Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition, Vol. 1 Hiromu Arakawa

Today's post is on Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition, Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa. It is 270 pages long and is published by Viz Media. The cover has Edward Elric on it looking confident. The intended reader is someone who likes mature shonen stories, historical urban fantasy, and intense plots. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and some violence in this series. The story closely follows the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies… the legendary Philosopher’s Stone!

Review- This is one of the best selling manga of the modern day. This is the story of the Elric brothers as they try to repair their lives after making a horrible mistake as young children. It starts with the brothers traveling to a small village after hearing rumors about miracles. They uncover a priest who is using a whole town and has very grand plans for himself. After this introduction into the world and our main characters, we travel with Ed and Al until the end of the manga where things gets serious. This is a very strong first volume and the edition itself is beautiful with color inserts and color matching end pages. I would highly recommend this series. 

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. 

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 7

Today's post is on Sweat and Soap, Vol. 7 by Kintetsu Yamada. It is 208 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has the two main characters on it, Asako and Kotaro. As it is the seventh volume in the series, you need to have read the first six volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes mature manga. There is no foul language, mild sexuality, and no violence in this manga. There is story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Scents of Self
After lots of discussion and planning (and so many Post-It notes), Asako and Kotaro move in together, and a new era of their relationship dawns! But will these meticulously-laid plans stand up to the pressures and annoyances of real life? Pressures like... meeting the family? Kotaro's managed to smooth things over with Asako's family so far, but his own relatives haven't had the chance to meet Asako yet. She's excited to see how Kotaro grew into the genius scent designer he is today, but she's also apprehensive. Will she leave the right impression, or will that familiar panic overtake her once again?

Review- We get to meet Kotaro's family and see the tea farm he grew up on. His family loves her but of course Asako has to learn to express herself with new people. But Kotaro's family seems to understand her and they make her welcome. This series does so many things right from character's acting like real adults so showing Asako dealing with her anxieties. Her feelings are considered valid and matter to the people in her life. The relationship is shown to be quite realistic, with little fights and misunderstandings, but most importantly Asako and Kotaro talk it out and they find a middle ground that works for both of them. I recommend this series strongly.  

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.

Eat the Rich

Today's  post is on Eat the Rich by Sarah Gailey and Pius Bak (Illustrator). It is 128 pages long and is published by BOOM! Studios. The cover is green with the title in meat with an eye on top and a finger in the middle. The intended reader is someone who likes horror comics. There is foul language, no sex, and violence in this comic. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Joey. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- WELCOME TO CRESTFALL BLUFFS!
With law school and her whole life ahead of her, Joey plans to spend the summer with her boyfriend Astor at his seemingly perfect family home. But beneath all the affluent perfection lies a dark, deadly rot… something all the locals live in quiet fear of.
As summer lingers, Joey uncovers the macabre history of Crestfall Bluffs, and the ruthlessness and secrecy lying in wait behind the idyllic lives of the one percent. Who can Joey save? Who wants to be saved? And can she even survive to tell the tale?

Review- This is very interesting and fun horror comic series. This is the full run and a complete story, so that makes me like it more. Joey has been dating a guy from a very wealthy family and she is going to spend the summer with him and meet them. Of course there are some things that her boyfriend didn't warn her about, like eating the staff. And when you start eating people, you can never go back. It a very intense story that moves at a good pace without lingering too much on the eating part. The art is good, using a lot of bright colors at intense moments, then becoming more muted when the action is down. It helps the reader get the correct feeling for the scenes. The characters are interesting and Joey reacts in a believable way to what she sees and is asked to do. I would recommend this graphic novel with the knowledge that it is a horror story with cannibalism in it. I would like to read more from the author and artist. 

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

Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 2

Today's post is on Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 2  by Ryōsuke Takeuchi. It is 208 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. The cover has Sherlock Holmes on it. As it is the second volume in the series, you need to have read the first volume to understand the story. There is no foul language, no sex, and ,mild violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes reimaging of Sherlock Holmes and mystery plots. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- After successfully establishing a foothold in Durham and cleansing the city of some of its corruption, William James Moriarty sets his sights on London. To make headway there, he needs the aid of his brother Albert. But while on his way to London, William is kidnapped by a gang of criminals! Will Albert be able to save him in time?

Review- This volume has a lot going on from William dealing with kidnappers to bringing another corrupt nobleman down and meeting his rival Sherlock Holmes. The kidnapping plot is all planned to help get Albert into running MI6 and thus William into the heart of the government itself. The main story is dealing with nobleman, who likes to hunt and kill commoners for sport. The plot to stop him is very twisty and the reader is going to have a fun ride with it. Holmes is well done and the last chapter is following him as he meets Watson for the first time. I look forward to seeing what trouble William is going to stir up in the next volume. 

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.

Bad Cree

Today's post is on Bad Cree by Jessica Johns. It is 259 pages long and is published by Doubleday. The cover is white on top and red with trees reaching up into the sky on bottom. The intended reader is someone who likes slow burn horror and heavy topic plots. There is some foul language, no sex, and mild horror violence in this novel. The story is told from first person close of the main character, Mackenzie. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- In this gripping debut tinged with supernatural horror, a young Cree woman's dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home.
When Mackenzie wakes up with a severed crow's head in her hands, she panics. Only moments earlier she had been fending off masses of birds in a snow-covered forest. In bed, when she blinks, the head disappears.
Night after night, Mackenzie's dreams return her to a memory from before her sister Sabrina's untimely death: a weekend at the family's lakefront campsite, long obscured by a fog of guilt. But when the waking world starts closing in, too--a murder of crows stalks her every move around the city, she wakes up from a dream of drowning throwing up water, and gets threatening text messages from someone claiming to be Sabrina--Mackenzie knows this is more than she can handle alone.
Traveling north to her rural hometown in Alberta, she finds her family still steeped in the same grief that she ran away to Vancouver to escape. They welcome her back, but their shaky reunion only seems to intensify her dreams--and make them more dangerous.
What really happened that night at the lake, and what did it have to do with Sabrina's death? Only a bad Cree would put their family at risk, but what if whatever has been calling Mackenzie home was already inside?

Review- While this novel is a horror novel, the horror is very slow build. The main plot is really about Mackenzie dealing with her grief and guilt. When her sister suddenly dying, Mackenzie couldn't handle it and she  shut off everything from home. But now the past is coming for her and if she will not deal with it, the past will take all her family to. This was a really good read, interesting characters, and the horror is very slow building so when it hit the page, it is very strong. There is some body horror with the monster at the end but  it added to the over all dread and intensity. The family  dynamics are interesting and feel real, they add so much to the character development Mackenzie. This was a great debut novel and I look forward to reading what Johns writes 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.

Queen's Quality, vol 4

Today's post is in Queen's Quality, vol 4 by Kyousuke Motomi. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Fumi on it in a crown with the queen of hearts card in her hand. As it is both the fourth volume in a series and the second series following these characters, you need to have read the previous volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes urban fantasy, shojo manga, and magical girls. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Fumi and Kyutaro. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Bug handler Ataru offers Kyutaro a deal- he'll reveal everything about Fumi's past if Kyutaro will do what he asks in exchange. Although Kyutaro knows this must be a trap, he goes to see Ataru... what devastating effect will Ataru's evil plan have on Kyutaro and Fumi?

Review- This is just the start and Kyutaro is never fooled by Ataru. In fact the plan is try and clean out his heart, so that Ataru can be saved from his madness. Ataru is being controlled by the real bad guys and he does not even know Fumi, he is making Fumi take another's place in his mind. But that is also part of the bad guys plans, they want Fumi and Kyutaro to try and cleanse Ataru and that is where the volume ends. This world is very interesting and I enjoy how Motomi is revealing it to the reader. She does not overwhelm the reader will all the details and magic at once but gives the information bit by bit, so that the reader learns as Fumi does. I look forward to the next volume. 

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

Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer

Today's fiction post is on Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer by Casey Gilly and Joe Jaro (Illustrator). It is 112 pages long and is published by BOOM! Studios. The cover has Buffy with her back to the reader in a ravaged landscape. The intended reader is someone who likes Buffy the Vampire Slayer and dystopian settings. There is mild foul language, no sex, and action violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close, following Buffy mostly. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- It’s the final Slayer tale in this apocalyptic Buffy The Vampire Slayer adventure like you’ve never seen before!
On an alternate earth ravaged by climate change, vampires daywalk unimpeded under a polluted sky. But even amidst the dystopian harmony between the vampire regime and their human cattle, a hardened, 50-year-old Buffy Summers stumbles across hope in the form of a little girl that believes she is the last Slayer. A rebellion is brewing—a new Scooby gang for Buffy, led by a secret leader. Can this familiar face, along with Buffy and the rebellion, turn the tide by bringing back the sun through science… and possibly even magic?
The Multiverse explodes as writer Casey Gilly (Star Wars, My Little Pony) and artist Joe Jaro (Firefly) along with colorist Joana LaFuente (Fence) and letterer Ed Dukeshire (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) bring you a dystopian tale of Buffy Summers as you’ve never seen her before! Collects Buffy The Last Vampire Slayer #1-4.

Review- This is a great, fast-paced story starring Buffy in a new dystopian way. Vampires and other creatures of the night can now walk in the daytime because something made the sun less powerful. In addition in an act of terrorism, all other Slayers were killed, leaving Buffy the last one. She is in hiding because she is a danger the 'peace' with the creatures of the night. But fate loves Buffy and is not going to let her die quietly. I had a really good time with this graphic novel, it had everything I wanted. From good action scenes to Buffy and Spike together again and unique world to explore. The ending is good and quite final but I would like to see more and see what trouble Buffy, Spike, and the new Scoobies can get into. I would recommend this graphic novel. 

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.