Manga Review: Monster and the Beast, Volume 1, by Renji

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: June 2019

Volumes: 2+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cavo is a hideous monster with a pure heart. Liam, on the other hand, might look like the perfect gentleman, but he's a beast on the inside, and he has an eccentric personality to boot. When Cavo rescues Liam from an unfortunate situation in the forest, the paths of the monster and the beast cross for the first time. Will their meeting be a fleeting encounter or a timeless entanglement? And will Liam succeed in leading the innocent Cavo astray?

Review:

We meet Liam as he's being attacked by some men in the woods, and Cavo comes and saves him. But we quickly discover that Liam had agreed on a trip with those men and now doesn't know which way is out, and that he's familiar with using his body to get what he wants and to get affection.

I was intrigued at the first idea of a Beauty and the Beast take with a gay relationship. I'm a little disappointed with how this pans out, though.

Liam is definitely the monster of the relationship, despite being a handsome gentlemen. Cavo is a “terrifying creature”, and yet he's gentle and sweet, and simply wants to stay by Liam's side. How Liam treats Cavo with so much uncare, and even disdain at times, really puts me off. He seems to humor Cavo at times to let him come along with him, but he doesn't act with any real kindness or affection toward him.

The ending makes me think there'll be a little twist thrown in next, but I don't know if I'm all that interested. I liked Cavo enough, but I really didn't like Liam, and I didn't really get the chemistry between them, either.

Manga Review: Mermaid Boys, Volume 1, by Yomi Sarachi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: April 2018

Volumes: 3+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The mermaid prince is super-popular with all the girls lining up to be his bride. But the one he falls in love with...has legs!

Review:

Naru is a mermaid prince, and he's obsessed with this pretty girl on land. He often come to the surface in order to watch her, and after saving her from drowning, he makes a deal with a witch to become human. Instead of giving away his voice like Ariel did, he gives away some of his good looks. So now he looks like a typical teen boy when he goes to meet the girl he believes he loves. Only, upon first meeting, she hates him.

This is definitely a shonen take on the Little Mermaid story. It sounded good, but some of the humor was very much a guys'.

I'm a little iffy on this series. I really like the idea behind it, and some of the characters were okay, but it didn't really grab me in this volume. I kind of want to read more, I kind of have my doubts about how much I'll like it. But maybe it'll get better?

Manga Review: The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil, A Run, Volume 2, by Nagabe

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: 2017

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Untouchable

To be touched by an Outsider is to become an Outsider. A clawed, black hand reaches out to touch Shiva's cheek in her sleep. The hand does not belong to Teacher. Who is this strange new Outsider, and what do its creepy murmurings about "mother" portend?

Enter a fantasy realm shrouded in mystery, in a dark fairy tale-like setting for fans of The Ancient Magus' Bride.

Review:

Shiva getting touched and almost-attacked by a different Other freaks Teacher out, but Shiva's curiosity is what makes them explore this potential solution. It's unclear how this Otherness is spread, but it's very apparent that it happens somehow, and each side has their own theories.

Meeting these new Others adds a new foreboding feeling to the book. They're very odd creatures, who even Teacher doesn't quite understand, though he tries. He wants to find a cure for this, and he wants to keep Shiva safe.

Meanwhile, the humans from the Inside know that Shiva is out there and believe she's dangerous. Thus, they're planning an attack.

This series is so good and yet sometimes hard to read. There's more darkness to it than I expected, and it's frustrating and sad at times. I just want Shiva and Teacher to be okay and happy, and all these people are trying to ruin it.

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 1, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2019

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A romantic retelling of a classic fairy tale about a beautiful herbalist and a lovestruck prince.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! Unwilling to become the prince’s possession, she seeks shelter in the woods of the neighboring kingdom, where she gains an unlikely ally—the prince of that kingdom! He rescues her from her plight, and thus begins the love story between a lovestruck prince and an unusual herbalist.

Review:

I really, really want to like this series. I've heard a lot of hype for it, and I know people love the anime, but for some reason it hasn't really stood out for me.

Shirayuki has very unusual, bright red hair. So the prince of her kingdom demands her as his concubine. Receiving this offer, she immediately runs away, only to stumble upon a cute boy, who is of course, also a prince. But, not knowing this, she befriends him and he helps her out.

I understand the whole theme with Shirayuki, of letting her be her own person, not making her decisions for her, giving her her freedom. It's pushed a little heavy, though, and hit a little artificial for me. Maybe it was just too heavy.

Zen is cute, and I don't mind their friendship. Their flirtation is actually a bit more obvious than I expected this early, but I don't mind that at all. I appreciate that Shirayuki has a career path in mind, and makes progress toward accomplishing it in this volume. And I don't mind the side characters so far.

This just felt very meh for me. It was an okay read, but I'm not particularly attached. It all felt very surface. I want to be, though, so I hope it gets better.


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

Manga Review: Red Riding Hood and the Big Sad Wolf!, Volume 1, by Hachoujou Arata

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: 2017

Volumes: 2.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A kind-hearted wolf's life is turned upside down when he encounters Red Riding Hood, a gleeful pyromaniac who burns his house down and then falls in love with him.

Review:

I had rather big hopes for this series. It sounded so good. And it had such potential.

We meet the sad wolf first, as red riding hood is burning down his house. This was awful of her, and then we learn that she's a cruel sadist. She's pissed off some hunters, who are mimics of each other, and quite awful at their one job. We also meet a crow and rabbit later in the volume.

I really like the idea of this, the role reversal of little red and the wolf. And even learning that she was a sadist didn't bother me. But then the volume just turned into stupid jokes, and picking on the wolf for the fun of it. It's just random harassment, and episodic chapters, when I expected something completely different.

By the end of the volume, I just wasn't really caring anymore. I'm disappointed.

Manga Review: RWBY by Shirow Miwa

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

In adventures based on Rooster Teeth’s hit animation series, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang are students at Beacon Academy, learning to protect the world from the fearsome Grimm.

When the people of Remnant aren't fighting monsters, they still find conflict among themselves. Now they are at fierce odds. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long are Team RWBY. Together they are learning the deadly craft of hunting the monstrous species known as the Grimm.

Never before revealed adventures of Team RWBY featuring Ruby, Weiss, Blake & Yang before academy and before they were teammates. Plus, a Team JNPR battle featuring a much-younger Jaune!

Review:

I haven't seen or read anything related to RWBY before, so I went into this book with no idea what to expect.

The book starts with a little bang, and then it goes into an introduction for each character. They all get a chapter to themselves, where we find out what brought them to this point, to this school and working together. In the latter half of the volume, it brings them all back together, where we get some glimpses of their friendships and how they're growing closer, and a competition with another group at their school, and finally where they all work together to defeat a creature attacking.

Knowing so little about this series, this was an interesting volume. But it also felt rather one-dimensional. The enemy at the end, the other groups they meet with, none of that left an impression on me. Even the chapters where we met the four characters on their own felt too rushed and not expanded enough. I didn't really feel like I knew the characters very well by the end, only had a base understanding of their characters.

It was honestly a little disappointing, though I'm curious about seeing the original or reading another interpretation, as it definitely felt like there could be more.

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

Novel Review: The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance; Aladdin Inspired

Publisher: RazorBill (Penguin Random House)

Release Date: February 23, 2016

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday. Wishlist Thursday. 

Goodreads Synopsis:

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world...

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

The Cover:

I absolutely love this cover. I think it's gorgeous, and represents the story perfectly.

Review:

I really wanted to love this book, but it was just okay.

This is inspired by Aladdin, with the main character being Zahra, a genie stuck inside a lamp that thief Aladdin finds. Aladdin wants revenge on the vizier who killed his parents, and he also wants to be in love with the princess Caspida, so he can be prince. Zahra just wants her freedom, and she wants to not fall in love with a human after what happened last time.

I did appreciate all of the backstories. There’s a reason for Aladdin wanting revenge, there’s a reason for why Zahra is inside the cave, we get to see the people living in the city and the poverty and who they really want ruling. There’s real cruelty, to the people, to Aladdin, to the vizier. There’s war, and there’s consequences for action, including magic ones to Zahra.

While the story is quite different from Aladdin, there are a surprising amount of similarities and plot points made in reference, and I appreciated that.

One problem I had with the book was the pace. Zahra has a time limit on what she has to do to get her freedom. She has about a month. And yet for almost that entire month but the last two days, she wastes it, and there’s very little mention at all of her working toward it. It drove me crazy. So little even happened for the first half of the book.

My other problem was the romance. I so badly wanted to love Zahra and Aladdin. But I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t feel their chemistry, and I barely even felt anything for Aladdin’s character at all. He just seemed too under-developed. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the book that I started feeling any intense emotion from Zahra at all, let alone real romantic feelings for Aladdin. I wish all of the book had been that intense, if not more so. 

It was just okay. I wanted so badly to love this book, but it was just okay in the end, sadly.

Novel Review: Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection by Marissa Meyer

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5
Genre: YA Sci-fi Fairy-tale Retelling, Novella Collection
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan)
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Spoilers?: No.
Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.
Wishlist Thursday. Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The enchantment continues....

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

--
The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.
Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….
The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.
The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.
After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.
The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess
The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.

Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century...

The Cover:

I absolutely love this cover. It's beautiful and goes along with the other colors so well. The image works well for a last collection of the series. I love it.

Review:

A couple of these stories had been released before, but I’d only read one of them, and there’s a nice variety here.
There’s a story featuring Scarlet and her grandma when she was little, during the time that Cinder was first brought over. There’s Wolf’s past, when he was first brought into the army and went through the transformation. Cinder’s story, and Cinder and Kai’s first meeting through Kai’s eyes. There’s a little mermaid-based side-story featuring different characters.
My favorites, though, would have to be Thorne’s story, from when he was growing up and rebelling against his family, and how he helped a girl classmate. Thorne is fun and a sweetheart even when he tries not to be. And Cress’s story, when she was taken from the other shells and used for the queens surveillance. Her story is just sad and hopeless.
But, of course, the main story that everyone is looking forward to, the last one, a last little epilogue. I will admit that I’d wanted more from the other characters point-of-view. But aside from that, it was perfect and adorable. We get to see all the characters again, see how they’re doing and what the world is like now, and there’s a wedding and scheming and it’s just so cute. I love it.
This series could not be more perfect and I will always be wanting more of it. I’m just kind of obsessed with the characters and everything about it.

Novel Review: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer

Rating (Out of 5): ~5

Genre: YA Fantasy/Sci-fi Romance; Fairy-Tale Retelling

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan)

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday. Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

The Cover:

I love all of the covers in this series. I think they're pretty much perfect. The contrast of the red and the blue, with the red showing the main symbol for the fairy-tale story, is beautiful. They're simply and gorgeous, focusing on the important part of the story. I love it.

Review:

I don’t think that I can ever write a review that expresses my complete and utter love for this series, so I’m just going to do my best here.

This conclusion could not have been any better. It was everything I wanted it to be and I can’t believe it’s over. I love it unconditionally, I should make that clear.

We fully meet Winter, and she’s crazy. Literally going insane because she won’t use her powers. But she has Jacin, who will do anything he can to help her.

Scarlet and Wolf finally seeing each other again is beautiful and makes me want to cry they make me so happy. I hadn’t even realized I loved them as much as I do until this book. Ohmygod they make me so ridiculously happy.

Cress and Thorne is almost as good as Scarlet and Wolf. Thorne is my favorite, even if he is frustrating at time, and I love how Cress pushes him and stands up to him, even as she loves him so much. I want to see their adventures after this, seriously. They’re the best.

I love Cinder, of course, our witty, hard-edged heroine. And while Kai doesn’t stand out to me as much as the others, I do think that they’re a good match. I love their ending, and I believe that they do have a good future ahead of them.

Aside from the romances, I love the relationship that Winter and Scarlet form, and of course Thorne and Cinder are my favorite friendship. Their banter is so nice.

I won’t spoil too much of the main plot, but I do love what happens. It’s intense and surprising, and long. A lot happens in regards to Levana, but I love how it all works out.

I would read a dozen more books about these characters, and I just want more. More more more. I know I’ll be re-reading this series in the future, because I love it to pieces, and I'm looking forward to the novella collection.