This is such a strange, beautiful, and sad book. Would def recommend to a very specific audience in a good headspace.

I thought that this book was interesting, moving from past to present, which actually isn't my favorite thing. Because I'm not a big fan of skips like this, I feel like I'm not right to judge this book. However, I do think there should be a trigger warning but because of it's twists it's hard not to just give up the plot for it.

WOW! This book!
4.5 stars, rounding down to 4. I can not give a book 5 stars (even if it is from rounding up) if the author doesn’t consistently use quotation marks. This is my biggest book pet peeve. I also think the writing needs to be a bit more seasoned. But the story. Amazing!

This is not a story to be taken at face value. This book has layers and a lot of symbolism. It is a book to contemplate and dissect when you are done with it, maybe even re-read it. This story is dark, twisted, violent, harsh, weird, sad, emotionally gutting, unique and extremely creative. It is out there! And it is beautiful!

This is my first book by this author. I will read others by her, but I am nervous that they can’t possibly have the same quality. LOL I will definitely re-read this one some day.

***Please note that there is plenty of possibly triggering content in this book! It is graphic and gory. All of the following content warnings are excessive and not just minor or brief. *Bullying *Gun violence/murder *Knives *Violence *Gore *Blood *Murder ***

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Greenwillow Books, so much for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Katzenjammer
Katzenjammer is a German word meaning “cat’s wail”. It’s used to describe a “discordant clamor” (Merriam-Webster), a hangover, or emotional distress or bewilderment (Wikipedia).

When I started this book, I wasn’t sure I would continue. The characters have abstract bodies. The plot isn’t clear. But as I continued, I became invested in the girl with no eyes known as Cat (without a name) and her best friend, the boy made of cardboard. It helped that the chapters alternated between a confusing, incongruous present and a clear, typical past. The chapters from the past mirror the world in which we live. They concern a teenage girl dealing with normal teenage problems like fitting in, making friends, etc. There’s a significant amount of bullying that takes place, making it difficult to read at times. The chapters from the strange present are about her and her classmates struggling to survive in a warped school. I kept waiting for the big cataclysmic event that causes the past to turn into the present. It loomed over me as I read. I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what happened.

And then– the book turns into one about a school shooting. I was expecting some supernatural event but was left with the aforementioned sickening one. I was not prepared and for that I’m really upset. I was upset when the book ended. I’m upset now.

This book needs a massive Trigger Warning. Although the writing was good, the plot and characters were too stressful for me to bear. Sadly, I won’t be rereading or recommending it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

2.5/5 Stars

Cat and her classmates are trapped in their school, with no recollection of how they got there, or why they are unable to leave. Many of the students around her are changing into creatures, including Cat, who's face has become a cat mask made of her own hardened flesh. A killer lurks the hallways searching for their next victim while Cat and her best friend Jefferey try to discover the killers true identity and find a way out.

This story alternates between the past and the present, which made the story a bit more interesting. This is a horror novel, with many gory scenes, so if that is a trigger for you, avoid reading this. The short chapters made this a quick read, and I liked trying to figure out the mystery behind why Cat and the others were stuck inside the school. I thought the ending was interesting, and I was not expecting it to end the way that it did, but it left me with mixed feelings upon completion.

An interesting and fun read for people who like horror and dark stories, though at times it does read a bit younger than the target audience (which I didn't mind).

Lord of the Flies meets Euphoria in this ya fantasy horror novel. Cat and her friends, the outcasts, have undergone changes since waking up in this new world where the School is a living, breathing, creature (named “School”) and the doors to the outside world have disappeared. No one knows how they ended up at School, they just know they have to find a way out before they get caught by the thing out there killing them off one by one

Cat’s face has transformed into a white mask of her own hardened flesh and her best friend is slowly turning into cardboard Pinocchio. The popular kids have kept their own faces and bodies, but they’re terrified of the horrific changes happening to the other kids and that fear has made them dangerous. Interspersed between the terror of School, Cat begins having glimpses of her life before she came to School and she hopes to remember what happened to her and her classmates before it’s too late.

I’m generally not a fan of horror novels, and this one did not skimp on the gore, but I found this to be an incredibly gripping creepy read. The opening pages and the dual timelines immediately hooked me, and I finished the entire book within two days.

Please, please go read a published list of the complete trigger warnings for this book. I’ll post a spoiler-free list here. TW: violence, body horror, bullying, descriptive gore.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins, and Francesca Zappia for the E-ARC.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by HarperCollins Canada and Greenwillow Books.

Cat lives in her high school. She never leaves, and for a long time her school has provided her with everything she needs. But now things are changing. The hallways contract and expand along with the school’s breathing, and the showers in the bathroom run a bloody red. Cat’s best friend is slowly turning into cardboard, and instead of a face, Cat has a cat mask made of her own hardened flesh. Cat doesn’t remember why she is trapped in her school or why half of them—Cat included—are slowly transforming. Escaping has always been the one impossibility in her school’s upside-down world. But to save herself from the eventual self-destruction all the students face, Cat must find the way out. And to do that, she’ll have to remember what put her there in the first place.

I am still currently processing on what I have just read. I still have no idea how to even review this book. It was bizarre but compelling, and I was definitely invested, but I wasn't sure I liked the road it took. It goes dark with it’s weird. And it’s dark overall. This book is deeply disturbing, and downright terrifying. Just, what it evokes and what it does and how things are described. It’s brilliant. I enjoyed the switching timeline to learn about Cat’s past as she was experiencing her new reality, but I felt like the ending was contrived and rushed. The one thing that I don’t think I totally liked was the ending. I see where the author was going, and I get what her point was, but I’m just not sure how it makes me feel as the book overall. I feel like the ending just doesn’t completely fit, since there was so much that I loved, but the ending sort of made me look at the rest of the book differently. I did end up enjoying it, just wishing that I had ending up liking it completely.

This book is nothing like the rest of her books. I love Francesca Zappia’s writing style and this book is definitely holds up to the rest of her works. First, this book is so dark and has a sinister underlining that plays so well into the plot even if you aren’t sure where it’s going. Second, I loved Jeffrey he seems like such a sweet, caring person and he was also so supportive of Cat in every aspect of her life, he tried. The world the kids were trapped in was so interesting to follow and watch develop as Cat tried to figure out what was happening to them all. This book definitely has a trigger warning for multiple things but the book was written so well.

I loved Eliza and Her Monsters, and the first page of this book caught my eye, so I was disappointed when I didn't like this book. Maybe it's just Not My Thing; it's quirky and weird and bloody, which I like, but I feel like the surrealism wasn't handled well enough -- at least in writing -- that I just couldn't get into it. I didn't really find Cat an interesting or consistent character, nor did any of the others appeal to me. As literature, I just couldn't get into this book or the backstory behind the weirdness.

I will say that while I was reading this, I kept thinking it would make a great video game along the lines of a Cuphead/Resident Evil-esque merger.

I really appreciate what Zappia was trying to do, but I'm not sure teens will stick with the surrealism of it. I also felt like she tried to tackle way too many things and I feel like it would have been more impactful if she had stuck to one main topic.

Lovely, scary storytelling with a discursive nightmary feel to it. There's lots to fear here-- gore and body horror, bullying, and shocking acts of violence-- yet the secrecy and mystery surrounding the situation Cat finds herself in does lend of a lot of it a kind of muted dreamy surrealness. Very dark and very cruel in some ways- yet still beautiful. Will be thinking about this for a long time.

I absolutely loved this book. The writing was perfect and the details really made you feel the story. It was really creepy and Gory and full of twists and turns which I enjoyed very much. That ending was unexpected and so intense but it fit the story very well. Also, that cover is beautiful and so perfect. Really captures the character perfectly.

This was well written. I’m not going to lie, it scared me a little! Ha! But I did enjoy this spine-tingling, suspenseful, and haunting story. I do recommend to anyone who like American Horror Story or like shows! Good read. Fast paced.

Content warning: School bullying and violence, mention of eating disorders, and scenes of gore, blood, and death.

So, I have no idea whatsoever how to review this book! I mean- if I tell you what I didn't like about it, it would probably be a huge spoiler. But it seems unfair to just be like "there was this thing I didn't love" and then rate it thusly, no explanation provided. I'll try, okay? I'll do my best, but if you want the 100% Spoiler Free Guarantee™, here are my thoughts: it was bizarre but compelling, and I was definitely invested, but I wasn't sure I liked the road it took.

I was going to break it down into a likes versus dislikes but... I don't even think that is necessary, fully. I liked that it was fast-paced and exciting and I cared about what happened to Cat. I certainly was concerned for her, and the other kids, and I found myself very invested in her story, as unconventionally told as it was. Heck, I enjoyed the different kind of storytelling, it felt rather refreshing!

There is gore, yes. Which I did expect going in, so I was okay with it. The ending though.... look, the ending kind of tainted it for me? It's one of those that kind of overshadows everything you've just read, and without spoiling anything, just made me feel kind of uncomfy with the whole story. So while I did enjoy most of the book, even with the horror/gore elements, the ending of this one really lost me. But, I have seen reviewers who feel much differently, so if you can handle the content, it may be worth the read. It's certainly unique, there's no question there!

Bottom Line: I was really invested in this story, bizarre as it was, but felt a bit let down by the ending.

It is really hard to review this book without giving away its major plot twist. The story immediately hooks you and has you curious to where it will go. The pace and switch between present and past is perfect and leaves the reader engaged. The twisted labyrinth has you curious and fits in completely with a horror tale. It gave me the shivers from start until end. With that praise, I will say that I think the trigger warnings should be a little more upfront though I understand not wanting to give the plot away. This story is very dark, and not everyone may be able to read it as they may find some of it too relatable. Read the triggers thoroughly.

I am a huge fan of YA horror and this definitely fits in the category! Cat is stuck in her high school, but the high school is now its own living thing and a lot of the students trapped inside are mutating into other things. Cat herself has merged with her cat mask while her best friend Jeffrey's head is now a cardboard box. Cat has to remember what happened so that she can determine how to get them all out.
So, first things first: check the trigger warnings on this one. There are a lot! And while we can't ignore the amazing cover art that will lull you into thinking this is a whimsical fantasy, it is very dark and very gory. It was a tough read and not one that I would necessarily call an enjoyable read. It was a quick read, but I had to take breaks and step away from the darkness.
This book does get 4 stars from me though because of how incredibly it is written, specifically, the balance of the book. There are two time lines: the present in the horror world, and the near distant past that Cat gains memories from as the book progresses. At the beginning of the book, we spend more time in the horror world (world building) and less time in the past. By the end of the book, that swaps and we are in more of the past as we get closer to finding out how then became now. Not only is that balance so well done, but the horror and gore in the horror world gets more and more intense as the past becomes more intense, again, building up to the point when the timelines connect.
Overall, I would recommend this book with caution and not to everyone.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I was sent an ARC from HarperCollins Canada after participating in the #FrenzyPresent summer preview 2022 event offered to HCC Influencers and Canadian booksellers. Thank you, HarperCollins Canada! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Content Warnings: Death of teenagers, gore, self-injury and eating disorders, general violence, body horror

This book is beautifully creepy. Katzenjammer is a quick read, but don't let that fool you into thinking it doesn't have a whole lot packed in! Cat and the other students and staff at her school are trapped, and the school seems to have taken on a life of its own. Rooms and hallways grow and shrink as the building breathes. Cat and some of her friends have begun to change from entirely human into other things, and as the changes progress, humanity is lost. And now, something is killing them even faster.

This book is told entirely in first person from Cat's point of view, but each chapter alternates between the present and her memories. It's an interesting way to piece the story together as Cat herself figures out what's going, and I think the experience of being a teenage girl in crisis was well captured. I love the way Cat sees her environment and describes things, and I love the way she strives to see the humanity left in her inhuman friends and teachers.

With that said, I would have liked to see the cycling between present and memory happen less frequently. No chapter lasts more than 5-6 pages (counting both sides of the page) and this is a large-print book, so we cycle very fast. We get Cat's memories as she thinks about them, as she recovers them, or as a relevant bit of information is needed in the present, but it would have been nice to perhaps bundle 2-3 memories together so the reader can stay in the present or past for slightly longer stretches.

I did enjoy the mystery element. I guessed the twist right at the beginning but then events about 20% in made me start to second guess myself and imagine other ways the plot would resolve, so it was quite the ride! I actually finished reading this book (all in one sitting!) in early May, but didn't write this review until late June after stewing on the experience for a while, and there have been recent events in the news (international to me) that made parts of this book really land a little harder. I'm curious to see this book go on sale and watch to see readers who might be closer to said events weigh in with their reviews.

This book is illustrated, though my ARC copy does not have all of the finished artwork that published copies will have. What I do have to look at it beautifully gritty in a horror graphic novel kind of way and has a vaguely manga stylistic feel. I'm very tempted to purchase a finished copy just to see the rest! On that note, I normally don't comment on anything to do with editing and formatting in ARCs because they're unfinished, but this comment is specific to the physical printing of my ARC copy: I hope that the print ARCs were printed on a lighter paper weight than the finished copies will be, because this paper can't handle the amount of black ink on illustrated pages. The few fully illustrated pages mine has, plus any page where the chapter marker in on a loose corner rather than in the binding, all curl dramatically. This might not be noticeable in a hardback that has sturdy covers pressing in on the pages, but in a floppy paperback it has actually encouraged the back cover to curl as well, rather than straighten out over time.

Cat is trapped in her high school. She doesn’t remember why she never leaves or why she has a cat mask made of her own flesh. Everything changes when her school stops being a place of safety and begins to cause damage to those around her. Cat never thought she would be able to leave her school, but if she wants to live, she will need to find a way out. What is the reason Cat is stuck in her school? Will she be able to uncover this secret and save herself?

Katzenjammer is a stand-alone supernatural mystery that has the potential to be an interesting read, but in the end, fell short. I enjoyed the switching timeline to learn about Cat’s past as she was experiencing her new reality, but I felt like the ending was contrived and rushed. Overall, the premise of the story seems forced to fill a niche about what is going on in today’s schools. A good read but shouldn’t be rushed to the top of anyone’s TBR pile.