Mr Providence has always seemed weird. He's taking care of the park and keeps items he finds in hopes to return them back to their rightful owners one day. One of these items is a book that seems to have blank pages but what hides inside this book is some dark and mysterious power. And this sinister power is slowly transforming the park. Interestingly enough, only those who have "touched" the book seem to see these monsters and changes. And since Mr Providence doesn't want anyone to take his book, basically everyone thinks Mr Providence is not right in the head.

An interesting aspect is a strange house he sees within the park pond. Because that's a story on its own. It's actually the story The Strange High House in The Mist by H.P. Lovecraft. So it seems that The Monstrous Dreams of Mr Providence might be some kind of a prequel to The Stange High House in The Mist??...

This book was very confusing, and I didn't really like it that much. But I'm sure there is a deeper meaning. And the reason for this thought is the hidden story of The Strange High House in The Mist by H.P. Lovecraft. I just couldn't find that deeper meaning. I'm not a fan of Lovecraft, but I'm sure fans will enjoy this book.

On the other hand, one thing I absolutely love about this book is the art. It is exquisite, especially in the black and white combination. And when the creatures appear, colours are added to the art! So these creatures are instantly more vivid. The attention to detail is stunning.

Thank you Netgalley and Europe Comics for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review!

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Like many before me, I was initially drawn to this graphic novel by the absolutely gorgeous art. In many ways, it reminds me of the late Kentaro Muira and the way his work on Berserk featured gorgeously detailed black and white spreads. The majority of this novel is the same. However, vibrant splashes, reminiscent of watercolour, often suffuse the pages as the main character, Mr. Providence, draws ever closer to the magic and fantastical world he has discovered. I found myself often pausing in order to just admire the art for a long while before continuing on.

I wish I was as drawn in by the story itself as I was by the art. I often found the plot too fast-paced and difficult to follow, made all the more difficult by the shifting mental state of Mr. Providence. I was often uncertain of characters' motivations or desires, and was left reeling before moving on to the next event all too quickly. I struggled to finish this novel, frustrated as I was with the difficulty I felt trying to engage with it.

There was also the troubling way the topic of mental health was handled in general. Mental health workers are the villains of the story, so to speak. While it may suit the time period the story it set in, with the horror stories coming out of Bedlam Asylum coming to mind, it feels out of place as a commentary when contrasted with modern attitudes and efforts to overcome stigma.

Others have also addressed the anti-semitism inherent in using the name "Zadok" (Hebrew for justified or righteous) for the mental health worker who is vilified within the narrative. I want to believe that it was an honest oversight rather than a deliberate connection, but I couldn't say for sure.

Overall, this graphic novel is a gorgeous and captivating dive into a fantastical world inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft (and even featuring one of his stories within the text). If you have the patience to engage with an admittedly confusing story, you will be rewarded with some of the most beautiful illustrations I've encountered in recent memory.

As is evident from the cover, the artwork is absolutely stunning. It's so richly detailed and deliciously dark. The deep colors are a feast for the senses. However, the story didn't really grab me and there were some problematic parts. I loved pouring over the pictures on each page and seeing the intricate details.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I definitely enjoyed it for both the story and art. Additional kudos for creating and portraying imaginative entities, and creating surreal, dreamlike atmosphere. Enjoyable read.

The illustrations are what really make this graphic novel special. The main illustrations are black and white, but pops of color are used to really bring forth the ideas of dreaming and mystery. The ideas of Lovecraft are expanded on in a new way that respects the old masterpiece.

The characters have distinct personalities and drives. Sometimes it was like a fever dream to read, but this actually worked as it was truly what the story was about.

The artwork is beautiful, especially the colourful dreaming monstrous parts “pouring into” the black-and-white sane, normal parts of reality. But the storyline is confusing. There also seems to be some vague references to Lovecraft and some of his more problematic ideas, so I am very unsure about this book.

Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc of this graphic novel to review.

The illustrations in this we really stunning at times - especially with the use of limited colour and the surreal aquatic creatures. The best thing about this graphic novel was the artwork.

This really wasn’t my cup of tea. Quite frankly, it didn’t make much sense to me and seemed lacking in plot. The pacing felt uneven and I found the H.P Lovecraft short story really jarred with the storytelling style of the graphic novel and felt out of place.

I was really uncomfortable with the problematic ableist language and storyline that was a major plot point in this graphic novel. I would have dnf’d this, had it not been a review copy.

I would not recommend reading this.

"Mr. Providence is the caretaker at what seems by day to be an ordinary city park. But the park is home to mysterious entities that awaken when night falls, and Providence has sworn to protect its visitors despite the doubts of his corporate-minded new manager. A delicate balance is tipped into chaos with the discovery of a mysterious blank book—and the dark energies it threatens to unleash. All Providence wants is to escape: to somewhere quiet, isolated, and peaceful, like the strange high house he keeps seeing reflected in the park's pond..."

First of all, the art is beautiful! It reminded me of Neil Gaiman's comics (eg. Sandman). If I get a hold of the physical copy, I think I may turn some of the pages into a poster. The copy I received is a digital copy, so I did find the all-caps font and very-detailed art style made it hard to read on my tablet--goodness, the number of times I had to zoom in and out haha. If you are planning to buy this graphic novel, I highly recommend buying a physical copy, so you can admire the black-and-white art with tiny pops of colour!!

As for the storyline, I was a bit lost and I was not sure what in the world happened (like waking up from a "monstrous dream", I guess). The story was fast-paced, so I found that the plot lacked depth and the characters were not loveable.

Overall, I highly recommend checking out Daria Schmitt's art! Schmitt has absolutely wonderful, artistic talent. I feel like her art style would suit Alice in Wonderland! Hopefully, she makes a graphic novel adaptation of that. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with a free copy of The Monstrous Dreams of Mr. Providence in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

While the book was very pretty, I felt like it was all over the place and that it was hard to make sense of the story. I loved the three old women and the new caretaker.

My issue is that the art was pretty but this hurt my eyes and wasn't worth the pain.

"Remember, the occult always punishes skeptics and wreaks vengeance on those who deny it's power."

Thank you Netgalley and Europe Comics for granting me access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall rating(My original rating was 4 stars but after reading the review from Emily Sarah I changed it):
Art: 5/5 stars
Story: 3/5 stars
Characters: 3/5 stars

TLDR; Acceptable/decent story with amazing art and a short story from H.P Lovecraft at the end, I'd say it's worth a read.

The first thing that captured my interest in this graphic novel was the art, and it did not disappoint. Starting off with the art, the linework is beautifully done and you can tell the amount of effort the artist put in each panel. The graphic novel is mostly illustrated in black & white, but colored panels appear and I love how they use it to distinguish the dream world from the real world. The art style chosen for this graphic novel was perfect. I often found myself looking at the panels for a while just to admire the detail work that I'd forget to read the dialogue.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the story, I found myself reading more for the art than the story. The storyline and ending was slightly confusing to me, and I started skimming through the book at one point. The characters weren't that loveable nor interesting. I definitely did not expect a short story at the end. Nevertheless, I think it's worth it to give this graphic novel a shot.

Beautifully illustrated but ultimately failed to grab me in terms of character or story. I'd be more interested in actual Lovecraft adaptation from this artist/writer than loose play in his universe.

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of this book.
Let me start off with how gorgeous the graphics were! absolutely stunning. But other than that, the book was fast paced and too confusing for me. I didn't see the point of this book.
We follow basically Mr. Providence, who is a caretaker of the park. He starts to see creatures, that other can't see and they believe he is nuts.

Daria Schmitt is a wonder. I want to cover every surface in her illustrations. This book shows the power of graphic novels. The juxtaposition of color and grayscale is as integral to the narrative as the written word. Anyone that questions comics as an art form needs to read this book.

Recommended for those who enjoy:
H.P. Lovecraft
Edward Gorey
The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman

*Thank you to NetGalley for granting me access to a copy*
Why I Read It: The artwork, at least based on the cover, was enchanting. I've always wanted to read a comic/ manga that was predominantly black and white but with bits of color carefully employed and this seemed to deliver on that. The synopsis sounded like a surreal trip, where you can't tell if you are experiencing a dream or nightmare and I guess I was in the mood for that.

What It's About: By day, Mr. Providence is the caretaker of a park that is under new management, but by night he protects the park from otherworldly beings. With the appearance of a strange blank book plunging the park into chaos, Mr. Providence seeks refuge from the madness, both the mundane and fantastical.

Cons: As much as I was looking forward to the artwork, it' unfortunately disappointed me to an extent. The "waking world" art I found fairly bland, but the human faces I did not care for at all because everyone wore the same expression of "emotional constipation" at all times. Surprisingly for a visual story, the narrative felt like it dragged on and I was just bored and a bit confused while reading it. This may be the result of several different points, kind of pertaining to two different storylines, that just did not cohesively come together, like the written inclusion of "The Strange High House in the Mist" (which this story is a sort-of prequel for). It was just jarring and unnecessary, which is unfortunately how I felt about most of this graphic novel.

Pros: Now I didn't dislike all of the art. The "dreaming world" aspects, like the pink koi on the cover, were what I was hoping for. It was all lush, and eerie, and absolutely beautiful, setting a nice contrast with the drabness of the "waking world" art. Also, I liked the cats, they were the only characters I found mildly interesting and I missed them whenever they were not on the page.

Finishing Thoughts: This was a prequel to a Lovecraft story, The Strange High House in the Mist, which I didn't know, and kind of wished I did. In all honesty, after a certain point, I started skimming through the pages and wasn't fully absorbing everything, but the fact that it got to that point speaks to how the reading experience was for me. Ultimately the thing I appreciate the most is the art, specifically the contrast and "dream world" bits, but was very let down by this story, especially compared to an earlier similar reads.

Recommendations: "The Strange High House in the Mist" by H.P. Lovecraft because it serves as the source of inspiration for this work and you might be able to appreciate this prequel story more after reading it. Also "The Dream Quest of Vellitt Boe" by Kij Johnson because it is the best in the "Lovecraft" sub genre of retellings, which is a subgenre I'm usually disappointed by. It is slow, but you'll want to take your time on this quest and become immersed in the settings and attached to the character of Vellitt Boe.

A twirling tale full of witticism and wisdom. With haunting artwork and a spooky story. This one definitely draws you in from the beginnings and demands your full attention as well as all your braincells to enjoy it fully.
A complete work of art.

A beautifully drawn and plotted graphic novel that managed to inter splice strong thematic elements and keep up great entertainment value.

An interesting comic book with some amazing graphics. The storyline was a little bit difficult as I felt that The story was not complete. There were some missing links. My interest sparked in the book when I reached halfway through the book. The only drawback is that I could not find the book on Goodreads or Amazon. So, it was little bit difficult for me to share the review at other social sites.

Thanks to Europe Comics for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

I’m slowly getting into graphic novels so please know that my opinions are based on what I’ve read so far!
This has absolutely gorgeous artwork. Mostly back and white but some colors in between. For that alone, I’d give this one a read.
The story was ok. It didn’t captivate me as much as I had hoped, but still worth a look!
**Also, I am not basing my review on any personal opinions I may have on H.P. Lovercraft**
*thank you Netgalley and Europe Comics for the digital copy*

Wonderful homage to the nautical creeps of HP Lovecraft. Providence is a delightful caretaker, the kids are great and I love the three old ladies. The High House in the Mist tie in was great and I don't even know where to begin with the illustrations! Love the inky lines. Perfect for the beginning of spooky season

The art is this is absolutely fantastic! I had not realized when picking this up that it is steeped in Lovecraft — and by no metric I am an expert in his works or legacy — but the atmosphere is so vivid that leafing through the pages was a sensory treat. Can’t tell you for the life of me what it was about! A bit like reading Gaiman-esque comics but skewed towards horror.

Thanks to #Netgalley for an advance copy of the book.