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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I Arrived at the Castle is brilliant, with an ending that sits in your gut and makes a home there. The illustrations are gorgeous, with an excellent use of color. My one substantive critique of the book is that it could have used with more pages. The pages that were there were excellent, and though I wouldn't quite say the book felt rushed, it certainly felt over too soon. This is the sort of story that does fit very well as a short one, but I think would fit even better as a medium length one.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I have no idea what I just read.... A couple jump scares in there definitely got me tho. Sheesh. I'm so confused, and on edge now LOL
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
You can't go wrong with Emily Carroll's art or storytelling, and this is a gorgeous, grotesque example. It's part erotic lesbian gothic horror and part fairy tale, pulling in the common themes of victimhood, manipulation, and monsters to hunt in both of them. A little bit dracula, a little bit bluebeard, some red riding hood, a touch of donkeyskin, and a good helping of the fairy tale creature that trades items for favors (or vengeance), this is the story of a cat who is a girl (or a girl who is a cat), who arrives terrified at a monstrous countess's castle intending to kill her. The art is incredible, the switch to narrative uncanny and perfect, and the broken paneling and limited color scheme is perfect for the story being told. At no point is the art just a vehicle for the story rather than part of the story. I couldn't recommend this highly enough.
dark
fast-paced
I loved the use of colours and the art style, as well as the fairytale vibes near the end, but everything else wasn't anything spectacular. I'm actually a bit disappointed that I didn't like it more. I would read something by this author again though, because it seems like this was a one off.
Not for me. Thank you to the publisher for my copy!
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes