Manga Review: 7th Garden, Volume 3, by Mitsu Izumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent humans to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless male!

Awyn Gardner will do anything to protect the beautiful mistress of the equally beautiful estate gardens he lovingly tends—even enslave himself to an also beautiful demon bent on world domination! The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent people to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless human man!

After a fierce battle, Awyn and Vyrde are welcomed home by their household. Unfortunately, Vyrde isn’t as pleased with them as they seem to be with her… Afraid that he isn’t Vyrde’s equal, Awyn trains with mysteriously ageless Ashriel. Iola turns out to have a secret identity. And then Awyn and Vyrde part ways—she to declare war on the enemy angels, he to the capital city, where he relives unhappy memories and unhappily meets old acquaintances…

Review:

The artwork in this series is really quite gorgeous. It is so pretty, and the color pages are very nice.

Even while we get some time to calm down, for Awyn to get better and to see the village people again, there's always some underlying tension. Vyrde doesn't take time to calm down, she's too obsessed with her revenge. While we still don't know why she's seeking vengeance, we do get to meet and/or hear the other angels she's after. We also get a rather big reveal about the village that Awyn lives in, why he was picked and who is behind it. I wasn't quite expecting that, though it gives an interesting context. It also makes the whole feel of the village, and how it feels like an untouched sanctuary (which goes back to innocent and perfect even after devastation) all the more true.

The plot is interesting in this series. I'm unsure but intrigued by all of the religious themes. I'm still not quite sure where that is going. I'm still confused by the angel's evilness, and yet Vyrde's being kicked out and also evil. I'm not sure where that point is going.

I am a fan of this series, I'm intrigued and enjoying it. It is one of the better newer shonen series I'm following.

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

Novel Review: Queen of Secrets by Jenny Meyerhoff

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team. However, she didn't expect her estranged cousin to join the football team. Micah is instantly branded a freak for praying during games, and Essie doesn’t want anything to do with him. As the football team’s teasing of Micah shifts into hazing, Essie is forced to make a choice between the boy she might love and the cousin she barely knows.

The Cover:

I rather like the cover, actually. I think the girl represents the character well, and the position of it. It's relevant, since she's a cheerleader. I do think the religion aspect, or the serious part of the book, could be represented better, since this makes it seem more happy-go-lucky, but overall I like it.

Quotes:

• "'Praying is wishful thinking—false comfort for people afraid of life. And death. I’ve seen enough of both,’ he said. ‘I’m not afraid.’” (Hardback, pg. 18)
• "'When people don’t know the reasons for things, they have to make up their own explanations.’” (Pg. 96)
• "'Don’t let the circumstances of your life dictate your beliefs,’ the rabbi said. ‘Contemplate. Then make a choice.’” (Pg. 123)

Review:

This was a bit surprising, actually, if still a bit of an average book.

I like the way that religion was handled in it. There were some frustrating moments, but I think it was okay in the end.

I wasn’t expecting the guy, Austin, to actually be a good guy, and for a while I still didn’t think he was going to be. But he surprised me by turning out to be a pretty decent guy in the end, and I liked that. It was a nicer turn than I was expecting, and it was good for Essie.

I liked where Essie was at the end of the book, and where everyone else was, too. This was a pretty average book for me, not particularly outstanding, but it was good. And it handled its issues pretty well, I think.

DNF Review: Tether Me Not by David Dachauer

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Genre: Spiritual, Somewhat-Autobiographical, Contemporary, Adult

Publisher: Brown Book Publishing

Publish Date: 2011

Spoilers?: Not really.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

A widower, anxious to find a way to deal with his grief over the untimely death of his wife, turned journal entries into a compelling work of fiction that tests the bounds of love and asks the question: is there life after death.

DNF Review:

I tried to read this book. Apparently not very hard, but I did try. It sounded interesting, a lot of people apparently like it, I thought I would give it a try. However, I didn’t make it very far before deciding that I wasn’t going to finish it.

This book is very spiritual. There’s a lot of God influence in it, and some Indian, ghostly stuff. I didn’t think it would be such a big part. When I started it, the romance sounded nice. And, still, the romance maybe is good, and I do think that the way the author felt about his wife is very sweet and heartwarming. But there is a lot of God stuff, and I just can’t handle any more of that.

I wanted to read more, give it more of a try, but I just couldn’t do it. I knew that, were I to keep reading, I was just going to get frustrated and annoyed and angry at all the pushy God stuff, so I decided to stop. I’ve only ever DNF’ed a very small handful of books, so that says something. Not that this is a bad book (because, as I said, a lot of people liked it), but that this book isn’t for me.

Because it’s not. Sorry, but I couldn’t finish it. Thank you, though, for sending it to me.

A review copy was provided by Goodreads First Reads Giveaways. Thank you!