i found this so engaging and delicious to read. the art was jaw-dropping, while the plot could get a little muddled, I found it to be overall a fantastic reading experience

Kind of between a 3 and 4. I really dug the art, but the story kind of fell apart by the end. I think the idea of seeing someone commit a terrible crime can be really well done. And the fact we can try to change that outcome, and maybe make that person not kill someone, is really interesting. But overall I feel it didn't pack the emotional punch I was hoping for when I was first reading it. Still, well worth the read for the art alone and solid characters.

wan discovers she’s a Harrow, someone who can see the atrocities someone will (or may) commit just by touching their hand. This realization turns her world upside down—and sends her and the reader into a dark and gruesome web full of ethical and moral dilemmas.

This is pretty heavy for a YA graphic novel, but I think teen readers will be engrossed by Rowan’s experience and the philosophical questions it raises.

Early on, I did have a hard time following the story, flipping back and forth between the pages trying to figure out what’s what and who’s who. Also, I ended up reading a final print copy of the book, as the ARC did not include the colors, which are vital to understanding of the story.

Overall, I think this story and its imagery will stick with me for a while!

Review posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6019865382

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for violence.)

High schooler Rowan Sterling desperately wants out of her small town: out of her father's compost farm, which has earned her the nickname "worm girl"; out of her reputation as the murdered germaphobe's daughter; out of her father's drinking and withdrawal since his wife's death. She wants to follow her bestie (and maybe more) Lucas to college, but she knows there's no chance in hell. Especially not now, when she's suddenly being plagued by visions of blood and violence.

Luckily, Rowan's not going "crazy": turns out that she's a Harrow, just like her mom, imbued with the superpower to see an act of violence before it happens. (Think: MINORITY REPORT.) Her father signs her over to Rosewood, where she can be kept safe and taught how to use her abilities for the greater good. Only, not everything adds up in Rosewood: some of the Harrows are less than thrilled to be there, and no one can give them a straight answer about what happens to the "imcrims" once they've been apprehended. When Rowan gets a premonition that Lucas will kill her handler, Rowan risks her own neck to save him - and prove that the future isn't immutable.

THE HARROWING is okay, if a little underwhelming. I enjoyed the artwork and general story line, though the ending felt a bit rushed. The conspiracies got a little convoluted at the end, and it seemed like there was a lot of telling instead of showing.

I received a free electronic ARC for review, but it was extremely pixelated and borderline unreadable, so I ended up borrowing a copy from my local library after the book was released. Please do better, publishers. :(

A tale of shady government organizations and psychic powers and growing up with both of those in one's life.

A great and very unique, interesting plot. I loved the idea of The Harrows hunting for murderers. I loved the twist of Rowan having to prevent someone close to her from committing a murder. Very violent depictions, but I think still suitable for a Young Adult audience.

I really enjoyed reading this. The plot was a fresh take on oracles. The main character was well built and the whole story was tied up at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Abrams for giving me the opportunity to read this.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel I hope there is more from this world. I wasn't satisfied with the ending I feel like it should have been longer. I feel like more events should have taken place. I gave this a three out of five stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Harrowing! This graphic novel offers a fresh take on the 'girl with superpowers goes to secret government training' genre. I waited to pick up a finished version, and the way color is used in the final version makes the story much more impactful (than the grayscale arc). I loved the pop of color and how warm/cold tones are used throughout to define the scene's mood. For such a short graphic novel, I found the characters quite well-developed with well-defined motivations. I also loved how multiple paths are set forward at the end, and the characters choose based on their personalities/motivations. The art and character work are definitely strong points in this graphic novel. While the major plot twist was semi-predictable, I didn't see several smaller ones coming. As a former farm girl, the biggest plot hole for me was the compost didn't stink nearly enough (/j)

The Harrowing introduced concepts that were unexpected and interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride! The pacing wasn't my favorite, but it was still a solid sci-fi adventure.

I enjoyed this, and think it’ll be a powerful one for my students, and will give way to some great classroom discussion
My one qualm is that the pacing felt very rushed, and I was drawn out of the story more than once by that.

A very interesting twist on the secret government testing scifi genre. It looks at the concept of the justice system from multiple angles but keeps the focus on an interesting action-packed story.

*I had to wait until I could get a finished copy to read this because the e-book was weird and out of order when I tried reading it.*

Really loved the art for this one. The story was pretty awesome, too. I also loved the way it ended; instead of the standard 'facility with people with special powers becomes corrupt and stays corrupt' situation you usually get(i.e. stranger things).

This SFF thriller was engaging at the beginning but it didn't live up to my expectations. Though it was not very long, I found it dragged some. It was okay but could have been better.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel and finished it in just a couple sittings. I’m not sure what the age demographic is for this one. The main character is a teenager but there is a lot of violence depicted so I would probably suggest this to late teenagers and older. Rowan is the daughter of a worm farmer but quickly after she is introduced, we learn that her father has been keeping secrets from her. About herself, her mother, and even the farm she lives and works on. Rowan, from a young age, was taught to wear gloves everywhere. She thought her mom was a germaphobe but when begins having headaches and premonitions, then is sedated and taken away from her home, she learns she has special powers. Then she must decide who to trust, the organization that has taken her in, her friends, or her own intuition. I definitely hope this one becomes a series as I’d like to read more about what happens after the ending

Personally, I think the presentation needs a bit more work. I think that this could benefit by being in colour, especially when aura colours (specifically red and black) are very prominent to the plot, however to my understanding upon publication this may not be an issue (I haven't found it in stores to confirm myself yet). I also found that some of the writing was pixelated and blurry. Hopefully, this is just a fault within the early copy and it will be fixed upon official release.

Despite the technical issues with the copy I was given (where I couldn't read some of the text blocks), personally, I really enjoyed the concept of the story. While the main character is a teenager, I think that due to the level of violence depicted and the themes of the story, it's aimed at older teenagers. Which with a category as vague as YA is perfectly fine, it's just older YA.

The artstyle itself is really nice. I like the characters we meet, and the question of what would you do if you could stop murders from happening? It allows the reader to question morality a bit, as I feel like when you're young you generally tend to have a more black and white way of thinking than when you're older. However, in this book, it shows that there isn't just a right way and a wrong way. There is a grey area where bad things can be done for good reasons, or you can take the good thing too far that it becomes bad.

There is a small amount of romance in this book, with the childhood best friends turned lovers trope that we all love. I think that this adds a balance to the heavier themes shown within the book.

I liked this well enough. It took me a few pages to understand the concept but once I did, the premise was very interesting.

I liked this but I really wished it had full-color illustrations! The premise of teens developing psychic powers that help them to stop crimes before they happen is pretty cool. I appreciated the different spin that the author gave this premise. The red and black auras reminded me of the duality that is given to man in something like Jeykell and Hyde - the notion that a grey area doesn't exist in every person, but it does! And what do we make of that? Do we give a person who *might* commit a violence act the opportunity to? Do we put them away before the have the chance? Or do we try to change the course? All super interesting questions!

I know this is an ARC but I don’t feel like we should be given copies that aren’t visually finished to read. The ARC experience shouldn’t be this far removed from the completed one. The images aren’t in colour (there is a note that they will be) which is actually quite important seeing as the colour of someone’s aura is relevant to the plot.
The text was pixelated which also made it difficult to read.

The plot itself had promise, but it wasn’t properly developed which made the ending feel rushed. The romance element felt like an add on which was strange considering it was mentioned quite heavily in the synopsis.

Still don’t fully understand what the Harrowing is, or why Sam was targeted like that - those things were glazed over imo and they were huge plot points.

Excellent illustrations and a fascinating story. I was creeper out, but in a good way. I want more! Horror fans will love it.