A review by robertrivasplata
Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Set in a haunted town populated by spooky (but cute) creatures that has it's own condemned shopping mall. Similar to the vanished downtown mall of Sacramento, despite being condemned, the 'Allowtown Mall is still pretty busy, despite all of the going out of business signs on the stores. 'Allowstown is kind of like a more vibrant (and less hierarchical) Halloween Town from Nightmare Before Christmas. Can be compared to City Monster, except 'Allowtown has a more fun vibe than the mundane city in City Monster. Blob Ghost reminds me a lot of the ghostly roommate in City Monster, except more demonstrative. I could see Layne having fun drawing Miss Gashadokuro on the last few pages. The last page is kind of like something from Hieronymus Bosch. Being an elder myself now, I think this book is the first one to bring home to me how the internet & social media via the smartphone will manifest in fictional representations across genres. (When a genericized smartphone is depicted in a dream, what will it mean?) Witch hats apparently come in one size, even when the witch in question is kaiju-sized.