ALA Booklist
(Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)
Gedris' debut begins a new series featuring an engineer-fortune teller and her newly deceased sister, who sticks around as a ghost. After Anna's sister is murdered, other odd, paranormal things start happening around the circus they travel with, and she is suddenly imbued with the ability to speak with other ghosts, who are more than eager to share their stories. The book features a lively cast actly what you'd expect from a circus troupe mplete with a bearded lady, a snake-conjuring opera singer, and a charismatic contortionist, all of whom are depicted in a spectacular palette of rich colors. Gedris' thick-outlined, stylized figures add to the mood and vibrant tone of the story. Tension runs high when their leader is hauled off by the local deputy sheriff, and they have to come up with enough money to bail him out and move on. There's a lot to love here, and fans of comics featuring diverse casts or readers looking for mystery or paranormal comics will be delighted.
Kirkus Reviews
(Tue Feb 28 00:00:00 CST 2023)
Webcomic artist Gedris (YU+ME: dream Omnibus Book Two, 2014, etc.) delivers a compelling tale of supernatural mystery set in the Old West.Brown-skinned, curly-haired identical twins Anna and Kat are inseparable members of the Samson Brothers traveling circus. Anna is a pragmatic inventor working as the carnival fortuneteller, while Kat is an impulsive and performative knife-thrower. But when Anna wakes to discover Kat has been murdered—literally stabbed in the back—she is unsettled to find that Kat's soul hasn't moved on. Represented as a translucent, green, floating version of herself, Kat takes up residence in her sister's body, finding safety and security there while she teams up with Anna to solve her own murder. Gedris' expressive lines and bold colors bring to life the Old West setting, and the characters have varied skin tones, gender presentations, and body shapes. The marginalized identities of troupe members are hinted at but rarely explored, with the exception of a Chinese immigrant's experience working on the railroad. The cliffhanger ending satisfies, opening up just the right number of questions.Humorous and heartfelt, creepy and captivating; readers will eagerly hope for another volume. (Graphic fantasy. 12-adult)