Steampunk / esoteric themes, a war-torn world with continuously clashing factions (run predominantly by women!!), and a girl caught in the middle of it all with a dark past and a ton of unanswered questions. I can't express how much I love all these things in such a well-crafted story. And such utterly beautiful, intricate artwork that I could practically frame everything and put it up on the wall. Extraordinarily well done.



The storyline is darkly, deliciously complex and I love the exploration of racial and political themes. The way Arcanics often had more humanity than the humans themselves... that was really telling and thought-provoking. Though leaders of both sides had political motivations that were sometimes far from benign, I still found myself mainly on the side of the Arcanics, who were enslaved and dissected mercilessly in human societies. "Human" is certainly a word that has sometimes incorrectly elevated us above other living beings.

As far as individual characters went, I found myself attached to so many. Each of them, no matter how minor, was fully fleshed out; I don't know how it was balanced so well with such an intricate world, but it was masterfully done.
- I couldn't help but root for Maika, because she had such a heart under all her toughness. Despite her terrible past and an unwanted link to a destructive force, she is determined to find her answers, to discover who she really is and where she fits into the world. Along the way, her humanity is put into perspective all the more.
- Tuya!!! The plot twist with her true identity really threw me for a loop. How could she have played multiple sides this whole time!? And yet I still love her character in spite of all its secrets and deception. What has come over me?
- Kippa is a precious, talented baby who must be protected at all costs. 'Nuff said.
- Heck, I even grew to like Zinn... he may be a crazy demon stuck in what's left of Maika's arm, but I was rooting for them both as they started learning more about each other, and learning to work as a team. I live for the glimpses of his softer side, same as with Maika.
- CATS. LOTS OF CATS. The way they were portrayed, with their own mysterious society and lore and occasional meddling in everyone else's affairs... Perfection. Master Ren, for all his bluffs, blundering and bravado, is my #1 favorite cat here.



Honestly, aside from the raving descriptions above, I don't have another way to fully encompass how I feel about this story. All I can say is, read it, and you will not be disappointed, except when you have to wait a bit for the next volume to come out! ( )

3.5 stars ( )