A simple and tidy monster story that kept me glued to its pages from start to finish. ( )

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

-- 4.5 stars --

IN UTERO opens with a bang - literally. A fire triggers a gas explosion that levels twenty Australian city blocks. A very pregnant woman named Liz and her young son Eli watch from their glass-walled apartment in the sky.

Twelve years later, Liz drops her daughter Hailey off at a holiday program hosted in a run-down old shopping mall. Older than the other kids and annoyed that she even needs a babysitter, it doesn't take much convincing for Hailey to sneak off with an older girl named Jen.

As the kids make a series of gruesome discoveries, it quickly becomes apparent that this "dead mall" is actually teeming with life. Whether it's alien or supernatural is anyone's guess. Enter: the government goons. (The head goon's mask placement? *chef's kiss*)

IN UTERO is creepy good fun. The artwork is definitely a vibe: by turns dreamlike and macabre (or both at once), some of the pages are simply spectacular (Jen's mom, wow). I enjoyed the plot, even if I wasn't always sure what was going on. (Are the creatures from another planet? Dimension? A Hellmouth?) Usually I don't love uncertainty but it feels appropriate here and definitely adds to the sense of dread and foreboding. IN UTERO delivers atmosphere and chills in spades.

I also really enjoyed the relationship between Hailey and Jen, and wanted more of a back story between Linda and John. There's definitely something going on there. Crossing my fingers for a sequel. ( )