A review by inkdrinkers
Night Cry by Borja González

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Teresa runs a magical/occult bookstore, but when people begin to go missing in her town, she decides to venture out and try her hand at summoning a demon. When Laura, the demon, says that Teresa gets one wish, Teresa is left confused because she doesn't know what she wants in life.

I feel like you could really feel the indecisiveness on the pages of this graphic novel, whether that is a good thing remains to be seen. Teresa began as a very interesting character, with motivations shrouded and seeming like she had more plans than just summoning Laura and moving on with her day-to-day life, but unfortunately that's really all the plot of this amounts to. There is Mattie, a young girl who enjoys the zines Teresa makes, but her delegation as an annoying pest in Teresa's life really didn't sit well with me, because there was clearly more going on with Mattie's home life. Finally, Laura the demon, who is an anime-loving entity who just wants to be awoken in Japan to live out her life there instead of being constantly summoned in small towns by people who only want to become rich.

I think you'll either love or loathe this art style. The faceless characters and muted palette are definitely eye-catching, but the longer the graphic novel went on the more I struggled with staying focused with the (small) plot and keeping my interest in the pages. I feel like overall this just needed more guidance and a clearer ending to make it worthwhile.

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