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caughtbetweenpages's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This has been on my radar for quite some time and I'm thrilled that I happened to pick it up during the spookiest of seasons this year. Carroll's collection of bite-sized horror is ominous and foreboding and sometimes fucking nasty in turns, and I loved every bit of it. There are nods to old, familiar fairy tales (A Lady's Hands are Cold feels incredibly Bluebeard-esque, though with a decidedly happier ending), but there's a very Carrollesque bent to all the stories that make them feel unique to her, and not just because her illustrative style is so distinct. My favorite was the closing story, The Nesting Place, maybe because it touches on so many of my own personal fears. If anything, I wish there was a greater thematic throughline between the stories, so that the framing device of the introduction and conclusion (very Red Riding Hood, but the HEA hasn't and may never come) felt more appropriate (for lack of a better term? maybe of use?), OR that there was no framing device whatsoever, and the story collection was just presented as-is. I also just wanted there to be more of them, not because the collection needed it to be good, but because what is there is so good that I didn't want it to end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Toxic friendship
Parasite TWfadingmoths's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Animal death
brianna_moye's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Murder, Blood, Gore, and Death
casdelvo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Death, Animal death, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Ableism, and Death of parent
lspishock's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Body horror
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
- This was the perfect graphic novel for Halloween! It's a collection of horror stories by Emily Carroll and I really liked her storytelling, it was haunting and creepy. The only complaint I have is that the stories all ended very abruptly before we could properly unravel the mystery and I was left wanting to know more!
- The art style is also absolutely stunning and my favorite part of the book! I love how the art adapts to the kind of story that is being told, I thought it was used very uniquely here. I definitely can see myself reading other works by this author as she's such a gifted artist!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Animal death, and Body horror
Moderate: Gore and Abandonment
breadbummer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
SO glad StoryGraph recommended this to me! If you're like me and go bananas for Over the Garden Wall but are also into darker stories, this is the book for you. I could not get enough of any of the stories, and I found it especially compelling that most, if not all, of them were ultimately metaphors for loss or coping with it. TLDR; this is a fantastic book and you should read it!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Body horror, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal death and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Medical content, Child death, and Grief
vigil's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
much better than my previous jaunt into emily carroll’s work but my primary criticism remains: emily carroll is a gifted artist and a mediocre storyteller. this collection did have a better narrative than when i arrived at the castle, but nothing stood out for me personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death of parent, Death, and Murder
jojobings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and Murder
lucyy_palmerr's review against another edition
2.75
I loved the art style, it was truly beautiful and haunting. But the stories fell short for me. I wanted to love them but their endings often left me disappointed/dissatisfied and felt incomplete.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, and Murder