Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - The Low, Low Woods

Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Low, Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado

12 reviews

kajoreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The concept was intriguing, the athmosphere was deliciously unsettling and the art was absolutely gorgeous. The artist and the colorist worked incredibly well together.

I really enjoyed the first half. It took time to establish the world and set the mood.

Unfortunately, the ending felt like reading a brief summary of the events. I wanted it to slow down.

Content Warnings

charrlee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Queer women of color and uncanny horror, what more can you ask from a graphic novel?

Carmen Maria Machado and Dani have created a wondrous narrative around monstrosity and autonomy through an exploration of the corporeal. Truly, there is so much to interrogate and tease from within these pages; questions of temporality/spatiality, the relationship between women & the environment, the choice of memory (and privilege of forgetting), and the heartbreaking realities of sociopolitical and gendered violence. After finishing the comic, I have still been pondering and realizing new connections and avenues of thought; that, my friends, is the mark of a pretty damn good story. It's difficult to exactly mark how many astounding (yet horrific and challenging) themes are covered in so few pages, and the visuals only mark to further emphasize these points. That being said, The Low, Low Woods is one of the darkest -- I mean down right horrific -- graphic novels I have read, so do read with caution. Machado is masterful in utilizing the power of silence, and her work (along with Dani's brilliant art) is a beautiful, yet tragic homage to all victims of abusive power.

Also if you like:
*Greek mythology
*Magical mushrooms
*Witchcraft
*Deer women <3
AND SO MUCH MORE

Content Warnings

dale1997's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

bashsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The Low, Low Woods absolutely took my breath away. The setting of an old coal-mining town in poor, rural Pennsylvania was so well-chosen and so integral to the story. That aspect blew my mind. The art style is beautiful and haunting. El and Octavia are both compelling characters, and their main conflict makes sense and jives well with the rest of the plot.

The twist is heartbreaking, but I gasped as all the pieces clicked into place. Even though it is a fantastical story, it is incredibly REAL.

I loved this so much I'm almost incoherent. Go read it!

Content Warnings

lackadaisicat's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This graphic novel was slow to start, but has beautiful art, an interesting setting, relatable characters, and a compelling supernatural mystery. CHECK OUT THE CONTENT WARNINGS I am not kidding! Two best friends are living in a small coal mining town where horrific beasts sometimes crawl out of sulfurous burning cracks in the ground, and you just have to try and bike faster than they can chase you. It's a coming of age story, and you have to ask- why don't we leave our shitty home towns, even when the environment wants to kill us? This graphic novel is actually a collection of a limited-run comic series. That is, the story is complete, but the beginning few chapters felt episodic, not like a continuous work to me. I almost put it down before getting hooked about a third of the way through. Again, read the content warnings, this book deals with some seriously heavy shit. It's really good! But it kind of blindsided me, and not in a good way.

Content Warnings