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Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ Rabid Reads
rated it
really liked it
12/29/17 – ON SALE for $3.99:
Updated review:
*giggle snorts*
Rereading is often a humbling experience . . . I’ve been forced to admit that my memory isn’t what it once was, and never is that more apparent then after a reread. *kicks aluminum can*
I won’t bore you with all the things I’d forgotten, but there were a few things that made a bigger impact this time around:
And THIS:
1. Who was the first Arcanic Lord?
2. Who is the o
9/28/17 – Still ON SALE for $3.99, my darlings (but who knows for how much longer, so GET IT:
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
4.5 stars
One of the things I’m discovering that I love about graphic novels is the way they hit the ground running. The creators don’t toy with you the way writers of traditional books sometimes do–they don’t have the time to draw out anything beyond the most important Secrets.
MONSTRESS, for example, opens with a slave auction, and the inquiries made about Lot 819 reveal the specific brand of prejudice that governs this world. You learn of a war that seems to have ended, while the thriving slave trade continues to fan the flames of hate.
There’s no guesswork, and any confusion about terminology resolves itself quickly.
I friggin’ LOVE it.
Our heroine, Maika Halfwolf, is the girl currently up for bid, but (once again) it quickly becomes obvious that she’s only there b/c she wants to be.
YEP. You read that correctly: dollface WANTS to be auctioned off like livestock. And not only that, she’s banking on the Cumaea, a witchy faction of humans, crashing the shindig and claiming the Arcanics, a race of beings with natural magic, for themselves.
Dun dun dunnnnnn . . . For research purposes . . . o.O
Just b/c graphic novels tend to be more straightforward than their picture-free counterparts, doesn’t mean they aren’t twisty.
Maika, you see, is looking for information.
Before the war ended, something happened (was done?) to her . . . Something that has recently begun to affect her in ways she can’t control. It’s made her dangerous, and she’s desperate for answers.
Along the way, she picks up a two-tailed sasshole of a cat, a girl child with a fox tail, and an angry dialogue with the thing that plagues her.
Every aspect of MONSTRESS drew me in–the characters, the world-building, the plot, ALL of it. Everything else became a distraction to be ignored. I didn’t give any thought to the why of it, as I tore through the beautifully illustrated pages, but at the end of the first volume, Liu wrote a letter about her intent when she began this series:
. . . The root of my desire . . . was to tell a story about what it means to be a survivor. A survivor, not just of a cataclysmic war, but of racial conflict and its antecedent: hatred. And to confront the question: how does one whom history has made a monster, escape her monstrosity? How does one overcome the monstrousness of others without succumbing to a rising monstrousness within?
All I can say is, well done, lady. Well. Done.
MONSTRESS by Marjorie M. Liu is the first collection (volumes 1 – 6) of her new graphic novel series that is part steampunk, part fantasy, and ALL awesome. Maika’s struggle to control the monster inside her is inspiring to watch, b/c that’s what it was: a struggle. But surrender is a concept she threatens to rip out of herself every time it whispers about the easier path, and as she slowly gains the upper hand, you can’t help but sing “All I do is Win” under your breath, b/c she’d rather die than quit. Highly recommended.
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…more
If, prior to reading this, someone said to me, Wanna read a comic that’s loosely classified as a Steampunk Fantasy?
Well, I would have politely (and slowly) backed away from them while turning the offer down in no uncertain terms.
Because…no. I mean, is Steampunk even still a thing?
I remember it was all the rage there for a while, and then it just seemed to peter out of vogue -kinda like sparkly vampires and shirtless werewolves.
For those of you who may love and/or live this genre, please don
Now, add in some weird fantasy element and, in all likelihood, you’re going to lose me forever.
Unless it’s a REALLY good story.
And I thought this was a really good story.
Sure, because of the whole Fant-Punk* element this thing has going on, there’s gonna be some strange wooo-wooo style stuff in the storytelling. And there’s going to be things that just don’t make sense or aren’t fully addressed in this volume.
Brace yourself, normies. I feel your pain!
There will be questions, there will not always be answers. But you have to admit, this shit is fucking awesome to look at! And if you scrape away all the 10-eyed, hairy tentacled, fox-faced, cyclops baby, 5 tailed talking cat stuff?
Well, it’s just a story about surviving in a dangerously prejudiced, war-torn environment.
While trying to keep an immortal god from ripping out of your chest and eating everyone…
So, yeah. Pretty typical stuff.
Anyway. I was gifted a copy from a good friend, otherwise I never would have bothered to read this – which would have been a shame. This was neat-o.
Definitely recommended!
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Gorgeous epic steampunk fantasy done in graphic novel form.
I don’t usually post reviews for graphic novels unless I found something special; Monstress is definitely special. Both manga and graphic novel are a form of storytelling materials that required pictures, they may be similar in this regard but they’re actually very distinct from each other. I, as a huge devourer of manga for more than twenty years and counting, rarely impressed by graphic novels or comics, not that they’re inferior, just