Manga Review: Gestalt, Volume 1, by Yun Kouga

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: 2009

Volumes: 8

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

R to L (Japanese Style). After experiencing a crisis of faith, Father Olivier of the Valaria Order decides to go to G and find out the truth behind the legends. Olivier's journey is unsanctioned, and the head of the Order engages the dark elf Suzu to stop him. As he begins his quest, Olivier encounters Ouri, a young girl from the south who cannot speak. But Ouri reveals another side of herself when Suzu catches up to them!

Review:

This series has been advertised in the back of the Loveless volumes, because it’s by the same author, but I’d never even heard of the series until then. I’ve read two other series by Kouga, and really enjoyed both of them, so this was definitely added to my list.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was thinking that it would take a while for me to really get into this series. But this was a surprisingly easy volume to read.

We’re immediately thrown into the world, the mention of a god named G, and the statistics of the characters. This is set in a World of Warcraft like world, which I was a little surprised by. It wasn’t hard to follow, though, and the statistics and information for spells is given in an easy way to understand (much like in an actual game).

The characters are easy to like already, and the humor works. The way the fights and everything work seems a little cheesy cartoonish, but it work here.

There’s Olivier, a priest going off to find G (a god who betrayed the other gods and is thus feared) for a wish, who ends up being gifted a slave named Ouri. Ouri is somewhat of a mystery to most of the others, but I like her. I’m not quite sure what she’s doing, but I do like her. I like their relationship, too, and am looking forward to seeing how it develops.

There are a few other characters; like Suzu, who is working for Messiah to bring Olivier home, and a shazan they picked up. Then there are Ouri’s siblings, who she’s fighting to win something.

This was a pretty good first volume. I’m intrigued, and look forward to reading more.

Manga Review: Sweet Rein, Volume 3, by Sakura Tsukuba

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2014

Volumes: 3

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sad at the thought of spending Christmas alone, Kurumi Sagara goes out for a walk. While she's crossing the street, a boy bumps into her, and a rein suddenly appears that binds them together. The overjoyed boy tells her she's his master and that she's a Santa Claus. Kurumi dismisses him as a crazy person, but then he transforms into a reindeer?!

Review:

I’m pretty sure this is the final volume of this series, but it really didn’t feel like it.

There were some more episodic chapters, but we also met a new character, Alto. Alto is sweet, but also a little sad. We got to see the black reindeer again, and I rather like her and her Santa. They’re odd, a little cynical, but I like them.

There was a chapter where Kaito is in heat, and so attracts all the women to him, and I found that rather funny. I really like him and Kurumi, though. I think they’re cute together, and I just think that Kaito is adorable.

I wanted some kind of resolution for the characters, for at least the romance, but instead the volume just kind of ended. I really believe this is the last volume, so that made me confused. Still, this was a really cute series. It was sweet and kindhearted and full of Christmas. I enjoyed it.

There was an extra story at the end, one featuring a character from Tsukuba’s Penguin Revolution series. I haven’t read any of it, but I thought the story was cute. I kind of hope VIZ publishes another series by Tsukuba, because I rather enjoyed her artwork and characters in this one, and her other series that have been translated look really cute, but I don’t think any of them were ever finished.

Novel Review: Not That Kind Of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Push (Scholastic)

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: Not really.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Slut or saint? Good friend or bad friend? In control or completely out of it?

Life is about making choices, and Natalie Sterling prides herself on always making the right ones. She’s avoided the jerky guys populating her prep school, always topped honor roll, and is poised to become the first female student council president in years.

If only other girls were as sensible and strong. Like the pack of freshmen yearning to be football players’ playthings. Or her best friend, whose crappy judgment nearly ruined her life.

But being sensible and strong isn’t easy. Not when Natalie nearly gets expelled anyway. Not when her advice hurts more than it helps. Not when a boy she once dismissed becomes the boy she can’t stop thinking about.

The line between good and bad has gone fuzzy, and crossing it could end in disaster . . . or become the best choice she’ll ever make.

The Cover:

I don't like this cover. The close-up of the two kissing just looks tacky and I don't like looking at it. Maybe it's supposed to represent the meaning that it doesn't matter what someone does, you shouldn't peer that close at someone's sexual life--and if so, I like that. But mostly I think it doesn't fit this book.

Quotes:

• "That’s the thing with secrets—you can’t explain yourself. The only thing you’re left able to say is sorry—again and again.” (Paperback, pg. 235)
• "'You see, the best thing about wrong decisions is that they don’t prevent you from making the right decisions later on. It’s harder, but it’s not impossible.’” (Pg. 312)
• "It didn’t matter if I was the kind of girl who had sex, or the kind of girl who had her portrait on a wall in the library, or the kind of girl who got into the best college, or the kind of girl who teachers loved.
  I just needed to be okay with all the kinds of girl I was.” (Pg. 317)

Review:

I think maybe I had too high of expectations for this book. I was expecting a very good book, with a very impressive girl-power message. That’s not how it seemed to me.

On the bright side, the writing was good. And the characters were fleshed out, at least mostly. The storyline wasn’t too bad.

First of all, I did not like the main character. Natalie drove me crazy. At first, I was looking forward to her learning her lesson, but about halfway through the book, she was just getting on my nerves. She’s cocky, too confident, very what-I-think-is-right, thinking that everyone should make the “right” decision, and no matter what, what she thinks it right. I just wanted to smack her.

Then there’s the girl message. And I do think that Natalie learned that women shouldn’t be put down for sex, but I don’t really think the message was driven home as much as it could have. She really only seemed to think about it like she should, after she met a guy and fooled around and people looked at her differently. I don’t think it was pushed enough that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing—if you’re having sex, married or not, pregnant young, or a virgin—because all of it is okay. None of it shameful or “wrong”. Natalie thought about it only after having sex and being bullied because of it; then there’s Spencer, who thinks that manipulating men is the right way to go, and I don’t think she fully learned anything either. Autumn, I think, had the right idea, though; she’d smarted up in the right way. There’s also Natalie’s teacher, who is so prejudiced, and yet nothing really came of her opinion but frustration.

Mostly, I think the message was good, I just don’t think it reached the full-fleshed direction it was going.

Then there was the romance. Natalie and Connor start fooling around, and Natalie is the one who’s making it hard. But I think they jumped into it too quickly—I mean, they made eye-contact and seemed to just feel a strong attraction, when I didn’t really feel that. And everything that Natalie does with Connor, changing her mind and having sex with him, just didn’t seem to make sense to me. I just didn’t feel very much chemistry between them, so it didn’t work for me. I wanted it to, but it didn’t.

I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. But instead I’m a little disappointed. I do want to pick up another of Vivian's books, though. I think maybe a different character, at least, could have made this story better, so I hope to see what else she does.