Monstress Volume 2: The Blood (Monstress, #2)

by Marjorie M. Liu

[Quirky Cat]

One of my favorite things about this series has and always will be the artwork. It’s absolutely stunning – even the background has rich details and texture that just bring the world to life. It’s hard to put down a book like this. If I’m ever giving the opportunity to have a print or two from this artist, you can bet I would jump all over that. As for the story, don’t worry, volume two holds up to the same quality as volume one, and then some.

Maybe it was the long (ok, not all that long) wait, but I feel like volume two was even better than the first. The artwork seems more crips, and the plot better defined. Regardless of the reason, I am very happy to finally have my hands on volume two (now, when’s volume three releasing?). I picked up the alternate cover version and I am absolutely in love with it.
Maika is losing control over her own body, and thus, her life. She’s convinced the only way to stop it is to learn about her past, and so she, Kippa and Ren all journey to Thyria to get answers. This is easier said than done, but I imagine Maika has gotten quite used to that sentiment.
A lot happens in this volume, so I’m just going to focus on the highlights. To start with, I adore the crew on The Jolly Ravenger, specifically I love their design and the fact that they helped Kippa learn to swim. It really showed that even rough exteriors can hide a passionate and caring person within.
Maika’s beast is chattier in this volume (also hungrier, I’m sure there’s a correlation there), though his speech seems…confused and almost hesitant? Especially when he’s talking about the past; I think perhaps it’s having trouble recalling information? I also believe there’s likely more to it than that, as even when presented with blatant facts about the past (ie; what he had done) the disbelief towards his actions seemed genuine.
Thyria wasn’t what I expected – it was better. It reminded me of Knowhere a bit (Guardians of the Galaxy), but unlike Knowhere, you can see it affecting the material world around it (ghouls in the water are clearly being fed/created by the rotting flesh, etc). The Ferryman was a fantastic addition to the whole thing – both what he is made of and his motives (clearly he was trying to trick them so he could add three more prisoners to the island). I have to wonder though – how many more bones is he missing? We heard him state “almost whole” when he received the key, but he didn’t say how close he actually was.
I would have liked to learn more about the Blood Fox and more details about the why and how he became prisoner, but that is likely too much to ask. I think if we had been provided more information on this matter, it would have crossed the show/tell line and ruined the effect of the scene itself. So I’ll take what I can and be happy with it!
All in all I am really very happy with where this series is going, as well as pretty curious about where it’ll go next. I’m hoping Maika can gain better control before she loses more of herself to the beast but I also anticipate we’ll see it happen at least one more time, as it’s a fairly major plot point.


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