Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening

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.