New Release Thursday – Northranger by Rey Terciero

NORTHRANGER by REY TERCIERO

A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN

Northranger by Rey Terciero is a YA graphic novel loosely inspired by Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Having never read that book, I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting into what I picked up this graphic novel. It seemed interesting enough–a queer teen boy who loves horror movies works at a spooky ranch for the summer–so I decided to dive in.

Northranger is less a horror graphic novel and more a coming-of-age tale so common in YA. Cade, our main character, is Latinx and gay and still very much in the closet. He loves horror movies and spends most of his time watching them at the local theatre. When finances get tight at home, Cade and his step-father Dale are sent to work at a ranch owned by an old acquaintance of Dale’s, a man known as The General. The General has twins—Henrietta and Henry–and Cade befriends them immediately. He even develops a crush on Henry, though he can’t be sure if his crush is mutual.

It’s when the General and his family invite Cade and his stepfather to their lake house, Northranger, that things start to get spooky. Mysteries about in this old house–where it’s said at least two people have died, including Henry and Henrietta’s mother. What follows is a spooky tale of first love, mystery, and a little miscommunication.

I liked Northranger despite never having read the material that inspired it. I loved Cade’s explanation as to why he–a young gay man–loves horror movies so much. The art style is very accessible and easy on the eyes with a good balance of text and images. Nothing ever got too overwhelming and it was overall an easy reading experience. I found the resolution of the mystery to be a little underwhelming, but then again, this book isn’t about the mystery. It’s about finding oneself, and that’s all that really matters.

You can pick up Northranger at the Oreana Library today!