“A dark and stormy night!”

From Shaenon K. Garrity’s The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor.

Haley absolutely loves everything about Victorian gothic literature. On the way home from school one day, Haley stops on a bridge to look around and then she sees a young man drowning in the river down below. Without thinking, Haley runs down to the bank and jumps in to help the man, but before she even realizes what is happening, she finds that she and the man are on the other bank than where she started. The young man runs away and Haley soon finds herself face-to-face with two men dressed in Victorian clothing that are less-than-thrilled to see Haley. Even though she can hardly believe it, Haley learns that she has been transported a magical gothic-era middle world known as Willowweep Manor that protects Earth from the evil in a parallel world. The three brothers tasked with keeping the world safe–Laurence, Cuthbert, and the charming Montague that Haley saved from drowning–are also trapped in the middle world unable to leave. While the brothers search for a way to get Haley home safely, the evil Bile from the parallel world breaks into Willowweep and begins overtaking everything in preparation for Haley’s world. Unable to return home until the Bile is defeated, Haley joins Montague and his brothers in their battle to save both of their worlds.

While this graphic novel features some interesting world building, Garrity does well to keep the story from taking itself too seriously. The main character is genuine and uses the challenges she faces to grow as an individual in a realistic blend of modern and traditional ideologies. The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor is a quick read that offers fans of various genres an unexpectedly fun story.