I missed that the book I had in my hand was a book two when I picked up The Only Living Girl V02: Beneath the Unseen City by David Gallaher. However, it was not as difficult to follow as you might think. Of course, the “previously on “The Only Living Girl” recap did assist me in knowing where I was, but it would have been much better to have read first the “The Only Living Boy” series (which seems to introduce not only a few characters but has the background of why there are only two humans left) and then read book one of TOLG.
Papercutz is a kick-butt publisher (I might not always like everything, but I know it is going to be an experience) and they produce stories that really are interesting to say the least. TOLG is a mix of fantasy, science fiction, and realism. I might even go to say cyberpunk, but for certain a bit more than a little bit of apocalyptic world building is there. Diverse characters, crazy villains, a purple flying dragon/dinosaur creature called, Norman, secrets sold and given at a price that might be too high for the power they will gain, all converge on the page.
Steve Ellis helps kick you into gear with stunning images. You smell the stink of the market, hear the grunts of fights, and at the same time, you think, “how pretty the colors, the details are so perfectly done.” The cover tells you pretty much what you need to know, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. They are not only pretty, but expressive and they also have a tone of humor to them, making what could be a very serious story have a light-heartedness too.
Get the whole series (TOLB and TOLG) as you will want to binge the whole series at once. And once you are done with TOLB and TOLG, try School for Extraterrestrial Girls #1 by Jeremy Whitley, even though they might be two different stories, they have similar pacing and I think audience. Or vice versa of course.
Ages at least 10 and up would probably be best, as things can get dark, and the text is a bit on the heavier side. And though the illustrations are complimentary, things can get slightly bogged down at times.