Saint Catherine by Anna Meyer follows Catherine, a twenty something semi-religious girl who has never missed Sunday mass. Ever. Until one day, she does. She misses Sunday mass and goes out with her boyfriend, Manolo, to Staten Island where they adventure in an abandoned church. In this church, Cat falls off an altar and all of a sudden, she’s seeing a demon. Vassago, prince of hell, and his 27 legions of hell are now possessing Catherine. Catherine believes this is divine punishment for missing mass, and the presence of her demon makes her question herself and her actions. Even though she’s trying to do everything right, she just keeps messing up and eventually everything comes to a peak. Afterwards, Catherine’s life goes back to normal, bit by bit, piece by piece. This is a story of religious guilt, of friends and family, of doing what is best for yourself and for others.

My personal thoughts: First of all, before I even get into the story, the art style is just itching a scratch I didn’t know I had. It’s beautiful. I ran through the entire book. It made me cry, I really enjoyed this read. I was absolutely not expecting the squirrel thing, a well written surprise. I really enjoyed this read and I think I’ll be getting a copy for my shelf when it comes out.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this e-arc.

Guilt is a topic that’s often hard to describe much less visualize. Yet, Anna Meyer has found a way to do just that with her debut graphic novel, Saint Catherine, a story that examines religious guilt through a visually stunning perspective. Catherine is an adult adult woman living with roommates who has never missed a Sunday mass. Growing up Catholic with her devout family has left it’s marks, and it becomes very clear that Catherine’s relationship with the religion is a bit complex. Things grow even more complicated when Catherine does miss a Sunday mass and a demon pops up in her life, calling into questions her “goodness.” As Catherine grapples with this unconventional existence, she begins to learn more about herself and the truth behind her demons.

Telling this specific story as a graphic novel does extraordinary work as guilt is not an entity we can readily imagine. Meyer’s artistic rendering of the demon plaguing Catherine gives shape, weight, and dialogue to a topic that often times feels impossible to describe. Moreover, the religious iteration of guilt can be an even harder topic to discuss, yet Meyer’s story unpacks many of the nuances around this silent battle between self and rhetoric.

Catherine is a woman who struggles to feel confident in the things and people she loves give the shadow of her family’s Catholic background. In particular, her relationship with her mother seems to make this shadow loom even larger over Catherine, adding to the already taxing state of existence she experiences once the demon enters her life. However, the demon’s incessant commentary regarding Catherine’s morality works in a way that gives Catherine pause as she must evaluate what really matters most to her. This is a hard truth that many of us who have wrestled with Catholic guilt know all too well.

Visually stunning and deeply endearing, Saint Catherine is a graphic novel that touched my heart and soul for the earnest conversations it fosters. The artistic rendering of guilt through demonic possession and Catherine’s character arc feel notable within this narrative space of creative storytelling. Hard to put down and thoroughly enjoyable, Saint Catherine is a nuanced addition to the conversations around religious trauma.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I loved this! I thought the way Meyer used color was fantastic and it was very easy to tell if you were in the past or present. I also thought the ending was surprising and silly in the best way. I highly recommend.

I've been going in and out of religious horror these last couple years and this was a fun take on the genre. I liked this approach for a posession story, there was a good balance between the unreliable narration and the actual danger. I loved the character interactions, especially those involving catherine's roomate or her mother. The horror isnt particularly horrifying, its more of a vehicle for the Catherine's internal conflict. Theres isn't anything really shocking or upsetting depicted, which coupled with the art style makes it read as young adult despite the chatacters' ages. Its a solid comic and I can see it as a great gateway into the religious horror subgenre.

3.5 ⭐️

🌈 Rainbow Ratings:
Representation: 6
Atmosphere: 7
Intrigue: 6
Narrative: 7
Build-up: 6
Originality: 7
Wow Factor: 6

I really appreciated how this book tackled Catholic guilt—something so many people carry. As a Baptist, I still found it incredibly relatable and often funny. More than just a story about religion, it touches on the universal guilt that comes with being human and making mistakes. The art was beautiful, and the story was solid.

That said, it wasn’t exactly what I expected, and the reveal left me just a little disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley, TBR & Beyond Tours, and 23rd St for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Ah cool. This is not just about trauma, there are actually paranormal events happening. The art and colors are perfect for this story.

Catherine isn't a devout Catholic anymore, not really, but she hasn't skipped mass in decades. If she does, something terrible will happen. And then, when she does miss mass, a demon shows up, tells her she's possessed now, and he's out for her soul. She sets out on a journey to be a good enough person to end this mess.
Beautiful art and a moving story. The religious trauma is so real. The supporting cast is interesting. This was a really good one.

this one was a little dark, a little silly, and all around a fun time. i related heavily to catherine's struggle to remain pious and good (as i feel so many of us raised in the faith are) and the demonic presence actually managed to provide a lot of good comedic relief. the art style was clean and striking, and the story was really enjoyable and fast-paced. obvious content warning if you're an ex-catholic.

Catherine may have moved out of her parent's house, but their Catholicism has followed her. Despite being in a relationship, having a job, and realizing she may not have the same beliefs as her parents, her mother's calls and guilt eat away at her. So when she misses mass for the first time, ever, she has a crisis of conscience and starts to belive that a string of bad luck is actually a sign she is possessed by evil.
An interesting, fantastical take on religion and guilt, Saint Catherine is a thoughtful read I am still thinking about weeks later.

Saint Catherine is a fantastic exercise in Catholic guilt, symbolism of that guilt, family strife, interpersonal drama, and more. When Catherine skips mass for the first time ever, she soon discovers a demon inside of her. Has it always been there or is this a result of her negligence? Through his love of hell, he pressures her to be brutally honest in all the ways she hasn't been in order to save her soul. But is it enough? In attempting to be a good Irish Catholic, she hurts those closest to her until she can no longer deal with the pressure.

The illustrations are fun and the demon is a humorous--well, I suppose we wouldn't call him a sidekick, but you know what I mean. Catherine's struggles are hugely relatable regardless of whether you're religious or not. If you feel guilty or ashamed, Catherine is someone you can relate to.

This all wraps up humorously and tidily, making it a well-rounded story.

Anna Meyer has certainly captured the weird and specific ways being raised in the Catholic Church and trying to break away from it as a young adult can mess with your mind- Catherine's determination to follow a set of rules and lack of a wider understanding of what makes a "good person" is particularly poignant. The side characters were also all charming and felt real.

The art was lovely and expressive, and I loved the use of a limited color pallet.

My main complaint is that I went into this hoping that the book would have a bit more horror to it, and was disappointed there. I also found that while the emotional arc of the story are completed well, the ending itself felt a little rushed.

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second books for a review copy of this book!

I picked this up based on my interest in St. Catherine of Siena, but as I read it, this book really resonated with me as someone who grew up a cradle Catholic and has struggled in my walk with the faith. It's a perfect read for millennials who grew up religious but grapple with guilt of not living up to their parents' expectations of religiousness.

This was a really good coming of age graphic novel! I flew through this one and found it to be really relatable and interesting. I really liked Catherine’s character and her struggles felt real and believable. I loved the art style and thought it complimented the story well. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I really enjoyed reading "Saint Catherine." I was raised Catholic and no longer practice, so I imagine I am part of the target audience for this book. It handles the topic of Catholicism more respectfully than I thought it would based on the blurb, and thankfully religion is not the only focus of the story. The art was also very well done, with character designs that fit the story. Without giving away any spoilers, I thought the story was wrapped up in a satisfying manner, and serves as a good reminder that we all have to live with the choices that we make.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who grew up devoutly catholic and has lived with the intense view that hell is something very real and all of your miss steps will lead you there, I identified with this graphic novel deeply. I understand where Catherine is coming from. I had terrible night terrors as a child and many of my manifestations were religious. Haunting visions of demons, devils and the damned. Overall this graphic novel really spoke to that experience.

often as we leave home and are faced with deciding on our own whether to continue with church the way our parents saw it or can we find a way to find our own faith. a great read for all who struggle with this.

There were parts of the ARC that were missing, but from what I could read, I enjoyed it. I plan on purchasing it so I can read it more in depth when it comes out because I enjoy the art of the graphic novel and I like the plot.

A beautiful graphic novel about religious trauma. This is a much needed message for those out there who need to hear that the standards you use to define yourself as a good person shouldn't be rooted in guilt and fear. Shocking twist ending! So cute and healing.

This was a fun and interesting novel, it was gorgeous and I thought the story was very nice. I just don't think I was the target audience for this one.

Thank you to First Second Books and Netgalley for an eARC of this book!

I enjoyed Saint Catherine so much. Though I did not grow up catholic, I did grow up in a very Christian household. I went to church every week. Went to a Christian school, worked at Christian jobs, etc. I didn't know anyone outside of my religion for a long time. Reading this reminds me of my early college experience (which I still am going through). I felt really bad skipping church when I first did it, and though I got over that, then proceeded to find my way back to God, I find this thought process very relatable. I really like this sub-genre of kind of religious non-religious books that First Second Books has put out! It's so good, and it's honestly really interesting to read about. I cannot wait to pick up my own copy of this.