Teaser Tuesday[26]: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4) by J.K. Rowling (Also, Merry Christmas!)

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!

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Merry Christmas! Or, Happy Holidays!

So, it’s Christmas today, and New Year’s is coming, and then school starts again, and it’s all happening so fast. It didn’t feel like Christmas was so close, and then it was happening. Where did the time go?

I did almost no reading this past week, although I did get some actual good Christmas shopping done, and I did post reviews; so, I was at least partly productive.

This week, I am kind of reading several books at once. I’m trying to get through several manga, plus at least two books that I had on my list to finish before the year was over. Obviously, I have not made as much headway as I would have liked, given there is less than a week left in the year. I did, however, reach both of my reading goals (as shown on Goodreads), as I read over two hundred books including manga, and my separate goal of reading a hundred novels was also surpassed (yay!) by, at the moment, nine. That’s eight more than last year, which makes me feel super good. I’m not done reading (never done!) for the year, though, of course.

Anyway, here is this week’s book, which is super intimidating in length, and I know that I’m super late with this, and it has taken me forever, especially since I read the first three, like, two years ago, and I own the full series, but…:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter,#4) by J.K. Rowling

Genre: Children’s Fantasy/Fiction

Publisher: Scholastic

Goodreads Synopsis:

The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there are spells to be learnt, potions to be brewed and Divination lessons (sigh) to be attended. Harry is expecting these: however, other quite unexpected events are already on the march...

Excerpts:

“’Go!’ he hissed at Sirius. ‘Go! There’s someone coming!’

Harry scrambled to his feet…” (Hardback, pg. 335)

“Harry seized one of the POTTER REALLY STINKS badges off the table and chucked it, as hard as he could, across the room. It hit Ron on the forehead and bounced off.” (Hardback, pg. 335)

Sounds exciting, right? (Or, perhaps, familiar if you’ve read the books or seen the movies.)

What are you reading right now, on this fine Christmas day (or, you know, whatever day you’re reading this)?

Manga Review: Stepping on Roses, Volume 8, by Rinko Ueda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5 (can be upped to a four)

Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)

Volumes: 9

Goodreads Synopsis:

Poor Sumi Kitamura… Her irresponsible older brother Eisuke keeps bringing home orphans for her to take care of even though they can barely afford their own basic needs! Just when Sumi's financial problems become dire, wealthy Soichiro Ashida enters her life with a bizarre proposition: he'll provide her with the money she so desperately needs if she agrees to marry him. But can Sumi fool high society into thinking she's a proper lady? Moreover, is it worth giving up everything for this sham of a marriage? Sumi asks Nozomu to stop buying the land where she and Soichiro currently reside, and he agrees on one condition—Sumi has to leave Soichiro and become his wife instead! Faced with the possibility of eviction, Sumi must decide whether she’ll live in poverty with Soichiro or take Nozomu up on his offer…

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for teen plus audiences.

Available on Amazon.

Review:

This series is somewhat of a guilty pleasure type shojo, just because it’s… in a way, not very good. Most of the time, at least. I mean, most of the characters are not the best, including the heroine (most of the time, but maybe that’s changing? More on that in a moment) and the villain, and the romance is pretty much what you’d expect it to be, and sometimes it seems that drama is caused for drama’s sake, and it’s so over the top dramatic and cheesy. And yet, I really enjoy reading it. But, then again, that shouldn’t be a surprise given how much I usually like dramas.

At the moment, I have mixed feelings about Sumi, the heroine. Up until now, I wasn’t such a big fan, because she’s so weak, and is always only doing things to please some man, and she doesn’t really stick up for anything. In this volume, she does at first turn down Nozomu’s offer/threat, but when her family gets kicked out of their home, since Nozomu bought the land, and no one will hire Soichiro, she goes to Nozomu and, since she’s now living with him, he lets her family move back into their home.

And at first this move just annoyed me, because, really? You’re going to fall into his trap that easily? But, near the end of the volume, it’s revealed that she’s planning to take Nozomu down and bring Soichiro back to his job from the inside. Which, I don’t know, seems a bit sketchy and I think I just don’t see her as the devious and mischevious type and so I’m having a hard time believing it. And, I have a hard time believing that she’s going to be the mastermind behind it all, and not find someone else to do it for her. I just… I haven’t gotten to see her doing anything but be pushed around and cry and beg, so, while I would like this change to be true, it’s not very believable.

I also want her to be a bit more demanding and stick up for herself. At the beginning of the volume, she tries to earn money by playing shogi, which I thought was a really smart move, but then Soichiro had to come in and be all ‘this is dangerous’, and of course she listened. I don’t see why she couldn’t have continued doing that, maybe gambling some, and have Soichiro or her brother nearby watching to make sure none of the men get out of hand. Because I don’t see why it’s so bad; I mean, it is dangerous, but I think the fact they need money is more important. Then later, the other societal wives think she’s some gold digger, and she does hold her head high as they push her around, but she doesn’t really try to prove to them that they’re wrong. She does kind of try to earn her trust back from Miu, Nozomu’s wife, and while I do like what she does to get it back, and it was courageous of her to do that, I still think that she mostly rolled over and did what she wanted, even though Miu wasn’t really the nicest during all of it. I mean, Miu had her reasons for bullying, but Sumi wasn’t really at fault, Nozomu was, and Miu should apologize as well.

Throughout all of this, Soichiro is working his butt off, and I feel sorry for him. He doesn’t deserve this, the poor guy, but I also feel that he needs to be a bit more assertive in his work life. Eisuke (Sumi’s brother) is also working rather hard, which is good to see.

And then there’s Nozomu, who is just such a huge jerk and I hate him and someone needs to just punch him in the face already. Preferably Sumi, and then Soichiro. He deserves it, badly.

At the end of the book, there was a short story starring Komai (Soichiro’s old servant), that was very cute. I just really like Komai, though; he’s sweet, and I would like to see more of him. I would also like him to stick up for himself and/or Soichiro and Sumi, though. It’s obvious he has a soft spot for them, I want him to do something about what Nozomu has been doing to them all, even if it’s just behind his back.

Even though there are so many not-good things about this series, like how overly dramatic it is and how weak the characters are, I still really like it, and this volume was especially good. I hope the next one is even better, and that Sumi keeps going up on the track she’s started on.

Oh, and apparently the next volume is the last, which I did not know. I was expecting the series to go on for a while longer. Hopefully the series ends in a good way, then.

Manga Review: Awkward Silence, Volume 1, by Hinako Takanaga

Rating (Out of 5): ~4 (maybe 3.5, but I feel it deserves more)

Publisher: SuBLime (imprint of VIZ Media)

Spoilers?: ~Minor

Volumes: 4+

Goodreads Synopsis:

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for mature audiences. Satoru is an introvert with a longtime crush on Keigo, a popular boy on the baseball team. But much to his surprise, Keigo comes up to him and asks him out! Satoru is so overcome he can’t respond. Will Satoru be able to get past his shyness, or will he lose his chance with the boy he loves?

Available on Amazon.

Review:

I was really surprised by this book, particularly by how much I liked it.

Now, I don’t read very much yaoi. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just don’t really care one way or another, and I don’t usually go looking for it. I mean, the smut is usually pretty good, but sometimes the art isn’t all that good (it always seems so broad shouldered and squared and overly manly, and I just don’t care for that), and, again, I just don’t go looking for it. But, and I know I am very biased, when I heard that VIZ was starting up their own yaoi line, I jumped on that wagon real fast. (Although I was a bit disappointed that so many went directly to digital and not print, given that I don’t have any kind of e-reader and I prefer reading print books than digital, although I understand why.)

And then none of my bookstores would get a single volume in. I was super disappointed, but finally one of them got some in, which is great. And I’d had my eye on this series for a while, if only because the title gave the hint of my type of characters, and I was so right. I’m so glad that I started with this volume, because it was so good. (Also, apparently Takanga is the author of The Tyrant Falls In Love, which I have never read, but have heard good things about...)

My favorite part of this book is the main character, Satoru. He’s awkward, and his expression never changes, no matter if he’s shocked or sad or excited, and he doesn’t know how to express his feelings. He feels awkward saying things aloud, but he doesn’t know how to show them, and he gets a bit frustrated by this. I love this kind of character, but they’re so hard to find, especially in the main role, so I was very excited to read about him.

And, really, Satoru is just adorable. I think Takanaga did a really good job, in a clever way, of showing the reader what he’s actually feeling. Because we get to read his inner thoughts, along with seeing little chibi floating heads next to the inner dialog with the expression and comments of what is happening inside him, even though he’s having a hard time showing it outside. And, I mean, it’s just so adorable; I cannot get enough of it.

The romance was actually pretty sweet, as well. I like Keigo, his love interest; he’s sweet and very insecure about their relationship, but given that he never knows what Satoru is feeling, it’s understandable. They’re a bit of an odd match, but they’re cute together, and they have some very nice sexy times. Granted, I think the sexy times came a bit fast, but that’s usually how it works with yaoi.

Some of the drama that happens seems a bit needless, but I’m okay with it, just because it was sweet and cute, and hopefully will cause them to grow as people and a couple. Throughout the book, they have several little spats, the first one because Satoru doesn’t know how to show Keigo that he really is happy and wants to be with him, and hiding it when he loses something Keigo gave him. That first chapter was probably my favorite, really, with the way that Satoru was so overwhelmingly worried and upset that he threw himself at Keigo, and how he later showed him the sketchbook (among many) that were filled with drawings of Keigo, not to mention that the beginning confession was cute as well.

There are two other plot lines that cause problems, one with a girl and one where Keigo rivals with a childhood friend of Keigo (who I'm sure we'll see again), that are mostly problems because Keigo and Satoru don’t know how to communicate. I’m hoping that they work through that in the coming books, and that the story stays new and exciting, and doesn’t get repetitive.

Mainly, I just really enjoyed this volume, and am definitely planning to pick up the next book, as well as a couple other books by SuBLime, when I get the chance.

Manga Review: Strobe Edge, Volume 1, by Io Sakisaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4 (can up it to four very easily, but am still a bit on the edge)

Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)

Spoilers?: Some.

Volumes: 10

Goodreads Synopsis:

Having no experience in romance, the vibrant Ninako curiously explores the meaning of what "love" really is, and is surprised to feel a colorful range of emotions as she grows closer to the school heartthrob, the quiet yet gentle Ren, who also happens to be involved in a longtime relationship. With every intention of keeping her head held high, Ninako prepares to face the mental pain of this one-sided love that she had allowed to take root, facing a series of trials that would either contribute to her growth as a headstrong woman, or break her as it did with other girls. However, is this really a one-sided love? Or had something been silently sown in the most hidden part of Ren's heart?

Availabe on Amazon.

Review:

When I heard that Shojo Beat was going to be publishing this, I was interested, but my online friends’ excitement got me curious, since I’d never heard of the series, nor do I think I’ve read anything by this author (even though the art looks a little familiar...). And, while this volume was shojo kind of like I thought it would be, I was still a bit surprised by it.

Strobe Edge stars Ninako, who is rather naïve. I was a bit surprised by her personality, but liked where it went, and only in one volume. At the beginning, she doesn’t really know much, and she believes what people tell her. Her friends are sure that she’s in love with her childhood friend, Daiki, and she’s never been in love before, so she believes that that must be what she feels, until she talks with Ren, a very popular guy at her school, and realizes that she’s actually falling for him instead. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed her musings on things, and really enjoyed her discovering how she really feels as opposed to what other people are telling her to feel. I was just generally surprised by how much I liked Ninako, given how I don’t usually have too strong of feelings toward the heroine.

And, with my surprise at all of that coming out in the first volume, Sakisaka didn’t take her time with the love confessions, either. It wasn’t rushed in the least, and yet I’m so surprised that so much happened, so much growth, in just one small volume.

‘Cause while it’s obvious to the reader that Daiki loves Ninako, he confesses to her in this volume, and they even work out their feelings for each other. And then one of Ninako’s friends confesses to Daiki, which I was not surprised by, but I didn’t really get to know that character very well, so I’m hoping I’ll get to know her better in the volumes to come. And before the confessions, there’s a really nice, well done rivalry between Ren and Daiki, and then we find out something a bit upsetting, uncool, about Ren. And then, the volume ends with Ninako starting to confess to Ren.

This series just doesn’t beat around the bush, that’s for sure. And I love it. It’s so refreshing compared to most manga, and how it takes forever for the characters to be honest with each other.

I’m not really sure what boy I like more at this point. I like Ren, even though I’m not very happy with his possible feelings toward Ninako when he… has that other thing going on, which I was really only surprised by who the person was. (I’m trying to be vague here.) But I do like his personality; I liked that he was actually rather sweet, and isn’t afraid to be, even while also being quiet and not saying much. But then there’s Daiki, who would normally be one of my favorite characters, but right now I just kind of like him. He’s sweet, and he’s fun, and I totally get his jealous feelings, and I feel a bit bad for him, but mostly I’m just hoping to grow to like him more, because my feelings for him are not at the level that I would like them to be. Although, really, Ren is also going to have to earn my love for him, as well.

Another thing I was surprised by: the overall message that this volume gave. I’m not going to ruin that, since it was a surprise to me, but it was another refreshing aspect to this book, in that I wasn’t expecting it, it’s a nice message, and not really something that I’ve seen very often. That, along with everything else that happened between the characters, some of the little things, just made this so sweet to read.

The artwork is really nice. The covers look pretty, but I wasn’t sure if inside the book would look as good, but it did. It took, I think, a tiny bit of time for me to get used to the art style, but it wasn’t hard, because it is really pretty.

So, it’s obvious to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this volume, and am really looking forward to the next one.