Loved this - the artwork was fantastic and I was instantly drawn in by the story. The world-building was fantastic. I was super impressed. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Holy Hell! This was such a good story. Dorthy is a badass and so damn smart! She and her friends followed through on her plan perfectly. I was ecstatic to see her fight and win so many times. I feel like that's a little rare in stories like this. It even sounds like theres going to be a sequel which I'm glad for. This plot and it's characters were so interesting that it warrants having another volume.

"There is no truer justice than that of the purest revenge"

The order of the circle follows Dorothy, a widow who is looking to enact revenge on the order of the circle and the demon that executed her husband after he threatened to expose the extent of their corruption.

I enjoyed the artwork of this graphic novel and I think it fits the tone and the atmosphere of the world well. It was a compelling start to a story and one that I want to see more of.

The world of this comic is rather bleak. It is set in an alternate version of the UK in the 1950's. We never really get much context or world building into the magic system of the world or who the order are. Unfortunately, it is to the stories detriment. I can only hope future volumes explore this more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dead sky publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Thank you to NetGalley and Dead Sky Publishing for providing me with an advance review copy. No magic spells or curses influenced my opinion, I swear!

The Order of the Circle throws readers straight into a post-WW2 London that has been secretly ruled by witches and mages (known as The Circle) since the Middle Ages. Our protagonist is driven by revenge, seeking justice after her husband - who uncovered evidence of The Circle’s corruption - was killed and drawn into Hell.

The comic starts in medias res, which, while not an unusual storytelling choice, might not be everyone’s cup of tea (personally, I prefer a more gradual introduction). The narrative does take time to circle back and provide context, but the pacing may leave some readers wishing for a clearer entry point into this richly imagined world.

And what a world it is - grim, dark, and shrouded in an ominous fog that not only engulfs the streets but also fills hospitals with the sick and dying. The atmosphere is thick with dread, perfectly complementing the mystery and intrigue at the heart of the story. However, while the setting and The Circle itself hint at a deep, fascinating history, the comic only offers occasional glimpses into this grand lore. A bit more worldbuilding would have elevated the story to greater heights.

The sudden ending, paired with a sudden decision by the protagonist, strongly suggests a sequel is on the horizon. However, there's no official confirmation of this in the comic or its promotional materials, so readers should be aware that this is a semi-conclusive story.

Visually, The Order of the Circle is stunning. The artwork echoes the modern styles seen in Italian and French comics, which makes sense given that the colorist and letterer hail from Europe. This artistic choice adds a unique flair to the storytelling, making it a joy to look at even when the story turns bleak.

Ultimately, this comic feels like an intriguing first episode in a much larger narrative, teasing a world brimming with untold stories and secrets. Whether or not we get to explore them further remains to be seen.

Posted on Goodreads , Fable and StoryGraph. No tiktok video since that’s shut down.

4.25/5⭐️

This grief horror graphic novel follows Dorothy who is out for revenge after the circle of witches who condemned her husband to hell for a murder he did not commit.

It’s the 1950s, a deadly smog has London paralyzed and this story unfolds through Dorothy as she works towards getting her revenge. Her grief is palpable in this graphic novel and it’s a hell of a driving force.

The artwork is fantastic and the story brings forth a dark world of politics, gore and terrifying witchiness. I liked it a lot. However I wanted more. There were a few details that were mentioned but not clarified and that was a hell of an open ending. Kind of tragic.

Thank you netgalley, dead sky and creators for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Big fucking wow for this one.
And I mean that in the most positive way.
I am utterly hooked, might even go as far as to say that this is now one of my favourite comics ever.

A story of witch craft and revenge heavy with exposition dumps, that still managed to feel pretty thin on both plot and world building. The main character was well written, but she was really one note. It all feels like more lead up to a series, instead of a satisfying standalone that COULD become one.

On a more positive note, the art is fantastic.

ARC provided by NetGalley & Dead Sky Publishing

In The Order of The Circle a group of magic users all but take control of post-WW2 London if not for the main character's efforts to get revenge. While the art is very intricate and fits the universe so well, be aware that there are plenty of explicitly gory scenes - this book pulls no punches in telling this story, and it's in no way a cheerful one. It's bleak, grounded, mature and at the same time full of glimmers of hope. You'll be instantly drawn in by the compelling characters, fast-paced story and intriguing magic system.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

This was great! Atmospheric, gory at times, and had a very interesting world. It ticks a lot of boxes for what I've been interested in lately (historical fiction with paranormal twist and dark, broody environments/plots), so it was a very satisfying read in that way.

The way the panels are laid out in this is extremely well done. There was a couple spreads that made me stop and remember why graphic fiction is so near and dear to my heart.

Some parts lost me a bit in terms of plot since the story is so focused on Dorothy, but I'm excited to see what happens next.

The Order of the Circle is a grimdark graphic novel with gorgeous artwork that reads like a grown up episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story takes place in an alternate history version of 1952 London that includes both Winston Churchill a powerful magical order called The Circle. The Circle has a deeply evil and demonic vibe, and our protagonist, Dorothy, has sworn to bring them down for their act of dragging her husband to hell.

This volume read perfectly as a complete episode and left enough intrigue at the end to make readers interested in where the story goes next. I especially loved the inclusion of some concept and in-progress art at the back, this is one of my favorite things to find in graphic novels.

I'd recommend The Order of the Circle to fans of graphic novels including alternative history, grimdark power struggles, and magic systems.

As a warning, his book has extremely gruesome, graphic imagery and readers should check content warnings before entering.

2.5 Stars

This is just fine. It had an interesting premise of someone literally willing to descend into the depths of hell to avenge their slain lover but this didn't do it for me. The story jumps around a bit too much and I would have preferred to slow it down just a little bit so that we could get a little more backstory on our characters.

This was cool! I loved the art style, the moody colors were so pretty. It’s horror, so it is gory but I like that! I liked all the characters and the setting for the story. For sure would read more from this author and the artists!

1952 London, deadly fog, ghosts, witches, & bloody revenge: love it! The Circle is an agency of witches and mages who protect London, unfortunately they also tend to abuse their power. Dorothy's husband John was unjustly accused of murder and put to death and Dorothy is pissed, and seeing John's ghost. She plots her revenge against the circle and the demon who dragged John to hell. A bit gory in parts, but the art is lovely overall and I really liked the story. Hope to see more of this in the future.

this definitely feels like the beginning of something bigger. the world is intriguing and I'm eager to get to know it and it's characters better.

This story was short but pretty good! It's a fast-paced and gory tale of revenge against those who wronged her and her husband. I really appreciated that it was a reversal of the standard "Dead Wife" trope, and instead is a grieving wife avenging her dead husband. This story focuses solely on Dorothy and her plans for revenge. Unfortunately, this means there is very little world-building, which is a pity because I'm honestly fascinated with the small bits I saw of this world. Dorothy was such a realistic character. She's not suddenly a badass ala John Wick in her quest for revenge. She has setbacks, and she mentally struggles to the point of tears with the things she has to do in order to exact her plan. She feels very much like a person who was once an average woman, but now has nothing left to lose, and won't let herself stray from the path of revenge, no matter how bloody it gets. This story does get pretty gory at points, but even the story points out how disgusting it is at times. I enjoyed the art as well! The page flow was excellent, and I was always certain what was happening in a scene. The only downside is that this story is so short, that certain elements get glossed over or just ignored. I really would have loved if this story was slightly longer so certain world-building blocks could have been expanded on slightly. Also, this story ends on a cliffhanger. So is there meant to be a second volume?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Really interesting concept, I wish it was a bit longer. The story seems a bit jammed together, a little more exhibition would spread things out a bit more. Overall enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this foray into an alternate-world London with sorcery and a secret society infiltrating the government. I am incredibly intrigued by this world and by these characters, and I do hope the series continues! Dorothy is a very compelling main character, and her quest to get revenge on the people who condemned her husband to Hell was an interesting one.

I will admit, despite my enjoyment, the pacing of this graphic novel felt a little too fast, with a bit too much information packed into the 106 pages. Perhaps the pacing of the story will be remedied when more installments are added.

Publication date: February 18, 2025

Initially the gorgeous cover is what drew me in and once I read the summary I was so excited to read this story! The illustrations are captivating and beautifully drawn. The plot is a little jarring at first. I felt like I was just kind of thrown into it without any context. However, as I kept reading, things started to come together better. I think the story had a lot of potential, it just felt a bit rushed and the writing style wasn't my favorite. The characters were good, we just don't have a lot of time with them to develop any feelings! Overall it was a good read and I'm hoping this will be a series so the story can be a bit more fleshed out!

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this graphic novel as an ARC! I greatly appreciate it!

What better way to get a leg up on my yearly reading goal than with a graphic novel? They're so quick! And this one was a really great choice, because it was excellent! It was exciting and gruesome and thoroughly intriguing, and I'm so hoping with that ending that we'll eventually get a sequel! The art style was gorgeous, too, the romance was tragic, and I really thought the use of animals in magic was fascinating!

Half a star taken off for bad grammar, though. Where are the commas? It was super distracting.

4.5 stars out of five for The Order of the Circle!

When I got approved for this comic I was super exited. The story sounded amazing and I thought I would love it.

On the positive side I love the art of this comic. It is haunting and beautiful and very well done. I think it matches the tone of the story well and the artist did an amazing job.

I just couldn’t get into the overall story at all. At a little over halfway into the story I realized I was bored and confused and I just didn’t want to read anymore. There are multiple timelines and normally I like that in a story but I just had a hard time figuring out what the heck was going on.

I’m sure this has an audience but this clearly isn’t for me. Fans of horror might like this but I’m honestly not sure if I recommend it. DNF.