The Westing Game

Today's post is on The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. It is 182 pages long and is published by Puffin Books. The cover is black with a house, in the center, made of money and fireworks going off behind it. The intended reader is someone who likes mysteries. The story is told from third person close of the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has a chosen a virtual stranger- and a possible murderer- to inherit his vast fortune, one things' for sure: Sam Westing may be dead.. but that won't stop him from playing one last game!

Review- This is a very slow whodunit story. Sixteen very different people are invited to come and hear Sam Westing's will and discover that they are his heirs but one of them killed Sam Westing. The plot sounds interesting but it is so slow and the characters never really seem to take off, so that I struggled to read and engage with this book. I pushed on through but I'm not sure that I really enjoyed it. I like to have strong, interesting characters but none of the characters in this book fit this. They are there and they do things like try and discover who killed Sam Westing but they are two dimensional and just a little boring. The plot has lots of twists and could be really engaging but it just falls flat because of the lack of characters. It is considered a classic so that is your thing, then give this a try but if you want a character driven Clue-esque mystery then try something else.

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

Skip Beat!, vol 1

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 1 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the first in her long running series. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover is pink with yellow flowers on the bottom and Kyoko in the center looking cute and confident. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, strong heroines, and funny revenge stories. The story is told from third person close of Kyoko the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence- she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!
Kyoko knows she's not plain and uninteresting, mno matter what Sho says. With the help of a little makeover, Kyoko's ready to exact her revenge. But first she needs to land an audition, and she sets her sights on the agency where Sho's lead rival works. Her persistence pays off, but her broken heart turns out to be a disadvantage. Kyoko has lost the will to love anybody, let alone fans she's never met. Can the agency see past this problem to Kyoko's true star potential?

Review- In this series opening we get quite a ride! Kyoko has basically run away with her childhood first love, Sho, to Tokyo because he wants to break into show business. Kyoko is working to support him as Sho works to get famous. Kyoko is sweet and loves Sho so much that when she discovers that he was just using her, she loses it. Swearing revenge Kyoko decides to become more famous than Sho but where does she start? This volume was a wild ride from thinking that Sho was hard working and okay to learning that he is a real jerk and seeing Kyoko retake her life and go in a different direction from where she ever thought she would go. I loved it and I love Kyoko, I want to see her own Sho at his own game and then some! Most of this volume is plot and character set-up with the reader learning about Kyoko, Sho, and some about Sho's rival the actor Ren Tsuruga. I am curious about where Kyoko is going to go from here and how she is going to get revenge but maybe she will get something more important, like find herself and what she wants from life.

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.

Bloodborne Issue #6

Today's post is on Bloodborne Issue #6 by Ales Kot, illustrated by Piotr Kowalski and Brad Simpson. It is 30 pages long and is published by Titan Comics. The cover has the Cleric Beast on it. The intended reader is someone who has read the first issues, likes horror and dark stories. There is no foul language, no sex, but there is violence in this issue. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

Blurb- The city of Yharnam: an ancient, gothic metropolis and home to the Healing Church. Founded by Laurence, the first vicar, the church has become renowned for its miraculous blood-based curatives, attracting the sick and afflicted to Yharnam from far and wide. However, recent days have seen the city fall foul to a nightmarish plague known as the Ashen Blood disease, the source of which remains a mystery. Hunters now stalk the streets in search of beasts as the moon hangs ominously low in Yharnam's sky, while two unlikely citizens search for answers.

Review- The story picks up right the previous volume left off with the two main characters meeting for the first time. Together they share information and decide to work together to discover what is really going on and what, if anything, they can do about it. I like seeing what happened in Yharnam before the plague destroyed everything and get to see what was done to try and stop it; which is not much. The art is solid, the story is drawing, and the characters are interesting. I am looking forward to the next volume and see what is going to happen next and how soon the end is coming.

I give this volume a Four of Five stars. I get nothing for review and I borrowed this comic from my local library's Hoopla service.

Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders

Today's post is on Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders by Billy Jensen. It is 336 pages long and is published by Source Books. The cover is blue with a road in the center like a fuzzy picture. There intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime. There is some foul language, no sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from first person perspective of the author.

From the back of the book- Have you ever wanted to solve a murder? Gather the clues the police overlooked? Put together the pieces? Identify the suspect?
Journalist Billy Jensen spent fifteen years investigating unsolved murders, fighting for the families of victims. Every story he wrote had one thing in common―they didn't have an ending. The killer was still out there.
But after the sudden death of a friend, crime writer and author of I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Michelle McNamara, Billy became fed up. Following a dark night, he came up with a plan. A plan to investigate past the point when the cops had given up. A plan to solve the murders himself.
You'll ride shotgun as Billy identifies the Halloween Mask Murderer, finds a missing girl in the California Redwoods, and investigates the only other murder in New York City on 9/11. You'll hear intimate details of the hunts for two of the most terrifying serial killers in history: his friend Michelle McNamara's pursuit of the Golden State Killer and his own quest to find the murderer of the Allenstown Four. And Billy gives you the tools―and the rules―to help solve murders yourself.
Gripping, complex, unforgettable, Chase Darkness with Me is an examination of the evil forces that walk among us, illustrating a novel way to catch those killers, and a true-crime narrative unlike any you've read before.

Review- This was a great true crime read about a man who wanted to help more people get justice for loved ones. Jensen was just a beat crime reporter when he became obsessed with unsolved crimes. Jensen takes the reader from where his interest in true crime started as a child with his father to working with Michelle McNamara and helping finish her book after her death. Jensen is a good writer with a heart in the right place when dealing with victims and their families. He had to earn the trust of the police, the families, and others in the media and he did it on their terms. H=He gives the readers that have been solved but most of the cases he writes about still need to be solved. I really enjoyed this book and if you like true crime then you should give this book a try.

I give this book a Five out Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I found this advanced reader's copy at my local library.

Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 14: Prophet

Today's post is on Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 14: Prophet by Yuu Watase. It is 183 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters on it facing facing the reader with excitement. The intended reader is someone who likes historical fantasy, high fantasy, romance, and shojo stories. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and violence in this story. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Suzaku's Prophet
The voice of the god Suzaku is invading Miaka's thoughts, and she is given a new mission: to restore the balance of power between the four gods. To do it, Miaka must defeat a new foe- a rising, monstrous power with ambitions to take over all of the universes!

Review- The second part of Fushigi Yugi picks up about six months after the ending of the first arc. Miaka has started high school and is about to turn sixteen. Tamahome is in her world and they are just as much in love. Then Miaka hears Suzaku's voice. He gives her a mission and she is very reluctant to take it. She just wants to have a normal life now and move on with her life. But a great evil that will affect all realms is trying to get free so Miaka needs to stop for many reasons including saving Tamahome. I am interested in where the story is going to now and what craziness is going to happen next.

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

Incarnate

Today's post is on Incarnate by Jodi Meadows. It is the first in her Newsoul trilogy. It is 374 pages long and is published by Katherine Tegen Books. The cover has a young woman on it with butterfly wings around her eyes. The intended reader is someone who likes YA and unusual fantasy stories. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from first person perspective of the main character Ana. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- New soul
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.
No soul
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?
Heart
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Review- An interesting start to a fantasy series. Ana is the first new soul in thousands and thousands of years. No one knows why she was born and the previous person Ciana was not reborn. Some are afraid of her, some are interested, and some just don't care. Ana, herself, just wants to understand. So we have the beginning of our story. Ana leaves the woman who gave birth to her to travel to the Heart where all the knowledge of her civilization is to try and discover what created her. There is talk of child abuse in this novel from Ana's mother Li and it is never explained why Li treated Ana like that. Li could have given Ana up to be raised by someone else but she choose instead to raise and abuse her. We see some of that. But the main part of the story is about Ana just trying to find herself and a little bit of a romance. I really like the setting and I am curious about what is going on in the tower and the god-like thing that lives in there.

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.

The Fox's Kiss volume 2

Today's post is on The Fox's Kiss volume 2 by Saki Aikawa. It is 194 pages long and is published by Akita Publishing. The cover has the two main characters on it. The intended reader is someone who has read the first volume, likes urban fantasy, and love stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main characters Koharu. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the blurb- Koharu goes to the world of the Tengu with the fox demon Iori. The king of the Tengu asks Koharu to stay for a week and act as the fiancee? for his heartless son, Jirobo and...?!

Review- We start right where we left off with Koharu and Iori are still working things out between them. But one of Koharu's friend damages a holy tree and Koharu promises to help her. Iori is not okay with that as Koharu gets involved with the Tengu and their problems. We do not get a lot of character development but we do get to see some of Iori's past when he knew Koharu's grandmother and learns some about him. I enjoyed seeing the Tengu and their home, I liked seeing Koharu start to use her powers more but we do not get much Iori in this volume and I missed him. With only one more volume I hope that we can get some closure in this story.

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.

Bloodborne volume 5

Today’s post is on Bloodborne volume 5 by by Ales Kot, illustrated by Piotr Kowalski, Brad Simpson. It is 32 pages long and published by Titan Comics. The cover has a hunter turning into a beast on it. The intended reader is a fan of the games and wants more information about the world. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this volume. The story is told from third person close of monk. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The city of Yharnam: an ancient, gothic metropolis and home to the Healing Church. Founded by Laurence, the first vicar, the church has become renowned for its miraculous blood-based curatives, attracting the sick and afflicted to Yharnham from far and wide. However, recent days have seen the city fall foul to a nightmarish plague known as the Ashen Blood disease, the source of which remains a mystery. Hunters now stalk the streets in search of beasts as the moon hangs ominously low in Yharnam's sky, while a single citizen searches for answers.

Review- This story is different from the first four volumes, instead of following hunter in more current time, the story takes place before things got out of hand in Yharnam. The Healing Church still thinks that it has control over the beasts and the old blood but doctor Alfredius and Brother Clement both think that something has gone horribly wrong. It is interesting and fun to see Yharnam before the storm with everything already too late. The doctor is trying to stop the plague before it gets too bad and the brother is trying to understand the old blood but if you have played the game then you know how it turns out. The art is excellent without being too dark see what is going on. The volume ends in a cliffhanger with the brother discovering something in the sewers and I am very curious about what he sees.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this volume from my local library’s Hoolpa service.

Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 13: Goddess

Today's post is on Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 13: Goddess by Yuu Watase. It is 183 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters on it facing facing the reader with excitement. The intended reader is someone who likes historical fantasy, high fantasy, romance, and shojo stories. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and violence in this story. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Nakago has entered the real world to collect on Yui's promise to grant him the third and final Seiryu wish. But his wish may have had the greatest consequence of all for Yui! Miaka summons Suzaku, but it is too late to protect her world and the world of the book?

Review- This is the end of the first part of Fushigi Yugi. Everything comes to a head and explodes into an unexpected ending. I did not know that Watase broke Fushigi Yugi into more than just one major plot arc. So having all the plot threads just wrapped up and done was odd. Miaka summons Suzaku and saves everyone, even though we know from the previous priestess that should not be possible as the god should devour the priestess as the ending of the summoning. So we have Miaka and Yui living their lives back in Tokyo and they are better people for their experiences but Miaka still loves Tamahome and then he finds her somehow. I am very curious about where part two is going to go from here, I just have no idea about where Watase can go and how she can make it blend with the first part of the story.

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