This graphic novel is written by a father daughter duo and reflects what Naomi Sacks went through but with a supernatural twist. In this we follow our main character, Cleo, who has just gotten out of the hospital and still isn't sure if she wants to live or not. She starts to see things and assumes that she's going crazy but it turns out she's supposed to save the world.
I liked this quite a bit. I thought that the author making the main character battle literal and metaphorical demons was an interesting twist on the mental health genre.

This was a beautiful depiction of a young girls struggle with depression. She is having a hard time adjusting back to the daily tasks of teenage life after being hospitalized.
I loved the art style.
Knowing that this story was inspired by true events was really touching. I can relate well to the feeling - the endless despair, the uselessness, the worthlessness. But there is always something on the other side. Cleo's unwavering support system, her passions in life, the family that will always have her back.
It was a nice touch to have mental health resources in between sections as well. A great read in honor of mental health awareness month.

In the wise words of The Doctor, “The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.”

As per description, a twin-storyline of a teen struggling to come back to the world after time in an institution, and a supernatural battle of sorts connected with her background. Artwork, very strong throughout and which captures both 'worlds' very well.

It is a very good story which we will be getting in store, to hopefully encourage others! If there is a flaw I feel it tries to do too much in the space. The story of one coming to terms with life could have been better on it's own, akin to one or two others I have read around the subject. The meld between the two strands is done well, but it felt that it needed to be longer to explore both more fully. We could have done with more on Cleo's issues and recovery, or more on the background of the supernatural plot, ideally both.

A very good story, character, deals with the issues in a good way with strong art to go with the plot.

An enjoyable graphic novel. The mental health representation was excellent and the story was interesting. The best part was the illustrations.

The illustrations are storyline really jump out at you when reading this. Anxiety and depression are real things we as humans go through and emotions can take over. Hopefully most people, like the MC, manage to get help.

First, I'd like to send my thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for giving me access to the eARC of Crave. What follows is my true and honest opinion.

A Haunted Girl is a story about an impending apocalypse with a chosen one who is destined to either prevent it or cause it. The only problem is the chosen one doesn't want to live in this world. The story is compelling with wonderful art and Depictions of the supernatural, mixing the supernatural in with the real world situation of a teenager struggling with her Mental Health. I believe that this is one of the few cases in comic books where I haven't found mental health issues to be romanticised or played up. This is a topic that has been handled so poorly in the past, that I am often hesitant about media including it as a main plot point. However A Haunted Girl gives such a realistic representation of Depression that somehow fit seamlessly into the supernatural side of things without it seeming over exaggerated or making things difficult to read. Throughout the story, there are moments where the characters pause and reflect, the perks of having a therapist as one of your main cast.
I think that this comic is very important for young people to read. It shows that we're not alone with those feelings. It's important that Mental Health stop being stigmatised. Everyone has it, just some need a little help to get it healthy again.
Throughout this book, there are listed support helplines listed. I do think that if this was to ever be published in multiple countries, that it could be cool to I clude helplines for those specific countries however I don't know how publishing works or if that would even be feasible.
A Haunted Girl is a powerful but short comic book story that reaches its conclusion within one volume. It can feel a little short or rushed at times, but that is to be expected when doing a single volume comic book.

I have little good or bad to say. Horror graphic novel but nothing too special. Was ok to read. I didn't really like the whole weird part with her Dad knowing she's going ti be hallucinating and seeing things and then it jumping to her being in an insane asylum. Then jumping back to her being in school and talking to a therapist. Not sure where this Nobel was supposed to go. I found it rather boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This comic is so important for kids + teens!! As someone who felt so utterly alone in my depression, I felt like my inner child was so seen in this story. It is so hard to voice what’s going on when you don’t have the words to articulate what’s happening, and I love every moment that this takes to pause and give advice, reflection, and awareness towards mental health.

Reading info from the author where he explains that his daughter was the catalyst for writing this, and he had her help him write it to give it authenticity 😭 Absolutely so cool.

The story was cool, and I really liked how everything wrapped up.

CW: violence, mental illness, death

The illustrations are storyline really come to life when reading this. Anxiety and depression are real feelings and emotions can be high. Hopefully most people get help like Cleo did but dreams still haunt her nights.

The ghosts and demons that haunt her follow her into what seems the real world but all is not what it seems. Cleo is strong enough to face her demons, get control of the unknown and save herself, her friend and dad.

Great story and will look out for more by the author and illustrator.

Let's start with that artwork which was striking, beautiful, 10/10. The story itself was also wonderfully done. I loved seeing depression and anxiety that was very realistic in a character, especially as someone who struggles with both.

The book contained all four comic issues, with alternate cover work for each, AND resources for taking care of your mental health, which was very thoughtful for them to do.

I will say that the main problem felt like it got wrapped up very quickly, but that may just be the nature of comic books. I devoured this story and do wish they had been just a tad longer because I was so invested.

Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for the eARC.

I read this book in one sitting. Consumed it because I was so invested in the story. Trigger Warnings for discussion of s*icide.

Drawn from personal experiences of one of the writers, this graphic novel features a protagonist recovering from an attempt, recently leaving hospital care, only to discover she can see ghosts, and has to save the world. But how do you save a world you don't want to be in anymore?

The story is very kind and gentle in the handling of these serious topics, while still creating an exciting and terrifying adventure, as Cleo has to cope with her new interactions with the supernatural, and how to save the world, while grappling with her own mental health struggles. Watch her process and grow through the story, rebuilding her relationships and finding reasons to stay again, was a powerful and emotional read.

Besides that, the art is lovely, and the supporting cast is really great. I especially love the therapist, lady is helping fight ghosts to help save her patient because she cares about her. Great stuff.

There are stories that will touch you forever, and the root story to A Haunted Girl will be one for me. The fun of the comic story and the heart felt love in the real life story both gripped me and my attention. Life is hard, and it will always be hard. However, the narrative you put on repeat will be the reality for your life. The artwork is stunning, and the writing of the father and daughter was emotional with a twist of haunting fear.

I want to thank NetGalley and Image for allowing me to read this trade ahead of release.

I just reviewed A Haunted Girl by Ethan Sacks; Naomi Sacks. #AHauntedGirl #NetGalley

A different look at mental health. Pairing it with a supernatural entity was very smart. I wish there was a touch more information on Cleo’s bio family and diagnosis. However, I think this would do well in my middle school library.

The art in A Haunted Girl is impeccable. This story has genuinely terrifying scenes, and the art is never lacking. Unfortunately, the story didn't work as well for me. I'm someone who also struggles with depression, so I went into this story with high hopes. I appreciated that Ethan Sacks worked with his daughter Naomi and that they used her experience with depression as the backbone for the story. Ultimately, I couldn't get into the world as it was presented. I'm sure this was a cathartic story to write and create, but it didn't work for me as a reader.

Thanks to Image Comics for an ARC.

Once again I was drawn to this immediately by the cover and I’m pleased to say that the cover was right, Image Comics seem to be hitting it out of the ball park right now with these collections as I just couldn’t put this down.

Cleo is the last in the bloodline of a family that has the power to close the veil between the plane of Death and Earth and stop the Goddess of Death in her various incarnations and guises from consuming the life force of everyone on our plane…

But Cleo is unsure of whether or not she wants to live, hospitalised for depression and suicidal ideation, unsure of her place in the world, and struggling to cope on a daily basis, she must decide whether or not to rise to the challenge, but first she has to decide whether or not what she is seeing is real.

A sensitive look at the troubles a young person can face when depressed and unsure, this is woven throughout the more supernatural aspects of the story, and is essential to the outcome.

All of this is beautifully portrayed through Marco’s images, strong and striking when needed but toned down when looking at the mental health part of the story.

Ploughed through this on my commute into work this morning and couldn’t put it down.

I received this from NetGalley and Image Comics in exchange for an honest review.

Girl with severe depression coincidentally is the one person in the world who can see ghosts in impending apocalypses and save the world. Am I getting this right?

Extra point to Ethan Sacks for being involved in his daughter's mental health struggles but as someone with mental health issues who isn't his daughter....this ain't it. There's good intent at representation here, but it simply doesn't work.

Strictly as fiction, there's little to no world building and certain characters (the bff) keep telling us why they're there, but never show us. It's disjointed and poorly paced.

Lorenzana's art, however, is a highlight throughout.

This is a Beautifully illustrated. Well presented graphic novel. The story is easy to follow, it's not too in depth, but it is very personal to the authors and I think that comes through nicely. Overall it's a great read.

If this had just been a series of graphic novels about a girl who's struggling to cope with depression this would have been a five star book for me. But since there is the added angle of an impending apocalypse I had to bump it down.

The mental health representation in this is AMAZING. This is a book I'd feel comfortable letting my daughter read and I can easily see myself rereading this some time in the future.

I just wish that the apparitions who are an integral part of the story played more of a role. I feel that as the novel sits now those elements could've been scrapped and the story wouldn't have suffered.

And that makes me kind of sad because it was that angle that made me interested in this novel to begin with.

~

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Look at that cover. LOOK AT IT. That alone was enough to pull me in, but after reading the synopsis I knew I had to read it. A Haunted Girl is a story about mental health, family, and killer ghosts.

I loved the artwork in this graphic novel. Some images were genuinely creepy! I absolutely loved the mental health discussions and depictions. There’s a letter from one of the authors at the end of the first act, I won’t spoil it, but it had me WEEPY. The story was engaging and easy to follow. At times it felt a little over the top, but considering the inspiration I appreciated it. I hope to see more from the authors in the future!

Beautiful artwork and a gripping storyline. What I also found lovely was the work between father and daughter about her experiences with mental health problems. The pacing was great and the subject matter dealt with dignity.

Would highly recommend this.