Manga Review: Rin-Ne, Volume 20, by Rumiko Takahashi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 8, 2016

Volumes: 29+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 19. 21.

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RightStuf Synopsis:

A school trip goes awry when Rinne and Sakura pretend to be dating—and end up hating each other instead! Will a homemade lunch repair their friendship…or will it turn out to be a bowl of haunted ramen?!

Review:

Disclosure: I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series.

Since I haven’t read any of the previous volumes in this series, I had no idea what to expect. I was surprised to find that it’s very episodic, with not much of a large plot line, so easy to just jump into.

There’s a gang of characters here, and they’re all competing, with underlying unrequited (and possibly requited) romances mixed in. Sakura and Rinne are working together to solve some spirit mysteries, one for a dog and another for a demon plant, then working in a team to collect charms on a tour group.

It was surprisingly entertaining, actually, and I enjoyed reading this volume. The relationships were pretty easy to figure out, and I liked that. The artwork is rather average, though. But it’s still made me intrigued to maybe catch up on one of her series being released.

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

Manga Review: Shuriken and Pleats, Volume 1, by Matsuri Hino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 22, 2016

Volumes: 2.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When the master she has sworn to protect is killed, Mikage Kirio, a skilled ninja, travels to Japan to start a new, peaceful life for herself. But as soon as she arrives, she finds herself fighting to protect the life of Mahito Wakashimatsu, a man who is under attack by a band of ninja. From that time on, Mikage is drawn deeper into the machinations of his powerful family.

Review:

Mikage has been trained her whole life to be a ninja, and she’s devoted to the master she’s been given, who treats her like a daughter. When she’s forced to move on from him, she finds herself helping a new man under attack by ninja. She’s not quite ready to move on, but decides to stick by this man until he’s safe, at least.

I like that we’re given a real reason for her devotion to her previous master. He took care of her, and she looked at him like a father, when her real one was never there for her. He wanted her to be a normal girl, and so now she’s going to try and fulfill his last wish.

I’m intrigued to see more of her time at school. She’s an odd one there, what with her ninja training and instincts, and I liked the few glimpses we got of her there. It looks like she might be forming some friendships, and I hope there’s more of that in the next volume.

I’m an always fan of Hino, so of course I will be following this series. 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!

Novel Review: Kissing Brendan Callahan by Susan Amesse

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Genre: MG Contemporary

Publisher: Deborah Brodie Books (Roaring Brook Press)

Release Date: 2005

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Like many girls who read, Sarah wants to be a writer -- a best-selling author of romances. Her plan is to enter a local teen writing contest to be judged by romance writer Antonia DeMarco (author of Enraptured Thorns in My Heart) and win first place by dazzling Antonia with her passionate and soulful writing. What could go wrong? Mom won't let Sarah enter the contest, that's what. Then along comes Brendan Callahan, a rule-breaking boy she has never liked. Will Sarah let Brendan teach her to stand up for herself?

The Cover:

I am just extremely unimpressed with this cover. It's not eye-catching or nice to look at. The picture and the font just look amateurish. I do think that the picture represents an important symbol or scene in the book, and I'm annoyed with how it contrasts the title, but otherwise I don't care for it.

Review:

This was a pretty average, very middle grade, book.

First of all, I don’t like the title, at all. It’s emphasizing the romance, which is not the most important, or the most present, part of the book.

The age of the characters and their maturity level is definitely middle grade, but not in a bad way. It was overly angsty, but middle school like.

Sarah wants to be an author, and she has the potential. I do like that her trying for the contest wasn’t unrealistic, and the outcome of it made sense. I liked that her unreliability was shown and made her learn that she doesn’t know everything. The author that she meets drove me insane, though. She was a horrible person, a bad influence, and I hated how selfish she was, and that she didn’t really get a consequence for it.

I liked some of the messages and the way certain things were portrayed. I didn’t really care for the romance, or the humor of Brendan, as it was very elementary and not original at all, and he seemed pretty one-dimensional. Overall, it was a pretty average read for me, though. I’m not really in the age group for it anymore, though.