You like queer, spooky stuff? This is the graphic novel for you.

The Hills of Estrella Roja follows a paranormal podcaster (hello, do I smell a sequel opportunity) called Kat desperately seeking a subject for her next show. When she receives a mysterious email telling her about the lights glowing over the Estrella Roja Hills, she takes off on spring break to unfurl the mystery.

The thing is... no one in town is talking. Not until Kat sees Mari, in town for her abuela's funeral, sitting on a bench reading Fried Green Tomatoes. Mari's got some family secrets to uncover, too.

Scenes in this were beautiful. I loved the art, but the coloring was. Everything. I didn't go into this expecting a queer graphic novel and I was pleasantly surprised, as well as witchy paranormal aspect. The love story was friggin' adorable. I loved this sweet, cozy horror graphic novel.

Kat Fields, a paranomal podcaster, decides to ditch her original spring break plans when she receives an email about a Texas small town with "devil lights" and a history of witchcraft. She takes a solo road trip to Estrella Roja, where she finds the locals not very friendly.

Meanwhile, Mari is also going to Estralla Roja, a place she hasn't been since she was little, to attend her grandmother's funeral. Feeling like an outcast from her family and a little bored, she decides to help Kat with her investigation. As the two get closer to the center of the mystery (and each other), they discover there's a danger lurking in Estrella Roja. And they accidentally release it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for an advanced copy of The Hills of Estrella Roja to review! Apparently August is going to be a great month for graphic novels, becuase I've read quite a few that are coming out. So definitely keep your eyes out!

The beginning of this was a little rocky for me, at least to follow what was specifically going on. But once we actually got into Estrella Roja, I feel like the story really took off. The art style works for this particular story, bringing to life this sort of creepy atmosphere in this small town. You definitely get a vibe from the locals, and you know there's something lurking beneath the surface.

The two main characters, Kat and Mari, are well developed, and their relationship developed natrually throughout the story. I do wish some of the secondary characters were a bit more rounded, as some of them felt a little flat to me. But there was a lot of story to tell, so I get it!

A series of Kat and Mari investigating other paranormal things for the podcast I think would be really fun, so maybe more stories will stem from this! Either way, if you're looking for a spooky graphic novel to pick up this fall, definitely check this one out.

This was a fun and spooky read. A podunk Texas town that dislikes strangers, and mysterious witch lights, a college freshman student, Kat, with a paranormal podcast goes investigating becoming friends with Mari, a teenager with family secrets who has returned for her grandmother's funeral.

Paranormal investigation, local lore and urban legends, not to mention some interesting and weird stories of disappearing people in the archives of the town's newspaper. The illustrations and color palette for this is fantastic and adds to the spooky murder vibes. Mari and Kat have some chemistry that doesn't feel forced, is cute, and adds to the tension of the story.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Cute! Spooky Cryptids! GAY! What more could you want?
I loved this graphic, and I stayed up late finishing it because I couldn't put it down.
The use of color is really gorgeous, and I appreciate that!
I will be recommending this book to everybody!

The Hills of Estrella Rosa is as magical as the title sounds. The story is filled with interesting and unique characters, I love that the author included LGBTQ characters. It's wonderful to see graphic novels that are inclusive to all people. I loved the dynamic between main character Kat and her new love interest Mari. Having their romance as a sub plot kept the graphic novel light and fun.

I totally get Scooby-Doo vibes from this graphic novel mixed in with Ghost Adventures. I love how Kat is steadfast in her pursuit to crack this mystery and she doesn't give up easily.

The folklore surrounding the story was cool. I love urban legends and folklore. It adds an eeriness, and makes for a creepy atmosphere. Also, who doesn't love a good mystery, especially a ghostly one.

The twist at the end of the story was a little predictable but still a lot of fun.

I would love to read more from the author, and I absolutely love the illustrations/coloring.

I had a hard time putting it down! Spooky, atmospheric, and queer. I love a good paranormal investigation and would totally listen to the character's podcast.
My students are always asking for horror and they devour graphic novels, so I'm excited to add this to my collection.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. While it was not my exact cup of tea, I can tell it will be popular with our teens. The art style is very enjoyable and vibrant. The pacing of the story was great and made you want to keep reading.

I enjoyed this graphic novel a lot more than I expected to!

Horror and paranormal elements aren't usually my jam but something about this one, the mix of artwork and storytelling captured me for the couple hours it took to read.

There is something about this story, and the way its depicted, that reels you in and keeps you hooked. The characters are visceral - the visual elements are engaging and it follows two people meeting unexpectedly to uncover something they never knew to expect.

I thoroughly enjoyed! Occasionally it was quite difficult to follow which part of the text to read first and to understand the order of the boxes but I enjoyed regardless and I'd definitely recommend which easily earns it its 4 star rating!

This was such a wonderfully spooky and queer graphic novel. The mystery really propelled me through the story and the main characters were so lovable! I loved the sapphics here and the use of cryptid mythology, as well as the family secrecy. The art was beautiful as well. I highly recommend for a quick spooky read!

A beautiful graphic novel by queer Texan Ashely Robin Franklin about love, family and the paranormal. Podcaster and want-to-be paranormal investigator Kat Fields travels to a small Texas town to get to the bottom of rumors of witchcraft and strange lights in the sky. Marisol "Mari" Castillo is also visiting Estrella Roja to attend her abuela's funeral. When they meet, the chemistry is immediate, and despite warnings about the other one, they will join forces to investigate Estrella Roja. Recommended for purchase at all high school and public libraries. Excellent queer and Latinx rep.

An interesting paranormal horror story set in a small Texas town with secrets, this was an entertaining read. The connection to Latinx folklore in particular gave The Hills of Estrella Roja a unique take on what could have been a simple ghost story. The LGBTQ romance was well developed and not treated as a novelty; it was just a fact of the lives of the characters. Readers into light horror without gore or violence will enjoy this graphic novel.

Having spent a good chunk of time in West Texas, and being a lover of the spooky, picking up this book was a no brainer. And I've got to say... I'm delighted with this book!

The story is solid. There's a lot of genres touched on (mystery, romance, paranormal, horror(?!)) and it all flows together well.

The landscape is gorgeous; you can really tell that the author/illustration has visited West Texas in the Spring. And the color. Wow. Way to set (and change) the mood quickly and effectively.

4.5 stars
An awesome queer mysterious and scary story (good balance of horror) to kickstart Spooky Season for teens and middle graders. Kat, a college freshman who has a podcast on paranormal activity travels to Estrella Roja to investigate strange sights after getting an email. Everyone is acting very unfriendly with a strange vibe and she decides to stay and never give up to uncover the truth. At the same time, Mari and her family visit for their grandmother's funeral and she joins forces with Kat to discover the secrets of her family and town. Eerie, and scary, with lots of mystery, shapeshifters, folklore stories and legends, ghost stories, new friendships, and queer love.
It's a long and complete story with 400 pages and the art has a great spooky mood and color scheme. A bit heavy on text but it's a great story.

Thank you NetGalley and Clarion books for the arc. My opinions are my own and honest.

This is a great, ultimately sweet, horror graphic novel about a blooming queer relationship, rural TX spookiness, insular small-town creepiness, and family secrets. I loved it very much.

This was fun. I appreciated that the queer flirting was very present in this; I feel very often it is left on the back burner or alluded too.

What a spooky, queer, and beautiful graphic novel! I loved this one so much. If you are looking for a spooky story with lots of queer representation in a beautifully illustrated package, this is the one for you! I was on the edge of my reading chair the whole time. All of the characters felt so realistic and it was as if I actually knew them. The family dynamics, especially while grieving, were also represented so well. I can honestly say the only thing that I did not like were the illustrated spiders…but I would not like those in any book! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Loved this graphic novel. Equal parts spooky, heartwarming, and cute. I would definitely suggest this to my students who are into lore and spooky stuff. My only critique would be that I felt the end came too quickly - it wasn't as much of a slow reveal as I would have liked.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins Children’s Books, and the author, Ashley Robin Franklin for sending me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review! 🫶
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I was recommended this one by a booksta friend, @thelibraryghost and I’m so glad I was! The illustrations and coloring in this graphic novel is fantastic along with the mysterious story! This was such a fun read and I loved all of the characters! The two main characters, Kat and Mari are both very lovable and I loved to see their relationship develop as they solved the town’s mystery. The graphic novel clocks in around 400 pages which I really enjoyed as it allows for enough time for the story to be fully developed. I absolutely love the queer spooky vibes this one brought and the sweet ending! I definitely want to read more from this author in the future!
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The Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Robin Franklin comes out on August 29th!
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Rep: bisexual MC, sapphic MC, prominent non-binary SC

Kat makes a podcast with her best friend Clem about paranormal activity. Spring break has come, and while Clem is going on a fun tubing vacation, Kat is on the hunt for spooky stuff. She got an email recommending that she come down to south Texas and check out some mysterious lights. But unfriendly locals seem to want to deter her investigation.
This book is a fun, creepy adventure story filled with angry town folks, witches, cryptids and queer characters. Highly recommend!

I got an ARC of this book.

I got this, because it looked like it would fill the hole Alex Silver has left in my reading heart (gay trans ghost hunting romances are hard to come by!). I can get behind some cryptid chasing queers! This really would be lovely as a series.

The book read like a classic haunted house story. A bit of research, some mystery, steady building of wild things happening. It was interesting to see what really happened. It wasn’t quite what I expected. There was more secret family stuff than I expected from the cover and the feeling. If this were a novel, I feel like it would have explored the family stuff a lot more to really make it scary.

The cryptid in this story isn’t one I had heard of before. So I was fascinated. I wanted to learn a lot more about them. What little was shown wasn’t enough for me to feel like I knew anything at all. Were they even creatures? I wanted to know more about the things in the pit. What were they? So much was left unanswered that I felt a bit unsatisfied. The thing is, I also really liked that my questions were unanswered by the book itself.

Overall, it was a fun read. I really enjoyed it. I would love a series of this group going off and making the podcast together. It would be adorable.