This story of paranormal horror is a pure delight. I have read several other stories from Ashley Robin Franklin and loved them all - but this one takes the cake for me! This is a story about the devil lights of Estrella Roja, a podcaster who comes to this small town to investigate, and a family who knows all its secrets. The main characters were both queer and you want to root for them the whole time. Wonderful LGBT rep and a blast from start to finish. I will be buying a copy on release and telling everyone else to as well! Easy 5 stars!

n this delightfully creepy and unapologetically queer horror romp of a graphic novel, sometimes dreams do come true. Just remember not all dreams are sweet...
college freshman Kat Fields receives a mysterious email urging her to visit a relatively unknown Texas town with a history of witchcraft, strange sightings, and “devil lights”—glowing red stars that appear above the town’s hills every night—and she can't resist.

Marisol “Mari” Castillo, is also headed for Estrella Roja to attend the funeral for her abuela whom she hasn’t seen since childhood. Feeling lost and bored, she decides to help Kat after a chance meeting at the local diner—and, okay, it doesn’t hurt that Kat is super cute.
This graphic novel has a great sense of inclusion that most of us can remember from our teen years, is well drawn, and a pretty decent (of predictable) story.
It comes out August 29th, so save a few bucks and give this a read. I think you'll like it.

The Hills of Estrella Roja is a classic queer horror story with two college-aged protagonists. One of the main characters is a podcaster, a very contemporary hobby readers will enjoy. The inclusion of Latina characters and Latine American urban legends is a nice touch to an otherwise forgettable story. Despite the lack of unique plot, the target teen demographic should relate to the struggles of first love, family drama, and friendship shown throughout the narrative.

Fun and spooky! This was an exciting mystery, and I think it was the perfect length for the story it wanted to tell. Kat and Mari were super cute. I liked that they got to spend a lot time together and it was funny when they both got all the flustered around each other. The colors were very cool, too.

Hello Again!

Towards the end of last week, things got really busy around my household. But I also really really wanted to read. I started a few new audiobooks but I also wanted something I could read quickly, so I turned to my graphic novels to see what I might be interested in picking up. As I was looking at my collection, I decided to read an ARC! (Thank you so much to the publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). I was just really drawn in by the summary for this graphic novel so I decided to dive in!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Estrella Roja is a bit of an odd small town. The residents do not want visitors and any outsiders are shunned. But Mari has to go there for her grandmother’s funeral and even she is not super welcome. Mari, her sister, and her mom left Estrella Roja many years ago and they have not come back very often. But now they are here. They will be staying for roughly two weeks. Around that same time that Mari and her family arrive another outsider arrives. This person is here to create a podcast about the mystery surrounding the weird lights that can be seen at night. Despite being not exactly welcome by the town, they are both here. But is there really any mystery to the lights? Why does the entire town hate outsiders?

I had so much fun with this graphic novel. I love when I am unable to guess the mystery and this graphic novel definitely brought those vibes. All of the characters were interesting and unique (I loved the twist with Mari’s family). Also without spoilers, I thought this epilogue was chef’s kiss perfect! This graphic novel comes out on August 29th, I highly recommend grabbing a copy and giving it a try!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

****Thank you so much again to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This graphic novel has 1) Great representation, 2) a delightful art style, and 3) a well developed and fun plot that is easy to get invested in. I was blown away by how likeable the characters are and the plot was a great success. I'm so glad I got a chance to read this story and I will be adding it to my permenant collection for sure.

This graphic novel was hilarious and well-drawn, definitely worth the money and the hype, and I hope will be successful!

A spooky fun time! I loved the art style and story of this book (also great representation). The characters were well developed and I enjoyed the slow burn romance while trying to solve a paranormal mystery. I'm hoping there will be a continuation of the story with these characters as I would love to learn more about the Castillo's Family power. Recommend picking this up, especially for Halloween season. While the story takes place during Spring Break, the creepy small town and "Devil Lights" give all the spooky vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book!

The Hills of Estrella Roja is a cute sapphic graphic novel about Mexican paranormal legends and folklore. Kat runs a podcast with her friend, but her friend does not want to join her over a school break to explore mysterious lights above the mountains in a small town called Estrella Roja. The locals are unfriendly and strange, but Kat befriends another girl named Mari who is visiting for a family funeral. They begin to bond over exploring the town's history - and the connection Mari has to it.

I love the diversity and the innocent but adorable love story that develops. My only criticism is that sometimes the pacing felt a bit off, this is a longer story but it felt like intense and deep moments were rushed through, especially the ending climax and resolution. I felt like some of that could have been extended and the numerous scenes about snacking could have been skipped. Without spoilers, I also feel like Mari's connection could have resulted in a much cooler conclusion, it gets glossed over towards the end when it could have made some really cool action or at least could have made the epilogue a bit more intriguing.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

An interesting story dealing with a podcaster chasing some wild hairs, and a teen girl discovering truths about herself and her family. I loved the artwork. The story was very engaging. I love stories dealing with folklore/myths/legends and this totally hit the mark.

This was everything I had wanted and more. The title caught my attention because I am bilingual, but the description kept me intrigued. Ashley Franklin is a great author and I will continue to read her work.

Flowing with color, history, and spooky lore; this one captured me with every moment. The art is stunning to look through as you’re pulled deeper into the story. The time spent is so abundantly clear as you look. The writing is fantastic and I finished this in one sitting. If you want creepy Texas with the rich colors of its west, you’re in for a treat.

Ashley Robin Franklin once again brings us a stunningly visceral spooky story of dangerous paranormal secrets and the cute queers who investigate them. Look no further for ghost hunting, fluttery crush feelings, family secrets, and dark paranormal activity in the heart of rural Texas.

Read For:
Sapphic
Small Town
Spooky Lore
Nice Art Style
Paranormal Podcast

I absolutely loved this so much. The vibe of this graphic novel was spooky, mysterious, cozy, and queer. I loved the gay panic moments between Mari and Kat, they were so cute. The unwelcome small town vibes and paranormal history was written and drawn so well. I was fully invested with how this was going to play out. Not to mention the artwork was stunning and I really loved this art style.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(First Person POV)
Spice:none, just kissing

Rep: Lesbian MC, Bisexual LI, Non-binary/POC SC, Latinx MC and SCs

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Graphic: Blood and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Body horror and Death

A perfect gem of a graphic novel! There is SO MUCH CHARM here. There's intrepid Kat and her spoopy podcast, shy Marisol whose family is hiding something, the shared queer outsiderness in a tiny Texas town that brings them together, and of course the mystery of what's really going on in Estrella Roja! Absolutely perfect combination of sweetness and scares, great pacing, and a really lively and fun art style.

This book does a thing that I always love, and that I think takes particular skill: the characters and the story are very nuanced and specific, and that specificity is what makes the whole thing relatable. The frame of the paranormal mystery (which I don't think ever gets fully explained, but I didn't mind) supports and enhances the more real-feeling stories of struggling to reconnect with family and wondering why you're not welcome, of following impulses and making do with junk food and positivity when your money runs out, of seeing a friendly face and hanging out together in the library or in a car in the middle of nowhere or sneaking in the window for a sleepover when being alone feels too frightening. And with the trappings of Mexican cryptids and witchy town history and a showdown against evil all around it? Absolutely fantastic.

I loved this book. A sweet slow-burn queer romance and cryptids, what more could you want? The art was so emotive and the characters were fun to get to know.

Colorful imagery and a great love story underneath all the horror. A must read for
those that like ghost stories and a quick jumpy read.

Interesting, cute fun read! I enjoyed the plot and characters and reccommend this for those looking for a lil queer paranormal. The main POV was a lil difficult to follow at times, but not bad for a quick paced graphic novel

The Hills of Estrella Roja is such a sweet (yes, sweet), mysterious and spooky graphic novel. I really enjoyed it and the artwork is fantastic. I always like when the illustrator adds additional information in the back - I like to see how their art progresses. Even though this is geared towards young adult, I think it would interest middle grade readers as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advance copy!

I really enjoyed "The Hills of Estrella Roja". Ashley Robin Franklin's writing and illustrations maintained a satisfying atmosphere and mystery throughout that had me quickly turning to the next page. Panels were easy to read and they took full advantage of the medium to communicate their story through both visuals and dialogue. The queer romance between the main characters Kat and Mari was very cute and brought some nice humor to the otherwise spooky story. Teen and adult readers who enjoy horror, mystery, or cryptids will have a good time reading this novel. This was a strong debut and I look forward to reading the author's future work!