Title: This Place Kills Me
Author: Mariko Tamaki
Publisher: Abrams
Publication date: August 19, 2025
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Summary
Abby Kita is a transfer student at Wilberton Academy, a place known for the Wilberton Theatrical Society. An exclusive club featuring all of the talented drama students at the Academy. Elizabeth Woodward was the elite member of the WTS, until she’s found dead the day before the debut of Romeo and Juliet. And Abby was the last person to see her alive.
Though her death is initially ruled a suicide, Abby thinks there’s more to the story. So, she starts investigating Elizabeth’s death. Not knowing that the school itself is harboring a dark secret.
Review: This Place Kills Me
Thanks to Abrams and NetGalley for an advanced copy of This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki to review! I always love Tamaki’s work, so I was excited to check this one out! Especially because it is a graphic novel, and we all know how I feel about teen graphic novels. This one has a little bit of a mystery, a little bit of a school story, and a little bit of an identity story.
I’m assuming the finished version will be in color, though even without the color, the artwork is fantastic. There are some really gorgeous panels in the book that bring the story to life. There is a bit of a suspense element to this, leaving you wanting to read more to figure out what the deep dark secret is. And though there were kind of hints throughout about the secret, the reveal still worked well for shock value.
Tamaki always crafts intriguing stories that will keep yoy engaged until the end. I can’t wait to see what the final version looks like when it comes out at the end of August.
4/5 stars