Scan barcode
bobinstein's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kristenbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Edit 8-18-15: I decided to lower my rating on this down to 7.5/10 because I didn't feel like it has made enough of an impact on me to warrant a 4 star rating.
As this is my first graphic novel (Yes, EVER!), I'm not totally sure how to review it. It seems more difficult to figure out my opinions about it, but I'm going to try my hardest to sort out everything.
The beginning of the book was very confusing to me. It was jumping back and forth between scenes and I was having trouble keeping characters straight. I eventually figured it out, but I had to read the first 10ish pages several times just to figure it out (Granted, as previously stated, this is my first graphic novel, so that may be at play here).
As far as the artwork goes, it took me a little while to warm up to it (I expected a style with cleaner lines, and that's not what they were going for, so it took me a little while to get into a different mindset). But, I ended up actually really enjoying it. Bonus points for the full-page artwork at the end of each volume.
The plot itself was super interesting. Once again, I was expecting something a little different. I think I expected it to be a little more paranormal. I mean yes, the villain is paranormal, but I think I was expecting something more "haunted house"-y and that's not what you get with this. It's like I was expecting Paranormal Activity and got Saw. I think that's about as well as I can describe it.
I really enjoyed learning about the keys. That was super cool. And some of the stuff that went down near the end of the volume was just WHOA. There were some pretty awesome plot twists. Just whoa.
8/10.
As this is my first graphic novel (Yes, EVER!), I'm not totally sure how to review it. It seems more difficult to figure out my opinions about it, but I'm going to try my hardest to sort out everything.
The beginning of the book was very confusing to me. It was jumping back and forth between scenes and I was having trouble keeping characters straight. I eventually figured it out, but I had to read the first 10ish pages several times just to figure it out (Granted, as previously stated, this is my first graphic novel, so that may be at play here).
As far as the artwork goes, it took me a little while to warm up to it (I expected a style with cleaner lines, and that's not what they were going for, so it took me a little while to get into a different mindset). But, I ended up actually really enjoying it. Bonus points for the full-page artwork at the end of each volume.
The plot itself was super interesting. Once again, I was expecting something a little different. I think I expected it to be a little more paranormal. I mean yes, the villain is paranormal, but I think I was expecting something more "haunted house"-y and that's not what you get with this. It's like I was expecting Paranormal Activity and got Saw. I think that's about as well as I can describe it.
I really enjoyed learning about the keys. That was super cool. And some of the stuff that went down near the end of the volume was just WHOA. There were some pretty awesome plot twists. Just whoa.
8/10.
amunent's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
amberleighmaida's review against another edition
I started this after watching the first episode of the new Netflix series and realizing it was based on a graphic novel. I don’t feel I can properly rate it because I do not do well with gore/violence, especially when it’s being shown through illustrations, and this quick read has a lot of it. For anyone who enjoys this type of thing, it definitely set me up for wondering what happens next and has a very interesting story!
ambie719's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not what you would consider a graphic novel/comic fan. Its not that I dislike them I just haven't been overly exposed to them and never sought them out. I had heard really good things about this series so I decided to branch out and give it a try. I was surprised how much I liked it. The storytelling is great and the artwork is amazing. I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing just how dark and twisty things get!
varshamort's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
vanessa177's review against another edition
4.0
I'm reading the series again with a friend that is reading them for the first time before watching the Netflix series. The main idea of the book is a good one, and it makes good use of the concept of the house. Even having read it before and still remembering a bit about how the story goes, the story manages to go into some unexpected places. It is also a very well-structured volume. As much as the first volume is intended to leave you wanting more, there is a very definite ending to this first volume. There is something a little dated about it, though. I think that anyone that likes horror comics could easily guess the time period it was released in.
I don't like Gabriel Rodríguez's style of drawing characters, but I do like how he draws the house. If I had been on Goodreads when I first read this, I think I would have likely taken more stars off for it then, but I don't mind it as much now. I like the characters, but the house is more intriguing than them. The first volume has quite a few standout pages that I really love the look of, though.
I don't like Gabriel Rodríguez's style of drawing characters, but I do like how he draws the house. If I had been on Goodreads when I first read this, I think I would have likely taken more stars off for it then, but I don't mind it as much now. I like the characters, but the house is more intriguing than them. The first volume has quite a few standout pages that I really love the look of, though.
maria_hyde's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
slowbollard's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't care for the style used for people's faces. There were parts that I liked (dealing with loss, the potential of the keys and the house), and stuff I didn't (cliche mentally unwell characters, evil spirit, sloppily protected magical items). I'll read another volume to see where it goes.