Everything about this book drew me in—the title, the cover, and most of all, the premise. The plot and artwork? They did not disappoint in the slightest.

Isn't it scary to have your next door neighbour be a killer? A Handsome killer that writes you cute notes? If it was me I would bolt. But Shavon doesn't have much a choice. With no money, no job and a police that refuses to listen, he's trapped. To make matters worse he is also being stalked. By the same killer? Or is it someone completely different?

Lewellyn- the killer is kind to him and Shavon certainly isn't used to such kindness. It's eerily similar to Stockholm syndrome. Although it's not like the killer has held him hostage.

Lewellyn's motive remains a mystery. Love? Revenge? Or is he just a twisted psychopath? Why go out of the way to be kind to someone? Even slipping Shavon money under the guise of a proofreading job—correcting grammar in love letters that are clearly fake? (Nice try, Lewellyn. Not fooling anyone.)

All in all this one has me really hooked and I am excited to read more about both Lewellyn and Shavon. Hopefully one of them doesn't end up as a corpse in the next volume.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the Publisher.

This was very weird, tonally. It was just a strange reading experience. I can't really pin down why it was weird, but I think it has something to do with nothing being too much. Everything in here was mild, no one was being creepy enough for me to call them out on it, no one was scarry enough to be frightening, and nothing was romantic enough for me to get those vibes either. Everything was just there and happened. The description hypes the story up way more than is dementated here and I'd be curious to see how volume two escalates things but right now there is kind of just nothing.

With a title like this, you’d think the premise would be straightforward, but the story proves to be much more complex. By the end of the first volume, it feels like we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. Lewellyn is a fascinating character, while the protagonist is someone I pity more than I like—but that only adds to the tension between them, which is executed brilliantly. The art is absolutely gorgeous, and the atmosphere keeps me on edge the entire time. It’s an addictive read, a real page-turner, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the second volume.

This book wasn't really what I expected. I was looking forward to it but was disappointed in the story, the pacing, and the characters. I really wish this felt more like a cohesive book than a webtoon that got published.

I also felt that the tone did not convey the emotions of the main character very well, which I feel is necessary to understand how the character is backed into a corner and making the choices he is. Instead there are just random expository scenes outside of the character that are just convenient enough that they explain away all of the character's actions, or non-action.

This is just the first book in the series so I imagine it may improve but ultimately, I think this story is not for me. I just don't think this story could go anywhere interesting to me with such a passive, uninteresting main character and such an annoying, unlikeable secondary character.

Lewellyn's a freak and I like that. The art style is what drew me in, and while I did go into this mostly blind, I am very interested to know how the story develops. Volume 1 gives us, I think, a good set up for the future plots. I need volume 2 like rn tho

Thanks to NetGalley and Ize Press for the eARC!

Shavonne is a poor ghostwriter who dreams of getting out of a bad neighborhood. After breaking up with his current FWB, he starts running into a neighbor named Lewellyn, who he finds off-putting immediately. The author/artist did a wonderful job making the tension palpable in the scenes with Lewellyn. I was in a constant state of anxiety reading this, as Lewellyn’s demeanor would change on a dime.

This was a super fun (and tense) read and I’ll absolutely be reading the next volume!

I really wanted to love this graphic novel because I was super excited about the new overall concept depicted in the blurb, however I struggled with the pacing and overall plot of this volume. I thought the story moved a little slower than most graphic novels, and while there was a lot of information in this volume, it did not feel as though the plot was furthered. Lastly, Lewellen was incredibly unlikable—some of which I think was purposeful, some of which felt irredeemable.

One other thing I wanted to mention was that a few times Lewellen spoke about Savonne’s boyfriends giving him STIs, and I thought that was maybe a little inappropriate and insensitive for a novel featuring a gay man. This, admittedly, might be a cultural disconnect, but something like that in American culture would come off as queerphobic or derogatory.

The things I did enjoy were the story’s quirkiness, the gorgeous art, and the Shavonne’s surliness. Shavonne was definitely the standout character, in my opinion.

Shavonne is a struggling writer in the worst housing in the city and hoping to get a chance to write his own works instead of ghostwrite for others. He's being stalked, and also has a next door neighbour who appears to be a murderer -- though it's unclear if these two are the same people.

Fascinating and creepy, even borderline gothic (despite the city environment). I felt genuinely very chilled by the ominous overtones of Lewellyn getting Shavonne more and more enmeshed into his life and his debt, and I definitely want to pick up the next volume.

Art was consistent and very pretty, if not overly expressive. And I laughed at how completely useless the cops were; it was both a great way to set up how little recourse Shavonne had and also, you know, yeah. I didn't find the characters entirely believable -- though, as with a gothic story, I didn't need to.

Such a fun read! Art was very nice. Interesting story and plot. I love the mystery and just like Savonne I cant get a good reading on Lewellyn. There was a dead body, but... is he a murderer? The home maintenance guy... he has to be dead right? Llewellyn is such a great character. The author/artist release detail little by little so you know just as much as Savonne, which is awesome becauseit really helps you feel like you are in Savonne's place leading you to want to know more. You know something is up with Llewellyn but just can't put your finger on it. I definitely think he killed the home maintenance guy though. All this to say I really want to know what happens next! Great book! Fans of murder mysteries or mysteries on general should definitely read!

(Slightly rounded up) A promising, if flawed, start for the series about a struggling writer and his mysterious onion-loving (and murderous) neighbour.

The art is really nice, if not as colourful as many other manhwas. The palette, however, feels organic for this particular setting, so the prevalence of browns, blacks and yellows did not bother me at all. For me personally, faces are quite important when I read manga/manhwa/comics - if something bothers me about the faces of the characters, I find it hard to get into the story (they do not have to be attractive, but I do have to find them interesting to look at) - and here the art really worked for me. The contrast with Lewellyn's goofy labrador-like smile and who he really is was quite fun, and Shavonne's grumpiness and insecurities were also nicely drawn.

The overall story/pacing felt a little too episodic for me - we jump from one scene to another to the next - and it did not flow as smoothly as I'd like it to.

The plot itself is quite interesting though - Lewellyn's identity and motivation, his intentions towards Shavonne and, ultimately the biggest mystery for me, the explanation for his onion obsession - I'd love to see where this all is going. I'd also like to find out more about Shavonne's past too, so I will be reading volume 2 for sure.

Overall, I liked the art style and the story intrigued me enough to want to read the follow-up, which I think is a win.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Shavonne lives on a sketchy street in a sketchy area that is being plagued with a string of murders. A creeper and/or Peeping Tom keeps leaving notes on his apartment door. The police are obviously more occupied and concerned with the murders than these weird notes being left on Shavonne’s door. One day, an odd new neighbor appears on the steps of their apartment building and keeps peeling onions every day. The new neighbor, Lewellyn, seems to be slightly infatuated with Shavonne and invites him to dinner.
I'm interested to see how their story will continue.

#ThxNetGalley #Sumnagi #MurderousLewellynsCandlelitDinnerVol1

Shavonne is a struggling ghost writer, barely making ends meet, living in a poor neighborhood that has recently been stalked by a serial killer. To make matters worse, he has an actual stalker who keeps leaving cryptic messages on his door and somehow things actually get worse, he has a strange new neighbor who spends all of his time in front of Shavonne's door peeling onions of all things. As Shavonne struggles to find a job to help him move as away from his weirdo neighbor, he discovers a dark secret about him, one that leaves him trapped and indebted to a murderer.

This definitely has some promise. It's interesting how Shavonne just kinda does whatever Llewellyn says even before he finds out he's a murderer. He really seems like such a pushover, and yeah I guess he's had a pretty hard life so I suppose it makes a bit of sense that he is attracted to this human that's showing him kindness but I think he gives in too quickly. Llewellyn is freaking weird, though. I mean, I can see him being both the serial killer and the stalker on one hand, but on the other, I really can't. I'd lean more towards the stalker than anything, though. Either way, he definitely creeps me out.


I was intrigued enough that I'll read volume two to see where this goes.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for the eArc!

I started reading this manhwa... I dropped it and then picked it up again. And I don't regret a thing. Bring in the doors, because there are plenty of handles.

This type of story has become very popular. There's something very shady going on here; the protagonist knows it, feels it, sees it... and yet there's something that won't let him leave that shady, toxic person. And here we're talking about murder.

The story starts off very slowly, which is why I put it down. But in the last three chapters, some very entertaining things happen, and the plot picks up a dizzying pace, ending with some of the most intense panels.

Eagerly awaiting the next volume. I need to know what happens!

Thank you, Yen Press, for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ooh okay this was very mysterious! I really liked the characters and the strange onion obsession that kept reoccurring. One volume was not enough! I feel like I only got a taste of something delicious and now I want a whole slice.

I don't usually like making comps, but if you enjoy Hannibal, you need to freaking read this ASAP. 😂 I've only read the first volume, but the vibes and tension are immaculate! I loved everything about this volume which covers about 15~ ish episodes (from Lezhin) if you've been looking at the manhwa. It's an extremely slow pace, so you'll have lots of questions (because I did), but I definitely can't wait to continue because I just have to see how this dynamic evolves, and how Shavonne is able to keep up with Lewellyn as the stakes continue to amp up.

The art style is also very nice and I loved the expressions and coloring as well!!!

This was a darkly intriguing story that pulled me in right away. The characters are interesting and I can't wait for vol 2.

I kept seeing this and have been meaning to start it and now that I have I can’t wait to see where this goes. It’s got a mysterious element to it and it seems like one of those storylines where nothing is surface level and there is a deeper meaning to each interaction but we won’t know till later on. Although something like that can be confusing it’s not in this case. The story jumps around day by day but it still flows. The characters are intriguing and I badly want to know them even more. The setting is also perfect and I think it fits well into the theme of the plot. Finding out what is what and who is who is going to be fun.

I also enjoy how Shevon is nervous around Lewellyn but still intrigued by him. It shall make for an interesting romance if there is one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Conan grows up to be wooed by a blond devil. I loved every minute.

I worry the translator was unaware of the spelling "Siobhan". But that's okay, it's only the main character's name.

I actually read this series a while back and requested it once again to see if I would love it as much as I did. The answer, yes!

Although the plot is quite slow in this first book, I urge readers to keep an eye out for the rest of the series. This is a fantastic physiological thriller that feeds into not only ones paranoia but anticipation. The ambience is quite eerie as you begin to slowly piece together what makes this story. I also love the art, I think it fits incredibly well with the atmosphere.

Thank you NetGalley and Yen Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rep: LGBTQ+ (Achillean)

Murderous Lewellyn's candlelit Dinner is a story about Shavonne and his mysterious neighbour who seems like like to peel his onions on the stairs outside of their apartments.

I must say, the plot was very slow and tedious in the beginning half and a lot of the mystery surrounding Shavonne's neighbour fell away quite fast when Shavonne stumbled across a pretty significant secret. This resulted in pacing issues where I was a bit bored with the plot in the middle, but the end seemed to pick the plot back up. However, the second half of the book is completely different in theme than the first half, which I found quite confusing.

I think the characters could do with some more dimension, but it's also only the first volume and the end made it promising for both of the characters to grow.

lastly, the art style was OK. sometimes shots were very detailed and I could enjoy myself scanning all of it, but most of it was a bit bland without details. furthermore, the colours used are browns and blacks, which are widely used for this kind of story, but I think it would've been more impactful to have it black and white, or with more lively colours, like using more contrast.

all in all, I think it's a decent story with a promising ending for a sequel.