This book is a western gay with centaurs. First I really appreciated the art style and the colors. I think it give an aesthetic and give an ambiance to the background and story. However in terms of plot it was a bit hard to understand what was going on and where it was going. But overall it was a plesant and a good read

Before I even delve into the plot I feel it is important to mention that Hotblood is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel, that manages to capture the essence of an old western, through the muted colour pattern, and distinct textures, it has an almost vintage feel to it. I found the art style compelling and unlike any art style I had encountered before.

In terms of plot I’d describe it as if you made an old western gay and added centaurs. The characters were intriguing and overall kept me interested in the story, as the plot at times was quite confusing; for someone who knows very little about the Wild West industries of steel, iron, and gold, this book relied on you having either some prior knowledge or you have to sort of work it out as you go - which didn’t bother me too much, but for some readers that may put them off.

The main relationship in the novel was messy, for the first half of the novel you had a typical western frenemies to lovers situation, but then it became cyclic with them becoming enemies to lovers once more. Overall I didn’t find the relationship between the characters very compelling, believable yes, loveable not really.

The pacing was super fast due to the novel being a recounting of how the two main characters met, this made sense however the novel may of benefitted from slowing down as to allow readers to fall in love with the characters more.

I also found that sometimes characters would say things and it would completely take you out of the story, the main one that comes to mind is when the one character calls the other a ‘You stupid Zoo-Phile’ which completely took you out of the moment and overall feel of the story.

In summary the novel had intriguing characters, a beautiful art style, but with a plot that lacked clarity whilst having questionable pacing - However it does get points for diversity, it references sexuality, slavery, vitiligo, and more.

In Hotblood!, we follow the adventures (?) of two men (well, a man and a horse-man) bound together by violent circumstance in an alternate Wild West in which humans and centaurs coexist (and some other mythological creatures seem to as well.) Evander (the centaur) is originally sent to kill Asa (the human,) who works for a mining company responsible for massive wealth extraction and shady dealings. However, Eva decides not to do so and instead the two become involved. Over the course of this volume, Eva learns more about Asa's dealings and the two eventually try to carve out an existence apart from the exploitative dealings of the mining company.

What impressed me the most in this volume is Orlesky's skill at depicting environments, and her choice of color palette and texture create a strikingly beautiful aesthetic that fits the grim mood of this story. However, other aspects of the art style didn't work so well for me. Character's expressions are drawn in such a very thin-line, soft style that they are often lost in the detail of the panels and layouts. Similarly, motion and actions are were often hard for me to detect from amongst the illustrations.

In terms of writing and storytelling, both the dialogue and narrative itself are so disjointed that I consistently felt like I did not quite know what was going on, aside from the broad strokes. By the end of the volume things are a little less confusing, but not by much. It felt like for the story Orlesky was trying to tell, particularly in this volume on its own, much more information needs to be clear from the beginning for readers to enjoy this. I was intrigued by the concept of this but in the end it was not for me, and I would have some reservations about recommending it due to its lack of clarity.

It’s the days of the Wild Wild West. Asa Langley has crossed the last person for the last time. Somebody wants him ding dong dead. Here comes Evander “Eve” Rook to do the deed but instead agrees to a job offer by the very man he was sent to kill.

This one is odd and hard to describe. It is a little bit magic and a little bit Wild West. This one is an interesting journey.

#ThxNetGalley #TorilOrlesky #HotbloodVol1

A dark and gritty story of the railway being built. I like the aspect of centaurs being around with humans. The art is beautiful and visually reading this story was fun. I was a bit confused with some of the story and where it was going but I'm definitely interested in reading more.

Thank you to netGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the eARC.

Hotblood! is a wild graphic novel about the real life historical pioneering of the west... but with centaurs. Honestly, it was an interesting story with a lot of real life history and very messy, struggling interpersonal relationships.

Although from the art perspective I found it to be very well crafted and thought out, the story plot was difficult to navigate, and you kind of had to accept that the main couple is absolutely toxic and made for each other. Overall, not bad, but it was a bit much for me.

3.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for me to review!

Really loved the art and concept for this one! The storyline could've been fleshed out a lot more I think, there were some interesting concepts started but not really developed as it went along which was a bit frustrating.

Cowboys & centaurs though, that is TOP TIER world building right there.

To be a white free man in colonized land

I did not understand what the purpose of this was, a gay portrayal in 'The Free Land'? Showing that abolutionist decendants survive due to capitalism? SHowing the 'boring' and 'dull' America through a white man's gaze?

Throughout the start I already got bad feelings due to the use of colonizing terms, further on I thought 'Maybe it's critic to colonization?' Then I was confused and finally I concluded that the author does not care about the colonization but about two men, some deals and power struggles.

If my conclusion is wrong, I beg you to correct me.

Edit: after reading through the comments I'm seeing all people want is gay and the West. The first one; no problemo, stick your dick into what you want, I'm not you. The latter; thanks for romanticinzinf colonisation and the dull (as always) view of white people.

Besides my rant about colonization I also want to say that the story wasn't clear for me at all and the characters were forced to be 'miserable'.

I had no idea what was going on most of the time and I liked neither the characters nor the art style, so this was a fail for me.

The story is a lot cleaner and more focused than I remember from the webcomic, though just as beautiful and complicated. Orlesky’s art is gorgeous, emotive-lines and limited colors pairing into something mystic and heartwrenching, like a vision that leaves you aching.

I read the original version of Hotblood! through tumblr as it was ongoing and always loved the art and story. This graphic novel version has the beautiful and cinematic art and intriguing storyline and I’m so excited that it’s being published!

This is a stunning comic. The visuals and the colours are so good, the lines flowy and expresive, the action sequences, elegant. I loved the grey atmosphere, the sensation of danger and that mix with the fantastic creatures (the centaurs, the character that looks like The End of Evangelion). Immaculate vibes, I'm gonna keep reading this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have no idea what’s going on, but the art is interesting and I want to continue the story!

Ahhhh, good.

I first read Hotblood as a webcomic a good ...decade ago, I suppose? I remember being entranced by it then, and I was entranced by it now. It's queer, it's odd, it's lonely, it doesn't ever uncomplicate anything.

It's very much a western, not just in era or location, but in the isolation, the loneliness. So much is done with space in these panels, a vastness, a sense of heat blurring any clear look at the characters. The space is in how they talk and what they do and don't say. It's got that sense of being far from civilization, alone, untrusting, unsafe.

The characters are paranoid. They don't tell each other anything. They're two men with secrets and power over each other. They fuck each other. They try to kill each other. They hold and carry each other. They go to the ends of the world for each other, but they can't trust or talk or cross a distance for each other.

Also, one of them's a centaur.

Highly recommend it forever.

Hotblood! drops us into the world of the Wild Wild West…with centaurs. I found this book extremely confusing. It felt like there were so many elements I was missing- as it is a volume 1 (with a “to be continued…” final page) this may have been intentional by the author. However, it fell extremely flat for me. While I appreciated the art, the confusing story (and violent romantic relationship between the main characters) was lacking for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Hotblood! Vol 1.

The cover is what made me pick up this book. A book set in the American west in the late 1800s with centaurs, how could I resist? While the art is nicely evocative in a natural palette of muted browns, greys and and greens, I wasn’t all that caught by the story. I think because it’s such a visual medium, and there was a lot of information to be given on the end of the goldrush, the building up of a steel mill, creative bookkeeping a revenge plot of some sort — I was never clear on it, really — a sphinx who hired the centaur to kill a guy … there just wasn’t enough time for any one thing to either stand out or be fully developed.

I have no idea why Rook and Asa stick together, no idea why or how they fell for one another, no idea about either of them character wise. I found it confusing, and felt like there were chunks of missing information that just wasn’t present in the text.

While I appreciate the art, I’m not interested enough to keep going into future books. Thank you very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

I'm just going to go with this one was clearly not for me. I didn't really get what was going on or if these being a centaur western was some sort of metaphor that I just was not comprehending.... I appreciated the queer element even though it was kind of interwoven with beastiality? Anyway - I'll leave this one up to others to interpret.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC!
Absolutely gorgeous drawn comic, I really fell in love with the characters and the landscape.
It's a magical realism western, with mythical creatures and an intimate story filled with begrudging romance and dark history of Americas expansion into the west.

The dialogue was lofty, but I felt that the artwork in itself filled in the rest of the feeling and narrative.
All in all a beautiful read with an interesting concept!

The pictures and vibes were gorgeous. Highlight of the graphic novel for sure.
I just feel like I didn't understand a lot of the time what it was trying to say with some of the sections without dialogue. And some of the sections with dialogue were hard to follow as well. I didn't fully get the characters motivations and feelings.
Overall I liked it; I just wished it had a more cohesive story/plot.

I rated it 3.5/5 rounded up to 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC!