Review on Will o' the Wisp

Hello everyone! I'm back once again with another review. If graphic novels aren't your cup of tea, this book might not be something you'd want to read.
Here it is... Will o' the Wisp by Tom Hammock and Megan Hutchinson


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18125353-will-o-the-wisp?ac=1
This book is a nominee for the YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2014
Format: Hardcover
Pub. Date: January 28th, 2014
Summary:
After her parents' accidental death by mushroom poisoning, young Aurora Grimeon is sent to live with her estranged grandfather on Ossuary Isle, deep in the southern swamps. Joined by her grandfather's pet raccoon Missy, Aurora explores the fog-covered island of graves. Along the way she meets its sinister residents who care for the tombstones and mausoleums, living out their lives by the strange rules of Hoodoo magic. When ghostly things start happening out in the swamp and island residents start disappearing, Aurora thrusts herself into the middle of the mystery, uncovering secrets that might be better left buried.
My rating: 3 out of 4 will o' the wisps!
My review:
My copy was given to me by Netgalley.
The good:
The premise of this book sounded very interesting to me. How many books involve an orphan whose parents died from eating poisonous mushrooms? Yeah, not many. Also, the sidekick. I freaking loved Missy the raccoon. If I didn't know raccoons would probably chew my face off in reality, I would want one as a pet!
I also enjoyed the relationship between Aurora and her grandfather. At first, her grandfather was rather gruff with her, probably because he wasn't used to being around kids. But he slowly began to like Aurora and they became close. I thought how their relationship progressed was necessary for this novel.
The bad:
While this novel was definitely original with its will o' the wisps, its ghosts and spirits, and the raccoon, I didn't like how the book seemed to skip around, almost as if it was missing a page or two or a few panels. The story jumped around almost, making it confusing to me.
The artwork was kinda dreary and dark. I know this book is supposed to be a dark fantasy set in a swamp that is supposed to be creepy, but there was no contrast. There weren't any light scenes or happy scenes. To make a book work, there needs to be an equal amount of each. At least, that's what I think.
The characters weren't too striking for me and this book was just confusing to me.
This book was interesting with its supernatural plot and the gothic-ness of the novel, but it just skipped around a bit. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a gothic, paranormal graphic novel with a raccoon sidekick.