[ARC REVIEW] Monstress: Awakening Volume 1 (Parts 3, 4, 5, 6) by Marjorie Liu

Title:  Monstress: Awakening Volume 1 Part 3

Author:  Marjorie Liu

Artist:  Sana Takeda

Genre:  Adventure / Steampunk / Fantasy / Drama

Year Published: 2016

Year Read:  5/24/2017

Publisher: Image Comics

Series: Monstress Issue #3

Source: eARC (NetGalley) / Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Gory Violence)

I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What is this story about?

Continuing from the previous issue, Maika tries to evade the Warlord’s assassins as they are sent out to capture Maika at all costs!  But when Maika discovers that she has a terrible new demon inside of her, after she activates the mysterious mask that she had stolen from the witches’ stronghold, Maika will soon discover that this new frightening power inside of her will cause her a lot of turmoil in the long run.

What I loved about this story:

Marjorie Liu’s writing continues to be extremely strong in this series as this issue focuses more on Maika discovering this terrible new demon that has hijacked her body after she activates the mask and how she is trying to learn more about herself and about the demon that is now inside of her.  I also loved the way that Marjorie Liu continues to bring so much mystery to this story as we, the readers, try to find out exactly what Maika is and how she is able to possess such terrible power inside of her.  I am also curious about the Warlord herself as she seems like a mysterious character who knows so much about Maika’s mysterious powers and I cannot wait to see what kind of character the Warlord will prove to be in the future issues!  I also enjoyed the way that Maika and Kippa’s relationship with each other had developed over the series as it went from Kippa being terrified of Maika and not wanting to have anything to do with her to still being frightened by Maika’s terrible powers, but is trying hard to understand Maika as a person.  Sana Takeda’s artwork continues to wow me as the characters and the environments they are in continue to glow on the pages and I loved seeing the demon itself as it looks truly terrifying as it is a dark figure that is covered with tentacles and has eyes all over its body.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like gory violence, there is a bit of graphic violence in this issue as there are people being skewered by large objects and having their limbs ripped off their bodies.  Some readers might want to skim over these parts if they make them feel uncomfortable.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part Three” is a wonderful issue that fans of Marjorie Liu’s “Monstress” series will greatly enjoy and now I am off to read the next issue of this series!

Title:  Monstress:  Awakening Volume 1 Part 4

Author:  Marjorie Liu

Artist:  Sana Takeda

Genre:  Adventure / Steampunk / Fantasy / Drama

Year Published: 2016

Year Read:  5/24/2017

Publisher: Image Comics

Series: Monstress Issue #4

Source: eARC (NetGalley) / Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Some Scary Moments)

I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What is this story about?

In this issue, the Warlord continues to be on the move to discover the whereabouts of the mysterious power that Maika holds.  Meanwhile, Maika is starting to have trouble controlling the demon that is inside of her as the demon continuously wants to eat a living being and it seems that Kippa the fox child is on its menu!

Can Maika control her new terrible powers before it causes even more harm? 

Read this issue to find out!

What I loved about this story:

Marjorie Liu has done it again with her masterful storytelling as we actually get to see Maika Halfwolf struggling with the demon inside of her and it was interesting seeing that the demon is also having trouble with controlling Maika’s body and trying to understand about Maika herself.   Marjorie Liu really provided an interesting dynamic between the demon and Maika as it is rare that I read fantasy stories where the protagonist and the evil being inside of them are trying to understand each other instead of trying to fight each other. I also like the fact that we start to see more humanity in Maika as it shows that she cares for Kippa and does not want any harm to come to her, which is quite heartwarming given that Maika tends to not trust anyone she comes across to.  Sana Takeda’s artwork is as gorgeous as always as the characters look so realistic and I love the different environments that we get to see in this book as they convey the atmospheres of the situations that characters get into such as the majestic temples that represent the animal royalty in this universe and the scary forests that represent the fear and terror that Maika and Kippa have to experience in their journey.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

Readers be warned that there are some scary moments in this issue, such as the demon inside Maika threatening to eat any innocent being in its path and that might creep out some readers.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part Four” is another fantastic issue of the “Monstress” series that any fan of fantasy and horror should definitely check out!

Title:  Monstress: Awakening Volume 1 Part 5

Author:  Marjorie Liu

Artist:  Sana Takeda

Genre:  Adventure / Steampunk / Fantasy / Drama

Year Published: 2016

Year Read:  5/24/2017

Publisher: Image Comics

Series: Monstress Issue #5

Source: eARC (NetGalley) / Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Strong Language)

I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What is this story about?

In this issue, Maika, Kippa and Master Ren the Cat are cornered by a mysterious winged man who came from an organization called the Dusk Court and according to him, he was sent by Maika’s longtime friend Tuya to accompany him to the Dusk Court.  Maika agrees to it, even though the demon inside of her warns her that the Dusk Court means Maika no good.  Meanwhile, the Warlord is on the move and is extremely close to capturing Maika!

Will Maika and her crew be safe at the Dusk Court and will the Warlord finally capture Maika?

Read this issue to find out!

What I loved about this story:

Marjorie Liu just continues to amaze me with her intriguing and creative writing of this series as more mystical creatures are introduced into this issue, especially the dark majestic winged man who is shown to be a mysterious character that I would love to see more of in the future issues.  I also loved the way that Marjorie Liu drops in little hints that the Warlord may not be who she seems as she seems to possess unearthly powers that are different from her minions and I cannot wait to see what kind of character or creature the Warlord really is!  Sana Takeda’s artwork is magnificent in this issue as all the characters are drawn in a creative way and I especially loved the image of the winged man who comes in to take Maika to the Dusk Court as he looks mysterious yet gorgeous at the same time!  I also loved the cute little images of Kippa the fox child as she is just so adorable throughout the whole ordeal.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

Some readers might be uncomfortable with some of the strong language in this issue, such as some “f” bombs being dropped in a few places (although it is not as bad as the previous issues).  Some readers might want to skim over these words if it proves to be too offensive for them.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part Five” is a fantastic issue from Marjorie Liu’s “Monstress” series that really shines out in this series in terms of great tension build up and new acquaintances!

Title:  Monstress:  Awakening Volume 1 Part 6

Author:  Marjorie Liu

Artist:  Sana Takeda

Genre:  Adventure / Steampunk / Fantasy / Drama

Year Published: 2016

Year Read:  5/24/2017

Publisher: Image Comics

Series: Monstress Issue #6

Source: eARC (NetGalley) / Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Some Scary Imagery)

I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What is this story about?

In this issue, Maika and her crew finally make it to the Dusk Court, only to be ambushed by the Dusk Court themselves and they ended up locking Maika up in a casket in order to experiment on her.  Meanwhile, the Warlord wages war against the Dusk Court, effectively cornering Maika and her crew in the process!

Will the demon inside Maika wake her up in time to defeat the Warlord and her army?

Read this book to find out!

What I loved about this story:

Marjorie Liu has done it again and this time, this issue not only has great character moments between Maika and the demon, but it is also the most action packed of the series!  I loved the way that Marjorie Liu wrote Maika and the demon’s relationship with each other as it is quite unique to see the demon and Maika trying to come to an agreement to save themselves from both the Warlord and the Dusk Court and I really enjoyed the funny quips that the demon and Maika has with each other.  I also enjoyed the way that Marjorie Liu wrote the action sequences with the Warlord’s army fighting against the Dusk Court as it was written extremely well and exciting to read about as I was sitting on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who was going to win this battle!  Sana Takeda’s artwork never fails to amaze me as the war sequences between the Warlords and the Dusk Court are beatifically detailed and I also loved the scenes of Maika and the demon exploring Maika’s inner memories as Maika takes on a ghostly appearance to separate herself from her memories which are in color.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

There are some scary images in this issue, especially of the demons that are shown in this book.  I will not reveal which characters are the demons in this issue since I do not want to spoil this story for anyone, but these characters’ true demon forms are truly terrifying to look at.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part Six” is a truly fantastic finale to the first volume of Marjorie Liu’s legendary “Monstress” series and I definitely cannot wait for the second volume to come out!

[ARC REVIEW] Monstress: Awakening Volume 1 (Part 2) by Marjorie Liu

Title:  Monstress:  Awakening Volume 1 Part 2

Author:  Marjorie Liu

Artist: Sana Takeda

Genre:  Adventure / Steampunk / Fantasy / Drama

Year Published: 2016

Year Read:  9/13/2016

Publisher: Image Comics

Series: Monstress Issue #2

Source: eARC (NetGalley)

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Gory Violence)

I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Introduction:

 

After reading the first issue of Marjorie Liu’s breakthrough comic book, “Monstress,” I was clambering for more of this series and I finally got the chance to read the second issue of this series and man was I really blown away by this second issue!

What is this story about?

In this issue, Maika had just escaped from the witches’ stronghold and even though she wanted to go there to find out more about herself and her mother, she leaves the stronghold with even more questions on her mind about her mother and about the nature of her powers.  Meanwhile, the Warlord starts making her move and she has her eyes set on capturing Maika for murdering one of the head witches at the stronghold!

What I loved about this story:

Marjorie Liu’s writing: Marjorie Liu’s writing is as beautiful as ever as we actually get to see the repercussions that Maika faces after her stint at the witches’ stronghold.  It was interesting seeing Maika feel so much remorse for her actions in transforming into a monster when she attacked Sophia and the other witches and you also get to see how Maika is still struggling with trying to figure out what kind of person she really is due to the nature of her powers. Even though this issue was not as action packed as the first issue, I still really enjoyed the character interactions between the characters, especially between Maika and the cat and the building tension of the Warlord trying to capture Maika. I also enjoyed seeing the two tailed cat and Kippa the fox human child make an appearance in this issue as I wanted to see more development from them and it was great seeing their reactions to Maika becoming a monster in the last issue, especially with Kippa now being afraid of Maika because of the events of the last issue.  Maika’s interactions with the two tailed cat was pretty entertaining as well as she is often snarky towards the cat and it reminded me of the relationship between Coraline and the cat in Neil Gaiman’s book “Coraline.”

Sana Takeda’s artwork:  Sana Takeda’s artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at, especially of all the exotic clothing worn by each character, especially the Warlord’s clothing being a black dress with jewelry hanging over it that makes her look truly menacing and yet unique in appearance.  I also loved the images of the two tailed cat that looks so adorable and creative, especially with its two small tails.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like gory violence, there are some scenes of people getting their heads chopped off with blood spraying everywhere and some readers might be a bit unnerved by these images if they do not like seeing gory violence in graphic novels.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part Two” is another great issue from Marjorie Liu’s intriguing series “Monstress” and I cannot wait to see what happens to Maika and her crew next!

      

[ARC REVIEW] Monstress: Awakening Volume 1 (Part 1) by Marjorie Liu

Title:  Monstress: Awakening Volume 1 Part 1

Author:  Marjorie Liu

Artist:   Sana Takeda

Genre:  Adventure / Steampunk / Fantasy / Drama

Year Published: 2016

Year Read:  8/26/2016

Publisher: Image Comics

Series: Monstress Issue #1

Source: eARC (NetGalley)

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Strong Language)

I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Introduction:

 

Now I will admit that I had never read any of Marjorie Liu’s comic books before, even though most of them were highly praised.  So, when I heard that Marjorie Liu was creating a new comic book series called “Monstress” and I had heard a lot of good things about this series, I just had to check this series out!

What is this story about?

The story starts off with Maika being sold to a witch named Sophia and it turns out that this was a part of plan that Maika conjured up when she was at her homeland to get inside the witches’ strong hold in order to find out what happened to her mother.  It also turns out that Maika possesses a dangerous power where she is psychically linked to a monster of tremendous power and she is prone to have beastly urges whenever she is in danger.  Now, not only does Maika have to control her dangerous powers, but she must survive the horrors of the war between the humans and the supernatural forces!

What I loved about this story:

Marjorie Liu’s writing: Wow!  For a first time reader of Marjorie Liu’s works, I must say that I was quite impressed with Marjorie Liu’s beautiful writing of this issue!  I loved the way that Marjorie Liu wrote the world that the characters live in as it seems like Ancient China with some supernatural touches to the universe that really made this world so mesmerizing to read about.  I also loved the way that Marjorie Liu wrote Maika’s character as Maika is shown as being a strong female protagonist who suffers a horrific injury as she loses her arm in the war and yet is still determined enough to sneak into the witches’ strong hold to find out the truth about her mother.  I also think that the beastly aspect of Maika’s character really made her interesting and I would love to see where they take her character in the next issue!

Sana Takeda’s artwork:  Sana Takeda’s artwork is just simply beautiful to look at!  I just loved the way that Sana Takeda made the characters’ hairs glow throughout the pages, especially with Maika’s long and raven hair glowing at various places of her head.  I also loved the way that Sana Takeda drew the steampunk aesthetics to the story as we see many machines and rusted pipes throughout the artwork and it really gives the story a dark and gritty futuristic feel.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language, there were a couple of utterings of the “f” word throughout the story that might offend some people.  Some readers might want to skim through the curse words if they get offended by them. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part One” is a truly fantastic introduction to Marjorie Liu’s “Monstress” series and I definitely cannot wait to check out the next few issues of this series!

 * 2016 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominee for Best New Series & Best Writer (for Marjorie Liu)