I received an ARC of this graphic novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost: this book is stunning! Stanley's style is bright and colourful and intricate and captivating - I often found myself staring at pages for ages before remembering I had a story to read. The contrasts between the real world and the Bright World - where Amparo, our hero, ends up after a misjudged deal with a magic cat - are well established with colour and detail. I can't wait to get a copy of this on my shelf so I can show off how gosh darn pretty it is.

The story is unlike anything I've read before. A queer story that, at the outset, feels like a folk story warning against making deals with fey folk or strange creatures, but soon becomes esoteric, badass, and full of intriguing characters (sometimes equal parts terrifying) and a fast-moving plot. The story is easy to read, even when the page set up is funky, and I read it all in one sitting!

I did find that I wanted to get more of an equal balance on the real world and Bright world stories. I hope Stanley is planning on fleshing some of the real world plot points out in the upcoming volumes - I want to know more about the cat's adjustment and Iolanthe's story! I also found I was a little confused about some of the rules of the Bright World, but this did not affect my enjoyment of the story.

Overall a definite recommendation and one I look forward to following.

Very cool, creepy and queer comic that doesn't shy away from absurdity and gore.

Content warnings include: amputation, violence, humans get eaten, murder, death, misgendering (corrected).

The comic is bright, fully of colours and shapes, making every panel a pleasure to look at. Sometimes it took a few moments for me to make out what was even shown, there were lots of great details despite the simplicity of the style.

I loved Amparo, a nonbinary (though they don't use that label, they simply don't think they are a girl of a boy) teen, as protagonist. After a cat steals their identity, they finde themself stuck in a bizzare alternate world, Bright World, where cunning creatures hungry for human flesh and memories rule.
Much like in their previous life, they keep getting into trouble while trying to find their way back - but what the monsters didn't account for was a human just as cunning as they are.
Amparo is the perfect protagonist for this, with a clear goal of wanting to go back home, but willing to do a lot on the way there, while never losing their sense of humanity.

The glimpses into the cat's life as Amparo, or more precisely Amparo's love interest Iolanthe realizing something is off about them, wasn't quite as prominent, but still interesting.
I am very curious about where the story is headed next.

I loved the casual diversity of the cast. The Mexian influence from the author is clear, but there's so much more than that in the different characters, both humans and monsters.

I opted for this ARC just because it was a graphic novel and I was in the mood to read one. But DAYYUM! One of the best and most creative graphic books I've read since The Sandman!

Ampara is a queer teen from Queens who makes a really bad deal with a talking cat. They soon find themselves dragged into fantastical world called Bright World while the cat takes their place (and shape) in the human world. The adventures of Amprao in Bright World amid all the weitrd creatures and captured humans forms the rest of the story. Mind you, the story doesn't end at the end of this volume, so if you are looking for closure, you still have a long wait ahead of you.

I loved the wacky creativity of the story. The characters are so interesting and, in some cases, absolutely spooky. I also loved the queer content in the book; having a queer writer for a queer story makes a huge difference. The illustrations, the panel structuring, the narrative flow all are fantastic.

Eagerly awaiting Volume 2 of this fabulous book!

It's about a nonbinary teen who trapped in another world. But it's not some portal fantasy. Bright World is dangerous, unkind and territfying. For the first few chapters, I feel a similar to SCP-4000 about a bunch of furries in a wonderland trying to steal your name, your identity. There are many instances of missing limps from this story. I think it's an analogy for dysphoria. There is a link between feeling inhuman, feeling alien and being nonbinary. I'm so glad to have a story with nonbinary protagonist that is not about being nonbinary, but there are still some subtle illumination of it: being trapped in an threatening world, stripped of your name, your shape and your limps.
The story is entertaining, the casts are fresh. I will be awaiting the second volume.

The Hazards of Love Vol. 1: Bright World by Stan Stanley is a fantasy graphic novel which follows a queer teen from Queens who happens to fall in some mishaps and ends up in a world which is completely different from ours and is called - Bright World. I liked how the main character doesn't have a label and is open to everything.

Amparo just wanted to be a little bit bright and a better person in order to show the girl - Iolanthe he has a crush on in school that he is genuinely worth it. Amparo finds a cat who would help him change in exchange for a drop of blood. The cat changed into Amparo and now the cat stays in the human world and the real Amparo goes into the Bright World.

Well this is a great debut fantasy graphic novel I've read. The book ended on a very bad cliffhanger and I really cannot wait to the read the next book. In the Bright World we see creatures who strive on memories and nobody can escape from Bright World into the Human world again.

The characters in this book are so rare, some of them are the good ones whereas the other ones are evil ones. The emotions experienced by all of them felt so real and authentic. The starting was a little haphazard but later ones we get engaged in the world, it's different and beautiful at the same time. The amount of spook and mystery in this book is just amazing.
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Thank You to NetGalley and Oni Press for the eARC in exchange for a honest opinion.
Release Date: March 30th 2021

this illustration caught my eye!
The whole book is a cool fantasy!
I like the story idea that human being made a deal with the cat. And stuck in the Bright World. Can't wait to read Vol. 2.., Vol. 3........

OMGGGG THIS COMIC IS AWESOME !

I loved it so so much ! The mapping of the pages was so unique and original and cool ! The story is so interesting and well done and clever too ! I also loved the characters and the worlds : it's literally perfect in my eyes. I couldn't ask for anything more.

I highly recommend it, it's absolutely genius !

This was a really cool fantasy queer young adult graphic novel. It was a little dark and handled some cool topics about gender and sexuality. I really liked the fantasy world, the art style and colours made the world really come to life. I wish there was just a little more happier moments but I am excited to see where these characters go in a second volume.

I got an ARC of this book.

Where do I even start with this one? It is better than I could have imagined. I got it because it said queer. That was it. I am not a big fantasy person and really not a cat person. I will pet cats and spoil them, but I don’t generally seek them out. So the idea of a cat character that is big enough to make front and back cover doesn’t do anything for me.

This is the coolest graphic novel from a new author I have read in a long, long time. There is enough spooky and enough mystery to keep me coming back for more. There were enough set rules that I was able to enjoy the fantasy without feeling like everything was just super easy or cheating me out of plots. I adored this world. I am terrified by this world. I loved that there is a conversation about the cat plot and someone else is like “oh, why would you trust someone you don’t know”. It just felt so great to see an element of fairy tales that never made sense to me get questioned.

The characters are so alive. I didn’t even mean that joke, but I will take it. There are so many interesting characters. Who actually is this dear dude? What about the orange man? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. I am so mad right now. Why did this book have to end before I had my answers?

The queer content is just wonderful. A character who may or may not have a label, just living their life. The characters are all an intense mixture of good and bad. Some of the characters think they are worse than they are. Some think they are better than they are. There is just so much raw pain and emotions. I was really surprised that this book was that intense with emotions. I don’t see magical talking cats and go “this book will make me feel things”. It was a wonderful surprise.

I really could gush about this book all afternoon. From the art to the story, I loved this story. I need book two immediately.

The Hazards of Love is a popular web comic that's been brought to print for the first time, now in bright colour. The book follows the non-binary teen Amparo, a kid who's something of a troublemaker, but doesn't want to be a 'bad' kid. When a strange talking cat climbs into their bedroom one night and offers them a magic wish Amparo thinks that this might be their chance to finally change their life. I mean, why work on yourself and put the effort in when a talking cat can just magic you into a better person right?

Unfortunately for Amparo, this cat's a bit of a liar, and after making the deal the cat takes on Amparos form and steals their name. Amparo now finds themselves unable to speak their own name, and unable to affect anything in the world. Worse still, they're suddenly drawn into the strange Bright World, a place outside of regular reality filled with monsters and bizarre creatures. Here Amparo has to find life as an indentured servant to avoid getting eaten by some of the more nefarious denizens of Bright World, whilst trying to figure out if they can break free from this strange place and get back home.

Meanwhile, the cat that's now posing as Amparo seems to be holding up their end of the bargain, in a sense, and is being a better version of Amparo; it's even managed to win over the smart and pretty Iolanthe, starting a relationship with her. But Iolanthe senses that there's something not quite right about Amparo, and wants to get to the bottom of it.

At first I wasn't sure what to make of the story, The introduction to Bright World was a bit confusing, with talk about licenses and sponsors for humans, the whole thing felt a bit clustered, but after a while, a few issues in, the book became a lot more enjoyable and easier to read. I think this was because Stanley stopped trying to give the reader all of the information, like the previously mentioned scene where the laws for humans were being explained, and just allowed the story to unfold naturally. Things flowed better allowing the reader to discover things with Amparo, and making the quest to get these answers part of the journey.

I think that it also took me a while to get to the point where I liked Amparo, and sound them a bit off-putting to begin with. They're very full of themselves, and they definitely think they're smarter than they are, which leads to them getting knocked down a few pegs during the book. They seem to assume they're the smartest in the room, and think that their plots and plans to get back home are going to work, and them learning to fail a few times definitely makes them a more relatable and enjoyable protagonist.

One of the biggest of these learning mistakes comes in the form of Amparo thinking they're being clever by getting themselves employed by El Ciervo, something that backfires for them quite a but. I especially enjoyed the book once El Ciervo entered the narrative. One of the more frightening inhabitants of Bright World, this creature takes the form of a black skinned human with the head of a deer. They're deeply unsettling due in part to the reader often being unable to discern their emotions or their intentions just by looking at them, but also because of his quiet calm and calculating nature. They seem like one of the more human, more relatable creatures from Bright World at times, whilst at others they're so predatory and evil that they're the stuff of nightmares.

The relationship that forms between Amparo and El Ciervo is fascinating, with the creature seeming to show genuine consideration to the teen at times, correcting their use of pronouns when they first meet, and seeming to care about Amparo's gender expression and comfort; yet other times he'll be brutal to them, doing completely inhumane things. Despite the book being about Amparo and their journey to get back home, this relationship is what grabbed me the most, and became the thing I loved best about the book.

The overall plot, of Amparo finding a way back to their normal life, doesn't get to move forward too much in this volume, but that never felt like a bad thing, as Stanley did so much world building and character development that the book was still packed with content. I'm eager to read more, to find out what happens next, the only question is do I wait for the second volume, or do I go and start reading the web-comic so that I can find out quicker?

Things I loved?
The non-binary protagonist Amparo, the general vibe of the graphic novel and the art style because it made me salivate, it was just that stunning.
But I didn't really mesh with the story overall, even though the gothic and folklore elements kept me going. I was just confused at times and a bit irritated with some of the characters that it didn't make me want to rush through this story like I usually do with graphic novels.
Still, I enjoyed it overall and would recommend it to anyone who's up for some dark, yet funny times!

The first volume of 'The Hazards of Love' brings together the first 11 issues of the webcomic of the same name, with all pages retouched and fully coloured. I love the colour palettes chosen by the artist - they set the tone perfectly!

I hadn't come across this series before, but it's hard to resist reading any graphic novel when the blurb makes it explicitly clear that the main character is queer, nonbinary, and latinx. I was very quickly drawn in by the fantastical worldbuilding and the cast of complex, diverse characters. The character development and tension kept me hooked. I actually found myself staying up late so that I could finish this volume in one sitting (despite having to get up at 6am the next morning for work) and didn't regret it in the slightest!

Anybody who can't get enough queer magical realism/dark fantasy/horror should definitely give this a read. It's is an excellent addition to the Oni Press collection, and one which I hope to add to my physical bookshelf as soon as possible.

I look forward to being able to read the next volume!

Thank you to Oni Press for providing me with an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content warnings: body horror, death, gore, confinement, indentured servitude/slavery, misgendering*

*At this point in the story, Amparo is (in the author's words) still misgendering themselves.

LQBTQIA+ friendly fantasy graphic novel that draws heavily from both Mexican folklore and the gothic genre. While the first several issues were interesting, I found myself losing interest around issue 4 or 5.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review.


This is about Amparo, a normal nonbinary teen that it’s badass and irresponsable and go out in a date with a good girl, but then a magic cat steals their shapes and his name and his life, and now, he got stucked in the bright world, a new strange place that they know nothing about.

I gotta say, I love the graphics and the way it was represented, I saw also that you censored some bad words and it was cool. I mean I love the use of Spanish, and every cover of every issue that Amparo has to deal with.

About the plot… I was lost sometimes, but It was because there was a new world that we barely knew anything about, I loved the development that Amparo got in the story, and I was gagged with the fate that waited for them.

I want it’s second volume, and I surely wanna know if Amparo would survive what is coming, I recommend it, although it’s a little confusing but I love that and… I cannot wait to see what’s next.

I'm not sure what I expected, but I've been on a graphic novel kick lately and this one caught my eye.

The story follows Amparo and their deal with a cat.

Sounds sketchy, right?

Well, that's just the beginning.

Follow Amparo on their journey through Bright World and see how far one will go to survive in a land not meant for humans.

Meanwhile, follow Amparo on their journey through the human world.

This story is intriguing, filled with magic, and left me wondering what would happen next.

The images are bright and filled with life and color.

I couldn't put down The Hazards of Love Vol.1. I don't think you'll be able to either.

Amporo is a bad kid, and doesn't want to be, not really.

So he makes a deal with a magical cat to be better. But the cat is not honest, and instead, the cat takes over his life, and his body, and sends his spirit to BrightWorld, a world beyond the pale, which is dangerous for humans, where they both eat you and your memories for the fun of it.

This is only the first volume of this story, so not everything is wrapped up at the end of this.

But, wow, yes, I do want to read the next issue. This may be super-crazy, but it is fun super-crazy, and Amporo is very sympathetic, in a crazy sort of way.

Good world building, and I look forward to volume 2.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

OH MY GOSH! I don't know what I was expecting when I started this comic...but it was definitely not this. So so soooooooooo goooood! Meet Amparo. Girl? Boy? Who cares! A rough and tough kid just trying to find their way - through life and also through love? Along comes a magic cat promising all the things Amparo could ever wish for. But not everything is as it seems and magic always comes with a price.

Now Amparo is stuck in the Bright World (which may or may not eat them alive) and home might just be impossible to return to. Also the cat has taken their place, their name, and their life as its own. Will Amparo make their way back to the human world, or will they make a new home for themselves in the Bright World.

Beautiful art and incredibly fun story! I was sad when I realized I had reached the end of the current volume. Can't wait to see where it goes next!