Manga Review: Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Volume 29, by Karuho Shiina

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 30.

Spoilers?: Hints given.

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

Volume: 1. 28. 30.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine…for a horror movie.

With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanor, Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class, Shota Kazehaya. Can love trump her cursed life?

Review:

The first half of the volume is the conclusion to Ayane and Pin's potential romance. She takes some persuading to actually go to him, and he's worried and rooting for her to pass her exams. And coincidentally, it's valentine's day.

I will admit that I'm a little disappointed. It makes sense, and isn't necessarily surprising, and I won't spoil it beyond that. But I was kind of hoping for a different ending.

After that, it's graduation. Kazehaya and Sawako get a little time together, there's a lot of tears as everyone is saying goodbye. Sawako gets to make a speech, as the valedictorian. Afterward, there's the tradition of button-stealing and whatnot, with a super cute moment between the main couple (and some between every other relationship).

There's only one volume left, and I'm super upset that this series is ending. It's definitely one of my favorites, and I'll miss it, but I can't wait to see how it ends.

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

Manga Review: Children of the Whales, Volume 3, by Abi Umeda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: Some.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this post-apocalyptic fantasy, a sea of sand swallows everything but the past.

In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, most dying young from the very powers that sustain them.

The Mud Whale is in dire trouble. In four days, the imperial apátheia soldiers will return to destroy all its inhabitants. But the Committee of Elders would rather kill everyone on board than wait for the “mercy” of the empire, and the fighters of the island will do the elders’ bidding without a second thought. Now Chakuro and the other children are forced by circumstance to rebel against the adults in order to save their home and their lives.

Review:

The children stand up to the committee in their decision to save the island, to stop this while they can. Having one of the allied army there, and seeing Neri possibly sacrifice herself, seems to have put a stop to it.

Afterward, they decide to start training to fight. They know how long they have till the next attack, and they want to defend themselves and fight if they can. During this, is the start of the Sand Festival on the island, a time for them to celebrate and find joy in something after all the devastation.

They strategize, and they use the sand storm to their advantage. Despite the small reprieve we get in the middle of the volume, at the end it's back to the fighting, and the possible impending massacre. It's real bad.

This is an intriguing series, for sure. I'm a little unsure of it, and it's not generally my genre of book, deep in lore and violent. But I'm intrigued by it. And it's very pretty.

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

Manga Review: Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, Volume 2, by Rin Mikimoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: November 2017

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A sardonic rom-com manga, Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight is perfect for fans of shojo like My Little Monster and Kare Kano.
Hinana prizes her reputation as a serious high school student, too focused on getting into college to pay attention to boys. But she's a secret fairytale romance freak, sneaking away from her studies to see A Roman Holiday and tucking pop idol magazines into her textbooks. When her celebrity crush comes to her school to film a TV episode, she has to pretend to be totally uninterested even as she desperately tries to get close to him. However, she's not the only one who's not what she appears... her dreamboat isn't just a pretty face either!

Review:

In the first volume, I was a little iffy, unsure if I really wanted to continue. After this volume, I'm still iffy, but it was more enjoyable going in, I think because I knew more of what to expect.

The humor and silly faces is not quite to my taste, but I do think it's growing on me a little.

Given that Kaede is famous, they're both getting some pressure for public appearances and what they should do. While Hinana is swayed to be wary and pull back, I do like that at first she stuck with her initial belief about Kaede. I think it showed she has pretty good instincts and can be strong in them. Kaede has also shown that he can be firm and hold his ground if he needs to. They've also both proven that they like each other, though, and that they don't want to back down from that. I like that they've both been honest about what they want with each other.

We got the start of a love triangle in this volume, and I liked how Kaede dealt with it. At the same time, we got hints of drama starting with Kaede's old band. Both of these are just starting to develop, though, so I'm not sure which will be more important.

While I'm a little unsure, I did enjoy this volume more. I think it's growing on me a little.

Teaser Tuesday[273]: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

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!

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

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)

Release Date: October 2017

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. In his long-awaited return,

Excerpt:

“Davis was right: Everybody disappears eventually.” (Hardback, pg. 82)

What are you reading?

Manga Review: One-Punch Man, Volume 13, by One and Yusuke Murata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 11. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Life gets pretty boring when you can beat the snot out of any villain with just one punch.

Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on!

Class-A heroes struggle in their fight against the giant monster Multieyed Octopus. Wait, is that Class-S hero Flashy Flash joining the fight?! Unfazed, the Monster Association continues ramping up its attacks, but its goal remains a mystery. Meanwhile, the martial arts tournament reaches the semifinals!

Review:

A large group of heroes are downtown attempting to defeat these invading monsters. Some are too weak, and then Flashy Flash steps in but is showing off a bit much, so Tornado interrupts to take care of it. She don't have time for that shit.

Elsewhere, it looks like bad things are happening within the hero committee...

Meanwhile, One-Punch Man is still masquerading in the tournament, and it's finally reached the finale. Of course, he's taken out all of his opponents with one hit. But his last competition is supposedly extremely strong, and people are excited to see this. Instead, Saitama only pisses him off, when he continuously dodges and remains untouchable, even as he's knocked around. Saitama is so utterly bored, that he's trying to make this last as long as possible. It's almost sad, honestly.

This series is a lot of fun. I love seeing Saitama's antics, as he attempts to find some kind of fun in the world.

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

Review: Feral King (The Dominant Bastard Duology, #1) by Sparrow Beckett

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Genre: Erotica/Adult Contemporary Romance; BDSM, Dark, MMF

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: June 2017

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Minnow Korsgaard works a dead end job to make ends meet. When she’s hired to take care of a wealthy old man with no social skills, she’s excited to have found work in her field.

The new boss isn’t at all what she expected.

Severin Leduc is only thirty. He’s also a dominant, tattooed brute who’s needs someone to break through the walls he’s built. The exiled son of a wealthy family, he’s unapologetically rude and eccentric. Raised by servants, he doesn’t want extra people in his life, let alone a pretty girl who refuses to leave him in peace.

Minnow’s submissive nature sparks against Severin’s dominance. Torrid sexual attraction flares between them. Sharing her with his best friend, Rodrigo, only strengthens their growing bond, and Severin’s life is scattered into chaos. Will he learn to trust her, or will he live the rest of his life forgotten?


Warning: BDSM, dark themes. Character's memories of prior abuse may trigger some readers.

The Cover:

I really like this cover. It's a bit intense, but not a stereotypical romance cover. I think the font and placement of the cover works really well, as do all the tattoos and pose of the model.

 

Review:

I did not expect this book to be quite so dark, or so addicting.

Minnow ends up being Severin's new housekeeper/babysitter. She thinks she's going to be helping some old man, only to find out that he's a dominant thirty-year-old with no social skills. He wants nothing to do with anyone, doesn't believe anyone will stick around. He's constantly pushing Minnow, testing her and pushing her away. But Minnow is steady and she believes in him, and she's attracted despite the threat that he might actually hurt her.

I was surprised by how dark some of the sex gets. It's violent at times, physically scarring and rough and mean. I found it seriously hot, but I'm sure some people won't. I also rather understood why Minnow stayed and kept pushing him by being a steady presence, even if it seemed like he'd gone too far at times. I'm intrigued by the MM/MMF (or is it just MFM?) undertones that were present, and am hoping they'll become more serious in the next book. That makes me hopeful.

Severin has been through some awful things, and it's dark when he's finally honest with Minnow about it. I'm intrigued to see where that cliffhanger will go in the next one.

This book gave me a serious book hangover and it took me a while to get over it. I'm still a little obsessed, and am extremely excited for the next one to be released. I can't wait for it to arrive on my Kindle.

Manga Review: Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale, Volume 1, by Chie Shimada

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2018

Volumes: 2.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Beautiful boy rebels using their fists to fall in love!

Hinako thought she didn't have any family, but on the day she starts high school, her twin brother Hikaru suddenly appears and tricks her into taking his place. But the new school Hinako attends in his stead is beyond unusual. Now she must fight her way to the top of Shishiku Academy, an all-boys school of delinquents!

Review:

On Hinako's first day of school, where she's looking forward to starting over, she runs into a boy who looks exactly like her. She's manipulated into going to school in his place, only to find out it's an all-boys' school--for delinquents.

I'm intrigued and a little confused by Hinako and Hikaru's relationship, why Hikaru was raised in luxury while Hinako was put in an orphanage. I do think it's interesting, though, that Hikaru is supposed to be the tough man, high up at this school, and yet he hates fighting and fits in much better as a girl at Hinako's school. Hinako, on the other hand, has always been embarrassingly strong, and she hates it.

Hinako finds a mishmash couple of friends at the boys' school, though of course they don't know she's a girl. She also runs into one of her childhood friends, who she lost touch with but has always wanted to see again. This adds some complication, particularly given the feelings starting.

This was an okay first volume. Some things still need explained, and I think that some of the characters need to be expanded on a little; it's a little weak. I'm not feeling too much for any of them yet, but I have hope it'll grow on me more.

Manga Review: Ultraman, Volume 10, by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s time for a new generation of Ultraman!

Decades ago, a being known as the Giant of Light joined together with Shin Hayata of the Science Special Search Party to save Earth from an invasion of terrifying monsters called Kaiju. Now, many years later, those dark days are fading into memory, and the world is at peace. But in the shadows a new threat is growing, a danger that can only be faced by a new kind of hero—a new kind of Ultraman…

As the Star of Darkness prepares to launch its all-out assault on New York City, the SSSP begins to assemble its forces to oppose them. Shinjiro and Dan head for the Big Apple unsure if they can stop the coming storm, but unlooked-for allies may help them turn the tide. The battle to decide the fate of the Earth begins here…

Review:

Now Ultraman is needed in New York. The aliens are invading and the public is aware of it. Only, there are other people in the ultraman-like suits now, some good and some bad.

The aliens do announce that they're going to release some kind of chemical that's going to make humans go crazy and start doing awful things. In a surprising turn of events, this turns out to be a lie, so all the chaos that ensued was just to prove that humans deserve to be obliterated. This plot point was probably the most interesting to me.

This series is an easy read, but I'm only reading every other volume at this point, so a little hard to follow for me. It's a quick read, though, and quite interesting at times.

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

Teaser Tuesday[272]: Pyromantic (Firebug, #2) by Lish McBride

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!

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

Pyromantic (Firebug, #2) by Lish McBride

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Release Date: March 2017

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ava is having a rough time. Getting rid of Venus didn’t set her free—she’s still part of the magical mafia called the Coterie. Her new boss seems like an improvement, but who knows if he’ll stay that way—the Coterie life changes people. And since Ava’s currently avoiding her friends after (disastrously) turning down a date with Lock, well, everything kind of sucks. And that’s not even taking into account the feelings she might have for him.

But when a mysterious illness starts to affect magical beings, it’s up to Ava and her team to stop its spread…or else one of them might be next.

Excerpt:

“Alistair had to know that I'd screwed up. I excused myself to use the phone.” (Hardback, pg. 123)

What are you reading?

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 3, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2018

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage have their happy lives upended when they find out they’re being raised to be fed to demons. Can they escape their fate before it’s too late?

Life at Grace Field House has been good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious foods and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

As more children learn the horrifying truth, a rift begins to form between them. Can they work together so everyone can escape? Or will some children need to be left behind at the orphanage?

Review:

While what Don and Gilda are doing seems dumb, instead it seems to teach them a lesson about what Emma and Norman have told them. It's also a lesson to Emma, since she gets to see what the secrets made them think, and it put the group in a new perspective for her.

The consequences aren't immediate, at least. Only later, when Mother reveals what she actually knows and what she plans to do about it. The kids are even smart about it, calculating what they can and can't do in this situation, reading each other. But still, Mother throws an even bigger curve ball in that ends everything—at least for right now.

Man, I am seriously surprised at the twists this series has taken so quickly. We're only three books in, and already we've learned a lot and had several twists thrown in to make it harder on them all. I'm excited and horrified, and I really can't wait to see what happens next.