The Winter of Walking Stone

A House Divided #3

by Haiko Hörnig, Marius Pawlitza (Illustrations)

After saving her house and the nearby town from a magical flood, Henrietta Achilles prepares to settle in for the winter. But as her friends say farewell and depart the manor, a strange army of walking statues begins heading her way. With her allies elsewhere, Henrietta will have to search for help in the unlikeliest of places. . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Comics

112 pages, ebook

Published April 6, 2021

About the author

Haiko Hörnig spent his childhood in his parents' comic book store, where
he developed a love for sequential art at an early age. Since 2013,
Haiko has worked as a screenwriter for animated shows and feature films.
A House Divided is his first published book series. He is based in Frankfurt, Germany.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this graphic novel for children. It's the third book in a series and has a Disney fairy tale type vibe with a young girl running a magical castle. The characters are interesting and fun. There's also an element of real danger as people do die off screen.

Received a review copy from Graphic Universe and NetGalley.

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the second volume of the series and it felt a bit like the middle of the story, setting up events for a climactic finish. That said, the plot was interesting, the art was cartoonish and dynamic and bright and fun, and the characters were interesting and showed some development. There's a lot to explore in the setting and conflicts, so I hope this goes more than four volumes.

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henrietta seems to have solved her plumbing problems, only to have another possible indoor war on her hands. Another fine entry in the series - well-paced action, with much-appreciated spots of humor tossed in to ease the tension. Well done!

[Natalie Pampelmuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do love the cartoonish style of “A house divided”. The artwork is, as the overall story, somehow magical and elaborate/detailed.

Really can’t wait to read volume 4, because (as always) volume 3 ends with a cliffhanger.

Hörnig and Pawlitza again made a great job but I did enjoy volume 1&2 a bit more (in my opinion the stories were more thrilling).

[Linden Seaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like so much has culminated in this volume. It’s finally where I was expecting it to be adventure wise with twists and turns as a series. I’m hoping the 4th volume continues with this energy and we find out more about the characters and what happens next.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this series. And I know that all good things have to come to an end at some point in time. I was not expecting the group to split in the middle of winter, however! That did not make any sense to me! How could they leave Henrietta like that? Wait for spring for Pete's sake!

Henrietta once again shows how amazingly capable she is in the face of overwhelming odds that would certainly challenge others. We get to see more of this strange and magical world as bits of the past are revealed. I love how Henrietta has a way of bringing people/creatures together and compelling them to work for the greater good. She brings out the best in everyone (even when it's against their own nature sometimes, haha).

Looking forward to the next book, the conclusion? Such quick reads that I hate to think it will be over.

[James Calefato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, a great story full of adventure and intrigue and splendid moments. I think the novel could have been a little longer but, where’s the fun in the anticipation?! As always the cliff hanger at the end leaves you gobsmacked with an oh my Dolly Parton I did not see that coming and then with a what the dickens why have the pages ended and where’s the next one?! A nice touch is the art process at the end showing character development. Can’t wait for volume 4!!

[Aless · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this graphic.

So I chose the "read now" option on NetGalley before I realized this is the third book in a series.....well this will be like watching an episode of a show that is on and not binge-watching the show from the beginning.

This graphic was good and the art style is nice. Since I read this out of order by accident, I was lost due to the lack of context, but it has a good story and some interesting characters.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very much a middle book in a long story! I got access to this via NetGalley and as soon as I’d read a few pages I knew I had to go get my hands on books one and two!
I’m a lifelong fantasy fan and I am quite happy to read something meant for kids if it’s good. The best of kids books can be charming stories! The artwork in the first few pages of this volume was so cute and the girl that’s the central character of the story caught my eye. I knew that I wanted to read the whole of the series. Having read all three books in order now I’d whole heartedly recommend it to any kid (maybe 10ish?) that likes fantasy adventures. Or any older reader in touch with their inner child when it comes to a fun story too!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review! After Henrietta's friends bid her goodbye, Henrietta notices a platoon of stone soldiers heading toward the house. I really enjoyed this book. Both the story and the artwork is amazing! I would definitely recommend to a friend who enjoys graphic novels.

[Megan Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henrietta Achilles prepares to settle in for the winter. But as her friends say farewell and depart the manor, a strange army of walking statues begins heading her way. This was a good book with many characters and I enjoyed reading it.

[Kirstyn (readwithkirstyn) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one quite a bit - partially because the art is really cute and charming, but also because you really want to like the characters. My only issue is because the pacing is very slow, but when things do pick up it's a balancing act of trying to process things that are moving a mile a minute. This story would have benefited from proper pacing, but overall I did enjoy it.

[Zinzee Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I haven't read the first two books in the series. However, this book was a good read. I really enjoyed the artwork for this book it was like a cartoon. The fantasy element was also so good. Just an all round good graphic novel.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to keep my attention. Looking forward to more.

[Žaba Čita Novine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was really cute, but I felt that the story didn't have a real flow.

At first, the development of the story was kinda slow (or just as it should be, actually), with enough time to get into the story. But just when things started to happen, it was just jumping from one scene to the other really quickly and then it was over before it even started.

[PJ Nadela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is where the story starts to pick up its pace, and I like that the lead isn’t infantilised. The stakes feel much higher this time, which adds more weight to the narrative. I also appreciate how the setup and payoff are handled—it’s really well-executed in this chapter. This book leans into a darker tone, and it works in service of the story.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as much action in this volume as the last, but it's a good continuation of the series. I would recommend A House Divided for kids and adults; it would be fun to read together, I think!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well book 3 definitely is setting up for some big events to happen in the next book!

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really creative series. I love the concepts for the rooms, the characters, and the illustrations. But each book is too short and the story is rushed.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 … rounded up. Cliffhanger ending has me looking forward to the next one.