Manga Review: Kigurumi Guardians, Volume 3, by Lily Hoshino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 3 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Lily Hoshino, the beloved artist behind Mawaru Penguindrum, offers her cute and twisted take on the magical girl genre. You probably never thought Sailor Moon needed more hot older guys in full-body mascot costumes, but Kigurumi Guardians will bring you around!

Hakka's second year of middle school was dull as it could be, until a suspicious cow mascot ("kigurumi") shows up in her room, holding a sign that reads, "My Name Is Ginger." But this isn't (just?) a stalker, it's a magical being that's come to convince Hakka (and her friends) to become Guardians, and save the world! Hakka is understandably confused, until she's suddenly attacked, and a beautiful young man leaps in to save her. Can this handsome knight and the weird kigurumi be... one and the same?

Review:

The beginning of this volume concludes Nobara's plot. The girls on her choir team don't like her, and then when they're used against her, Nobara has to face some realities. After that, we get to know Satsuki better. He has a rather lonely home life, which is helped with Fennel being there.

Aside from that, there was a fun chapter where they all go out shopping together, and we get to see their more casual dynamics. All of this leading up to the cliffhanger, as we're starting to learn that Hakka might be more powerful than she realizes.

I really like the dynamics of the characters. Each couple fits together really well, and I like how the kigurumi are there for their person how they need to be. I really like Satsuki and Fennel, in particular. I enjoy the humor, and the main plot is intriguing, though a little odd. My only wish were that the three main characters were older, because they really act like they should be in high school, and when I'm reminded of the age difference it bugs me. But it also bugs me that it doesn't feel like there should be such a huge gap.

That cliffhanger is rude, and it looks like it's going to be a long while for the next volume, still. I'm not sure why, though, if the authors sick or something, or if it's being discontinued? I hope not, because I really enjoy this series.

Manga Review: Ne Ne Ne by Shizuku Totono and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Married off to a man more than twenty years her senior, Koyuki has no idea what her new life has in store for her. She's so in the dark, in fact, that she hasn't even seen her husband's face! But Koyuki isn't alone in fumbling through the intricacies of wedded bliss. Mask-donning Shin might have many years on his young wife, but as it turns out, he's just as naïve as she is! Will this pair of innocents ever get past their awkwardness (and the age gap)?!

Review:

This is by the same artist as Horimiya, so of course I had to pick it up. I'm obsessed with that series, and I had to try this one out.

Koyuki is married off to Shin, an older man who wears a mask, and whom she knows nothing about, but is determined to be a good housewife to. She's extremely innocent, but she thinks she's prepared for everything marriage entails, and she's curious. Fortunately for her, though, Shin is just as innocent as she is, and he can't bring himself to try anything with such a younger woman, even as their feelings grow.

This was a really sweet book. Koyuki works hard doing what she can for Shin, taking care of the house and cooking for him and trying not to let anything get in her way, even her own injuries. The humor is really good, and the banter and tricks are quite funny. Koyuki gets stubborn at times, and it's fun to see her fight Shin, and how Shin tries to appease her. They get a little dragon at one point, and it's a cute little thing.

I think if this series were given more time, it could have developed more, and more things would have been explained. I would have liked to see under Shin's mask, for instance. And I wanted to see the two actually get closer, to share touches and kisses more. But this was a really sweet ones-shot, and I think it ended at a good point. It was a fun, very cute romance story.

Manga Review: Takane & Hana, Volume 6, by Yuki Shiwasu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A strong-willed high school girl and a hot, young scion of a business empire can’t help wanting to outwit each other every chance they get… But could these opposites be conning themselves out of the perfect match?!

After her older sister refuses to go to an arranged marriage meeting with Takane Saibara, the heir to a vast business fortune, high schooler Hana Nonomura agrees to be her stand-in to save face for the family. But when these two utter opposites pair up, get ready for some sparks to fly!

Takane is suddenly confronted with a major crisis when his grandfather, the chairman of the Takaba Group, strips him of his wealth! When Takane instantly goes from being super rich to penniless, how will Hana deal with a dejected Takane who has lost everything?

Review:

The volume starts normal, with Christmas and then some friend drama. Of course, Takane goes over the top for Christmas, because he wants it to be special for Hana. And then we see how Nicola's flirty personality affects one of Hana's friends not-quite-as-intended.

But then, in the latter half of the volume, Takane has to see his family for a get-together, which leads to a surprise turn of events for Takane. He gets thrown a curve-ball, in which he's going to have to experience life like a normal, poor person. My main issue with this idea, is that all of Takane's money and everything goes away, even what he has worked for himself. He wasn't given everything, he did actually do an important job for the company. But, I see the reason behind it—and, I do love seeing it humble Takane. It's a big difference to what he's used to, and despite how Hana has always reacted to his money and actions, he doesn't think she'll be okay with this version of himself.

The facial expressions in this series are kind of epic. They're ridiculous, and often for humor, but done so well and so purposely, that I love them. The reactions between Hana and Takane, too, are great. They work to surprise each other, to pretend they don't feel as strongly as they do, but sometimes the surprises are just natural, like when they're honest with each other, as they are at the end of this volume.

I'm really enjoying this series. It's grown on my to where I look forward to each volume, and I'm really interested to see what happens next with Takane.

Novel Review: Between Us and the Moon by Rebecca Maizel

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: June 2015

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation.

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict.

The Cover:

I like this cover a lot. It's cute and romantic without being too cheesy or embarrassing. I think the setting works well for the book, and that the title works really well, too. I think it gives a good idea for what you're getting with the book, and I liked that.

Review:

“‘People are damaged sometimes,’ Gran always says. ‘But you can’t let their damage walk all over you. You gotta be there for them. Help them pick themselves up and brush off the dirt but you’ve got to protect yourself, too.’” (ARC, pg. 175)

                      

This book was either going to be great or terrible, and yet it kind of fell in between for me. I loved parts, but the ending almost ruined it for me.

First of all, I’m not a fan of lying. In general, I just don’t like it. And lying to the extent that Sarah does really bothered me. It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, when she was pretending to be like her sister. That’s not the same, because she was doing it in a way to put more confidence in herself. Plus, she wasn’t very good at it to begin with. Even on first meeting Andrew, she had a hard time not being herself.

It was when she started lying about who she was that it bothered me. And when, after doing everything she did with Andrew, she still never told him the truth about her age. That was just terrible of her.

I guess some people would be upset at their age difference, but it really didn’t bother me. The only thing that bothered me about it was the legal issue, and how he could have gotten in trouble because of how far she went without being honest. Otherwise, I didn’t think it was enough of a gap to bother me.

Though I think it helps that I loved them as a couple. They were exactly what the other needed. Their chemistry was great from the very beginning, and I loved how they talked and bantered. They were cute together, and Andrew was such a sweetheart. He’s a good guy, and that made me love him even more. I was a fan of them from the very beginning.

I think that’s why the ending made me so upset. I can see why the reveal was so terrible, because of course, but the ending kind of ruined it for me. Maybe not even that there was a time skip, but that there wasn’t really much closure or a make up between them. I liked them too much to like that ending.

I did like where Sarah was with herself at the end of the book, though. The confidence she grew in herself, and that she’d finally made real friends, more than the one. That she could be honest with herself. And that her relationship with her family had eased into a comfortable one, with the frustrations and hurt feelings revealed and dealt with. I like that there wasn’t some huge blow-up, but there was a growth and a change to make things better. I was impressed with that.

I liked this book, mostly. And I think that the ending was maybe even realistic, even if it made me unhappy.

 A review copy was provided by Cuddlebuggery's Little Blogger, Big Ambitions project and Tonyalee at Lilybloombooks. Thank you so, so much!

Novel Review: Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: MTV Books

Release Date: 2009

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO?

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....

The Cover:

The cover works, don't get me wrong. It fits with one of her previous books, and the style of it is all right. But I'm generally not a big fan of the super close image of the faces. It works, and it's not terrible, but not really eye-catching, and it doesn't make me want to read the book. It doesn't really show me what I'm getting with the book, either.

Generally, though, I think her covers need a re-do, especially to go with her newer books. They could be a lot better.

Review:

I wasn’t expecting this. I ended up picking this up by chance, and now I’m wishing I’d started it forever ago, and that I already had all of her other books waiting. I loved it.

Meg is getting into trouble left and right. Having a casual fling with any guy as long as he doesn’t care anymore than she does, drinking, speeding. Her parents have had enough. And all she wants is to get out.

And then she gets caught, and is put on probation in the form of riding along with John, a new cop who wants her to get her act together. There’s an immediate attraction between Meg and John, and they’re only a year apart. But they’re both so closed off that they’re going to push each other too far.

I loved the chemistry between them. John is very reluctant, but they’re both very closed off and secretive, with something big in their past that they can’t get over. They push each other too far, because of how little they really know about each other. And despite that, I loved them together, and I loved the ending.

The things they’d been through was very believable to me, as with their reactions to them. Meg’s rebellion, and the way John grew up too fast and became a cop so quickly. It all made perfect sense to me, and I loved the way everything was revealed. The secrets were always ther, but I had no real idea what they were until they were revealed, and the timing was perfect. As was the conclusion.

I loved this book even more than I thought I would, and now I can’t wait to get my hands on more.

Manga Review: First Love Monster, Volume 1, by Akira Hiyoshimaru

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 21, 2015

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When you find out who I really am...if you can still say you like me, then I'll be your boyfriend.
When fifteen-year-old Kaho Nikaidou leaves her sheltered home to start life anew in Tokyo, the last thing she expects is to nearly get hit by a truck! Saved in the nick of time by a handsome stranger, Kaho falls head over heels for him and boldly confesses her feelings. The handsome object of Kaho's affection agrees to go out with her, but her newfound bliss is short lived when it turns out that her new boyfriend...is a fifth grader?!

Review:

I really have no idea how to feel about this book.

I went in wary, with the age difference problem. But I was hopeful that either it wouldn’t make me uncomfortable or it would be twisted in a different way. But it… didn’t, and it wasn’t. I was even trying to rationalize and relate it to MeruPuri, but that series pulled it off perfectly. This one didn’t.

Kaho is saved by a boy, Kanade, who looks like he could be eighteen, only to turn out that he’s in fifth grade. She confesses her love before she knows this, and is then suckered into being his girlfriend. She’s just moved into a new building, and the rest of her housemates are similarly odd—with a somewhat sadistic girl, her boyfriend who’s obsessed with cute girls, a super shy boy who hides his face, and an older boy who is a bit of jerk.

I tried not being uncomfortable, but Kanade is in fifth grade. And he acts like he’s in fifth grade, even if he doesn’t look it. And the fact that Kaho blushed and freaked out over him, even with her low self-esteem, bothered me. Then there’s Taga, who misleads Kaho only to try to force himself on her. The whole thing just rubbed me the wrong way. Plus, I didn’t even like Kaho to begin with.

The only good parts of the book were the other side characters. The side couple were quite entertaining and I thought they were cute; the shy boy seems like a sweetheart, and maybe even a good fit for Kaho. The art was pretty.

I don’t know if I’m going to continue this series. I was being hopeful about it, but I might just be uncomfortable enough to stop.