*I was sent an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to HarperCollins, Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo*
Synopsis:
Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary–but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas–real life can be way scarier.
When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there–in particular, the ruggedly handsome and enigmatic Henry.
But as unexpected sparks begin to fly between Cade and Henry, things get… complicated. Henry is reluctant to share the details of his mother’s death, and Cade begins to wonder what else he might be hiding.
Review:
Northranger was definitely an interesting read, but I can’t quite decide if I loved it or not. I’m sitting somewhere in the middle, just like my rating.
It was absolutely way too long and some of the filler content didn’t feel necessary. Especially when there wasn’t any character development. The plot also moves pretty slowly and too much time was spent on the day-to-day chores at the Ranch. This time could have been used to develop Cade and Henry’s relationship, but instead, it goes from zero to one hundred in no time at all. I mean, I kind of get why because graphic novels aren’t long, but more build-up would have been nice.
There is a lot of homophobia in Northranger and honestly, I’m getting a little tired of LGBTQIA+ stories being rife with it. Is it so bad to want a queer story that doesn’t come with the usual homophobia? I understand why it’s used as a plot point here, but I’m desperate to read a queer story where people don’t question other people’s romantic choices.
I really liked Northranger (the house) as a setting. It had major creepy vibes and I enjoyed the moments spent there.
The art style was really nice and I liked the character designs. It does remind me a lot of Heartstopper though, Cade felt like Charlie but in a different font/ethnicity. It must have been an inspiration for Northranger because both Cade and Henry had Nick and Charlie vibes (appearance-wise). I may be wrong, this is just my opinion.
The style definitely has character though, the facial expressions were really well done and the settings were very detailed.
Northranger is an emotional story with a great art style. Some areas of the story were too drawn out and others didn’t get enough time. The ending seemed a little rushed but, overall, I had fun reading it.
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