My initial thoughts going into was surprise. The dark and spooky looking cover gave me the impression the art inside would be in a similar vein and would feed my gothic soul. But the artwork is so bright and colourful I was a little taken aback. But after reading a few chapters, I actually think the use of colour is very effective. Everything is bright and cheery, but the moment things take a turn for the sinister, the colour pallet drastically changes and become very dark and creepy. (any scene in the woods for example.)

I would say this feels like less a traditional horror and more like a psychological horror/thriller at times. There's some big emphasis on mental health, what with the main character, Sailor, having anxiety, and suffering from past trauma.
The story also dives heavily into exploring the personal dynamics of the Rooks family, each members' personal demons, and a past they're trying to put behind them. The moral feels a lot more like 'the past coming back to haunt us', rather than just a witchy horror romp. Which, y'know what? I actually really enjoyed. I thought the deeper meanings worked really well and it added this whole nuanced layer and veils of mystery to the family and their past.

Now back to the art. It had a very distinct style that I've never seen before. It was very clear and precise in the beginning, but as the story went on and the characters became increasingly more involved with the horrors happening, and gradually getting more lost in their own dread and despair, the art became more manic, rougher edges and coloured in more of a paint splatter effect. Messy, but intentionally so, and it was really effective.

I will say, my only gripe was that it wasn't the most satisfying ending. There are all these plot twists but I can't help but find a plot twist cheap if it hasn't been set up beforehand. If something comes completely out of nowhere and seemingly doesn't make sense with everything previously established in the novel then it's not a satisfying plot twist. I need hints. I need to be able to put the pieces together. Plot twists need to be Aha moments when things finally click into place, and these plot twists left me a bit like 'yeah but why, and since when?'

I also felt like there was a lot left unresolved. It seems to me like this novel was setting up to be a 'face up to your past in order to move forward' kind of theme, but in the end, it was more like 'just keep running from your past and maybe it won't follow you...maybe,' which again, pretty unsatisfying conclusion.

This only seems to be a single-volume graphic novel, but I'm really glad I picked it up. Very creative and creepy, and at times, even thought-provoking.