Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Squad

Squad is a feminist horror story told in comic book format and was written for young adults aged 14 to 17. It was published in 2021. The story is about a new girl who is invited to join her high school’s most popular clique. Of course, all is not well with the group.

The publisher's summary:  

When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.

Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.

But then things get complicated. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure, their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—and Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.

Lisa Sterle’s stylish illustrations paired with Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s sharp writing make Squad a fierce, haunting, and fast-paced thrillerthatwill resonate with fans of Riverdale, and with readers of This Savage Song, Lumberjanes, and Paper Girls. 

I was not expecting this story to be about werewolves. The girls in the clique turn into wolves once a month and eat a boy who takes advantage of unsuspecting girls. They call it being hungry. The illustrations paired with each meal aren't too graphic so the story maintains light feel. I was amused at the authenticity of the dialogue. The girls say the word "like" all the time which is how kids today speak. 

The girls were able to control themselves after a kill so no one suspected them of murder. However, after Becca violates the rule not to kill anyone from their own school, the group begins to fall apart. All of the students in their high school constantly stare at them after the boyfriend of Ariana is accidentally killed by Becca. They are suspects in the eyes of their peers but the police are clueless. The story ends with Becca and Marley discovering that they are attracted to each other and go off into the sunset together. I was not expecting this either. 

All in all, Squad was a fun, light read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Tender

Tender was published on March 12, 2024. It is a psychological thriller in comic format and is the author's debut graphic novel.

The publisher's summary:

Carolanne wanted a perfect wedding, a perfect husband, a perfect family. She carefully performs her own roles (gal pal, bestie, girlfriend, wife, and expectant mother) and manipulates those around her to try and get the results she wants. Her desire to control the uncontrollable ultimately becomes her undoing. When things don't go her way, she exerts dominance over the one thing she does have total control over: her body; until that "betrays" her. After suffering a horrible loss, Carolanne spirals into a literal, all-consuming delusion causing her body to produce symptoms of a hysterical pregnancy ― as a result of her slicing off bits of her own flesh and eating them.

Chicago cartoonist and educator Beth Hetland’s graphic novel debut is a brilliant psychological thriller that tears down the wall of a genre ― body horror ― so often identified with male creators. Heady and visceral, Tender uses horrific tropes to confront women’s societal expectations of self-sacrifice despite those traditional roles often coming at the expense of female sexuality and empowerment.

 

I won't lie. After finishing the book I had to read the summary above in order to figure out what I just read. The story alternates between time periods as you would see with any psychological thriller. However, I was not expecting it and was confused as to what happened in Carolanne's life. A re-read helped me understand.

The horror aspect of the book is from Carolanne's self mutilation. We only have illustrations to know she was doing this to herself. Some of the illustrations were so jarring that I couldn't look at them. It's only apparent that Carolanne was trying to have a perfect life from these drawings and that the pressure she put on herself had to come out somewhere. We read about her striving for the perfect relationship, perfect wedding and perfect motherhood. Unfortunately none of that actually happened.

The ending was unexpected. I am still thinking about it a week after reading the novel and have a sinking feeling in my stomach. The author deserves accolades for writing the usual date, wedding, baby story from the horror genre. It works.

Not recommended for kids. The drawings have nudity and self-mutilation. 5 out of 5 stars.