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knifekun's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
quinnard21's review
4.0
The art style was what drew me into this book in the first place, and I have to say that it did not let me down. I love the drawing style, and the use of color for different emotions and portrayals was amazing. It really kept the story interesting to see how everything would be interpreted in the colors used. The premise of the story was very entertaining as well, although I felt like I had some unanswered questions after I finished. The end felt a tad rushed. However I really enjoyed the character development especially of the main character. Slowly piecing together her backstory throughout the book kept me wanting to know more. I wish I'd gotten a little more of a backstory on a couple more characters. Overall a very entertaining read.
saloninareads's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
We get it, everything is a heart idiom
vickylovesreading's review
4.0
The island of Envecor is cursed. All inhabitants’ hearts are outside their bodies and they are cursed to be immortal, until they find their soulmate. If a citizen finds their soulmate, they can leave the island together to live a normal life. But there are some who want to live forever…and these darker individuals pay Heart Hunters, people with broken hearts, to find their soul mates and kill them before they can bond with one another. In this tale, Heart Hunter Psyche has been sent by the king to kill his soulmate, under the pretence of living forever to try to break the curse for everyone. But, can Psyche fix her own broken heart?
I absolutely loved the concept of this and leant fully into the curse. Hearts outside bodies with soulmates that heal the heart? Broken hearts when a soulmate is dead? Wearing your heart on your sleeve? Just about every cliché that you’ve heard about a heart is used throughout this graphic novel and it just absolutely works. At it’s heart (hehe), this graphic novel is a dark fairy tale with the traditional elements of people being unfairly cursed and having to find a solution to the problem. Themes of learning to trust and love were entwined through the story.
The art style was lovely and fluid throughout. Visually, this novel was very soft, with a muted palette and gentle lines rather than bold defined artwork. This style worked well with the story. A slight criticism would be that, at times, the action was quite hard to follow as it wasn’t always immediately obvious which panels to read and in which order.
The cast of characters was diverse with a strong contingent of LBGT+ characters and personalities. I particularly enjoyed Jez with his heart on his sleeve and the contrast between his character and Psyche’s more closed off personality. With soulmates, I also enjoyed that the author didn’t make soulmates simply a romantic concept, the idea of platonic and familial love also shone through.
A solid concept with some interesting characterisation. 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Legendary Comics for providing an e-book review copy.
I absolutely loved the concept of this and leant fully into the curse. Hearts outside bodies with soulmates that heal the heart? Broken hearts when a soulmate is dead? Wearing your heart on your sleeve? Just about every cliché that you’ve heard about a heart is used throughout this graphic novel and it just absolutely works. At it’s heart (hehe), this graphic novel is a dark fairy tale with the traditional elements of people being unfairly cursed and having to find a solution to the problem. Themes of learning to trust and love were entwined through the story.
The art style was lovely and fluid throughout. Visually, this novel was very soft, with a muted palette and gentle lines rather than bold defined artwork. This style worked well with the story. A slight criticism would be that, at times, the action was quite hard to follow as it wasn’t always immediately obvious which panels to read and in which order.
The cast of characters was diverse with a strong contingent of LBGT+ characters and personalities. I particularly enjoyed Jez with his heart on his sleeve and the contrast between his character and Psyche’s more closed off personality. With soulmates, I also enjoyed that the author didn’t make soulmates simply a romantic concept, the idea of platonic and familial love also shone through.
A solid concept with some interesting characterisation. 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Legendary Comics for providing an e-book review copy.
bonnieebrown's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tasharobinson's review
4.0
Picture a fantasy world where an entire island is under a curse and the population is immortal and unchanging. They all carry their hearts around in unbreakable jars, but if they find their soulmates among the populace, they can exchange hearts, become mortal, and leave the island — which they have to do quickly, or the curse kills them. Now imagine that every cliché and catchphrase about hearts has a very literal (and sometimes groan-inducing) meaning here — bleeding heart, broken heart, heart on the sleeve, heart of gold, etc. — and you're most of the way toward understanding The Heart Hunter, a pretty intense and colorful fantasy with gorgeous art and a tendency to get a little too cute with all the heart metaphors.
This one reminded me a bit of Simon Spurrier's Coda, which I've been reading, in that it's set in a particularly dense and creative magical world that doesn't feel like a knockoff of any other — it's strange enough to feel almost unrecognizable, in an exciting way. In this case, there are also romances — seems necessary for a story about hearts and what they do — but they wind up not being the central focus so much as an annoyance and a distraction to the characters, who have much bigger agendas. All of which sometimes left me a little cold, since a lot of the story here is a series of prickly encounters and inner journeys that aren't always satisfying in a warm and human way. But this was still a fascinating read, for the way it turns a fable-like premise into a very grounded and specific adventure, and in particular for the sullen, savvy, skilled central character, who's entirely up my alley in terms of story arc. Give me an angry, hurting person who needs to confront some internal truth in order to be whole, and I'm sold just about every time.
This one reminded me a bit of Simon Spurrier's Coda, which I've been reading, in that it's set in a particularly dense and creative magical world that doesn't feel like a knockoff of any other — it's strange enough to feel almost unrecognizable, in an exciting way. In this case, there are also romances — seems necessary for a story about hearts and what they do — but they wind up not being the central focus so much as an annoyance and a distraction to the characters, who have much bigger agendas. All of which sometimes left me a little cold, since a lot of the story here is a series of prickly encounters and inner journeys that aren't always satisfying in a warm and human way. But this was still a fascinating read, for the way it turns a fable-like premise into a very grounded and specific adventure, and in particular for the sullen, savvy, skilled central character, who's entirely up my alley in terms of story arc. Give me an angry, hurting person who needs to confront some internal truth in order to be whole, and I'm sold just about every time.
jugglingpup's review
4.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I am not exactly a fan of metaphors in general, just say what you mean. Hiding behind some flowery language doesn’t make it clearer and can just make it difficult to understand. Yet, this comic was just a giant metaphor about healing and love and I liked it. It is a bit wild.
The plot was interesting. The way that the curse worked, the way that the hearts worked, the different elements really sold it. I loved that there were hearts of gold, bleeding hearts, broken hearts, you get the idea. There was a role for every type of heart. The idea that someone can be stagnant in their pain and cruel in their desire to only have love was fascinating. I really can’t say enough about the plot and the mechanics of the hearts.
The art was ok. There were times I wasn’t impressed with it. There were other times when the art was perfect. I think it just wasn’t an art style that meshes well with me. Others have praised it for being breathtaking and I guess I can sort of see it. I picked up this book for the plot though. The art doesn’t carry the story. Often times it felt like the art didn’t live up to the greatest parts of the story.
Overall, this was a wonderful book. I read it in one sitting and felt satisfied with it. The ending was a little bit cheesy, but also the only ending that really made too much sense. I would have liked a polyam situation, but I don’t often get what I want. I did love that the soulmates did not have to be lovers, that was a really nice detail. That detail alone would be enough for me to recommend this book to people.
I got an ARC of this book.
I am not exactly a fan of metaphors in general, just say what you mean. Hiding behind some flowery language doesn’t make it clearer and can just make it difficult to understand. Yet, this comic was just a giant metaphor about healing and love and I liked it. It is a bit wild.
The plot was interesting. The way that the curse worked, the way that the hearts worked, the different elements really sold it. I loved that there were hearts of gold, bleeding hearts, broken hearts, you get the idea. There was a role for every type of heart. The idea that someone can be stagnant in their pain and cruel in their desire to only have love was fascinating. I really can’t say enough about the plot and the mechanics of the hearts.
The art was ok. There were times I wasn’t impressed with it. There were other times when the art was perfect. I think it just wasn’t an art style that meshes well with me. Others have praised it for being breathtaking and I guess I can sort of see it. I picked up this book for the plot though. The art doesn’t carry the story. Often times it felt like the art didn’t live up to the greatest parts of the story.
Overall, this was a wonderful book. I read it in one sitting and felt satisfied with it. The ending was a little bit cheesy, but also the only ending that really made too much sense. I would have liked a polyam situation, but I don’t often get what I want. I did love that the soulmates did not have to be lovers, that was a really nice detail. That detail alone would be enough for me to recommend this book to people.
ziyal's review
5.0
I received an arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I gave the book 5 stars overall and there was just so much to love about this book.
First of all the premise of this book was such a cool idea. I’ve seen the prompt/idea floating around, but I’ve never seen a book with the premise before and I was not disappointed. I love how the author executed the idea and I would definitely read the book again.
I also love the artwork and the colors use. The story was wonderful, but what truly made the book excellent was the artwork and the colors were absolutely beautiful.
Another part I loved was how Mickey George wrote soulmates and the relationships in this book. Of course, we had the idea that soulmates meant romantic feelings, but we also had platonic soulmates and familial soulmates and I loved that George included those types of soulmates as well. I would even go so far to say that there were elements of found family at the end.
The way that heart hunters are created was an interesting idea and I loved how this book was not just about “finding soulmates” but also learning to trust and love again and learning to let others care for you. The final point I want to mention is the different “types of hearts” there were. Some examples: the golden heart, hearts locked away in jars, bleeding hearts, etc.
Overall, I was very pleased with this book and I would definitely recommend it and buy it.
I gave the book 5 stars overall and there was just so much to love about this book.
First of all the premise of this book was such a cool idea. I’ve seen the prompt/idea floating around, but I’ve never seen a book with the premise before and I was not disappointed. I love how the author executed the idea and I would definitely read the book again.
I also love the artwork and the colors use. The story was wonderful, but what truly made the book excellent was the artwork and the colors were absolutely beautiful.
Another part I loved was how Mickey George wrote soulmates and the relationships in this book. Of course, we had the idea that soulmates meant romantic feelings, but we also had platonic soulmates and familial soulmates and I loved that George included those types of soulmates as well. I would even go so far to say that there were elements of found family at the end.
The way that heart hunters are created was an interesting idea and I loved how this book was not just about “finding soulmates” but also learning to trust and love again and learning to let others care for you. The final point I want to mention is the different “types of hearts” there were. Some examples: the golden heart, hearts locked away in jars, bleeding hearts, etc.
Overall, I was very pleased with this book and I would definitely recommend it and buy it.
arkham's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
marisnini's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5