Sacred Lamb

I demolished this within 24 hours of downloading, Sacred Lamb is addicting, engaging and an absolute must for meta horror fans! We delve into and explore what makes the genre tick as we follow the survivors of slasher attacks settle into a new life under a 'witness protection' type programme at Sacred Lamb. But what's a slasher without a sequel? Will these badass women survive a second round with their victimiser? Fantastic twists and just an all round enjoyable comic for fans of the genre with fantastic illustrations.

I originally requested a copy of this book soley due to the almost uncanny valley/bizarre and haunting cover art, and the title, Sacred Lamb", had me intrigued, too.

Sacred Lamb is a meta-horror story that combines elements of obsession, survival annnnd...chainsaws. Ooooof.

Sacred Lamb isn't just the title for this insane tale. Sacred Lamb is a secret town where survivors of the unholy trinity of slasher killers (Freddy Kreuger, Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers) reside in a type of "witness protection" program in order' to stop innocent people from being murdered when the obviously inevitable 'sequesl' occur and our slashers return from the dead to reek havoc on the innocents again.

I don't want to give any more of the plot away as I think going into this blind (or as blind as possible) is the best way to read this book. It was a TRIP. I've never read anything like it before (nor anything from the author Tim Seeley), but I NEED a part 2. PLEASE.

Solid 4.5/5 stars. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wants an incredibly unique take on the horror genre.

This is a bloody, fun, and twisting graphic horror novel that will delight fans of slashers. It has the feel of a movie as the artwork is very on point and the characters we meet, from the survivors to the actual slashers, are well thought out and detailed.

Nobody is safe inside of this "treatment center" for final girls. They are there to avoid any sequels from the killers they escaped from but this center might be more deadly than they bargained for. As their past seems to be manifesting in this seemingly secure location, they need to figure out what's going on as the body count rises and who (if anyone) they can actually trust.

There's a good kill count in this book and when secrets come to light and people's motives are revealed, it might be more than the slashers these women should fear.

Really fun and interesting take on the "final girls" trope. There's definitely enough here to survive as a stand alone but I hope there's more to come!! Female empowering with takes on social media and gen z/millennial-esque commentary. The art isn't the *best* I've seen but it's good enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and TKO Studios for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The grimy horror art is so fantastic. The art itself feels so suspenseful and full of feelings. The story is so fun and weird. I love final girls and this was a really fresh and interesting(and intense) story showcasing them. So excited to see what’s next!

Sacred Lamb
(Tim Seeley & Jelena Dordević, TKO Studios, 2023)

CW: Misogyny, Violence against Women, Gore

I'd like to thank NetGallery and TKO Studios for letting me get a preview copy of this book.

Right off the bat this book is wearing it's heart on its sleeve. It's a love letter to campy 80's horror stories, complete with slashes, monsters and gore. But this isn't a normal slasher flic, it doesn't start with the teens heading off to camp, instead we start with the slashes demise, and the last girl standing, a social media influencer, is left to put her life back together. This isn't your standard horror story, this is a meta-horror.

When we should be watching the credit roll on the screen, we see what happens to this "final girl". There is no chance to pick up the pieces of her life as she is sent off to a camp of other "final girls", supposedly her own protection.

The truth of Sacred Lambs is that it is not just a homage to slasher flics, but a story that wants to have a series discussion about victim blaming, misogyny, feminism, and sexual assault. It's a parody not of films like Friday the 13th, and more of the way the media represent women as victims that bring it upon themselves. In places this can make the reading extremely uncomfortable but they are things that need to be looked at and explored.

The art style can be a little jarring at first, and in places is reminiscent of the soulless uncanny valley of the Polar Express. In other places the artwork shines through in a cacophony of gore and violence. I really enjoyed the slasher characters designs that helped push the otherness of them.

Ultimately this is an extremely compelling graphic novel, one full of shocking twists and brutal violence. I throughly recommend that if you love horror then you read this book.

Kellyn West survived a terrifying ordeal by killing the killer who had been stalking her. Now she's been brought to Sacred Lamb, a top-secret town filled with other survivors who are kept away from the rest of the world to protect innocent people from the possibility of "sequel killings." Think if the survivors of Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street were all trapped in a small town/prison. The isolation doesn't protect the survivors, though - their tormentors are coming to finish the job, and all the restrictions they live with won't be enough to keep them alive. A bloody adrenaline rush of a book. Sacred Lamb asks why the (mostly female) survivors of violence have to carry the weight of the crimes against them, while not skimping on the horror.