The Fox's Kiss, volume 1

Today's post is on The Fox's Kiss, volume 1 by Saki Aikawa. It is 192 pages long, it is the first volume in her The Fox's Kiss series and is published by Akita Publishing Co., Ltd. The cover has the two main characters on it. The intended reader is someone who is likes shojo manga, Japanese lore and very pretty art. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this volume. The story is story from the third person close of the main female character.

From the Kindle Blurb- Koharu discovers that she now has the power to heal demons like her late grandmother did. The overly self-confident fox demon Iori takes a liking to her. The sudden kiss was a ritual of engagement?! What will happen to Koharu now that she has to live with Iori in human form...?!

Review- A very fun, pretty romance manga. I read this manga before it was licensed and I never thought that it would be brought over the US. I was very surprised and pleased to have found it on Amazon. It has some similar themes to other supernatural romance manga, like Kamisama Kiss, but I think that it is different enough to stand on its own merits. Koharu, after the death of her grandmother, can see and heal yokai. The first one she meets is a very handsome fox yokai who decides that she should be his servant. From here we have the basic story. I really like the characters, I like that Koharu is a healer, not weak but uses that to make her life easier like helping weaker yokai who then become her friends, I like the light romance, and Iori is funny. I am very excited to finally get to read the whole series.

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.

Breath, Annie, Breath

Today's post is on Breath, Annie, Breath by Miranda Kenneally. It si 320 pages long and is published by Sourcebooks. The cover has Annie on it with her back towards the reader and holding someone's hand that is off screen. The intended reader is young adult, and likes realistic love stories. There is very mild foul language, mild sexuality, and no violence in this book. The story is told from first person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The finish line is only the beginning.…
Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can't escape the guilt that if she hadn't broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.
But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she's at war with her body, her mind-and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms...and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

Review- A very moving story about love, loss, and realizing it is okay to move on with your life. Annie's boyfriend died in a car accident one year ago and she is deep into mourning. But she wants to do something to honor his life and he was training to run a marathon, so she signs up to run it for him. We get a very moving story about grief, love, and learning to live again after a horrible loss. I liked all the characters in this book, Annie was very believable with her grief, Jeremiah is so sweet and really in love with her, so he is not pushy at all. I liked how well, I felt, Annie's grief was shown. When she realizes that she likes Jeremiah, she feels that she is betraying Kyle and beats herself up over it. But she learns and grows over the course of the story and I really like who she is at the end. It is a very hopeful story about grief and I found it very moving.

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

Sweet Rein, volume 3

Today’s post is on Sweet Rein, volume 3 by Sakura Tsukuba. It is the third in her Sweet Rein series, you need to have read the two volume to understand what the plot is. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters on it looking cute and happy. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo love stories, holiday themed stories, and magical girl stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Spring is in full bloom, and the rein connecting Kurumi and Kaito has turned red. Kaito is in the midst of mating season, and all human females are susceptible to his charms. Just as Kaito  has been bewitched by her, Kurumi now finds herself bewitched by him!

Review- A cute third and final volume to a sweet series. The blurb on the back is just the first story within this volume but it is cute with Kurumi thinking about her feelings for Kaito and what is she going to do. The story ends with them delivering presents and still trying to find themselves and each other. I really enjoyed this manga. It is was sweet, it was cute, and I liked the theme of being a Santa every day to help others; add in a little love story and it is a good series. I do wonder if the manga-ka is still writing this series in Japan because of the way that the story ends and if so I hope that future volumes will come to the USA but if it really finished then that is okay too. I am very pleased with series and the ending. Cute, short, and sweet series, just perfect for the holidays.

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

Beneath the Sugar Sky

Today’s post is on Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire. It is the third book in her Wayward Children series. It is 174 pages long and is published by TOR Books. The intended reader is someone who has read the first books, and looked for their own door to fall in. There is mild foul language, talk of sex, and mild violence it this book. The story is told from third person god perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Beneath the Sugar Sky returns to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. At this magical boarding school, children who have experienced fantasy adventures are reintroduced to the "real" world.
Sumi died years before her prophesied daughter Rini could be born. Rini was born anyway, and now she’s trying to bring her mother back from a world without magic.

Review- The third novel takes place sometime after the first one with some new characters from different worlds. The action gets going very quickly unlike in Down among the Sticks and Bones with the first chapter ending as Rini falls from the sky and the plot is very fast. We get to see more of Confection and see more about the characters we have met before like Kade and we get to see Nancy again in her home this time. Confection is an interesting place that was made by the Travelers who were called there. Every Traveler, until Sumi, was building in Confection then the cycle was broken and that is why Sumi, not a builder, was called there. This is the first novel in the series that has a ticking clock with Rumi disappearing slowly over the course of the story. I love this books and I wish they were longer but this volume is another excellent addition to the series and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next volume.

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.

Sweet Rein, volume 2

Today’s post is on Sweet Rein, volume 2 by Sakura Tsukuba. It is the second in her Sweet Rein series, you need to have read the first volume to understand what the plot is. It is 208 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters on it looking cute and happy. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo love stories, holiday themed stories, and magical girl stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kurumi and Kaito have remained together for a year, but a Dark Santa appears, intent on breaking the two apart. Kurumi and Kaito's rein is severed, and the Dark Santa takes control of Kaito. Can Kurumi manage to get Kaito back, even when she's still unsure if he's truly happy as her servant?

Review- Another cute volume this series with some world building going on. The Dark Santa sub-plot is more about what happens to the reindeer if they commit a sin against their Santa. The Dark Santa wants to make sure that Kurumi really has Kaito's best interest in her heart. The rest of the volume is about Kaito's older brother finding his Santa. The last part of the volume is a short story about a boy who wants a girlfriend and how he gets one does not matter. This volume is more of the same from the first one, so if you like the first volume you will enjoy this volume. I am interesting to how this series is going to wrap up with only the one volume left.

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

Not Your Sidekick

Today's post is on Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee. It is the first in her first in her Sidekick Squad series. It is 283 pages long and  is published by Duet Publishing. The cover is orange with the main character jumping over something and a hero flying behind her. The intended reader is young adult, someone who likes superhero stories, and love stories. There is very mild foul language, kissing, and mild violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous super-villain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

Review- A very cute love story with a serious background plot. Jess is a lot of fun and I found her to be pretty relatable, she is the middle child of an extra-ordinary family with hero parents and older sister and then her younger brother is a genius. She feels left out of all that. So she decides to get an internship and she does enjoy working for her parents villains but slowly she starts to discover things about the world and herself. The love story between her and Abby is very cute with the two of them trying to express themselves but are also afraid to do so. I really enjoyed this love story. I  really enjoyed this story in total from the world to the characters to the way that young love was handled. I look forward to reading the next one in this series.

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.

Sweet Rein, volume 1

Today’s post is on Sweet Rein, volume 1 by Sakura Tsukuba. It is the first in her Sweet Rein series. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters on it looking cute and happy. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo love stories, holiday themed stories, and magical girl stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book - A magical romance from the creator of Land of the Blindfolded. 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 – This is a very cute magical girl love story with a Christmas theme. Kurumi is a girl who loves Christmas but is going to be spending it alone but then she meets a boy, Kaito, who says that she is his master and a Santa Claus. We get our story from there. It is very cute with Kurumi using her Santa powers to help not just during the Christmas season but whenever she can. The love story is in the background with Kurumi unsure if Kaito really likes her or just because she is his Santa. It does not help that Kaito thinks that they are one in the same thing. I like the characters very much, the theme is cute without being too over-the-top, and the art is good. I want Kurumi and Kaito to end up together and beat the odds as Santa and Reindeer.

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

A Girl Like You

Today’s post is on A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox. It is the first in her Henrietta and Inspector Howard series. It is 276 pages long and is published by She Writes Press. The cover has the two main characters on it looking at each other. The intended reader is someone who likes historical mysteries with a side of a love story. There is mild foul language, talk of sex, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Henrietta Von Harmon works as a 26 girl at a corner bar on Chicago’s northwest side. It’s 1935, but things still aren’t looking up since the big crash and her father’s subsequent suicide, leaving Henrietta to care for her antagonistic mother and younger siblings. Henrietta is eventually persuaded to take a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall―and just when she’s beginning to enjoy herself, the floor matron turns up dead.
When aloof Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene, Henrietta agrees to go undercover for him―and is plunged into Chicago’s grittier underworld. Meanwhile, she’s still busy playing mother hen to her younger siblings, as well as to pesky neighborhood boy Stanley, who believes himself in love with her and keeps popping up in the most unlikely places, determined to keep Henrietta safe―even from the Inspector, if need be. Despite his efforts, however, and his penchant for messing up the Inspector’s investigation, the lovely Henrietta and the impenetrable Inspector find themselves drawn to each other in most unsuitable ways.

Review- This is an interesting mystery with a love story that takes center stage towards the end. The setting is very fun with lots of little details like language and descriptions of everyday life that add to the overall ambiance. Henrietta is doing whatever jobs she can get her hands on to feed her family as her mother cannot work for many reasons. That leads her to working as a taxi dancer and from there into murder and love. The love story for most of the novel is very much in the background but at the end it takes over the story. I have mixed feelings about that. The murder mystery itself is also in the background with this being much more about the time and what Henrietta has to do to help her family and herself survive a tough world. I liked it well enough but I do not know if I will read the next one.

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.

Jell-O Girls: A Family History

Today’s post is on Jell-O Girls: A Family History by Allie Rowbottom. It is 288 pages long and is published by Little, Brown. The cover is light blue with a Jell-O mold dessert with a Barbie doll in it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in memoirs. There is foul language, sex, and mild violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book - A memoir that braids the evolution of one of America's most iconic branding campaigns with the stirring tales of the women who lived behind its façade - told by the inheritor of their stories.
In 1899, Allie Rowbottom's great-great-great-uncle bought the patent to Jell-O from its inventor for $450. The sale would turn out to be one of the most profitable business deals in American history, and the generations that followed enjoyed immense privilege - but they were also haunted by suicides, cancer, alcoholism, and mysterious ailments.
More than 100 years after that deal was struck, Allie's mother Mary was diagnosed with the same incurable cancer, a disease that had also claimed her own mother's life. Determined to combat what she had come to consider the "Jell-O curse" and her looming mortality, Mary began obsessively researching her family's past, determined to understand the origins of her illness and the impact on her life of Jell-O and the traditional American values the company championed. Before she died in 2015, Mary began to send Allie boxes of her research and notes, in the hope that her daughter might write what she could not. JELL-O GIRLS is the liberation of that story.
A gripping examination of the dark side of an iconic American product and a moving portrait of the women who lived in the shadow of its fractured fortune, JELL-O GIRLS is a family history, a feminist history, and a story of motherhood, love and loss. In crystalline prose Rowbottom considers the roots of trauma not only in her own family, but in the American psyche as well, ultimately weaving a story that is deeply personal, as well as deeply connected to the collective female experience.

Review – An interesting memoir about a family of women, their lives and some deaths. Rowbottom starts the ending of her mother’s life and retraces the steps of her grandmother, who she never knew, her mother and herself. How they lived their troubled lives and how two of them died. Rowbottom looks into the past with honestly that at times can be uncomfortable but the past is rarely nice and neat. We, the readers, are taken from into the lives of women who did not how to speak and died with words in their mouths. Rowbottom’s grandmother never wanted to be a mother but by virtue of the time she lived, she felt that she had no choice but children. Her mother was surprised by her pregnancy but she was a willing and loving mother. All three had similar problems with men and health. The memoir is well-written full of feeling but it is just about three women and their problems. It is not ground-breaking. If you enjoy family memoirs then you should give this one a look.

I give this memoir a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given this book as a gift.

Yona of the Dawn, volume 2

Today's post is on Yona of the Dawn, volume 2 by Mizuho Kusanagi. It is the second in her Yona of the Dawn series. It is 190 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Princess Yona and Hak on it as they are running. The intended reader is someone who likes epic high fantasy, shojo manga, and revenge plots. There is no foul language, no sex, but there is violence in this story. The story is told from third person close mostly of Yona but some of Hak her bodyguard. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- While on the run, Yona and Hak head to Hak's hometown, where she attempts to heal her broken heart. However, she can't rest there for long once she discovers that Su-won may soon becomes king! What will Yona choose to do in the wake of this news?

Review- This volume picks up right there the last left off. Hak and Yona get to his hometown, the Wind Village, and are taken into safety. But Su-won is moving forward with his plans to rule the nation but the Wind Village withholds their support because Hak's grandfather knows that Su-won had something to do with the murder of the previous King. Yona has to choose what she is going to do. Is she going to live a quiet life hiding in the Wind Village or is she going to try and find a priest to see what her destiny should be. I liked how much plot we get in this volume and we get to see that Hak does love Yona but she does not see it not just because of Su-won but because he is hiding it. We get action in this volume as Su-won wants Yona back and Hak dead but we do not get to see why. I cannot wait to read the next volume.

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.