it (and counting).  I think this first volume explored enough that fans of Reeves will be invested in what's to come, but I don't think it did enough for the average comic reader to want to continue.  

There's a neat concept in all this gore, but we only get a hint of it here.

What a fever dream of a story! Absolutely loved the art style and characters and the bizarre journey in these pages.  Umm, beware if you have any squeamishness about teeth.

What an atmospheric novel.  Mandelo took their time setting up this incredibly dark, academic world filled with curses and ghosts.  It's tense and bleak and horrific, so naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

First, as always, thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so much going for it.  I'm an absolute sucker for a library setting, devils/demons and some excellent characters.  The Devil Makes Three had all of that and more.  I cannot emphasize enough how much I adored Tess and Eliot as characters.  They were so well rounded with very realistic flaws and ideals, and I was rooting for the both of them to overcome and find their way.  

The creepy elements were great.  It's YA so there's nothing too gruesome, but the spooky elements were fun without being too gory.  I think it's perfect for a teen audience looking to dive into the horror genre.

The pacing was a bit off though.  The beginning took a while to get going and the ending felt rushed.  Also the romance happened a little too fast.  

TLDR: It's a fun, creepy time that's good for the fall season.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC. Now onto the honest review: 

The good: The last 20ish% or so was excellent.  I thoroughly enjoyed both Abitha and Samson as characters and liked both of their storylines individually and when it all came together.

The bad: The pacing was off.  This dragged in quite a few parts and it felt like there were too many side plots that were rushed through.  

The ugly: Outside of all the historical stuff that took place in 1666 (anti-Indigenous rhetoric, slurs towards Indigenous peoples, lack of women's agency), the abuse towards an animal and death/mutilation of the cat felt wholly unnecessary.

This not a pirate romance.  There are pirates.  There is romance, and everything about it was so freaking cute! I absolutely adored all of the characters, the romance, and the world.  

With 300 pages, I think the Lukens did a fantastic job at making me care and become incredibly invested in what was going to happen to Prince Tal, Athlen, the kingdom and the royal family. So much happened here and while it may have wrapped up a little quickly, I appreciated how much Lukens was able to do without making this a tome!

Clark can absolutely weave a story!  This was spectacularly horrifying, with fantastic characters, a realistic historical setting, and just some of the nastiest monsters I've ever read.  Clark is an academic and it shows in the information he gives the reader, and as a master of the writing craft, he knows exactly how to take that information and invoke such a compelling story.

I couldn't put this down and will definitely be thinking about it for years to come.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a digital galley to review.  

This is a really good, creepy Fall read.  I really liked the dual POVs and the additional extra chapters that helped tie some of the plot together.  This was a really character focused story, and while some of it moved a little too quick in terms of changes with Vera and Max's relationship, they were still really great characters to follow.

I wish we had a bit more insight around a few of the other characters, including and maybe especially the big bad so that the plot felt more cohesive.

Overall, this was a fun, quick spooky read.  

What a deliciously disturbing novella!  I absolutely loved the writing.  It was haunting and poetic and gruesome.  Just my type of story.  This was so fantastically bizarre, and even though I just finished it, I kind of want to pick it right back up and see what else I can glean from a re-read!  Definitely planning on picking up more books by this author! 

This was a dark, gritty comic.  Loved the art and premise, and I'm definitely intrigued on where this is all going to go next.  The characters weren't as strong as some other parts but I'm sure they'll flesh out as the series goes on.