Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 1

Today’s post is on Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 1 by Yu Tomofuji. It is 192 pages long and is published by Yen Press. The cover has the two main characters on it. There is no foul language, no sex, and very mild violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes fairy tale retellings. The story is told from third person close of Sariphi. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The ferocious King of Beasts rules over his subjects- animal and man alike- with an iron paw. In a display of domination, he demands regular offerings from the humans… but there’s something amiss with the ninety-ninth sacrifice. Unlike her predecessors, Sariphi isn’t afraid of the king! Will her insolence lead to a gruemore end… or a new beginning?

Review- A great first volume in a series. Sariphi is the newest human sacrifice, the 99th one, and she is fine dying, she doesn’t fear the beasts or their King. But the King is more complicated than anyone else knows and he is hiding a big secret. This is a great way to start a story, lots of world building, interesting characters, and a big plot that is going to be great to see unfold. I am hopeful that this will have some exploration on being you who are vs who people want you to be and of course maybe deal with mental health as our main character has some serious issues.

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.

Teeth in the Mist

Today’s post is on Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich. It is 442 pages long and is published by Little, Brown, and Company. The cover has a girl floating upside down on it looking at the reader. There is some mild foul language, mild sex and sexuality, and some violence in this novel. The intended reader is someone who likes horror novels with intricate plots. The story is told from first person and third person perspectives of the three main characters moving as the story does. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Before the birth of time, a monk uncovers the Devil's Tongue and dares to speak it. The repercussions will be felt for generations...

Sixteen-year-old photography enthusiast Zoey has been fascinated by the haunted, burnt-out ruins of Medwyn Mill House for as long as she can remember--so she and her best friend, Poulton, run away from home to explore them. But are they really alone in the house? And who will know if something goes wrong?

In 1851, seventeen-year-old Roan arrives at the Mill House as a ward--one of three, all with something to hide from their new guardian. When Roan learns that she is connected to an ancient secret, she must escape the house before she is trapped forever.

1583. Hermione, a new young bride, accompanies her husband to the wilds of North Wales where he plans to build the largest water mill and mansion in the area. But rumors of unholy rituals lead to a tragic occurrence and she will need all her strength to defeat it.

Three women, centuries apart, drawn together by one Unholy Pact. A pact made by a man who, more than a thousand years later, may still be watching....

Review- An excellent light horror novel from one of my favorites. We have a story told in three parts: Roan in 1851, Zoey from present, and Hermione from 1583. All three stories will merge into one long narrative but that is at the end of the story. All three stories are told in different ways with diary entries from Hermione, third person close of Roan, and first person from Zoey, so there is no chance that you will not know who is speaking or where in time you are. There is some body horror from Roan, as she is tortured by a witch hunter but nothing too graphic. It is milder on the horror than Kurtagich’s previous work but still an excellent novel, I enjoyed it, and I look forward to reading her next one.

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.

Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic

Today’s Nonfiction post is on Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic by Eric Eyre. It is 288 pages long including notes and is published by Scribner. The cover has a picture of a small town on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime and corruption. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- An investigation into the corporate and governmental greed that pumped millions of pain pills into small Appalachian towns, decimating communities.

Death in Mud Lick is the story of a pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia, that distributed 12 million opioid pain pills in three years to a town with a population of 382 people—and of one woman, desperate for justice, after losing her brother to overdose. Debbie Preece’s fight for accountability for her brother’s death took her well beyond the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in coal country, ultimately leading to three of the biggest drug wholesalers in the country. She was joined by a crusading lawyer and by local journalist, Eric Eyre, who uncovered a massive opioid pill-dumping scandal that shook the foundation of America’s largest drug companies—and won him a Pulitzer Prize.

Death in Mud Lick details the clandestine meetings with whistleblowers; a court fight to unseal filings that the drug distributors tried to keep hidden, a push to secure the DEA pill-shipment data, and the fallout after Eyre’s local paper, the Gazette-Mail, the smallest newspaper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, broke the story. 

Review- An interesting journalist account of an investigation into small town deaths and big time corruption. Eyre was a journalist for a local newspaper when he was contacted by a lawyer he knew about some odd deaths. In the small town of Kermit, VW there were very high numbers of overdose deaths. Through the lawyer, Eyre gets in contact with a sister of one of the overdoses. Then he starts to put together some very odd information about the drugs being shipped into the town and how much.  This was an eye opening book about corporate greed and the true human cost of it. At times while reading this book, my jaw literally dropped in shock of the number of pills in the community and the brass of the corporations in how they blamed others for their greed. If you want an intensive look into the opioid crisis in one small town, then you need to read 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. 

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 16

Today's post is on Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 16 by Mizuho Kusanagi. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Hak looking very scary. As it is the sixteenth in the series you need to have read the first fifteen volumes. There is no foul language, no sex, and some violence in this volume. The story is told from third person close of different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A large fleet of ships from South Kai heads to Sensui at drug trafficker Hyo’s behest. Will Yona and her friends be able to thwart Hyo’s nefarious plans and stop these enemy forces? And what will happen to Yona when an infuriated Hyo attacks her?

Review- The water tribe gets attacked by the noble who is feeding the drug into the area. Riri has her father’s golden seal of the tribe and with the help from the dragons they stop  the invasion. But the most important part is Hak’s rage at Su-Won and the fight that happens. We are reminded how strong Hak really is as it takes both Jaeha and Gija to stop him that allows Su-Won to escape. Hak and Yona have a heart to heart and are doing better at the end. But more serious plot stuff is going to happen with Su-Won and the tribal leaders going to war. I love this 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.

The Night Parade of 100 Demons: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel

Today’s post is on The Night Parade of 100 Demons: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel by Marie Brennan. It is 330 including notes about the demons. It is published by Aconyte Books. The cover has a silhouette of a samurai, within the silhouette there are two figures at the base and a mountain in the distance. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and some violence in this novel. You do not need to have previous knowledge of the Legend of the Five Rings setting to understand the story. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters from chapter to chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A thrilling epic fantasy adventure in the astonishing realm of Legend of the Five Rings, as two rival clans join forces to investigate a lethal supernatural mystery

Chaos has broken out in the isolated Dragon Clan settlement of Seibo Mura. During the full moon, horrifying creatures rampage through the village, unleashing havoc and death. When the Dragon samurai Agasha no Isao Ryotora is sent to investigate, he faces even greater danger than expected. To save the village, he must confront his buried past – not to mention an unexpected Phoenix Clan visitor, Asako Sekken, who has his own secrets to hide. The quest to save Sebo Mura will take the two samurai into the depths of forgotten history and the shifting terrain of the Spirit Realms… and bring them face to face with an ancient, terrifying evil.

Review- A good novel set in the Legend of the Five Rings setting. Ryotora has been sent home to discover and deal with whatever is attacking the village. Asako is trying to discover why he is being haunted by a dog spirit that will not let him sleep during the nights of the full moon. Together they discover that there is something very special about this village and it’s important to save the village. This is the second novel in the Legend of the Five Rings new novels and I did enjoy this one but I liked the Daijoji Shin novel better. The story is interesting, the characters are good, and Marie Brennan is a fantastic writer. She did research into the world and it shows in the story and well detailed it is. It is almost a horror novel with the demons and the terrorizing they do to the humans. If you are a fan of Legend of the Five Rings or just want a fun fantasy, almost novel, then I would recommend this novel.

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

Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death, and Glory in America's Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt

Today’s post is on Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death, and Glory in America's Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt by Daniel Barbarisi. It is 348 pages long including notes. The cover is a picture of the mountains north of Santa Fe. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes memoirs and adventure stories. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A full-throttle, first-person account of the treasure hunt created by eccentric millionaire art dealer—and, some would say, robber baron—Forrest Fenn that became the stuff of contemporary legend.

When Forrest Fenn was given a fatal cancer diagnosis, he came up with a bold plan: He would hide a chest full of jewels and gold in the wilderness, and publish a poem that would serve as a map leading to the treasure's secret location. But he didn't die, and after hiding the treasure in 2010, Fenn instead presided over a decade-long gold rush that saw many thousands of treasure hunters scrambling across the Rocky Mountains in pursuit of his fortune.

Daniel Barbarisi first learned of Fenn's hunt in 2017, when a friend became consumed with decoding the poem and convinced Barbarisi, a reporter, to document his search. What began as an attempt to capture the inner workings of Fenn's hunt quickly turned into a personal quest that led Barbarisi down a reckless and potentially dangerous path, one that found him embroiled in searcher conspiracies and matching wits with Fenn himself. Over the course of four chaotic years, several searchers would die, endless controversies would erupt, and one hunter would ultimately find the chest.

But the mystery didn't end there.

Review- A fascinating and well written story about an incredible treasure hunt. Barbarisi had a friend tell him about this treasure that a man in Santa Fe set up. When Forrest Fenn was given a cancer diagnosis, he decided that he was going to do something a little crazy. Over the next five years, Fenn picked things from his personal collection and made a modern day treasure chest. Then he went into the mountains north of his home in Santa Fe and hid it. Fenn created a riddle that if you applied yourself to, then you could figure out where Fenn had hidden the treasure and it would be yours. This is a very interesting story not just about Fenn but about the people who become obsessed with the hunt itself. I knew nothing about this hunt or Fenn so I was a blank slate going into this story and I was fascinated from the first page until the end. I would highly recommend this book, it is well written, the story is fascinating, and the adventure is very exciting. 

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. 

Skip Beat!, Vol. 20

Today’s post is on Skip Beat!, Vol. 20 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoko being very cute making sweets for the party. As it is the twentieth volume in the series , you need to have read the first nineteen to understand the story. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the mostly Kyoko. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- It's the season of giving in Tokyo, but Lory's granddaughter Maria is in no mood to celebrate. Kyoko, never one to sit out a challenge, finally gets Maria to admit what has her so soured on the holidays. It turns out December 24 is Maria's birthday--and the anniversary of her mother's death! Can Kyoko work a Christmas miracle and give this little girl a happy birthday?

Review- Maria, the little girl Kyoko made friends with in an earlier volume, is having a hard time as her birthday is coming. Kyoko, being the warm person she is, wants to help Maria handle her pain better. Of course there is more going on than meets the eye as it is Kyoko's birthday too. But the only one who knows is Ren and he gives her a gift. We get some character development but is more plot in this volume. It ends with a party for Kyoko starting and I hope that we see that in 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.

The Deep

Today’s post is on The Deep by Alma Katsu. It is 420 pages long and is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. The cover is blue with a giant ship on top and a woman’s torso on the  bottom rising up to the ship. The story is told from third person close of the different characters. There is mild foul language, sex, and mild violence in this novel. The intended revere is someone who likes atmospheric novels with a light haunting on the side. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.

This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner's illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers - including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher - are convinced that something sinister is going on . . . And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognizes while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not - could not - have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . .

Review- An interesting haunting novel that will leave you guessing about what is really going on. Annie Hebbley just wants to see the world and move on from her past. So she takes a job as a stewardess on the Titanic and gets involved in her passengers affairs. The story is told in two parts, one on the Titanic in 1912 and then flashing forward to 1916 on the sister ship of the Titanic, the Britannic. Annie is surprised to discover the man she had maybe an affair with from the Titanic on board having been wounded in battle. She is sure that fate has brought them back together but is it something else? This novel was a fast read for me, because I wanted to know what was really going on and of course the answer is tragic. If you liked Katsu’s other novel The Hunger, you need to know that this novel is paced differently but I enjoyed it. 

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

Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country

Today’s post is on Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country by Sierra Crane Murdoch. It is 379 pages long and is published by Random House. The cover is a picture of Lissa Yellow Bird. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime and memoirs. There is mild foul language, discussion of sex and sexuality, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- When Lissa Yellow Bird was released from prison in 2009, she found her home, the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, transformed by the Bakken oil boom. In her absence, the landscape had been altered beyond recognition, her tribal government swayed by corporate interests, and her community burdened by a surge in violence and addiction. Three years later, when Lissa learned that a young white oil worker, Kristopher "KC" Clarke, had disappeared from his reservation worksite, she became particularly concerned. No one knew where Clarke had gone, and few people were actively looking for him.

Yellow Bird traces Lissa's steps as she obsessively hunts for clues to Clarke's disappearance. She navigates two worlds--that of her own tribe, changed by its newfound wealth, and that of the non-Native oilmen, down on their luck, who have come to find work on the heels of the economic recession. Her pursuit of Clarke is also a pursuit of redemption, as Lissa atones for her own crimes and reckons with generations of trauma.

Review- This is less of a true crime book from a kind of memoir. Murdoch is a reporter and she met Lissa Yellow Bird when she was reporting on fracking on the reservations and how it was affecting the local communities. Lissa was investigating the disappearance of a young oil rig worker. Murdoch got interested in Lissa and here is our book. I was expecting more of a true crime story than I got but it was this interesting. Lissa Yellow Bird has lived a very colorful life, from a colorful family, and she is an engaging person to see the story from. Murdoch does her best to give the reader the truth without too much of her personal opinions coloring the narrative. But I think that this book would have been better if it had committed to either being a true crime or a memoir of Lissa, instead of straddling the line between the two.

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

Rasetsu, Vol. 4

Today’s post is on Rasetsu, Vol. 4 by Chika Shiomi. It is 208 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. As it is the fourth in the series you need to have read the first three volumes to understand the plot. The cover has Rasetsu in the center with Yako and Kuru behind her. The intended reader is someone who likes urban fantasy, shojo manga, and romance. There is no foul language, no sex, and very mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kuryu starts to realize that Rasetsu may have feelings for Yako--and he doesn't like it one bit. When Yako falls ill, will Kuryu help him or take this opportunity to weaken his love rival?

Review- Complications are all over this volume. Rasetsu is getting closer to the time when the demon is coming for her and we get to see him in this volume. The demon possesses one of her friends and there is nothing that stops him. Yako is getting an idea about the danger she is in. But Kuryu is getting more and more mysterious as the story goes on. He has feelings for Rasetsu but she didn’t know about them until the end of the volume. The danger feels like it is getting closer to Rasetsu but I’m wondering who is the real danger to her. I’m very curious about the story moving forward.

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.

Poison River: Legend of the Five Rings: A Daidoji Shin Myster

Today’s post is on Poison River: Legend of the Five Rings: A Daidoji Shin Mystery by Joshua Reynolds . It is  361 pages long and is published by Aconte Books. The cover is illustrated water color like drawing with Daidoji Shin and his bodyguard Kasami on it. The intended reader is someone is likes Asian inspired fantasy and murder mysteries. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this novel. The story is from third person close of the different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Daidoji Shin, unrepentant wastrel with a taste for scandal and dice, coasts through his role as Crane Clan’s trade envoy in the City of the Rich Frog. But when a case of poisoned rice threatens the brittle peace between the competing clans, the Imperial Governor drags Shin from his indolence and orders him to find the culprit. Despite himself, Shin uncovers an intriguing conspiracy involving more than just dead rats. A murder with no body and a missing actress present a distraction that could finally make Shin put in a full day’s work, and maybe even save the city from tearing itself apart.

Review- A wonderful, fun novel with a good mystery in the center. The world of the Legend of the Five Rings, is one that I am somewhat familiar with but the novels are a breath of fresh air for the setting. Daidoji Shin is of the Crane Clan but he is determined to be a shame to the family and his line. So he is living as lay-about do-nothing when he is pulled into the mess between the Lion and Unicorn clans. The city is on edge because the clans testing each other and the poisoned rice was the last straw. Shin is a fun main character, he is clever, witty, and despite himself good at this detection thing. His bodyguard, Kasami, is great. She knows that Shin could be a good Crane but his refusal to be useful in any way annoys her. Their Sherlock and Waston dynamic is so fun. The mystery was interesting and I did not understand the poisoner motives until the end. I can't wait to read the next volume in this series. 

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

Prince Freya, Vol. 1

Today’s post is on Prince Freya, Vol. 1 by Keiko Ishihara. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover shows the main character dressed as the prince. The intended reader is someone who likes historical fantasy, action, and an interesting lead character. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Freya thinks of herself as a simple village girl, but her idyllic life is shattered when she is caught up in a treacherous Sigurdian plot. She bears a striking resemblance to her country’s Prince Edvard, who lies dying from poison. Without its prince, Tyr will quickly be engulfed by violence. Now Freya must take Prince Edvard’s place and lead his valiant knights in defending the realm! 

Review- A good first volume with lots of action and surprises. Freya looks like the prince of her country and he has been poisoned. That part of the story is not explained how but I hope it will be later. So Freya has to become the prince to lead the people in war against an invading empire from the north. So in spite of how unprepared Freya is for this, she does it. Not much on plot building in this first chapter but lots of learning about the characters, who is who and what is driving them. It ends with a cliffhanger but I am interested in seeing how this story will play out. 

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