4-13-25 Christina Critiques: Stoker’s Part 5 (and a bonus review)
- Christina Pfeiffer
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Friends, it’s Sunday!
You know what that means so many reviews and I added a bonus one this week. Which ones have you read? Want to read?
Let’s get into them!
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A GRAPHIC NOVEL
THE FOX MAIDENS
Written and Illustrated by: Robin Ha
Release: 3/7/24
Page count: 309
KU: No Hoopla: No
Synopsis: Kai must prove herself in many ways - as a fighter with her stepbrothers, a girl and not a rumor, and the Kai she was destined to be. Add to all of that the growing pains of an unknown past, she will have to fight man and animal to find her truth.
First line: “Keep your back straight and do it again.”
Favorite line: “Half knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance…”
Thoughts: What a beautiful and, honestly, educational story. The reader not only must go on the journey with Kai but also learn her family history as well as the cultural history. Books like this are so perfect. Engaging, stunning illustrations, relatable characters, and self-reflection with both characters and the reader.
Rating: 6/5
TENDER
Written and Illustrated by: Beth Hetland
Release: 3/12/24
Page count: 166
KU: No Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: Carolanne meets the man of her dreams, Lee. They date, get married and she ends up pregnant. Was it all pre-destined and will she make a good mom?
First line: “Hahaha!” “Easy!”
Favorite line: “Baby is so hungry tonight!”
Thoughts: Creepy ass women doing creepy ass things. The disdain I had for the main character was off the charts but somehow I had to know what was going to happen on the next page. The illustrations absolutely added to the unnerving and ominous feeling the reader finds themselves wrestling with.
Rating: 4/5
BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES
Written and Illustrated by: Patrick Horvath
Release: 9/7/24
Page count: 152
KU: No Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: Samantha Strong has one rule, don’t murder the locals. So what she has is a bit of a problem when a new killer shows up on the scene. Will she be on their list?
First line: “Welcome to Woodbrook.”
Favorite line: “… a small release and reset.”
Thoughts: Described as “Richard Scarry meets Dexter” and it’s dead (ha) on. Can murder be adorable and bloody? With this you get the warm and fuzzies with a side of gore.
Rating: 4.5/5
H.P. LOVECRAFT - THE CALL OF CTHULHU
Written and Illustrated by: Gou Tanabe
Release: 10/15/24
Page count: 288
KU: No Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: Francis inherits his great-uncle’s papers of which chronicle odd cults and monsters, statues, and death. With the money left from the life insurance, can Francis continue the research or will it be a dead end?
First line: “The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all of its contents.”
Favorite line: “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage that far.”
Thoughts: Absolutely spectacular. I was nervous as last year’s nomination, I DNF’ed. But this one, friends, the ability of fear that Tanabe was able to capture and the character’s dialogue is top notch. A whole-heartedly recommend for any Lovecraft fan.
Rating: 5/5
CHRYSANTHEMUM UNDER THE WAVES
Written and Illustrated by: Maggie Umber
Release: 3/21/23
Page count: 264
KU: No Hoopla: No
Synopsis: Maggie Umber reveals herself in a both a raw and unflinching fashion. A picture journal, Umber seduces us into witnessing her pain and subsequent rebirth.
First line: “But the sails were o the taffetie and the masts o the beaten gold.”
Favorite line: “And he brake that gallant ship in twain and sank her in the sea.”
Thoughts: Umber does in 300 pages what many authors/illustrators cannot do in their entire lives - show the breakdown and rebuilding of oneself in such a relatable way. At times heartbreaking, other times erotic as hell, we see the brilliance in her journey and her art.
Rating: 5/5
BONUS REVIEW
NOOSE
By: Brennan LaFaro
Release: 8/28/24
Page count: 160
KU: No Hoopla: No
Synopsis: Rory Daggett has had a rough life but his past is stalking him. With a new friend, Alice, things come to a head quickly.
First line: “The first time I ever met George ‘Noose’ Holcomb, I knew that someday I’d kill him.”
Favorite line: “No pest fixin’ to stir up a shitstorm ever travels alone.”
Thoughts: Things I will never forgive LaFaro for - 1) Alice’s past, 2) Harden, and 3) the sweet story of Rory’s bedroom change. There are so many gasp moments and sadness mixed with cathartic deaths. A stellar beginning to this series. I need more from Buzzard’s Edge and I know there is more coming.
Rating: 4.5/5
Other recommendations: DECIMATED DREAMS, SPLATTERY FALLS
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