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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
tense
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
A dark and stormy night confined within the castle walls belonging to a sinister seductress creates the gruesome yet gorgeous gothic vibes in Emily Carroll’s When I Arrived at the Castle. A crisp yet fairly obfusticating horror story constructed out of various short tales weaved into the larger picture, Carroll’s delightfully dark artwork drags us into the mind of an anthropomorphic cat that has arrived at the Countess’ castle with murder in her heart. The specifics of the tale are shrouded in mystery that can be abstractly gleaned through the various short stories lurking behind every door, though this is certainly a story that thrives of atmosphere, eerie desire and creeping dread rather than narrative clarity. Drawing from gothic classics and feeling like a queer embodiment of the wicked wildness found in [a:Emily Brontë|4191|Emily Brontë|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1529578586p2/4191.jpg], When I Arrived at the Castle captures a disquieting collision between eroticism and violence and is a frightfully fun—even if a bit frustratingly vague—gothic graphic novel.
Carroll has earned quite wonderful reputation for a dexterity with dark graphic novels, having written books for adults (such as this one), YA audiences with their best known book, [b:Through the Woods|18659623|Through the Woods|Emily Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414845473l/18659623._SX50_.jpg|26477611], being a collection of short stories, and even younger readers such as providing the wonderful art for [b:Baba Yaga's Assistant|24727085|Baba Yaga's Assistant|Marika McCoola|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442001592l/24727085._SX50_.jpg|44353567]. The art is excellent, mostly bathed in darkness and emphasized with a bold, bloody red as the only color against the black and white images, it affects a surreal and threatening atmosphere at the best of times and bursts into moments of body horror and violence at the turn of a page. There is some great framework here including a well crafted jump-scare type moment that likely worked better through the single-frame flipping of an ebook than it would on a page. This is short, yet a feast of frightening vibes and visuals.
The story itself leaves a bit to be desired. Intentionally vague and rather obfuscating for the first half, we watch this cat woman come to the castle and be lead along through a series of doors, each with their own story inside. While perhaps a hazy, half-understanding is part of the desired effect, one might find themselves uncertain what is going on and wondering if they had picked up part 2 of a comic series without having read the earlier volume. By the end it is mostly understood, yet unsettlingly still just out of reach and leaves you with further questions to pile upon those you’ll already have. Still it has a strong effect and the blend of the erotic with the violent—especially in a scene where a struggle for murder is also a consensual sexual encounter. Or at least I think it is? One will find shades of classic vampire tales like [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387151694l/17245._SY75_.jpg|3165724] or [b:Carmilla|48037|Carmilla|J. Sheridan Le Fanu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657795822l/48037._SY75_.jpg|47015] permeating this story and a sense that the desire is mixed up in shame for the cat woman’s role in the Countess’ victims.
An eerie little tale brought to life in sinister artwork, When I Arrived at the Castle is a fun little romp. A bit confusing but creepy and cool and I quite enjoyed the way it weaves in other tales almost as in celebration of the way fairy tales build such worlds of wicked wonder. So enter the castle…if you dare…
3/5
Carroll has earned quite wonderful reputation for a dexterity with dark graphic novels, having written books for adults (such as this one), YA audiences with their best known book, [b:Through the Woods|18659623|Through the Woods|Emily Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414845473l/18659623._SX50_.jpg|26477611], being a collection of short stories, and even younger readers such as providing the wonderful art for [b:Baba Yaga's Assistant|24727085|Baba Yaga's Assistant|Marika McCoola|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442001592l/24727085._SX50_.jpg|44353567]. The art is excellent, mostly bathed in darkness and emphasized with a bold, bloody red as the only color against the black and white images, it affects a surreal and threatening atmosphere at the best of times and bursts into moments of body horror and violence at the turn of a page. There is some great framework here including a well crafted jump-scare type moment that likely worked better through the single-frame flipping of an ebook than it would on a page. This is short, yet a feast of frightening vibes and visuals.
The story itself leaves a bit to be desired. Intentionally vague and rather obfuscating for the first half, we watch this cat woman come to the castle and be lead along through a series of doors, each with their own story inside. While perhaps a hazy, half-understanding is part of the desired effect, one might find themselves uncertain what is going on and wondering if they had picked up part 2 of a comic series without having read the earlier volume. By the end it is mostly understood, yet unsettlingly still just out of reach and leaves you with further questions to pile upon those you’ll already have. Still it has a strong effect and the blend of the erotic with the violent—especially in a scene where a struggle for murder is also a consensual sexual encounter. Or at least I think it is? One will find shades of classic vampire tales like [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387151694l/17245._SY75_.jpg|3165724] or [b:Carmilla|48037|Carmilla|J. Sheridan Le Fanu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657795822l/48037._SY75_.jpg|47015] permeating this story and a sense that the desire is mixed up in shame for the cat woman’s role in the Countess’ victims.
An eerie little tale brought to life in sinister artwork, When I Arrived at the Castle is a fun little romp. A bit confusing but creepy and cool and I quite enjoyed the way it weaves in other tales almost as in celebration of the way fairy tales build such worlds of wicked wonder. So enter the castle…if you dare…
3/5
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark gothic fairytale of a catwoman who arrives at The Countess' castle determined to slay the vampire, but a much bloodier story unfolds.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What the hell did I just read😭😭😭 (love the art style though)
dark
fast-paced
