The Beast of Hadingley Hill by HoratioMarissa (@squigg-les)
Webtoon
Twenty years ago, a witch placed a curse over Clara Maria, dooming it to isolation and transforming its princess into a monster. None of this concerns Mallory Blazh; she’s far too busy running from her own problems to care for the dealings of royals. But when she volunteers to work at Hadingley Hill Palace, Mallory learns that the secrets of the town run deeper than she could have imagined, and that she may be one of those secrets.
Photo from Episode 7: Part 7
poc mc, (asian) f mc, f/f, m&f
drama, romance, fantasy
comforting, queer
historical, mundane fantasy
magic/witchcraft, monsters/hybrids, royalty, found family
location: I’m gonna go with Euro based on climate, it’s a pretty standard medieval fantasy setting so that seems like the go-to (original world tho)
Rating: 9.5/10
I love this one a lot. First of all, the character design and medieval clothing is so beautiful and I really enjoy the art style; there’s something so calming about it, and it has a really nice evocativeness. The style feels like it matches the tone and themes of the comic really well? I don’t know how to explain it but it just suits the story so perfectly. Mallory is a fun main character (I love a girl with secretss, I also love how fiercely she defends others) and even though all the characters are generally very morally good, they’re still flawed and interesting in their interactions with one another, for one reason or another. I really like the communal, found-family aspect of the setting, and I also really like, pacing-wise, how patient the story is? Again, weird phrasing, but all the plot points feel very natural and match a certain rhythm… it’s just built different. And I love a good curse.
The only points in my system that I’m even a little bit uncertain about for this one are 19 and 20, made me think and feel a lot. When in doubt, 9.5/10. Could probably be a perfect 10/10 but I’m afraid to grant any comic so high an honor. I’d say my favorite things about this comic are the overall feel of the story, the world depth, and the character relationships, and this one is a definite recommendation for everyone ever.
Fanart for my all time favorite webcomic rn that I felt absolutely inspired by. If you're looking for a webcomic that beautifully ties in fantasy and suspense, this artist is AMAZING. They also have another webcomic done mostly in gray scale that is more horror leaning. I really look up to this artist :))
