Manga Review: D-Frag!, Volume 1, by Tomoya Haruno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: 2014

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

NOW A HIT ANIME!

Kazama Kenji thinks he's a delinquent. He's got the look, the style and the ‘tude to match—he even has a second-rate entourage. Deep down, however, Kazama is a good-hearted kid who finds himself and his loyal gang in over their heads when they stumble upon the Game Development Club. The club's formidable members are four girls who he might actually be attracted to if they weren't so freakin' weird. The girls claim to have otherworldly powers which they use to defeat Kazama's gang and force him to join their offbeat club. Can Kazama resist the girls' bizarre charms and return to some semblance of a normal, everyday life…or is it "game over" for our hapless hero?

Review:

I clearly had no idea what I was getting into with this series, because this volume was crazy.

I guess I thought I was going to get a relatively normal high school comedy harem. Instead, I got a high school based story featuring a crazy group of girls and the punk boy who interrupts their club without a clue what he was getting into.

The girls are in a game development club, but they don’t know anything about developing games. During club time, they fool around, pretending they have elemental powers and threatening anyone who gets in their way. They’re insane.

We’re immediately thrown into the craziness, but I do think by the end of the volume we were starting to see some real character development. I think that Roka is adorable, and I think that her and Kazama could be sweet together.

The craziness took me a bit, but it was actually rather entertaining. I might pick up another volume when I get a chance.

Manga Review: Kiss Him, Not Me!, Volume 7, by Junko

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 2016

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

It's me, Kae! After resolving my differences with Shima-chan, the gang is all together again for a special trip to visit the shrine of a beloved anime character...I mean, historical figure! Things get steamy at a hot springs inn-communal baths, pillow fights--seeing these gorgeous guys together is just too much!!

But it's not all fun and fantasies when Igarashi buckles down to win me over. Are these feelings I get around him something more than friendship? Mustumi-senpai has also stayed close after his confession, and a strange turn of events o our vacation gives him the chance for more alone time with me.

Back at home, the other boys' progress has Nanashima feeling left out in the cold, without some otaku common ground, he doesn't know how to get closer, but his little sister's anime obsession might be the answer he needs! He's really working hard now, and after all that effort, he makes a shocking move to declare his feelings.

Review:

The yaoi teasing moments in this series makes me interested to read her actual yaoi series. I bet they're good.

The group takes a trip at the beginning of the volume, in which there are some sticky situations, a life or death moment, and a ghost curse. There is one weird moment that I would feel more worried about, if Mutsumi had any bad intentions at all toward Kae, though it is still questionable. Then Nana tries upping his standing with Kae, only to pass out because of working too much at a part time job.

I like the way that Igarashi is trying to get Kae's attention, to be honest. He's slowly working her toward being comfortable around him, and I like it. Mutsumi is also great, because he genuinely cares and is honest about it; he has no underhanded thoughts ever.

That cliffhanger should lead to something fun, I'm sure. This series is always fun to read more of.

Teaser Tuesday[238]: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

----------------------------------

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Ember/Knopf (Random House)

Release Date: 2015

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!
 
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

Excerpt:

“I lean forward, like I'm a rocket, like I. Am. The. Car. And I start yelling because I'm getting more awake by the second.” (Paperback, pg. 57)

What are you reading?

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 6, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: Very light.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Connect, come together, and the world will change for the better one day at a time.

Seeing Miyamura and Hori together every day feels natural. They play around, long for each other, and even get into fights on occasion. What will happen as their bitter, sweet, and acidic school life continues?

Review:

There's a lot of side-character interactions in this volume. We get to see the romantic drama around Tooru, as there are two girls who like him and neither will tell him. I really liked seeing Yuki's reactions, the way she stayed quiet even when she didn't like it. I understand her, in a sad way.

We also got to see a bit of Sengoku and Remi, and we see that they have quite an interesting relationship—they work in an odd way, taking care of each other.

Then there are all of the Hori and Miyamura moments. We see Hori reacting to Miyamura's hair growing longer again, and we see her attempting to act girly because he hates horror movies even though she loves them. We get a fun scene where Souta's friends mistake them for his parents.

The best moments, though, are when they have a quiet, sexy little scene together. And when Miyamura is confronted by his school bullies, and Hori gets supremely protective and violent. That's fantastic. I do kind of wish we got to see more of those scenes, though, instead of just the before and the aftermath.

Pretty much, I am obsessed with this series. I love it and can not get enough.

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 7, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Aoi’s powers have weakend, and he begins to recall fragments of his childhood. Someone from the past has infiltrated Momochi House and is after Aoi!

Review:

Mr. Nachi turns out to have had a very important role in Aoi's life, which I wasn't quite expecting. He's a much more interesting antagonist than I thought he would be.

Himari is deceived a few times, and even Aoi doesn't remember enough to know beforehand. It's a surprise to all of them, and it's an interesting reveal for Aoi's history and why he went to the Momochi house in the first place. I'm mostly intrigued by Nachi's motivation, though, why he did it and what he's wanting to do about it now. It does make me want to hug Aoi even more than before, though, which I didn't think was possible. The hinting of romantic feelings between him and Himari, too, is just mean.

That cliffhanger, too. I'm really wondering what's going to happen from here. I think this should show more of the specific differences between Aoi and the Nue in the next volume, though.

This series is surprisingly good, in more ways than I expect, each time. I'm looking forward to the next one.

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

Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists, Volume 7, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rokuro and Benio are extraordinary exorcists fated to marry and birth the ultimate spiritual warrior—but can they get along for even one minute?

Rokuro dreams of becoming anything but an exorcist! Then mysterious Benio turns up. The pair are dubbed the “Twin Star Exorcists” and learn they are fated to marry… Can Rokuro escape both fates?

Paradoxically, Rokuro’s Spiritual Guardian appears to be someone it can’t possibly be. Then, despite warnings, Guardian Shimon recruits the Twin Stars to help him rescue a young exorcist in training. Now why does Seigen add his daughter, newbie exorcist Mayura, to their team…?

Review:

After that last cliffhanger, we get more of an explanation for what is going on with Rokuro. We also get to know what Sayo really is, and what that means for her life that the others don't understand.

This leads to the introduction of a new enemy, who are after Sayo, of course. There's a lot of focus on Sayo in this volume. Rokuro even spends a chapter taking Sayo out in town to see some things. I must admit, though, that I'm not a huge fan of Sayo, as a character. She's just meh for me.

Shimon, Sayo's brother, on the other hand—I'm intrigued by his and Mayura's relationship. They only have a very minor plot point, but I like it.

I do rather enjoy this series, more than I expect each time. This was still an okay volume, though.

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

Manga Review: Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Volume 11, by Miki Yoshikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: November 2016

Volumes: 28

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

MASTER OF CEREMONIES With the secrets of the past relationship between President Yamazaki, Leona Miyamura, and Rika Saionji brought to light, Yamada finally has everything in place to begin the ceremony that will restore his friends’ memories. After all the struggles he’s faced, Yamada makes a shocking wish…to erase all witch powers?! Now the Supernatural Studies Club members have to adjust to a new role—normal high school students! Yamada and Shiraishi focus on getting a fresh start in their relationship, but things don’t stay calm for long. Miyamura ropes the gang into his plans for a new Student Council regime, and it seems like former Student Council Secretary Asuka is hatching a plan…

Review:

The main plot line is finally coming to a close—the witch's perform the ceremony and Yamada gets his wish. Yamada and Shiraishi even decide to start dating, though while it's adorable, not a lot happens in that direction aside from attempts to be alone together. They seem pretty lax about it, though.

Because this could be a very fitting ending to the series, of course, we have to start up a new arc and meet new characters. Miyamura is now student council president, and he makes Yamada his secretary, and is keeping him very busy all the time. There are a few suspicious activities happening in the background, but mostly the focus so far is on the new first-years.

On a side note, it's so weird to see a student council so busy and productive and important. My experience in high school was not like that. (Though I wasn't on the student council, a friend of mine was--maybe it was more productive than I thought?)

This series is just fun. I love how it doesn't even try to stall by staying with one plot; it moves into new territory so easily. It's fantastic.

Teaser Tuesday[237]: Long Way Home (Thunder Road, #3) by Katie McGarry

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

----------------------------------------------

Long Way Home (Thunder Road, #3) by Katie McGarry

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: January 31, 2017

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.

It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she’s known and loved her whole life.

But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she’s forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror, and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends . . . and forgiveness.

Caught in the crosshairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she’s strong enough to be the one person to save them all.

Excerpt:

“'We will leave the Terror alone, once we have Eli out of the way.'” (Hardback, pg. 80)

What are you reading?

Manga Review: Black Butler, Volume 23, by Yana Toboso

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: November 2016

Volumes: 24+

Spoilers?: Some.

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

Volume: 1. 22. 24.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the heart of London stands Sphere Music Hall, a venue that enjoys immense popularity amongst the populace. However, the fervour with which its visitors return causes consternation in the mind of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, who suspects the organisation of cult practices and sends Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his impeccable butler, Sebastian, to infiltrate the hall. They are met with none other than the disgraced erstwhile prefects of Weston College and an otherworldly fortuneteller called Blavat, who takes one look at Sebastian and divines his true nature without faltering...!

Review:

There's a suspicious party going on downtown. Normally this wouldn't cause concern, but people from all over are attending all the time, and once they start, they don't stop. And now people are going missing.

Ciel and Sebastian go to investigate, and meet a fortune teller, who can immediately tell that something is wrong with Sebastian and kicks him out. Ciel is playing at being a poor kid, and stays around to investigate what's actually going on.

One of my favorite scenes in this was when Sebastian gets kicked out and meets some women at a bar. And before that, he finds a cat. The biggest problem regarding the party and the fortune teller, though, is that Lizzy was going and is now missing, either from being taken or “running away”. It's awful.

This volume was a lot of fun. A nice mystery going, with some good humor mixed in. We get a pop culture element, as we meet an idol group, which is odd in the setting. Mostly I'm worried about Lizzy, though, because I love her and don't like the glimpses we've seen regarding her. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Manga Review: Yona of the Dawn, Volume 4, by Mizuho Kusanagi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 7, 2017

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A red-haired princess loses her family and her kingdom… Now she must rise and fight for her throne!

Princess Yona lives an ideal life as the only princess of her kingdom. Doted on by her father, the king, and protected by her faithful guard Hak, she cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, Su-won. But everything changes on her 16th birthday when tragedy strikes her family!

While on a quest to find the Four Legendary Dragon Warriors, Yona and her friends meet Gija, the White Dragon. Gija uses his power to detect the other Dragons, but locating the Blue Dragon proves to be more difficult than expected, and the group runs into a string of disasters!

Review:

Now that they've found Gija, the white dragon, they're on the search for the blue dragon. Gija has a sense for where he is, but it's still hard to pinpoint, and it takes them a while to find the village. Gija, after living in luxury, is not used to living on meager means, either.

The blue dragon is a clear contrast to the white dragon, and it's obvious from the get-go. The blue dragon is being hidden and shamed and feared, and Yona has to search for him on her own, relatively speaking. It's clear that, even with everything that the blue dragon has gone through, Yona is still having an affect on him, and he's reacting despite his fears. I'm excited to see their interactions in the next volume, since they haven't really spoken yet.

Seeing the blue dragon's past is very heartbreaking and just makes me want to hug him.

Another emotional moment in the volume, was when Yona and Hak separate, and seeing his fear for her when things get dangerous—god I'm in love with them already. All the little moments where he kind-of hits on her and she has no idea—I love all of it.

I'm obsessed with this series already. I can't get enough of it, and even bimonthly is not fast enough for me.

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