Netgalley graciously provided me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is one that has appeal across different age groups - the stories are creepy enough for adults but not so creepy that will freak out teens or even slightly older kids. However, I think that is why I did not score it higher - it's only OK but not as scary as I was hoping for. I do, though, like the fun twist at the end!

“This is a story about a person’s death. It just hasn’t happened yet.” Those chilling words set the tone for The Harrowing Game, a striking graphic novel by author and illustrator Antoine Revoy. A young girl makes her way up the steps and into an unfamiliar bathroom, where she’s greeted by a boy in a clawfoot tub and an old woman peering out from the mirror. The boy explains that every night, a game with three players is played. Each takes a turn telling a story to the other two, and the scariest story wins. Each player is assigned a lump of sugar and the winner - who gets to leave the purgatorial bathroom - will be decided by a buzzing fly and which corresponding lump of sugar she feeds on. The three stories that follow are harrowing, indeed. In between each round, the girl remembers a little more about who she is, where she came from, and how she arrived here. And after the final story, a twist of fate delivers a fourth player and the prospect of long-delayed justice. Most unsettlingly, throughout it all an unsuspecting family plays a board game on the ground floor of the house while the game goes on upstairs. Revoy’s artwork is rendered in pencil, pen, and ink, setting an appropriately austere tone. While The Harrowing Game may not appeal to every reader, fans of graphic novels in the horror genre will love it.

What a creepy and confusing time. I think I liked this? But I’m not entirely sure I know what happened by the end. The concept was really interesting though!

I’m a big Junji Ito fan and this graphic novel had a lot of those vibes. I loved it and the layered storytelling. The illustrations were fantastic and wonderfully creepy. Highly recommend.

This graphic novel was such a pleasant surprise - as someone who is a manga enthusiast and really appreciates Junji Ito, I was smiling ear to ear while I read it.