After falling into another world, Haley flips the script on the three gothic male leads to take charge of a seemingly impossible situation, using her knowledge of gothic novels and general determination to save the day.

This graphic novel was such a fun look at gothic tropes. I think that whether you’re a reader who loves gothic novels or loves to hate them, you’ll find something to enjoy in this unexpected mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and classic lit. I’ll definitely be pulling this one to recommend during spooky season for readers who want a dark and stormy atmospheric read that leans more funny than scary.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and Netgalley for an advance copy of this graphic novel.

"The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor" is a hilarious, spooky romp through the tropes of gothic romance novels.

A fan of Gothic romance novels, Haley tries to rescue a stranger drowning in the river. She soon awakens in Willowweep, which looks like a Gothic setting. It hides the pocket universe that serves as protection against evil force, but its defenses are failing. Haley appears to be the Gothic heroine that she always read about.


This graphic novel is adorable. I say that because I can feel for Haley, who doesn't fit in and wants to do a fifth book report on Wuthering Heights than try moving beyond her literary comfort zone. This makes her uniquely ready to see the world of Willoweep Manor, with three brothers, a ghost no one else can see, and odd contraptions as well as fissures in the world. The bile attempting to come into the gasket dimension will change everything it touches into bile as well, and the form it takes also has to follow the rules of a Gothic world. The roles are limiting, so Haley is left cracking jokes and trying to figure out what was going on. Once she starts breaking the rules, it becomes a lot more fun.


I really like the concept of gasket universes keeping universe pairs stable, and the multiverse explanation that we have. Haley is a bright girl, and I had a lot of fun following her story. This is a single volume, but I hope there are more adventures in this world coming up.

I didn’t love this one, but to be fair, I’m not an avid reader of gothic romance. Most of the wit/references went right over my head. I don’t know if they were trying to make fun of themselves or what!

I shared this book with my teen, who loves graphic novels. She had a hard time getting into this one, even though the subject usually interests her. It was a bit more meta than she would have liked. To be fair, she liked it, but it wasn't one of her favorites. She would definitely try this author again though because she liked the art style.

A lot more fun than I expected, mostly because it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's built on a fairly complex idea, a place where elements leak through from other dimensions. Most of those elements, though, are funny. The characters are pretty extreme both in design and personality, traits that contribute to the overall humorous feel of the book. The monster adds a more serious element, giving it a real plot instead of just a series of increasingly silly misadventures.

Oh man I loved this graphic novel so much - it has everything: pocket universes, inter-dimensional travel, Gothic novel tropes, blasted heaths, brooding heroes, evil bunnies! Seriously, The Dire Days of Willoweep manor is just so much fun. I laughed out loud so many times. If you're looking for a fun, timey-wimey Gothic adventure story that's also completely hilarious, then you'll love this.

The absolutely ridiculous title is what first made me pick up this humorous take on a gothic romance novel. It’s over the top but ultimately a quick and fun read.

After attempting to rescue a stranger, Haley wakes up to find herself cast as the “maiden” in one of her beloved gothic romance novels. There’s a mansion with secret passages, a laconic housekeeper, three brothers and even a ghost! It’s a dream come true, except it’s quickly obvious that something is wrong (maybe it’s the creepy green-eyed rabbits that clued her in…). With Haley’s help, can the residents of Willowweep Manor hold back the forces of evil?

If you’re a fan of gothic romance novels – like Haley – I can’t see how you wouldn’t like this book. The author leans heavily into the tropes (lackwitted younger brother, stoic older brother, etc) with an absolute glee that brought a smile to my face. It’s a little bit cheesy and a lot over-the-top, but it works. The humor was very hit or miss for me, with a lot of repeating gags that didn’t quite hit the mark, but when it worked, it really worked.



Haley was absolutely delightful. Sure, she’s initially a bit confused by waking up in a freaking castle, but she adapts quickly and with such enthusiasm that I couldn’t help rooting for her. I loved that, without being too spoilery, it’s Haley’s love of gothic novels was what saved the day.



The art tends more towards the cartoonish than the beautiful, but I especially loved the expressive faces and attention to detail. For instance, Haley’s black, and at one point the book shows her wearing a (matching) bonnet in bed! The illustrations are perfect for the story, and honestly, what’s better praise than that?

I loved how many gothic tropes were tossed into the book, from the haunted manor to the phlegmatic housekeeper to the windswept moors. But despite all that, it took a bit for me to get into the story. It took about halfway through the book before I was really interested – when the scifi element was introduced – but from there I was sold. The pacing picks up rapidly and the story’s resolution (and lesson) was perfect.

Overall, a very enjoyable read. I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author and illustrator!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In this Gothic, yet humorous, graphic novel, Haley loves to read romantic tales of danger and intrigue. One day those novels come to life for her when she saves a young man who appears to be drowning in the river. Haley is soon swept up in a dire situation at Willowweep Manor and must help three brothers save the world from an unimaginable evil.
I enjoyed this graphic novel overall as well as the funny and well matched artwork. I laughed out loud so many times at the witty and humorous writing, and the plot kept my interest the whole time. There were plenty of Gothic elements present, but the author didn't shy away from poking fun at them and the characters. Though I don't agree with some of the characters' lifestyles, I highly recommend this book, especially for those who need a good laugh.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

***ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review***

The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor by Shaenon K. Garrity was a tongue-in-cheek gothic graphic novel about a modern day girl who gets stuck in an alternate dimension of classic gothic romance and has to save the world...of course. I was quite entertained by its self awareness and wit, the characters were fun, and it's a light read for book lovers especially. I enjoyed it.

Fun, sarcastic, adventurous, and more. Perfect for people who like fantasy graphic novels that are at least as witty as they are magical. Definitely a good book for Nimona fans.

Haley loves Gothic romances so much that her English teacher insists she choose a new genre for her latest book report. While walking home with a fresh stack of library books, Haley sees a young man struggling to swim in the river. She scrambles in to save him, and on exiting the water she finds herself at Willowweep Manor. The estate (complete with three brooding brothers and a ghost) has a lot in common with the settings of Haley’s beloved Gothic novels, but something is a little off. The manse and its surroundings rearrange themselves, seemingly at random, due to a crucial device going “out of alignment.” In fact, Willowweep Manor is part of a “gasket universe,” and if it fails, the multiverse will experience disastrous overlap. So, the stakes are high and the brothers (especially Montague, the dreamy middle brother) need the help of an outsider with a particular set of skills. Lucky for them, Haley is plucky, confident, and a genuine heroine-in-waiting! This graphic novel succeeds as both a fantastical science fiction story and a lovingly satirical nod to Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and the like.

By far the best alternate universe portal fantasy gothic romance graphic novel that I have ever read. Sure it hasn't had much competition in that category, but Willowweep manor has deep deadpan humor, Garrity is at her enthusiastically nerdy best here, and Baldwin's art is both more cartoonish than his work in Little Dee and SpaceTrawler and also captures the irony and humor of the story so well. The Save the Universe Big Bad plot is pretty standard, but it mostly functions as a vehicle for humor and loving satire of Gothic romances. Two great creators combining to make some supremely entertaining.

Every character in Willowweep Manor is based on a specific trope from classic literature and what fun Garrity has had with those tropes! I can absolutely see this getting an over-the-top cartoon adaptation in the future and I will be here for it. And because everyone should buy this for their graphic novel collections regardless, you can say that you knew about it before anyone else.

This was a really fun comic book that combined gothic romance and multiple dimensions in a very unique way. The story was really unpredictable and I really enjoyed the artwork too. It was kind of silly but it was still funny and entertaining. As an adult I definitely enjoyed it a lot.

This hilarious sci-fi/gothic romance novel is perfect for a YA audience. Haley is a high school student who loves gothic romance novels, from the Brontës to Henry James. Her teacher is exasperated: no more castles! No more brooding heroes! Find a different genre to write about! As Haley heads home, she spies someone drowning, and jumps into the river to save him, awakening in a place that seems to hit on a lot of her gothic tropes: stately manor with hermitage. Three brothers, two of whom are broody, and one carefree dilettante. A surly housekeeper. A ghost. She's in Willowweep, a pocket universe that's fighting to keep an alien force called The Bile from taking over and entering our own universe! Haley has to call on her own skills - hey, she's a gothic heroine, right? - to help the three brothers save their universe, and our own! 


What starts as a funny story loaded with gothic romance tropes becomes an hilarious sci-fi, gothic romance mashup with steampunk elements and characters you'll recognize and love. Haley is a heroine who is equal parts smart, funny, and one step ahead of everyone because she knows her gothic tropes. Artwork easily blends science fiction/steampunk devices and glowing ooze with rambling moors, brooding heroes, and... possessed woodland creatures. It's worth it, I promise you. The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor is great fun for YA fans, and may get them reading that copy of Wuthering Heights a little differently now: hey, it worked for Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies!

It's weird to say I don't have strong feelings in favor of or opposing for this book.
Partly because I didn't relate to the character, who is obsessed with "gothic romance" themes, something I've never liked. That said, it wasn't a huge part of the actual story, such as having to know anything about Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, such general themes and tropes.

The story was easy enough to follow and the main objective wasn't complicated.
My biggest complaints were some of the backstory.. there are holes and lingering questions of all that came to be and exactly how characters ended up where they were.

Also the art style is not my favourite. I found some of the facial expressions to be odd and the overall design of Cuthbert to be strange and purely for comic relief.

Overall this is a pretty short adventure story about how delicate the world made it, that wraps up as a whole or could easily be expanded upon.

**Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

A warm, happy blanket of a read - it feels like you are being hugged by all of your favorite romance, adventure, science fiction/fantasy, hero's quest tropes (but make it very funny). I love this as an adult, particularly as a woman who was very, very much like our heroine Haley, and would have fallen IN LOVE with this as a teenager. This was one I stretched out to savor and I very much hope that our author chooses to return to Willowweep Manor in any way they choose. Perhaps an archaeological site is plagued by a series of murders and all the culprits are aliens? A cruise ship haunted by the ghosts of elves and dwarves? This is a world that can interact with almost any literary genre and I hope Ms. Garrity just goes ham on all of it.

Gothic romance novel fans or anti-fans will get a kick out of the satire and fun in this quick paced and original graphic novel.

Haley loves gothic romance novels and catches negative comments for it at school. When she dives in a river to save a drowning man, she enters a parallel universe...one just like her novels. While she's convinced, at first, it's her gothic romance dreams come true, things take a slightly different twist. Soon, she's not only dealing with rifts through the universe but an evil, which she has no clue how she can defeat.

Although I read the blurb, this read still was anything but expected. Haley is a wonderful character—overly dramatic, a true dreamer, and yet, a carries a bit of bite when needed. Her 'over-the-top' way of seeing life is endearing and funny, especially when the other characters flow in totally different directions of their own. Every one is ridiculous, and still, it's hard not to cheer for them the entire way through.

The illustrations are well done and make the tale very easy to follow. They add all the drama and settings needed to make this novel work. They allow the extreme moments and humor to wiggle its way into the drama nicely. I enjoyed flipping through these.

This is an odd tale and did make me raise an eyebrow more than a few times. So, don't expect normal because this is not it. The science fiction additions twist the satire in very original directions...and yet, it's addictive. Even when I really wondered about several twists, I didn't want to put this one down because I was curious what would happen next.

If you read through Jane Eyre in one sitting
If you were marked down on a quiz on Agnes Grey because "you don't know that yet" because you read ahead
If you had fantasies of being the other Brontë sister
If you can quote the dialogue (and point out where it's different from the book) of any film adaptation of Wuthering Heights
If you would love an excellent homage to Gothic Romance that isn't afraid to smile, wink, and romp through the genre

"The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor" is the book for you!

Shaenon K Garrity's plotting and dialogue are spot-on; Christopher Baldwin's illustrations are lively and he can draw an archetypical character while keeping the artwork fresh.

"The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor" works for both the fan of the genre and as an introduction to the genre, or for anyone who''s ready for a fine romp through the literaure.