Reviews

Monstress - Despertar by Marjorie Liu

sarah2438's review against another edition

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3.5

I can appreciate the art of it and can definitely see the appeal but also, I don't think I actually understood it. That's not on the book, it's totally me just struggling to properly read a graphic novel.

austex_93's review against another edition

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4.0

I'll admit it was a bit much, story wise. However, I appreciate the little history lessons/lore in between the chapters which helped me better understand the situation. The most amazing aspect were the illustrations; those are what made this novel so unique. Looking forward into further exploring this series.

Merged review:

I'll admit it was a bit much, story wise. However, I appreciate the little history lessons/lore in between the chapters which helped me better understand the situation. The most amazing aspect were the illustrations; those are what made this novel so unique. Looking forward into further exploring this series.

tsukibayani's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

maggiebook's review against another edition

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3.0

Definitely not my genre but picked it up as part of my reading the 2017 Hugo Award winners.
The graphics/illustrations were definitely a plus. The Art Deco/steam punk drawings were amazing, very intricate.
The story contains humans, half humans, witches and other creatures but deals with issues that can be related with our world. It gets right into the story and then provides flash backs to fill in the backstory. There is a lot of violence which may be a turn off for some but no more than most fantasy novels.
Although this book is high fantasy it had more to offer than it appeared. I was surprised to like this book.


Merged review:

Definitely not my genre but picked it up as part of my reading the 2017 Hugo Award winners.
The graphics/illustrations were definitely a plus. The Art Deco/steam punk drawings were amazing, very intricate.
The story contains humans, half humans, witches and other creatures but deals with issues that can be related with our world. It gets right into the story and then provides flash backs to fill in the backstory. There is a lot of violence which may be a turn off for some but no more than most fantasy novels.
Although this book is high fantasy it had more to offer than it appeared. I was surprised to like this book.

swamp_witch's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

gh0stp's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

christyco125's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

conner_jo's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.0

aceinit's review against another edition

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4.0

The art is absolutely stunning. Some of the best I have ever seen in the comic and graphic novel medium. The story is definitely setting up for something on an epic scale, but I feel that this particular volume could have benefited from a bit more exposition and a bit less mystery and inference.

Merged review:

The art is absolutely stunning. Some of the best I have ever seen in the comic and graphic novel medium. The story is definitely setting up for something on an epic scale, but I feel that this particular volume could have benefited from a bit more exposition and a bit less mystery and inference.

vyhurz's review against another edition

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3.0

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. However, I decided I didn't like reading a graphic novel on my ereader, so I purchased the volume in hard copy. Trigger warnings should be noted for intense violence and gore. Overall, I thought this fantasy/horror story was somewhat muddled. There is a lot happening right from the beginning, and it wasn't until the third chapter/issue that I really felt stable in the world. Even so, by the end of this volume, I was confused and a bit annoyed. I haven't read many graphic novels or comics, but with the ones I have read, I run into this same issue: The authors seem to be holding something back so they have something for the next issue. But with telling a story, everything you want to say should be in the words you're writing NOW. I almost feel like it's a grab for money, to string the reader along. Can anyone recommend a comic that doesn't do this? With that said, I did enjoy MONSTRESS, VOL. 1 because the world did seem so vast, even if it was a bit confusing and muddled. I want to know more. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The art was really beautiful. I particularly like darkness and horror and violence with my fantasy, so this fit me. Sometimes the gore seemed over the top, but I think the authors wanted to express how desolate this world is. I can't wait to find out more of the mythology within this story.

Merged review:

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. However, I decided I didn't like reading a graphic novel on my ereader, so I purchased the volume in hard copy. Trigger warnings should be noted for intense violence and gore. Overall, I thought this fantasy/horror story was somewhat muddled. There is a lot happening right from the beginning, and it wasn't until the third chapter/issue that I really felt stable in the world. Even so, by the end of this volume, I was confused and a bit annoyed. I haven't read many graphic novels or comics, but with the ones I have read, I run into this same issue: The authors seem to be holding something back so they have something for the next issue. But with telling a story, everything you want to say should be in the words you're writing NOW. I almost feel like it's a grab for money, to string the reader along. Can anyone recommend a comic that doesn't do this? With that said, I did enjoy MONSTRESS, VOL. 1 because the world did seem so vast, even if it was a bit confusing and muddled. I want to know more. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The art was really beautiful. I particularly like darkness and horror and violence with my fantasy, so this fit me. Sometimes the gore seemed over the top, but I think the authors wanted to express how desolate this world is. I can't wait to find out more of the mythology within this story.