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Monstress #7-9
Monstress, Book Three
"For page after gorgeous page, Monstress engulfs the reader in layers of masterfully drawn figures, textures and details." —NPR
Creator/writer Marjorie Liu and creator/artist Sana Takeda present a deluxe, oversized hardcover edition of their beloved breakout comic in MONSTRESS BOOK THREE.
Humans and hybrid Arcanics are at war once again, but battles of the heart and soul are the most dangerous of all. Caught in the calculating grip of the Dusk Court, Maika and Zinn uncover painful secrets of the past while Tuya fights to preserve her future -- and young Kippa represents the only hope for the present.
MONSTRESS, BOOK THREE takes readers beyond the Known World to remote islands and an even more remote planet as our heroes finally find answers to some of their greatest mysteries.
Collecting volumes 7-9 (issues #36-54) of the Eisner, Hugo, Harvey & British Fantasy Award-winning series by MARJORIE LIU and SANA TAKEDA, this deluxe, oversized hardcover brimming with more than 500 pages of art deco beauty and steampunk horror will make an elegant addition to any fan's shelf.
Creator/writer Marjorie Liu and creator/artist Sana Takeda present a deluxe, oversized hardcover edition of their beloved breakout comic in MONSTRESS BOOK THREE.
Humans and hybrid Arcanics are at war once again, but battles of the heart and soul are the most dangerous of all. Caught in the calculating grip of the Dusk Court, Maika and Zinn uncover painful secrets of the past while Tuya fights to preserve her future -- and young Kippa represents the only hope for the present.
MONSTRESS, BOOK THREE takes readers beyond the Known World to remote islands and an even more remote planet as our heroes finally find answers to some of their greatest mysteries.
Collecting volumes 7-9 (issues #36-54) of the Eisner, Hugo, Harvey & British Fantasy Award-winning series by MARJORIE LIU and SANA TAKEDA, this deluxe, oversized hardcover brimming with more than 500 pages of art deco beauty and steampunk horror will make an elegant addition to any fan's shelf.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2025
15 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Marjorie M. Liu
322 books4,296 followersNew York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and she leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop.
Ms. Liu is a highly celebrated comic book writer. Her extensive work with Marvel includes the bestselling Dark Wolverine series, NYX: No Way Home, X-23, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose. She received national media attention for Astonishing X-Men, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Liu also wrote the story for the animated film, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher, which was produced by Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Madhouse Inc.
Her newest work is MONSTRESS, an original, creator-owned comic book series with Japanese artist (and X-23 collaborator) Sana Takeda. Published by Image in Fall 2015, MONSTRESS is set in an alternate, matriarchal 1920’s Asia and follows a girl’s struggle to survive the trauma of war. With a cast of girls and monsters and set against a richly imagined aesthetic of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS #1 debuted to critical praise. The Hollywood Reporter remarked that the longer than typical first issue was “world-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.”
Ms. Liu is also the author of more than 19 novels, most notably the urban fantasy series, Hunter Kiss, and the paranormal romance series, Dirk & Steele. Her novels have also been bestsellers on USA Today, which described Liu “as imaginative as she is prolific.” Her critically praised fiction has twice received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, for THE MORTAL BONE (Hunter Kiss #6), and TIGER EYE (Dirk & Steele #1). TIGER EYE was the basis for a bestselling paranormal romance video game called Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box.
Liu has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, MTV, and been profiled in the Wall Street Journal.com, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker, appearing on panels at San Diego Comic Con, the Tokyo Literary Festival, the New York Times Public Lecture series, Geeks Out; and the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her work has been published internationally, including Germany, France, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
Ms. Liu was born in Philadelphia, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest and Beijing. Prior to writing full-time, she was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.
Ms. Liu is a highly celebrated comic book writer. Her extensive work with Marvel includes the bestselling Dark Wolverine series, NYX: No Way Home, X-23, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose. She received national media attention for Astonishing X-Men, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Liu also wrote the story for the animated film, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher, which was produced by Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Madhouse Inc.
Her newest work is MONSTRESS, an original, creator-owned comic book series with Japanese artist (and X-23 collaborator) Sana Takeda. Published by Image in Fall 2015, MONSTRESS is set in an alternate, matriarchal 1920’s Asia and follows a girl’s struggle to survive the trauma of war. With a cast of girls and monsters and set against a richly imagined aesthetic of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS #1 debuted to critical praise. The Hollywood Reporter remarked that the longer than typical first issue was “world-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.”
Ms. Liu is also the author of more than 19 novels, most notably the urban fantasy series, Hunter Kiss, and the paranormal romance series, Dirk & Steele. Her novels have also been bestsellers on USA Today, which described Liu “as imaginative as she is prolific.” Her critically praised fiction has twice received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, for THE MORTAL BONE (Hunter Kiss #6), and TIGER EYE (Dirk & Steele #1). TIGER EYE was the basis for a bestselling paranormal romance video game called Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box.
Liu has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, MTV, and been profiled in the Wall Street Journal.com, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker, appearing on panels at San Diego Comic Con, the Tokyo Literary Festival, the New York Times Public Lecture series, Geeks Out; and the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her work has been published internationally, including Germany, France, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
Ms. Liu was born in Philadelphia, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest and Beijing. Prior to writing full-time, she was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 16, 2025
(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included volumes can be found here:
- Monstress, Volume 7: Devourer
- Monstress, Volume 8: Inferno
- Monstress, Volume 9: The Possessed
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included volumes can be found here:
- Monstress, Volume 7: Devourer
- Monstress, Volume 8: Inferno
- Monstress, Volume 9: The Possessed
October 9, 2025
FUCK!
another wait for the next Book (I could buy individual volumes but the short form would just piss me off)
SO much happened and yet I still didn’t see my MHCs (Most Hated Characters) die or be maimed even
Tuya… she was fleshed out in ways that made me hate her more but also understand her more (don’t you just hate it when you want to hate a char so bad but the author goes all sorta reasonable backstory on you). Glad her fucking the aunt is done bc that was so wild
The Beast is so???? idk what to make of her, snatched waist & all
Anyways I’m rooting for Kippa and Maika and Corvin and Zinn and Ren and Seizi to figure something out by the time I pick up the next book in a couple years
another wait for the next Book (I could buy individual volumes but the short form would just piss me off)
SO much happened and yet I still didn’t see my MHCs (Most Hated Characters) die or be maimed even
Tuya… she was fleshed out in ways that made me hate her more but also understand her more (don’t you just hate it when you want to hate a char so bad but the author goes all sorta reasonable backstory on you). Glad her fucking the aunt is done bc that was so wild
The Beast is so???? idk what to make of her, snatched waist & all
Anyways I’m rooting for Kippa and Maika and Corvin and Zinn and Ren and Seizi to figure something out by the time I pick up the next book in a couple years
September 14, 2025
This omnibus covers chapters 26-54 of the series.
Like the previous volumes in this series, this one was another action packed and heavy political continuation of Maika’s story. With each volume of this series, this world gets more rich and elaborate, especially as the secrets of the past come to light.
Maika and Zinn may have been captured by Tuya and have been trapped inside Maika’s mind. While they may be trapped, this gives them an opportunity to find out some of the truths about both of their pasts. I found this to be very fascinating because we finally get to learn more about Zinn’s people and why he seems to be the only one able to be planet side. Being contained within her mind causes Maika to reevaluate things and we see a big change come over her, especially from the first volume.
Kippa has changed so much as this series progressed. We see her go from a frightened fox to a determined and protective friend. She really finds her strength and determination in this and doesn’t stop fighting for Maika and Zinn. I didn’t actually love Kippa at first but now I really enjoy her character and how she has helped Maika overcome some of her past.
This volume ends with a war brewing between Maika and her father. I will be very interested in seeing how this plays out because as we have seen in previous volumes, Maika usually doesn't make plans, she just responds to things as they happen. I do like that we are seeing a new side of Maika that isn’t just all anger, she is starting to actually build alliances and craft plans for herself and Zinn.
TW; death of parents, children, and mass sacrifices; non-consensual experimentations; torture; violence; gore; body horror;
*ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.*
Like the previous volumes in this series, this one was another action packed and heavy political continuation of Maika’s story. With each volume of this series, this world gets more rich and elaborate, especially as the secrets of the past come to light.
Maika and Zinn may have been captured by Tuya and have been trapped inside Maika’s mind. While they may be trapped, this gives them an opportunity to find out some of the truths about both of their pasts. I found this to be very fascinating because we finally get to learn more about Zinn’s people and why he seems to be the only one able to be planet side. Being contained within her mind causes Maika to reevaluate things and we see a big change come over her, especially from the first volume.
Kippa has changed so much as this series progressed. We see her go from a frightened fox to a determined and protective friend. She really finds her strength and determination in this and doesn’t stop fighting for Maika and Zinn. I didn’t actually love Kippa at first but now I really enjoy her character and how she has helped Maika overcome some of her past.
This volume ends with a war brewing between Maika and her father. I will be very interested in seeing how this plays out because as we have seen in previous volumes, Maika usually doesn't make plans, she just responds to things as they happen. I do like that we are seeing a new side of Maika that isn’t just all anger, she is starting to actually build alliances and craft plans for herself and Zinn.
TW; death of parents, children, and mass sacrifices; non-consensual experimentations; torture; violence; gore; body horror;
*ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.*
December 15, 2025
This book presents a unique challenge: on the one hand, they are crafting a story that is so propulsive that I can't turn the pages fast enough to sate my ever incited hunger! on the other hand, the artwork is so full, intricate, and haunting that I am loathe to miss any of the nuance of the panels! So while I hate how long i must wait between book releases, it does create the necessity of re reads, and hopefully on my second pass through, I'll catch additional facets thats I surely missed during my frantic passage into this tome.
I am amazed at the depth of emotion I am made to experience as Maika is simultaneously betrayed at every turn by those who should be most trustworthy, and buttressed by the random acts of kindness of strangers, as well as the undying devotion of those who see something in her beyond the Monstress.
Where Book 1 made me mindful of the vulgar obtusity of war, and Book 2 showcased the duplicity of the movers and shakers, Book 3 feels much more personal. Miaka spent so much of the first 2 as sort of a small boat, tossed about on the ocean of multiplainer geopolitics and her own unpredictable power, but this one felt really personal to her. Finally she starts to see what has been right in front of her, and the quality of the people she has been unable to shake.
This series never seems to let up and I just love everything about it!... I guess I'll have to find something else to read while I await Book 4...
I am amazed at the depth of emotion I am made to experience as Maika is simultaneously betrayed at every turn by those who should be most trustworthy, and buttressed by the random acts of kindness of strangers, as well as the undying devotion of those who see something in her beyond the Monstress.
Where Book 1 made me mindful of the vulgar obtusity of war, and Book 2 showcased the duplicity of the movers and shakers, Book 3 feels much more personal. Miaka spent so much of the first 2 as sort of a small boat, tossed about on the ocean of multiplainer geopolitics and her own unpredictable power, but this one felt really personal to her. Finally she starts to see what has been right in front of her, and the quality of the people she has been unable to shake.
This series never seems to let up and I just love everything about it!... I guess I'll have to find something else to read while I await Book 4...
July 25, 2025
I didn't really love the maybe astral projection, maybe interplanetary travel arc and in general I find it sort of frustrating that even after fifty+ issues the protagonist is still a headstrong asshole who doesn't listen to advice and tries to push away people, even people who have supported her for fifty+ issues.
2025 summer book bingo category: recommended by an independent book seller
2025 summer book bingo category: recommended by an independent book seller
August 1, 2025
THE PROBLEM WITH HIGH FANTASY IS DO I WANT TO BE A HOT TIGER HUMANOID, DO I WANT TO FUCK THE HOT TIGER HUMANOID, OR DO I WANT THE HOT TIGER HUMANOID TO BE MY PARENT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!
Things are really heating up in this story and NOW I HAVE TO WAIT FOR MORE!!! FUCK!!!
Kippa my sweet summer child if anything happens to you I will rage!!
Things are really heating up in this story and NOW I HAVE TO WAIT FOR MORE!!! FUCK!!!
Kippa my sweet summer child if anything happens to you I will rage!!
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September 17, 2025⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Darkly beautiful and emotionally gripping, this volume proves why Monstress stands among the most extraordinary graphic series today.
Darkly beautiful and emotionally gripping, this volume proves why Monstress stands among the most extraordinary graphic series today.
October 30, 2025
It's so good and it keeps going at a consistently high level. It's like a Shepard tone. It feels like it should be impossible, but the sensation is real.
November 16, 2025
10 years reading this series! The art is honestly what keeps me going, at this point. One of these days I’ll reread it all from start to (eventual) finish.
August 29, 2025
The big problem with this volume is the same as the problem with all the others in this series: it ends.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews