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atnea's review against another edition
4.0
That was a very interesting book! Weird and bizarre, but good!
A proper review is sure to come.
A proper review is sure to come.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
What drew me to this work was the cover. Being a graphic, the cover is very important. The artist teaches k-6 art, which makes sense for this story to be more for this age group. There were important themes represented and it was humorous. I really enjoyed it especially noting that it is the artist first published work. I'd love to see more from this artist.
I received an e-copy of this through Net-Galley for an honest review
I received an e-copy of this through Net-Galley for an honest review
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York: A Yarn for the Strange at Heart' by Kory Merritt is indeed a strange story with an interesting cautionary tale at it's heart.
Jonathan York is just moving through life with no incident until he wanders into a strange swamp. He meets some people along the way who give him some advice and try to help him get some shelter for the night. The owner of the house wants each person to tell a story in exchange for a room key. Jonathan's travelling companions have no problem telling an odd tale from their life, but Jonathan has nothing. When he is kicked out for having no tale to tell, his story begins. What that is I will leave for the reader to discover.
The art is great with strange creatures looming out of all the nooks and crannies. The prose fills the spaces around the art. The story is scary and funny. I was reminded of the kind of work that Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton do. Silly like Seuss and ghoulish like Beetlejuice. It's the perfect tale for an October night.
I received a review copy of this four color novel from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.
Jonathan York is just moving through life with no incident until he wanders into a strange swamp. He meets some people along the way who give him some advice and try to help him get some shelter for the night. The owner of the house wants each person to tell a story in exchange for a room key. Jonathan's travelling companions have no problem telling an odd tale from their life, but Jonathan has nothing. When he is kicked out for having no tale to tell, his story begins. What that is I will leave for the reader to discover.
The art is great with strange creatures looming out of all the nooks and crannies. The prose fills the spaces around the art. The story is scary and funny. I was reminded of the kind of work that Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton do. Silly like Seuss and ghoulish like Beetlejuice. It's the perfect tale for an October night.
I received a review copy of this four color novel from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.
sandeeisreading's review against another edition
5.0
But no matter what happens, you'll always have your story, and as long as you tell it, it will live on.
I loved reading every minute of this.
It's such a weird and entertaining read. The illustrations were something that I was drawn too. It was a bit weird looking, but it was perfect for the story, because the story itself was pretty weird.
There were times that I felt I was reading through the story too much. It felt like a lot of things that happened were metaphors for a real life problem. For example, Mr. York got lost and found this house where you tell this old guy a story. The other people who went in to the house with him were able to get a room by telling the old man and his wife a story. When it was Mr. York's time, he had no story to tell. The old man turned him away until he tells him a story. A lot of things happened after he got turned away from the house, but ended up back there anyways.
I felt the situation I mentioned was pretty much a metaphor for the confessions of your sins to God, or if you aren't religious, admitting your fault to the one you've wronged. At least that's how the flow of the story felt to me.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this and hope that it would get more readers because the story was really entertaining, but at the same time, very witty.
REVIEW COPY PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
tt0rres's review against another edition
2.0
This is not one of my favorites, but I think kids will enjoy it's quirkiness.
molly_dettmann's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just weird. The monsters were kind of cool, but the overall story was just kind of random and the font was hard to read and felt crammed in there on some pages. It seems really gruesome at times, and very Tim Burton-esque which might be a good selling point for teens, but I don't know if many would pick it up, read it, and absolutely love it.
nika_nix's review against another edition
3.0
I was provided with an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read this!
First, I need to say that I absolutely love the art in this book. It's so beautiful, I love the colors used in each part of this book and how pictures went beautifully with the story. The font used in this graphic novel was very pretty and I like it, but sometimes it was a bit hard for me to figure out which word was written, but other than that, I think it went really well with the whole style of this book. The way this book is put together is very good and I really like all the creepy monsters that made an appearance throughout the book.
i found it interesting that the main character is an adult, since I really did not expect that (guess I didn't read the synopsis very carefully). Jonathan York was a very relatable character and I liked how he was actually very afraid, but he made some clever decisions later in the book, However, I think the character development was a bit rushed and it just happened all of a sudden, but I definitely like a person Mr. York became. I also really like the old man who wanted to hear stories of his guests (forgot his name) and I really love the point he made at the end of the book. You'll always have your story. So freaking beautiful!
I didn't enjoy this graphic novel as much as I thought I would and that's quite disappointing, but it was still a relatively good book. The plot was a bit weird and for me it didn't always make much sence, but what confuses me the most is the targeted audience. Is this a children's book? Or an adult book? The writing style is very juvenille, but there are also a lot of creepy and just weird stuff which I don't think children would like. Something just didn't work with that. And because of that, I have no idea to who to recommend this book. I guess if you're interested in reading this, you can try it, but it definitely is for everyone. And I would not recommend it to children.
First, I need to say that I absolutely love the art in this book. It's so beautiful, I love the colors used in each part of this book and how pictures went beautifully with the story. The font used in this graphic novel was very pretty and I like it, but sometimes it was a bit hard for me to figure out which word was written, but other than that, I think it went really well with the whole style of this book. The way this book is put together is very good and I really like all the creepy monsters that made an appearance throughout the book.
i found it interesting that the main character is an adult, since I really did not expect that (guess I didn't read the synopsis very carefully). Jonathan York was a very relatable character and I liked how he was actually very afraid, but he made some clever decisions later in the book, However, I think the character development was a bit rushed and it just happened all of a sudden, but I definitely like a person Mr. York became. I also really like the old man who wanted to hear stories of his guests (forgot his name) and I really love the point he made at the end of the book. You'll always have your story. So freaking beautiful!
I didn't enjoy this graphic novel as much as I thought I would and that's quite disappointing, but it was still a relatively good book. The plot was a bit weird and for me it didn't always make much sence, but what confuses me the most is the targeted audience. Is this a children's book? Or an adult book? The writing style is very juvenille, but there are also a lot of creepy and just weird stuff which I don't think children would like. Something just didn't work with that. And because of that, I have no idea to who to recommend this book. I guess if you're interested in reading this, you can try it, but it definitely is for everyone. And I would not recommend it to children.
jbojkov's review against another edition
3.0
I wouldn't really call this a graphic novel- more like an illustrated book. It reminds mo of something that Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton would have created had they collaborated. Not a bad story. A little scary so not something to offer to the very young or faint of heart. The illustrations are awesome.
mckenzierichardson's review against another edition
2.0
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
I found this at the library and was immediately drawn in by the creepy and quirky art style.
Now that I've finished it, it's a bit hard for me to rate. I'm sort of between 2 and 3 stars, but I think I have to go with 2 because, on the whole, the story was just lackluster.
On a positive note, the artwork is amazing. What originally pulled me in did not disappoint. Throughout the book, the art is so weird and fantastical. I loved all of the crazy creatures and monsters, especially Phintesmo Blyme. That smile is going to stick with me for a while.
However, the writing just did not live up to the promise of the artwork. Some of the wording is weird and confusing. The story arc is rather predictable. Yes, the monsters and such were a nice surprise, but the basic layout was the same as any other quest story. Also, I had to double check that is was meant for children. The use of strange and over-complicated words was an odd choice for a graphic novel in the children's market.
On that note, some sections were rather disturbing, especially for children. The ice cream story, though as an adult I could kind of see where it was going from the start, was very gross and horrifying and I don't think it had a place in a children's book. While the monsters and things were creepy, they provided entertainment and continued the plot, whereas the animal cruelty sections were just too much.
The overall combination of art and words was kind of weird too. Despite finding this in the graphic novel section, it was more like a really long picture book. The words just accompany the art, rather than being incorporated into it. It doesn't necessarily feel like a comic.
Overall, I think the book would have benefited from being shorter. The whole thing felt like a rather bloated campfire story that just kept going and going. Okay read with amazing artwork, but the overall effect just wasn't there for me.
I found this at the library and was immediately drawn in by the creepy and quirky art style.
Now that I've finished it, it's a bit hard for me to rate. I'm sort of between 2 and 3 stars, but I think I have to go with 2 because, on the whole, the story was just lackluster.
On a positive note, the artwork is amazing. What originally pulled me in did not disappoint. Throughout the book, the art is so weird and fantastical. I loved all of the crazy creatures and monsters, especially Phintesmo Blyme. That smile is going to stick with me for a while.
However, the writing just did not live up to the promise of the artwork. Some of the wording is weird and confusing. The story arc is rather predictable. Yes, the monsters and such were a nice surprise, but the basic layout was the same as any other quest story. Also, I had to double check that is was meant for children. The use of strange and over-complicated words was an odd choice for a graphic novel in the children's market.
On that note, some sections were rather disturbing, especially for children. The ice cream story, though as an adult I could kind of see where it was going from the start, was very gross and horrifying and I don't think it had a place in a children's book. While the monsters and things were creepy, they provided entertainment and continued the plot, whereas the animal cruelty sections were just too much.
The overall combination of art and words was kind of weird too. Despite finding this in the graphic novel section, it was more like a really long picture book. The words just accompany the art, rather than being incorporated into it. It doesn't necessarily feel like a comic.
Overall, I think the book would have benefited from being shorter. The whole thing felt like a rather bloated campfire story that just kept going and going. Okay read with amazing artwork, but the overall effect just wasn't there for me.
ksd1441's review against another edition
2.0
Perhaps 2.5, but I'm honestly not sure how to rate this book. I was excited to get my hands on it, because it sounded wonderfully creepy. The art is very nice and detailed, but the story line kept making me pause. I just couldn't find a reason for everything; and while it doesn't necessarily need reasoning, I missed some cohesion. I missed some deeper characterization for Mr. York.
Plus--and this is something I wouldn't thought I'd say--some it this story is rather disturbing! It's marketed towards children, and I'm not sure all readers would come away without nightmares. In a way, the author seemed to be trying too hard to be a combo of Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton. Normally, good combo. Here? Something didn't work.
Plus--and this is something I wouldn't thought I'd say--some it this story is rather disturbing! It's marketed towards children, and I'm not sure all readers would come away without nightmares. In a way, the author seemed to be trying too hard to be a combo of Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton. Normally, good combo. Here? Something didn't work.