Ouran High School Host Club volume 16

Today's post is on Ouran High School Host Club volume 16 by Bisco Hatori. It is 183 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Hunny and Mori on it looking sweet. As it is the sixteenth in the series you need to have read the first fifteen to understand the story. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is mostly told from Haruhi's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The two senior members of the Host Club are graduating and will lead separate lives at university. Everyone is mourning the loss of the "Hunny-Mori Combo", but the longtime duo already seems to have ended their close friendship. Now Mori has challenged Hunny to a duel- but why?

Review- First section is about Hunny and Mori but the real plot is about Tamaki and his grandmother. She has taken him into the house but she is not happy about it. In fact she wants to turn everything that Tamaki loves in his life into the past. She is a great villain for a comedy series. At this point I do not understand why Tamaki's grandmother is doing this. It makes no sense at all. But it does make great drama. Poor Tamaki he just cannot win for losing. Only two more volume until the end.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Immortal Rider

Today's post is on Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione. It is the second her Lords of Deliverance series. It is 414 pages long and is published by Grand Central Publishing. The cover has the two main characters on it looking at the reader. The intended reader is someone who likes paranormal romance, fighting, and over the top drama. There is language, sex, and violence in this book. The story is from third person of the different characters moving as the story needs. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Sexy, powerful, and immortal, Limos is on a crash course with destiny. She's been marked as Satan's bride and her jealous fiancé wants her all to himself. The only way this Horseman can keep herself- and everyone else- safe is to keep her distance.
Arik Wagner knows the saying "love hurts" better than most, yet he never thought stealing a kiss from Limos would land him in Hell. Literally. It takes all his military training to survive the demon torture, but once he's topside, Arik realizes that the agony has just begun. With the Apocalypse looming and Satan demanding his bride, will Arik and Limos surrender to the desire smoldering between them? Or will giving in to their passion unleash hell on earth?

Review- I did not enjoy this one as much as I did Eternal Rider. That is because Limos has so much self-hatred. She has lied and is afraid of the lies coming out but instead of just dealing with them, she runs away. So when the lies come out, she flips out. But other than that I liked this book. I like Arik. He is a good hero. He gets mad at Limos but forgives her for her fear. He helps the other Horsemen and saves the day. Once everything comes out Limos gets better too because now she had nothing to be afraid of. I just wish that she had dealt with her stuff before the half-way mark of the book. I just wanted to shake her.

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

To Hell and Back

Today's post is on To Hell and Back by Lilith Saintcrow. It is the last in her Dante Valentine series. It is 416 pages longs and is published by Orbit. The cover has Dante on it looking cool. The intended reader is someone who has read the rest of the series, likes gritty urban fantasy, and lots of violence. There is language, no sex, and lots of violence in this book. The story is told from the first person perspective of the main character Dante. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From Goodreads- Dante Valentine has been through Hell. Literally. Her body shattered and her mind not far behind, she's dumped back into her own world to survive--or not--as a pawn in one of Lucifer's endless games.
Unfortunately, he's just messed with the wrong Necromance. And this time she's mad enough to do something about it.
This time, the Devil will pay.

Review- A very good ending. Everything is finished but nothing is really set in stone. Dante is still very damaged by the events of the books but she comes out on the other side of all the bad stuff and I think that she is better for it. I do not think that her relationship with Japhrimel will ever be the same but who knows, maybe they can work something out. The writing is really very good. I like the way that Saintcrow takes the things that we know so well and makes them into something just a little off. I had some problems with the characters but all in all I really like this series. I like Dante, I like Japhrimel, and I just like the world that Saintcrow created. I look forward to reading more from her soon.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Ouran High School Host Club volume 15

Today's post is on Ouran High School Host Club volume 15 by Bisco Hatori. It is 183 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. As it is the fifteenth in the long running series you need to have read the first fourteen to understand the story. The cover has Kyoya on it looking cool. The intended reader is someone who likes humor, silly love stories, and good characters. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this volume. The story is mostly told from Haruhi's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The members of the Host Club plan an event to help Tamaki get over his separation anxiety from the Host Club, and even Haruhi gets in on the action. Will the bonds of friendship between Tamaki and Haruhi become bonds of love?

Review- The first story is the blurb and is fun but I liked the second story better. Hunny and Mori are finally going to go to college. But that means they will not be together all the time. Mori is working through that and it makes a very interesting plot and character development. Of course Kyoya has his hands in everything and so he makes a lot of money for the Host Club. In the end Hunny and Mori do not even leave the Host Club. They are special members and come when they can. Haruhi and Tamaki are making their way to each other but the slow going is making everyone else crazy. But with only three volumes left I am wondering how Hatori is going to work out Tamaki's problems.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

The Paper Magician

Today's post is on The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. It is the first in her Paper Magician trilogy. It is 214 pages long and is published by 47 North. The cover has the main character on it as a paper doll. The intended reader is someone who likes magic, historical fantasy, and some romance. There is no sex, no language, and some violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic… forever.
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined — animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.
An Excisioner — a practitioner of dark, flesh magic — invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

Review- This was a very good first novel. The magic is interesting, the characters are good, and the plot was fast. The only problem I had was that Ceony fell in love with Thane in less than an month. I know that in  romance novels that is normal or a little long but I wanted it either take longer or not happen at all. I would have loved this to be a friendship without any romance at all. But other than that it was good. The villain could have gone cliche but Holmberg pulls back from that happening. I really like the ending battle. It was very unusual and showed the magic of the world very well. I am curious about where she is going to go next.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Curtain Up: Agatha Christie A Life in the Threatre

Today's post is on Curtain Up: Agatha Christie A Life in the Threatre by Julius Green. It is 624 pages long and is published by Harper Collins. The cover is the front of a theatre with the title up in lights. The intended reader is someone who is interested in Agatha Christie, threatre history, and very detailed research. There is no sex, no language, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Agatha Christie is revered around the world for her books and the indelible characters she created. Lesser known is her writing for the stage—an extraordinary repertoire of plays that firmly established her as the most successful female dramatist of all time. Now author Julius Green raises the curtain on Christie’s towering contribution to popular theatre, an element of her work previously disregarded by biographers and historians.
Starting with her childhood theatregoing experiences, Curtain Up uncovers Christie’s first serious attempts at playwriting, with scripts that reveal a very different style from the now familiar whodunits for which she became famous. Later in her life, she enjoyed enormous global success with her work for the stage, but her record-breaking achievements in the West End and her conquest of Broadway came at a price: she had to fight against her own fame and felt obliged to delete her adored character Hercule Poirot from stories that had originally been created around him.
Green’s revelations about Christie’s passion for the theatre are illustrated with copious extracts from hitherto unknown plays and unpublished private letters, many of which he discovered in archives on both sides of the Atlantic. The illuminating exchanges between Christie, her agents and producers include extensive correspondence with the legendary ‘Mousetrap Man’, theatrical impresario Sir Peter Saunders.
Meticulously researched and filled with groundbreaking discoveries, Curtain Up sheds new light on Agatha Christie’s artistry and adds a fascinating layer to her remarkable story.

Review- A very interesting and very well research piece of threatre history. Green loves his topic, both of them. He is a Christie fan and a threatre man himself and that comes across in his writing. Green gives many examples of Christie's writing as she grew over the years that she wrote both prose and scripts. With letters from the Christie archive, we get a very personal look into a very private woman. This is not a biography of Agatha Christie's life just her work in the threatre but it is still a very interesting part of her history. At times all the details can get a little overwhelming but I think that it is worth it to see this side of a favorite author.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I was given this book in exchange for an honest review by HarperCollins. 

Ouran High School Host Club volume 14

Today's post is on Ouran High School Host Club volume 14 by Bisco Hatori. It is 189 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. As it is the fourteenth in the long running series you need  to have read the first thirteen to understand the story. The cover has the twins on it. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this volume. The story is told mostly from Haruhi's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Hikaru has asked Haruhi to go out ieht him, but he doesn't want her answer right away. Yet at the same time, he's trying to get Tamaki to realize he's in love with Haruhi too. If the Host Club prepared for a love triangle among its members?

Review- Well at least Haruhi gets it by the end of this book. Tamaki still does not but that is okay. Something big is brewing with him plot-wise. The lawyer that they met in the last volume was there again and helped them find Haruhi when plot happened. She is doing something for Tamaki's father but other than that nothing more known. The humor in this volume was all about the drama between Haruhi and Tamaki. The twins being the twins help but just more the same chaos.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Saint City Sinners

Today's post is on Saint's City Sinners by Lilith Saintcrow. It is the fourth in her Dante Valentine series. The cover is the cover of the omnibus of the whole series with Dante on the cover looking cool. The intended reader is someone who likes gritty urban fantasy, female main character, and lots of fight scenes. There is no sex, language, and lots of violence in this book. The story is told from the first person perspective of Dante. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From Goodreads- Saint City has always been Dante Valentine's home. It's where she grew up, it's where her dead are buried, and it's where she learned to hunt.
Now, one call from an old friend will bring her back to investigate a murder too close to home for anyone's comfort. But the one person she trusted has just betrayed her.
Sometimes revenge is best served demon-hot... 

Review- So Japhrimel had annoyed me in the last book and he is still annoying me. But Dante told him where to put in this time so I am happier with her at the end of this one than the last. But Dante is still being very bad at relationships so she does not get a pass either. Instead of being honest with Japhrimel, she just avoids it. Until she cannot any more then she yells. I would like it better if they would just yell it out and then move on. But that is not the way that this works. It ends with a cliffhanger that, maybe, I would have found annoying if I was reading this as it came out but I am not sure. But I did not think that it was a cheap place to leave Dante. Only one more book to go then finished with this series.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money. 

A Nearly Infallible History of Christianity: Being a history of 2000 years of Saints, Sinners, Idiots, and Divinely0inspired Troublemakers

Today's post is on A Nearly Infallible History of Christianity: Being a history of 2000 years of Saints, Sinners, Idiots, and Divinely0inspired Troublemakers by Nick Page. It is 456 pages long with notes and it published by Hodder & Stoughton. The cover is like a very fancy church bill. The intended reader is someone who is interested in church history, humor, and good writing. There is no sex, no language, and lots of violence in this book.  There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Combing in-depth research, searing historical analysis, and cutting-edge guesswork, this is the complete and utter history of the Christian church- as you've never heard it before.
Was Jesus really related to half his disciples? Who invented excommunication? Where do the seven deadly sins really come from? How did the invention of trousers lead to the fall of Rome? And- how come so many Christians across the cneturies seem to have entirely miss the point?
From Abelard to Zwingli, Nick Page leaves no stone unturned to get to the (mostly) truth about the saints and sinners, holiness and heresy that pepper Christian history- not to mention several donkeys, one elephant and a prophetic goose.

Review- This was a very funny book about a very serious subject. Page goes from the beginnings of the Christian church all the way to present. He pulls no punches about all the things that the church did but with his sense of humor helps to deal with the horrors that happened. The research is solid with good notes if you want to do more yourself. The footnotes are the best and how Page tracks the organ from creation to modern day was hilarious. He gives famous people little boxes where he talks briefly about them but again his humor is all over the descriptions. The chapters are long but he does give good break in them so that it is manageable. I would like to read more by Page.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Ouran High School Host Club volume 13

Today's post is on Ouran High School Host Club volume 13 by Bisco Hatori. It is 194 pages long and it published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Haruhi looking cute on it. As it is the thirteenth in the long running series you need to have read the first twelve to understand the story.  There is no sex, no language, and no violence in this volume. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Mei, wanting Haruhi to face up to her feelings, leaves out a magazine that has a checklist for determining whether a girl is in love. As Haurhi reads through the checklist, she realizes that one host may have captured her heart without her even knowing...

Review- Lots of plot happen in this volume. Everyone now but Tamaki knows how who feels about who. In addition to the over-the-top humor, there is some serious stuff happening. It ends with a little bit of a cliffhanger but I am very interested to see how this is going to work out. Haruhi is also trying to change herself, to be more interested and involved in the world around her. She does not know what to do about her feelings but she does not feel like she 'deserves' him so she is going to change. I think that will add an interesting layer to the plot. Not much more in this wonderful series.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

The Devil's Right Hand

Today's post is on The Devil's Right Hand by Lilith Saintcrow. It is the third in her Dante Valentine series. It is 416 pages long and is published by Orbit books. The intended reader is someone who has read the first two books, likes gritty urban fantasy, and fighting. There is implied sex, language, and lots of violence in this book. The story is told from the first person perspective of Dante. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From Goodreads- Dante Valentine, Necromancer and bounty hunter, just wants to be left alone. But the Devil has other ideas.
The Prince wants Dante. And he wants her now. And Dante and her lover, Japhrimel, have no choice but to answer the Prince's summons. And to fulfill a seemingly simple task: become the Devil's Right Hand, hunt down four demons that have escaped from Hell, and earn His gratitude. It's a shame that nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Devil. Because of course, he doesn't tell Dante the whole truth: there is a rebellion brewing in Hell. And there is a good chance that Lucifer is about to be pushed off the throne.
But Dante is getting really tired of being pushed around. And this time, she might be angry enough to take on the Devil himself...

Review- So Japhrimel really annoyed me in this book. He was pushy, bitchy and all around just annoying. He gets up on his high horse and thinks that because he is a demon- or something- that he knows best. And that means that he does not have to talk to Dante about anything. But other that wanting Dante to kick Japhrimel to the curb I really liked this volume. We get to see more of the world and get a really good idea about how it works. Other non-human species are introduced and are talked about in some detail. In addition we get to see what the devil was doing with Eve from the first novel. The only problem is years have past and we do not know that at the start of the novel and have to figure it out as we go.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Ouran High School Host Club volume 12

Today's post is on Ouran High School Host Club volume 12 by Bisco Hatori. It is 179 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoya, Hunny, and Mori on it. As it is the twelfth in the long running series you need to have read the first eleven to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who has read the previous volumes, likes over-the-top stories and love stories. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this volume. The story is told from the perspectives of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Hikaru and Kaoru's fight over Haruhi is taking its toll on Hunny and Mori, who are trying to watch over the estranged twins. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Tamaki, Kyoya starts looking for Tamaki's mother in France.

Review- Hikaru and Kaoru deal with the fact that they are growing into different people. It was a good story line but Kyoya's was better. Kyoya and Tamaki have a very odd relationship but they are friends. So Kyoya wants to find Tamaki's mother and see if she is alright. He is doing this without telling anyone else because he is Kyoya. When he gets back to Japan and tells everyone about this woman he met, it was very touching. Haruhi pushes herself forward to ask about her health as Tamaki could not speak. Hearing that his mother was fine made him speechless for a few frames. This is really heartwarming for a series with so much humor.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.