Actual rating: 4.5
Ahh the watercolors in here were so pretty! I really loved Novgorodoff's use of color to portray emotion and the different times of day. I didn't really like how the characters were drawn, but I think the landscapes and buildings balanced out the slightly Burton-esque characters.
There were a couple parts of the story that I thought dragged a bit (like the monks temple) but overall, it was a very entertaining tale. I really enjoyed the folklore-feel of the story. It was very atmospheric! I've never read anything quite like it, but would definitely read more! ( )

I had to look up the premise of this story, because I didn't know if the article referenced at the beginning about ghost weddings and modern day crime was made up. Turns out it wasn't, which means the twisted path of this story is based on some pretty disturbing facts. Even so, I wasn't convinced Deshi's desperation and grief would lead him to actively pursue murdering someone to alleviate it, and that caused some initial qualms about the story.

I liked the runs of panels without dialogue; they strengthened the mood and gave a strong sense of the journey the characters were on. The author also has wonderful visual comic timing I loved it each time someone dropped out of Lily's father's search party.

The story, even with its flashes of humor, was dark enough that I really didn't know what I was in for as I progressed through the book. The fortune telling scene made me think someone was going to end up dead (besides Wei). I was glad when it turned out to be a fake death.

Wasn't sure about this at first, but I ended up liking it, and I plan to check out her other work.

( )

I had such high expectations for this, but in the end I just didn't like it very much. I loved the watercolor styling of the cover artwork and hoped for similar art throughout, but most of the panels are more of a cartoon-ish style. ( )

The author read a story in the Economist about ghost brides and a market for female corpses to accompany their deceased sons, so the sons won't have to live their afterlife alone. Danica spun a story around this story.

This is a real page turner. I read this in about an hour. But wasn't particularly memorable. ( )

diverse graphic novel (set in rural China)
talented storytelling with eye-catching watercolor hues. Looking forward to reading more books from this author/artist. ( )