Cover Image: The Heart Hunter

The Heart Hunter

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

The Heart Hunter is a beautifully illustrated story about Psyche, an assassin-for-hire type, who hunts down people’s soulmates to destroy their hearts and allow her clients to live forever. The king, Marius, recruits Psyche to hunt down his soulmate, Isaac, whose heart of gold allows him to heal the hearts of others. The journey takes Psyche on an emotional adventure, in addition to a trek through the woods, as she tackles the death of her first soulmate who left her broken-hearted.

The Heart Hunter used a fantastic mix of color to enhance the emotions of each character and the mood of the scene. The art style allows for tender moments of slow growing acceptance and understanding between characters and moments of tense action and stress. I loved how diverse and representative of different kinds of love were explored in this novel, including romantic, platonic, and familial love. I also loved the supernatural elements that wove throughout the story from the prolog to the epic climax. I can’t wait to check out more by both the author and illustrator.

Was this review helpful?

“That’s the tragedy of all soulmates: they are mirrors, not partners, one revealing the true nature of the other.”

Envecor is under a curse. Hearts live outside of the body, in glass jars. People don't age or die. When you find your soulmate, the curse is broken and you must leave the island or suffer dire consequences.

Some want nothing more than to find their soulmate. Some want nothing more than to live forever.

That's where Heart Hunters come in: they can kill your soulmate's heart, thus ensuring your immortality. Psyche is one of those heart hunters, employed by the king to kill his soulmate.

This book is enjoyable, if a little confusing. I'm relatively new to reading comics/graphic novels, but I didn't love the art style. However, the cast of characters was interesting and the premise was amazing. This story was bittersweet — but the good kind of bittersweet, leaving you a strange kind of sad/happy at the end.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved it. The story the art are amazing. I felt like art was making the story only better and more powerful.

The story about love and trust and humans connections are not really new to anyone but it doesn’t mean it cannot be told again. Moreover, I felt like this story was even better because it not only flashed out romantic relationships but also platonic and relationship between family and siblings. I felt like all of my emotions and thoughts about soulmates were put in this book and that’s why it’s 5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Legendary omics for giving me and e-arc to read! Wow I loved this book. The artwork is gorgeous, giving some fantasy/spooky vibes but the story having a heartfelt love story. I loved the intertwining plots of Time and Death, and the heart strings connecting soulmates of our main characters. There were so many beautiful lines about the different form of love and heartbreak and grief and how these all come in so many different forms.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read an arc of this wonderful book!

I actually forgot that I was approved for it and had read it through the Hoopla app because it was already released, But I absolutely enjoyed it.

I had expected the main plot of people being immortal until they find their soulmate to be generic but this changed my mind. the artwork, the panels, the characters and their personalities were just lovely to read. I ended up finishing it in one sitting and it was my last 5-star of 2021,
I look forward to whatever the authors and illustrators have in store in the future!

Was this review helpful?

This was such a surprising read, I honestly did not expect from the synopsis to love this story as much as I did.
It's such a unique take on a fairytale, with enjoyable characters, storylines, and illustrations. I would 100% buy this. I have not read anything similar to this before.
Such a fun book, highly recommend it.
4 stars.

*** ARC provided by Legendary Comics via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I went for the average rating for this book as I was unable to open it on any device.

I love the cover and the premise.
I would probably buy a physical copy

Was this review helpful?

The Heart Hunter is unlike anything I've read before. The concept was new, slightly disturbing (which is always a good thing) and sweet all simultaneously. The heart-themed puns that run through his comic are wonderfully hilarious and made me giggle whenever they cropped up. However, most of this story is not lighthearted, not warm or fluffy, but quite sinister and dark *chef's kiss*. I enjoyed the darkness of this comic and how tortured most of the characters are. And the artwork? The artwork is fantastic, so detailed and wonderfully coloured. It fully immerses you into the story—overall, a solid comic with a great twist on soulmates.

Was this review helpful?

I really liked this comic. The message is clear and I think I would have liked it more if it was a little more subtle, that's mostly why it's 4 stars and not 5. The other thing I didn't love was how fast relationships seemed to develope between the characters, but, considering it's a short stand-alone comic, it makes sense that they're like this. I really liked the art style and the whole concept was really interesting. I also enjoyed the point that not all soulmates have to be romantic, as it is a concept that I truly believe in.

All in all: a really fast and enjoyable read.

Was this review helpful?

Bold and captivating art tells the story of a heart hunter, Psyche, living on the island of Envecor where residents live with their hearts outside of their chest. Only by meeting their soul mate can their heart be restored to the chest of their partner, and they can sail away to escape the curse. Or, if you have a broken heart like Psyche, you have less to lose and all the more to gain by hunting people for their hearts - the source of immortality.

I was really captured by this story and the blazing artwork across the pages. Every panel packed a punch and the placement of them all told a story within itself. The character designs were all so unique and, coupled with the punchy cerise, some pages I lingered on just to admire even when I wanted to keep going with the story.

Speaking of which, the story is succinct, powerful and interesting - the characters are complexly webbed together but the reader is brought up to speed quickly so you never feel uncertain about what is happening in the narrative. I liked that all the characters had clear backstories and motivations that, while difficult to unwrap, all made sense for their character progression. The King in particular made for a personal favourite for his pointed remarks and differing motivations. You knew something was going to kick off when he walked into a scene!

Progression is a key feature of this narrative so if you're looking for characters that grow, you're in the right place. There's theming around love in all its forms, grief, defiance, greed and much more. For all that happens on the page, the most change happens internally for the characters, coming to terms with their pasts, their wants and needs. Love is a powerful motivator and, if you want to feel uplifted by a short and breezy read, this is the one for you.

I'd recommend to a wide range of readers, particularly those a fan of fantasy and fairytales with a twist.

Was this review helpful?

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Legendary Comics for giving me access.

While there were some minor glitches in the production of the eARC (page ghosting) I could still understand the concept of what was trying to be said.

This was one of the best graphic novel stories I've read in 2021! A very unique take on a [not so] typical love story. The artwork is absolutely stunning and is what drew me in. George creates a wonderful world in which this curse takes place and includes love of all kinds. I cannot recommend this enough.

Was this review helpful?

On Envecor everyone is doomed to wear their hearts outside their bodies. They are immortal until they find their soulmate and then they can leave Envecor and live a mortal life. Those that do not want to become mortal hire heart hunters to find and kill their soulmate. I really struggled with how to review this story. A lot of things are confusing at first, but as the story continues the more it connects. So it is difficult to discuss the story without spoilers. The art is beautiful. A lot of panels have a stained glass feel to them which I really enjoyed. I loved the premise of the story, it isn’t something I have seen before, but it felt like the story was contradicting itself. Either I misunderstood the concept of how soulmates work in this world or continuity isn’t really there. I do think my students will enjoy the story because the problems I had with the story don’t normally bother them.

3 stars

Creative Team:
Flats: M. Hulbert, Kim Goon,Diana Sousa, Marcos Vikk
Lettering: Richard Starkings, Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Creator/Writer: Mickey George
Cover and Interior Art: V Gagnon
Published by Legendary comics

Was this review helpful?

This is so original and interesting! I never realized how many weird saying we have abut hearts: heart of gold, bleeding heart, heart on your sleeve... so many! And the way the author uses them here is super creative.

Was this review helpful?

I had no preconceived notions about this graphic novel, so I’m happy to say that it completely blew me away.

The story follows a couple of characters living under a curse on an island cut of from the rest of the world. The setup is rather unique and the mythology provided at the beginning sets the tone perfectly.

The visual difference that the island inhabitants have is that they all have hearts that they keep on the outside of the body. I won’t go into too much detail but, like the title, the book doesn’t shy away from using common phrases related to harts, and there are plenty of puns to make anyone giggle.I won’t go into more detail just because the plot picks up very quickly and I, for one, enjoyed going in blind.

One of the most important aspects of this graphic novel is the art and the colors that are used. The color palette is fairly limited and, along with the subtle and overt imagery, perfectly accompanies the story and provides plenty of heart-shaped imagery in page layouts and individual images.

The illustration style fits very well with the intended age range and simultaneously reminded me of Scott Pilgrim and earlier graphic novels by Neil Gaiman.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this galley, reading it was an utter delight!

Was this review helpful?

The art style was gorgeous and I love the main idea of the story. Absolutely love that your soul mate doesn't have to be a romantic one and the idea of how the heart hunters become a heart hunter is just beautiful.

But I must say, I started to get bored early on in the novel. The story was dragging a bit for me and if it wasn't for the art style I would not have been interested. But it was a solid story idea and it was executed well.

Was this review helpful?

This was absolutely beautiful. Both the story and illustrations were gorgeous. I will definitely be recommending it.

Was this review helpful?

I love the colours of this comic. La historia de la maldición, le hacia falta mas trasfondo.
Al final no entendí si el alma gemela de la protagonista era el pibe o qué, como que hay que arreglar eso.
Despues, el romance entre el rey y el que cura los corazones, estuvo bien planteado,
Buen comic para pasar el rato.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this comic; it was very wholesome. This tale is about the power of love as well as about living and dying. I wasn’t a big fan of the drawings at the beginning but I started to like it more and more as I went through the pages. I loved how, at the end of the comics, there are pages that explain how some art scenes worked in the script.
I enjoyed that this story doesn’t really have a bad guy, just people doing what they think is best and/or trying to cope with their heartbreak. They all had good reasons for acting the way they did. I liked all the characters and was quite happy with the ending. Psyche is definitely a strong character and Jez was quite cute. The concept of soulmate is not new in books, but the universe created here is very nice and unique.
I recommend this comic to people who believe in the power of love.
4/5

Was this review helpful?

I wish I could have read this one. However, like a few reviewers, I had trouble downloading the pdf. I have tried multiple times and yet it wouldn’t allow me. But it seems that other reviewers highly recommends this one, and it seems like it’s worth the read. Hoping to pick this up when it’s available!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
4/5 stars
Stunning art, interesting concept, unfortunately ham-fisted metaphors.

This book follows Psyche, a Heart Hunter in a world where people's hearts are on the outside and they are linked to their soul-mates by a curse.
What I did love about the story:
Amazing concept! Great world-building of the people, the different types of hearts, and the island/curses' history.

What I didn't love:
Talking about the conditions of the hearts was interesting for the first couple of chapters, but became repetitive to the point of being annoying.
The characterization left a lot to be desired for all of the characters. While I do understand the author took more space for explaining the world, I could have used more of a real sense of the characters.

Even for a graphic novel I would say is for teens, I think some nuance and subtlety would improve this greatly.

Was this review helpful?