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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Now this is a proper fairy tale, dark, gritty and disturbing with a light and bubbley veneer that makes you believe that all is well until you look a little deeper. The follows Princess Aurora and her friends as they escape the now deceased body of the young girl they were living in and try to survive in the woodland they find themselves in. Quickly they realise that the battle for survival is just that, a battle, as animals behave as nature intended and their own quest for self preservation wins over the need for civility. The warm and fuzzy style of the illustrations emphasises this all the more with its light, bright colours and friendly characters faces hiding the darkness beneath. While it was easy to see where the story would lead it was still very enjoyable and a very refreshing change to the usual of so lovely fairy tales that we have become used to.
This sure had a curious energy. I went into it with an understanding of the adorable within the macabre, but what threw me more was the characters' whimsical indifference to violence and the creators' decision to forgo much of a main arc. It's really just this chaotic devolution of cute, tiny characters battling it out for survival without much real, lasting stress in the wilderness. As much I imagine it gets pitched as something like "Polly Pocket meets Lord of the Flies," there's something about the absent structure that makes it feel just a little extra menacing—yet with an oddly satisfying ending.
I picked this up because I heard it was a horror anti-fairy tale. The illustrations were whimsical but I was pretty disappointed with the story. The back of the book says it’s a “bleak allegory about surviving the human experience” but it’s really not that deep. I wish the story was as imaginative as the artwork.
A beautifully illustrated, dark and strange tale that subverts your expectations.
At the time of reading, I enjoyed it a lot, maybe it does not feel the same way now, but I give it a high rating for the feel that I got when I first read it.
In fact, it is both fascinating and disturbing, the story lacks context and sometimes details, it does not give clear answers as to both what happened before and after the events in the book. Still, for me, it added to the charm of this book, but this is definitely viewed very differently by different people.
In fact, it is both fascinating and disturbing, the story lacks context and sometimes details, it does not give clear answers as to both what happened before and after the events in the book. Still, for me, it added to the charm of this book, but this is definitely viewed very differently by different people.
Fucking YES. This is how you do it. Here is a bande dessinée that throttles the word ‘genre’. There are so many ways to read it, and it offers so much: philosophy, humour, sociology, psychology—and horror, of course. Or you could just stare at the amazing watercolour art; that works, too.
Beautiful Darkness begins with a girl dying in the woods, as minuscule fairy-tale characters pour out of her orifices, trying to escape. Most remain nameless, barring a few prominent ones: conscientious Aurora (named after the dead girl), feeble Hector, power-hungry Zelie, timid and disabled Timothy, resourceful and independent Jane, and fair-weather Plim.
Lost in the wilderness, they must fend for themselves. Their enemies are the woodland creatures, the weather, starvation and... one another. Aurora, still optimistic, tries to establish some semblance of civilised society. But on almost every page, the lilliputian characters drop dead, each fate more gruesome than the one before, yet written with the blackest comedy:
One day, as Aurora bathes in a pool, something huge and powerful almost crushes her naked and frail body: a man (“giant”, to our characters). But, why isn’t he surprised by the decomposing maggot-ridden dead girl on the forest floor? Why are there dolls in his cabin? Was she his captive? Did he violate then murder her as she tried to escape, too? ... All questions that hang in the air.
And then it dawned on me: these tiny people are figments of the girl’s psyche... No wonder Aurora who believes the best of everyone, innocent to the ways of the world, is the most well-developed, whereas Hector, the only male character, is the weakest and a caricature. The rest are personifications of nascent traits and minor tendencies.
There are other plausible interpretations—none of them right or wrong, which makes the book that much more interesting. But whatever our theory, these fragments of her ego must still struggle to survive in a cruel and harsh world... Gradually, Aurora hardens, having learnt the laws of the universe: adapt or die, kill or be killed; yet she remains trusting enough to end up.
Dripping with irony, Aurora’s happily never after disconcerts and unsettles... a fitting conclusion to a shocking journey that features cannibalism, incineration, and more. This bleak and terrifying allegory, told with nonchalance, is blended with and contrasted against cute characters and a rich landscape, prodding us to inquire what lies beneath the veneer of everyone and everything we encounter.
This is my second graphic novel by this writer, though I don’t think [b: Isle of 100,000 Graves|10864775|Isle of 100,000 Graves|Fabien Vehlmann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1338496863l/10864775._SX50_.jpg|15779945] counts; while its dialogue might have come from him, that story is classic [a: Jason|70011|Jason|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1292116815p2/70011.jpg]... So I wasn’t prepared for [a: Vehlmann|761380|Fabien Vehlmann|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1533659436p2/761380.jpg]’s brand of weird, thought-provoking, funny, insightful, riveting and twisted storytelling. Darkness looks surprisingly beautiful in these ninety-three pages by [a: Kerascoët|752696|Kerascoët|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png].
...
Visual aid stolen from Karen’s review.
Beautiful Darkness begins with a girl dying in the woods, as minuscule fairy-tale characters pour out of her orifices, trying to escape. Most remain nameless, barring a few prominent ones: conscientious Aurora (named after the dead girl), feeble Hector, power-hungry Zelie, timid and disabled Timothy, resourceful and independent Jane, and fair-weather Plim.
Lost in the wilderness, they must fend for themselves. Their enemies are the woodland creatures, the weather, starvation and... one another. Aurora, still optimistic, tries to establish some semblance of civilised society. But on almost every page, the lilliputian characters drop dead, each fate more gruesome than the one before, yet written with the blackest comedy:
One day, as Aurora bathes in a pool, something huge and powerful almost crushes her naked and frail body: a man (“giant”, to our characters). But, why isn’t he surprised by the decomposing maggot-ridden dead girl on the forest floor? Why are there dolls in his cabin? Was she his captive? Did he violate then murder her as she tried to escape, too? ... All questions that hang in the air.
And then it dawned on me: these tiny people are figments of the girl’s psyche... No wonder Aurora who believes the best of everyone, innocent to the ways of the world, is the most well-developed, whereas Hector, the only male character, is the weakest and a caricature. The rest are personifications of nascent traits and minor tendencies.
There are other plausible interpretations—none of them right or wrong, which makes the book that much more interesting. But whatever our theory, these fragments of her ego must still struggle to survive in a cruel and harsh world... Gradually, Aurora hardens, having learnt the laws of the universe: adapt or die, kill or be killed; yet she remains trusting enough to end up
Spoiler
infatuated with her once-captorDripping with irony, Aurora’s happily never after disconcerts and unsettles... a fitting conclusion to a shocking journey that features cannibalism, incineration, and more. This bleak and terrifying allegory, told with nonchalance, is blended with and contrasted against cute characters and a rich landscape, prodding us to inquire what lies beneath the veneer of everyone and everything we encounter.
This is my second graphic novel by this writer, though I don’t think [b: Isle of 100,000 Graves|10864775|Isle of 100,000 Graves|Fabien Vehlmann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1338496863l/10864775._SX50_.jpg|15779945] counts; while its dialogue might have come from him, that story is classic [a: Jason|70011|Jason|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1292116815p2/70011.jpg]... So I wasn’t prepared for [a: Vehlmann|761380|Fabien Vehlmann|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1533659436p2/761380.jpg]’s brand of weird, thought-provoking, funny, insightful, riveting and twisted storytelling. Darkness looks surprisingly beautiful in these ninety-three pages by [a: Kerascoët|752696|Kerascoët|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png].
...
Visual aid stolen from Karen’s review.
mysterious
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really creepy and unsettling but I would like to have learned more about what happened to the main little girl who these characters spring from. I have some theories as the characters are all pretty child like in the way they act. Some of the scenes I feel could relate to possibly what happened. Still unsettling so not for the faint of heart!
Overall, very eerie and strange. Good spooky season read!
Overall, very eerie and strange. Good spooky season read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Toxic friendship
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the mystery and darkness to this story that looks like it would just be a cute read. I only wish there was a little bit more added to the ending, or maybe more explanation about the girl they came from.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes