Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek

3 stars A Gothic fantasy with cozy Polish charm. This is an interesting read in its duality with the blending of Slavic folklore and Polish culture. On one side is baking, found family, and homemaking, and the other is magic, bargains, spirits, and demons. I didn’t particularly care for either of the main characters or…

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Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson

4 stars Beautiful and gruesome. The horror romance I didn’t know I was looking for. It somehow manages to perfectly balance cozy and unsettling. One of those reads you just can’t look away from. Perfectly paced, it draws you in no matter how much you want to look away. I loved the way Dawson planted…

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Creepy Cat Vol 4 by Cotton Valent

Translated by Alethea & Athena Nibley 4 stars A sweet ending to a great series. After their last big adventure, Flora and Creepy Cat settle back into their familiar routines. But when Creepy Cat and the other supernatural cats suddenly go missing, the humans who love them set out to solve the case. Truths are…

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Creepy Cat Vol 3 by Cotton Valent

Translated by Alethea & Athena Nibley 4 stars I am loving how this series is building. This one works in a continuous story, featuring a mysterious art enthusiast, a new creepy cat friend, and a bit of relucent teamwork between Oscar and Creepy. Love how all the characters came together in this one. And we…

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Disney Frankenstein, Starring Donald Duck

by Bruno Enna Illustrated by Fabio Celoni Translated by Tea Orsi 2 stars An interesting Disneyification of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This version tones down some of the darker elements of the original such as Victor von Duckenstein making his creation out of cardboard and everyone surviving relatively unscathed. Victor is certainly more redeemable in this…

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Creepy Cat Vol 2 by Cotton Valent

Translated by Alethea & Athena Nibley 4 stars Another fun Creepy Cat collection. This one follows much of the same slice-of-life style as the first, while slipping in a few more details about Creepy Cat and hinting that there’s more to Flora and Oscar’s past. Fun to meet some of Flora’s friends and see all…

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Creepy Cat Vol 1 by Cotton Valent

Translated by Alethea & Athena Nibley 4 stars When Flora moves into a mansion, she discovers it comes with a strange, white cat who is… a little creepy. She stumbles her way though many of the milestones of cat ownership with a paranormal twist as she settles into her new home. A humorous story of…

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Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

4 stars Delightfully creepy. Perfectly macabre. As with many macabre stories, while reading this I often found myself wanting more information, to know what happened after the end. But the unknown has a special place is each of these tales, which adds to their unsettling charm. Great artwork that wonderfully captures the tone of the…

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, Translated by Lowell Bair

3 stars I’ve seen musical and film adaptations of the story, each choosing different details to include. But I never knew all the intense drama of the original. Despite my reservations, I was pulled in by the extensive details of the characters I only knew a simple version of (Esmeralda’s marriage, Phoebus’ womanizing antics, and…

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Fangs by Sarah Andersen

3 stars A light-hearted gothic romance between a vampire and a werewolf told in similar slice-of-life style to Andersen’s Sarah’s Scribbles series. Really enjoyed the different art style for this one. It worked very well for the mood and the characters (and it was gorgeous!). This book gives a humorous look at some of the…

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