Sam has owned the family hardware shop for years. She knows all the people, she knows all the routines, and it's her home, her safe place. She knows better than to hunt inside her town, but someone else has decided the small town is just ripe for picking. After a few residents are murdered, Sam realizes that she knows who the killer is, but also that she's the main suspect. Not willing to give her town up without a fight, Sam becomes a hunter in her own town. A strange but fascinating story that juxtaposes humanity and nature. In a blend of soft colors, the small town feel is beautiful, and while the story wraps up quickly, it's a horrifically beautiful graphic novel. A definite read.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees - ARC Review

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Title: Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees
Author: Patrick Horvath
Rating: 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: Sep 17 2024

THIS BOOK IS JUST SOOO GOOOOD! I absolutely love it to death. If you have been around my page for a bit now you would have seen me talking about the individual comic issues of this story as they were released, well I am happy to say that the full trade paperback of all 6 volumes is out this September and you need to pick it up to kick off the spooky reads.

It's got the aesthetic of Little Bear, Beatrix Potter, and just that small-town picturesque vibe that I love.

But it's got the story of Dexter, Hannibal, and Beastars.

Who do you trust more, the serial killer you know or the one hiding in the shadows?

This is a fantastic battle of wits between two stone-cold killers in a trap where only one of them can make it out.

This book is also one you’ll definitely have to give a reread after you finish to go back and find all the incredibly well-executed foreshadowing and hidden elements in the art.

I loved this. The juxtaposition of the adorable animal character with the very gory violence added an extra layer of horror. The story was fast paced and interesting. Highly recommend for horror fans.

The mix of this cartoon style and the gore and murders is perfect. The idea is so fun and the execution is also very good. I would love to continue reading this series.

Super lovely graphic novel. Loved the characters and the art style. Was a pleasure to read. Can't wait to engage with more from this author! Can highly recommmend if you like darker storytelling

thank you netgalley for sending me an earc

this graphic novel was really fun to read, i loved the contrast between the pastel color palette and the horror story . the plot was very interesting and it kept me glued to the pages. i hope to read more from the author

I was really excited by this concept because animals who lives lives like humans tends to be really fun, but this one was a miss for me. The art style was really uncomfortable which I think is the point with a horror/thriller. I also didnt feel like the mc was all that compelling to like. dexter is a serial killer but he is compelling and after a while people like him. this killer was none of those thing which was hard to read. I would have preferred if we got some backstory for why she started to kill people and exactly how it started but we didnt get that. overall I think some will like this one but was definitely not for me.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel!! I love how it starts out like a wholesome story and then things get dark real quick! I hope to see more from this author in the future! 5 stars!!

Spooky book! But a fun read. Probably not appropriate for my collection, but I'm looking forward to reading more by Horvath!

Wow, how can this be so dark and cuddly at the same time?

Samantha is a brown bear in a town filled with other loveable animals. She's kind and sweet, and also sometimes kidnaps people and murderers them in the forest. Simple life, right? But one day someone else is starting to kill, and it's in town, which starts to make people suspicious. It becomes almost a cat and mouse game, even when the killer is found out, Samantha must figure a way to outsmart them if she's gonna survive this. Overall fun and exciting, huge dexter vibes, but also adorable cute art. I really want more from this series, and hope we get a follow up of some sort.

I think it's well-written, well-narrated, and well-drawn. It was unexpectedly dark but fun to read. I love the humor here and there. The puns were really great too! I love the characters, I really enjoyed reading it, it made me want to read books similar to this.

This graphic novel has some serious Dexter vibes and I'm all for it! I love that it looks like a sweet little animal based graphic novel but is really serial killers trying to literally get away with murder!

Absolutely chilling. I felt the dread coming from these animal townsfolk as their community was ripped apart, literally.

The story is engaging, fast paced and intense. I loved it. I could not stop reading. I’m Amped for the next volume.

I adore the art style. The color palette really stood out to me. As a fellow artist, I could appreciate the details and care put into creating each character.

This series will be a favorite, I can feel it.

How delightfully morbid this was!! I grew up on horror. So to find cutesy stuff with an adult horror twist really makes me feel like a big kid again and makes me kick my feet in the air. The killings were brutal but the images aren't TOO bad. But then again when you're immersed in a cute little animal village like Animal Crossing and then you see the dark, twisted side of the murders.... well, my jaw dropped and I just loved it. There is no mercy. This comic was like if Pietro the clown from Animal Crossing decided to go on a killing spree. I love Pietro. I would love to check out more from this author.

What kind of twisted adorableness is this??? It's murder.... but it's cute? I feel conflicted folks. Actually no, I don't, I loved this. A truly unique graphic novels about anthropomorphic animals living their sweet and simple lives in a small town. Except for Sam, the owner of the local hardware store, who happens to be a serial killer. But never in their town! Just in the big city, so, not so bad? When people start being murdered in their small town everyone starts locking doors and pointing fingers. Wanting to protect her town and keep the police away from her own pursuits Sam begins her own investigations and uncovers some shocking answers.

This book was well illustrated mixing lovely animal imagery with gruesome murder scenes. I loved the sweetness and I loves the gore. Such an interesting read, very worth the time.,

I enjoyed this graphic novel. The art style and colouring is beautiful. I loved the contrast between the sweet small town and its citizens with the sinister and graphic murders happening behind the scenes.

The illustrations are so cute but the story is so not! It's so good and the plot twist is so so so interesting. I totally did not expect it at all. All in all, I recommend reading this book.

This was an intriguing, odd but in a good way, graphic novel about a serial killer who tries to solve a murder mystery...
We're so used to seeing cities made of animal characters like cute and sweet, so seeing them in this light was a bit of a shock. A good kind of shock. That leaves you feeling unsure of what you've just read but you know you weirdly want everyone else to read it.

i LOVED this antihero serial killer graphic novel about a butch bear and her cute lil animal town, suddenly facing the prospect of MURDER!

if you like the animal element of bojack horseman or tuca and bertie, this might be right up your alley. somehow a cast of characters is infinitely more interesting when they're all cute critters, many of whom have a dark side.

there is both a level of ironic humor and a tension when anthropomorphized animals and non-anthropomorphized animals coexist. the humanoid german shepherd cop walks his fully-animal police dog on a leash. the friendly teddy bear local business owner secretly brutally murders and dismembers cityfolk now and then. the art is warm and soft, yet extremely gory. and all the contrast is gives me dopamine!

even aside from the animal characters and juicy premise, this story shines. small town vibes are matched with intense suspense and mystery as our big bear protagonist realizes she's not the only killer in town.

i think the pacing is a bit inconsistent across volumes, but the shocking moments and murderous drama make it all worthwhile. i loved this, and would be thrilled to read more stories set in the same universe.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

4.25 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘

🧠 My thoughts
It’s been a while since I’ve read such a nice comic. It was mysterious and gore. I really liked the artwork as well. The storyline hooked me from start to finish, it was pretty well done.

The only thing that I can complain about was that the storyline felt not super original. I might have seen a similar plot from somewhere else.

Thanks NetGalley, IDW Publishing publisher, and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!