Tanith works at a totally not Disney fairytale theme park, suddenly upgrading to princess after the current Briar Rose has a public drinking spree. She takes the stage, only to end her shift finding the last princess asleep forever. As she uncovers more clues with a friend and the bodies start to mount, she has to try to stay alive while saving her friends and stopping this fairytale serial killer.

This book gave me Scooby Doo meets mascot horror, and was a lot of fun, if a little gruesome with some of the deaths. But, of course, the fairytales themselves are pretty harsh, so who’s surprised there. Throw a few twists in there and we had a pretty solid adventure of a graphic novel.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
This was an interesting story that I honestly found to be… too much? It was predictable and strange. Not in the way I usually like. The art was really nice and I enjoyed the colors. Even the gore was tasteful in my opinion. My trouble was with the story itself.
2.5 ⭐️(rounded up)

Unfortunately, this graphic novel didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The premise was genuinely intriguing — a slasher story unfolding in a Disney-inspired theme park, where a mysterious killer is hunting down the park’s characters, eliminating them one by one in ways that mirror the dark twists of the original fairy tales. It had all the elements for an exciting, fast-paced read, but sadly, the execution just didn’t deliver. Despite this promising setup, I found the plot to be quite dull and lacking in suspense or engagement. It simply didn’t hold my interest the way I had hoped.

That being said, I still appreciate the creative idea behind this graphic novel, and I’m grateful to have had the chance to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for providing me with a review copy of this book.

I thought the premise and originality of the story was great. Some of the execution could use some work, but I'm excited to see more by this author.

Tanith is a train conductor at Storybook Kingdom in Florida who gets drafted into the role of Brier Rose when the regular cast member has a public meltdown. But then Tanith discovers her dead body and thing just spiral from there! As the bodies mount up, Tanith tries to discover who is behind these murders while not ending up behind bars herself or worse - dead! Can she figure out what is happening in time to escape? Join her on her adventure and find out! Really makes you want to work at a theme park!

Thanks Netgalley and Mad Cave for the chance to read this title!

2.75 Stars

This graphic novel was alright. The concept for a slasher murder mystery in a Disney-esque theme park sounded really fun and original. Unfortunately the execution of the story didn’t blow me away. It was an interesting quick read and the art style was unique, but it felt like it was missing suspense and tension since the story was so short. Because of how short it was, the plot felt rushed since it took place over one day and around three shifts, so I don’t think we got to spend enough time with the characters for them to be very fleshed out. This in turn didn’t make me feel very connected to the characters when they were murdered or really feel like the character relationships were believable. Overall the story was fine for why it is but I think there was so much potential that could have been explored if it was longer and focused more on developing the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Mad Cave Studios for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Fairytales, gore

It was very rushed. I like the artwork, though. I like that they are Grimm stories. It had potential but missed the mark for me.

I loved the description for this book and the cover. Unfortunately, I really didn't like how it was done.
I found the story hard to follow as we went, though maybe that was because I just wasn't into it. Some of the kills in it were cool, the mermaid pool one was pretty good, but the rest of the story just didn't do it for me.
Digital copy was provided by NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC!

The illustrations and colouring were beautiful and really well done, even if (in my opinion) the 17 year old was drawn like a full grown adult woman. The premise was really interesting, and ticked all boxes for me; commentary on consumerism and capitalism, morbid twist on Disneyland, characters dying gory deaths in an ode to the original fairytales. Unfortunately I found the characters to be quite shallow and forgettable, which made it difficult to keep track of them given how many are introduced. As with many graphic novels, I wish it were more fleshed out, a mini-series instead of a one-off. The ending felt rushed, and the 'cliffhanger' did not hold any suspension for me. I don't have an interest in reading the potential sequel.

3/5

This story is a rollercoaster ride through a deadly amusement park where fairy tales come to life in the most terrifying ways — literally.

This a thrilling plunge into a nightmarish theme park where fairy tales take a deadly turn. Set in Florida’s Storybook Kingdom, based off of Disney, we follow our main character through the park trying to stop a murdering spree.

I enjoyed seeing the park’s various sections, each with its own unique ambiance. It is an interesting idea to have these characters dying how they did in the original fairytale stories. The commentary on Disney and consumerism was definitely there. This was a full color graphic novel, and I especially liked the more detailed artwork at the beginning, end, and in between scenes.

As a warning, there are lot of gruesome depictions of the murders with blood and gore.

Ultimately, this is a unique blend of art, mystery, and horror in graphic novel form. It is a pretty quick and short read, so if it interests you, I’d say to pick it up.

This was fine, but not what I was expecting from the blurb. I wanted teens trapped overnight in a theme park getting murdered one by one, and that's not what this is. This is workers getting murdered at a theme park while it is open and only one person knows and is trying to do anything about it. I didn't see the murderer coming though, I'll give it that.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

💭 My Thoughts

While this book did have a promising premise, the execution of it truly fell flat. The plot bounced around so much that it was hard to follow at times. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any sort of development. The artwork however did match well with the horror-vibes of the storyline (even if the deaths themselves felt rushed). I did enjoy all of the references to Walt Disney World and the Grimms fairytales. I actually think the idea of having each killing be based off a fairytale is extremely clever, and I wish it could have been executed more smoothly.


Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the arc. This was okay! Its about a collected comic about storybook themed amusement park worker who is after a masked serial killing character. This was a great idea but it just didnt hit like I was expecting. I loved the art it was great, colorful and inticing. The storyline just felt rushed which made somethings confusing to understand. I wish there was more breathing room in between these crazy adrenaline- spiking events that occur. It would have given time to process what has happened and understand the situations better. But I did like the story overall, there was more than enough to keep me reading. A 3.75 star for me.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the free graphic novel!

I tried getting into it and like it was pretty confusing like you feel that you don’t get a chance to know the main lead as a character and her goal to save the amusement park from this random Alice in wonderland-like wanna be killer 🤷🏻‍♀️

It’s literally choppy and literally not great as a story even if it’s meant to be a good idea…

Murder Kingdom is a graphic novel where a serial killer is running rampant in an Grimm amusement park, and is killing off the cast that are the "Characters".

The vivid colors and expressions/mannerisms in this graphic novel are on par with others of the same genre. The story line was unique and the different ways that the characters were murdered, which some were grotesque and almost over the top, which is what you would expect from the theme park murderer.

The mystery was one that I didn't see coming, but once it was revealed it did make sense. I liked how it ended as it was, without giving too much away, it finished this story arc, but did leave it open for more if needed.

I loved how unique the story line of this was. It tells a very compelling story while also poking fun at fairytale park stereotypes. It was a fun read. I look forward to reading more.

Tanith likes working at Roy Oswalds Theme Park, Storybook Kingdom(a giant disney world joke) but it has its days
working the rollarcoaster, tanith is ready to put in her 2 weeks when the casting managers pulls her aside and says she is needed to play Briar Rose! only problem the last one was just murdered in front of tanith moments ago!
soon tanith and her best friend richard are trapped in the theme park while someone is running around in a mask killing the cast members in true grimm tales fashion
they must work together to find the person behind the mask and save storybook kingdom

I was deeply unsettled while reading this. The art style was gorgeous and added to the eerie atmosphere of the plot. I greatly enjoyed reading this, and loved the contrast between the bright colors of an amusement park that was joined with the dark palette of a horror story. The main character Tanith was smart, but not a genius, and that made watching her figure out the mystery and how to stay alive even more entertaining.

I can see where Lente was heading with this one, but I think it misses the mark overall.
This story felt rushed and unresolved. I enjoyed that it was about theme parks and the whole phenomenon that goes on with Disney and their need to be perfect. I think if this was handled better, it would have been amazing. The killing was rushed, every character was selfish, and nothing was explained.
I did like the art and quote at the beginning of each chapter. It was great that the killer took inspiration from Grimms instead of playing off Disney's stories. Do I think that the main character was a mouthpiece for the author? Yes. And do I think that it should have been in an author's note instead of in the middle of a mystery? Also yes. I was hoping for a theme park murder and mayhem, but instead it was rushed deaths and no surprises.

Murder Kingdom by Fred Van Lente is a quirky, offbeat graphic novel that's equal parts fun and strange. Imagine visiting Disney World, but with a twist, there’s a murderer on the loose, and the performers are forced to stay in character. The absurdity of it all leads to some genuinely hilarious moments, and it's clear the writer is in on the joke. The art is vibrant and captures a modern, fairytale-like feel, which adds to the overall charm. While the story is decent and the visuals are solid, it’s an enjoyable experience that doesn’t quite leave a lasting impression.