I always wanted to be gwai. There’s no English translation, but it means good or obedient.
Val’s mother constantly body shames her. She’s been telli
I always wanted to be gwai. There’s no English translation, but it means good or obedient.
Val’s mother constantly body shames her. She’s been telling her to watch her weight since she was a child. Her message is so pervasive that you don’t really get to know her outside of it.
It’s no surprise, having lived with this message all of her life, that Val internalises it. She is thin but fears becoming fat.
Val has a secret. She has been purging for years.
[image]
I always have to try and be gwai.
This is an incredibly difficult read. Val’s mother’s fatphobia and the comments she makes to Val are relentless.
I loved the illustrations. The characters are expressive and Val’s struggle is painfully obvious throughout. Jordan’s personality, in particular, practically jumps off the page. I’d love to read her story.
The colours work so well with the story. There’s a limited, subtle colour palette that I found calming to look at. This was a nice contrast to the stress I felt at times reading the story.
You’re not going to find a magical everything’s all better now at the end of this story but, let’s face it, that wouldn’t have been realistic. Life’s not made of magical fixes. We do get to see growth, from Val at least, so there is hope for her in the pages of her life going forward.
My version of being good is being good to myself.
Content warnings include (view spoiler)[disordered eating, fatphobia, fat shaming and depictions of purging (hide spoiler)].
We sat through a single, excruciating sex ed lesson in high school. An embarrassed teacher bumbled their way through a bunch of slides on a projector.We sat through a single, excruciating sex ed lesson in high school. An embarrassed teacher bumbled their way through a bunch of slides on a projector. The boys were all bravado, laughing and making out that they knew everything there was to know already. The girls either laughed along with the boys or shrank in their seats.
I waited all lesson for the teacher to talk about what to do if someone does something you don’t want to. It was never mentioned. I wonder how many lives would look different today if it had been.
From the Teach Us Consent website:
In February 2021, Chanel Contos posted an Instagram story asking followers if they or someone close to them had been sexually assaulted by someone when they were at school. Within 24 hours, over 200 people replied ‘yes’.
Overwhelmed, but unsurprised by the response, Chanel launched a petition calling for more holistic and earlier consent education in Australia, as well as teachusconsent.com, a platform where people could share anonymous testimonies of sexual assault.
The petition, which gathered over 44,000 signatures, and a further 6,600 personal stories of sexual assault were presented to MPs around the country to advocate for this critical education to be included in the national curriculum.
In February 2022, we did it. Ministers of Education from around Australia unanimously committed to mandating holistic and age appropriate consent education in every school, every year, from foundation until Year 10, beginning in 2023.
In this book, you’ll learn about this. You’ll learn about sexual violence, the patriarchy and the ways that the internet has been instrumental (not in a good way) in changing expectations around sexual activity.
From Chanel’s initial Instagram post to comments made in this book, it’s clear the world she grew up in was one of privilege. She mentions in the book that most women over 40 where she grew up had had some sort of cosmetic procedure. On Instagram, she specifically asked about experiences of sexual assault perpetrated by “someone who went to an all boys school”.
This initially made it difficult to feel like this book would be relatable for someone who attended public school. There were some moments where I definitely felt like this wasn’t my world she was talking about but the concepts themselves rang true.
There wasn’t a lot of information that was new to me but if I’d read this book as a teenager it would have been an eye opener.
There’s one particular quote that’s sticking with me, mostly because of how depressing it is.
Only 1.7 per cent of cases in Australia result in a conviction, and it is estimated that only 5 per cent of people report their rape to the police. Not all cases make it to court. On top of this, it is impossible to know the exact number of people who have been subjected to sexual violence, especially when so many are not equipped with the language to be able to identify what happened to them, and when these acts have been normalised and being subjected to them is too often understood as an unavoidable part of womanhood. All of this together means that we have essentially decriminalised rape in Australia. This is rape culture.
I was an avid reader growing up and had a pretty decent vocabulary as a result. I knew the word ‘consent’. I never heard it used in the context of sexual activity, though, until I’d been an adult as long as I’d been a child. Sure, I knew about sexual assault but, let me tell you, that Tea and Consent video was an eye opener.
It’s only really been in the last couple of years, when I’ve learned more about consent, that I feel I’ve finally got more of a hold on what it is, and what it isn’t.
While there is a lot of good information in this book, there wasn’t a handy one or two page summary of what consent is and isn’t. In case I’m not the only one who would have found that useful, here’s an excerpt from 1800RESPECT’s website about consent.
What does it mean to consent?
If you consent to sex it means you want to have sex at that time with that person.
If you do not give your consent to have sex with that person at that time, but sex or sexual things happen, it is sexual violence.
If you are forced to have sex, you have not given your consent.
Consent means more than just saying yes or not being forced. Consent must be informed.
'Informed consent' means there is nothing stopping you from giving consent or understanding what you are consenting to.
Informed consent cannot be given if: * you are passed out or unconscious due to drugs, alcohol or a violent assault * you are asleep * you are conscious, but the effects of alcohol or drugs mean you are unable to say what you do or don't want * the other person tricks you into thinking they are someone else * the other person makes you feel too scared to say no. This might be due to a fear that they will: * hurt or kill you * hurt, kill or take away your children or pets * tell other people private or damaging things about you * share private or damaging information, photos or videos of you on the internet * take away - your money - access to medical treatment - care or other crucial support * the number of people wanting you to have sex or do sexual things makes you too scared to refuse or resist, or make it impossible for you to do so.
Time will tell how effective the introduction of consent education in schools has been. I’m cautiously optimistic, though.
They are so adaptable and so perfectly suited to changing environments they have outlived 99 percent of the species that have ever existed. And still
They are so adaptable and so perfectly suited to changing environments they have outlived 99 percent of the species that have ever existed. And still they thrive.
Jellyfish have fascinated me since I was a kid. I remember a ferry ride with my grandmother that was much too short because I was busy looking over the side at these amazing creatures in the water.
A quirk has emerged over the past couple of years when I walk on the beach. Whenever I come across insects struggling in the water or with their wings stuck in the damp sand, I give them somewhere dry to recover. More often than not, they want to stay on my hand until they’re ready to fly away. Fish that are out of water, I return.
Since I discovered Glaucus, which I know as blue dragons, they have been one of my favourite creatures to try and save. Carefully, so I don’t get stung. Over the past couple of months, I’ve started trying to save jelly blubbers, even more carefully.
After reading this book, I’ve realised I need to be even more cautious. The sting of a jellyfish, at 40,000 G’s (!), is the “fastest process known in the animal kingdom”. It’s the world’s most venomous animal.
This book is divided into eight sections. Because I can’t help myself, here’s my favourite jellyfish from each section.
Poisonous: the long stingy stringy thingy (Rhizophysa filiformis), for its name alone.
Troublesome: jelly blubber (Catostylus mosaicus), the jellyfish I watched from the ferry so many years ago.
Beautiful: flower hat jelly (Olindias formosus) are fun because they change colour. By day, it’s the two rarest jellyfish colours, bright pink and black. “But by night, or under ultraviolet light, it becomes radiantly beautiful, with the body glowing softly blue, accentuated by an aura of luminous, golden-tipped tentacles.”
Amazing: by-the-wind sailor (Velella velella). Due to their sails, they’re at the mercy of the wind. They can be either left or right handed, though, so a breeze that spells disaster for a right hander will ensure the safety of a lefty, and vice versa.
Tiny: sticking jelly (Cladonema radiatum) can often be found in home aquariums. They’re “tiny, transparent beads bearing numerous threads attached to the insides of the glass walls.”
[image]
Photo credit: David Wrobel
Huge: bitey whitey (Lobonema smithii). Seriously, I need to know who names jellyfish.
Strange: sea lizard (Glaucus atlanticus), which aren’t jellyfish but sea slugs. These are my beloved blue dragons. This sea slug “preys on jellyfish and consumes their stinging cells without triggering them to discharge, then deploys these weapons for its own defense.”
Obscure: painted box jellyfish (Chirodectes) have markings that provide camouflage in their coral reef habitat.
I’m not sure what I thought bluebottles were exactly but I didn’t realise they were jellyfish. I was stung by one when I was about three. While I don’t remember the sting, I know the story well and I’m always wary when I see them on the shoreline. I don’t want to repeat the experience.
[image]
Photo credit: Matty Smith
This is a beautiful book with incredible photography. The descriptions of each jellyfish are, well, descriptive, in that they tell you what they look like, where you’ll find them and oftentimes the symptoms you’ll experience if you’re stung by one. I wish there’d been some more fun facts but I still know a lot more about jellyfish today than I did yesterday. I’m keen to learn more.
Our arrogantpompous self assured knight is on a mission: to find a dragon. He’s determined, he has a map and a trusty steed who is, quite frankly, thOur arrogantpompous self assured knight is on a mission: to find a dragon. He’s determined, he has a map and a trusty steed who is, quite frankly, the brains of the operation.
The knight trusts his own judgement and buries his head in the map, oblivious to the signs he passes. Even the literal ones.
[image]
This is one of those picture books where the words and the pictures tell vastly different stories. If we trust the knight, we’ll believe there’s nothing to see here, but we know better.
Paddy Donnelly’s illustrations tell us the other story. It’s not only the dragon the knight fails to see. He misses practically the entire story. Just some of what he misses are a unicorn, treasure and the real heroes of this story.
If I’d read this as a kid, I would have loved pointing out all of the times I found the dragon. Adult me may have also enjoyed doing this but also loved seeing the expressions on the animals’ faces.
My favourite expression happened early in the book, when the knight is in Ye Olde Shoppe. He may have purchased that map and bargain bin sword or he may have appropriated them when the shopkeeper’s back was turned. What’s not in doubt is how bored his horse is; without a word you can see they’re well acquainted with the knight’s self-aggrandising behaviour.
I read a lot of picture books. Not all of them make a lasting impression. This one has. I borrowed it from the library in 2021 and as soon as I saw it again I knew I had to reread it. It was just as much fun as I remembered.
I got even more out of the illustrations this time around. There’s so much to see. It’s taken me four reads to pick up on the fact that the bunny flying through the air is still visible when you turn to the next page.
I’m definitely going to be reading this again.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, for the opportunity to read this picture book.
Madeline’s letter was disturbing, enough so that Alex Easton, a Gallacian sworn soldier, and k
The dead don’t walk.
Although maybe sometimes they do…
Madeline’s letter was disturbing, enough so that Alex Easton, a Gallacian sworn soldier, and kan horse, Hob, went to the gloomy manor that’s seen better days to see her. Madeline lives there with her twin brother, Roderick, and let’s just say that they’re not doing so well.
“I no longer know what needs to be done.”
This fungi infused reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher gave me a lake full of stars. It also introduced me to Eugenia Potter, whose enthusiasm endeared her to me immediately. I now need a Miss Potter book so I can spend more time with her.
“I do not know what you know of fungi, but this place is extraordinary!”
The only negative feedback I have is about me. Why did it take this novella so long to reach the top of my TBR pile? I will not be making the same mistake with the sequel.
We are all pretending to be something we are not, and some of us are better at it than others.
Jane and Maura’s friendship has been a constant in my
We are all pretending to be something we are not, and some of us are better at it than others.
Jane and Maura’s friendship has been a constant in my life for well over a decade. I’ve read every Rizzoli & Isles book and watched the series more times than I should probably admit. Starting a brand new Tess Gerritsen series was part ‘I want Jane and Maura!’ and part ‘I can’t wait!’
We’re introduced to Maggie. She’s 60 and has lived in Purity, Maine for two years. Retired sixteen years, this former import analyst is now a small-town chicken farmer. She likes her chickens, she likes her neighbours and she really likes her quiet life.
Maggie’s quiet life is about to become much more dramatic, though, starting with the dead body in her driveway. See, Maggie has a past and it’s rudely intruding on her present.
Something evil has followed me here from my old life, something that threatens to poison our sanctuary.
On the case is acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. Complicating Jo’s life are Maggie’s book club. Like book club in Good Girls didn’t exactly mean book club, there’s more to the Martini Club than they’d have you believe. It turns out that Purity, Maine is home to a group of retired spies.
Old age confers anonymity, which makes it the most effective disguise of all.
I love that retirees are the main characters in this series. Western society in particular tends to render people over a certain age invisible. We miss out on so much when we do this, including the wisdom that comes with experience and the opportunity to get to know some pretty amazing human beings who still have plenty to offer, if only we give them the opportunity.
I’m intrigued to see where Tess takes this series. Does Maggie stay in the limelight or do each of the Martini Club members get starring roles in future books? Are skeletons from everyone’s spy days going to come back to haunt them or is this group’s unique skill set going to help the police solve crimes that don’t directly relate to their previous jobs?
I wouldn’t take a bullet for any of the characters yet but it took time for Jane and Maura to become bookish family too. I want to know more about Maggie and Jo but am currently most interested in learning more about Ingrid, the cipher-cracking genius of the bunch.
I’m really looking forward to the next book.
“Why do you sound like you’re enjoying this?” “Frankly, retirement hasn’t been much fun for any of us. This gives us a chance to see if we’ve still got what it takes. It’s good to feel useful again. Back in the game, so to speak.” “I am the game this time.”
Okay, that was all kinds of adorable. It’s weird, though, because part of me was excited about the changes that had been made to modernise Anne with aOkay, that was all kinds of adorable. It’s weird, though, because part of me was excited about the changes that had been made to modernise Anne with an E’s story but another part of me wished some of the things I loved about the original remained. I loved the story so much that I’m certain I would’ve felt the same even if it wasn’t about my kindred spirit but if it wasn’t an adaptation (sort of) of her story, maybe I wouldn’t have found it in the first place.
All of that to say, I love Anne Shirley Cuthbert no matter where I find her, the format she chooses to tell me her story or the variations I’ve encountered along the way.
There were changes in this sort of adaptation I was fairly neutral about. For example, Anne doesn’t line up with what Marilla and Matthew expected because they wanted a younger child, not a boy.
I loved that Anne has been through the foster system instead of spending much of her childhood in an orphanage. We need more stories about foster kids that don’t set out to pathologise them. Avonlea is now an apartment building called Avon-Lea and Marilla gets to do something other than housework!
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the way Marilla and Anne’s relationship was portrayed in this graphic novel. It’s so much more positive than any version I’ve come across and it definitely sounds like I want poor Anne to experience the pain of not knowing if she will ever find her way into Marilla’s heart. I don’t. I really don’t. However, one of the things I love about their relationship is that it doesn’t come easy. Being able to witness Anne’s influence on Marilla and her gradual softening is something I look forward to whenever I revisit their story. This Marilla doesn’t have the sharp edges I’ve come to expect and, to be honest, love about her.
I also usually enjoy the struggle Anne has about the clothes Marilla allows her to wear because the payoff is so rewarding. Here, Anne has more agency because she gets to decide for herself what she wants to wear for the first time in her life (absolutely wonderful) but this means the impact is lessened later on when the dress scene happens (kind of disappointing).
Then there was the biggest thing I was conflicted about, Anne and Diana. It’s been so engrained in me that Anne and Gilbert are meant for each other, despite their beginnings, that it’s never even occurred to me that Anne could fall for anyone else. Another of the things I always adore about Anne is her kindred spirit friendship with Diana. Seeing them in a different light took a moment for me to get used to but they won me over. It made my heart go all gooey watching them blush around each other and by the end I was essentially ’Gilbert who?’
No, this is not the story you grew up with. That’s why the ‘sort of’ comes after ‘adaptation’. But it was close enough that I felt like I was reading about the characters I’ve known for decades. And when I thought about the changes that were made to each character, it wasn’t hard to believe that this is who they would be if they were here with us now.
They didn’t make books like this when I was a kid. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that this is no longer the case, that kids now have easy access They didn’t make books like this when I was a kid. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that this is no longer the case, that kids now have easy access to information that empowers them and teaches them about boundaries.
I love that this book doesn’t even get into consent specifically related to dating and sexual activity until about halfway through. The focus before that is teaching about how consent relates to all aspects of our lives, beginning with using the example of whether you are willing to loan a t-shirt to someone.
There’s information about how other people need to seek your consent but it also talks about your responsibility in making sure you obtain consent as well. Consent is clearly explained as a two way street.
Learning how to ask, being ready to hear the answer (whatever it is), and saying yes or no yourself are all big skills.
Through multiple examples, you learn what is and isn’t consent, and how a pressured yes isn’t a yes at all. It’s about enthusiastic consent.
Enthusiastic consent looks beyond words and takes into account how someone really feels about a situation, even if they’re not comfortable expressing it.
Consent education in Australian schools only became mandatory in 2023 and there are entire generations who grew up with no one telling them that even thinking about what was and wasn’t okay with them was an option.
Sex education at my school consisted of a single awkward class where an embarrassed teacher put a bunch of slides on the projector in front of students who were also embarrassed but busy pretending they knew everything there was to know already. Outside of that, I had Dolly Doctor, which was great when they answered questions I had but not so great when they didn’t. I needed more than one avenue for finding this information.
I would have absolutely benefited from reading this book as a kid and then again as a teenager.
Given the authors are Australian (and one is Dolly Doctor herself!), I was surprised when I was presented with American helplines at the end of the book. While I’m thrilled that my library purchased this book, it would be been even better if they’d purchased the edition that was published in Australia.
When we meet Charity, she’s in the process of surviving her third summer at Camp Mirror Lake. Camp Mirror L
I SURVIVED THE NIGHT AT CAMP MIRROR LAKE
When we meet Charity, she’s in the process of surviving her third summer at Camp Mirror Lake. Camp Mirror Lake was the location for the 1983 movie, The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. Now it’s the location for a “full-contact terror-simulation experience” based on the movie.
Charity is basically living her best horror life; as the Final Girl, she’s the last one standing every night. Bonus points for her job giving her somewhere other than her home to be all summer.
Charity and her team of seven spend their nights terrorising whoever wants to pay for the privilege. Well, it used to be Charity and her team of seven. Some of the team recently stopped showing up to work.
Luckily, during one of the only times reception was good enough to make a phone call, Charity was able to call in some fresh victims reinforcements. Bezi is Charity’s girlfriend. She wears her heart on her sleeve but hopefully not literally. She does know she’s just walked into a slasher, doesn’t she?
“Oh, honey. You’re going to die out here, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
Then there’s Paige, who knows all of the scary stories so maybe she’s Randy from Scream. She’s also a reporter, so I guess she’s Gale Weathers as well. Charity is obviously Sidney Prescott.
I matched a few other characters with their Scream equivalents but this is not that franchise. It’s a slasher but then it’s also something else so, while I figured out who the Big Bad was early on, it wasn’t until everything began to unfold that I had any idea what form their monologue would take. While I don’t have any specific unanswered questions about the direction it went, I would have liked the story behind this to have been fleshed out more.
This was a quick, entertaining read. As someone who celebrates every Friday the 13th, this felt like a homage but the soon to be slaughtered characters were trying to survive a horror that wasn’t Jason shaped at all.
I absolutely adored Fernanda Suarez’s cover image. It’s what drew me to the book in the first place and what kept reminding me I needed it in my life.
This is my first book by this author. I don’t expect it to be my last.
Wow! I understand what all of the hullabaloo surrounding Monstress is about now! While I barely knew what was going oReread: 13 August 2019 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow! I understand what all of the hullabaloo surrounding Monstress is about now! While I barely knew what was going on during my first read it all came together for me within minutes of starting my reread. I’m so excited to have (belatedly) fallen in love with this series!
I loved my reread so much I kept reading until I’d finished the Volume, after 2:30am. While I have many, many more thoughts, here are a few.
I tend to shy away from stories that include war and I think that may have contributed to my hesitation when I originally began Maika’s story. Between my first and second times through this Volume I binged nine Volumes of Saga, which proved I could fall head over heels with a series that includes war. This time around I went into Monstress with more of an open mind and the super helpful THE STORY SO FAR … summaries at the beginning of each issue from the second one. These summaries don’t exist in the paperback Volume I borrowed from my library and could have made all the difference in stopping my head from spinning around during my first run through if I’d known of their existence.
It was also at the end of the first issue that I found the most incredible quote from Marjorie Liu about this series and my love for it solidified my need to continue and unearth my Monstress obsession.
“And the root of my desire, I finally realized, was to tell a story about what it means to be a survivor. A survivor, not just of a cataclysmic war, but of racial conflict and its antecedent: hatred. And to confront the question: how does one whom history has made a monster, escape her monstrosity? How does one overcome the monstrousness of others without succumbing to a rising monstrousness within?”
[image]
I haven’t been reading graphic novels for very long and until this one I’d never encountered one with such complexity, with so many characters and questions that linger in your mind for several issues (or Volumes). Again I have Saga to thank for making me realise what I’d been missing out on.
Throughout the course of this Volume Maika seeks answers relating to the murder of her mother and the hunger within her which has recently awoken. She meets sweetheart Kippa, an Arcanic fox girl she saves from slavery, and Ren, a nekomancer cat. Kippa is loyal and she trusts Maika, although she is rightfully scared of the hunger inside Maika. Ren’s loyalties are not as clear.
While she was in the stronghold of Cumaea, Maika found a photograph
[image]
and a piece of an ancient mask, both of which she hopes will help her find out more about her mother’s murder. Maika is now on the run, doing everything she can to ensure her hunger doesn’t result in her (view spoiler)[eating (hide spoiler)] adorable Kippa,
[image]
while trying to avoid the different factions who are all hunting her.
I got so much more out of this Volume this time around and launched straight into Volume 2. I appreciate the intricacies of the storyline now. What hasn’t changed between reads is my love for the jaw dropping illustrations. I could cheat and tell you that every illustration was my favourite but for this read I narrowed it down to these three. I expect I’ll have different favourites each time I open the pages though.
[image]
[image]
[image]
If, like me, your first Monstress attempt had you scratching your head, I would encourage you to give it another try. Trust me, it’s worth it! If you already understand the hunger for more Monstress, I know what you’ve all been talking about now! I may be late to the party but at least I’ve finally arrived.
Original Review: 13 May 2019 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t know how to explain what I just read. I’d probably need at least two rereads to get it all straight in my head. There’s just so much going on and new characters are flung into the mix with little to no introduction, and most of the time I had no idea how anyone was connected with anyone else. However, I still need to read the next volume.
This volume combines the first six issues of this series and the artwork is exceptional! We begin at an auction, where Maika, a 17 year old arcanic girl with the mark of an eclipsing eye on her chest, is Lot 819. She’s there voluntarily because she wants something.
In this warring world, there are cats that talk, humans, ancients, arcanic halfbreeds and the old gods. The ancients are immortal and have magic; there’s a dusk court and a dawn court. The arcanics are half human and half ancients. The old gods’ “shadows haunt this world”; they are “horrors”.
Maika is an interesting character but it was Kippa, the little fox child, who stole my heart. She’s loyal and such an adorable sweetheart!
I borrowed this volume from my library in preparation for my planned 2019 Hugo Awards Finalists Readathon. Volume 3 has been nominated in the Best Graphic Story category. Had I not been reading with a purpose in mind I probably would have given up before the end of the second issue. The themes are dark, with war and children being trafficked, tortured and killed, and it’s not the kind of graphic novel I usually read (I’ve just finished a Phoebe and Her Unicorn-athon, for goodness’ sake).
I’m glad I kept reading though, because the story did start to come together for me. I’m left with countless questions but I’m intrigued and that’s enough at the moment for me to want to continue. I’m expecting my brain will catch up and connect more of the dots as I keep reading. I’m almost positive a reread will result in a more impassioned review.
Whether the story is your cup of tea or not, the artwork is definitely awe inspiring. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.
[image]
Merged review:
Reread: 13 August 2019 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow! I understand what all of the hullabaloo surrounding Monstress is about now! While I barely knew what was going on during my first read it all came together for me within minutes of starting my reread. I’m so excited to have (belatedly) fallen in love with this series!
I loved my reread so much I kept reading until I’d finished the Volume, after 2:30am. While I have many, many more thoughts, here are a few.
I tend to shy away from stories that include war and I think that may have contributed to my hesitation when I originally began Maika’s story. Between my first and second times through this Volume I binged nine Volumes of Saga, which proved I could fall head over heels with a series that includes war. This time around I went into Monstress with more of an open mind and the super helpful THE STORY SO FAR … summaries at the beginning of each issue from the second one. These summaries don’t exist in the paperback Volume I borrowed from my library and could have made all the difference in stopping my head from spinning around during my first run through if I’d known of their existence.
It was also at the end of the first issue that I found the most incredible quote from Marjorie Liu about this series and my love for it solidified my need to continue and unearth my Monstress obsession.
“And the root of my desire, I finally realized, was to tell a story about what it means to be a survivor. A survivor, not just of a cataclysmic war, but of racial conflict and its antecedent: hatred. And to confront the question: how does one whom history has made a monster, escape her monstrosity? How does one overcome the monstrousness of others without succumbing to a rising monstrousness within?”
[image]
I haven’t been reading graphic novels for very long and until this one I’d never encountered one with such complexity, with so many characters and questions that linger in your mind for several issues (or Volumes). Again I have Saga to thank for making me realise what I’d been missing out on.
Throughout the course of this Volume Maika seeks answers relating to the murder of her mother and the hunger within her which has recently awoken. She meets sweetheart Kippa, an Arcanic fox girl she saves from slavery, and Ren, a nekomancer cat. Kippa is loyal and she trusts Maika, although she is rightfully scared of the hunger inside Maika. Ren’s loyalties are not as clear.
While she was in the stronghold of Cumaea, Maika found a photograph
[image]
and a piece of an ancient mask, both of which she hopes will help her find out more about her mother’s murder. Maika is now on the run, doing everything she can to ensure her hunger doesn’t result in her (view spoiler)[eating (hide spoiler)] adorable Kippa,
[image]
while trying to avoid the different factions who are all hunting her.
I got so much more out of this Volume this time around and launched straight into Volume 2. I appreciate the intricacies of the storyline now. What hasn’t changed between reads is my love for the jaw dropping illustrations. I could cheat and tell you that every illustration was my favourite but for this read I narrowed it down to these three. I expect I’ll have different favourites each time I open the pages though.
[image]
[image]
[image]
If, like me, your first Monstress attempt had you scratching your head, I would encourage you to give it another try. Trust me, it’s worth it! If you already understand the hunger for more Monstress, I know what you’ve all been talking about now! I may be late to the party but at least I’ve finally arrived.
Original Review: 13 May 2019 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t know how to explain what I just read. I’d probably need at least two rereads to get it all straight in my head. There’s just so much going on and new characters are flung into the mix with little to no introduction, and most of the time I had no idea how anyone was connected with anyone else. However, I still need to read the next volume.
This volume combines the first six issues of this series and the artwork is exceptional! We begin at an auction, where Maika, a 17 year old arcanic girl with the mark of an eclipsing eye on her chest, is Lot 819. She’s there voluntarily because she wants something.
In this warring world, there are cats that talk, humans, ancients, arcanic halfbreeds and the old gods. The ancients are immortal and have magic; there’s a dusk court and a dawn court. The arcanics are half human and half ancients. The old gods’ “shadows haunt this world”; they are “horrors”.
Maika is an interesting character but it was Kippa, the little fox child, who stole my heart. She’s loyal and such an adorable sweetheart!
I borrowed this volume from my library in preparation for my planned 2019 Hugo Awards Finalists Readathon. Volume 3 has been nominated in the Best Graphic Story category. Had I not been reading with a purpose in mind I probably would have given up before the end of the second issue. The themes are dark, with war and children being trafficked, tortured and killed, and it’s not the kind of graphic novel I usually read (I’ve just finished a Phoebe and Her Unicorn-athon, for goodness’ sake).
I’m glad I kept reading though, because the story did start to come together for me. I’m left with countless questions but I’m intrigued and that’s enough at the moment for me to want to continue. I’m expecting my brain will catch up and connect more of the dots as I keep reading. I’m almost positive a reread will result in a more impassioned review.
Whether the story is your cup of tea or not, the artwork is definitely awe inspiring. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.
“One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories”
This book made a liar out of me. I’ve been proudly declaring my romantiphobia for years. I’ve g
“One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories”
This book made a liar out of me. I’ve been proudly declaring my romantiphobia for years. I’ve gleefully avoided books that even hint at a romance in the blurb. When I find undisclosed mushy bits, I feel cheated.
And all of this time it turns out that I absolutely adore grumpy romances. Or maybe it’s just Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby’s snarky banter that I’ve waiting for my entire life.
Eight years ago, Emily, then 22, was Cambridge’s youngest adjunct professor. She’s still hoping to receive tenure. Bambleby is her friend, her only friend. You can’t exactly accuse them of being warm and fuzzy.
The problem with Bambleby, I’ve always found, is that he manages to inspire a strong inclination towards dislike without the satisfaction of empirical evidence to buttress the sentiment.
Bambleby, for his part, gives as good as he gets.
‘We cannot all be made of stone and pencil shavings’
Grumpy banter is my new favourite thing. I love these two!
For the past nine years, Emily, who has a “heart filled with the dust of a thousand library stacks”, has been hard at work, researching and writing her book. She’s only got one chapter to go, which is why she finds herself in the “delightful winter wasteland” that is Hrafnsvik, Ljosland.
Emily is loveable in all of her social awkwardness. Practically as soon as she meets some villagers, she finds a way to accidentally alienate herself.
How was it that in trying to remove my foot from my mouth, I invariably managed to shove it in even deeper?
There are faeries (obviously) and other magical beings, there’s danger and adventure and just so much snark. And there’s Shadow, who I adored.
I wasn’t entirely sure if this would be the book for me when I started reading but it utterly enchanted me. I can’t wait to spend more time with these grumps!
“How does one manage to affix toast to the ceiling?”
Fun fact Friday knows the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911 and recovered two years later. Uncle Bernie tells
‘Do you know anything about the Mona Lisa?’
Fun fact Friday knows the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911 and recovered two years later. Uncle Bernie tells Friday something she didn’t already know; new evidence suggests it’s possible the painting that was returned to the Louvre all of those years ago was a forgery. Off to Paris we go!
‘Since when did Interpol start recruiting teenagers?’ he asked snidely. ‘Since adult behaviour became so ridiculous,’ suggested Friday, looking from him to her colleague restrained on the ground.
Friday Barnes, my favourite girl detective, is a clumsy, socially awkward genius with a best friend who’d rather be sleeping. Melanie’s sleep to page ratio was smaller than usual in this book. Between the allure of free pizza and their time spent undercover as art students, maybe Melanie simply didn’t have time to reach her usual quota of shut-eye.
Oh, and Ian’s in Paris, too. He’s starting to irritate me but Friday still enjoys his company and his kisses. Meanwhile, I haven’t caught up with Friday being old enough to have a boyfriend.
‘I guess if you can find radiation romantic, then there is hope for you after all.’
I miss seeing her solving all manner of mysteries for the students and staff of Highcrest Academy but our Friday is growing up. Although she’s a teenager now, she’s still the Friday I’ve loved since I was introduced to her eleven books ago, “fluent in science nerd” but directionally challenged.
Each time I catch up with Friday, there are a bunch of smaller mysteries to solve as we figure out the primary one. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I feared I’d investigated alongside Friday for the final time. I love that I’ll be able to spend more time with her soon. I only wish this series existed when I was a kid.
I’m most looking forward to receiving my invitation to Binky and Ingrid’s wedding.
I’m pretty sure my fascination with dinosaurs began with The Land Before Time. For a time when I was a kid, I wanted to be a palaeontologist. I don’t I’m pretty sure my fascination with dinosaurs began with The Land Before Time. For a time when I was a kid, I wanted to be a palaeontologist. I don’t think the love of dinosaurs ever dies out.
With ten short chapters, this is easily a read in one sitting book. While I already knew a lot of its fun facts, this was still an interesting read. I’ve chosen one fun fact per chapter to share.
Stegosaurus was already extinct 80 million years before Tyrannosaurus even walked on the Earth!
The remains of dinosaurs have been found on every continent, including Antarctica, which was at one point in time a rainforest.
Sir Richard Owen, founder of London’s Natural History Museum, “coined the word ‘Dinosauria’ in 1842, taken from the Greek words deinos, meaning ‘terrible’ or ‘fearfully great’, and saurus, meaning ‘lizard’.”
Next time you watch Jurassic Park, know that the Velociraptor is based on a Deinonychus. The Velociraptor was actually about the size of a turkey and had a long tail and feathers.
Studies based on the skull of Tyrannosaurus found that it had a bone-shattering bite of more than 60,000 newtons, around 6.5 tonnes of force, making it the most powerful bite known for any terrestrial animal, living or extinct. It is about four times more powerful than the bite of a saltwater crocodile, which has the strongest bite force of any living animal.
It appears that considerable time has been spent by palaeontologists trying to figure out how dinosaurs had sex. The quest for answers, “two dinosaurs preserved in the act of mating”, continues.
Palaeontologists attempt to figure out the family life of dinosaurs by looking at such things as preserved dinosaur tracks, bonebeds and nests.
Through studying the fossil record, it becomes clear that extinction is a natural process, and scientists estimate that 99.9 per cent of all species that have ever existed are now extinct.
Today, palaeontologists classify birds as theropod dinosaurs within the group known as Maniraptora (maniraptorans). More specifically, the birds belong to a subgroup called Paraves, the same wider group that includes dinosaurs like Deinonychus and Velociraptor, which are among the birds’ very closest relatives.
On average a new species of dinosaur is discovered every other week. Every other week! Up to this point, in almost 200 years of study, palaeontologists have identified around 1,500 different species of dinosaur.
What struck me most about this book was how much we still don’t know about dinosaurs and the potential for future discoveries that will change what we think we know about them.
You know me: I love finding and sharing fun facts. Because this is a book about numbers, I decided to share one fact for each of the ten chapters. HerYou know me: I love finding and sharing fun facts. Because this is a book about numbers, I decided to share one fact for each of the ten chapters. Here they are…
Our calendar used to have ten “moonths”. September, October, November and December were named because they were months seven through ten. When two months (January and February) were added because there are usually twelve full moons in a year, no one bothered to change their names. Also, July and August used to be known as Quintilis and Sextilis.
The year numbering system widely used today was invented by a monk called Dionysius Exiguus in the sixth century (his name may sound grand, but it translates as ‘Dennis the Short’).
The Mayans used a picture of an upside down turtle shell to represent zero.
Cicadas are distant cousins of shrimp and lobsters. Apparently, they taste like asparagus. (Not all of the fun facts in this book are specifically about numbers, even though the reason we learn about cicadas is number related.)
Every non-prime number can be deconstructed into prime numbers multiplied together (called ‘prime factors’).
Hazel’s mother, Alana, is from Landfall, a “sci-fi wonderland”, and her father, Marko, is from Wreath, Landfall’s moon, a “magical fantasy realm”, butHazel’s mother, Alana, is from Landfall, a “sci-fi wonderland”, and her father, Marko, is from Wreath, Landfall’s moon, a “magical fantasy realm”, but nothing’s feeling overly magical or wonderful right now because my heart was unceremoniously sliced open (multiple times) by the author and illustrator during the last Volume. Not satisfied with their previous attempts to destroy my emotional integrity, they commenced with the agony as soon as this Volume began.
It’s been two months since we’ve last seen our favourite family and I cannot even imagine the hell they’ve been through in the meantime, or the hell that they’re about to endure. I really can’t. This series is definitely not one to shy away from the really big issues.
So, we’re on a planet called Pervious travelling to the Badlands and although we’re here for more heartache, at least they have pretty multicoloured zebras there to remind us there’s good in the world too. After all, we need this reminder when we discover Dung People are also found here. So, without further ado, meet Button.
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Petrichor and Hazel have the discussion about their bodies in this Volume that I’ve been waiting for and it was handled so well. I love that the diversity of this series includes a transgender woman. Petrichor has intrigued me since I met her and she’s finally given a chance to really shine in this Volume. No matter what she does from this point forward I’ll have her back.
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A Volume of Saga is not complete unless we get to meet some new people. In this Volume Petrichor and Sir Robot meet up with a family - Kidd, Paw and Maw,
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while Alana, Marko and Hazel meet Endwife.
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Given the sensitive nature of why we’re on Pervious in the first place I didn’t expect to see (view spoiler)[Hazel’s younger brother, Kurti, who died in utero at the end of the last Volume. However, due to some amazing and apparently quite dangerous magic called Forecasting, Alana, Marko and Hazel all get to interact with who he could have been (hide spoiler)]. It’s beautiful but it’s also heartbreaking. This scene pretty much broke me. (view spoiler)[
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(hide spoiler)] In a flashback of The Will’s childhood we meet his Uncle Steve, A.K.A. The Letter, and his chameleon sidekick. It’s also pretty clear now why The Will and his sister became Freelancers.
[image]
Speaking of The Will, he initially met the person I now love to hate more than anyone else right now during the previous Volume. I now know this woman as Ianthe and while I despise her, I will say this for her; this woman travels in style!
[image]
After not seeing any of them in the previous Volume we learn that Upsher and Doff have met up with Ghüs, Squire and Friendo. They’re in the vicinity of a Dread Naught, which could potentially help nourish them and keep (view spoiler)[Friendo off the menu (hide spoiler)]. If only Dread Naughts weren’t (view spoiler)[invisible until the day they die. Except, robots can see their insides regardless because … robot, I guess (hide spoiler)].
I love that D. Oswald Heist’s books and quotes keep popping up in this series. Between those and The Will’s drug induced hallucinations I get to see characters I thought I’d never see again. It reminds me of Chris Carter saying that no one ever really dies on The X-Files and gives me hope that I may be fortunate enough to get a glimpse of some of my favourite departed Saga characters. That means you, (view spoiler)[Izabel and the original Kurti (hide spoiler)].
The illustrations are extraordinary in this series. They manage to go from breathtakingly beautiful to carnage and back again seamlessly. One of the main reasons I’m so chained emotionally, for better or worse, to so many of Saga’s characters is because I’ve seen their strengths, vulnerabilities and traumas written all over their faces or whatever they have instead.
I love the small details that allude to previous Volumes; at the end of this Volume Hazel is wearing the bracelet that Jabarah gave to Alana in Volume 7 and I couldn’t decide if I needed to smile, cry or both when I noticed this. (view spoiler)[Jabarah gave this to Alana during her pregnancy with Hazel’s brother. In Jabarah’s culture it’s worn until the day the child is born. 😢 (hide spoiler)]
Despite all of the trauma I’ve witnessed while reading this series I always find moments of hope in the darkest times
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and when even hope feels like a dream, at least there’s plenty of cute smooshed in between the pain.
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And when I think I’ve seen every creature this galaxy has to offer I turn the page to find this! (view spoiler)[
Content warnings include continued graphic sexual content and violence, (view spoiler)[miscarriage, late term abortion and a dead dog made into a rug (hide spoiler)], discussion about suicide, child abuse and torture.
Merged review:
Hazel’s mother, Alana, is from Landfall, a “sci-fi wonderland”, and her father, Marko, is from Wreath, Landfall’s moon, a “magical fantasy realm”, but nothing’s feeling overly magical or wonderful right now because my heart was unceremoniously sliced open (multiple times) by the author and illustrator during the last Volume. Not satisfied with their previous attempts to destroy my emotional integrity, they commenced with the agony as soon as this Volume began.
It’s been two months since we’ve last seen our favourite family and I cannot even imagine the hell they’ve been through in the meantime, or the hell that they’re about to endure. I really can’t. This series is definitely not one to shy away from the really big issues.
So, we’re on a planet called Pervious travelling to the Badlands and although we’re here for more heartache, at least they have pretty multicoloured zebras there to remind us there’s good in the world too. After all, we need this reminder when we discover Dung People are also found here. So, without further ado, meet Button.
[image]
Petrichor and Hazel have the discussion about their bodies in this Volume that I’ve been waiting for and it was handled so well. I love that the diversity of this series includes a transgender woman. Petrichor has intrigued me since I met her and she’s finally given a chance to really shine in this Volume. No matter what she does from this point forward I’ll have her back.
[image]
A Volume of Saga is not complete unless we get to meet some new people. In this Volume Petrichor and Sir Robot meet up with a family - Kidd, Paw and Maw,
[image]
while Alana, Marko and Hazel meet Endwife.
[image]
Given the sensitive nature of why we’re on Pervious in the first place I didn’t expect to see (view spoiler)[Hazel’s younger brother, Kurti, who died in utero at the end of the last Volume. However, due to some amazing and apparently quite dangerous magic called Forecasting, Alana, Marko and Hazel all get to interact with who he could have been (hide spoiler)]. It’s beautiful but it’s also heartbreaking. This scene pretty much broke me. (view spoiler)[
[image]
(hide spoiler)] In a flashback of The Will’s childhood we meet his Uncle Steve, A.K.A. The Letter, and his chameleon sidekick. It’s also pretty clear now why The Will and his sister became Freelancers.
[image]
Speaking of The Will, he initially met the person I now love to hate more than anyone else right now during the previous Volume. I now know this woman as Ianthe and while I despise her, I will say this for her; this woman travels in style!
[image]
After not seeing any of them in the previous Volume we learn that Upsher and Doff have met up with Ghüs, Squire and Friendo. They’re in the vicinity of a Dread Naught, which could potentially help nourish them and keep (view spoiler)[Friendo off the menu (hide spoiler)]. If only Dread Naughts weren’t (view spoiler)[invisible until the day they die. Except, robots can see their insides regardless because … robot, I guess (hide spoiler)].
I love that D. Oswald Heist’s books and quotes keep popping up in this series. Between those and The Will’s drug induced hallucinations I get to see characters I thought I’d never see again. It reminds me of Chris Carter saying that no one ever really dies on The X-Files and gives me hope that I may be fortunate enough to get a glimpse of some of my favourite departed Saga characters. That means you, (view spoiler)[Izabel and the original Kurti (hide spoiler)].
The illustrations are extraordinary in this series. They manage to go from breathtakingly beautiful to carnage and back again seamlessly. One of the main reasons I’m so chained emotionally, for better or worse, to so many of Saga’s characters is because I’ve seen their strengths, vulnerabilities and traumas written all over their faces or whatever they have instead.
I love the small details that allude to previous Volumes; at the end of this Volume Hazel is wearing the bracelet that Jabarah gave to Alana in Volume 7 and I couldn’t decide if I needed to smile, cry or both when I noticed this. (view spoiler)[Jabarah gave this to Alana during her pregnancy with Hazel’s brother. In Jabarah’s culture it’s worn until the day the child is born. (hide spoiler)]...more
‘If I could say it in words,’ explained the twentieth-century American artist Edward Hopper, ‘there would be no reason to paint.’
I’m absolutely obs
‘If I could say it in words,’ explained the twentieth-century American artist Edward Hopper, ‘there would be no reason to paint.’
I’m absolutely obsessed with everything bookish but my art literacy leaves a lot to be desired. I love a lot of art. As someone whose stick figures don’t exactly resemble stick figures, I’m in awe of artists. Despite this, I don’t tend to really ‘get’ art.
This book focuses on “the oddities, the forgotten, the freakish, all with stories that offer glimpses of the lives of their creators and their eras.” It includes fertility art, doom paintings, revenge art and some artists sneaking portraits of themselves in paintings. There’s a lot of religious inspired art.
Two fun facts and a word of warning…
One of the funniest finds was an Italian fresco created in 1265. It’s called lbero della Fecondità. It’s otherwise known as the penis tree. The restorers swear they didn’t erase any testicles.
Restorations of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper have been undertaken since 1726. Currently only 42.5% is Leonardo’s work, 17.5% has been lost and 40% is the work of restorers.
It’s important to use a trusted restorer, unless you’re looking for results like Ecce Homo.
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I didn’t get a lot of the art in this book but there were some I particularly liked, including:
There’s a part of me that will never forgive Ann M. Martin for making me love a senior dog. If I know a dog isn’t going to survive a book, I refuse toThere’s a part of me that will never forgive Ann M. Martin for making me love a senior dog. If I know a dog isn’t going to survive a book, I refuse to read it and I blame Louie for that.
I ugly cried through the novel this week and now it’s the graphic novel’s turn. I don’t know whether it’s worse to imagine Louie’s final days or see them laid out before you panel after panel.
This is my first Chan Chau BSC graphic novel and they’ve done a really good job of adapting this story but, with all due respect, I don’t think I will ever read Louie’s story again.
Rather than getting the tissues out, here are the main differences I noticed between the book and graphic novel.
Book: Kristy’s alarm goes off at 6:45am. Graphic novel: Kristy’s alarm goes off at 6:30am.
Book: Kristy says “Poor old Louie” twice, when she feels his cold paws and when David Michael asks her to call Louie to her. Graphic novel: Kristy only says “Poor old Louie” when David Michael asks her to call Louie to her.
Book: Shannon Kilbourne has thick, curly blonde hair. Graphic novel: Shannon Kilbourne has straight, dark brown hair.
Book: After saying the neighbourhood kids look like snob clones, Kristy board the school bus. She calls out, “Good-bye, snobs”, to which Shannon replies, “‘Bye, jerk-face”. Kristy pokes her tongue out at Shannon. Graphic novel: After saying the neighbourhood kids look like snob clones, Kristy board the school bus. Kristy pokes her tongue out at Shannon. Shannon responds in kind.
Book: Kristy talks to Mimi downstairs in the kitchen. Because of Mimi’s stroke, her speech isn’t perfect. Graphic novel: Kristy calls down the Mimi, who is sitting downstairs having tea (probably special tea), as she goes upstairs to the BSC meeting. Mimi’s speech appears unaffected by her stroke.
Book: Charlie, Kristy and David Michael take Louie to his first vet appointment. Graphic novel: The three kids and their mother take Louie to his first vet appointment.
Book: Priscilla, the purebred cat, cost $400. Graphic novel: Priscilla, the purebred cat, cost $4000.
Book: Mary Anne babysits Myriah and Gabbie Perkins. Jamie Newton storms off and goes back home after upsetting Gabbie. Graphic novel: Logan is at the Perkins’ home as well. Jamie Newton stays for the tea party.
Book: All of the furniture in the Delaney’s family room is white. Graphic novel: Only the fireplace is white.
Book: Dawn babysits her younger brother, Jeff. It doesn’t go well. She cries about the situation during the next BSC meeting. Graphic novel: Jeff isn’t mentioned at all.
Book: The fish fountain cost $2000. Graphic novel: The fish fountain cost $20000. Basically, we’re adding a 0 to every price.
Book: Mallory helps Claudia babysit her siblings. Graphic novel: Jessi is there, too.
Book: Karen and Andrew are there when Louie gets sicker. Graphic novel: Karen and Andrew (and Boo-Boo) nap with David Michael and Louie. This is really sweet and doesn’t involve the trauma of seeing Louie get much worse. Louie also doesn’t end up going down the basement stairs.
Book: Watson stays in the car during Louie’s final vet appointment. Graphic novel: Watson stays in the reception area with Kristy and David Michael during Louie’s final vet appointment.
Book: Brother Louie is played on a tape deck. Graphic novel: There’s a CD of Brother Louie.
Book: A cross marks the place where Louie’s belongings are buried. Graphic novel: A gravestone marks the place where Louie’s belongings are buried.
Book: Mary Anne makes the exorcise joke about Ben Brewer. Graphic novel: Jessi makes the exorcise joke about Ben Brewer.
There’s a lot of sad in this story, so I need to leave you with a smile. Andrew is such a good football in this adaptation.
Sixteen year old Georgia knows she’s destined to be an Aspera girl. She’s known it ever since Michae
“It’s always you, me, and that road, isn’t it?”
Sixteen year old Georgia knows she’s destined to be an Aspera girl. She’s known it ever since Michael Hayes found her three years ago on the road leading to Aspera, a 12,000 acre members only resort in the mountains he and his wife, Cleo, own. Georgia is determined to do everything in her power to make her dream a reality.
Georgia is on that same road when she discovers the body of thirteen year old Ashley James, the deputy sheriff’s daughter. Nora, Ashley’s sister, and Georgia begin their own investigation into Ashley’s rape and murder.
Based on the blurb, I expected there to be more of a focus on Georgia and Nora investigating Ashley’s murder. There’s some of this scattered through the book but really it’s the abuse of power and privilege, so much privilege, that abound here.
This book was … a lot. It’s (view spoiler)[motherless daughters and grief and kidnapping and murder and on page sexual assault and trafficking and grooming and incest (hide spoiler)] and it’s all a case of wondering who’s going to do the next horrific thing. I feel like I need a shower to wash it all away.
Some part of me will always be finding her here. Some part of her will always be here, waiting to be found.
Content warnings include (view spoiler)[child pornography, grooming, incest, self harm, sexual assault and trafficking (hide spoiler)].
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