zagfros's reviews
362 reviews

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

I really didn't expect to go into this rooting for a serial killer bear, but here we are! Hannibal meets Zootopia in this cosy but gory tale. A quaint town is hit by a murder and it's longterm resident serial killer suddenly has a problem. She needs to find the murderer before anyone looks too closely.

The contrast of the art style, colours, character design and the subject matter is fantastic. Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees is a must-read this autumn.

Thanks to Netgalley & IDW Publishing for this arc!

Matefinder by Leia Stone

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Your Letter by Hyeon A. Cho

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Your Letter has the charm of films like Suzume, Your Name & Ghibli films. It's a slice of life with a bit of fantasy, dealing with pretty heavy themes of bullying & anxiety. However, the story is told well and Sori grows over the comic as does her newfound friend Dongsoon.  The whimsical art style greatly served this comic and all the little details in the letters really helped being this comic to life. I was thoroughly surprised by the ending and absolutely enjoyed reading this!

Thanks to Netgalley & Yen Press for this arc.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fans of Saft's previous work won't be disappointed with her adult debut!  We follow Lorelei on an expedition to find a magical spring that can help her gain the king's favour and allow her freedoms not given to the rest of her people.

Everything is going to plan till the murder of her tutor and Lorelei is tasked to find the murderer alongside the location of the spring or be blamed for the act herself. The only one in the group who isn't a suspect is her much hated rival Sylvia and so begins this very complex rivals to lovers arc! Not a downside at all but wow took Lorelei a bit to get there.

The story is jam packed with dark but whimsical visuals, fascinating creatures and unique magic. You'll be instantly grabbed by Saft's writing and not want to stop. Honestly, Saft's writing style is so great and everything combined creates an absolutely amazing read, cosy but also dark works so well. Looking forward to more adult books from her in the future.

Thanks to Daphne Press & Netgalley for this arc.

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

For fans of The Scarlet Alchemist & The Night Ends With Fire, Of Jade and Dragons combines the magical academy setting & hiding as a man to gain entey. It also has a unique take on the 'magical academy' sub-genre, rather than magic, the power comes from engineering. I really enjoyed this take and it felt really refreshing.

We follow Ying, investigating her father's murder all the way to the Engineering Guild. Through a chance encounter she gains a powerful ally of the fourth beile, Ye-yang. Through his patronage she is able to gain entry as an apprentice and undertake multiple trials to prove her worth. The final trial is a real surprise as well!

Along the way, she gains some unconventional friends such as Ye-kan who has more to him than meets the eye. All the while, trying to remain undercover & find out the truth behind her father's murder. 

Of Jade and Dragons is a brilliant debut with a unique take on some popular tropes, it flows really well (I got through about 85% in one sitting) and has a bunch of loveable characters. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley & Penguin Random House for the arc!

Murder Road by Simone St. James

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

Houses of the Unholy by Ed Brubaker, Jacob Phillips, Ed Brubaker Sean Phillips

dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

Houses of the Unholy is a standalone that has us follow Natalie in an investigation into the murder of the survivors of an alleged satanic ritual. There's a very unexpected but intriguing start to this one which gets you hooked pretty quickly.

The art style works well mixing in horror & realism and contributes to the tense atmosphere, the use of colour in flashbacks is also a great device for differentiating the timelines.

Overall, a really tense read with some interesting visuals and set in a pretty interesting backdrop of the satanic scare in the US.

Thanks to Image Comics & Netgalley for the arc.

We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

We Called Them Giants is a fantastic standalone comic which has a really unique art style and stunning visuals. (The Giants? Wow!) We follow Lori trying to survive in a world where most people have suddenly disappeared, most of the food has gone & there's no electricity. To further complicate things, is the arrival of the Giants. The story wraps up nicely and is quite bittersweet but is well worth a read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Image Comics for the arc.

The Hunter's Gambit by Ciel Pierlot

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The Hunter's Gambit was an unexpected surprise for me, intrigued by the synopsis and immediately grabbed by the hilarious foreword. The novel is a great mix of dark fantasy with some much needed humour to balance it out at times. The romance is complicated to say the least, no simplicity when there's lots of lies & omissions of truth, along with being locked in a castle full of vampires with days left to live....

The cast of characters were outstanding, with our protagonist Kazan being a standout. Reya + Adrius as our love interests were great as well. With all the political manoeuvring in vampire society it was great to see the differences lined out in the personalities and actions of the main + supporting cast. 

The writing flowed really well & the Citadel was a great setting with easy to imagine visuals. The magic  and geists were also well thought out and really helped flesh the world out. Overall, a really enjoyable read and I hope to see more of the world & Kazan's story!

Thanks to Netgalley & Angry Robot for the arc.