The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess Vol. 2

Today's post is on The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess Vol. 2 by Akiharu Touka. It is 163 pages long and is published by Yen Press. The cover has three of the characters on it. The intended reader is someone who likes the isakai fastasy tropes and playing with them. There is mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from first person close of the main character, Konoha. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- "I'm really happy to hear the irl I like missed me."
Konoha Satou has a dark history. After all, she spent her teen years writing self-indulgent fantasy romance fics-  like her Dark History. But since she's become its most despicable villainess, remembering every last detail is not a matter of life-and -death. Having avioded the frist couple of death flags, Satou's suddenly left in the dark when a mysterious stranger returns from the Lily Kingdom- a character she doesn't recall writing in the original script. Although Yomi claims to be ally, can Satou as Iana really trust a character she knows nothing about in such a dangerous world?

Review- This is a very funny manga if you know the tropes that Touka is making fun of. From the villainess younger sister and the magical heroine, Touka pulls out all the stops and it is hilarious. SO she has moved past where the villainess sister dies, so Iana is having to try and remember every single character she wrote in the original text from when she was fourteen. It is over-the-top and so silly but also very good. Iana is doing her best and her own story is working against her. I look forward to seeing what trouble comes her way 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. 

Queen's Quality, Vol. 5

Today's manga post is on Queen's Quality, Vol. 5 by Kyousuke Motomi. It is 192 pages long and published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyutaro on it. As it is the fifth volume in the series, you need to have read the first four volume in the series, to understand the story. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes urban fantasy, magical girl, and shojo manga. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Fumi and Kyutaro delve into the depths of bug handler Ataru’s mind and try to save him, but Fumi has been given the tough task of killing the Black Queen within her! As Fumi discovers the truth about the Black Queen and gains new power, what price will she pay in return? 

Review- Fumi and Kyutaro are trying to save Ataru but Fumi needs to discover more than just what happened to him but why does she have a Black Queen. Fumi does not want to kill the Black Queen but understand her. Fumi thinks that the Black Queen is doing an important job for her and Fumi wants to know what is. Of course the people who want Fumi are using this time to try and come for her. The emotional depth in the story is getting more interesting, as Fumi learns why some people have the power to become bug handlers or cleaners. I look forward to 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.

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 6

 

Today's manga post is on Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 6 by Junko. It is 160 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Kae, Shima, and Yusuke on it. As it is the sixth volume in the series, you need to have read the first five 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 Kae. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- It's Kae, again! After the heart-stopping showdown between the Mutsumi brothers, things looked like they might finally settle down again, but a bold confession from Mutsumi-sempai spurs all the boys into action!
It's like a real life otome game as everyone tries to plan the best romantic afternoon, but it's so much pressure to choose, much less think about having a boyfriend! Especially when there are bigger problems to worry about...
Shima-chan and I are all fired up about a new anime that's perfect for us fujoshi, but we end up not seeing eye to eye! Can a friendship built on boys' love survive a vicious shipping war?!

Review- So Kae has dates with everyone who likes in this volume. Instead of  helping her make a choice, she discovers that all her friends are wonderful and would make wonderful partners. Then Kae and Shima have a fangirl off to pick which pairing is best. Kae does a lot of character growth in this volume. She is still the girlfan she always was but as she interacts with hew new friends, she is becoming more interested in the world while still maintaining her person interests. The more I read this manga, the more I like 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. 

Overdue

Today's fiction post is on Overdue by Elizabeth Spann Craig. It is 244 pages long and is was self-published by the author. As it is the second novel in the Village Library Mysteries, you need to have read the first one to know who the characters are. There is no foul language, no sex, and very mild violence in this novel. The cover has Fitz the cat on it. The intended reader is someone who likes cozy mysteries. The story is told from first person of the main character, Ann. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Carmen King is a busy woman. Not only does she sit on the library board and dabble in the Friends of the Library, but she juggles quite a few relationships at once. Apparently, this doesn’t go over well with at least one of her boyfriends—Carmen is found dead at the bottom of the library staircase.
Librarian Ann Beckett not only finds Carmen’s body, but finds herself entangled in Carmen’s mysterious death as she sets out to learn why Carmen’s death, from the killer’s perspective, was overdue.

Review- A cute second volume in a cute cozy series. The mystery is good but I guessed the killer before the end. The library setting is fun. The best thing about this volume is the character growth of the secondary characters. We get more with them than the first volume and they have started to become more than just background for Ann and the mystery. A good read and I am interesting  in reading more. 

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. 

Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 05

Today's manga post is on Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 05 by Yuu Watase. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Uruki and Takiko 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 mild action violence in this volume. The story is told from third person close of Takiko. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- In the midst of a heated battle, Takiko is transported back to her own world. There, all the problems she escaped through her father's book are waiting for her: her mother's funeral, her father's disapproval, and her reunion with Mr. Ohsugi, her first love. But with the wisdom and strength she's found as the Priestess of Genbu, Takiko knows what she has to do. And when she discovers that the wishes of the Priestess really do have power in her world, she realizes that she must find a way to return to the Universe of the Four Gods!

Review- Takiko is back in her home world but she wants to get back. She wants to finish her mission as the Priestess of Genbu and bring peace to the kingdom. Of course when she returns, she has to deal with her feelings for Uruki and his for her. They decide to put them aside until after the mission is done. They also find the next Warrior and she doesn't want to go back and help. The plot continue to move forward at a good pace and the love story is becoming more important. I look forwarding to seeing why the next Warrior doesn't want to help and what trouble is coming next. 

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. 

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives

Today's fiction post is on Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives by Adam Cesare. It is 416 pages long and is published by Harper Teen. As it is the second in the series, you need to have read the first one to understand the story. The cover is a close-up of a Frendo mask. The intended reader is someone who likes teen slasher horror movies and novels. There is foul language, mild sexual content, and lots of violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the dust jacket- After barely making it out of the Kettle Springs cornfields alive, Quinn’s first year of college back in Philadelphia should be safe and comparatively easy. All Quinn wants is to forget what happened and be normal again. But instead, Quinn finds that her past won’t leave her alone when she becomes the focus of a host of online conspiracy theories that claim to prove that the Kettle Springs Massacre never happened. It’s a deranged but relentless fantasy, and there’s nothing Quinn can do to get people to hear the truth — not even on her own campus or in her own dorm room.
So when a murderous clown attacks Quinn at a frat party while another goes after her father in Kettle Springs at the same time, Quinn realizes that that the facts alone are never going to save her. Her only option is to go back home, back into the cornfields, back to where the nightmare began, to set the record straight the only way she knows how. Because when the truth gets lost in the lies, that’s when real people start to die.

Review- Set a year after the events of the first novel, Quinn is trying to be a normal college student that's hard when not survived a night of killer clowns but are the one who stopped them. So when her friends from Kettle Springs come to visit her and they get attacked by a man with a gun, she knows that it's not over yet. The action start quickly and never lets up. We jumped from Quinn at college back to Kettle Springs and then the two stories combine. Quinn and her friends haven't forgotten what they learned in the first novel and their character growth continues in this one. Like a good horror movie sequel the stakes are higher and the betrayals are bigger. A good second volume with a interesting ending that has me anxious for the next volume and where the story is going next. 

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. 

Revolutionary Girl Utena: After the Revolution

Today's manga post is on Revolutionary Girl Utena: After the Revolution by Chiho Saitō. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. As this takes place after the end of the series, you need to have read the original Revolutionary Girl Utena series to understand the story. The cover has Utena and Anthy on it. The intended reader is someone who has the original series and wants to see what happened to the other characters. There is mild foul language, sexuality, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the different characters one per story. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Three short stories set after Utena’s revolution.
Utena has saved Anthy by defeating Akio in the final duel, but in doing so she has vanished from the world. Now the student council members at Ohtori Academy find themselves in their own revolutions.

Review- Utena and Anthy have been freed from World's End, but what about the other duelist? This volume is about what happens to them and how they find their own revolutions. Utena visits them all to help them remember what they were fighting for. The stories take place at different times, some close of the end of the manga and others more than 20 years after. World's End is still influencing the duelist but they don't know how to fight it. So Utena once again must become a prince to save them. This was a good  wrap up to the overall series and a good send off for the secondary characters. 

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.