Scan barcode
A review by versmonesprit
Whisper of the Woods by Ennun Ana Iurov
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
I was hoping to love this little graphic novel for its story, even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the cover art. The plot sounded promising enough as a folk horror, and I’m not a graphic novel person so the illustrations wouldn’t have bothered me.
I was wrong on both parts. The illustration style is a bit too cute for a horror book, especially with the pastel colours. The particular style, I believe, also prevented the depiction of authentic Romanian scenes and textures, which for me took away from the experience because I was expecting folk horror.
At only 96 pages, the book suffers from length, or more so, lack thereof. As it is, it feels like a draft, a storyboard to expand upon. Horror’s effectiveness comes from its build up, from suspense, from creeping terror; everything happened far too fast, far too concisely for anything to have any such effect.
I wish this took much longer to land the folk horror aspect, it would have been an easy 4 stars, and a solid 5 if the illustrations fit the atmosphere better. I did not hate reading this, but I think its shortcomings must be noted for an honest review.
DRC provided by Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley.
I was wrong on both parts. The illustration style is a bit too cute for a horror book, especially with the pastel colours. The particular style, I believe, also prevented the depiction of authentic Romanian scenes and textures, which for me took away from the experience because I was expecting folk horror.
At only 96 pages, the book suffers from length, or more so, lack thereof. As it is, it feels like a draft, a storyboard to expand upon. Horror’s effectiveness comes from its build up, from suspense, from creeping terror; everything happened far too fast, far too concisely for anything to have any such effect.
I wish this took much longer to land the folk horror aspect, it would have been an easy 4 stars, and a solid 5 if the illustrations fit the atmosphere better. I did not hate reading this, but I think its shortcomings must be noted for an honest review.
DRC provided by Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley.