Review for It Took Luke: Overworked Underpaid

Review for It Took Luke: Overworked Underpaid

It Took Luke: Overworked Underpaid by Mark Bouchard, Bayleigh Underwood , Horror, Monsters, Exterminators, Adult, LGBT, Blood, Gore, Scary, Graphic NovelI received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I am sorry, but I just HAD to read this book. I mean that cover? I love the style, love how scary it looks, and it reminded me (the artstyle at least) of Hellsing. I was sold. And I am sold. Because HOT DANG this was so good.

😍 That everything was black white… but if there was blood. Good lord you will see that. Love that.
😍 Love how it started off perfectly. We meet our MC who is clearly done with the shit of his work and life and who is fighting a big big lots of fangs monster. And then we cue to the monster of the book, something that wasn’t a bugbear in a laboratory. That part, DANG. I was even more sold.
😍 Love how our MC is clearly all blood-drenched but doesn’t give an fuck’s ass about it. He just walks around. Eat his lunch. Goes back to his work/team covered in blood. At least at one point he had the decency to wash his face, because dang. I can just imagine the looks of everyone around him.
😍 I love that exterminators don’t just carry guns or whatever else is normally hot in graphic novels/comics about this type of job. Oh no. Our MC has a kick-ass sword that reminded me of many RPGs I played. One of them has a big-ass hammer. I just loved seeing what each exterminator had as weapon and see them work that thing.
😍 LOVE LOVE it when the title is mentioned! On page 31 we see one of the extermination team say it to his team members and I was just squeeing. OK, maybe also not squeeing because DANG that poor dude. RIP him. First day and already being stabbed and taken by a monster, that sucks. But I guess our MC was right, this field isn’t right for a rookie/newbie. Sounds harsh, but here we have the clear evidence ripping people to shreds.
😍 The action scenes, DA YUM. I love a good action scene and we get plenty of those in here and I was just so into it.
😍 The monster. And what it did. And what it says. OH YES. I am 100% in. That is one vile thing. And perfect. Scary. Horrifying and everything I want in September. Oh, and I loved the name that our MC gave it. That is very fitting. Horrifying but fitting.
😍 What is up with our MC and why he hears barking/clutches his head. Oh no.
😍 Oh yes, finding a kid in a murderous laboratory setting. Seriously? I know it sounds harsh, but I would have dropped that kid like he was a sack of burning coals.
😍 Loved reading about the characters. We get to know the MC the most, about his past, about his ex. I wonder how much of what we see is true and what is all in Sal’s mind. I also liked Molly and Hussam. While we don’t see a lot of them, they are present and I love that. Sometimes side-characters get forgotten, but not in this book.
😍 The end battle was awesome and epic, yes, it felt a bit short, a bit easy, but I don’t mind.
😍 I want more pages and I want more books in this world. Given the ending I would say there could be more? I need to see more exterminations. How they went from friends to just co-workers. Or how they started to become friends. This world is so scary and spooky and holy hell, imagine going to work and then potentially getting murdered by a freaking monster? Not a world I would like to live in, but it is a world I want to read about.
😍 It was very gore and bloody. Normally my body is like FUCK NOPE about that (and that comes from someone who used to watch Elfen Lied and other gore stuff without a hitch) but in this one? Yes, I was at times going EWW, but it seems that maybe I am getting more resistance for it again?
😍 A bit of love and a bit of anger, mostly at the boss. At times I felt for our exterminator team. Their boss is such insert some angry words. Geez. I get that you want the job done, but holy crap. Your team is clearly in over their head and instead of saying, OK, come out and get some more peeps. Oh no. If you want your job and your pay you keep going. I can imagine that Sal wanted out.

🤔 WAIT? Wait? That is how it ends? Is there more coming? You cannot just end it like that. I need to know what is going on. Did they all… you know? You can’t leave me hanging. Bleh, this was such an epic story.. until the ending. Sorry, but deducing 0.5 stars.

But all in all, despite that ending and still having maybe a few questions, I did love this book. It is full of gore, I love how it is black/white with the blood vividly red, great characters, horrifying monsters. I think this would be a perfect read for Halloween!

Star rating, 4.5 stars

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