Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll

38 reviews

glitterdeww's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Emily Carroll's talents are on vivid display in this full length graphic novel. Fantastic and bloody imagery overlaps the mundane life of Abby, a quiet woman in a small town, as she becomes enveloped in the mystery of her husband's late wife. There is a depth of suspense and quiet throughout this novel that builds slowly and powerfully. Abby's imagination and suspicion collide within the gloriously illustrated pages, and like Carroll's short stories, the  reader is brought to a climactic and abrupt ending. 


PLOT: 4.5
CHAR: 4
CRAFT: 5
ENGMT: 4
SPARK: 4.5
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gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.5

A thoroughly haunting and captivating story, that delivered peak eery atmosphere through the entity of the tale. I was genuinely frightened multiple times and had to stop reading, especially at night time.

The story was much more complex than I expected, but for the most part I think it carrier through it's themes and general plot exploration really well. Where it falls down for me was the ending; the plot twist was shocking and left me with so many questions, but then the ending just confused me. I didn't really understand what had happened. I feel like this is how I felt back in the day when I had read Carroll's Through the woods short story collection, but generally speaking, A guest in the house had a more satisfying layout.

Abby was a very non-assuming protagonist but her inner world was rich and whimsical. I loved the scenes of her imaginary knight and how she wanted to be in spirit, but it was interwoven with this dark and sinister entity and environment that I began to wonder if that was coming from Abby herself.

Carroll really had me second guessing characters and although I'm left perplexed by those last few pages, I enjoyed the beauty of the details of the art and the story overall.


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doomham's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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emmzie's review

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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broughtbybrokenminds's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 No one draws drippy gooey body horror quite like Emily Carroll! The use of pops of color throughout the book as the fantastical seeps into Abby’s everyday life has a mesmerizing effect that draws the reader deep into the story. I loved the suburban gothic vibes that embraced depicting the horror of a mundane existence in equal part with the supernatural horror. Experiencing life through Abby’s perspective as a woman who feels uncomfortable in her own body and like a guest in her own home, fuels the creeping dread that unfolds as her obsession with the ghost of her husband’s first wife grows. This was a fascinating mystery that will leave you questioning what was real and what was imaginary, with gorgeous artwork that will stick with you long after you close the last page.
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lurieta's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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foxclcves's review

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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jessereadsthings's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

2.0

Beautiful art, but the story didn’t quite work for me. It felt incomplete in its story telling and overall I think it need just a bit more time to explore the characters and to truly pull off the ending.
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clichemarker's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

Beautifully illustrated, slightly confusing 
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eyeowna's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Gorgeous and unsettling art. Love that the ending made me immediately want to reread from the beginning. I’ve only read Through the Woods by Emily Carroll before this but I Am Fan.
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