Synopsis:
When controversial comic creator Riley Langdon is faced with an unimaginable crime committed in her name, she retreats from the spotlight she spent years seeking. But as media, fandom, and obsession churn, Riley’s story takes on a life of its own.
Riley Langdon has never shied from extreme horror, especially not in her deep web revenge comic, Red. But now that a cult fandom has put her on a pedestal, she doesn’t know how to respond to a mysterious death that too much resembles pages she wrote. As she tries to pick up the pieces of the life she’s made for herself, the fandom of Red turns against itself and an obsessed fan attempts to make the deep web what he hoped it would be. Told in blog posts, chat logs, emails, and more, Revenge Arc blends horror and mystery for an unforgettable experience.
Trigger Warning:
Hover for Trigger WarningsEdition:
Print ARC
My Thoughts:
Revenge Arc is pure nightmare fuel. I am kicking myself for how long it takes me to write up reviews these days. I almost forgot in the months since I finished it, how much I love this book! It is told in a mixed media/epistolary style that I have only seen done this well very rarely. It can be extremely difficult gathering a story from a series of disjointed interviews, message boards, emails, journal entries, etc., but Voleur truly makes it work.
Revenge Arc was as joyful to read as a story about something so vile could reasonably be expected to be. It is never difficult to follow, but it doesn’t feel like you’re being spoon-fed either. You still feel like you’re doing the work of figuring out just what in the sweet purple fuck is happening, but it makes you feel more Jessica Fletcher than the detectives from Seven (“No, what’s in the box? What’s in the fucking box?!”). Except you’re JB in Seven. I dunno folks, it’s messed up. You’re doing relatively simple detecting work, but you’re doing it in a world where Tracy’s head is probably gonna be in that box (metaphorically speaking) and you know it.
Although I only have the ARC, I will definitely be picking up a finished copy so I can see what (if anything) was changed in the final version. Because frankly, I was fascinated all the way through. No notes. I don’t think I’d have changed a thing.
Rating:
This was a really fun, fascinating read. Once I picked it up, I didn’t put Revenge Arc back down until I had finished it.
Revenge Arc By Cat Voleur Archive of the Odd ISBN: 9798988482703 Published: August 1, 2023 Paperback, E-book 166 Pages
