Review – Monstress Volumes 1 and 2 by Marjorie Liu

Title: Monstress Volumes 1 and 2
Author: Marjorie Liu
Year Published: 2016 and 2017
Format: Paperback,  192 pp and 152 pp

Summary: Volume 1 (issues 1-6): Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

Volume 2 (issues 7-12): Maika Halfwolf is on the run from a coalition of forces determined to control or destroy the powerful Monstrum that lives beneath her skin. But Maika still has a mission of her own: to discover the secrets of her late mother, Moriko.  In this second volume of Monstress, Maika’s quest takes her to the pirate-controlled city of Thyria and across the sea to the mysterious Isle of Bones. It is a journey that will force Maika to reevaluate her past, present, and future, and contemplate whether there’s anyone, or anything, she can truly trust–including her own body.

My Summary:  I can’t wait for volume 3!  3.5 and 4.5 stars.

My Thoughts:  The artwork is stunning!

I sometimes have difficulties with comic books because of the limiting story lines.  I like an immersive tale with in-depth character development, and these elements are sometimes difficult to establish in the comic book format.  I found the world interesting and the characters intriguing, but I found myself a little disoriented in the first volume.  Too many different characters were introduced, and it was difficult to follow their histories and present-day connections.  But Maika is intriguing, and I love her band of helpers.

I fell in love with this tale in the second volume.  It has a tighter focus, which made it easier to follow.  I was able to get swept up in Maika’s story, and I intrigued by her history.  I look forward to learning more about her world and the choices she will make.  And again, the artwork is simply gorgeous!