Intriguing but didn’t quite do it for me.

Content: The story focuses on two female protagonists, Isla, who has lived in her family home near the woods all her life, and her new housekeeper Marie. Over the course of the story, we see the interactions (and in some instances lack thereof) between these two women unfold. The graphic novel is told from the perspective of the house.

I feel like this is all I can say without including spoilers at this point, but all the trigger warnings mentioned in most reviews should all be taken seriously even if the premise of the story does not quite seem like it. There is depiction of violence, animal cruelty, taxidermy, domestic abuse, mental illness, and murder. There’s gore.
Art style: This is a beautiful graphic novel, clearly created by a very talented artist. It seems that usually the graphics are black and white with the blood highlighted in red, but I cannot confirm this as I received a review copy for the Kindle. That means my version was just black and white. I also found that the copy I received was slightly blurry when I maximised the images, meaning the text was a little difficult to read. Now, this is obviously an issue with the Kindle and electronic versions in general and not something that factors into my rating. However, if you – like me – are also into graphic novels for the artistic effect, it might be worth purchasing a paper copy.

Personal opinion: Let’s start with what I loved. The choice to tell the story from the perspective of the house is absolute genius. The house, of course, has a very unique perspective on things and this house in particular is very loyal to her owner, Isla, no doubt interpreting her and her violent actions in very unique ways. What a fantastic idea!

Nonetheless, overall, I have to say that this wasn’t for me. I love horror and really do not mind gore in itself – despite being a vegetarian! The graphic novel was fairly short and in this, unfortunately, also superficial. I did not feel like I got attached to the characters or was ever given the chance to fully understand them. I would have wanted a bit more.

[Mild spoiler incoming – but not really, as this becomes clear relatively early into the story]

Isla is clearly battling demons of some sort – it is left up to interpretation what these are, whether they are real or in her head. It could be an allusion to mental illness and if is, then I feel the topic deserves better treatment than just being superficially alluded to as an element of a horror story.

I really loved seeing the work of an indigenous writer and I have no doubt Sloane Long is incredibly talented (and the artist Anna Bowles is anyway, as I said the art is sublime). I can’t help but feel there is something there and would love to see them try again, but with a deeper story and perhaps a bit more time on hands.

This had my favourite aspects of graphic novels! A limited colour palette, stylised art style and horror! I really loved how this was told from the point of view of the house, what a great concept. Some pages were just stunning, from the framing to the prose. I did think that they story needed some work though near the end which is why I've taken a star off.

**I'll update the links as soon as I post the reviews on my primary site**

Omg, y'all! This was great! I didn't think I would enjoy something so much.

It's wild (spoiler alert lol), haunting, and almost poetic! I don't think I've read anything like this before. This whole story is told from the POV of the house, about what wild things and horrors happen within, and as weird as it sounds, it worked uber well! I think it added so much to the haunting quality of the prose. The art inside is b/w with occasional splashes of red, and again it's amazing how it goes with the theme of the story. I think the cover art could have done so much better, doesn't do justice to the book at all.

If horror graphic novels are your jam, this is absolutely not to be missed! I looooved it!

Thanks so much to Netgalley, creators, and publishers for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

In the heart of the woods lies a home and inside this isolated abode resides Ilsa. Her new maid joins her on alternating days and the two women share a reluctance to connect with each other, due to the secrets both are harbouring. Marie, the young maid, arrives adorned in technicolour bruising but never states the cause of them. Ilsa often tracks her own bloodstains around after her and remains as tight-lipped about where they flowed from. The house knows however, and it will spill its secrets for an eager reader.

I loved how the soul of the home was the narrator of the story. Every nook inside the building and every innermost thought and desire from the two women were laid bare for the reader to peruse. This became almost shocking with the intimacy it afforded and there was something of the classic horror novel in this passionless focus on the passionate and emotional.

I also adored the simple yet striking colour scheme, used to illustrate and enhance the story. Black, white, and grey featured alongside vivid splashes of red for a unique and shocking spread of pages. The style of art also proved the perfect match for the trajectory of the tale, with the gore and horror intimately focused on in great detail.

Some aspects I appreciated far less was the hunting and animal murder that featured. This is something I personally detest reading about and did not appreciate having to read and view it here. I also found some aspects of the story slightly confusing and I was never entirely sure what was occurring until after it had passed.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Sloane Leong, and the publisher, TKO Studios, for this opportunity.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel was stunning. The idea behind the house seeing all horror within was striking. The art was distinguishably the most gruesome and beautiful I've ever seen. The use of limited color enforced the focus on the grim story. Overall I loved the concept and was easily drawn in. I recommended this with a smile on my face.

The art was stunning and I love the idea of the “haunted” house that sees all the evil conducted within its walls. Although I was confused about what was going on throughout most of the story, I was still delightfully creeped out and really enjoyed it!

Content Warnings: domestic violence, gore, animal hunting/dismemberment for taxidermy, self-harm, nudity, murder.

So... that was a trip. I was not aware of what I was getting into when I grabbed this to read.

I'll start by saying that it wasn't bad. I loved the choice of the narrator, for one. I love a unique, unreliable narrator, and I think 'a house' is a new one for me. But the concept of that was so interesting, because you have a truly silent observer there.

It was an interesting premise to the story: Two people meet by chance, both of them fighting their own demons (one... possibly quite literally?), and when they come together, it's pure chaos. They feed off each other, making each other worse, until the tension ratchets up to a point where something has to give. Was it a predictable ending? Sure. But I was glad to see that some sort of nice, neat tied up ending wasn't forced. This is not a happy story; it does not need a happy ending.

I think it was just a little much for me, personally. I wasn't expecting quite so much gore. But hey, it's spooky season, so it fits, right?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a review copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

This graphic novel was dark, disturbing and bloody - please check trigger warnings as this may be unsettling for some readers (it contains detailed illustrations of animal and human deaths, taxidermy, abuse, nudity, blood/guts/gore to name a few potential triggers)

The illustrations were striking and distinctive. The colour palette really suited the dark and gory themes of the book. The illustrations were so detailed and really created a creepy unsettling atmosphere.

The book is narrated from the house’s point of view, I found it an interesting narrative choice. However, this perspective created a sense of detachment from the story and characters.

This book felt like it was missing an introduction. There were elements at the beginning of the story which were a little vague and could have been elaborated on.

Unfortunately the review copy from NetGalley was very blurry, which made the text illegible in places and some of the illustrations panels were difficult to understand because of this.

Overall I felt it was a great creepy read for this time of year. I am interested to read more of the author and artists works.

Some of the best art I've seen in a graphic novel. I love the style and the limited color palette so much. The writing and story overall I found a bit lacking, but not bad.

Thank you, NetGalley for a chance to read and review this!

I didn't have any expectations going in; I just thought that this was a graphic novel and I should check it out because I don't read too many of those. I didn't realize that this would be one of the most beautiful and haunting reads of the year.

Please read this, you will not regret it!

TWs: Blood, murder, graphic depictions of violence, hunting/killing/skinning/dismemberment of animals, taxidermy, domestic abuse, nudity,
“Does the seeing never stop?”
I must say that I tend to dislike graphic novels, but Graveneye stood out to me. It’s officially spooky season, so I wanted to read something horror. This satisfied that craving.
Graveneye follows Isla, a bloodthirsty homeowner, and her maid, Marie. The story is gory and violent (do not take the trigger warnings lightly), and is told through the point of view of the house.
Personification is one of my favorite things in literature, and Leong captured it very well. The house’s narration is philosophical, disturbing, and oddly sensual. I thought I wouldn’t like it, but it worked out in Leong’s favor. The house is loyal to Isla, its owner, who has a passion for gruesome taxidermy.
Isla is amazing. She’s murderous and psychotic, and I love her. Marie is an innocent maid who gets caught up in Isla’s passions, and slowly becomes enticed with Isla. The characters, especially Isla, are morally black, one of my favorite types of characters.
I found the lack of dialogue very nice, it really made you read deeply into the narration and artwork itself. Of course, the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. It was incredibly detailed. I was so invested in it that I felt like I was watching a movie. I can’t wait to buy this in paperback when it comes out.
The one thing I found confusing was the title. I don’t understand why it’s called Graveneye.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the illustration, I think the tone and the tool of using the house to tell the story were super apt, but I didn't care for the story itself.

This graphic novel had a very creepy mood overall, which was great. I thought it was really unique how the narrator of the story was the house in which everything happened. I don't entirely think this was for me though, but I can't really explain why, because there wasn't anything particularly bad about it.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this early and give me honest opinion!

The artwork in this is absolutely stunning. So beautifully and gory and haunting. It was honestly the best part of this and I hope to see this artist do a lot more. The story is where it lost me. It focused so much on trying to be poetic and flowery that it lost the true story. I was so interested in the characters but it suffered by constantly repeating itself , and not tuning in to the true story. I wanted more from the characters. But overall a decent comic with incredible art, and a story waiting to be fleshed out.

I have to say the art is stunning but what’s lacking is trying to figure out what the characters were saying or thinking. It felt narrative side of things were floating in the air rather than focus on what’s happening with the story…..

Sometimes, positive adjectives like 'distinctive' are only half the story, and this is but one instance where, however unique, distinctive or startling it may be, a book is not as wonderful as those descriptors would at first seem to imply. Narrated by an old, rural, wood-frame house, this is the tale of Isla, a huntress who secretly guts and flays her animal prey in her Bluebeard-type cellar, and Marie, the latest installation into the post of maid, who slowly becomes obsessed with her boss. In the light of what we see, the house must have quite a dry, seen-it-all mien, for it numbly carries on describing the humanity within it – even when we see that humanity kind of drip away, to be replaced by something much more gory and primeval.

So, a weary building narrating, a very small cast list beyond that, and a noticeably black, white and red only design – there's a lot here that is distinctive and uncommon. I guess it is a metaphor for when love turns to sacrifice, but it's a bit too much of a one-note mood piece as opposed to being a proper narrative. Yes, things happen, and the change from first page to last is notable, but this is just a descent, and never anything close to a full roller-coaster ride. Others will certainly gel with its grimness and mood a lot more than I did, and be impressed by how dark the ladies creating this get to feel. For me, however much it subverts the usual horror gender narrative, this wasn't quite a polished piece. Still, for many, 'unpolished' will be a plus point.

This was a dark and disturbing read. I thought it was unqiue, to have the point of view be that of the all seeing house. I had some trouble understanding what was going on in the first few chapters, but it all came together in the end. It's a sad, lonely type of story I guess? There was nothing light about it, even the ending or the relationship between Isla and Marie. There are many dark and triggering themes graphically illustrated here, such as abuse, gore, and self-harm, so please be aware before picking this up. The art was very meaningful as well, especially the toucbes of red, and I think it really matched with the story.

The art is striking, especially with the chosen monochrome color scheme and splashes of red, and the typography suits the atmosphere. The story, however, I find lacking. As it is told in the POV of the house with minimal dialogue between the two main characters observed by the aforementioned house, there is a strong sense of clinical detachment. Sure, there's some food for thought and interesting word choices, but ultimately, the narrative is boring and unemotional. The graphic art can only do so much to horrify someone and the coldness of the narrative only reduces the effect the art has.

So yeah, this one is a huge disappointment for me as I felt nothing when I read this graphic novel. No fear, no being grossed or creeped out...just nothing.

TW: Blood, Hunt, Abuse, Demoniac character.

It was enough horrific and appalling. The illustrations we're good.
But to be honest, i didn't like the story.
Both of the character were messed up with thier own chaos. Though Isle's demoniac character was quite interesting but somehow she failed to exhibit the inside evil thing.
The narrator of the story was the house, which took me a while to understand. And the dialogue wasn't enough captivating. But it was triggering and horrifying, it needed to be.
I ought to read more of her books to see how her others are.

Wow. This book is incredibly intense, in some really thought-provoking but extremely disturbing ways. I don't think I would've kept reading if it weren't by Sloane Leong, having loved her earlier works. I will say there's EXTREME gore in this, including tons of animal death and dismemberment, so go into it sufficiently cautioned. There's practically nothing light or happy in this book, and it also features domestic violence and self-harm. I thought the idea of having the entire narration be from the POV of the 'haunted' house was excellent, though, and added a slight Shirley Jackson edge to this sapphic bluebeard retelling.