Review: Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood - Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda

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, collecting issues 7-12, 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.

Monstress Series:
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood
Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven

Visit Marjorie M Liu's website or Sana Takeda's website for more information

Review:
Monstress Vol. 2: The Blood picks up Makia's story not long after the first book ended, she's still trying to figure out exactly what kind of monster she has living inside her and to do that she needs to uncover secrets from her past. Things her mother kept hidden from her, possibly for a very good reason. Following in her mother's footsteps takes Makia to an old family friend, one who just happens to be the Commander of a fleet of pirate ships. With several enemies on her tale the race is on to uncover her mother's secrets before she is captured but is she really ready to discover the truth?

I'm really enjoying this series so far, the artwork is dark, atmospheric and absolutely gorgeous and I've become really invested in Makia and especially her little sidekick Kippa. I love the variety of creatures we meet and the addition of the pirate crews, especially Kippa's swimming teacher, was brilliant. We get to uncover a lot of secrets in this instalment but that also raises a whole bunch of new questions and I can't wait to see how things play out from here.

I've included a couple of pictures below to give you a feel for the artwork and some of the characters:

I'm not sure how much I trust the cats but I love them anyway!

It's nice that at least one person in Makia's life seems to care about her

The pirates were a great addition

Kippa is still my favourite

Source: Received from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening - Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda

Set in an alternate world of art deco beauty and steampunk horror, MONSTRESS tells the epic story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivors of a cataclysmic war between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind...and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken...

Collects MONSTRESS #1-6

Monstress Series:
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood
Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven

Visit Marjorie M Liu's website or Sana Takeda's website for more information

Review:
Monstress is a dark fantasy comic with a steampunk feel to it and the artwork is absolutely stunning. There are pages I could happily stare at all day long and this is definitely a book I'd be happy to reread because you spot new things every time you look at it.

Maika is a young girl caught in the crossfire of the ongoing war between humans and Arcanics. The Arcanics are a race with access to magic, some who can pass for human and others who look more like animals or are a cross between the two. Humans seem to be jealous and scared of the Arcanics so they set out to do what humans do best and destroy their perceived enemies. Maika is an Arcanic who looks human, she is missing an arm and has been branded with a magical marking but she plans to use her looks to infiltrate her enemy and get her revenge. There are a third group involved in the war, the Cumaea, who are allied with the humans but have magical abilities and they have been using the war as an excuse to carry out all kinds of experiments on the Arcanics. Maika ends up captured by the Cumaea but what originally looks like a trap may well have been her goal all along when she turns the situation to her advantage.

I don't want to say too much more about the plot but there is a lot going on in this graphic novel. It has a dark tone and there are some serious issues entwined throughout the story but it's an interesting world and I can't wait to see where Maika's journey takes her. I'm not going to say this was perfect, there were times when I found myself confused and wishing for more world building and then there were others where important details were given in a bit of an info dump that could be overwhelming. I actually read the book a second time and found myself catching lots little things I'd missed the first time around which made it much easier to follow.

In spite of my issues I still found it very easy to become invested in Maika's story and I particularly fell in love with young Kippa, a fox-girl Maika rescues along the way. The artwork is nothing short of beautiful and I have high hopes for the story now that I'm more familiar with the world and have started to get to grips with exactly what is going on. I'm definitely going to be purchasing the second volume when it releases.

I'll leave you with a few images of some of the characters so you'll be able to get a feel for the artwork:

Maika with her friend Tuya

Maika with the adorable young fox-girl Kippa

Who doesn't love a story with talking, multi-tailed cats?

Sophia, a member of the Cumaea

Source: Received from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: An Apple for the Creature - Anthology

What could be scarier than the first day of school? How about a crash course in the paranormal from Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, editors of Home Improvement: Undead Edition? Your worst school nightmares—taking that math test you never studied for, finding yourself naked in school assembly, not knowing which door to enter—will pale in comparison to these thirteen original stories that take academic anxiety to whole new realms.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris’s story, "Playing Possum," Sookie Stackhouse brings enough birthday cupcakes for her nephew's entire class but finds she's one short when the angry ex-boyfriend of the school secretary shows up.

When her guardian, Kate Daniels, sends her undercover to a school for exceptional children, teenaged Julie learns an all-new definition of "exceptional," in New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews's "Magic Tests."

For those who like fangs with their forensics, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Holder offers "VSI," in which FBI agent Claire is tested as never before in a school for Vampire Scene Investigation.

And in New York Times bestselling author Thomas Sniegoski's "The Bad Hour," Remy Chandler and his dog Marlowe find evil unleashed in an obedience school.

You'll need more than an apple to stave off the creatures in these and nine other stories. Remember your first lesson: resistance is fruitless!

Includes stories by: ILONA ANDREWS, AMBER BENSON, RHYS BOWEN, MIKE CAREY, CHARLAINE HARRIS, DONALD HARSTAD, STEVE HOCKENSMITH, NANCY HOLDER, FAITH HUNTER, TONI L.P. KELNER, MARJORIE LIU, JONATHAN MABERRY, THOMAS SNIEGOSKI

I thought I'd include a list of all of the short stories included in this anthology for your information:

1. Playing Possum - Charlaine Harris (Part of the Sookie Stackhouse Series)
2. Spellcaster 2.0 - Jonathan Maberry
3. Academy Field Trip - Donald Harstad
4. Sympathy for the Bones - Marjorie M. Liu
5. Low School - Rhys Bowen
6. Callie Meet Happy - Amber Benson (Part of the Calliope Reaper-Jones Series)
7. Iphigenia in Aulis - Mike Carey
8. Golden Delicious - Faith Hunter (Part of the Jane Yellowrock Series)
9. Magic Tests - Ilona Andrews (Part of the Kate Daniels Series)
10. An Introduction to Jewish Myth and Mysticism - Steve Hockensmith
11. VIS - Nancy Holder
12. The Bad Hour - Thomas E. Sniegoski (Part of the Remy Chandler Series)
13. Pirate Dave and the Captain's Ghost - Toni L.P. Kelner

Review:
An Apple for the Creature is an anthology containing 13 school related stories that would probably make great holiday reading around Halloween. As with most anthologies I found the quality of the stories was a bit hit and miss, there were several I enjoyed but I doubt I'll read the book again. In fact, I think the only story I would go out of my way to re-read is Magic Tests by Ilona Andrews which is the story I bought the anthology for in the first place. I'll talk more about that one in a minute but I just want to mention a couple of the other stories first.

Sympathy for the Bones by Marjorie M. Liu was a creepy tale about a girl who has been raised by a witch and is learning to curse people using voodoo, I enjoyed the story and if I hadn't already been a fan of the author it would have definitely made me check out some of her other books. The other story I really enjoyed was Golden Delicious by Faith Hunter. I've had the Jane Yellowrock series on my wish list for a while now and after reading that story I'll be bumping it up the list. I liked the humour of the story and I'm very interested to find out more about the world the author has created. I'm hoping that Rick and the characters who make up his detective team are major players in the series because I really liked them. Some of the other stories were OK reads but none of them particularly stand out enough for me to rave about them.

I already mentioned that I only really wanted to read this for the Ilona Andrews story Magic Tests and I have to say that was the best part of the book. It was worth buying just for this story alone and I'll definitely pick it up again when I do my next Kate Daniels re-read. I've always quite liked Julie's character, she can be a little annoying at times but I think she is a fairly typical teenager in that regard, and it was nice to see a story from her point of view. Although this story isn't essential reading as part of the series because it doesn't really effect the ongoing story arc it was nice to get to know Julie a bit better and I'd actually like to see more from her POV in the future. We've all seen how much Julie hates the boarding school that Kate sent her to and now she's home and living in the Keep she seems to think she can get away without going to school at all. Kate has other plans for her though and she has a very clever way of getting Julie to go along with them. We are introduced to some great new characters but the one I was most excited about seeing again was Yu Fong (you may remember him from Dali's short story Magic Dreams). I was already hoping he'd end up being a major character in the series and now I'm thinking he's more likely to re-appear thanks to his friendship with Julie. I loved getting to see Julie grow up a bit and actually work out a way to use her ability to help someone else and I'd definitely like to see her get her own book or spin off series in the future.

I'd say if you're a huge fan of the Kate Daniels series like I am then it's worth buying the anthology just for Magic Tests but otherwise you might want to consider borrowing it from the library and saving yourself the money.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: A Wild Light - Marjorie M Liu

Waking the Demons within

Maxine finds herself covered in blood and crouched beside grandfather Jack's dead body, with no memory of what happened - or of the man she loves.  Grief-stricken, Maxine isn't sure whether to blame herself, though there's a chance that Jack's spirit lives on.

Then an Avatar bounty hunter comes through the veil into our world, investigating a death of his own.  Completely ruthless and subservient to those who bred him, his mission is to find Jack - dead or alive.  Racing to stop the hunter, Maxine must also deal with the blood on her hands.  But the answers she uncovers will be devastating - and the earth's salvation won't wait.

Hunters Kiss Series:
Hunters Kiss (companion story available in the anthology Wild Thing)
The Iron Hunt
Darkness Calls
Armor of Roses (novella in the Inked anthology)
A Wild Light

For more information visit the Marjorie M. Liu's website

Review:
Although I enjoyed the first 2 books in the Hunters Kiss series I think A Wild Light would have to be my favorite so far.  I was left a little confused by the ending though, I thought the series was going to be a trilogy but I'm really hoping that this wasn't the final book because I still have questions that need answers!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Marjorie M. Liu has decided to continue the series but I haven't been able to find any information to support that.

I've mentioned in my reviews how much I like Maxine's "boys" and I think I love them even more after this installment.  We get to find out more about them and their relationship with Maxine's family and although they would make terrifying enemies I still find them unbearably cute.  Although I like the other characters for me they are the highlight of the series.

Maxine has a lot of problems to deal with in A Wild Light, not least of which is her complete loss of memory when it comes to Grant.  Waking up next to her grandfather's body covered in blood she has no idea what happened and no idea who Grant is.  Her lack of memory make it difficult for her to know who she can trust but she is going to need all the help she can get to discover what happened to Jack and stop the hunter who is chasing after him.  She also makes a startling discovery about her past and her abilities that could change everything so she is in for a bumpy ride.

If you haven't discovered this series yet then it is definitely one I would recommend reading in order starting with The Iron Hunt but it is well worth picking up if you're an urban fantasy fan.  Marjorie M. Liu has created an interesting and original world and I'm hoping we get to see more of it in the future.

Source: Thanks to Orbit for sending me this review copy

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

ARC Review: Darkness Calls - Marjorie M. Liu

Haunted by the past, determined to change the future.

Nomad born and bred, demon hunter Maxine Kiss has always relied on herself to fight the darkness that surrounds her, and the predators - human, zombie and otherwise - who threaten the earth.  One man has managed to get through her protective isolation, but Grant isn't just special to her.  He's the last of his people, and can use music to control any living creature... including demons.  And now that they've found him, his life is in danger.

Maxine follows Grant's trail through night-bound cities and underground clubs, ending up in an ice palace lost in a fold of time.  She comes to understand that to save Grant, she has only one choice - to lose control, and release her own powers of darkness.  But a great evil is coming, and Maxine has more to lose than love.

Hunters Kiss Series:
Hunters Kiss (companion story available in the anthology Wild Thing)
The Iron Hunt
Darkness Calls
Armor of Roses (novella in the Inked anthology)
A Wild Light

For more information visit the Marjorie M. Liu's website

Review:
Darkness Calls is the second book in the Hunters Kiss series by Marjorie M. Liu and I was looking forward to spending more time with Maxine and her "boys".  I really enjoyed the first book The Iron Hunt but in my opinion Darkness Calls was even better.  I like the fact that Maxine doesn't know the full extent of her powers and that we are discovering things alongside her.  Although I enjoyed The Iron Hunt I did find myself getting confused by some of the plot twists but Darkness Calls was a much smoother journey and I didn't want to put the book down.

Maxine is a unique heroine and I love her "boys" - the demons who are there to protect her.  During the day they magically attach themselves to her body in the form of tattoos and protect her from any harm - they can stop a bullet or any other weapon which comes in very handy if you're a demon hunter.  At night the 5 boys Zee, Aaz, Raw, Dek and Mal peel from her skin and come to life - at times like children they are affectionate to Maxine and love to chew on teddy bears but they are also deadly fighters who will protect her no matter what.

We get to learn a lot more about Grant and his musical abilities in this book which is something I was hoping for after reading The Iron Hunt.  Maxine obviously loves him deeply but she worries about putting down roots and the fact that the demons could use the people she cares about to get to her.  It was nice to see Maxine's friends rally around her in this book though and I can't wait to read the next book in the series A Wild Light.

Source: Thanks to Orbit for sending me this review copy

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

ARC Review: The Iron Hunt - Marjorie M. Liu

The last of her kind, a warrior awaits the call.

During the day, Maxine's tattoos are her armour and she is invincible.  At night they peel from her skin to take on forms of their own, leaving her human and vulnerable - and showing themselves to be demons sleeping beneath her skin.  But these demons are the best friends and bodyguards a woman could have.

And Maxine needs bodyguards.  She is the last in a line of women with power in their blood, trained to keep the world safe from malignant beings who would do us harm.

But ten thousand years after its creation, the prison dimension that kept the worst of these from us is failing, and all the Wardens save Maxine are dead.  She must bear the burden of her bloodline and join the last wild hunt against the enemy.

Hunters Kiss Series:
Hunters Kiss (companion story available in the anthology Wild Thing)
The Iron Hunt
Darkness Calls
Armor of Roses (novella in the Inked anthology)
A Wild Light

For more information visit the Marjorie M. Liu's website

Review:
Maxine is the last in a long line of female warriors who have been protecting the world for centuries from demons.  The demons have been held in a prison dimension for thousands of years but there have always been a few who manage to escape and walk among us by taking over human bodies.  Maxine's family fight these demons (who they call zombies) and their powers are passed down from mother to daughter.  Maxine is protected by 5 demons who she affectionatley calls "the boys" who are magically attached to her body in the form of tattoos during the day but who come to life at night leaving her body vulnerable. 

The prison is becoming weaker and where only the less dangerous demons inprisoned in the outer edges of the prison could break through before Maxine now finds she has more powerful enemies to contend with.  It appears that the prison is about to fall completely and the only thing standing between us and hell on earth is Maxine.

I was hooked on The Iron Hunt from the very first line of the prologue "When I was eight, my mother lost me to zombies in a obe-card draw."  Well that definitely had my attention!  The story is told in first person from Maxine's point of view and we get to join her on a voyage of discovery as she learns about her heritage.  At times this could be a little confusing but I enjoyed learning things alongside the heroine and it made it easy to relate to the feelings she was experiencing.

There was an interesting mix of characters - I absolutely loved "the boys" and I'm curious to find out more about Maxine's human boyfriend Grant who has some very interesting musical abilities that I hope we will get to find out more about.  I'm also curious Tracker and interested to see what part he may have to play in the series.  I thought The Iron Hunt was a promising start to a new series and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the next 2 books!

Source: Thanks to Orbit for sending me this review copy

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.