This is one of those rare books where I liked it enough that I bought it in singles then immediately bought the trade too. Sana Takeda's art drew me in initially as it is phenomenal and fuses an Eastern manga style with beautiful Art Deco elements and a gothic darkness. It weaves together beautifully intricate panels with moments of visceral brutality that match the tone of the story perfectly. The writing is excellent and the fantasy setting is more unusual and interesting than the typically overdone takes on magic users. It has themes of prejudice, oppression, and slavery running through it, and all the characters, who are predominantly female, are complex, fascinating and mysterious. It feels fresh and diverse, and with such high quality storytelling and artwork, I've been recommending it to anyone who will listen all year.

Merged review:

This is one of those rare books where I liked it enough that I bought it in singles then immediately bought the trade too. Sana Takeda's art drew me in initially as it is phenomenal and fuses an Eastern manga style with beautiful Art Deco elements and a gothic darkness. It weaves together beautifully intricate panels with moments of visceral brutality that match the tone of the story perfectly. The writing is excellent and the fantasy setting is more unusual and interesting than the typically overdone takes on magic users. It has themes of prejudice, oppression, and slavery running through it, and all the characters, who are predominantly female, are complex, fascinating and mysterious. It feels fresh and diverse, and with such high quality storytelling and artwork, I've been recommending it to anyone who will listen all year.