Book Review: Graveneye by Sloane Leong and Anna Bowles

An old, sentient manor houses a woman with wicked appetites..

Welcome, everyone!

Today’s review will be interesting..
Why do I say that, you ask?
Because I still have no clue wtf I just read.

This is one of those reads that was more about the meaning behind everything than it was about a story that actually went anywhere.
Graveneye was as fascinating as it was horrifying, the kind of read that sucks you in from page one without fully knowing why and leaves you helplessly befuddled. Don’t get me wrong, the author obviously knows how to write.. it just missed the mark for me.

Curious? Love horror? Then by all means—scroll down and check it out.
May the odds be ever in your favor!

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Graveneye by Sloane Leong and Anna Bowles

Publication date: November 30, 2021
Pages: 178
Genre: Graphic Novel, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Horror
Part of: Graveneye

First line: The first time we met, I bit her.

3.5 Stars

Characters: Strange. Obsessive.
Storyline: Unsettling. Gruesome.
Pace: Even throughout.
Writing: Dark but oddly compelling.
Cover: 4.5/5

Deep in the woods, on the outskirts of town, an old manor stands.
A silent observer of its strange inhabitant,
it cages her monstrous appetites.

My Thoughts:

I have to admit.. this was a weird one. And coming from me.. that says something.

First, this book is narrated by the manor/house. It has a sentience that allows it to watch over, guard, and cage its very peculiar occupant—and although we’re not told how or why it became this way, this aspect was hands down my favorite thing about the story.
The rest of it? Completely cray-cray.

I’m typically a big fan of dark, wtf reads but this one was an entirely new level of bizarre.
Let’s try organizing this confusing mess in my head a bit.

The mansion is aware. It’s protective of its owner and can, in some small part, act in defense when necessary.
Its person, Isla, has lived within its walls her entire life.
She has an insatiable hunger—blood, death, desire, despair—they consume her.
The women hired to care for the mansion rarely last and we’re coming into the story just as a new maid, Marie, joins them.
Marie becomes recklessly obsessed with Isla and Isla, in turn, finds herself drawn to Marie.
Shit goes downhill from there.

Sex, blood, and obsession played a heavy role here in an almost vampiric way. I would not recommend this to anyone triggered by domestic abuse, blood, gore, death of animals, murder, same sex attraction, and more.

Now, the artwork.. let’s address that.
The art here is not going to win any beauty contests. It’s not clean or particularly attractive—however—it does suit this story.
Mainly done in black and white, the only other color featured is, unsurprisingly, red. It’s already quite graphic but the splashes of vibrant red magnifies the detail in the more gruesome and disturbing scenes. It’s not pretty.. but this is no fairy tale.

Overall? Graveneye had the potential to be so much more. Instead? It was poorly-executed and, quite frankly, off-putting.
I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it but I’m not entirely certain who to recommend it to either.

And that’s a wrap..
Thank you for stopping by and checking out my review, I hope it was informative.
If you do happen to give this a go, I would love to know what you think of it.

Take care, have a beautiful day, and happy reading!