A review by nannahnannah
Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood by Marjorie Liu
5.0
Ahhh, it feels so good returning to this universe. This really, Really, well-drawn universe (not that it's a particularly happy one, but it's just so original and refreshing!).
Speaking of its originality, I remember one reviewer saying they had to read Monstress a couple times and that its fault was that its universe was too far from anything Tolkienesque and so was too difficult to absorb.
Lol! Its fault? Nah, that's one of its strengths! the publishing industry is already too flooded with Tolkienesque fantasies! Besides, Monstress takes place in -- what -- 1900's Asia (aka All of Asia, not just Eastern Asia)? It makes sense the mythology isn't Western European.
Anyway ...
We return to Maika Halfwolf, who's on the run from basically ... everyone who wants a piece of that Monstrum inside her. And when you're on the run, you usually go to somewhere and someone you trust. For Maika, it's Seizi Imura, one of the Brothers Imura who command the Thyrian Pirates.
With them, she plans to sail to the Isle of Bones to unlock her mother's secrets and find out why her body has been attached to a monster's. Instead, she finds more questions and plans with a wider scope than she could have ever imagined. This goes beyond wars between Humans and Arcanics, and she has been forced right into the middle of it.
My summary is so lackluster, I'm sorry.
There was great character development in this volume, and that surprised me. It's not easy having such development in series - unless it's a miniseries (I'm not sure how long this'll be but I assume it'll be longer than say, a tetralogy). Even the frickin' monster had lots of character development! But what really surprised me is that the person who really had the best arc was someone who had no -current- page time. If I said their name it'd be a spoiler, so
The mythology deepened, as well as our understanding of it. I just ... I can't get enough of this comic and its universe. I can't wait for more, and I'm simply lucky that volume 3 happened to come out this month.
Speaking of its originality, I remember one reviewer saying they had to read Monstress a couple times and that its fault was that its universe was too far from anything Tolkienesque and so was too difficult to absorb.
Lol! Its fault? Nah, that's one of its strengths! the publishing industry is already too flooded with Tolkienesque fantasies! Besides, Monstress takes place in -- what -- 1900's Asia (aka All of Asia, not just Eastern Asia)? It makes sense the mythology isn't Western European.
Anyway ...
We return to Maika Halfwolf, who's on the run from basically ... everyone who wants a piece of that Monstrum inside her. And when you're on the run, you usually go to somewhere and someone you trust. For Maika, it's Seizi Imura, one of the Brothers Imura who command the Thyrian Pirates.
With them, she plans to sail to the Isle of Bones to unlock her mother's secrets and find out why her body has been attached to a monster's. Instead, she finds more questions and plans with a wider scope than she could have ever imagined. This goes beyond wars between Humans and Arcanics, and she has been forced right into the middle of it.
My summary is so lackluster, I'm sorry.
There was great character development in this volume, and that surprised me. It's not easy having such development in series - unless it's a miniseries (I'm not sure how long this'll be but I assume it'll be longer than say, a tetralogy). Even the frickin' monster had lots of character development! But what really surprised me is that the person who really had the best arc was someone who had no -current- page time. If I said their name it'd be a spoiler, so
Spoiler
Maika's mother, Moriko. I Loved that arc - and really, twist.The mythology deepened, as well as our understanding of it. I just ... I can't get enough of this comic and its universe. I can't wait for more, and I'm simply lucky that volume 3 happened to come out this month.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Child abuse