Zandy Man

Amazing book about child neglect in orphanages. Mary is an outstanding character and the diary format is superb. The comic segments are definitely nowhere near as good as the book segments- talking about their plot not the art which is great. And the way the two tied together was a little disappointing. That being said it's a good read and a fast read that I would reccomend. Hoping Pam Smy's other books are even better. I certainly like her style.

This book had a lot of potential. First off I love the title. I also really liked the idea of a character being in confinement with a monster. And the supporting cast was quite likable. The problem with the book is the whole thing is an allegory which is a real shame because the Caligent was a really great antagonist. Also the story doesn't make a whole lot of sense because the main character knows the truth but somehow suppressed it so much she has to go on an entire investigation. Felt like a cop out ending. The main character could have faced a monster and her trauma. Also it was really unclear what time period this was in. She is thrown in a dungeon like prison with guards that wear robes and carry blades but people in the story also use phones??? Also the prisoners aren't treated poorly whatsoever. All the bad things that happen are because of the main character, this makes her a little unlikable. I loved the idea of being disoriented and not being able to tell what day it was. I actually went in thinking this was going to be because the prison was completely dark. But it's actually cause she agrees to take an experimental drug her friend also took before he died. The writing has strong poetic moments but there's also a lot of repetition and a constant use of the phrases "praying to hell" and "thank hell" which were very off putting to say the least. Despite all this I recognize writing a book is an amazing accomplishment and the fact I even heard about this is impressive. I would be open to reading more of this author's books but I really hope the quality improves. Best of wishes to her.

Fantastic Characters in an interesting but convoluted story. Worth a read if you need to kill time. Hoping for a sequel cause the ending left questions that should be answered.