Red-Haired Ash Reads

Maika Halfwolf lives in a world gripped by war. As she struggles to deal with the trauma of her past, she becomes linked to an eldritch monster of tremendous power. Now she is struggling to control the monster and deal with being in the crosshairs of multiple deadly powers. 

Monstress Book One is a very gritty, Lovecraftian fantasy, with some steampunk aspects thrown in. This story is set in a matriarchal 1900s Asia that is brimming with arcane magics and creatures, on top of the eldritch gods. The first few chapters are heavy on the politics of the world, which got a little bit confusing but made more sense as the story went on. 

Maika was a fascinating character. She was blunt, practical, and a little bit reckless with her life. I enjoyed her journey to find out about her past and reclaim her missing memories. Also the main side characters, Kippa and Master Ren, were very cute and made great companions. I loved how Kippa always tried to take care of Maika and the monster. 

The ending of this collection was action packed and had a bit of a cliffhanger. I can’t wait for the next issue to come out because I am dying to know what happens next. Also, the artwork by Takeda was absolutely stunning. Each panel was beautifully drawn and colored which really contributed to making this story amazing. 

Trigger Warnings: 

• Graphic violence and death
• Torture
• Experimentation
• Enslavement
• Crude language

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Goodreads / Amazon

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