When nineteen year old Ashley wakes up in the woods covered in blood... the last thing she expects is to find out she's undead... and now needs live meat, has no heart beat... oh and is fully coming face to face with the paranormal community in her town. Ashley has no idea what happened to her and why she's become a zombie but she soon finds herself meeting werewolves, vampires, and so many other creatures in her town. Then there's the issue of her trying to figure out what happened to her and when the truth comes out... can she accept it? This was a really interesting graphic novel and story that deals with trauma and anxiety and Ashley's journey was a a fantastic read. I definitely had fun reading this one and would highly recommend it!

Release Date: July 8, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Oni Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Ashley Moore wakes up in the forest one day, only to discover that she is dead and probably shouldn't have woken up at all. With no idea how this happened or how she got there, she manages to stumble home. From there, she has to figure out how to live whilst being undead. This graphic novel was honestly super interesting! Ashley already had an entire plan laid out for herself: keep her head down, get into college, and get the hell out of her dinky hometown. Becoming undead completely flips this plan on its head and leaves her scrambling. Watching Ashley trying to navigate her new life was interesting and very gory. She slowly gets involved with the community of supernatural beings who live in her hometown and gets some help along the way. I enjoyed the mystery of how she died being prevalent in the background of the story for the entire novel, and that you finally get all of the answers neatly done at the very end. I also ADORED the art style! The expressions were done wonderfully, and the gore was legitimately disturbing.

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

Meat Eaters was an awesome mix of horror and dark humor, found family, and a creepy-cute art style that had me hooked from the first page.

A short read, but packed with lots of emotions and I loved the underlying themes of mental health, of struggling with ptsd and/or depression.

A fun story, perfectly gory and creepy and unexpectedly compelling.

Oh, now this was such a treat! Going in blind based purely on the striking cover art was definitely the right choice for me; I was put right into Ashley's shoes of stumbling into the story, seeking answers and piecing things together bit by bit. But where our protagonist is (rightfully) terrified of her newfound circumstances, I was electrified the whole way through. The way McClaren renders blood and gore is visceral and tactile without compromising the cartoony simplicity of the art style. I was particularly taken with the backgrounds and environmental details! Plot-wise, this book offers just enough to get the gears turning while leaving plenty still on the table for the reader to speculate about. The characters are easy to understand and communicate their vibe at a glance, which is a must when telling a complete story in a single volume, but that isn't to say they lacked depth! The way this cast comes together and relates to one another, how all of us might on some level feel like we don't have "it," was a big highlight for me. All told, a short, sweet, spooky way to spend an evening that gives you plenty to chew on! The only thing I could ask for is more, more, more!

A Ghoulish Story Full of Heart (and GORE)!

Meat Eaters is a heart-warming story guaranteed to pull at your emotions. It is full of found family, healing, and finding yourself. I think that Meredith McClaren has crafted a genuinely beautiful story, and the illustrations help to bring this story to another level. Readers can dive into this story with little to no understanding of the world because discovering the twists and turns as they are revealed makes this universe come to life. There is a secret underground paranormal world right behind closed doors and it just was such a vibrant take on the classic vampires, werewolves, and witches (oh my!). You absolutely should be tuning into this graphic novel because the final message is sure to warm your heart and be something you won't forget!