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readingpicnic's review
dark
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Fantagraphics Books, Inc. for a free digital ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Since the ARC I received is only the first 200 pages of the book, I want to preface by saying that my review only reflects half of the book, but I am eagerly awaiting an opportunity to finish the book because the suspense is really getting to me! Emil Ferris is a master of the cliffhanger. I read the first book five months ago, so I was a little disoriented going back into Anka’s story in particular since I didn’t remember where we left off with it, but that’s my bad for not refreshing myself on the story. I did like how the book started off with Victor, since it was such a major cliffhanger for the end of the first book.
This book follows Karen and Deeze’s relationship a lot more closely, which was interesting to see since Deeze is such a complex character with so many sides to him, which complicates the suspicion surrounding him with Anka’s death. Their relationship is strained due to a lot of factors, including him now being her primary caregiver, but they have some very heartfelt moments that I enjoyed, such as visiting the art museum together and Deeze showing Karen his cover for the monster magazine. I do think Karen is getting a new love interest, which makes me happy for her since she’s going through a lot…
The art is incredible as always, and the lined journal set-up for the pages really lends itself to the feeling that Karen is writing and drawing the book. I love how art is woven throughout the story, with paintings that Karen visits with Deeze in art museums, as well as the cover art from the monster magazines. This series inexplicably reminds me of the game What Remains of Edith Finch, mostly the chapter focusing on the girl who starred in a monster film as a child. Karen is such an interesting and loveable character, and I adore her point of view of the world–her curiosity, her weirdness, her imagination as it pertains to monsters and her own monstrosity, etc. This story has a lot of triggering and explicit Holocaust portrayals, as well as lesbophobia, racism, and racial slurs, so be warned of that going into the book. I’ll be sure to update my review once I get my monstrous little hands on a copy of the full book, but until then, this was a very satisfying sneak peek into book two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Child death, Death, Racism, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Trafficking and Death of parent
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