A graphic novel about depression, toxic relationship within family and love.

The story starts at Christmas time in Paris when a family is supposed to meet up for Christmas Eve dinner party. In the meantime, we meet Thibault, who is called to attend police station to find his partner Frannie arrested for, what at that time appears to be, a physical assault.

When Frannie meets her lawyer, in order to defend her at the tribunal at his best ability, he must have all necessary details which occurred prior to the attack. Therefore she starts telling him her story.

Frannie has a twin sister Tania with whom they share a special bond. Their mother seems to have untreated depression and is lacking any emotions towards to her children which results in her intrigues against twins to destroy their special bond by preferring Tania over Frannie.

Luckily for girls, they experience what a family life should like, thanks to their Uncle Louise and his wife Pauline. They spent holidays together (Easter, Summer, Christmas), Pauli shares her wisdom with girls in terms of growing up into womanhood, boys, makeup etc. and all four of them seem to have a special bond. Except girl's mother.

The story is fast paced and keeps you guessing of what is coming next. Illustrations easily awoke any emotions along with importance of the hidden message of the story. What I will take out of it is the importance to heal any wounds gained in the past. Otherwise, the pain can take control of our mind and dictate our future path. It is always easy to judge someone for their bitterness but to seek the truth behind it might not be always pleasant.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Europe Comics for an electronic ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was truly captivating. I haven’t seen many graphic novels with such a dark plot, and I absolutely loved to read something like this. The story was fast paced and keeps you on your toes wanting more. The illustration is lovely, and the muted colours contrasting to the splashes of red was such a nice touch to go with the storyline.

First of all the illustrations were great, really added to the nostalgia and beauty of the story.
The story was emotional and tense at times, from anger you feel at the mother to the sadness we feel for Paulie. This story was about the childhood trauma that Frannie and Tania felt as well as themes of mental illness intertwined. I loved this book and wish there was more, I will be looking out for more written by this author.

4.5 stars

Angel of Death is a sad life story of twins Tania and Frannie. After a traumatic event, Frannie remembers her life and where things went wrong. She and her sister had a rough childhood. The story itself has a hint of mystery. But in its essence, the genre is literary fiction.

The art is stunning and very beautiful. The mood in this graphic novel is sad, melancholic, and sometimes quite suffocating. Illustrator captured it very well. Light brown color dominates and enhances this mood.

Thanks to Europe Comics for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

Despite my rating, I did not hate this book. I think I went into it expecting a murder mystery and instead I got a lot of sadness and childhood trauma. This book left me feeling sad and unfulfilled, which may have been the point but just isn’t my cup of tea when I’m reading for enjoyment. However, the art style is gorgeous and the writing was almost lyrical.

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

A gentle young woman has just been taken into custody, which comes as an utter shock to her boyfriend. At her lawyer’s request, she tells the story of her life, chapter by chapter. A twin sister, an absent father, a bitter mother and a terrible family secret, that will turn their lives upside down and lead to an inevitable tragedy.

I love the artwork and the sombre atmosphere, but the narrative is great too, and actually stands out. I felt empathy for the main character, even though we are told from the start she’s a killer. Since I didn’t think about this book as a murder mystery, I didn’t even consider that she could be innocent. That didn’t bother me because her childhood was definitely traumatic and her mom was downright abusive. I really liked how this book addresses parental abuse and mental health, and the end really broke my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think there was a problem because after opening the file I noticed that I received another book ("The Misfits Club for Girls" by BéKa, Camille Mehu, Illustrator) and not "Angel of death".

The book I received was not angel of death… I would have liked to give a review though. I don’t know if it’s the same publisher, but I got « the misfit club for girls ». If it is I loved the graphic novel and found that it was an original story.