Frau Faust, Vol. 5

 

Today's manga post is on Frau Faust, Vol. 5 by Kore Yamazaki. It is 192 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Faust and Mephistopheles on it. It is the fifth in the series, you need to have read the first four volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes retelling stories and clever plots. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person of the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Reunions and Departures
With the help of Marion and Nico the homunculus, Johanna reaches the great belfry where Mephistopheles' head is kept. Johanna is nearly finished with the century-long game she's played with her demonic companion, but with Johanna's body slowly shrinking away and the church stopping at nothing to prevent her unholy reunion, will she accomplish her goal before it's too late?

Review- A interesting ending for a good series. Faust does get to Mephistopheles' head before the end of the one hundred years. What they were really playing at is never explained but in the end, that is not what really matters. What really matters is how Faust lived in those years. The lives she touched, the research she helped, and the guidance she gave, in particular to Marion. I would have liked to know more about demons and what Faust was really going after but I am still satisfied with the end. 

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. 

Homicide: The Graphic Novel, Part Two

Today's nonfiction is on Homicide: The Graphic Novel, Part Two by Philippe Squarzoni (Adapter/Illustrator) and David Simon. It is 400 pages long and is published by First Second. The cover has the back of one of the detectives looking at a murder board. As it is the second volume in the series, you need have read the first volume to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes true crime and graphic novels. There is foul language, no sex, and discussion of violence in this graphic novel. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A woman is stabbed and left to die in her bedroom. A taxi cab driver is killed for a handful of jewelry. A man is gunned down over a debt of $8. As the board fills with red ink, the pressure rises. All the while, detective Pellegrini is haunted by the murder of eleven-year-old Latonya Wallace, a case that is getting colder by the day.

Review- A great conclusion. Not everything is closed at the end of the book, the Wallace case is still officially unsolved, there still is trouble with the city and higher ups but the homicide unit is still moving forward. The narrative style continues to be strongest point of the graphic. This was a fascinating way to take a nonfiction book and recreate for it for a new audience. I recommend this graphic novel highly. 

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

Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 6

Today's manga post is on Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 6 by Gyeoeul Gwon and SUOL (Artist). It is 288 pages long and is published by Ize Press. The cover has Penelope and Winter on it. As it is the sixth in the series, you need to have read the first five volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes isekai stories with dark plots. There is mild foul language, no sex, and action violence in this manga. The story closely follows Penelope. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Following the conditions of a contract between herself and Winter, Penelope is once again leaving the duchy! She joins the marquis for volunteer work in a war-stricken nation, and while their time there is hectic, the two are able to grab a moment alone at the seaside. But the couple’s peace is shattered when they learn sorcerer children have been kidnapped! In the face of Penelope’s desperation to save them, Winter’s calm approach to the situation has the duke’s daughter suspecting that everything is not as it seems...

Review- Penelope finally has something of her own to make money with and she reaches out to Winter to handle things for her. But before he is willing to do that, he wants to test Penelope. Of course, he doesn't tell her that and when the children they are with are really kidnapped by the back guys, Penelope loses what trust she had in Winter. Too bad for Winter, good for Callisto, as he saves the day and makes Penelope questions herself about him again. With her birthday getting closer and the end of hard mode, Penelope is starting to feel the pressure and Callisto doesn't understand. I love this series and I cannot wait for 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. 

Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom, Vol. 1

Today's manga post is on Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom, Vol. 1 by Yir (Original author) and Mo9Rang (Visual Art). It is 288 pages long and is published by Ize. The cover has the main characters on it. The intended reader is someone who likes comedy, family centered stories, and very slow burn romance. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the manga- Once upon a time, there was a lovely young princess who suffered under her cruel stepmother…that is, until a children’s clothing designer is reborn as the evil stepmother! All the new Queen Abigail Friedkin wants to do is dote on the adorable Princess Blanche and give her the happy childhood she deserves. The problem is, the previous Abigail has garnered a reputation for being extremely jealous and materialistic—and to top it off, her smile is the stuff of children’s nightmares! Will Abigail be able to convince her stepdaughter that she might not be so wicked after all? 

Review- Our poor main character, she has taken over the life of a selfish queen and now has to deal with her messes. The king thinks that she'll try to kill Princess Blanche, everyone around Abigail thinks she is shallow and stupid, and Abigail's memories about herself are also sad and dark. So, Abigail has so much work before her from fixing herself to protecting Blanche. This story is very funny, Abigail's faces are great but there is some darker themes likes diet culture to the trauma of sexual assault. But the characters are great with Abigail determined to protect Blanche and maybe have a happy and peaceful life. 

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

I'm Glad My Mom Died

Today's nonfiction post is on I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. It is 320 pages long and is published by Simon & Schuster. The cover is yellow with McCurdy in the center holding what looks like an urn. The intended reader is someone who likes survival memoirs. There is foul language, mild sexuality, and no violence in this book but there is childhood abuse. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the audiobook- A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.
In I’m Glad My Mom Died , Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.
Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

Review- The book opens with McCurdy and her brothers trying to wake their mother up from a coma and McCurdy being sure that she can do it with the news that she has hit her mother's weight goal for her, 89 pounds. McCurdy gives the reader a raw and heartbreaking account of a childhood with a emotional immature and abusive mother. At times hard to read, as McCurdy holds nothing back about her life and career as a child actor, her mother's dream. Her mother wanted to be an actor but didn't have the support to do it herself so she then handed that down to her children, weather they wanted it or not. McCurdy did not want to be an actor, she liked writing and it shows in this memoir. All of her life had been about making her mother happy and then her mother dies and McCurdy is lost. This memoir is not just about the abuse that McCurdy survived but also about finding her life without her mother. I recommend this memoir if you like survival memoirs but the abuse is openly talked about and McCurdy really doesn't hold anything back. 

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

A Man and His Cat, Vol. 5 Umi Sakurai

Today's manga post is on A Man and His Cat, Vol. 5 by Umi Sakurai. It is 164 pages long and is published by Square Enix manga and books. The cover has Mr. Kanda, Fukumaru and Moja on it. As it is the fifth in the series, you need to have read the first four volumes to understand the story. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this series. The intended reader is someone who loves pet and animal stories. The story is told from third person close of the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Fukumaru settles in for an evening of watching the house while Mr. Kanda is out on the town. But when he catches sight of a very familiar furry face on the other side of the window, the beloved kitty loses his cool! Upon Mr. Kanda's return home, a bewildered Fukumaru makes a decision he might furever regret! What should have been a pleasant night quickly turns into a nightmare for both the man and his cat! 

Review- Another cute and emotional volume in this series. Fukumaru sees a friend, who is scared and lost, and wants to help. But instead gets himself lost for two weeks. For two weeks Mr. Kanda searches for him and is heart rending to read. They both suffer being lonely and sad but they never give up hope to find home. Mr. Kanda is learning to lean on his friends more and that he is not alone. Poor Fukumaru has the hardest time, trying to keep up his hope of finding home. I teared up, as usual, when reading this volume. This series really understands what it is to love a pet and how painful it is to lose them, even for a moment. 

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 Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1

Today's fiction post is on The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (Artist). It is 200 pages long and is published by DC Comics. The cover has a a woman in a lake with bones floating around her and a lit house behind her. The intended reader is someone who likes horror and mystery graphic novels. There is some foul language, no sex, and some violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter—well, they know him a little, anyway. Some met him in childhood; some met him months ago. And Walter’s always been a little…off.
But after the hardest year of their lives, nobody was going to turn down Walter’s invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. It’s beautiful, it’s opulent, it’s private—so a week of putting up with Walter’s weird little schemes and nicknames in exchange for the vacation of a lifetime? Why not?
All of them were at that moment in their lives when they could feel themselves pulling away from their other friends; wouldn’t a chance to reconnect be…nice? In The Nice House on the Lake, the overriding anxieties of the 21st century get a terrifying new face—and it might just be the face of the person you once trusted most.
Collects The Nice House on the Lake #1-6.

Review- An interesting alien invasion and end of the world story. A group of friends are invited to a lake house for a week and over the week the world is destroyed by an alien invasion. Now they have to survive and rebuild humanity. The mystery of who  Walter really is and what his goals are is the main thread of the story. The group has to think and decide what to do next, now that they are alone. The characters are interesting ad their interactions with Walter are the most interesting because it gives insight into Walter and what his goals are. I'm very curious about what is going to happen and how the story is going to be wrapped up. 

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