becandbooks's reviews
1118 reviews

Note: Please check out ownvoice reviews from readers with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) for accurate discussion on representation

This graphic series is incredibly captivating - the art is gorgeous and the idea of the internal experience is exciting and engaging. However, there is a valid critical discussion about how the authors are approaching, or at least alluding to in an obvious way, the theme of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

The main character's internal dialogue and her different personalities is the story's central theme. In one author discussion, the plotline is defined as simply an 'identity quest'. Another review says that "the artist...used DID systems as inspiration and information" (note: source wasn't found). Regardless, there should be a clear acknowledgement from the author about the intention of representation and information accuracy - whether directly within the story or as an author's note. Mental health is notorious for misrepresentation and being misconstrued by the media, and DID is easily one of the worst impacted by this issue. Confusing storylines that draw obvious parallels can be hurtful and lead to misinformation about an already stigmatised disorder.

Note: Review copy received from Edelweiss. This does not impact opinions within this review.

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Japanese horror tends to read in a completely different way to Westernised horror stories and Nails and Eyes is a perfect introduction to it. The stories in this small collection are bizarre and incredibly unsettling, with tension that cuts through the slower pacing brilliantly.

While the stories are not incredibly cohesive with each other - Minute Fears, while a great story, felt a little out of place beside the other two - I think they each present classic features of Japanese horror that will be enjoyed by anyone who loves stories that are unreliable and a little left of centre. The length of the stories is perfect with the slower pacing, ensuring unsettling tension but not for so long that the reader is lost. These stories are an excellent collection of tasters into something new.

 For readers chasing their next dark murder mystery full of twists and turns, The Only One Left is for you. Set in a crooked mansion falling in disrepair, on the cliffs where all the wealthy folk built their glorious lives, is a story steeped in a massacre that has devolved into town folklore. Lenora Hope is believed to have murdered her family and now Kit is her caretaker.

Kit also has her own secrets, a past woven with a mysterious death. Together, Sager has tangled together a dark story with many possibilities and tension that will keep you reading late into the night. The steady pace of unravelling the truth escalates into a stunning conclusion, with the final chapters being nothing short of a rollercoaster of answers. A dramatic story in every way, this is an atmospheric book perfect for stormy nights.