Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King & Owen King : The Graphic Novel

In a future so real and near it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep; they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze.

(c) Trang Tran

This story was meant for a visual medium, it is very movie and TV Show like with an odd script and very interesting set of characters. The colors are vivid and I think the illustrators did an amazing job complimenting the rich narrative of the story. Keep in mind, it is still a horror novel and so the graphics can be quite well..graphic. It’s violent, raw and quite literally bloody. However, if you are used to Stephen King’s novel then this version shouldn’t come as a big surprise.

Sleep is a pivotal disorder here, where the Kings turn it into a nightmare. For someone who loves to sleep as much I did, I find it quite unsetting to deprive from sleeping to survive in this fast-forward apocalypse. I would probably die first thing just because I was taking a nap. Also, a little warning on the pace-side, it is quite confusing. If you’re not used to multiple storylines, this could be hard to follow and often can be a letdown for readers. It jumps around a lot and you kind of have to be organized yourself in your own way to keep track with what’s going on (and to be honest no one would want to do that while reading a graphic novel).

(c) Trang Tran

Overall, I still recommend this Part I of Sleeping Beauties as it is interesting, entertaining and left me on a cliffhanger that I just need to wait for Part II! It is not for the faint heart, if you want something to read lightly on a beach, this is not it.

RATING : 4/5

Big thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for this copy to review!

Read and Reviewed By Trang Tran