Graphic Novel Review – Head Games (Locke and Key, Book 2) by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (5/5 stars)

This is the second full length graphic novel in the Locke and Key series.  The fourth installation, Keys to the Kingdom, is due out this June.  This was an excellent continuation of the series.  The drawings are fantastic and the plot is complex, creepy and engaging.

In this book the Locke kids are just trying to make it through school.  They’ve become involved with the “new kid” Luke, who looks mysteriously familiar to some of the older members of the community.  Meanwhile Bode finds a new Key, this one literally opens his head up.  Now the kids all want to play games with shoving info into their heads and taking out all the bad stuff (like fear and sadness).

This book is super creepy.  It wasn’t as creepy as the first one (no serial killer this time) but there is still a high creepy factor here.  Just the fact that Bode walks around with his head open is pretty darn strange.  Again this book is not for the faint of heart; I think it covers almost every offensive/distasteful topic out there and is very violent…so definitely for adults.

The complex plot is getting more and more intriguing and intricate.  I am just super curious to see what else they find in that old house and to see what happens with Luke and the Locke kids.  The story is incredibly engaging and I read the whole thing in one sitting because it was very hard to put down.

The illustration throughout is phenomenal; beautiful full color illustrations, very detailed, and very beautiful…in a creepy way.  It just fits the story perfectly.  The book itself is just beautifully put together in hard cover format; a beautiful green silk ribbon to mark your spot and high quality paper throughout.

Overall I was even more impressed with this book than the first one.  I am hooked on this now; I need to learn more about the creepy house and how everything fits together…but at the same time I am a little scared to find out the secrets that the next book will contain.  Super creepy and definitely for an adult audience; but if you like the darker and creepier side of the paranormal then this book is for you.  I cannot wait to read Book 3, The Crown of Shadows.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:

– Graphic Novels Challenge List

– Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
– 100+ Reading Challenge