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The Hollows #0.2
Blood Work
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Graphic Novels & Comics (2011)When Ivy met Rachel, the result wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Sparks flew as the living vampire and the stubborn witch learned what it meant to be partners. Now Kim Harrison, the acclaimed author of Pale Demon and Black Magic Sanction, turns back the clock to tell the tale—in an original full-color graphic novel.
Hot-as-hell, tough-as-nails detective Ivy Tamwood has been demoted from homicide down to lowly street-crime detail. As if rousting trolls and policing pixies instead of catching killers wasn’t bad enough, she’s also been saddled with a newbie partner who’s an earth witch. It’s enough to make any living vampire bare her fangs. But when a coven of murderous witches begins preying on werewolves, Rachel Morgan quickly proves she’s a good witch who knows how to be a badass.
Together, Ivy and Rachel hit the mean streets to deal swift justice to the evil element among Cincinnati’s supernatural set. But there’s more to their partnership than they realize—and more blood and black magic in their future than they bargained for.
Hot-as-hell, tough-as-nails detective Ivy Tamwood has been demoted from homicide down to lowly street-crime detail. As if rousting trolls and policing pixies instead of catching killers wasn’t bad enough, she’s also been saddled with a newbie partner who’s an earth witch. It’s enough to make any living vampire bare her fangs. But when a coven of murderous witches begins preying on werewolves, Rachel Morgan quickly proves she’s a good witch who knows how to be a badass.
Together, Ivy and Rachel hit the mean streets to deal swift justice to the evil element among Cincinnati’s supernatural set. But there’s more to their partnership than they realize—and more blood and black magic in their future than they bargained for.
169 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2011
About the author
Kim Harrison
81 books18.3k followersKim Harrison is best known as the author of the New York Times #1 best selling Hollows series, but she has written more than urban fantasy and has published over two-dozen books spanning the gamut from young adult, thriller, several anthologies, and has scripted two original graphic novels. She has also published traditional fantasy under the name Dawn Cook. Kim is currently working on a new Hollows book between other, non related, urban fantasy projects.
Kim reaches out to her audience at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimHarrisons...
Instagram
https://instagram.com/kim_harrison_au...
and her blog http://kimharrison.wordpress.com/
other pseudonyms: Dawn Cook
Kim reaches out to her audience at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimHarrisons...
https://instagram.com/kim_harrison_au...
and her blog http://kimharrison.wordpress.com/
other pseudonyms: Dawn Cook
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
July 16, 2011
I love the Hollows, but this is sub par for any medium. I am not digging this art in the least. I know a lot of people try to make the excuse that an artist can't capture what you imagine in your mind, but I beg to differ because there are a couple of series with decent graphic novel adaptations. Mercy Thompson's is one of them and even Anita Blake's is better than this, though I'm not a fan of that style and no longer read the series. I was at least going to give the cover some credit, but that was before I received the actual book and saw that it was simply a photograph, not a cool drawing/painting.
I've also seen a few amazing fanart pieces for the Hollows that not only capture how I imagine the characters, but make them look even better (see Valliant Creations on Deviant Art and you'll see what I mean). Those artist are capable of drawing comic book style too, so one would hope that a hired professional could at least get it in the ballpark. Ivy's asian features are stronger than we were initially led to believe, and she's not as beautiful and elegant as we're led to believe. Rachel's okay, but not that sexy either. I knew Kisten wasn't going to be great but then they HAD to add Trent *shakes head*. I am hoping we don't see Jenks at all at this point since a sequel is in the works. It's definitely disappointing for me, especially coming off of the high from the Pale Demon installment which is now my favorite book to this date. While not my favorite character, I do rather like Ivy so I was hoping for an interesting read. I will admit that a few scenes are quite funny and it was cool seeing things from her POV, but that's really the only plus I can give it. Fans of Ivy/Rachel may like knowing how Ivy started falling for Rachel. While I am not a fan of the pair at all these days, in the earlier books I was intrigued by the idea. I can say that this book hasn't done anything to remotely sway my preference back to that end if that was Harrison's goal.
I do appreciate the attempt at trying a prequel instead of making a graphic novel based off of existing publications, but with Harrison's inexperience in this realm, it may have been better had she gone that route and just started with Dead Witch Walking. This just didn't give me that Hollows feel most of the time, and it's probably because every thing's confined to speech bubbles which limit the depth that we're accustomed to. I just wasn't emotionally attached. I am just not sure how many non-Hollows followers perusing the graphic novel aisle will pick this out and think it's worth $23, or even $14, but that's just me. I wanted to like this, but I just can't recommend this with good conscience.
I've also seen a few amazing fanart pieces for the Hollows that not only capture how I imagine the characters, but make them look even better (see Valliant Creations on Deviant Art and you'll see what I mean). Those artist are capable of drawing comic book style too, so one would hope that a hired professional could at least get it in the ballpark. Ivy's asian features are stronger than we were initially led to believe, and she's not as beautiful and elegant as we're led to believe. Rachel's okay, but not that sexy either. I knew Kisten wasn't going to be great but then they HAD to add Trent *shakes head*. I am hoping we don't see Jenks at all at this point since a sequel is in the works. It's definitely disappointing for me, especially coming off of the high from the Pale Demon installment which is now my favorite book to this date. While not my favorite character, I do rather like Ivy so I was hoping for an interesting read. I will admit that a few scenes are quite funny and it was cool seeing things from her POV, but that's really the only plus I can give it. Fans of Ivy/Rachel may like knowing how Ivy started falling for Rachel. While I am not a fan of the pair at all these days, in the earlier books I was intrigued by the idea. I can say that this book hasn't done anything to remotely sway my preference back to that end if that was Harrison's goal.
I do appreciate the attempt at trying a prequel instead of making a graphic novel based off of existing publications, but with Harrison's inexperience in this realm, it may have been better had she gone that route and just started with Dead Witch Walking. This just didn't give me that Hollows feel most of the time, and it's probably because every thing's confined to speech bubbles which limit the depth that we're accustomed to. I just wasn't emotionally attached. I am just not sure how many non-Hollows followers perusing the graphic novel aisle will pick this out and think it's worth $23, or even $14, but that's just me. I wanted to like this, but I just can't recommend this with good conscience.
July 5, 2011
I am a huge, huge fan of the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. And I was so excited to find out that a graphic novel was coming out, featuring my favorite characters. Blood Work is a prequel to Dead Witch Walking. But it is set after the events of "Undead in the Garden of Good & Evil." Essentially, it is the story of how Rachel and Ivy came to be partners for the first time, from Ivy's perspective.
Let me talk about the plot first and then I'll get to the art. When Rachel is introduced to Ivy, it's not clear if it supposed to be a punishment or reward from Piscary for Ivy's frame-job of her old boss. At first, the women are like oil and water. But as they start working the case of a dead Were, Rachel begins earning Ivy's respect --and eventually Ivy's more sensual attention. Ivy and Kisten are still a couple and Ivy is very much under Piscary's thumb. But as the book progresses, she begins to question if she wants it to stay that way.
I'm still nursing a broken heart over There's no Jenks here... Rachel hasn't met him yet. I guess if this were a story told traditionally, it would stack up to a novella. There's not a whole lot going on... more like a snapshot in this time of their lives.
I don't think there was any way I could be 100% happy with someone else's artistic vision for my beloved characters. Rachel, Ivy and Piscary were ok for me. Not exactly how I envisioned them, but I could live with it. Kisten was the furthest from what I pictured. In my mind, he is early Jason Lewis. Here, he is... not. But despite that, it was easy to slide into the story, and interesting to see visual representations of all the tidbits that are part of the Hollows lore... from the charms, to the magic, to Ivy's aura.
I don't know how meaningful this would be to someone who hasn' t read the series. But it's a treat for fans. Almost 4 stars.
*ARC Provided by Del Rey
Let me talk about the plot first and then I'll get to the art. When Rachel is introduced to Ivy, it's not clear if it supposed to be a punishment or reward from Piscary for Ivy's frame-job of her old boss. At first, the women are like oil and water. But as they start working the case of a dead Were, Rachel begins earning Ivy's respect --and eventually Ivy's more sensual attention. Ivy and Kisten are still a couple and Ivy is very much under Piscary's thumb. But as the book progresses, she begins to question if she wants it to stay that way.
I'm still nursing a broken heart over There's no Jenks here... Rachel hasn't met him yet. I guess if this were a story told traditionally, it would stack up to a novella. There's not a whole lot going on... more like a snapshot in this time of their lives.
I don't think there was any way I could be 100% happy with someone else's artistic vision for my beloved characters. Rachel, Ivy and Piscary were ok for me. Not exactly how I envisioned them, but I could live with it. Kisten was the furthest from what I pictured. In my mind, he is early Jason Lewis. Here, he is... not. But despite that, it was easy to slide into the story, and interesting to see visual representations of all the tidbits that are part of the Hollows lore... from the charms, to the magic, to Ivy's aura.
I don't know how meaningful this would be to someone who hasn' t read the series. But it's a treat for fans. Almost 4 stars.
*ARC Provided by Del Rey
August 17, 2020
So interesting to read a story from Ivy's perspective! I liked seeing how she and Rachel first met and worked a run together. It was interesting to see her figure things out about herself and decide to change.
April 5, 2017
Fun prequel story of Ivy and Rachel's first few days as partners at I.S. Interesting but not all that exciting to see the visuals and ideas about the Hollows places and people. I'm not a fan of the graphics in this novel, mostly because being busty is annoyingly prominent for such a female-driven story.
January 19, 2012
I will start this review by saying that I love Kim Harrison's series The Hollows. They were the first true Urban Fantasy series I collected, and it has been my recommendation to many a person wanting to try out this genre.
However, and as much of a Fangirl I am to this author and her work (and the main character of the Graphic Novel, Ivy Tamwood), I have to outright admit there are some really serious issues with this Graphic Novel adaptation of the world of the Hollows. The author at least was gracious enough to not just wanting to transcribe her already written work into comic book form (Anita Blake and Harry Dresden, I'm looking at you!), something that seldom works right. Instead, she gifted us with a trip into the mind of Ivy (rather than the books' narrator, Rachel) and tells us just how the main duo of the series came to work together and know each other.
Storywise, this might have worked rather well for a novel, or a noveletta -- but in comic form, the most interesting aspects of the tale were subdued or understated. Ivy's feelings (read love) for Rachel happened incredibly abruptly, and even though Rachel here wasn't as incredibly annoying as Mercy Thompson in the "Homecoming" graphic novel (awful awful AWFUL!), she came across as random, whimsical, and annoyingly moralist. And somehow, Ivy seems to be amazingly grateful to have Rachel's abuse. I love the two characters and I adore Rachel, but I really didn't like her in this GN - in the books she's sassy, self assured and a little bit cheeky. Here? She's got mood swings that take her from cutesy to "RANTING BITCH IN YOUR FACE!".
Again, this tiny history behind the GN would be much more interesting if more properly developed but it just didn't work -- there was no emotional development, and the secondary plot (the murdered werewolf) seems crammed in to give the girls something to do that wasn't Ivy moping over Rachel and her relationship to Piscary. The secondary characters felt awkward -- crowbared even -- almost forced to be there, as if they had been contractually obligated to make an appearance to please the fans.
I can't really understand the goal of this Graphic Novel:
- If it was to give the fans a little treat, to show them a vignette of how their main duo came together, it fails because it lacks most of the elements that make the Hollows Series so much fun -- and the author's talented writing. Everything given here is a weak rehash of what we already knew from reading the books.
- If it was to actually complete a missing gap in The Hollows lore, and the author meant it as something actually useful, it, again fails, because she chose the wrong medium: she's clearly out of her depth, and the story itself would either need to be told in a bigger book, or by a more competent storyteller in this means, because -- really? I didn't learn anything interesting about the two that I didn't know already.
- If it was to draw in new people, give them a taste of the books and maybe get them to buy the series, it also fails, because there is very little information about the setting (the little there is is crammed into a few squares) -- and when you waste 3 whole pages just to describe Cincinnati, and then carry on the rest of the book as assuming that the reader already knows the setting fully well, then you really can't expect the new readers to be engaged, because they will have no reason to care about the characters. And with the story itself not being particularly good or memorable -- it becomes even harder to recommend this as a "stepping stone" for someone to get interested in the series.
One thing is painfully obvious -- Ms. Harrison is a delicious writer, but she can't write comics to save her life. As I said above, the first three pages are dedicated to Cincinnati alone -- something that would work fine in a novel, but not in a comic book. Then, suddenly, the GN rushes forward, and I kept getting the feeling I was running behind it, filling in bits here and there with my own knowledge of the Books. There is no pacing, no interest, no use of the medium itself to convey the story -- it seems as if Kim Harrison just wrote a story, and then told someone to write pictures for it. Unfortunately, with comics seen often as a "lesser medium", a lot of people believe that if you can write novels, you can write comics. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth and it takes a special training (and talent) to be able to pull off a good Graphic Novel.
Blood Works doesn't work neither as a comic or a novel, thus failing in both precepts of being a "Graphic Novel."
Now, the art.
Many people complained that the art was ghastly, subpar, didn't make the original characters any justice. I think it just shows that the artist is not very experienced -- and I can understand that for all her popularity, Ms. Harrison couldn't really afford to hire one of the real good and great comic book artists in the market (Ivy drawn by Adam Hughes.... le sigh!). I didn't like the art, but if the story had been good, I wouldn't have minded it. Curiously, one of the things that annoyed me most about the art wound up being the author's fault -- Ivy's excessive Asian looks irritated the hell out of me, because it went against the "hint of Asian" that claimed that Ivy had in the books. It was far too much -- and I blamed the artist, all the way through the GN, until I reached the "extras" section, where Kim Harrison shows her notes asking for the artist to redo Ivy, because she should be more asian -- and listing Lucy Liu as a good reference.
Now, Lucy Liu is a beautiful woman. But she is VERY CLEARLY Asian. And Ivy is not supposed to be (at least judging from the books), and instead, she should just have an exotic look, topped off with a hint of Asian. It's small wonder quite a few complained about this unexpected feature of Ivy in the GN. Part of me wonders if it wasn't just to make Rachel look better by comparison, because she was quite prettily drawn.
I didn't really like the hairdo in Ivy (Ivy is highly sophisticated, and that ponytail didn't work well), but those are minor grievances.
Unfortunately, I'm forced to give this book a very low mark: the story is forgettable and unoriginal, the art is passable at best and mediocre at worst, and it seems, in the end, just a waste of paper and space for either fans or nenwcommers. This comes across more as a work of vanity (to have one's urban fantasy books turned into comics seems a recent trend as of late), and not to really achieve anything truly meaningful.
However, and as much of a Fangirl I am to this author and her work (and the main character of the Graphic Novel, Ivy Tamwood), I have to outright admit there are some really serious issues with this Graphic Novel adaptation of the world of the Hollows. The author at least was gracious enough to not just wanting to transcribe her already written work into comic book form (Anita Blake and Harry Dresden, I'm looking at you!), something that seldom works right. Instead, she gifted us with a trip into the mind of Ivy (rather than the books' narrator, Rachel) and tells us just how the main duo of the series came to work together and know each other.
Storywise, this might have worked rather well for a novel, or a noveletta -- but in comic form, the most interesting aspects of the tale were subdued or understated. Ivy's feelings (read love) for Rachel happened incredibly abruptly, and even though Rachel here wasn't as incredibly annoying as Mercy Thompson in the "Homecoming" graphic novel (awful awful AWFUL!), she came across as random, whimsical, and annoyingly moralist. And somehow, Ivy seems to be amazingly grateful to have Rachel's abuse. I love the two characters and I adore Rachel, but I really didn't like her in this GN - in the books she's sassy, self assured and a little bit cheeky. Here? She's got mood swings that take her from cutesy to "RANTING BITCH IN YOUR FACE!".
Again, this tiny history behind the GN would be much more interesting if more properly developed but it just didn't work -- there was no emotional development, and the secondary plot (the murdered werewolf) seems crammed in to give the girls something to do that wasn't Ivy moping over Rachel and her relationship to Piscary. The secondary characters felt awkward -- crowbared even -- almost forced to be there, as if they had been contractually obligated to make an appearance to please the fans.
I can't really understand the goal of this Graphic Novel:
- If it was to give the fans a little treat, to show them a vignette of how their main duo came together, it fails because it lacks most of the elements that make the Hollows Series so much fun -- and the author's talented writing. Everything given here is a weak rehash of what we already knew from reading the books.
- If it was to actually complete a missing gap in The Hollows lore, and the author meant it as something actually useful, it, again fails, because she chose the wrong medium: she's clearly out of her depth, and the story itself would either need to be told in a bigger book, or by a more competent storyteller in this means, because -- really? I didn't learn anything interesting about the two that I didn't know already.
- If it was to draw in new people, give them a taste of the books and maybe get them to buy the series, it also fails, because there is very little information about the setting (the little there is is crammed into a few squares) -- and when you waste 3 whole pages just to describe Cincinnati, and then carry on the rest of the book as assuming that the reader already knows the setting fully well, then you really can't expect the new readers to be engaged, because they will have no reason to care about the characters. And with the story itself not being particularly good or memorable -- it becomes even harder to recommend this as a "stepping stone" for someone to get interested in the series.
One thing is painfully obvious -- Ms. Harrison is a delicious writer, but she can't write comics to save her life. As I said above, the first three pages are dedicated to Cincinnati alone -- something that would work fine in a novel, but not in a comic book. Then, suddenly, the GN rushes forward, and I kept getting the feeling I was running behind it, filling in bits here and there with my own knowledge of the Books. There is no pacing, no interest, no use of the medium itself to convey the story -- it seems as if Kim Harrison just wrote a story, and then told someone to write pictures for it. Unfortunately, with comics seen often as a "lesser medium", a lot of people believe that if you can write novels, you can write comics. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth and it takes a special training (and talent) to be able to pull off a good Graphic Novel.
Blood Works doesn't work neither as a comic or a novel, thus failing in both precepts of being a "Graphic Novel."
Now, the art.
Many people complained that the art was ghastly, subpar, didn't make the original characters any justice. I think it just shows that the artist is not very experienced -- and I can understand that for all her popularity, Ms. Harrison couldn't really afford to hire one of the real good and great comic book artists in the market (Ivy drawn by Adam Hughes.... le sigh!). I didn't like the art, but if the story had been good, I wouldn't have minded it. Curiously, one of the things that annoyed me most about the art wound up being the author's fault -- Ivy's excessive Asian looks irritated the hell out of me, because it went against the "hint of Asian" that claimed that Ivy had in the books. It was far too much -- and I blamed the artist, all the way through the GN, until I reached the "extras" section, where Kim Harrison shows her notes asking for the artist to redo Ivy, because she should be more asian -- and listing Lucy Liu as a good reference.
Now, Lucy Liu is a beautiful woman. But she is VERY CLEARLY Asian. And Ivy is not supposed to be (at least judging from the books), and instead, she should just have an exotic look, topped off with a hint of Asian. It's small wonder quite a few complained about this unexpected feature of Ivy in the GN. Part of me wonders if it wasn't just to make Rachel look better by comparison, because she was quite prettily drawn.
I didn't really like the hairdo in Ivy (Ivy is highly sophisticated, and that ponytail didn't work well), but those are minor grievances.
Unfortunately, I'm forced to give this book a very low mark: the story is forgettable and unoriginal, the art is passable at best and mediocre at worst, and it seems, in the end, just a waste of paper and space for either fans or nenwcommers. This comes across more as a work of vanity (to have one's urban fantasy books turned into comics seems a recent trend as of late), and not to really achieve anything truly meaningful.
February 4, 2012
*library*
Okay, so like others I want to preface this by saying that I really enjoy The Hollows series.
This graphic novel is a prequel of sorts to show us how Ivy and Rachel met for the first time. Ivy/Rachel is a thread running through the whole series, so I was very interested.
I ended up disappointed in several things.
First, the graphic novel storyline itself wasn't very good. Sure, we have Ivy getting demoted and stuck with an untrained partner in Rachel, but her ~*~FEELINGS~*~ come on way too soon and way too strong. Ivy is the person who educates Rachel on ways to lessen her attractiveness to vampires. She would have nipped this sort of thing in the bud. Instead, she comes off as weak.
Rachel also comes off a bit like she has two settings: total woobie and unaware bitch.
The artwork is another thing. Rachel isn't so bad. I was really disappointed to see not only how the artists apparently had issues with Ivy's asian features, but in keeping her to a standard 'look'. In some panels, I wasn't even certain who I was looking at. One page has her hair down and thicker than it has been...and also a lighter brown shade instead of black.
All in all, I was glad to see it was an attempt at showing us something we hadn't seen in the books instead of a graphic novelization of an existing book. That said, I don't think I'll be bothering if there are more installments.
I'll stick to the actual series.
Okay, so like others I want to preface this by saying that I really enjoy The Hollows series.
This graphic novel is a prequel of sorts to show us how Ivy and Rachel met for the first time. Ivy/Rachel is a thread running through the whole series, so I was very interested.
I ended up disappointed in several things.
First, the graphic novel storyline itself wasn't very good. Sure, we have Ivy getting demoted and stuck with an untrained partner in Rachel, but her ~*~FEELINGS~*~ come on way too soon and way too strong. Ivy is the person who educates Rachel on ways to lessen her attractiveness to vampires. She would have nipped this sort of thing in the bud. Instead, she comes off as weak.
Rachel also comes off a bit like she has two settings: total woobie and unaware bitch.
The artwork is another thing. Rachel isn't so bad. I was really disappointed to see not only how the artists apparently had issues with Ivy's asian features, but in keeping her to a standard 'look'. In some panels, I wasn't even certain who I was looking at. One page has her hair down and thicker than it has been...and also a lighter brown shade instead of black.
All in all, I was glad to see it was an attempt at showing us something we hadn't seen in the books instead of a graphic novelization of an existing book. That said, I don't think I'll be bothering if there are more installments.
I'll stick to the actual series.
September 28, 2014
I don't get it. Somebody make them read the dang book before they tart drawing. The artist drew Rachel with a clown like expression. She was the goofy silly girl with big boobs. There is more attention the her and Ivy's boobs then the character's expressions. I didn't like it, I hated the illustrations. The story well there was a bit but it was swallowed by the ridiculous artwork
January 15, 2018
Blood Work is...okay.
The graphics are nice, but feel soft, "mushy." I think its the style in which the pictures are colored, although I do like the colors themselves.
I was confused by Rachel's coloring. Harrison describes her as a white, redhead, with green eyes - but in the novel, she looks multiracial, like my children - caramel.
The story itself feels incomplete. Yes, Rachel and Ivy solved the crime, but then what? It left me feeling empty, as though I missed an essential part of the meal.
The graphics are nice, but feel soft, "mushy." I think its the style in which the pictures are colored, although I do like the colors themselves.
I was confused by Rachel's coloring. Harrison describes her as a white, redhead, with green eyes - but in the novel, she looks multiracial, like my children - caramel.
The story itself feels incomplete. Yes, Rachel and Ivy solved the crime, but then what? It left me feeling empty, as though I missed an essential part of the meal.
October 30, 2011
This review first appeared at So I Read This Book... at http://www.soireadthisbook.com/2011/10/quick-dirty-reviews-say-hello-to.html
A graphic novel prequel to Harrison’s popular Hollows series, this is the story of how Rachel and Ivy first meet, when after being busted down from homicide to street crime, vampire I.S. agent Ivy is partnered with newbie agent and witch Rachel. Sparks fly, heads butt and Ivy takes a bath with Kisten but there is not a lot of substance to this story and it is definitely not a stand alone. I suspect first time readers will find some of it incomprehensible. If you have read the Hollows series, you won’t find much new here. There is no real story. Someone is killing werewolves in order to use their blood for black magic. For what exactly, we don’t know. Who wants the blood? We never learn that either. There are some henchman types doing the bloodletting and killing but, oops, they get killed before anything can be learned from them. Nothing is solved at the end of the story. The art is ok, with several bulbous tit shots and a scene where Ivy and Rachel manage to jump the line at a club by acting all lesbionic. I suppose it’s titillating... if you’re a teenage fanboy but I would have preferred a story with more substance. Or at least some sort of resolution. Instead all we get is an oddly paced, slice of life that adds nothing to the series. At $25, it is not worth the price. I feel ripped off.
A graphic novel prequel to Harrison’s popular Hollows series, this is the story of how Rachel and Ivy first meet, when after being busted down from homicide to street crime, vampire I.S. agent Ivy is partnered with newbie agent and witch Rachel. Sparks fly, heads butt and Ivy takes a bath with Kisten but there is not a lot of substance to this story and it is definitely not a stand alone. I suspect first time readers will find some of it incomprehensible. If you have read the Hollows series, you won’t find much new here. There is no real story. Someone is killing werewolves in order to use their blood for black magic. For what exactly, we don’t know. Who wants the blood? We never learn that either. There are some henchman types doing the bloodletting and killing but, oops, they get killed before anything can be learned from them. Nothing is solved at the end of the story. The art is ok, with several bulbous tit shots and a scene where Ivy and Rachel manage to jump the line at a club by acting all lesbionic. I suppose it’s titillating... if you’re a teenage fanboy but I would have preferred a story with more substance. Or at least some sort of resolution. Instead all we get is an oddly paced, slice of life that adds nothing to the series. At $25, it is not worth the price. I feel ripped off.
December 31, 2015
Definitely makes me want to pick up The Hollows series. Great art work!
November 27, 2018
I love Rachel, but Ivy is actually my favorite character so it was great to read this story from her perspective. I think she's such an interesting and fun character.
I love seeing her relationship with Rachel develop, from being annoyed by her in the beginning, to finally warming up to her. And I think this is great for those of us who see and enjoy the chemistry between these two (and feeling somewhat frustrated that they don't get together!).
Ivy doesn't look like I imagined her, but it was good, and like the way her 'aura' was drawn, so we could see how the person affected felt it. I really enjoyed this graphic novel!
I love seeing her relationship with Rachel develop, from being annoyed by her in the beginning, to finally warming up to her. And I think this is great for those of us who see and enjoy the chemistry between these two (and feeling somewhat frustrated that they don't get together!).
Ivy doesn't look like I imagined her, but it was good, and like the way her 'aura' was drawn, so we could see how the person affected felt it. I really enjoyed this graphic novel!
November 8, 2017
The story and art were just...okay.
August 14, 2011
It was really fun. It's an origin story about how Ivy and Rachel first started working together, told from Ivy's perspective. The story is great, really intriguing. A graphic novel is a grest medium for capturing Ivy's fears and longings in a powerful way, it works well. Rachel's stubbornness, enthusiasm and energy come across well too. I like that it isn't just a fluffy story to sell books, it's a significant story with a lot of history and meaning for the series. Harrison is adding a layer to the story that fans have been wanting to see for a long time, but she's doing it in a significant way. There is a lot of subtlety and layers to Ivy's tale here, it isn't just an action story or a funny odd couple anecdote. I really appreciate that there is a real, solid story here in addition to the action.
The art is pretty darn good. No one is ever completely happy when their mental images are translated into graphic novels, movies or tv shows, some of the characters always look wrong (except maybe Game of Thrones, how did they do such a good job with the casting??). But this is pretty good. Ivy is good except for some distractingly large boobs, and sometimes she looks great, really expressive and just right. Rachel makes some odd faces sometimes, but her looks grew on me. Kisten isn't as cute or charming as I imagined, but he grew on me as well. And the city and buildings were great. The I.S. offices were perfect, so run down and shabby, it felt really real. A lot of the scenes really stood out, the first page, Ivy eating a bento box in the park, the troll under the bridge, and many more. Overall I think it was the best graphic novel adaptations I've read, if you can call it an adaptation since it's really a new story in the series, just in a different format. It felt like the city I know so well and the format supported the story really well without being distracting. In addition, the back section was really enjoyable. I always like the extra sections in these graphic novels where they show some of the sketches being developed or the writers talk about their process, but this was one of the most informative and enjoyable of these type of sections I've seen as well. So all in all it was a big success for Ms. Harrison and the team and I'm looking forward to the next installation of the story.
Caveat: I just realized that I'm saying all of this as a fan of the novels that the graphic novel was based on. I really can't say whether or not this could stand on it's own as a new story for people who have never read about these characters before. I'd think that Ivy's struggles to resist Rachel, her realizations about her situation with Piscary, and Rachel's wit and strength, would be just as intriguing to a newbie, but it really is impossible for me to know when I'm so entrenched in the series.
The art is pretty darn good. No one is ever completely happy when their mental images are translated into graphic novels, movies or tv shows, some of the characters always look wrong (except maybe Game of Thrones, how did they do such a good job with the casting??). But this is pretty good. Ivy is good except for some distractingly large boobs, and sometimes she looks great, really expressive and just right. Rachel makes some odd faces sometimes, but her looks grew on me. Kisten isn't as cute or charming as I imagined, but he grew on me as well. And the city and buildings were great. The I.S. offices were perfect, so run down and shabby, it felt really real. A lot of the scenes really stood out, the first page, Ivy eating a bento box in the park, the troll under the bridge, and many more. Overall I think it was the best graphic novel adaptations I've read, if you can call it an adaptation since it's really a new story in the series, just in a different format. It felt like the city I know so well and the format supported the story really well without being distracting. In addition, the back section was really enjoyable. I always like the extra sections in these graphic novels where they show some of the sketches being developed or the writers talk about their process, but this was one of the most informative and enjoyable of these type of sections I've seen as well. So all in all it was a big success for Ms. Harrison and the team and I'm looking forward to the next installation of the story.
Caveat: I just realized that I'm saying all of this as a fan of the novels that the graphic novel was based on. I really can't say whether or not this could stand on it's own as a new story for people who have never read about these characters before. I'd think that Ivy's struggles to resist Rachel, her realizations about her situation with Piscary, and Rachel's wit and strength, would be just as intriguing to a newbie, but it really is impossible for me to know when I'm so entrenched in the series.
December 8, 2012
Had this series recommended to me, so I tried the GN to start with. I like the... idea. Paranormal detective stuff, Dresden-esque. Somehow the story missed on all accounts. The dialogue was painful, it was basically a series of dramatic one-liners by very flat characters. At first, very quick glance, the main characters appear to be strong, female leads. Not at all true. Ivy just acted superior and hyper-sexed and Rachel appeared to me like a wanna-be-Buffy. Both were incredibly defensive and trying to prove themselves (of what, I don't know since both characters appeared pretty one-dimensional). The illustrations didn't help them come across as anything but sexy/slutty drama queens. The male characters weren't any better. Buff and brainless, they either fawned over the female characters or reprimanded them while really letting them get away with anything.
I can only hypothesize that some of the dialogue was trying to sound like stereo-typical detective/buddy cop show and then add the paranormal piece to that? I don't know. But jokes fell flat just like the story and there wasn't a single character who didn't annoy me. Rachel was the only possible redeemable one, but at least in the GN she did not come across well.
Needless to say, I'm not really motivated to read any of the books.
I can only hypothesize that some of the dialogue was trying to sound like stereo-typical detective/buddy cop show and then add the paranormal piece to that? I don't know. But jokes fell flat just like the story and there wasn't a single character who didn't annoy me. Rachel was the only possible redeemable one, but at least in the GN she did not come across well.
Needless to say, I'm not really motivated to read any of the books.
November 21, 2012
3.5 stars
This is the first graphic novel of the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. It’s a prequel to the Hollows series and I’m not sure how you would fare if you haven’t read the main series first. In BLOOD WORK, Harrison switches to Ivy’s POV and readers really see a more up close and personal look with the badass chick! I thought the switch in POV was very interesting and a really nice thing for Harrison to do. We get a more enhanced story and I think it really brings something extra to the series. Harrison has always been such a great storyteller.
In terms of the art, I liked it, but I also felt that it took some getting used to. Although, let me say that I thought the cover art was hands-down amazing! Ivy and her aura looked very cool and there’s some page time with Kisten so that was really awesome even though his rendition was not what I pictured in my head at all! Rachel’s spunk really comes across on the pages and for her, I liked some of her pictures more than others.
The ending seemed to wrap up a little too quick, but I thought that the action sequences were really well depicted in the graphic novel. All in all, if you’re a hardcore Hollows fan, then I do think it’s worth checking out.
This is the first graphic novel of the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. It’s a prequel to the Hollows series and I’m not sure how you would fare if you haven’t read the main series first. In BLOOD WORK, Harrison switches to Ivy’s POV and readers really see a more up close and personal look with the badass chick! I thought the switch in POV was very interesting and a really nice thing for Harrison to do. We get a more enhanced story and I think it really brings something extra to the series. Harrison has always been such a great storyteller.
In terms of the art, I liked it, but I also felt that it took some getting used to. Although, let me say that I thought the cover art was hands-down amazing! Ivy and her aura looked very cool and there’s some page time with Kisten so that was really awesome even though his rendition was not what I pictured in my head at all! Rachel’s spunk really comes across on the pages and for her, I liked some of her pictures more than others.
The ending seemed to wrap up a little too quick, but I thought that the action sequences were really well depicted in the graphic novel. All in all, if you’re a hardcore Hollows fan, then I do think it’s worth checking out.
October 8, 2015
This is an exciting prequel to the Hollows series, following right after the novella "Undead In The Garden Of Good and Evil." Ivy has been "demoted" to runner and partnered with Rachel Morgan. Naturally, the witch and the vamp don't hit it off automatically and a hilarious cat fight ensues.
I love the script for this and how Ivy underestimates Rachel and craves her blood. I love that Piscary and Kisten return for a quick bite. And that the whole thing is filled with humor and nonstop action as the two try to take down a coven of blood-draining witches.
Although I'm not 100% wowed by the artwork, I'm not hating it either. I have always pictured Ivy differently and she's a lot sexier in my head than she is in this. In fact, I think Rachel is really the most attractive character in the graphic novels. But I don't dislike it in the least.
I'm off to finish Ever After and read the second graphic novel now. I'd recommend this to anyone who's a fan of comics and the Hollows.
I love the script for this and how Ivy underestimates Rachel and craves her blood. I love that Piscary and Kisten return for a quick bite. And that the whole thing is filled with humor and nonstop action as the two try to take down a coven of blood-draining witches.
Although I'm not 100% wowed by the artwork, I'm not hating it either. I have always pictured Ivy differently and she's a lot sexier in my head than she is in this. In fact, I think Rachel is really the most attractive character in the graphic novels. But I don't dislike it in the least.
I'm off to finish Ever After and read the second graphic novel now. I'd recommend this to anyone who's a fan of comics and the Hollows.
December 2, 2014
Eh. The story is very light (less than a novella), told from Ivy's point of view upon first meeting Rachel. Rachel is very much as described in the books, though Ivy and Kisten are not quite accurate. My biggest beef with this is that the story line seems very 20/20 hindsight-esque, where Ivy is very cognizant of her attraction to Rachel as a deeper attraction than just superficial sexual attraction, and she seems way way too aware of how messed up Piscary has made her - which the true realization of that doesn't happen for Ivy until several books into the Hollows series. I guess I'd say it just tried too hard to be meaningful. This would be some fun for fans but is it translatable or meaningful to a new reader? Not sure.
September 4, 2012
This was one of the first graphic novels I have read and while I enjoyed the Hollows story I don't think I am going to be a big fan of graphic novels. I am not all that into comic strips or books either but I like to try new things is why I decided to read this and because I love The Hollows series!
As far as just zooming in on the actual story I loved it but in the graphic novels Rachel seems more dingy and Ivy appears far more sarcastic than in the actual books but again maybe it is just the difference from books versus graphics that I am not used to. I wont say I wont ever read another graphic novel but they surely are not at the top of my list!
As far as just zooming in on the actual story I loved it but in the graphic novels Rachel seems more dingy and Ivy appears far more sarcastic than in the actual books but again maybe it is just the difference from books versus graphics that I am not used to. I wont say I wont ever read another graphic novel but they surely are not at the top of my list!
June 14, 2015
A funky urban fantasy setting in which a lesser vampire cop gets a new partner who turns out to be a female human witch. There's a lot of fantasy interwoven into our world and a lot of sexual references (or actual sex). Oh my.;)
Artwork is fairly good.
OVERALL GRADE: B minus.
Artwork is fairly good.
OVERALL GRADE: B minus.
October 2, 2011
Picked this up at Borders today for 40% off Yay, what a steal!
September 24, 2015
I love this series, and this is exactly how I pictured everyone. More writers should 'add the visual' to their stories. It really makes the books come alive.
December 8, 2022
This is amazing, I love the story from Ivy's point of view.
October 10, 2022
Cela éclaire Ivy sous un nouveau jour
April 18, 2019
I felt hooked on this series before I opened the first novel. But if I was kind of on the fence about whether to buy more of these books and truly sink my teeth into them… this graphic novel made me feel much more certain about my newest obsession. I was almost late to a meeting because I was so absorbed in reading through this. The imagery and the storyline just swept me away beautifully.
I’ve been reading a few graphic novels lately and this one was a little more sexualised than the others that I’ve been reading. A little more expected from the medium than the other contemporaries which I’ve been absorbing. But I didn’t find it much of a problem. There was sexualisation, but it wasn’t disturbingly so. Actually, it worked incredibly well since this is aimed at more of an adult audience and there is a very sexual component to the storyline and characters anyway.
I’m not sure if I was supposed to read this before or after the first Hollows novel. It provides great back story, but since it was published after Dead Witch Walking, I’m very uncertain. Luckily, I absolutely loved this story and it won’t be a large time gap between reading this and the first novel (when the first novel arrives on my doorstep that is).
I’ve been reading a few graphic novels lately and this one was a little more sexualised than the others that I’ve been reading. A little more expected from the medium than the other contemporaries which I’ve been absorbing. But I didn’t find it much of a problem. There was sexualisation, but it wasn’t disturbingly so. Actually, it worked incredibly well since this is aimed at more of an adult audience and there is a very sexual component to the storyline and characters anyway.
I’m not sure if I was supposed to read this before or after the first Hollows novel. It provides great back story, but since it was published after Dead Witch Walking, I’m very uncertain. Luckily, I absolutely loved this story and it won’t be a large time gap between reading this and the first novel (when the first novel arrives on my doorstep that is).
March 31, 2024
An experimental novelty is the best way to describe this graphic novel. It wasn't bad, but I don't really want to see more Hollows stories done in this fashion. I also don't see this as a gateway to attract anyone to the rest of the series since this wouldn't be a good standalone book, which is a shame because the events in this book are chronologically early in the series.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of depth in the characters or story. You pretty much have to read the other books to understand the characters and allow this book to flush out some more details. The artwork is pretty good and kind of how you imagine the characters. The strengths and flaws of this book seem to be reflected in the experience of its contributors. Kim Harrison is new to graphic novels and the artists are quite experienced.
All in all, I did enjoy this a bit so I'm giving this 3 stars. It's not great but if you already invested a lot into the series already, it's a fairly quick read that adds a little bit more.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of depth in the characters or story. You pretty much have to read the other books to understand the characters and allow this book to flush out some more details. The artwork is pretty good and kind of how you imagine the characters. The strengths and flaws of this book seem to be reflected in the experience of its contributors. Kim Harrison is new to graphic novels and the artists are quite experienced.
All in all, I did enjoy this a bit so I'm giving this 3 stars. It's not great but if you already invested a lot into the series already, it's a fairly quick read that adds a little bit more.
February 28, 2020
This is probably 2.5 stars but I'm late to this particular party so we'll roll with it. I read the second graphic novel a few years ago, probably shortly after it came out, but somehow never read the first. Since The Hollows is getting another book (pardon me while I scream happily), I figured I should go back and fill in my memory gaps.
Honestly, this one isn't terrible it's just... average? If you love the artwork, you might feel completely differently, btw. It wasn't the worst I've ever seen but it didn't do much for me most of the time. I could work with that if anything about this story felt like it had to be told in graphic novel/comic form. It doesn't. It actually seems far better suited to a regular book, or short story as the format adds nothing to the story for me. I get that for awhile every series seemed to get a comic adaptation for... whatever reason and hell, if it made KH happy to branch out this way, that's fine.
Honestly, this one isn't terrible it's just... average? If you love the artwork, you might feel completely differently, btw. It wasn't the worst I've ever seen but it didn't do much for me most of the time. I could work with that if anything about this story felt like it had to be told in graphic novel/comic form. It doesn't. It actually seems far better suited to a regular book, or short story as the format adds nothing to the story for me. I get that for awhile every series seemed to get a comic adaptation for... whatever reason and hell, if it made KH happy to branch out this way, that's fine.
July 29, 2022
I absolutely love the Hollows, but I already knew not to expect too much from this because I had previously read Blood Crime - the second Hollows graphic novel. Both of these graphic novels don't really tell us anything new and the slice of the Hollows world they focus on doesn't really lend itself well to the format. (For example, the depiction of the vampire blood lust looked weird and didn't really work for me.)
I could forgive a weak story if the art had been giving me a beautiful depiction of the characters like I imagined them. I could forgive sub-par art if I had been getting a more interesting story. But neither the story nor the art were really doing anything for me.
Still, I'm happy I was able to complete my Hollows collection with a relatively cheap used copy of this. Now there are no Hollows-shaped gaps left in my bookshelf... except the one for next year's book of course.
I could forgive a weak story if the art had been giving me a beautiful depiction of the characters like I imagined them. I could forgive sub-par art if I had been getting a more interesting story. But neither the story nor the art were really doing anything for me.
Still, I'm happy I was able to complete my Hollows collection with a relatively cheap used copy of this. Now there are no Hollows-shaped gaps left in my bookshelf... except the one for next year's book of course.
November 26, 2018
This graphic novel is a "prequel" that tells the story of how witch Rachel Morgan partners with vampire Ivy Tamwood, as they work as "runners" for Inderland Security. The two women butt heads at first, but soon learn to appreciate each others' strengths and learn to watch each others backs as they take on case involving conspiracy and black magic. I especially liked that you got more of Ivy's back story from Ivy's viewpoint. Recommended to anyone who has enjoyed the Hollows series.
February 3, 2017
Okay - was SO looking forward to reading the beginning of Ivy's and Rachael's start. And was SO disappointed. Graphic novels are great - but it didn't work for me in this setting. Had nothing to do the the artist or the writing [well some - wanted more of a story]- it just did not work with the rest of the series.
May 30, 2017
I really enjoying returning to The Hollows, and experiencing them in color for once! The characters didn't look exactly like I pictured them (obviously) but they fit well, and the artwork was excellent. I really liked how they portrayed Ivy's aura when she's vamping out, as well as the spellwork. I will definitely be reading the other graphic novel.
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