I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and DC Comics for giving me access.

Anything from the Hill House Comics collection is a win for me. I loved how dark and disturbing this story was. There was some predictable plotholes, but overall it kept me interested. Definitely and area for the story to continue.

Honestly, I didn't enjoy this one. I thought the artwork was too lumpy and dark. The story itself is... well, it's a story. I feel like it's an over-done concept, and while it was trying to be feminist, it just came off a desperate stab at being progressive, rather than genuinely so. Overall, meh.

It's not that I didn't enjoy this Victorian demon-drama, but rather that I felt it too shaky. The plotting is a bit confusing, the story rather rote and predictable. BUT the imagery is *astounding* and super reminiscent of the spooky fun had by the makers of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE: there are ghosts, demons, shadows, spooks on every page, in just about every frame of this comic. Finding them was ultimately more fun than the linear progression of the story itself! So this is one to have a lovely look over, but maybe not the winner of the Hill House line.

This is a fun entry into the Hill House Comics line-- a creepy story that definitely feels very Gothic Victorian in its ideas, art style, and twists. Though the story felt like quite a few other Gothic stories, it was still a lot of fun and brought in some interesting elements that felt much more like the Satanic Panic of the 1970s and 80s.

The art was a bit underwhelming & it was not exactly my favorite period setting. The vibe of the story-the creepy spirits-were very interesting. I do wish they had been more nefarious & less prone to what seemed like just pranks. I just wasn't drawn into the characters, so it was hard to get invested in the story.

This was my least favorite of the Hill House Comics so far. I just wasn't as drawn into the story and didn't find it as scary, interesting, or action packed as the previous ones.

I was confused by the characters in this book, and it felt unresolved. Daphne was a confusing character, as she seemed to believe in some paranormal but not in others. I was sympathetic to her mother, yet it seemed that other characters were not. I also didn't have a sense of resolution in her father's circumstances of death.

Another solid title from Hill House Comics. Lots of familiar elements--bereaved widow taken advantage of by spiritualist, daughter who sees spirits and knows more than she can tell--in a solidly told tale by Laura Marks. The real winner here is the art by Kelley Jones. This is the best his art has looked in years, helped a great deal by the fact that he is inking himself. It gives the art a rougher, darker quality that many of his slicker inkers have missed out on. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Set in the Gilded Age of New York, specifically 1886, Daphne Byrne tells the story of the eponymous 14-year-old girl dealing with the recent loss of her father and a mother who is of little help and struggling with the loss of her husband in her own unhealthy way. Daphne is forced to grow up quickly. Not only must she find a way to deal with her own grief, she must also protect her mother from a group of people who may be trying to take advantage of her during this vulnerable time. Complicating things further is a strange entity known only as “Brother.” Is he real? A ghost? A figment of Daphne’s imagination? And can his advice be trusted?

This is another tale from author Joe Hill’s Hill House Comics pop-up imprint from the mature-readers’ DC Black Label. While not as successful as Hill’s Basketful of Heads or M.R. Carey’s The Dollhouse Family, two other Hill House Comics books, this one still has several things going for it. First is Kelley Jones’s art. It is incredibly creepy and perfect for this story. Though his characters’ facial expressions can, at times, be a bit awkward and inconsistent, the inspired scenes of shadows, monsters lurking under the bed, and seances gone wrong more than make up for it. Laura Marks’s story sets up many scenes for Jones to shine. The pacing, however, is problematic. The first half really is a slow burn. That itself is usually not a problem if the setup is filled with character-driven moments that make us care about what will happen when the story inevitably picks up pace later. Unfortunately, Marks saves most of her best character work until the second half of the story, which is also when the pace picks up considerably, making everything feel rushed during this half. And while there are attempts at exploring deeper themes like gender and societal roles and grief, they are superficial and ephemeral. I can’t help but feel Marks missed some opportunities to help readers better connect with her protagonist. There really is a good story here; it’s just a shame that it’s told so unevenly.

Overall, I am glad I read this story. It’s so wonderful that DC Comics has tapped Joe Hill to curate what is turning out to be a very diverse range of horror tales. While it is not my favorite book from Hill House Comics, I’m sure many other readers, especially fans of Victorian and Gilded Age horror, will find a lot to like here.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was ultimately a disappointment to me. The story was fairly generic and predictable. I do not know if this was meant to be the end of the series or if there will be more issues in the future, but the overall ending felt shallow.

While the monster designs are nice, most of the art work is rough. Too many shadows, especially on the character faces. Because of this, some characters look completely different between panels. This also makes the book look dark and muddy overall.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to someone I didn't know was already a huge fan of period horror pieces.

One of the best things about the Hill House Comics label is the sheer variety of horror its producing. There is truly something for every horror reader under this umbrella. Daphne Byrne wasn't quite my horror cup of tea, but I definitely know who I could recommend it to.

A historical fiction hearkening back to the spiritualism craze of the Victorian era, Daphne Byrne twists together a Rosemary's Baby-esque story featuring the titular character's mother and a more nebulous possession storyline with Daphne herself. My main critique of this book is that it feels like it could have been two complete volumes really focused on each of those stories; as it is, Daphne's story especially feels like it gets short shrift, and I couldn't always follow the leaps in logic necessary for it. The art excels in depicting the supernatural in an eerie, creepy way, but falls short when it comes to distinguishing character faces (I found the character visuals to be inconsistent enough that it was hard sometimes to pinpoint who was who).

Overall, Daphne Byrne strikes a lovely, spooky tone, while falling short on some of the details.

Kelley Jones of Swamp Thing, Deadman and The Sandman is a master of the supernatural spin and Daphne Byrne is tale that seems written with him in mind (by TV writer Laura Marks), with the cobbled and gaslit 19th-century New York City for him to drape in shadows and gowns. The adventure concerns the titular Daphne who, following the sudden death of father, reaches for him across the void and finds more than she had expected. As she seeks to discredit a group of occultists that have ensnared her mother, Daphne discovers dark secrets about herself and unleashes fierce reprisals.

Lavishly gruesome, full of flesh and bone, Daphne Byrne is a pacy and stylish supernatural yarn full of manipulative characters illustrated by a master of a macabre.

A 19th century Rosemary's Baby combined with a possession story. The story didn't quite come together. However, Kelley Jones's art is made for this kind of story.

not bad. i liked the story ok but personally not a fan of the art. the creepy sequences were well done but i did not enjoy how the humans were drawn - sloppy and unpleasant.

What an intriguing, gothic horror story. After the death of her father, Daphne Byrne must grow up quickly when her mother loses herself in the guidance of spiritualists and the family’s funds start to dry up. The girls at school think she’s weird and she feels alone, that is, until a demon shows up. “Brother” guides Dahpne through these abilities she has always shunned, assuring her she’s not going mad, and he encourages her to unleash what’s always been inside of her.

I read this one last week, an issue or two per night at the end of long, taxing days, and what a treat. I LOVE the Hill House Comics line, and I hope there will be more soon. Horror is one of my favorite (if not my favorite genre), and I love it when these elements pop up in well orchestrated comics.

The art is really cool, very moody, and I love the more horrific images. The alt covers in between each issue are stunning as well. The story is creepy and has some cool twists and turns. I love Daphne’s character development, and enjoyed seeing her transformation into someone who will stand up for herself. There are some cool, classic feminist themes as they relate to the horror genre, and I love a good period piece.

Overall, this was the perfect choice for me, and I can’t wait to read it again when it’s actually Fall outside. All things spooky. All the time, please.

not for me. I was more interested in the description then the actual story itself. The art style wasn’t my favorite and the storyline didn’t always hold my attention either.

I loved this! I thought it was great. The story was creepy, the artwork was great, overall I really enjoyed it. The subtle things added in the background of the panels was such a great touch. I tried to guess what was going on, but I didn't figure it out. The author did a great job of tying the story together, yet leaving it open. I would recommend this to other people.

I thought this was an interesting concept, but found it to be lacking overall. The artwork was not up the my preferred standards, at all. Characters would change their facial expressions so drastically that it was hard to follow who was who, even from one panel to the next. I hate to say it, but the artwork was oftentimes just plain bad, and at best mediocre.

1.5 rating

Definitely not for me. I was more interested in the description then the actual story itself. The art style wasn’t my favorite and the storyline didn’t always hold my attention either. Just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Kind of a mish-mash, storywise, with the tale of a young girl with a demonic friend intertwined with that of her mother, being taken advantage of a fake clairvoyant whose interests are considerably darker. Daphne is a teenager at a posh girls' school in New York in the late 1800s. Her circumstances are somewhat worse than those of her friends, since her father's unexpected death and her mother wasting her money on a psychic. Daphne discovers a friend that only she can see who helps her get revenge on the mean girls at school and sets out to try to free her mother from the clutches of the fake fortuneteller. The two stories never really work together or successfully combine. But it was great to have an entire series with Kelley Jones' artwork again. He was born to draw this sort of thing, with monsters and hallucinations and characters with their eyes bugging out. I might have given this 2 stars for the story, but Jones' work alone elevates this to a 3-star outing.