Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of 'Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees' by Patrick Horvath.

Five out of five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I need to buy an 'in the hand' copy of this as soon as possible. I absolutely adored this graphic novel. It's as dark as my little ole soul.

Welcome to your average but perfect tiny town where everyone knows everyone else's name and your neighbor is a serial killer.

100% I would recommend this to anyone with a love for Dexter and/or serial killer documentaries before bed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really liked it, stuck with me & would recommend
Berenstein Bears meets Dexter. This grabbed me right at the front and carried me through until the very end. A complete page turner. I loved the social commentary, the uniqueness, and the morbidity wrapped in cuteness. The art was a perfect vehicle for this story. 

Thank you to IDW Publishing, NetGalley, and author Patrick Horvath for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is out September 17, 2023.

This was such a fun little morbid graphic novel! 'Dexter' in the form of a lady bear living in a small little town and hiding her serial killer nature- what could possibly go wrong?

I think the art has a very unique style and it got across a sort of wholesome look while having plenty of darker (murderous) moments. The mind games of the main character (whos a serial killer herself) hunting down whoever is killing in her safe haven home were interested to be a part of and I found myself devouring this one in quick sitting.

If youre a fan of the POV inner minds of shows like Dexter and Hannibal this is the one for you!

3.5/5

Well, that was certainly grisly!

All jokes aside, this comic was seriously dark and gory. I'm not usually into this kind of story, but the premise sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a go. However, by the time I actually read the comic, I'd forgotten most of the premise, so it was quite a shock once the first animal was murdered.

I'm not sure how I feel about this... On the one hand, the artwork was well-done and creative but on the other, the world building was a bit confusing. At one point, we had a pig character looking at a pig in a butcher shop, and the main character Sam (a brown bear) interacting with wild grizzly bears who couldn't understand her. Are these animals all cannibalistic? Are they 'domesticated' vs wild? I have no idea.

At the end of the day, fans of Dexter or slasher movies will probably really enjoy this dark and unique story. For myself, I found it a bit too dark with no real message at the end of it other than 'do you ever *really* know somebody?'

Can "charming" even be used to describe a graphic novel about two competing serial killers? We probably shouldn't, but I would present Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees as evidence that sometimes there are exceptions.

This novel follows a bear in her small town who has a bit of a secret hobby, murder. When a second serial killer in town makes themselves known, but tries to frame our anti-hero bear, things get wild. The quaint town and art style subverted with the graphic and violent theme make for such an odd combination that makes the reader introspect on certain aspects of media and life. I really enjoyed this graphic novel and will still be thinking about it for a long time.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

I was drawn by the smear of blood on the cover and I am glad I was. This was the perfect fall read. A little mystery, adorable critters, and murder.

This is not an illustrated novel for children.

this was an interesting read! definitely a story unlike any other, i liked the idea that it was all animals instead of humans! it made for a very unique story

Do not let the cute at first glance art style fool you, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is a dark horror comic book. It has an interesting cast of morally grey characters and a grim plot that somehow reminded me of Dexter and of Happy Tree Friends. A weird mix, I know. I felt some points were a little weaker and some of my questions left unexplained but overall it was a good solid read.

This graphic novel is filled with gore visuals mixed with the very cute graphic style I initially mentioned, which won't be everybody's taste. As long as you're fine with those and you're into horror stories, I strongly recommend this book.

Patrick Horvath seems to have seen that one Richard Scarry drawing where the anthropomorphic pig is, disturbingly, a butcher selling sausages, and from that image built an entire ominous world of gore. Horrifyingly sinister. And just like, very gross! I really hope this isn't inspirational to some really creepy serial killer types.

Oh man, this book had me fully gasping on a packed tube on my way to work multiple times! The story is simple yet gripping, and the cuteness of the anthropomorphic characters contrasts amazingly with the gory happenings in the story. The characters are likeable, and although the book is short, I felt like it only took a couple of pages to get extremely attached to a character (which, when you read this book, you’ll find extremely stressful).

Overall a gripping read and a compelling graphic novel!

Thank you IDW Publishing for providing an ARC for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

“Awww, it’s a comic about a cute little bear in a cozy animal town and OH GREAT HEAVENS.”

I’m loving this renaissance of furry fiction for grown-ups. (Like, let’s say what it is, it’s furry.) The town in this book has very Richard Scarry, Daniel Tiger, outskirts of Zootopia vibes. A lovely animal community, living and working together, with maybe a few local curmudgeons, but nothing worse than a Karen skipping the line at the coffee shop.

And then Samantha, the bear who owns the hardware store, goes into the city. And things are a little grittier there, yes. But it’s Sam who turns the whole story upside-down. Sam is a serial killer, and she’s good at what she does. She has a routine. Not a ritual, but a science. And she never plays at home.

And then…someone’s else’s little toy is paraded before the town, for all to see. So, if Sam wants to keep killing, she’s going to have to find out who did it, and get them to go play somewhere else.

I just love how the art in this is simultaneously so cozy and so gory. Everyone is so fuzzy! And so full of viscera!

The search for the killer–well, second killer–also adds a fair bit of mystery to the story, though I don’t think there’s enough hints given early on to solve the case before Sam does herself. That’s fine, though. The mystery is a bonus, not the main genre.

If you like anthro animal/furry fiction, this is a must read.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

I had initially heard about this series while it was in its first few issues from my favorite Australian Youtuber, Nerd Burger. She's worked in a comic store for a decade and I take her recommendations very seriously. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees was a fascinating comic among the likes which I have never encountered. It was the perfect mashup of Dexter meets The Busy World of Richard Scarry. I don't know who would ever want to combine those two franchises, but Patrick Horvath did it to an expert degree. This story shows the dark underbelly of a sweet, sleepy town filled with talking animals. From the pigs to the ducks to the brown bears, everyone has a secret. I was gripped throughout the entire story and read it in one sitting. I couldn't wait to see what transpired next. The goriness was a bit jarring, but the cover was example enough of what to expect in Beneath the Trees. I thought this was spectacularly done, although it could have done with a more complete denouement. I didn't get all my questions answered, but perhaps that's what's in store for the next volume. All I wanna know is why did the talking animal have a pet dog who couldn't talk back? Was this just another Mickey Mouse and Pluto situation? Silliness aside, this was an impressive debut and Patrick Horvath should be very proud for what he lay underneath those shadowy foliage.

Cute animal characters in an idyllic, small-town setting. The lively art belies the darker underbelly of this sinister series starter. But once you look past the visual whimsy, it's readily apparent that this book has some serious Dexter vibes (if Dexter were a female bear).

A bit of a slow start, but this was a fun juxtaposition of contrasts.

I knew exactly what I signed up for, but…I somehow still wasn’t expecting it. This is an almost-cozy turned murderous-and-dark graphic novel that you will get through in one sitting.

this was super unsettling because nothing gets to me like gore being somewhere gore shouldn't be and I was biting my nails throughout this small town mystery needing to know how it was going to end

Summary:

Samantha Strong has spent her whole life in a small town. As such, she's created and perfected a certain set of rules. Rule number one is that you don't EVER murder the locals. Yeah, this means she has to commute a bit to follow her, um, dreams, but it's worth it.

Unfortunately, somebody else did not get the memo. So Samantha is going to have to step up and solve this murder before people look too closely at their fellow citizens...you never know what they might notice.

Review:

I picked up Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees on an impulse. The description and cover are so incongruous (intentionally so) that I knew it was worth reading. I was not disappointed. That said, don't dive into this book without understanding that you WILL be getting a woodland version of Dexter.

First, I have to say that I love this weird merger. It's so disturbingly perfect, and it gives me the chills on more than one occasion. I'll admit that the graphic elements bordered on too much for me at times (Dexter was never my cup of tea, so I anticipated this, but I was fine with the risk).

That said, I love the characters, tongue-in-cheek nature of the story, and the overall atmosphere created by the juxtaposition of elements. It made for a jarring and wholly unique experience – one I won't soon be forgetting!

Highlights:
Thriller/Horror
Surprisingly Twist
Tongue-in-cheek artstyle
Dexter meets cute furry animals

"Chase the queen, chase the queen... move so fast, she can't be seen..."

Never mistook this for a children book with the colorful and cutesy drawing, for when you dig deeper there's a serial killer in a form of kind, friendly bear hid in between. Samantha Strong is known as model citizen in a small town called Woodbrooks. No one ever known her ruthless psychotic persona behind the friendly facade she sets because she had one rule: never murder locals. Until one day, a murder broke the tranquility of the town, the first one ever in decades. Samantha worried this case may mistook her for the murder and handed her the blame. Small town such as Woodbrooks held no place for another serial killer, so she needed to take action.

Every panel, every pages of this book left me with my mouth agape until the very end. The contrast they put on having colorful drawing combined with a terrifying story of a murder is totally genius. Aside from the very much graphic gore element (not gonna lie the blood red in this one totally got me), we also get to involved in investigating who the actual murderer is. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees truly giving readers a chilly yet thrilling experience in one sitting.

I was so excited to read this after I saw the beautiful art style combined with a gruesome storyline. The characters are wholesome and the setting is idyllic, yet the gore fits perfectly. I will be purchasing for my library.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees may sound like the hook of a nursery rhyme, but it's the truth (both literal and figurative) of small town life where there may not be many secrets, but there is one big one: a serial killer in the form of your local neighborhood hardware store owner.

And even if she keeps her victims away from this idyllic "everybody knows your name" home, when bodies start appearing who else is there? Who else is like her? Surely she must get to the bottom of the mystery before the mystery comes to her doorstep!

This was an enjoyable gory book that didn't shy away from the worst parts of humanity (even when all the characters are animals.. but there are also wild animals, and also a butcher...???) but at times it got a little too internal monologue-y about the nature of the town itself and ooh, how spooky it is that things are disrupted. But overall it was good, the hunt was good, the resolution was good, I had a good time reading it.

Thank you to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

It is a horror-thriller graphic novel set in a small town with anthropomorphic animal characters.

Samantha is a respectable citizen in a small town but she also has a dark secret, she is a serial killer but has one rule which is not to kill people in that town.

The plot is dark and gripping, it got me hooked from the beginning. I like the cute and colourful artwork.