Otome Mania!! Vol. 2

Today’s post is on Otome Mania!! Vol. 2 by Yurino Tsukigase. It is 194 pages long and is published by Seven Seas. The cover has three of the male characters on it. As it is the second volume in the duology you need to have read the first volume 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 main character Yuzumi. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Yuzumi is a new planner for the game developer Trick Star. Her first app game was a minor hit! But her project is full of problems. Will Yuzumi ever conquer the otome game world? Find out in the final volume!

Review- A very cute wrap up to a cute story. Yuzumi and co make her game a success and she gets the attention of the big group that she loves and of course drama happens. But what is important in this volume is seeing Yuzumi start to believe in herself and her visions for her games. She was very fun, I liked seeing her work there her problems and come out more determined than before to make her mark on the otome industry. I wish this series was longer because I liked all the characters and it is very fun setting. If you are looking for a very cute but short series then you should give this one a try.

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 Caretakers

 

Today’s review is on The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell. It is 307 pages long and is published by Lake Union Publishing. The cover is a picture of a woman in a long coat in front of an old house that is falling apart. The intended reader is someone who likes mystery stories. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and some violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the main characters, Tessa and Kitty.  There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended.
She’s reeling with guilt, her reputation destroyed. Worse, Tessa’s mother has unexpectedly passed away, and her sister, Margot, turns on her after tensions from their past escalate. Hounded by a bullying press, Tessa needs an escape. That’s when she learns of a strange inheritance bequeathed by her mother: a derelict and isolated estate known as Fallbrook. It seems like the perfect refuge.
A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its mysteries. As the house starts revealing its dark secrets, Tessa must face her fears and right the wrongs of her past to save herself and her relationship with Margot. But nothing and no one at Fallbrook are what they seem.

Review- This was an interesting mystery but not at all what I was expecting from the blurb on the back. There are two main characters in this story Tessa and Kitty and the chapters switch from one to the other as the story progresses. There are two stories going on in this novel: Tessa’s story of dealing with being accused of releasing a murderer and the story of what happened in the past surrounding the death of their mother's birth family. The mystery is engaging but very unexpected. It is very straightforward, with the story itself, not with who the real killers are in both the past and the present. I quite like the narrative style, the characters were interesting and believably complicated, and the family relations were as difficult to manage as they would be in reality but easy for the reader to follow. If you like fairly straightforward mysteries without too much violence or gore I highly recommend The Caretakers. 

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

Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Vol. 4

Today’s post is on Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Vol. 4 by Megumi Morino. It is 192 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Shizu, Tetsu, and Chihiro on it. As it is the fourth in the series you need to have read the first three volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes supernatural manga and manga with intense plots. There is no foul language no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Tetsu. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- THE MOVING FORWARD
Shizu's grand scheme to get Tetsu to play soccer one last time was a big success, and has become a catalyst for change for everyone involved. One of the biggest changes comes from Chihiro, who works up the courage to tell Tetsu his biggest secret. Will this revelation tear the friends apart?

Review- Tetsu makes some peace with his past and the choices that he made. Tetsu and Chihiro have a heart-to-heart about their friendship and come back together. Shizu is getting more and more free and less afraid of the world around her but her father comes back in this volume and he wants to send her away. Now her mother has to make some choices. The plot is getting more and more intense as Shizu tries to take control of her future and not be in the power of those who don’t love her and will not care for her. Tetsu of course is trying to help her and he may get himself into some trouble to free Shizu. I am pulling for them both in this dangerous place they have found themselves. Only two more volumes to finish this series and I am anxious for these characters. 

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.

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre

Today’s review is on Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks. It is 286 pages long and is published by Del Rey Books. The cover is white with a red giant footprint and a human footprint inside it. The intended reader is someone who likes horror novels, monster novels, and Bigfoot. There is mild foul language, no sex, and violence in this novel. The story is from first person close of Kate, the main character, and other first hand interviews about the Rainier massacre. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier's eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now.
But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town's bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing--and too earth-shattering in its implications--to be forgotten.
In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate's extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it.
Kate's is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity's defiance in the face of a terrible predator's gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.
Yet it is also far more than that.
Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us--and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.
Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it--and like none you've ever read before. 

Review- A wonderful horror novel by Brooks, that brings Sasquatch and classic monster Killer movies into the modern-day. Brooks frames this novel as an investigation that he gets involved in when he's contacted by the main character's older brother as he continues to search for her. The story is told in first-person narrative of the journals left behind by Kate and of the interviews done by Brooks. The writing style is absolutely fantastic, The narrative is compelling, and at times the plot had me very anxious about how everything was going to turn out. Brooks managed to get around the main problem with monster attack stories, which is caring about the characters when you know they're all going to die. He does this very successfully and you care about the people who die, some more than others of course, and in the end you're left with questions and wanting to know what exactly happened up there. There is no doubt that the Bigfoot killed everyone but did they kill everyone or where enough left behind to start killing the Bigfoot? It's not clear but it is a good ending to a surprisingly well-written horror novel.

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

Backstage Prince, Vol. 1

Today’s post is on Backstage Prince, Vol. 1 by Kanoko Sakurakouji. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Ryusei and Mr. Ken on it. The intended reader is someone who likes romance manga, is interested in Kabuki, and shojo manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Akari. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Drawn into the exciting world of kabuki theatre, young Akari spends her time after school assisting the internationally famous actor, Shonosuke Ichimura. In the real world, however, this prince of kabuki is actually a high school cutie by the name of Ryusei.
Akari is totally clueless about kabuki--and boys--but she's eager to learn about both. Her first encounter with Ryusei doesn't go very well, but with the help of a cat named Mr. Ken, the two teenagers quickly become prince AND princesses of kabuki. Love was never so dramatic!

Review- A cute story about first love and kabuki theater. Akari does not know anything about kabuki but she hits Ryusei with her bag and agrees to help him until his injuries heal, she hit him really hard and bruised his ribs. Ryusei is shy but mostly just does not know how to talk to people about other things than kabuki. The reader gets some general knowledge about kabuki and I really enjoyed it. The story is very sweet, the characters are interesting and they grow, and the art is very good. It is only two volumes long and I am curious about what is going to happen.

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. 

The Cruel Prince

Today’s review is on The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. It is 370 pages long and is published by Little, Brown, and Company. The cover is white with a golden branch with a crown and a green beetle on it. The intended reader is someone who likes dark YA novels, faerie stories, and great writing. There in mild foul language, implied sex and sexuality, and voilence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the main character Jude. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

Review- Holly Black is a master of dark fairy tales and she returns to the form with Cruel Prince. We start with Jude’s earliest memory which is her mother and father being murdered by her older sister's father, who happens to be a fairy known as a redcap. We then fast forward to about 10 years later and Jude is wholly devoted to stepfather and wants to become a knight in one of the fairy courts. But then a very surprising betrayal happens in Jude is forced to reconsider what she is willing to do to make a place for herself in her adopted home. The writing as always the strong point with Black, she is a master of craft, and understands traditional Fearie tales better than most modern writers. None of the plot twists with the exception of the big one were surprising to me, but don't let that put you off, the overall story itself is absolutely fantastic. I will say that Jude is as dense as a bag of rocks, but that's because she is taking things at face value, because most of the time when dealing with a Fae she can. I'm curious about where she is going to go now that she has made the cruel Prince the King, even though he certainly did not bargain for that. If you were looking for a more traditional style of Faerie tale I highly recommend this and everything else written by Holly Black. 

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

Uzumaki: Deluxe Edition

Today’s post is on Uzumaki: Deluxe Edition by Junji Ito. It is 656 pages long and is published by Viz Media. The cover is black with two scenes from the story on the front and back in grey on it. The intended reader is someone who likes horror manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and some violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Kirie. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kurouzu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or a being but a pattern: Uzumaki, the spiral - the hypnotic secret shape of the world. This bizarre masterpiece of horror manga is now available in a single volume. Fall into a whirlpool of terror!

Review- A fantastic, incredible horror story of the most unusual type. Kurouzu-cho is a town that is cursed and haunted by not people but by a shape, the spiral. The story starts with Kirie inviting the reader to learn the story of what happened to Kurouzu-cho. Then we travel with her and her boyfriend Shuichi as the whole town is transformed by the spiral and everyone in it too. At times very disturbing but always compelling, this manga has so much going for it. Kirie is a wonderful narrator, she doesn't know how to react to what is happening around her but she tried to help others. Of course as this a horror story the end is inevitable but it is the only end that can be. Some people may find the lack of answers about the spiral frustrating but I was not bothered by this. I highly recommend this manga.

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