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mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
WTF THE ACTUAL FUCK did I just read. A story about break-up, about AI, and a woman gone totally mad because her lover (AI) has disappeared. She goes fully bonkers, sees things in her room that aren't there, stalks a woman who looks like her ex, there is blood and gore, and so much weirdness that I just was contemplating over and over again to just stop reading. It was just too much for me and I frankly didn't give a drop of care about any of the characters, they were all just too horrible.
Eventually we go into the realm of blood and orgies... Yes, really.
But hey, the art wasn't the worst? That one I actually liked. But the rest. Nope.
Also, WTF is this doing in the Teen/YA section at NG? This is SO not Teen/YA. Not just because of the story which is so messed up (gauging of eyes, ripping people open, and many many more things), but also because there are graphic sex scenes, including BDSM, orgies, whips, and more.
WTF THE ACTUAL FUCK did I just read. A story about break-up, about AI, and a woman gone totally mad because her lover (AI) has disappeared. She goes fully bonkers, sees things in her room that aren't there, stalks a woman who looks like her ex, there is blood and gore, and so much weirdness that I just was contemplating over and over again to just stop reading. It was just too much for me and I frankly didn't give a drop of care about any of the characters, they were all just too horrible.
Eventually we go into the realm of blood and orgies... Yes, really.
But hey, the art wasn't the worst? That one I actually liked. But the rest. Nope.
Also, WTF is this doing in the Teen/YA section at NG? This is SO not Teen/YA. Not just because of the story which is so messed up (gauging of eyes, ripping people open, and many many more things), but also because there are graphic sex scenes, including BDSM, orgies, whips, and more.
geekwayne's review against another edition
2.0
'Lonely Receiver' by Zac Thompson with art by Jen Hickman is a graphic novel about a breakup that goes to dark places.
Catrin Vander is in love with an Artificial Intelligence named Rhion until she finds out that Rhion is seeing a lot more people. They have a violent breakup and Catrin thinks she can live on her own until she can't. She pursues someone else, then sinks to some pretty low depths, all for the pursuit of love.
The idea of the story started out okay and slowly devolved in to a story I didn't care about. Catrin is only pathetic and never sympathetic. Which is too bad, because Jen Hickman's art and eye-popping colors were a treat, except for the white on teal speech bubbles which were hard to read.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Aftershock Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Catrin Vander is in love with an Artificial Intelligence named Rhion until she finds out that Rhion is seeing a lot more people. They have a violent breakup and Catrin thinks she can live on her own until she can't. She pursues someone else, then sinks to some pretty low depths, all for the pursuit of love.
The idea of the story started out okay and slowly devolved in to a story I didn't care about. Catrin is only pathetic and never sympathetic. Which is too bad, because Jen Hickman's art and eye-popping colors were a treat, except for the white on teal speech bubbles which were hard to read.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Aftershock Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
dame_samara's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure I quite agree with this being Teen/YA, This definitely fits into the rarely used descriptor of New Adult.
It is also most definitely NSFW, nudity and sex are very prevalent along with depictions of violence and body horror.
This was a very interesting take on Mental Health and Toxic relationships, But also it was like a bad trip, a really bad trip.
You definitely need to be in the right headspace to consume this piece of media.
It is also most definitely NSFW, nudity and sex are very prevalent along with depictions of violence and body horror.
This was a very interesting take on Mental Health and Toxic relationships, But also it was like a bad trip, a really bad trip.
You definitely need to be in the right headspace to consume this piece of media.
gingerbread_void's review against another edition
2.0
This was a very odd graphic novel. It fert like a fever dream or a hallucination. I was confused for most of the book and what I wasn't confused over fell flat for me. This overall had a solid idea but it fell felt for me cause it was just to confusing. I am really disappointed cause I really wanted to like this graphic novel.
mermaird's review
1.0
How do I even start? I have no idea what to expect from this book when I started it, but the story itself ends up feeling rather anticlimactic. I love the vibrant colours, the art is beautiful. But the story is confusing and at most parts, I couldn't care less what was going on.
I like the fact that this story shares about a toxic relationship too; Catrin was obsessed with her AI partner, Rhion, and the relationship disconnected when Catrin found that Rhion was also in love with other people and not just her. Because of her obsession, she even considered another woman to be Rhion and tried to control her, which ended rather brutally.
I'm not sure what happened by the end, I really couldn't get the flow (and the amount or orgies are just too much for me) but I feel like she finally found the person that she truly loves and loves herself back is simply, herself.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I like the fact that this story shares about a toxic relationship too; Catrin was obsessed with her AI partner, Rhion, and the relationship disconnected when Catrin found that Rhion was also in love with other people and not just her. Because of her obsession, she even considered another woman to be Rhion and tried to control her, which ended rather brutally.
I'm not sure what happened by the end, I really couldn't get the flow (and the amount or orgies are just too much for me) but I feel like she finally found the person that she truly loves and loves herself back is simply, herself.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
thesebookdelights's review against another edition
1.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I didn't like this at all. I couldn't get into it. It's put under Teens and YA on Netgalley, it does not belong there. This is very much an adult comic. It has multiple scenes with nudity in it as well as explicit sex. I won't be recommending this in the future.
I didn't like this at all. I couldn't get into it. It's put under Teens and YA on Netgalley, it does not belong there. This is very much an adult comic. It has multiple scenes with nudity in it as well as explicit sex. I won't be recommending this in the future.
graamcracker's review against another edition
2.0
Supposed to be a horror story about a breakup but it's mostly just weird cyber orgies with deep, philosophical inner monologues happening at the same time. I was very confused and very grossed out by Catrin's hairy flesh phone. Also a murder that happens (I think??) that's never touched on again??
Thanks to Netgalley and AfterShock comics for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and AfterShock comics for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
reads_vicariously's review against another edition
4.0
Inventive, emotional, complex, confusing, and full of great Cronenberg vibes.
Set in the future, this is the character study of a woman named Catrin and her struggles with relationship, loneliness, co-dependency, love, lust, and so on. Unable to connect relationally to anyone human, Catrin is married to an Artiļ¬cial Intelligence partner. After a decade of marriage her partner, who's meant to bond for life, disconnects and sends Catrin spiraling into an increasingly depressing and deranged hunt for meaning at the cost of her own sanity.
Lonely Receiver is a wild ride that raises a lot of interesting questions while delving into topics of toxic/abusive relationships and our relationship with technology - all through a weird and surrealistic sci-fi lens. There is some horror here (more in the second half), but also a lot of despair and cruelly fulfilled yearning. There's also a lot of nudity/sex, strange AI dreamscapes, unsettling future tech and body modification, and hallucinatory sequences of intimacy and violence.
The downside I suppose is that because there is so much going on, some of it is confusing and frustratingly dense. I feel like there is a lot of emotion and personal experience/musings in the story, which I love, but not all of it translated onto the page in a way I could firmly grasp. Then there are moments which aren't meant to be firmly grasped, and thus I struggled to fully understand. Like a lot of great surreal mind trips in entertainment, this one is going to take several read throughs to wrap my head around.
By the way, the art is fantastic here! The illustrations by Jen Hickman perfectly embody the story, and the color palette is gorgeous. I also really enjoyed the lettering by Simon Bowland. Great work all around by the creative team here.
(3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads)
Set in the future, this is the character study of a woman named Catrin and her struggles with relationship, loneliness, co-dependency, love, lust, and so on. Unable to connect relationally to anyone human, Catrin is married to an Artiļ¬cial Intelligence partner. After a decade of marriage her partner, who's meant to bond for life, disconnects and sends Catrin spiraling into an increasingly depressing and deranged hunt for meaning at the cost of her own sanity.
Lonely Receiver is a wild ride that raises a lot of interesting questions while delving into topics of toxic/abusive relationships and our relationship with technology - all through a weird and surrealistic sci-fi lens. There is some horror here (more in the second half), but also a lot of despair and cruelly fulfilled yearning. There's also a lot of nudity/sex, strange AI dreamscapes, unsettling future tech and body modification, and hallucinatory sequences of intimacy and violence.
The downside I suppose is that because there is so much going on, some of it is confusing and frustratingly dense. I feel like there is a lot of emotion and personal experience/musings in the story, which I love, but not all of it translated onto the page in a way I could firmly grasp. Then there are moments which aren't meant to be firmly grasped, and thus I struggled to fully understand. Like a lot of great surreal mind trips in entertainment, this one is going to take several read throughs to wrap my head around.
By the way, the art is fantastic here! The illustrations by Jen Hickman perfectly embody the story, and the color palette is gorgeous. I also really enjoyed the lettering by Simon Bowland. Great work all around by the creative team here.
(3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads)
trin_ney18's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 Stars
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an early copy of this book. This in no way influences my thoughts or opinions
So..... this is a lot to take in and I highly suggest taking your time if you decide to read it. It's a very complex and layered story. The dialogue does make it a little hard to keep up, in my opinion. It just feels really philosophical and that's not necessarily something I enjoy reading unless I'm analyzing it for a class.
Beautiful artwork, though. I can't get over how gorgeous some panels were, even when they were terrifying to look at. Vibrant colors and exquisitely rendered scenes will keep you hooked.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an early copy of this book. This in no way influences my thoughts or opinions
So..... this is a lot to take in and I highly suggest taking your time if you decide to read it. It's a very complex and layered story. The dialogue does make it a little hard to keep up, in my opinion. It just feels really philosophical and that's not necessarily something I enjoy reading unless I'm analyzing it for a class.
Beautiful artwork, though. I can't get over how gorgeous some panels were, even when they were terrifying to look at. Vibrant colors and exquisitely rendered scenes will keep you hooked.