64. 
Title: [Monstress]
Author: Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: July 12, 2016
Rating: *****
Monstress tells the tale of Maika Halfwolf, an Arcanic searching for answers to her own existence in the aftermath of a holy war which sees a tenuous peace between humans and Arcanics, which still allows for the slavery of the later by the former. Of curiously unknown half-human half-Ancient origin, Arcanics are fantastic humanoid characters of highly variable appearances, treated as beasts by humans, and literally consumed by witches who use their flesh for the production of illium, a magical solution.  Mysteriously more powerful than expected, and carrying a dark presence even she is unaware of at the first, Maika is driven by the death of her mother, the secrets the woman took with her, and a hunger that frightens both herself and the characters around her.  The narrative offers careful world and story-building, showing bits of history interspersed with the present to maintain the enjoyable uncertainty of the story without wholly confusing the reader. Complex characters with strong histories and motivations drive the story, and the fantasy of the time and place encourages immersion in a place that is entirely other, but eerily family and thus seemingly possible. The cover offers Neil Gaiman's critique that the book is "Remarkable: a beautifully told story of magic and fear," and I wholeheartedly agree.  Well done.

63.
Title: [Flirt]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Probably Pre-ordered once upon a time
Date Completed: July 10, 2016
Rating: **

Flirt, a novella in the Anita Blake series, loosely uses the premise of flirtation as a personality trait to direct a melodrama of love, desire, loss, and violence. Opening with two uncomfortable professional interviews, in which Anita has to deny each client their request for the animation of their deceased spouses, Anita contemplates the flirtatious drives of a handful of her loved ones before being unceremoniously kidnapped by mercenary werelions. When someone can't take no for an answer, things get ugly, with fairly predictable Anita Blake results. The book introduces a character I find exceptionally interesting - namely, Nicky - but in such a way that the conclusion is overly obvious from the very first.  The story is weak and poorly planned, rushing to the climax (pun intended) without joy or enthusiasm.  If you've missed this one you're not missing much, and experience has shown me that the character is better explored later in the series.