Hollow Magic is visually lovely and is crafted with care and attention to detail. From one page to the next, Mars Laudernaugh’s artwork is skillful. Like many comics, Hollow Magic switches from detailed backgrounds to vague ones as the story requires, usually keeping the details on the protagonists and antagonists.

A lot of passion went into this story, as you can see by the detail in the world building and magic system, with chapters ending with pages listing off the different magic wielder types and specific kinds of spells.

It’s why it is so difficult to give this book 3 stars. So much effort was put into this comic, and ironically, some of the features that make this comic so strong are also what bring it down.

As mentioned, Lauderbaugh’s art style is beautiful, but that beauty is a double-edged sword. When people emote—when characters emote—their faces scrunch up, their eyes bulge, and the corners of their mouths wrinkle. It’s those details that make characters come alive and make them feel like people. Not that Lauderbaugh’s characters don’t emote at all. They do, but it’s muted. And because of that, the character’s emotions are muted too, and as a reader that makes it difficult for me to connect with the characters.

I would have adored seeing these beautiful faces contorted with emotion. Whether that be screaming in rage or on their knees and sobbing. Perhaps snot dribbling out their nose? Nothing is too ugly if it’s conveying emotion.

Another area where I saw this double-edged sword was regarding the world-building, specifically regarding pacing and exposition. It was around the end of the second or third chapter that I felt overwhelmed with information, while also frustrated by the lack of information that I wanted. I wanted to know what made Rosenfinch tick, but that wasn’t the information I was being given. I was being told about the magic system and magic wielders to such a degree that I stopped absorbing the information after those early chapters.

It wasn’t until halfway through the book, when we are given Rosenfinch’s backstory, that I was able to feel any connection to her. Even then, it was very tentative, because it had taken so long to get there.

One way I think the pacing could have been fixed is if this story was spread over the course of a couple of books. If the publisher is adamant that it’s gotta be one book, though, perhaps a prologue/side quest where we get to see Rosefinch duking it out with other magic users. That way, we could learn about the magic system through the conflict, and not through Rosefinsh’s internal dialogue/conversations with others. It would also give us more insight into her character.

Is she a pacifist? Does she use brawn or wit to resolve her problems? Is she a rescuer or an avenger? Just a few examples.

The reason I bring up these suggestions is that I think there is an excellent story here. It just needs a bit of polish to bring out that shine, and I want it to shine. I was so thrilled to get this book through Netgalley, and I was so excited to read it. I’m definitely open to reading more by Lauderbaugh in the future and seeing where they go from here.

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was a cute, fun read! I was drawn in by the cover art and plot synopsis (I love books with fey and magic plus queer characters). The book is rather on the shorter side, so the plot and pacing did feel a little rushed. But I thought the worldbuilding was explained well and woven smoothly into the story. It would've been nice if the book was longer to give the plot more time to develop along with the relationships between the characters. I would've liked to see Rosefinch and Morgan's friendship. The romance between Rosefinch and Thierry was super cute, but the progression also felt a bit rushed. I liked the plot concept a lot though and the plot twists. The art style was nice, and I enjoyed how the magic elements were illustrated. Overall, it was good read! I recommend it to those looking for a short, standalone fantasy book, especially those that enjoy the graphic novel format. I also think it could work well as an introduction to readers new to graphic novels.