Reviews with content warning for Blood - Monstress, Vol. 3: Refugio

Secrets begin unfolding and I no longer feel like I'm lost in the plot half of the time (just a quarter) there's still so much to uncover I am hooked. I love the tentative understanding of each other Maika and the Monster are developing, I adore Kippa with all my heart and I want to learn so much more about the Warlord and about Ren's secrets

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steppenfreak's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

These are so baller and the art is so beautiful! I love all the characters so much.

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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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pastel_princess's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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happysami's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bluejayreads's review against another edition

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dark

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Like Volume 2, this entry in the series is more like a chunk of the middle of a story than a complete story, but the story is finally starting to get into the meat and action. Maika is still hunting for answers, but she keeps finding more questions (or at least I do, since I as the reader get to see conversations and events that Maika doesn't) and in this volume her enemies have started finding her.

I am loving the dynamic developing between Maika and the progressively-more-talkative demon creature inside her, who now has a name and some of a backstory. Zinn, the demon, is expected to be a bad guy (by the tropes and by most of the characters in the story), but compared to violent and recklessly self-endangering Maika, it almost seems like the voice of reason. Maika is now up against enemies who are proving she is actually not basically unkillable, but that doesn't stop her from knowing she can take whatever pain they throw at her and continuing to fight.

And the more this series goes on, the more I love Kippa. The little fox is so young but insists on seeing and believing the best of Maika and it's just so darn sweet. No matter how much Maika tries to push Kippa away, Kippa still cares for her - and this entry in the series shows that Maika may actually care for Kippa a little, too.

As always, the art is stunning and the plot is fantastic. I struggle to keep track of all the warring factions in this world, but I'm not sure if that's a problem with the storytelling or my difficulty in reading graphic novels. I am grabbing Volume 4 immediately.

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allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ok, so how does this series keep upping the stakes like this?? And how am I weirdly becoming attached to Zinn?

Things I loved about this one:

1. The art, duh
2. I'm now applying to be a student of Professor Tam Tam, most illustrious record-keeper of cats
3. Some interesting plotlines around loyalty and betrayal
4. There's so much I want to know about the shaman-empress -- each new tidbit leaves me clamoring for more
5. A brutal cliffhanger that also has me hoping for but not anticipating some unguarded altruism or at least bitter protectiveness from Maika in the next volume

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