Book Review: Beetle and the Hollowbones

 “An enchanting, riotous, and playfully illustrated debut graphic novel following a young goblin trying to save her best friend from the haunted mall—perfect for fans of Steven Universe and Adventure Time.” 

-blurb from publisher Simon and Schuster

Do you ever read something that seemed to be made just for you? Like the author knew exactly the aesthetic you crave, your favorite colors or jokes? Because that’s how Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne felt for me; it was the perfect blend of adventure, friendship, romance, and spooky cute things aka everything I love! 

Beetle is a young goblin that lives with her grandmother in their eternal Halloween town of ‘Allows. Her best friend is Blob Ghost, who haunts the local mall. All Beetle wants to do is hang out with BG, read manga and watch her favorite magical girl shows...and secretly become a sorceress! But goblin magic isn’t the same as sorcery, so Beetle hides her desires from her grandmother and tries her best to get by. Until her old best friend, Kat Hollowbones, shows back up in ‘Allows to study with her sorceress aunt, stirring up old feelings Beetle tried to put behind her. 

Likes:

I loved the different relationships Beetle had, especially the complicated one between Kat and Beetle. Friends and growing up are hard to navigate, but throw in secret crushes and that just turns it all into one big dumpster fire of emotional turmoil. At one point, Kat and Beetle have a huge fight and say some hurtful things to one another, turning Kat back towards her evil aunt. After realizing the error of her ways, Beetle goes to apologize to Kat who also owns up to her mistakes. It gave both Beetle and Kat more dimension, showing that things aren’t always as straightforward good-vs-bad and people aren’t perfect. 

SPOILER ALERT: I also am always here for a cute LGBTQ+ romance and think Kat and Beetle make the cutest spooky-magical-girl couple. This was a Stonewall Honor book, which makes it even better!

LOOK AT THAT TINY HAT!!

I could stare at Aliza Layne’s art all day long, so 10/10 on the illustrations in this book! Everything was so cute and the characters were all unique. I mean, there’s a skeleton witch giant with a tiny witch hat, like how cute is that?!

Dislikes:

I honestly have zero complaints about this book, except that I wish it was a series! I would love to explore more of ‘Allows and see Beetle’s powers unfold (and also more cute romantic moments between her and Kat!).

Final Verdict:

This beautiful, heartwarming comic with an LGBTQ+ romance and plenty of magical friendships is a must read for any fans of Halloween, Sailor Moon, or just plain cute friendship tales. A great read to recommend to older school age students or middle schoolers, especially with the message of embracing your uniqueness.