The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World

Today’s post is on The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman. It is 306 including notes and is published by Harper Collins. The cover is red with a picture of Sally Horner on it and butterflies in white around the right edge.  The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime, the making of Lolita and Nabokov. There is some foul language, discussing of sex, sexuality, and rape, and some violence in this book.  There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: The 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.
Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigations, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.
Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and woman who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper into the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, Sarah Weinman’s thrilling, heartbreaking The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.

Review- An interesting investigation a forgotten crime and the novel that it inspired. Weinman works her way through Nabokov’s papers and the reports from police officers to uncover the truth about Sally Horner and Lolita. She includes many pages of notes to follow if you want to see everything for yourself. The story is told in alternating chapters one on Sally and where she is, the next on Nabokov and what he is working on it. Wienman gives more than just the plain story about what happened, she also gives the reader insight into the world that both Sally and Nabokov lived in with family backgrounds included. There is never a question about how horrible the experiences that Sally Horner survived and that Dolores Haze was a victim of a monster too. Weinman is a good writer, giving the reader the truth about what happened without disgusting the reader with all the details. The reader knows what happened to Sally Horner but never in detail or disrespectfully. If you are a true crime fan, then I recommend this book.

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.

Skip Beat!, vol 5

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 5 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the fifth in her long running series and you need to have read the four volumes previous to understand what is going on. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoko and Kanae on it looking tough and cool. 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 lands a regular role on a TV show...as a giant chicken. Not content to settle for poultry recognition, Kyoko tries out for a big commercial. At the audition she runs into her Love Me rival Moko, who's having rival woes of her own. With a jealous rich girl out to bring them down, can Kyoko and Moko overcome their difficulties and act as a team to trounce the competition?

Review-  So Kyoko doesn't lose her job as Bo the chicken because she was over the top with Sho but she's still trying to be taken seriously. Add in her very complicated feeling now about Ren and she's got some problems. The plot of the volume is about Kyoko and Kanae aka Moko auditioning for a commercial. But they have some hardcore competition in the form of an old rival of Moko's. The rival has money mostly and little talent but she's not Kyoko or Moko and she knows it. She's used to getting her own way with money and she for some reason has it out for Moko. That is never fully explored in this chapter but I'm okay with that. I loved seeing Kyoko and Moko interacting and just acting together. Kyoko continues to shine and I continue to love her so much. I look forward to whatever the next volume has for me. 

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.

The House With a Clock in Its Walls

Today’s post is on The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs. It is 179 pages long and is published by Puffin Books. The cover has a skull over a mausoleum and two boys standing in front of it. The intended reader is middle grade and like stories that are just a little scary. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Lewis. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Tick Tock. A Murderous Clock
When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, are both witches! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Serenna Izard. It seems that Serenna and her husband build a time-piece into the walls- a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!

Review- This is a fun story with just a little horror to make it more intense. The magic is fun and makes sense. The relationships are the heart of the story both the good and bad ones. The good ones are between Lewis, his uncle and Mrs. Zimmerman; they are a great family unit that cares about each other. The bad one is between Lewis and a boy that he wants to be friends with but the boy doesn’t really want the same. I think that it an honest portrayal of being the new kid and the popular kid that looked at you once. The scares come from Serenna and her quest to get into the house to do something to the clock. She has a few moments that are pretty intense. The clock itself is never really explained and I think that is best, let it be a mystery and why it is was built. If you have a young one who is interesting in something with a little bit of a scare then you should give this book a chance.

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. 

American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century

Today’s post is on American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan. It is 276 pages long and is published by Viking Press. The cover has at the top part of the picture of Keyes and the bottom has a picture of an open road in Alaska. The intended reader is someone who is interesting in serial killers and cold cases. There is mild foul language, descriptions of sex and sexual violence, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Most of us have never heard of Israel Keyes. But he is one of the most ambitious, meticulous serial killers of modern time. The FBI considered his behavior unprecedented. Described by a prosecutor as "a force of pure evil," he was a predator who struck all over the United States. He buried "kill kits"--cash, weapons, and body-disposal tools--in remote locations across the country and over the course of fourteen years, would fly to a city, rent a car, and drive thousands of miles in order to use his kits. He would break into a stranger's house, abduct his victims in broad daylight, and kill and dispose of them in mere hours. And then he would return home, resuming life as a quiet, reliable construction worker devoted to his only daughter.
When journalist Maureen Callahan first heard about Israel Keyes in 2012, she was captivated by how a killer of this magnitude could go undetected by law enforcement for over a decade. And so began a project that consumed her for the next several years--uncovering the true story behind how the FBI ultimately caught Israel Keyes, and trying to understand what it means for a killer like Keyes to exist. A killer who left a path of monstrous, randomly committed crimes in his wake--many of which remain unsolved to this day.
American Predator is the ambitious culmination of years of on-the-ground interviews with key figures in law enforcement and in Keyes's life, and research uncovered from classified FBI files. Callahan takes us on a journey into the chilling, nightmarish mind of a relentless killer, and the limitations of traditional law enforcement, in one of America's most isolated environments--Alaska--when faced with a killer who defies all expectation and categorization.

Review- Callahan gives the reader an in depth and terrifying account of a serial killer who was only caught by accident not the skill of the police. The story starts with the kidnapping of Samantha Koenig from her work place late at night. The police at first think that she has just run off when the money from the cash till but as the investigation goes on the local police realize that something much worse is going. From there the FBI is called in and the hunt is on for the person who took Samantha and the hope that she is still alive. The chase takes them to Texas and there is where they find Keyes with Samantha’s debit card but not her. Callahan gets her information from the investigators themselves and it gives the reader so much insight into the case and Keyes himself. An interesting case if more than a little bit scary as Keyes moved around, had no real type of victim, and was able to live a normal looking life. If you are a true crime reader then I recommend this book.

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. 

Skip Beat!, vol 4

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 4 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the fourth in her long running series and you need to have read the two volumes to understand what is going on. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoko looking a little sad with a blue stone in her hand. 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 helps LME president's granddaughter heal from a childhood tragedy, and in return she should have earned a free ride through the LME training school. But the other students throw a fit, and now she still have to pay. In order to support the high cost of the program, Kyoko gets a job as a seat filler on a TV show. But when one of the characters get sick, Kyoko has to fill in- in a chicken suit! To make matters worse, Sho is the guest star! Will Kyoko destroy her only change for revenge?

Review- We finish the previous story with Kyoko and Marie and Kyoko helps Marie see that her father is trying to get to know her. The other students are just background and we get back to Kyoko being herself. Most of the volume is her messing around with Sho and trying to ruin his show. But the most important thing in this volume is Kyoko runs into Ren and he is very different from other times she has seen him. She is dressed has a mascot for a variety show and Kyoko walks up on Ren as he is working on a script. He is confused by something in his script and is trying to understand a particular Japanese phrase and after laughing at him, Kyoko helps him. Character development taking center stage in this volume with Kyoko trying to grow and Ren becoming more than just some guy who is mean to her. In fact Ren knows that he and Kyoko has a past together. Big plot and characters continue to be the best parts of this series and I love it.

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.

The Beauty, volume 3

Today’s post is on The Beauty, volume 3 by by Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley; illustrated by Jeremy Haun, Thomas Nachlik. It is 128 pages long and is published by Image Comics. The cover has a woman with her head thrown back as she screaming or singing, it is not clear. The intended reader is someone who has the first two volumes and likes dark science fiction stories. There is foul language, sex, and violence in this comic. The story is told from third person perspective following the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From Hoopla’s item page - THE BEAUTY returns, merging characters and story-lines from earlier arcs into a twisting tale of vanity, power, and the quest to obtain both at any cost. In a world where achieving pure beauty means dying for it, the question of what life is actually worth becomes more important than ever.

Review – We are still in the past with this collection of The Beauty. We see how detectives Vaughn and Foster became partners and their first case together is on a Serial Killer who is hunting Beauties. The story is very interesting, it was nice to return to the first characters of the series and see how they met. The main arc is about the Serial Killer and stopping them but there are many sub-arcs about how people react to The Beauty. Like how many people want to get it, how Beauties are seen by the world at large, and about people who do not want the disease. The killer is sad, understandable, but still horrible in the reasoning behind the killing. The Beauty continues to be an interesting look into the questions of beauty, power, who has it, and how society treats those with it and without. I hope that we get to the future and see how the cure is working soon, I am so curious.

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

The Lazarus Files: A Cold Case Investigation

Today’s Non-fiction review is on The Lazarus Files: A Cold Case Investigation by Matthew McGough. It is 593 pages long including notes and is published by Henry Holt and Co. The cover is grey and white with pictures of Sherri Rasmussen on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in cold cases and true crime. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A deeply-reported, riveting account of a cold case murder in Los Angeles, unsolved until DNA evidence implicated a shocking suspect - a female detective within the LAPD's own ranks.
On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in the home she shared with her husband, John. The crime scene suggested a ferocious struggle, and police initially assumed it was a burglary gone awry. Before her death, Sherri had confided to her parents that an ex-girlfriend of John's, a Los Angeles police officer, had threatened her. The Rasmussens urged the LAPD to investigate the ex-girlfriend, but the original detectives only pursued burglary suspects, and the case went cold.
DNA analysis did not exist when Sherri was murdered. Decades later, a swab from a bite mark on Sherri's arm revealed her killer was in fact female, not male. A DNA match led to the arrest and conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, John's onetime girlfriend.
The Lazarus Files delivers the visceral experience of being inside a real-life murder mystery. McGough reconstructs the lives of Sherri, John and Stephanie; the love triangle that led to Sherri's murder; and the homicide investigation that followed. Was Stephanie protected by her fellow officers? What did the LAPD know, and when did they know it? Are there other LAPD cold cases with a police connection that remain unsolved?

Review- Although this is a true crime book there is no mystery as to who did the murder but how she got away with it for more than twenty years. We start with getting to know Sherri Rasmussen from girlhood into a strong woman with a caring and loving heart. We know her as a person and knowing what is going to befall her adds to the dread of the murder. Then when the case is at the very least mishandled, if not corrupted from the beginning, makes the reader feel how frustrated the family of Sherri would have been. The writing is engaging with lots of details to help the reader understand the process of investigating a murder and how complicated it is. The best part, in my opinion, is when the case files are found or returned to the police and the cold cases detectives realize what they are dealing with. It is satisfying to read about Sherri getting justice after so long. A must read for true crime and cold case fans.

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.

Skip Beat!, vol 3

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 3 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the third in her long running series and you need to have read the two volumes to understand what is going on. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoko and Maria on it looking like cool goth girls. 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 is determined to win her way into show business, even if it means wearing embarrassing bright pink overalls and putting up with spoiled stars. But her first big assignment proves more difficult than she imagined when she finds herself in front of the camera with an injured leg. Will she be able to ace her first attempt at acting despite the pain, or will she make an utter fool of herself in front of her sort-of nemesis, Ren Tsuruga?

Review- We finish the arc with Kyoko and Ruri. Kyoko has broken her foot but she pushes through the film shoot and impresses her co-workers including Ren. At least until her angry nature comes back out. But it was a success for Kyoko in general and gets her a chance to impress President Lory by helping him with his granddaughter. Love Me Section gets a new member in this volume in Kanae a.k.a. Moko. She butted heads with Kyoko in the previous volume but she failed the next round of tests and has been in placed in the Love Me Section. Kyoko is overjoyed to have a friend but Moko is not so sure. They have a cute dynamic. Kyoko is trying to make her revenge dreams a reality but she still has so far to go with herself but we get to see her do some serious acting and she rocks it. I love this series so much and I cannot wait to continue with 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.

Break My Heart 1,000 Times

Today’s post is on Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters. It is 342 pages long and is published by Hyperion. The cover is a close-up of a girl’s face with the title in red and lines counting time over her face. The intended reader is someone who likes young adult novels and horror stories. There is mild foul language, no sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Since The Even, Everyone Is Haunted…
Most days, the ghost don’t bother Veronica. Living in the aftermath of the Event means that seeing the dead is not a part of life. The again, sharing her mirror every morning with a phantom teenage boy can be too close for comfort.
But the ghost are gaining power. When Veronica and her friend Kirk investigate why, they stumble upon a sinister plot. One of Veronica’s high school teachers, August, is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter won’t return as a ghost. He believes she just needs the right body, and the more he follows Veronica, the more he knows she’s a perfect match. Even if he’s wrong, where’s the harm in creating one more ghost?

Review- I liked a lot about this book; the setting of a haunted world, the serial killer who wants his daughter back, the ghosts and the effect they have on the world even though they are not part of the world anymore. The way that the characters interact with each other and the ghosts was very interesting and I think very real. Some people are scared of them and what the ghosts could mean, others are invested in discovering why the ghosts are here, and others just think that the ghosts are now part of life. But the ending was not great. One of the ghosts, who we get his perspective, is trying to stop the killer and get revenge for his murdered girlfriend. The killer is stopped by the ghosts of the people he killed and something bad happened to him and the ghost was taken by his girlfriend into the afterlife. I was happy then the last chapter ruined it. It is implied that he comes back to Veronica in the end. I did not like that at all. But overall I really enjoyed this story with its very unusual ghost world and characters.

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

The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers

Today's post is on The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers by Bridgett M. Davis. It is 320 pages long and is published by Little, Brown, and Company. The cover is a mixture of images with a picture of Fannie Davis in the bottom left hand corner. There intended reader is someone who is interested in memoirs and African American history. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Set against the backdrop of Detroit in the 1960's and 1970's, the story of the life of a one-of-a-kind matriarch whose business in the Numbers made her daughter's dreams come true.
The World According to Fannie Davis is Bridgett Davis's unforgettable coming of age in a family with a secret. The upper middle class splendor in which she and her siblings so happily lived was made possible by her mother's business in the Numbers, the informal lottery that powered African American communities across the United States. A poignant and revealing examination of how one family lifted itself out of poverty and into a completely different life, for good and bad, The World According to Fannie Davis introduces us to an unforgettable matriarch, and her daughter, whose ways of understanding still resonate today.
Offering a daughter's perspective on her larger-than-life mother, Bridgett Davis traces her family's story as part of the Great Migration, showing how her mother and father arrived in Detroit from Tennessee carrying with them not just their own hopes but also those of their families. A child gifted with extraordinary powers of perception and understanding, Davis breaks the code of secrecy around her mother's business and in so doing reveals both her mothers' extraordinary sacrifices as well as her seemingly endless generosity. We come to understand just how keenly Fannie Davis believed in the power of money, and family, to make the world right.
Moving, suspenseful and emotionally rewarding, The World According to Fannie Davis will change the way you understand the lengths a mother will go to provide for her family, and the way those sacrifices resonate over time, offering not just a moving portrait of one American family, but also a new way of understanding Detroit.

Review- A moving memoir of a beloved mother see through the eyes of her youngest child. Bridgett Davis gives a full count of her mother's with help from other family members and gives her mother a moving tribute. I really enjoyed reading this memoir; it is full of interesting details, emotion, and compassion for the subject. Davis pours all her love and longing for her mother into this memoir. We get to see a very special time in Detroit's time before the state lottery was made legal and how Fannie Davis put food on the table and gave her children access to a better life than she had. Davis does snot hold back from her family's life and that honesty gives this memoir the freshest that makes it stand out from others in the genre. I recommend this book.

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

Skip Beat!, vol 2

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 2 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the second in her long running series and you need to have read the first volume to understand what is going on. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has 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!

After failing her audition, Kyoko has just about given up on her revenge- until Sho shows up at the gas station where she works and doesn't even recognize her! With her desire for vengeance rekindled, Kyoko goes back to the talent agency and gets assigned to the new "Love Me Section". There, she can earn points for good behavior, and if she earns enough, the agency will back her debut! The only problem is that she has to do whatever they tell her to! Will her first assignment be her last?

Review- We start with Kyoko trying to think about her life and what she wants to do now. Sho comes and doesn't recognize her and then we're back in the revenge cycle. So back she goes to LME and becomes the first member of the "Love Me Section". But Kyoko still does not understand what President Lory is trying to teach her. So she makes mistakes but I love Kyoko so much! She has guts, determination, and a drive to succeed. Her first real struggle is a spoiled pop-princess who wants to bring others down around her. She brings out Kyoko rage and then it's on between them. We see more of Ren in this volume and he is a puzzle but I'm cool with him. The humor is the same with Kyoko's over-the-top behavior, the plot is going fast with lots happening, and Kyoko continues to be her awesome self. I cannot wait to read more of her!

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.

Truth

Today's post is on Truth by Julia Karr. It is the second in her XVI trilogy. It is 299 and is published by Speak Publishing. The cover has a picture of a girl with the title over her face. The intended reader is someone who read the first novel, likes dark dystopian worlds, and strong female characters. The story is from first person close of the main character Nina. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Nina Oberon had a normal life.
That was before her normal was shattered.
Before she discovered the truth about her family...
And now that she's sixteen, she sports the same Governing Council-ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist. The one that all sixteen-year-old girls are forced to get. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey for predators.
But Nina won't be anyone's stereotype. And so when she joins up with a small force within the Resistance, she knows that they will have to put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever created.
Because the truth always comes out.
And the consequences can be deadly.

Review- This is a dark book in a dark world that sometimes feels too real to me. Nina knows too much about her world now and is terrified by it and she should be. The leaders of the Governing Council are watching her and they want her to go away. So most of the plot of this book is Nina trying to stay one step ahead of the GC and their plots. That is main thrust of the plot but we get to see how scary the world of XVI really is as Nina is one now and has to deal with it. She has some close calls with boys and men who want to rape her and she knows that she has no protection. Those moments were the most terrifying parts of the book. I'm that they are not too much of the book, just there to remind the reader, so the plot and characters were not overwhelmed by the terror of rape. We end with Nina being pulled out of the country but still no idea about any of this can be fixed. Hopefully the next book will be out soon.

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.

A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming

Today’s post is on A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming by Kerri Rawson. It is 325 with notes and is published by Nelson Books. The cover has at the top pictures of the author and her father with the bottom ¾ being a newspaper with the title as a headline. There is some foul language, no sex, and discussion of violence in this book. The story is told from the first person perspective of the author. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- What is it like to learn that your ordinary, loving father is a serial killer?
In 2005, Kerri Rawson heard a knock on the door of her apartment. When she opened it, an FBI agent informed her that her father had been arrested for murdering ten people, including two children. It was then that she learned her father was the notorious series killer known as BTK, a name he’d given himself that described the horrific way he committed his crimes: bind, torture, kill. As news of his capture spread, Wichita celebrated the end of a thirty-one-year nightmare.
For Kerri Rawson, another was just beginning. She was plunged into a black hole of horror and disbelief. The same man who had been a loving father, a devoted husband, church president, Boy Scout leader, and public servant had been using their family as a cover for his heinous crimes since before she was born. Everything she had believed about her life has been a lie.
Written with candor and extraordinary courage, A Serial Killer’s Daughter is an unflinching exploration of life with one of American’s most infamous killers and an astonishing tale of personal and spiritual transformation. For all who suffer from unhealed wounds or the crippling effects of violence, betrayal, and anger, Kerri’s Rawson’s story offers the hope of reclaiming sanity in this midst of madness, rebuilding a life in the shadow of death, and learning to forgive the unforgivable.

Review- An interesting and moving story about a woman rebuilding the life she thought she knew. Kerri Rawson was just living her life as best she could. She has had some hard knocks in life and had struggled with depression and grief. But with therapy and her faith Rawson had worked to have a life she loved. When her father was caught everything about her life and past was thrown into question. Every little detail about her father and her experiences with him suddenly become different, every time he lost his temper over little things, every time he was paranoid about locked doors, and every time he almost crossed line into abuse was now to be viewed in a different light. Rawson had to relearn herself, her family, and her father in this new light and her faith was her new guiding light. This is not a book about the BTK killer and his crimes or victims, this book is about one woman’s search for herself and making peace with the past so that she can have a present and future.

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.

Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 15: Guardian

Today's post is on Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 15: Guardian 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- Guardian of Taka's Memories
Miaka must re-enter The universe of the Four Gods and collect the seven magic stones that contain her soulmate Taka's memories... or else risk losing him forever! Taka's has always been the one who protected Miaka, so will she be able to handle this new responsibility? And there's something unsettling about the new exchange student at Miaka's high school..

Review- So much happens in this volume I hardly know where to begin. Miaka and Taka was still working on where to look next for Taka's memories and the bad guy is on the move. He has started at Miaka's school to be close her and he can control minds of others so that's fun for everyone. Yui is totally on Miaka and Taka's side and is doing everything she can to help them. Back in the The Universe of the Four Gods they are fighting with the demon god and he is slowly winning a place in palace. So much happening! In the end Taka gets another memory, Hotohori meets his son, and the bad guy is making his moves and we are getting close to the end with only three volumes left a I am very curious about how Watase is going to end it all.

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.