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theastrallibrary's review
5.0
Cindy Paul & Renee Zonneveld are back at it again with another stunning book (seriously you have to get your hands on this book for the artwork alone because Renee clearly didn't hold herself back!). Now this review is later than I wanted simply because I HAD to give it another reread to really sink myself back in the world Cindy & Renee have crafted for us. Much like her Hepdale Rain series Something Awful is an urban fantasy story but instead of werewolves and teenage angst, we got a mysterious monster and teenage identity angst. Jokes aside, Something Awful is really a breath of fresh air as Cindy not only does an absolutely wonderful job of creating characters you will absolutely love (my favorite in this time around is Shelby who is an absolute QUEEN), but the world she creates is absolutely atmospheric with the right amount of spooky needed for a good monster story! Truthfully reading this book reminded me of Saturday mornings watching Scooby Do and other monster of the week cartoons in the best way possible. But what this book did more than those cartoons is that it gave me the representation I never had as a kid. It was truly heartwarming to see Grayson really find himself throughout his adventure and coming to terms not only with who he was as a person but how his heritage played a role in that identity. And of course there is another absolutely sweet romance thrown in the mix to really check off all the boxes for a great YA story.
If you find yourself looking for a quick read with amazing characters with representation up the wazoo, then Something Awful is the book to go!
If you find yourself looking for a quick read with amazing characters with representation up the wazoo, then Something Awful is the book to go!
sansiebar's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
thebookerina's review
4.0
You can find the full (spoiler free) review here on my blog!
@EverAfterPrint was kind enough to send me a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Hog Creek is a town where something strange is going on. Early on in the book we find out that there’s a creature with absurdly long limbs, and thrice as many of them, just walks to a river and disappears. Things become strange when people suddenly go missing.
The book has a mystery vibe because we slowly get pieces of information, making us start with a lot of questions in the beginning. We see everything through Grayson’s eyes and slowly get more information about what his life is like. There’s also some LGBTQ+ romance in the book but it’s slow paced. Not much happens romance wise until the middle of the book.
The book felt a bit slow in the beginning because it took me a little while to figure out what the plot exactly was about. That quickly changed once Shelby was introduced. She gave the book a nice pace by pulling Grayson out of his comfort zone.
The book contains beautiful illustrations by Renée Zonneveld.
Warning: this book contains heavy topics such as bullying, abuse and homophobia.
@EverAfterPrint was kind enough to send me a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Hog Creek is a town where something strange is going on. Early on in the book we find out that there’s a creature with absurdly long limbs, and thrice as many of them, just walks to a river and disappears. Things become strange when people suddenly go missing.
The book has a mystery vibe because we slowly get pieces of information, making us start with a lot of questions in the beginning. We see everything through Grayson’s eyes and slowly get more information about what his life is like. There’s also some LGBTQ+ romance in the book but it’s slow paced. Not much happens romance wise until the middle of the book.
The book felt a bit slow in the beginning because it took me a little while to figure out what the plot exactly was about. That quickly changed once Shelby was introduced. She gave the book a nice pace by pulling Grayson out of his comfort zone.
The book contains beautiful illustrations by Renée Zonneveld.
Warning: this book contains heavy topics such as bullying, abuse and homophobia.
oceanvvaves's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
king_lefay's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really delightful! Beautiful and vivid writing, sweet and relatable characters, and a wonderfully eerie monster in an atmospheric little town. Adored it!
rainzephy's review
4.0
mlm, mexican-american main character (not own voices) and black side character.
cw: abusive parent (physical abuse and homophobia)
[also one kiss scene (very short and not descriptive) and cursing.]
this is the first thing that i have ever supported on kickstarter and i'm so happy i did because i really enjoyed reading this!
it was a really quick and fun read and i liked the repetitive kinda poetical sentences and words that were used. also the monster felt very real in this book which i liked.
i think the only thing that took me little out of the story was how it took pretty long until the characters understood why the monster behaved the way it did. for me it was pretty clear early on so i wished the reasons for the monsters behavior would have been different or that the characters would have realized it earlier.
i'll definitely read more of this authors books in the future!
cw: abusive parent (physical abuse and homophobia)
[also one kiss scene (very short and not descriptive) and cursing.]
this is the first thing that i have ever supported on kickstarter and i'm so happy i did because i really enjoyed reading this!
it was a really quick and fun read and i liked the repetitive kinda poetical sentences and words that were used. also the monster felt very real in this book which i liked.
i think the only thing that took me little out of the story was how it took pretty long until the characters understood why the monster behaved the way it did. for me it was pretty clear early on so i wished the reasons for the monsters behavior would have been different or that the characters would have realized it earlier.
i'll definitely read more of this authors books in the future!
booksnsocks's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Something Awful is about Grayson who lives in a town called Hog Creek. Hog Creek basically is your typical American town. There's a good and a bad side, there's a diner, and there's a bunch of popular school boys who are bullies. One thing that's not so typical? The mud monster with dozens of mouths who attacks people and lives in the river. And it's up to Grayson and his sidekick Shelby to find out how to defeat this monster.
I can be a bit of a scaredy cat, but this was just the right amount of spookiness for me! The story was mysterious, making you wonder what the monster was doing in the river, and authentic, adding in so many cool little elements, like Grayson's heritage and the lizards.
I would've actually loved to have read more about the monster. I feel like it ended pretty quickly and the resolution was a bit anticlimactic. With one or two more sentences, the book could've ended in a cliffhanger.
I really loved the element of LGBTQIA+ romance, though, as it was a sweet addition to the story. I also adored Grayson's friendship with Shelby. Shelby was my favourite character, since she was such a badass and basically just has the personality I aspire to have.
The writing felt really poetical and I liked how the title 'something awful' kept appearing every now and then. (Who doesn't love it when they find the title in the book!) Plus, the artwork was just stunning! Every book should start their chapters with an illustration.
If you're looking for a quick spooky and mysterious LGBTQIA+ read, then this is the book for you!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I can be a bit of a scaredy cat, but this was just the right amount of spookiness for me! The story was mysterious, making you wonder what the monster was doing in the river, and authentic, adding in so many cool little elements, like Grayson's heritage and the lizards.
I would've actually loved to have read more about the monster. I feel like it ended pretty quickly and the resolution was a bit anticlimactic. With one or two more sentences, the book could've ended in a cliffhanger.
I really loved the element of LGBTQIA+ romance, though, as it was a sweet addition to the story. I also adored Grayson's friendship with Shelby. Shelby was my favourite character, since she was such a badass and basically just has the personality I aspire to have.
The writing felt really poetical and I liked how the title 'something awful' kept appearing every now and then. (Who doesn't love it when they find the title in the book!) Plus, the artwork was just stunning! Every book should start their chapters with an illustration.
If you're looking for a quick spooky and mysterious LGBTQIA+ read, then this is the book for you!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent and Bullying
fpwoper's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I absolutely loved this. I couldn't put it down, the storytelling was very immersive and the artwork was gorgeous. I found myself wishing for more art (sorry Renée) throughout because it was *stunning* and worked really well with the aesthetic of the story.
This book feels more mature - both in writing and choice of topic and plot - than the previous books and I think it's showing how much Cindy has grown as an author. Renée's art style fits this more mysterious type of book very well!
It's a quick and fun read, and the mystery works really well. I just... absolutely loved this. No words apart from these.
This book feels more mature - both in writing and choice of topic and plot - than the previous books and I think it's showing how much Cindy has grown as an author. Renée's art style fits this more mysterious type of book very well!
It's a quick and fun read, and the mystery works really well. I just... absolutely loved this. No words apart from these.
pipedreambrekker's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Grief, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
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