[BOOK REVIEW] Locke and Key: Alpha and Omega by Joe Hill

Title:  Locke and Key:  Alpha and Omega 

Author: Joe Hill

Artist:  Gabriel Rodriguez

Genre:  Horror / Family / Supernatural

Year Published: 2014

Year Read:  8/21/2014

Publisher: IDW Comics

Series: Locke and Key #6

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Gory Violence and Strong Language)

Introduction:

I have been reading Joe Hill’s magnificent “Locke and Key” series for years and now we finally get the ultimate finale for this wonderful series!  I have been wondering for years about how this series was going to end and whether or not I would be impressed with the results.  Well, I have to say that this is one volume that really defines the meaning of “DRAMA BOMB FINALE” and it has exceeded my expectations far more than I expected!

What is this story about?

In this volume, Lucas “Dodge” Caravaggio (who is now in Bode Locke’s body due to his own body getting destroyed in the previous volumes) has now obtained the very key he was looking for: the dreaded key that would open THE BLACK DOOR!  Lucas then comes up with a dastardly plan to get most of the high school students to go to the Drowning Cave so he could summon up the demons on the other side of the door to overtake the Locke Kids’ world!

Can Tyler, Kinsey, Scot, Nina and Rufus stop Lucas from unleashing all the demons into their world before it is too late?

What I loved about this story:

Joe Hill’s writing: I have said it once and I will say it again, Joe Hill’s writing continues to amaze me as he brilliantly wove both horror and comedy into one volume!  I really loved the way that Joe Hill developed the Locke Kids throughout this series as they went from being heartbroken about the death of their father to trying to save everyone from Lucas’ malicious plan while slowly getting over the death of their father.  I really enjoyed the character interactions that the Locke Kids had with their classmates since we mostly saw the Locke Kids interacting with each other more often than they interacted with the other students and I loved the way that some of the relationships (especially between Kinsey and Jamal) had developed even further during these past few volumes. I also loved the way that Joe Hill had all the hanging plot threads established in the previous volumes come together in this volume.  While I was reading this series, I had been wondering for so long about what Lucas was really looking for and what his true intentions are for using the missing keys and when I found out in this volume, I was absolutely blown away with terror and sadness.  I especially loved the way that Joe Hill ended this book as it was pretty bittersweet and yet it fits perfectly with the sweet and horrific tone of this series.

Gabriel Rodriguez’s artwork:  Gabriel Rodriguez’s artwork is as usual beautifully drawn as he does a brilliant job at drawing the expressions on the characters’ faces, especially whenever they are shocked or frightened which happens quite often in this volume!  I also loved the images of the shadow creatures that attack the protagonists since they look truly frightening as they take forms of various creatures such as wolves and skeletons and they are probably the most realistic characters in this volume!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like gory violence and strong language, this volume is filled to the brim with images of characters getting cut in half and blood spraying everywhere and that might be a bit too disturbing for anyone who does not like violence.  Also, this volume has some strong language such as the constant use of the “f” word, even though the language in this volume is not as strong as the previous volumes.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Locke and Key: Alpha and Omega” is a fantastic finale to an otherwise brilliant series and even though I am sad that this series has come to a close, I am glad that we got one awesome ending to a highly acclaimed series!