Member Reviews
Because of issues with my reading device I was unable to read this, and because of the current state of things in unable to replace it. I'm sorry I was unable to get to it but i do plan on purchasing this title in three future.
The college setting brought me back to my days at university. Despite not being explained fully I thought the ghost element made for an interesting twist. I liked how the plot took some turns I wasnt expecting. I thought the characters were well fleshed out, even though their actions didnt always add up. The main character had relatable flaws while still being likable. She also makes some meaningful relationships that created some nice depth to the story. The art was alright, but I wish the ghosts hadn't been completely blue.
This was a cute graphic novel! I enjoyed it but it’s not a new favorite like I was hoping it would be. Never the less it made me laugh at times and I overall had a great time reading it. I’d definitely recommend it to people who want a fun graphic novel.
There was a lack of world-building, but I still enjoyed it and I can't wait to read the other volumes!
A story about a young college student struggling to find friends in a new city, and finding companionship with a set of ghosts living in an old mansion, Ghosted in LA has a shaky start but has potential to be an engaging story. Daphne’s fought with her best friend, and picked a college and moved to LA to be with her boyfriend, but he has dumped her, and she doesn’t seem to be lucky in the friend department either; her roommate, too, seems to hate her guts. Dejected and lonely, she comes across a mansion and the ghosts residing in it, and she strikes a deal with them to help with some ‘errands’ in exchange for being allowed to stay there.
The artwork is beautiful, and I loved the coloring and the character designs! I feel, though, that action scenes, like the attack, etc, could be better. The story’s pacing is a bit, jumping forward without much indication of where the story is going; intermittently there are flashbacks about the ghosts, which were interesting, but it doesn’t solidly relate to the ongoing plotline always. Also what exactly is the threat to the ghosts, for which they need secrecy, is still not even hinted at. Still, I’m interested in this different version of a haunting, where ghosts have different powers, and how Daphne’s relationship with them overall and them individually is explored.
Thank you Netgalley and BOOM! Studios for providing me an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The first volume of Ghosted in LA was everything I thought it would be, but it left a lot of unanswered questions.
This comic series is about a girl, Daphne, who moved to LA for college because of her boyfriend, who then breaks up with her. Lonely and in despair, Daphne ends up in an old mansion called the Rycroft Manor, where she befriends a bunch of ghosts, and ends up moving in with them.
The premise of the story is quite interesting, and I really liked the execution. The art is also amazing! As for the characters, I liked Daphne and her being lonely and lost in life and who she is, is very relatable. However, I want to know more about the ghosts! We only got tidbits of their stories, and even then it was only of a few of them, so I really hope the next issues will develop them a little more.
Furthermore, I have a lot of questions. Not only about the ghosts and their powers, but about the mansion. [SPOILER] What makes it so special that ghosts end up there? And what ghosts? Surely not all people who die in LA end up there.[/SPOILER] So, I also hope that the next issues will tell a little more about the story of the mansion itself.
Nonetheless, for a first volume I think it was really good and I recommend it. It was fun, the art is beautiful, and the questions it left will only push the readers to read the next volumes in the series. I know I will surely do, and hope you do too!
This volume collects the first four issues of the series that follows a university student who, after being left by boyfriend she'd followed to LA, moves into a haunted mansion. Ghostly drama ensues.
Siobhan Keenan's art is lovely, with well-depicted spaces and characters. Colourist Cathy Le deserves an extra mention for the subtle palette changes between the main story and the flashbacks to the lives of the ghosts. Sina Grace always writes dialogue well, and this book is no exception. All that said, this collection suffers from ending when it does: it just doesn't feel like a proper story. I wish BOOM would rethink their four issue collections and instead collect six to eight issues in the trades.
I read an eARC via NetGalley, and the cover seems to have been changed for the final release.
I was extremely lucky to receive a digital ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
I'm always more willing to take a chance on books I know little about when they're graphic novels - after all, they're shorter and quicker, all wrapped up in an aesthetically-pleasing package. The premise of this new series didn't sound like much - a girl moves to L.A., gets dumped by her boyfriend, and moves in with some ghosts - but you add in pictures of all this, and I'm in.
OK, maybe the premise isn't that normal, but the story sure makes it seem that way. I had a little trouble getting into the story because we're just thrown in without a lot of explanations of who everyone is, but I suppose that's normal - after all, no one's life just begins with easy character introductions and info-dumping. Despite all the ghostly adventures, though, it manages to feel like a pretty normal story about a girl adjusting to college and lots of changes.
I found the big cast of characters, ghostly and alive, interesting, but I found myself still confused all the way to the end. Since there are so many characters, many of them dead and who had lives previous to being dead, it can be a lot to take in. There's obviously some mythology behind all of this story as well, so it's even more to take in.
I'm curious to check out the next volume, because I think this book suffered from some common first book growing pains, and I'm just hoping that those are absent in the future.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Loved the art! Story wasn’t as compelling but the colours and the characters are stunning so you know what? Instant five stars!
I'm very, very interested to see how Ghosted in L.A. plays out as a series. This first volume is incredibly intriguing! I love the protagonist Daphne; she's a pretty "normal" 18 year old who has just moved to college and finds out that going to a specific college for a boy is not a great idea...and also that ghosts are real! Ghosted in L.A. is gorgeous and interesting and a perfect addition to a new adult collection and a good addition for young adult collection.
My Rating : 3.5
The story revolves around Daphne who is has just shifted to LA to be close to her boyfriend who breaks off with her when she comes there. Also, her current roommate seems to hate her & she is overall having a terrible week. So when you have just moved into a new city & don't know much about it but randomly come across an abondened manor haunted by ghosts one day, you run away in the opposite direction (atleast that's what sane people would do) but no she decides to stay there as it has a pool. 🤷♀ This was the one thing about this story that I found hard to digest. It is not even something that I could justify as a teenage thing.
If we overlook that, the overall story was not so bad. The interaction between the ghosts & Daphne was good. I especially liked the backstory for some of the ghosts which was given in between which showed more about their individual personalities & their motivations. The illustrations were beautiful and that was what pushed the story to something more than just an OK read. The story was short maybe because that is just Vol 1 of it, but I felt like just when I had started liking it more the book ended.
I rarely read comics or graphic novels so this was different & an interesting read for me. Would surely recommend giving it a try. ❤
Disclaimer: Thanking Netgalley & the publishers for providing me with an eARC copy of the book in exchange of an honest review. The thoughts expressed in the review are completely my own.
A fast read and it wasn't what I was expecting I know a few people I'd buy this for but it wasn't for me
I really needed something cute when I picked up Ghosted in L.A., and I'm happy to say that it delivered. Jewish college freshman Daphne has just followed her high school boyfriend to L.A. for school... only for him to break up with her right after they get there. Her roommate is a grouch and she's having a hard time making friends. One night, in a moment reminiscent of Beauty & the Beast, she falls onto the gate of an abandoned haunted mansion and it opens for her.
Enter a cast of six ghosts, lovingly depicted in a semi-transparent shade of blueish aqua. The Head ghost is a divorcée from early Hollywood who purchased the mansion in order to establish a boarding house for young actresses. We've also got a gay man from the 1980's, a teen girl from the 1950's, a super grouchy man from maybe the 70's (sorry, I don't remember) and a young woman from the 1990's. Then there's a college kid who died only five years ago. Methinks there may be some romance there in the future. Little bits of their backgrounds and special abilities are dropped as the series progresses, but none of them are revealed completely to the reader or to Daphne by the end of this first volume, with one exception I will not reveal because it's a spoiler.
The cast is diverse and while it's not a romance yet, it's very queer. Daphne herself is bisexual or pansexual, but you'll have to read the book to find out more about the other characters.
The art is bright and beautiful, with carefully rendered backgrounds and expressive characters. It felt familiar to me, which made sense once I realized Keenan illustrated the Clueless book written by Sarah Kuhn. It's a modern feel, with defined lines and soft shadows. Flashbacks are washed with subdued hues and the settings are evocative of the time period, making it clear where and when the scene is occurring.
The pacing felt a bit off, but I'm looking forward to more of the series. Recommended for anyone who likes disaster gays, ghosts from different eras, and secrets.
Suzanne received a digital copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Content Warnings: sexual harassment on a date, internalized homophobia (in the past, one of the ghosts), attempted murder
I'll just start with I am definitely not the target audience for this. It was OK. It's the story of a young woman, Daphne, who follows her boyfriend to college, is immediately dumped and stumbles on Melrose Place for ghosts. Her roommate is very closed off and religious. She gets ditched by some people heading out to a party. Daphne takes on the personality of whoever she's around. Nor does she make much of an effort. Instead, she quickly starts spending all her time hiding out with her ghost friends instead of at college. I quickly found the ghosts and their backstory much more interesting than Daphne. Daphne just seemed like a dumb girl that I had no interest in, especially after the issue where she goes out with the terribly conceited guy who constantly negs her.
Siobhan Keenan and Cathy Le did a nice job on the art. Simple clean lines and bright colors.
I thought this was super cute! Its about a freshman woman in college trying to figure out who she really is and what she stands for. It a story of self-discovery with some added spookiness as she comes across a house with ghosts whom she befriends. I also loved the representation of a Jewish main character as there usually is not a lot of representation in the publishing world unrelated to WWII/the Holocaust. The main character is likable and the ghosts are funny, cute, intriguing, and scary!
Daphne Walters had everything planned. She followed her boyfriend to Los Angeles, where she is starting her studies soon. She is prepared for a time full of fun and happiness. Well, it changed very quickly into a major disaster. Her boyfriend broke up with her, her “friends” didn’t have time for her, and her roommate clearly didn’t like her. She was left alone in a strange city. She couldn’t handle the situation until she found a beautiful abandoned manor, where she could finally spend her time in quiet. At least for a second until she found out that the manor was haunted. I think most of the introverts can relate to Daphne, even if she’s a little bit much when you listen to her. She had a hard time adjusting to her new life and she needed a place where she will feel herself. That’s what Rycroft Manor is for her, a safe place.
Daphne was very unlucky with meeting new people at the university and that’s what I can relate to. I know how hard it is to meet people at college. Thankfully she found her place full of “people” that accepted her. Besides the story of Daphne, we also get to know the story of the ghosts that live in the manor. This story is very fun and quick to read. I think it took me less than an hour to finish it and I will gladly read the second part. It’s getting more and more interesting with each page. I would like to thank Netgalley, BOOM! Studios and Sina Grace for providing me this copy!
This comic was absolutely perfect and I can't even describe how much I enjoyed it! The story of this comic is about Daphne, who follows her boyfriend to the college in the L.A., but as it seems, it was a bad decision. She can't make new friends, there are issues with her boyfriend she can't explain, and everything is even worse when she visits an old manor, which is full of ghosts!
Characters in this comic are amazing! There are lots of lgbt+ characters, interesting characters (especially the ghost ones!), and of course, Daphne was a great main character with sweet and likable personality. And the artwork is gorgeous! Without a doubt, one of the best I saw in a long time.
If you want to read funny, gripping, and original comic, try this one! It won't disappoint you!
Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Daphne gets more of a thrilling experience in L.A. at college than she could imagine. Daphne follows her boyfriend to college and this is where her issues begin. Her talkative and awkward personality is not helping her make friends like she hoped. But all that changes when she has a chance encounter with a house full of ghost, Rycroft Manor!
Sina Grace wrote a funny and realistic story about the challenge of adjusting to life in college. I appreciate that she calls out Daphne's flaws and strides towards real character development. The story is very engaging and leaves the reader eager to see what all develops at Rycroft Manor!
Welcome to this book review,
disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
It is not often that I am in this position, with my anxiety on the roof in this COVID-19 era I am somehow having a harder time remembering details of books that didn’t mark me.
I had a hard time putting this review into words. The art is great I had a really good time because of it and the story itself is okay but nothing out of this world which is hat really got to me, I really wanted to give it more stars but it just didn’t have that “humf” factor that made me really enjoy it.
I read it a couple of weeks ago and already I have a hard time remembering anything about it that isn’t relating to the images, I usually can quote but this is not the case today.
As I said not much to say about this one. okay but don’t run to the store to get it.
2.75/5 stars
-Bookarina
I loved this graphic novel. The main character is so relatable and you really want her to succeed. The accompanying characters including the ghosts are so fleshed out and interesting. It has a really beautiful art style and gripping plot. I really can't wait to read the next volume.