Manga Review: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 29, by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki, and Yuki Morisaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump Advanced (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 36.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 27. 30.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An action-packed, saucy food comedy featuring one boy’s determination to be top chef!

Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!

The fourth bout of the team shokugeki begins with Erina finally taking the stage. Her opponent? The queen of cute confections, Momo Akanegakubo! But what kind of dish will the former ice queen present to combat such cuteness? Meanwhile, Isshiki and Takumi take on the council’s top two members—Tsukasa and Rindo!

Review:

I missed what happened with Megumi (sadly, though not surprising), but I guess that's okay, because Erina gets to prove what point she was making, using it as inspiration to make her dish the winner.

Next up, Isshiki and Tsukasa are against each other. Both characters I quite enjoy. During their cooking, there's also some light drama regarding Isshiki's childhood rival/friend.

And, of course, as the shokugeki is drawing closer to the end, Azami has to step in to try and put things in his favor again.

This has been a very long battle. It looks like we're finally down to the last two on each side though.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Novel Review: Starfall (Starflight, #2) by Melissa Landers

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Genre: YA Sci-fi Romance

Publisher: Hyperion

Release Date: 2017

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Starflight 1.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Princess Cassia Rose fled her home world of Eturia to escape an arranged marriage, she had no idea her sudden departure would spark a war. Now after two years hiding as a ship hand, she is finally returning to her beloved home, but not in the way she imagined. Shackled by bounty hunters, she is violently dragged back to account for her crimes. Her only solace is that the Banshee crew managed to evade capture, including Kane Arric, her best friend...with occasional benefits.

Meanwhile, Kane and the rest of the crew of the Banshee plan a desperate rescue mission. But when they arrive on Eturia, Cassia isn't exactly in need of heroics—she's claimed her birthright as Eturia's queen, but has inherited a war-torn planet simmering with rebellion. Cassia must make alliances, and Kane, the bastard son of a merchant, isn't a choice that will earn her any friends. Kane knows he will never find someone to replace Cassia—and is certain she returns his feelings—but how can he throw away his own promising future waiting on a queen?

When the outer realm is threatened by the dangerous Zhang mafia, Cassia, Kane and the rest of the Banshee crew uncover a horrifying conspiracy that endangers the entire universe. In the face of unspeakable evil, Cassia must confront her own family's complicated legacy on Eturia and decide once and for all who her real family is.

The Cover:

I really like these covers. They're pretty, and I love the colors and shiny parts. I appreciate this one shows Cassia going back to her planet, too, since now they're not running away from anything. Since the story doesn't focus overly on the romance, I like that the covers don't, either.

Review:

This book takes place quickly after the first one, only now we're following Cassia and Kane. I was intrigued by their relationship in the first book, and I'm always a sucker for childhood friend/friends to lovers stories. They're a favorite of mine, so I was actually looking forward to this one more than the first.

Similar to the first book, the romance takes a backseat compared to the action and main plot lines. For this book, it's that Cassia's home planet is looking for her. Only for her to find out that some big things have changed, and she actually needs to go back to try and settle things.

I really liked the idea behind Cassie being a runaway princess and going back to her kingdom to take her place back and make things right again. Some of it just didn't play out as well.

I think Cassia played it well, for the most part. She played it smart and did what she needed to in the moment, trusted who she thought she could and fought when needed. Cassie and Kane were actually separated for most of the book, and then there were clear conflicts, since Cassie and Kane grew up on very different sides of the kingdom. She was a princess, and he was a merchants son.

The way it played out wasn't terribly surprising—who was behind what, who was secretly and openly against her. And it was a fun story, for the most part. But certain parts went in odd directions, and some story lines got dragged out or seemed unnecessary. But I think part of that might be that this reads almost more like an adventure novel, more than a sci-fi or romance story.

All this to say, it was all right. I didn't mind it, but it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. The romance was rather subtle and not very intense, like I hoped it would be. I'll probably try another of Landers' novels at some point, but I'll have different expectations, I think.

Manga Review: Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Volume 3, by Waco Ioka, Midori Yuma, and Laruha

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2019

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Faced with the choice of being married to a strange spirit or being made into dinner, Aoi creates a third option for herself!

Aoi Tsubaki inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits—and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed, or get eaten by ayakashi. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms!

Aoi wasn’t the only orphan her grandfather Shiro took in. Before she went to live with him, he rescued the spider demons Akatsuki and Suzuran and put them to work as unpaid servants! Now Aoi is questioning everything she thought she knew about her upbringing. What was Shiro up to? And more importantly, does that make the spider demons family?!

Review:

Aoi ends up helping this spider-yokai couple at the inn. There's tension and misunderstandings, and one of them works at the inn. Aoi gets between it and so tries to help them resolve their issues. This involves going back to the human world, which is dangerous for the yokai, and could mean an escape for Aoi.

It says a lot that Aoi decides to go back to the yokai inn. She's seemed to have grown closer to the ogre, as well; they've formed some kind of friendly understanding through all this.

The end of this volume felt a bit like an ending, even though not much has been resolved. It felt like Aoi had accepted her position, that she's at the inn for good and will continue finding her place there, whatever it is.

But it's clearly not the end, I have two more volumes to read right now. Honestly, the characters and plot felt rather forgettable to me in this volume. I'm very meh about this series, but I guess I'm going to try for a bit longer.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Forget Me Not, Volume 7, by Mag Hsu and Nao Emoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: March 2017

Volumes: 7.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Serizawa is a twentysomething working at a divorce attorney's office. Walking home from work one day, he gets into an accident, and a woman carries him to an ambulance. Later, at the hospital, still bleary, he receives a phone call from the woman who saved his life. This person knows intimate details about him... but he's not sure who it is. Serizawa's gentle personality has drawn lots of girls to him since his childhood, but he's far from perfect. Was it someone he loved and lost? Or perhaps someone he wronged, to whom he failed to make amends?

Review:

 I think the reason I wasn't a big fan of the ending at first was because I held so little regard for each relationship we followed. I knew they all ended badly, and I wanted to know who the girl was from the beginning. I didn't care too much for his relationship with Sam-Soon, in particular.

A large portion of this volume concludes the Nana's plot line, and I really don't care for it. Serizawa learns from it, I suppose, but it's also a mess. It's not a good situation in any form.

Then we finally discover who the girl was who started all of this. And I think it's fitting, who it turns out to be and how it turns out. It has an effect on Serizawa that he needs to get closure on certain parts of his life, and on his decision to finally make a decision and do something about it. He's spent so much time letting conflicts build and miscommunication fester and letting moments pass where he should have said something. It is good to see him finally grow past that.

I suppose it makes sense which girl he ends up with in the end, as they did seem to have the more meaningful relationship, for both of them. And looking back on it, after some time to think, I don't mind that. It fits.

This was a messy series, but I did enjoy it, for the most part.

Manga Review: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, Volume 3, by Fujita

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A tall, quiet gamer boy and a geeky girl whose life revolves around yaoi manga are old friends, but when they start working in the same office, they decide to date. It's a relationship of convenience at first, but could it become something more? This manga comedy is now a hit streaming anime!

Extra-long book includes 2 Japanese volumes!

Narumi and Hirotaka are, by all appearances, a power couple. They're young, good-looking professionals. But they have secrets from everyone but each other: They're serious geeks! Narumi is a fujoshi, and Hirotaka's a hardcore gamer. Their sweet, awkward love story started life as a webcomic before becoming a full-blown manga series by popular demand, and is about to become a major anime series!

Review:

It feels like it came on very suddenly, but I am now obsessed. I love Naoya, so much. He's my favorite.

This series seems like it should be more episodic, more of a 4-koma style, and yet it has more ongoing plot than that. It's also just so good, and keeps my attention all the way through.

There's lots of fun geekiness in this volume—including a convention and cosplay—as well as lots of gaming and arguments and other fun. There's also some couple stuff—they go to a hot spring in the second half.

But back to Naoya. After finding out that Ko is a female, he freaks out a bit, and then feels awful because of how it upset Ko. It's all super adorable. And then they end up on a double date with Narumi and Hirotaka, which is adorable, and also really good for them. They're all very geeky, and it's super cute. Even though Naoya doesn't quite understand just how much of an otaku any of these people are.

He's literally so cute it hurts me. I love him so much it doesn't make sense.

I need more of this so badly, I'm probably going to end up watching the anime while I wait.

Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists: Onmyoji, Volume 13, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2018

Volumes: 19+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Exorcists Rokuro and Benio unleash serious supernatural action while purifying the world of monsters.

The “Twin Star Exorcists” are fated to produce the child prophesied to end the war with the monstrous Kegare… But can Rokuro and Benio get along for five minutes, let alone save the world?

The Hadarae Castle Imperial tournament continues! Rokuro is determined to win his match and earn the right to join the hunt for Yuto. Then Shimon faces Tenma. What savage method does Tenma’s family use to determine who inherits their Guardian…?

Review:

Rokuro is amping up his fight with Kankuro. Rokuro doesn't like being seen as less-than, but he also wants to take every opportunity he can to be better and to prove himself. So he doesn't want any opponent to take it easy on him. He will take every fight as far as he can, I think.

In the second half of the volume, Shimon is against Tenma. Both of these fights have a lot to them, including a lot of back story. There's a lot of remembering as each character is pushed and things get dirty.

I've fallen so far back in this series, that I don't really connect with the characters anymore. And these Colosseum battles don't really do much for me, I don't think.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 4, by Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court, and Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a superpowered society, there is nothing ordinary about evil anymore. Heroes, trained and licensed to protect and defend the public against supervillains, stand above all the rest. Not everyone can be a hero, however, and there are those who would use their powers to serve the people without legal sanction. But do they fight for justice in the shadows, or for reasons known only to themselves? Whatever they fight for, they are called…vigilantes.

The sinister Hachisuka continues to haunt the Naruhata district, distributing the Quirk-boosting drug Trigger. Knuckleduster continues to track her and is closing in. Meanwhile, Pop Step receives an unexpected invitation to perform at the Marukane department store’s grand reopening. With Makoto helping out, it’s going to be nothing less than an all-out entertainment extravaganza! But that’s only if she can organize a disorganized group of performers in time for the show!

Review:

While there is a lighthearted plot in this volume—Pop Step joins with a larger group to put on a collaborative concert, something she hasn't done before, and causing a different kind of attention for herself. This is an interesting plot, I suppose. I felt mostly meh, though I guess it was nice to see when Pop was able to use her normal routine to entertain during the crisis, and seeing her grow some more confidence in herself.

But during all this, we see that Knuckleduster has decided to stop avoiding it and confront Hachisuka upfront about all the bugs, only they have a surprising connection. I hadn't really considered this, but I guess it feels a little cliché, and maybe that's why it bothers me.

Now that one potential villain is possibly down, I'm guessing that we'll get to meet a new one in the next volume. We'll get to see where this bug-virus plot progresses to next.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Novel Review: Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Dial (Penguin)

Release Date: 2014

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can anyone be truly herself--or truly in love--in a language that's not her own?

Sixteen-year-old Josie lives her life in translation. She speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of these is her native tongue -- the only people who speak that are her best friend Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime? Kate is determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics, Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves her, the sister she loves but doesn't always like, and the best friend who hasn't said a word -- at least not in a language Josie understands.

The Cover:

I think this cover is very cute. The font and lettering is fun, and I think it represents the book pretty well. It's very much easy to carry around, too, and doesn't focus too much on the romance, but Kate's curiosity instead.

Review:

This book has one of the most accurate titles I've seen in a while. Josie is extremely smart for her age, is already in college, but she doesn't know what love is. One day, she decides that she needs to understand it. Her sister is engaged to a guy she absolutely refuses to accept, and she can't comprehend why her sister thinks she loves him. So starts her quest to understand love.

Josie goes through a bit of a journey in this book. She starts a relationship with a previous school-dance date, whom likes her a lot, and whom she tries to love back. Then there's her young college professor, who she's convinced she feels love at first sight with. And during all of this, she's fighting with her sister, and her best friend Stu is always there.

I really enjoyed Josie's voice. She's odd, possibly a little autistic, but generally on a different level than everyone else. She can only take so much socialization, she likes things a certain way, and she looks at every interaction with people in a different way. I feel like the real romance took a long time to actually show up, as Josie was so distracted for so long and Stu was just letting her do her thing until she was ready. I also found that really sweet, though, and thought that the ending was really good. The way things wrap up with not only Stu, but also with her sister and her sisters fiance, was really nice. And I really liked her family; they're all very close, and they're always around and doing things together. It was really sweet, but also a lot of fun. The banter was great.

This book was a little slow in its pace, but Josie needed to contemplate and process everything, and she needed to take her time getting to the end. I really enjoyed the characters, though, and it was a lot of fun to read.

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 15, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2019

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 14. 16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

In No Hurry gears up for a second Rock Horizon show, but due to a last-minute cancellation, they have to play a bigger stage than expected. As they watch Silent Black Kitty blow away the festival crowd, the vocalist of the day’s headliner comes to Nino with a surprising proposal!

Review:

It's time for Rock Horizon again, and this year, they've got an even better slot. This new concert brings on new challenges, and a new opportunity for Nino in particular. She gets the chance to perform with another artist, which pushes her in a new way.

There's some potential progress between Kurose and An, which is good. He deserves something happy after his unrequited anguish.

Then we get a really sweet moment between Miou and Haruyoshi, in which Mious also gets some much needed closure regarding leaving the band. Somehow Miou and Haruyoshi have become my favorite couple without me realizing it, and definitely the most stable couple in this series thus far in the series.

As a note, there really needs to be a character page at the beginning of each volume.

Maybe I should watch the anime, at least to get a feel for what the characters sound like and how the bands sound. Aside from that, while this series isn't my favorite, it's still a very strong one and one that goes by very quickly. Very well written, too.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Volume 2, by Akira Akatsuki, Nisioisin, and Hikaru Nakamura

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: Some.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twelve fighters enter, one fighter leaves—who will win the 12th Zodiac War?

Every 12 years, 12 fighters take the form of the Chinese zodiac and engage in a battle royale. With their strength and mysterious powers, they fight to the death and the sole survivor is granted the ultimate prize—any wish.

With several of the fighters already dead, the Zodiac War is in full swing! The biggest danger the remaining fighters face is Usagi, the fighter of the Rabbit. He has the unique ability to control the dead bodies of those he’s slain, putting his opponents at a huge disadvantage! While Usagi and his undead army rampage in the streets above, Chicken and Rat lay low underground with Monkey, who is determined to settle the battle with as few deaths as possible.

Review:

I think, once I knew more what to expect of this series, I had a much better time of it. I was so caught off guard by all the violence, I hadn't realized I was going into a battle royale type of situation when I started the first volume. Now I do, though.

This volume kills off a few more characters. The chicken, which is too bad, and a few others, though some of them unsurprising. We get to see what the drunken tiger has in store, which is interesting. There are a few characters that are clear front runners, but I think they're going to throw in a surprise at some point. I'm curious to see which character is the biggest surprise, or who wins this whole thing.

This series is a mess. It's a bloody, violent, cruel mess. I wasn't into it when I started the first one, but now I really want to know who survives this thing. 

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Love in Focus, Volume 1, by Yoko Nogiri

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: March 2019

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Mako's always had a passion for photography. When she loses someone dear to her, she clings to her art as a relic of the close relationship she once had...Luckily, her childhood best friend Kei encourages her to come to his high school and join their prestigious photo club. With nothing to lose, Mako grabs her camera and moves into the dorm where Kei and his classmates live. Soon, a fresh take on life, along with a mysterious new muse, begin to come into focus!

Review:

I enjoyed That Wolf-Boy is Mine!, for the most part, but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. So I was intrigued by this series, but a little hesitant. It starts off pretty good, though.

Mako moves to live in a dorm with her childhood best friend, because there's a prestigious photo club at the school he goes to, and she wants to pursue photography. After her grandfather passes away, she's having a hard time moving on, but they always bonded over photography.

Once she gets there, she's welcomed for the most part. There's an interesting group of students staying at this house. Firstly, there's Kei, her childhood best friend. She's never thought of him as anything more, but it's clear he's trying to stake his claim on her. Then there's Amemura, the quiet boy who lives in the house, and who seems to dislike having his photo taken. Him and Mako get off on the wrong foot from the beginning, but because of Mako's persistence, seem to be forming a friendship.

I was a little iffy about this series, and am a little bothered by Kei, at this point. But I'm also really interested in the relationship forming between Mako and Amemura. I'm definitely going to read more, because I'm intrigued, and I want to see where this goes next.

Manga Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 3, by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volumes: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Tanjiro sets out on the path of the Demon Slayer to save his sister and avenge his family!

In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado is a kindhearted boy who makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.

Tanjiro and Nezuko cross paths with two powerful demons who fight with magical weapons. Even help from Tamayo and Yushiro may not be enough to defeat these demons who claim to belong to the Twelve Kizuki that directly serve Kibutsuji, the demon responsible for all of Tanjiro’s woes! But if these demons can be defeated, what secrets can they reveal about Kibutsuji?

Review:

At this point, I really don't get the huge fanbase for this series. Maybe the anime is different? Maybe it gets better?

Given the previous rush of plot points, it was no surprise that this cliffhanger battle wraps up rather quickly. And of course it doesn't quite go where he hoped it would, so Tanjiro is off on another mission from the crow.

This new mission features some kids trapped inside a demon-controlled, ever-changing house. It's a bit of a puzzle, which is complicated by Tanjiro meeting another demon slayer, only this one is utterly useless and whines and cries and is too terrified by demons to fight them.

Zenitsu is more annoying than funny. But my actual issue with this volume, was the fact that supposedly Tanjiro was majorly injured—he claimed to have a broken rib and leg—and yet, he was still doing a lot of fighting and jumping around. He was doing way too much moving around to have that many injuries, and it just seemed unnecessary. Zenitsu wasn't forced to take enough of the fighting for it to be necessary, I didn't think.

The only real interest I have in this series is Nezuko, honestly. I find her character really interesting, and I want to like the brother-sister relationship focus. I'm just not all that into the other characters, or the way the story is being told, I think.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 11, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 15+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

Review:

The surprise reunion takes Leuvis off guard, which is what they needed right then. Though it comes with a serious worry at one point, they continue their fight because they know this is their only real chance. Second chances don't really come when you're fighting a monster.

I'm quite impressed with how the goldy pond arc wraps up. It came with a few surprises I didn't expect, some real worries for a moment there that I won't spoil. Now it seems like the kids have to backtrack given their new information, plus there's the whole Norman thing Emma and Ray don't know about, plus I'm not sure how they're going to find out about it.

This series throws in so many surprises, and doesn't let any plot really stagnate, which I appreciate and admire. I'm unsure what's going to happen next, but I'm excited for it. This is definitely one of the best series out right now.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!