katiemack's reviews
1398 reviews

3.5, rounded up. This graphic novel erred on the side of silly rather than witty (I expected the latter), but it was still an amusing, cartoonishly gory read that poked fun at a lot of historical/romance tropes.

This was such a delightful read! I thought Carriger established her series well and created a compelling paranormal universe with hilarious dialogue and solid chemistry between Alexia and Lord Maccon. Unlike some reviewers, I thought the blending of genres (historical, paranormal/steampunk, and romance) made the book more original and refreshing rather than muddled and confusing.

This was a 4.5-star read for me; there were only a few, minor details that bugged me:

--When Carriger began the book, she threw us in the middle of the action and into her relationship with Lord Maccon; I would have liked more set-up and/or background.
--The interchanging of "Alexia" and "Miss Tarabotti" irked me more than I thought it would.
--There's some questionable "accidental sex" that occurs.

I am all for the idea of writing a Lovecraftian noir graphic novel series, but this didn’t wow me. The motivations of the characters were inconsistent, and for a story centered around a supernatural woman there was a lot of focus on the men (or man-shaped beings)...

The writing style was solid but is better suited to a short story or novel than a graphic novel (it’s one of the few I’ve seen use third-person narration this way).

Aside from some essays about shows for which I have little to no cultural context (which I skipped), I felt the passion and joy shine through in Nussbaum's writing. I particularly appreciated her careful yet warm in-depth profiles of showrunners like Kenya Barris, Jenji Kohan, and Ryan Murphy.

In conclusion: I love TV, but I don't think I'll ever love it as much as Emily Nussbaum.

3.5 stars for this collection of horrifying stories. I appreciate the detail Langan puts into his stories, but as a result some of the inner monologues and dialogue felt unnaturally flowery; there was a lot more telling than showing, which is not a style to which I'm accustomed. Admittedly, I could have put more work and concentration into my reading after realizing how dense the stories are.

I think it's because of this writing style that I most enjoyed the two longest stories--Sefira and At Home in the House of the Devil.

Gah; Shirley Jackson has a way of always making her reader feel uneasy (even in her comedic writing). Merricat is both a sad and terrifying figure, but I couldn't help rooting for her

Spoiler

even if she did poison most of her family and burn down her own house

.

I like the world Smith has laid out here; she's good at laying out rules of magic and the toolkits for each type of witch. I just wish her characterization had been more robust; the pacing was fast and fun, but sometimes characters would make decisions without their motives being clearly conveyed to the reader.

This was an astonishingly addictive read--like wrapping oneself in a blanket while eating a decadent dessert--with that British sense of humor I love so much.

I adored the chemistry between Tiffy and Leon and savored the sweet, cutesy moments and the interactions between them and the people in their lives, but I also appreciated O'Leary's depiction of healing after an emotionally abusive relationship. She illustrates the long-lasting effects not only on the victim, but on those close to the victim.

I'm between a 4 and a 4.5 on this one because there was some information that O'Leary clearly wanted to impart to the reader that ended up being revealed quite quickly and shared a little unrealistically between characters.