A review by onthesamepage
Katzenjammer by Francesca Zappia

dark sad 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

This was a really interesting story—the horror starts from the very first page, where we are introduced to our main character, who has suddenly lost her eyes, and checks they are gone by jamming her fingers into her eye sockets. That really set the tone of this, and the body horror just gets more intense after that.

It's not clear what this book is until very close to the end, and I don't know if it really got the room to let the themes breathe, or to deliver an actual message. It's also very open-ended, which is kind of hard to swallow once you understand, but I guess, in a way, it also made sense. I'm being very vague on purpose, but checking out the content warnings will probably tell you everything you need to know.

I did really like the way this was written. It switches between chapters set in the present and flashbacks to the past, interspersed with artwork. The chapters are short, making this a fast read overall. 

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