Manga Review: After School Bitchcraft, Volume 1, by Yu Shimizu and Kazuma Ichihara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 2+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Science teacher Renji Fuyumi is secretly a sorcerer, but after his barriers are accidentally broken by the fashion-obsessed Ririka Kirise, he decides to make her his disciple. Looks can be deceiving in this titillating tale of the occult!

Review:

Honestly, I don't know what I expected with this volume.

Renji has just taken up a high school teaching position, but he's bored to death of the job, and so are his students, since he couldn't care less about them. He's a sorcerer, and he's much more interested in that. Ririka is his student, she's a fashionable teenager, but she also wants to be a vet and thus wants to get better grades since she's struggling so hard. When she goes to Renji for help, he discovers she has some witchy powers in her heritage.

Renji is a bit of an ass, and I don't really care for him. Ririka is a bubbly, naive schoolgirl, who wears very revealing clothing (because they're comfier, even in the woods), and yet yells at Renji for being a perv when he doesn't even indicate interest.

There were moments of this volume where I could see what the authors are doing, and I can see what kind of audience this is for. But I also kind of hated parts of it. Ririka is naked several times in this volume, and her deciding to wear a tiny skirt out in the woods to search for wood for her wand was extremely unrealistic. Her yelling at the teacher for being a perv is also a trope that I've been over for a very long time.

I like the idea of this, but the execution is just not for me. Including how Ririka using her powers made her feel weirdly aroused. Also, the art is kind of odd to me. Mostly just the angles. There are really weird zoom-in angles, like upskirt shots of Ririka when they're talking normally, that were just very odd placements to me. It felt a bit like School Days to me, though maybe that's just a technique in this genre that I'm not familiar with.

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

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 6, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Spell Celebration

Everyone gathers to grill giblets to celebrate Chinatsu’s first bit of witchcraft. The familiars are lured to school with the promise of a tasty lunch... which draws the attention of an upperclassman witch. Makoto is tasked with solving a case where people get spirited away, but the solution turns out to be very down-to-earth...

Review:

The volume starts with a celebration, as Chinatsu did her first bit of magic. Then, summer starts off with a very odd snow storm—but only in certain patches of the town. In the middle of the volume, we get a little break as the story focuses on the cats. Chito and Keeny decide to visit Makoto at school for the day, and journey their way there for some food.

In the second half of the volume, we meet a new witch, Sayo. She's very intense and strict, but surprisingly sweet and energetic in text. She's a classmate, and they end up going on a job together. It's nice to see Makoto branching out and meeting other witches, getting to learn from them and make new connections.

This series is so fun. It's fast and easy and funny. It's a simple pleasure, and I'm a bit upset that we're pretty much caught up with Japan already. That was fast, and now we have to wait for each volume. But that just means it'll be a fun surprise each time, I'm sure.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 5, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Makoto gets her first official job request from a Society Witch, and while the job seems mundane at first, a bit of immature magic makes for an unexpected situation. Makoto uses the payment from the job to buy a magical item that reveals the invisible. Chinatsu’s gift from Beachy starts to wreak havoc, until it’s reduced to a form that lets her use a spell...

Review:

Makoto gets her first job as a witch, and it's babysitting a little boy, who makes it rain when he cries. Since this is a slice-of-life, light-hearted series, this turns out fun instead of worrying. After that, Makoto's sister gets conned into buying a “magical” fishing rod, and then Kei gets hiccups that won't go away.

Chinatsu isn't really a witch yet, but she's trying to get there. She goes with Makoto to get paid, and they both try out a magical item that lets them see creatures that are normally hidden. And afterward, she gets a magical item of her own.

This series is honestly too fast, but it's such a fun, easy read. It's rather delightful.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 4, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Serene Sorcery
Makoto makes her way to a fabric shop in town in order to sew a new robe, and ends up crafting a surprise for Chinatsu, too. Makoto combines her mundane studies with a bit of witchcraft and makes a freaky treat. On the way home from a late-night meeting with her mentor, Makoto runs into Inukai. They head to the beach and meet an adorably mysterious creature that immediately makes itself at home...

Review:

In this volume of Flying Witch, Makoto decides to make herself a new witch's robe, as hers is old and torn up, and goes ahead to make one for Chinatsu, as well. They go apple picking. And then Makoto checks in with a mentor of hers, a nice, biker chick. The characters in this series are each unique, and interesting in different ways.

The biggest surprise is when Makoto and Inukai stumble upon each other, and end up finding a little rabbit-like creature. Chinatsu and the creature end up forming a kinship, and I would think it becomes her familiar, but I'm not sure that's the right kind of “pet” for that.

These volumes go by too fast, honestly. They're easy and simple and so very fun. Supernatural slice-of-life in the easiest form, and the volumes are over before I realize it.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 2, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: June 2017

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Makoto goes to a local cherry blossom festival and happens to encounter someone who has a bone to pick with her sister, Akane. When Akane happens to drop by, she teaches Makoto some new tricks for flying and some easy spellcraft. Their kid cousin Chinatsu is so charmed by the witches’ talents that she makes an unexpected request...

Review:

In this volume, we meet Inukai, who knows Makoto's sister and is a fortune teller. Only, she's hiding her face, because Makoto's sister supposedly put an awful spell on her. This turns out to have kind of been a misunderstanding, though Makoto still tries to help.

Makoto experiences a couple of new things in this volume, but the biggest is when Chinatsu decides to be a witch and asks Akane to mentor her.

There's very light magic-use in this series, it's much more focused on slice-of-life stuff, with Makoto not having experienced much, like food or light spells. It's very fun and light-hearted, and the humor works really well with it.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 1, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: March 2017

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Prepare to be Bewitched!

Makoto Kowata, a novice witch, packs up her belongings (including a black cat familiar) and moves in with her distant cousins in rural Aomori to complete her training and become a full-fledged witch.

Review:

This took me a while to get around to. Mostly because, despite that I've heard good things, I was worried it wouldn't be that good. A slice-of-life series about a witch with a black cat—right there it sounds right up my alley.

And I shouldn't have waited so long, because it's great. I'm already eager for more.

Makoto moves out to live with some distant cousins, because as a witch at 15 she's supposed to move out on her own, but in modern times that's not very realistic, especially when she's still supposed to be in school.

Everyone can tell that there's something a little off about her, but she's not very good at hiding that she's a witch. We meet Kei and Chinatsu, her cousins; then there's Kei's friend Nao. Chinatsu has the hardest time getting used to Makoto, but mostly because of the weird people that come around for her.

Everyone is rather blasé about everything, and the humor is dry, but drops very well. It's very relaxed and casual, with little surprises. It reminds me a bit of Yotsuba&!, in the best way.

I'm already hooked, honestly, and can't wait to read more.

Novel Review: Blue is for Nightmares (Blue is for Nightmares, #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Llwellyn

Release Date: 2003

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

 "I Know Your Secret . . ."

Nightmares. Dark Secrets. Premonitions of Death.

Welcome to Stacey’s World!

It begins with the dreams. White lilies, the death flower. Being chased through the woods, knowing she cannot outrun her pursuer forever. Visits from the spirit of a girl who was murdered. Threats and taunts from an unseen assailant.

But that’s only the start. When the dreams begin to spill over into Stacey’s waking life, that’s when the nightmare really begins.

Stacey's junior year at boarding school isn't easy. She's not the most popular girl at school, or the smartest, or the prettiest. She's got a crush on her best friend's boyfriend, and an even darker secret that threatens to ruin her friendships for good. And now she's having nightmares again. Not just any nightmares – these dreams are too real to ignore, like she did three years ago. The last time she ignored them, a little girl died.

This time they're about Drea, her best friend who's become the target of one seriously psycho stalker. It started with weird e-mails and freaky phone calls. Now someone's leaving Drea white lilies – the same death lilies that have been showing up in Stacey's dreams. Everybody thinks it's just a twisted game . . . until another girl at school is brutally murdered. There are no witnesses. Worst of all, no one has a perfect alibi.

With everyone as a potential suspect, Stacey turns to the one secret weapon she can trust – the folk magic taught to her by her grandmother. Will Stacey's magic be strong enough to expose the true killer, or will the killer make her darkest nightmares come true?

The Cover:

I really like this cover. I think it's subtle and pretty, hinting at the magic without being obvious or focusing on the romance. I wish it represented the book better.

Review:

I picked this up a long time ago, and had much higher hopes for it.

Stacey Brown, a junior at a boarding school, starts having nightmares about someone stalking her best friend. Using all the witch knowledge she has, she casts spells and tries clearing up the mystery of who is after Drea before it’s too late.

Stacey is not the worst main character, but she’s not really likeable, either. I didn’t care for her, but she also didn’t stand out. She’s in love with her best friends off-again on-again ex-boyfriend. She tries helping her friends out, finding who is after them, but they don’t take most of it seriously.

My biggest problem is the women in this book. Stacey’s two best friends are complete bitches, to everyone, even each other. Drea wants every boys’ attention to be on her, and gets jealous when any other girl gets any attention; so much so that she will make fun of her friends to get back at them. Amanda doesn’t really care about anything, doesn’t pay much attention to her friends, makes a joke of everything; I also think she’s a bit of a liar. I don’t see how they can act like they’re real friends when they’re terrible to each other at any turn.

Then there’re all the adult characters. They have two main female teachers, both of whom get mean nicknames. Stacey doesn’t get along well with her mother, and calls her names. One female police officer shows up, is immediately called a tart, and then treats Stacey like she’s a five-year-old making up stories. The teenagers are completely undermined by the adults, yes, but the adults are also portrayed like close-minded villains. I don’t see the point behind that.

The romance is given too much attention, given that it felt way too flat for me. Chad is given too little character and time with Stacey, for me to feel any emotional connection to him. Plus, when she knows her best friend will hate her for flirting with him, and when she wonders if he might be the stalker, I found it hard to find him attractive. He seemed like more of a jerk than anything. PJ seemed like a nice guy, on the other hand, mostly.

The writing was okay, if a little weird at times. Some of the similes of bodies and actions to food was odd. But mostly I was bored, and I wasn’t feeling it. The story was slow, and the writing didn’t develop enough feelings for me. Plus, I saw who the stalker was way before it was revealed, which is no fun.

I’m glad that it’s over, and I’m disappointed. I will be reading the next one only because I already have it.

Manga Review: Spell of Desire, Volume 1, by Tomu Ohmi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Volumes: 5

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kaoruko Mochizuki runs an herb shop in a small seaside town. One day, a mysterious man dressed in black named Kaname Hibiki enters her shop and reveals that Kaoruko is actually a witch. And what’s more, Kaoruko needs Kaname to help control her awakening power!

Among the shocking news that Kaname imparts is that Kaoruko’s mother is still alive and has entrusted Kaoruko with the immense power of the Witch Queen. As long as Kaoruko has that power, she will be the target of humans and demonic spirits alike. Kaname claims to be a “knight” that protects witches, but then he steals a kiss from Kaoruko…!

Review:

I think I was expecting something different with this book, but I still enjoyed it.

Kaoruko runs an herb shop, her grandmother has passed away and she hasn’t seen or heard of her mother since she was little. But then Kaname shows up, claiming to be a knight from her mother’s witch clan, here to protect her. Turns out her mother is a Witch Queen, of dark magic, and she’s pushed her powers onto her daughter while she hides away.

Kaoruko handles this with surprising ease, even if she doesn’t know how to handle the magic now inside her, or how it drags creatures and people to her, or how Kaname has to kiss her in order for it to go back under control.

I don’t feel too close to either of the characters yet, but I like what I’ve seen so far. Their attraction is obviously there, even if Kaname is feeling it more than her at the moment. I like how Kaoruko is slowly starting to depend on him, too.

Also, there are three pet companions, a dog (or dragon) and cat (or unicorn). I like the dog more, but they’re both adorable, and I like how they transform to protect Kaoruko.  Then there’s a kitten that Kaoruko takes in, who’s even cuter. (I honestly think that alone would have made me want to pick up this book.)

This series has a lot of potential, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes next. I want to see more steamy stuff, but I also just want the two to develop more closely.

The similarities to Midnight Secretary aren’t too bad, which is good. I’ve been enjoying that series for the most part, although I do think I was looking for something completely different in this. Kaname is similarly brooding to Kyohei, but he also tends to hide his real looks behind a professional layer. These aren’t complaints, mind you, just things I noticed.

Review: Origins (Sweep/Wicca, #11), by Cate Tiernan

Rating (Out of 5): ~3 (Maybe ~3.5)

Publisher: Penguin (Speak)

Spoilers?: Some.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The chronicle of the deadly Woodbane conspiracy, as told by one of Morgan's own ancestors, has fallen into Hunter's and Morgan's hands. Hunter and Morgan explore the world of these powerful witches, to find a way to vanquish them at last.

Review:

This is a really good series. It's long, and I started it a long time ago, but each book's usually pretty short books, and they (usually) aren't hard to get through, either. Lately, though, they seem to be dragging on to other things...

Usually we get to read about Morgan, and Hunter. The last book focused quite a bit on Hunter, as he went to visit his father and met a not-so-good lady. This book starts with Hunter returning, and telling Morgan about what happened. What happened, sucked, and I do mostly blame the woman, but Hunter's at fault as well, and Morgan realizes this. She's not happy, and I'm looking forward to how she's going to handle it and how their relationship is going to change.

We don't get to see how things change, though, because the rest of the book is about someone else. While away, Hunter found a book of shadows, and they read it. The author of it, Rose, is an ancestor of Morgan's, who created the dark wave that they are still fighting.

She fell in love with someone from an enemy coven, and when she's pulled away from him, and is also accused of being a witch, she doesn't feel bad about creating something that burns down villages.

I did not like Rose. I didn't mind her at first, but by the end, I could not stand her. I even almost paused the book, about halfway through, but decided against it since it's so short and I wanted to just get it over with. (It didn't help much, though, that I didn't particularly care about her story, and instead wanted to get back to Morgan and Hunter.) But I wouldn't call it terrible or anything.

I want to read the next one soon, but I'm having a hard time getting myself to do it because I think that it also goes into other points of view, and I only want to read the main story line, not about their ancestors and all that. I really only care about Morgan, Hunter, and their close friends, and want to only read about them being together. Not going into the past, or future, or any of that.
The last few books have strayed, though, to being almost only in Hunter's head, or in someone completely different's, and I'm not enjoying it all that much. It's still a good series, though, and I don't think there are that many left, though (fifteen, I think?), so I might just go get it and hurry through the last few.