Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening [Indigo Exclusive Edition] by Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda

9 reviews

beccabookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, and War

dreareads_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional

4.75

"For real Maika, you are  A loca,  you are loquísima "

Despite that absolutely cringe worthy use of Spanish in that sentence, this comic is a masterpiece. WOW. I went in not knowing exactly what to expect, but I was taken aback by the breathtaking art, and punched in the gut by the story.

I am a sucker for a comic with poets quoting cats, adorable half foxes, and an MC that you want to like but can't help to distrust. This story is NOT for the faint of heart, it is dark and harrowing, and at times filled with hopelessness. A story of war and oppression, we are presented with some heartbreaking and gut wrenching imagery. 

Within all the darkness is a story of a young girl trying to find her past, understand her powers, and protect those she loves. A fantastic story, that can only continue to get better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Ableism, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Violence, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, War, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Toxic friendship

kanra's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

This is a dark fantasy graphic novel about a girl with power she can't control. The artwork is absolutely stunning and the story sucks you in as you learn more about the world and what's happening. At first it switches between present and past so you can learn more about why the MC is making the choices she is but then it levels out into the present. There are also some cute lore pages between chapters to give you a little more insight into the world. I'll definitely be picking up the next volumes. If you dislike reading about death, abuse, gore, and slavery then this isn't for you. If you don't mind those topics and are looking for a good fantasy world then this might be for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Death

Moderate: Blood and Child abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content

litprof's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

Shockingly—I would say gratuitously—explicit, with graphic violence and death on nearly every page. Given that so many of the victims are portrayed as cute, I thought there might be an anti-meat messaging, but that didn't emerge.

The writer and illustrator clearly have a complex world in mind, but I found it difficult to follow the plot and relationships, or understand the world. My partner started reading it too, and even discussing the world didn't help clarify.

Spoiler

The lecture excerpts from the professor cat were somewhat helpful, but I still wasn't sure what was going on.

The illustrations are exquisite, but I will not be reading the subsequent volumes in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse

robinks's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I started this graphic novel. It is very intense and very mysterious, and even at the end, I have many unanswered questions (like Maika). The illustrations are beautiful and horrific.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Trafficking, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, and War

Minor: Death of parent, Genocide, and Sexual violence

book_of_the_north's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Slavery, Body horror, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, and Animal cruelty

doodeedoda's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Slavery, Torture, War, Child death, and Xenophobia

Minor: Ableism, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

raccoonsinatrenchcoat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely beautiful art and really intriguing story. I love the women-focused narrative (most drawn characters present as women) and I am really interested in the magic/lore systems. Well presented, thought out, and written. Can't wait to pick up the other compendiums. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

schenkepanky's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty