By Sarah Ellerton
Read: 2009
Rating: Lovely
http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/
Considering the OMGHUGE plot turn that happened this October, I figured I should get around to reviewing this.
Sarah Ellerton made her name in webcomics with Inverloch. That series has ended, and now she has two projects running simultaneously, both exquisite.
Page 214
The Phoenix Requiem is a fantasy version of Europe, roughly Victorian-era. In this world, shades, the spirits of dead people, can return to haunt the living. Or, they used to… so why are they suddenly doing so again? Why is a mysterious disease now ravaging the small town where Anya lives and works?
Anya is an unusual young woman, who has given up a life of vacant luxury to instead become a doctor, one of the few women in the profession. She is studying in a small town under their Doctor Blythe, who treats Anya as half-nurse, half-housekeeper. Still, she doggedly pursues her studies.
One day, just as the magical troubles start, a man collapses in the forest outside their town. He is handsome, mysterious… and brings the shades in his wake? Suspicions fly, and tempers flare. Jonas puts on a smile, but there is far more to him than the charmer we first see. He decides to stay in town, which only makes the rumormongers even more belligerent. Meanwhile, a romance brews between the doctor in training and her patient…
Page 170
The art is amazing. Sarah Ellerton really is an artist. Every frame is a painting, full of layers and subtle details. Every expression is full of meaning.You may find yourself gazing at the pages instead of reading the words.
Ellerton crafts her characters and their progressions very, very well. Their emotions and thoughts build over time in a very natural way. None of the primary characters are flat, and those who seem flat are usually shown to have depth further on.
The mystery and suspense are sustained, across 400+ pages and growing. A devoted throng of fans squeal and gasp on the forums with each new twist. I hadn’t actually realized just how into it I was until the big one last month!
Carve out some time, install the AutoPager, and enjoy.
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