Recent Reads

112. Wytches, Vol. 1
Book Blurb: When the Rooks family moves to the remote town of Litchfield, NH to escape a haunting trauma, they're hopeful about starting over. But something evil is waiting for them in the woods just beyond town. Watching from the trees. Ancient...and hungry. Collects Wytches #1-6.

I really liked the illustration style used in this horror graphic novel - there is something about paint spatters in the back ground that add to the effect of layers. And this story is about layers - layers of lies, of secrets, of horror, of love. You know those dreams where you know there is something horrible, but you can only catch glimpses of it? The wytches are depicted in a similar manner - your eyes try to see clearly what is on the page, but your mind refuses to co-operate. And the dad in this story - I love the dad. 

"Pledged is pledged." I'm very interested to see where this story goes. Rating: 4 stars.

113. The Girl with All the Gifts
This genre book is best read with as little foreknowledge as possible. Unfortunately, I already knew a key piece of the story's reveal, so it did not have that extra punch for me.

I loved the premise of this story, and it starts out wonderfully. The reader only knows things as 10 year old Melanie reveals them, and unlike her we know that things are not normal. But after that great start, the story is unfocused, plodding, and frankly boring. The characters are not well developed, the dialog is stilted, and the pacing of the story is jerky at best. After I finished the novel, I read that the author is best known for his graphic novel work, and things suddenly fell in to place. At no time while reading this novel did I drop into the story - it was almost like I was reading the text of a graphic novel and was missing the illustrations that completed the picture. 

I loved the twist of seeing this genre story told through Melanie's point of view, but there was just not enough in this one for my tastes. I would love to see a graphic novel adaptation of this book. Rating: 2 stars.

114. The Leviathan Effect
Don't you just hate when you settle in with a pot of tea and a new book and the book lets you down? I was in the mood for a thriller, a fast paced story that would keep me turning the pages, but this was not it. It should have been. It's got a great premise, but I simply do not understand all the rave reviews. Color me not thrilled. I was bored and bailed on page 42. Rating: 1 star.

115. The Wake
This graphic novel is like none I have read before. It is not an easy read, but so worth the effort.

There are two story lines, separated by two hundred years or so. I am not sure what genre this belongs in, there are so many covered, but maybe the overarching genre is a dystopian one. The art is strangely compelling, and fits wonderfully with this fairytale/monster story. I loved that the protagonists of both story lines were women - Dr. Lee Archer and Leeward, and the myths/folklore/ancient stories interspersed in the story delighted me. 

The story reaches for the stars, and while it might not get there completely, it comes so, so close. Rating: 4 stars.