tll6830's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first graphic novel and I wasn't sure about it but I really enjoyed it. The artwork is beautiful. This is a library book and I might wait to return it just so I can look at it again. Looking forward to getting the next volume.
lalanier's review against another edition
5.0
I squealed at the end! One of those "soo fucking good" squeals. I know not everyone will have the same reaction, and that's fine. I just loved how this volume ended after such intense sequences. Maybe I'm a sucker for it, but don't care, 'cause I loved it! And the way things are in the real world, I need a lot more things I read to love/bring joy.
This has fantastic artwork that captures the heart and story of Monstress beautifully. I love the title's wordplay, and I am all for reading more comics created by women. I don't read a lot of fantasy, and I am sure there are common tropes here, but *shrug* this was a solid story. It's compelling from the first page and even made me laugh out loud, within the first few. Mostly due to characters' reactions. The story doesn't strike as a straightforward good versus evil, so I definitely appreciate a greyer or more complex approach. I cared about Maika from the second page. It's difficult not to be invested with how she's introduced and I just enjoyed how the story unfolded thus far. I'm a sucker for cats, if you don't already know from other reviews, so that probably helped bump this bad gal to five stars. I also have a soft spot for adorable characters, whatever their form and Kippa is such a heart snuggler. Like several times I just wanted to jump into the pages and hug the little one. Oh yeah, sometimes I thought the dialogue got a little F bomb happy, but wasn't a deal breaker for me (obviously).
Another aspect to the series I can't deny meant something to me was simply seeing so many women/female characters. It's a bit of a given since matriarchal universe, but even knowing that going into it and actually seeing/reading it was a special experience. It also looked like Liu and Takeda gave attention to making the majority of characters more distinct instead of being lost among a sea of faces, all of which also helped secure a five with me. Anywho, look forward to seeing where this series goes. I might not have access to next volume for a while, but it's definitely on my to read list now.
This has fantastic artwork that captures the heart and story of Monstress beautifully. I love the title's wordplay, and I am all for reading more comics created by women. I don't read a lot of fantasy, and I am sure there are common tropes here, but *shrug* this was a solid story. It's compelling from the first page and even made me laugh out loud, within the first few. Mostly due to characters' reactions. The story doesn't strike as a straightforward good versus evil, so I definitely appreciate a greyer or more complex approach. I cared about Maika from the second page. It's difficult not to be invested with how she's introduced and I just enjoyed how the story unfolded thus far. I'm a sucker for cats, if you don't already know from other reviews, so that probably helped bump this bad gal to five stars. I also have a soft spot for adorable characters, whatever their form and Kippa is such a heart snuggler. Like several times I just wanted to jump into the pages and hug the little one. Oh yeah, sometimes I thought the dialogue got a little F bomb happy, but wasn't a deal breaker for me (obviously).
Another aspect to the series I can't deny meant something to me was simply seeing so many women/female characters. It's a bit of a given since matriarchal universe, but even knowing that going into it and actually seeing/reading it was a special experience. It also looked like Liu and Takeda gave attention to making the majority of characters more distinct instead of being lost among a sea of faces, all of which also helped secure a five with me. Anywho, look forward to seeing where this series goes. I might not have access to next volume for a while, but it's definitely on my to read list now.
melinac's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kgraham10's review against another edition
1.0
Violent and too much world building without entry level info.
isapropanol's review against another edition
4.0
Little confusing at times, but the artwork is amazing.
chantaal's review against another edition
2.5
Wow, this just did nothing for me, really. The writing was good and the art is fantastic (I expect nothing less from Sana Takeda) but I just didn't like how the story was unfolding and eventually failed to care about any of the characters. I can see how this is popular, but we'll mark it as tried and unfortunately not to continue.
wrath1776's review against another edition
2.0
I can't stand it when a story is full of hidden info and amnesia/mystery as a way to create tension. It's meant to add depth and give a sense of importance but to me it's just lazy. The way information is revealed is the reason for my rating. Graphic novels are already short on page count, if your world is complex and mysterious, you don't need to go out of you way to hide descriptions of vital information.
2/5 - Great world, great art, writing is skillful (for fantasy) but extremely lazy. Why spend so much time developing a world if all you're going to do is tease it?
2/5 - Great world, great art, writing is skillful (for fantasy) but extremely lazy. Why spend so much time developing a world if all you're going to do is tease it?