Name: Ethel's review of The Hazards of Love Vol. 1 by Stan Stanley
Item: The Hazards of Love Vol. 1
Rating: 4
Author: Ethel

Stan Stanley

Amparo's deal with the talking cat was simple: a drop of blood and Amparo's name to become a better person. Their mother and abuela would never worry about them again, and they'd finally be worthy of dating straight-A student Iolanthe. But when the cat steals their body, becoming the better person they were promised, Amparo's spirit is imprisoned in a land of terrifying, flesh-hungry creatures known as Bright World. With cruel and manipulative masters and a society that feeds on memories, Amparo must use their cleverness to escape, without turning into a monster like the rest. On "the other side," Iolanthe begins to suspect the new Amparo has a secret, and after the cat in disguise vanishes, she's left searching for answers with a no-nonsense medium from the lesbian mafia and the only person who might know the truth about Bright World.

Bright World

The Hazards of Love Vol. 1

Ethel

Frida Kahlo

I received an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review from Oni Press via NetGalley.

Well, this one was unputdownable!

What a positive shock the artwork of this graphic novel was! I was not expecting it, it caught me totally off guard, and I ENJOYED IT all the way! What a pleasant surprise! The bold outlines, the vibrant colours, the neon, and the expressiveness added a lot to the plot development and the story's dynamics. I even have my favourite illustration; the Seamstress looks divine. 



The spookiness and the mystery of Bright World are making me both scared of it and in love with it at the same time. How is that even possible? I would love to be a part of it, to learn more about it, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to end up in some trouble over there because I am sure I wouldn't be able to get out of it. Bright World got my thoughts so entangled that I am not sure what I want. But I know that I want one thing, and that's the Volume 2. 

The characters of the story are something completely new and refreshing to me. The diversity of them, along with the world-building, draw me in quickly. 
  I AM HOOKED TO IT!


Amparo, a witty character who knows what they want but expresses it wrongly, maybe a delinquent, but they want to become a better person. As it turns out, they had to dive deep into the fantastic world "on the other side" to learn what exactly needs to be done to improve themselves. 



El Ciervo, Amparo's patron in Bright World, is still very mysterious to me. Who is he? I am confused about what this deer did to Amparo's teeth. How did he do it? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! 

Needless to say, I was not happy about the abrupt ending. That cliffhanger there was so not expected, not wanted, and not asked for (I wanted more!). This intriguing story, filled with magic (and gore, and cannibalism, and dark everything), kept me wondering what happened page after page... and now, volume after volume - I am so looking forward to Volume 2!

CW: Cannibalism, Gore, Misgendering, Amputation, Violence, Murder, Death.

Mazdyn Miller

Absolutely AWESOME book with two POC leads alongside a background made up of POC characters. Absolutely amazing; the art style is incredibly unique and fresh, the plot is incredibly engaging and interesting, and the characters are so incredibly easy to fall in love with. The world is darkly enchanting and fascinating, and it takes you in on a unique viewpoint where you learn alongside the main character, Amparo. Just absolutely wonderful. This is definitely one of the upcoming queer graphic novels, and I am HERE for it. Do yourself a favor and grab this comic!!! It’s incredibly special and such a delightful read, both for artwork and storytelling!!

A positively weird graphic novel that will take you into a spooky and mysterious universe

Key words: graphic novel, lgbt, fantasy, young adult, adventure

What a weird little one. I did not expect this when I asked for this book on Netgalley. Don’t get me wrong, it’s positively weird and I quite liked it, I just don’t know how to express my feelings about this graphic novel.

First of all, the cast is really diverse and the story is quite easy to follow. The only difficulty is getting into this new universe and understanding how it works. I mean, this is difficult because even the main character is struggling with this. Then, the drawings are very nice and colourful. The only kind of negative point for me is that there is so much on each page, it’s difficult to see and pay attention to everything. The story is very original, I don’t think I have ever read something like that before. It is spooky, and mysterious but also funny, magical and there is a touch of friendship that links it all and makes it great. The characters are all very different, it’s very interesting. The author does a great job at making them come alive. 

I really want to read the next book in the series. I want to know what happens and how Amparo will get out of this mess. I recommend this book to fantasy and graphic novel lovers.

3.5/5

Thank you Netgalley for this eArc in exchange of my honest opinion

Ethel &
The Hazards of Love Vol. 1 by Stan Stanley

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Ethel &The Hazards of Love Vol. 1 by Stan Stanley

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Ethel &
The Hazards of Love Vol. 1 by Stan Stanley