Midnight Poppy Land by Lilydusk

Content/Trigger Warnings: Cheating, graphic violence, abuse, death, child abuse, trauma/PTSD, allusions to torture, loss of a parent, terminal illness (cancer), and plenty more!

Friends, I loved this! When I say I caught up on all the episodes in two days, I’m not kidding! This was so, so good and I was hooked immediately. I love anything that has the mafia within it. It’s one of my favorite elements in romance novels I don’t talk about that often, but I feel like I should (and stop feeling embarrassed by what I like). This is an on-going webcomic as of right now. New episodes get posted on WebToons every Saturday, which you can read for free HERE.

Poppy is just your every day book editor, doing the best that she can and living her life . Until one day she stumbles upon her boyfriend cheating which leads to a series of unfortunate events. She crashes in the country side, makes an unnerving discovery, and then on top of everything else, a young man returns her lost research paper to her… after her takes an embarrassing photo of her. Now without even trying, it seems like her life it starting to become more and more entangled with this mysterious man who genuinely can’t seem to stay away from her.

Let me just say that this book doesn’t shy away from events that occur within the Mafia. There are some scenes that are a big graphic, a bit concerning, and I’m not going to lie, you should take care of your mental health with some of the section because there’s a lot to unpack. With all of that being said, it’s fantastic. It builds the background of our love interest and the Mafia bodyguard, Tora, really well. It also helps paint a better picture of why Tora acts the way he does, says some of the things he says, and how he’s kind of been this protector of certain people within the Mafia from having to feel any wrath or take an punishments.

I also really love Poppy! She was a very pleasant surprise. In the beginning I thought she seemed very innocent and naive, but she’s a firecracker and I love her for it. She’s so intelligent and she’s so compassionate about those in her life or those who cross her path in life. And when she starts to really interact with Tora, her personality flourishes in so many ways. We see a side of her we don’t see with the other people she interacts with throughout the book. I also love how Poppy felt so realistic. There’s times throughout this book where she’d be dressed down and running late or she’d get so anxious about something and then be ready for whatever event, an hour early. Poppy is such a relatable character and I think many readers will enjoy her as the main protagonist of this story.

And can I take a moment to gush about the art work?! The artwork is absolutely stunning! I’m in love with how captivating each setting is. Even in the more darker, ominous scenes, the artwork sets the tone so wonderfully and I loved every second of it. My favorite was the intimate scenes between Poppy and Tora, though. The way the author made each moment soft, fluffy, and more intimate than what the comic shows… *chef’s kiss* I loved it so, so much.

Overall, I’m really loving this webcomic. I’m surprised I didn’t know about it sooner because I’m on WebToons every morning during the weekend. It’s like my weekend newspaper except it’s webcomics. Now I get to add this fantastic comic to the list of ones I read over the weekend and I’m just so excited for the next episode to be released. I don’t think I can recommend this enough. I definitely encourage you to give this webcomic a chance especially if you’re looking for fast paced, quick reads. And seriously, the artwork and story line is fantastic!