Sacred Lamb involves one of my personal favorite horror tropes: it follows "final girls" (or, in this case "Eves") after their slasher run-ins. Unfortunately, I didn't think it was executed so well in this instance! The characters all felt pretty flat and shallow, and we didn't get to see much of the trauma response that you would expect from portrayals of characters who have undergone such awful circumstances. I'm not saying I enjoy seeing final girls suffer, but it's only realistic to expect more awareness and concern from these women than what we got.

I also have to admit that the art was not my cup of tea at all, and some of the plot pieces felt like threads that never quite tied up. I was left with quite a few questions in the end, and then the abrupt cliffhanger was a bit pointless as well. There's also something to be said about the casual inclusion of a cis gay man in the "women's group" and the trope of the magical Black woman saving the day, but by now you're getting the gist.

All of that aside, I was intrigued enough to stay invested in the story, I enjoyed Kellyn as a main character (especially getting to see her delve into what led her to become an influencer in the first place), and I always love seeing women rooting each other on, especially in the face of misogyny.

Despite having a few redeeming qualities, at the end of the day, the good didn't outweigh the bad for me with Sacred Lamb, and I won't be recommending this title when there are so many other better horror graphics in the world.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

This was just not great. It needed to have fewer characters and tighten up. It was a love letter to Brian Edward Hill’s Postal but didn’t really live up to it. Loved the effort though.

I enjoyed this book less than I hoped I would when I requested it, but more than I thought I was going to after the first 30 pages or so. I enjoyed the clarity of the art style (I never had trouble telling the characters apart) and the concept was phenomenal. That said, occasional beats rang awkwardly for me, and the message was a bit muddy in places. That said, if this is ever adapted for screen I'd love to see it (except, and this is very subjective, I'd skip the last page or so).

It's been a long while since i've read a graphic novel I wasn't able to put down.

Sacred Lamb is a gory thriller about slasher surivors who are taken to a secret town in a "witness protection" esque program to escape and heal from the trauma of their serial killer run ins.
The graphic novel uses so many horror elements which just brough the story together, final girls, killers who just keep comin back, suss towns + gore with added uniqueness.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Read this if you like: Meta horror, slashers, final girls
A twisted graphic novel take on the genre, centring around a supposed safe haven for survivors of deliciously
trope-y killers. But every slasher needs a sequel - can Sacred Lamb keep its final girls safe?

I moved from liking it and not liking it all throughout my reading of the graphic novel. First I though it was an interesting take on the Final Girl trope. Then it’s giving too much of the trope. One time it says what I feel about the horror genres, next I could tell so much that it was written by a man.

I first gave it a higher rating and now I’m thinking just a solid 3 star rating. Middle of the road, average etc. The 3-star rating is honestly very versatile so with Sacred Lamb because while I was reading I thought 3 star but more towards 4. Then when I finished it I thought “Nope, this is definitely closer to the early stages of 3 stars. Or like 2.5 to 3 stars.” I decided to just give it 3 because in the end it did focus on horror, the different aspects and elements of it, which I did like.

What I really liked was the different “eras” shown amongst all the Final Girls – the babysitter – though I guess it’s also the “home invasion” horror genre as a whole? I was waiting for a Haunted House or Exorcism Final Girl but oh well. Can’t have everything. I did want some type of Final Girl from a Final Destination/Wrong Turn/I Know What You Did Last Summer genre – which would fall under the slasher sub-genre, I suppose? I love all three of those movie franchises) and was waiting for one of those (the Final Girl) to show up.

I liked the illustrations and way they were shown – I did like that they weren’t visibly perfect. I think a lot of the times in horror movies the female characters are always in tight clothing, hair’s messed up but still looks great. Even when they’re running away from the murderer they look super perfect. And I don’t want that! I want messy protagonists – like physically messy – because looking super hot is a thing in horror movies. Either the Final Girl is a virgin and innocent or she’s sexy even when she’s in danger. I just want messiness!

I didn’t really connect much with the main character? I think her whole thing about being an Influencer is fine, but she was… famous for just unboxing things? That just sounds like Brooklyn from Camp Cretaceous for me and I’d much rather watch that. I liked “The Babysitter” much more and would’ve preferred her to be the main character – even though that would’ve changed the plot around a lot.

Sacred Lamb is a twisted, bloody, meta-horror graphic horror novel that will thrill the fans of slasher flicks and novels. The superb artwork has almost an eerie film-like feel to it and is well detailed and creative. Essentially the plot centers around a "treatment center" for the final girls (called "Eves") of real-life slasher nightmares, in order to avoid any sequels to from their real-life killers. Sacred Lamb, however, might just be the opposite of a safe haven, and no one is safe. This was a truly superb graphic novel and I highly recommend it to horror fans!

This was...something. I was intrigued by the premise, and thought I'd enjoy the book. I did finish it, but from middle to end, everything was rushed and there was a fair bit that made no sense at all. I do think it might be enjoyed by some, but overall I'm not sure I can personally recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Sacred Lamb by Tim Seely and Jelena Đorđević-Maksimović. 

I enjoyed the concept of Sacred Lamb, but did at times find it a bit predictable. 

The art was super spooky and reminded me of the 80s horror tape covers. A dun read for horror lovers!

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for giving me a chance to read this graphic novel. I’m going to say it…..all the characters look like the Easter Island heads with no emotion and have big heads. It was literally ugly and the story was confusing to understand.

I don't even remember what possessed me to ask for this book back in August 2022. I only finished reading this graphic novel so I could confidently eview it and try to steer others away from my mistake. Really, really wish I could give it zero stars but one is damning enough I suppose.

I have no idea what the hell is up lately with men enjoying writing stories about "final girls", AKA torture porn for the girls who were already torture porn'd. Usually these stories or books, when handled by women or a man who has a woman in his life that he actually listens to, can have some wonderful moments in them, powerful moments but this just... felt like one weak attempt. 

Not even twenty percent in and one of the male characters is already looking at the main character and, rather than saying "you're like a celebrity to these people!" he was written to say "you're like a porn star". And later, this same character is tied up in wrapping paper and nearly sexually assaulted. Weeee men stop writing female sexual assault stoylines 2023. I don't care who helped you, it's always tone deaf and I'm always left laughing at how stupid you sound.

I have nothing good or nice to say other than don't read it. There's so many other quality stories you could be reading, written by women or nonbinary people or by men about men, who want their rage and anger to be heard. Not some bullshit done in the name of... i don't know, whatever this garbage was.

Unfortunately I had to dnf- i didn't like the art and the story made me cringe too much to continue.

well that was brutal.
Sacred Lamb is a pretty gory thriller/horror about a secret town with the same name in the middle of nowhere for slasher survivors. Some victims have been in the facility for decades, but we learn of Sacrad Lamb's existence along with Kellyn West, the famous unboxing influencer. After she survives an attack by her slasher and is assigned to stay in the city for her own safety.
 
In parts, the graphic novel feels reminiscent of 80s horror movies, even the illustrations resemble the classic, grimy style of old comic books.

I felt like the story opened up very dynamic and thrilling, but when the supernatural elements were introduced, it pretty much lost me completely.

Not something I would usually pick up, but I wouldn't say I regret reading it.

Sacred Lamb's plot is very interesting - and was the reason I requested the ebook - a sanctuary for serial killers' victims, known as Endemic Victims, or just Eves, built to keep them safe and discourage the emergence of copycats or even new "unknown to science" versions of the killers themselves. 
The story starts with a lot of action, the first scene already being the protag, Kellyn, fighting her agressor, and finding out about the existence of Sacred Lamb when she's sent there. Right away we noticed lots of problems there, from the guards that don't seem concerned with the victims' safety to attacks between the residents. But, after Kellyn's arrival, and getting to know a bit about the other victims' stories, everything gets a bit rushed and starts making less and less sense, with the addition of some supernatural elements that don't really fit the narrative and one absurd thing happening right after another, until we get to an ending that tries to be incredible shocking but that, even if I didn't see it coming, doesn't make the story neither more interesting nor nicer. 
To wrap it up there's a bit of "girl power" thrown over everything, and an opening for a sequel that I don't find necessary. It started really well, but went downhill.

This was an interesting take on the final girls' trope.  I got walking dead meets final girl support group vibes from it. I just wish is was a bit longer. I felt like the story was rushed and the influencer stereotype was a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Umm I really didn't love this. The art was... fine but not really my taste. The story was also kinda confusing in parts and I guess I just really didn't like the point that the author was trying to make. Overall this was sadly a bit of a mess :(

compelling idea, but personally the story dragged and the artwork wasn’t my style. a horror story but with no real pull to it.

A decent idea with a horrible execution. This is supposed to be a horror graphic novel following survivors of serial killers that can't be killed.

I saw "meta-horror" and I immediately thought of the movies Scream and The Cabin in The Woods, both of which I loved, however, this failed miserably. 

The action made no sense, nothing was explained, and the characters were one-dimensional. The "commentary" on the genre did not exist. It did all the things that don't age well in other books or movies and that was it.

The art style was ok, but not good enough to look at to save the whole book.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

What can happen if you put all slasher and serial killer survivors in the same town? This book explores it. There are parts that will cause you to jump in your seat and others where you'll think you have it all figured out. I enjoyed this and can it becoming a cult classic like the Scream series.

First, a huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Sacred Lamb is a phenomenal meta-horror story that brings to life everything horror fans love about the final girl (survivor) trope. It focuses on Sacred Lamb, a secret town where survivors of slasher killers reside in a "witness protection" program in order to stop innocents from being murdered when the sequels occur and their respective slashers return from the dead to seek revenge.

This twisted and gore-filled graphic novel is sure to delight all slasher movie fans and leave them eagerly awaiting a sequel. The artwork is beautifully done and richly detailed, a truly wonderful meta-horror graphic novel.