As should be obvious, just because this book wasn't for me doesn't mean that it won't be for others. I received an e-ARC of this book through Netgalley where it was being marketed as a graphic novel. Jennifer Strange is not a graphic novel and that is not the book's fault. There are illustrations interspersed but it is primarily a YA horror-ish novel which is not a genre I would pick up. Again, this is a reader problem and not a book problem and I realize I'm going into this book at a disadvantage because the genre is already not to my taste. My aim is to be fair to this book in reviewing but the caveat is there.

Jennifer Strange is a book about a teenage girl who is coming to terms with magical abilities she may have, fighting off demons, and uncovering family mysteries along the way. There are the beginnings of a lot of good ideas here. I liked the hints of worldbuilding especially in the types of demons/monsters introduced and the accompanying art. The pacing, for me, was nonsensical. I like that Scully throws you into the world with hints of mystery in the past but after that, it really just did not work for me. The book waffles between mundane events and worldending terror without much ramp-up or cooling down. Truly horrific things happen in this book but they lack tension because no real consequences are ever shown or felt in the characters or in the world other than brief nausea.

I think a more apt comparison than Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark or Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children would be Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Left 4 Dead video game series as it's a bit more campy and less brooding and subtle. So check this book out if you think you'd like a YA story along those lines!

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

This story was amazing!!!! I read it in one sitting! A solid plot with dynamic characters. I wanted to keep reading, needing to know what was next!!!!

I'm sorry, I thought this was a graphic novel vs. an illustrated novel. I'm sure it's great but I was hoping for a comic book. My bad! Stay safe :)