Govind
This was a really fun, simple read. There isn’t much to complain about, and there is no unnecessary nudity that adds nothing to the story like the last ARC manga I read. Here, the art was great, it’s easy to read, and I loved the conversations the characters had. The characters have pretty good chemistry, and the author sprinkled in a fair share of cultural references and discussion about cars in a natural way to keep it interesting. There are surprisingly some very well done fourth wall breaks, and it was funny how the author justified a certain decision they took through that wall breaking. Overall, it is a decent book. Nothing too special, but it is not bad either.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy.
Contains spoilers
I had huge hopes for the book. It started out great, and up until the last quarter, it was going well. The author was juggling a lot of topics smoothly, until it all combined into a mess by the end. The ending ruined the novel. It took away the progress and kind of made the story feel meaningless. Even though the ending was realistic, the epilogue/last chapter’s time skip and the sudden foray into science fiction ruined the story’s groundedness, making it even more unsatisfying. I have never experienced a tone shift like that in a novel before.
The characters don't have much chemistry, but you could feel it increasing, and when it felt like it was improving, the author put a stop to it. It felt like the queer character here is used as a token. She is written as shallow and one dimensional. There isn't much character development. The other lead also isn’t properly fleshed out. Even though the author did a fair bit of research and integrated many topics well, there is a fair share of stereotypes in the book. From the stereotype of the strong, cold, career oriented woman who is depicted as not caring for her partner, to several others.
The novelist favours a traditionalist narrative. This wasn't apparent at first, but as the novel goes on, it becomes clear where the book is headed, and the story becomes predictable. Even then, I hoped the author wouldn't take the easy way out and do something creative but that wasn't the case here.
Well written literary fiction with good romance is one of my favourite genres to read and this book had the potential to become one of the best l had read all year, but ultimately, it fell short. Though there were plenty of genuinely enjoyable moments and the writing flowed well at times, I finished the book feeling disappointed.
Thank You NetGalley for the advanced review copy.
Contains spoilers
Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced review copy.
This was my first foray into horror comics/manga, and it turned out to be an interesting read. Except for one story (Family Portrait), there was a fair bit of creativity, and the shock elements went along with the story well. It’s written in a way that makes you want to keep on reading. Family Portrait was uncomfortable to read due to some forced elements. It felt tropey and shoehorned in. But the others were written better.
So overall, it was a decent read. If you aren’t put off by shock elements when they fit the narrative, it’s a book worth checking out.
Contains spoilers
This was a short, quick read. The story had a lot of promise, but it could have been much better. The relationship honestly was a bit bland, and throughout the story, the taller male lead takes most of the initiative. The smaller guy is portrayed as slightly meek and passive. The story and the chemistry feel built upon heteronormative notions. I don't really like the reinforcement of stereotypes, so that took away some of my enjoyment. That said, if you overlook those issues, it was actually an easy, wholesome read, and the artwork was good. I'm giving it 3 stars here, but it is more of a 2.5 than a 3.
Also content warning: Unlike usual romance Mangas, this book leaves nothing to the imagination and contains explicit sex scenes.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy.
The book is a quick read. It dumbs down many of the complex cyber security concepts into an accessible manner, with diagrams and charts. Anyone would get it regardless of their familiarity with the matter. I liked how the author incorporated details about Asian culture and religious harmony in a great, tasteful way, especially with the interaction between the friends.
The author gave an unnecessary backstory for a side character, I felt that could have been avoided. Coming to the story itself, it’s kind of weak. The fast pace feels alright at the start, but by the end, it feels like everything resolved too quickly. Plus, the story is too simple to be really engaging. I feel like if they raised the stakes up and the made the novel a little longer and fleshed out, it would have been much better. So overall, it falls flat and can only serve as a quick, simplified PSA about the scope of new age cyber crimes, something which is a little more for fun and warm to read than an article.
Thank you NetGalley for providing the advanced copy for review.
Murakami uses his signature writing of men and women in a slightly different direction here. Usually, the men have flawed character traits that are overlooked, and the women are written shallowly or remain impassive to the provocations of the man. Here, however, we see a slight departure from the usual, as the man’s behavior is questioned more directly than is often seen in his works.
The FMC, while still a classic Murakami character in many ways, is written with more depth, and we gain better insight into her thoughts as the story is told from her point of view. Overall, this is a good read and worth checking out if you enjoy the author's work.
As a fan of libraries and fantasy, I was excited to read this book, but the experience wasn't as great as what I hoped for. The book starts off messy, with some confusion about who the main character is.
Early on, not much happens. It’s mostly exposition and world building, but it’s not executed well, making it feel like an info dump. It only really finds its stride and picks up pace later on. But by the end, you're left wanting more.
I feel like that intruige would be over by the next volume. This is a decent start for a new series, but it doesn’t leave you feeling satisfied with just this volume.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this book.
This was a straightforward read. It wasn’t particularly angsty, and there weren't too many conflicts in the present timeline.
The artwork wasn’t particularly impressive, but the shading was visually pleasing and made things easy to follow.
The story itself was a mixed bag. Some parts were really enjoyable, but others felt kind of meh. I wasn’t fully convinced by the backstory and the eventual resolution. It felt like the past issues resolved way too easily.
Despite these flaws, it’s an okay read if you’re looking for something positive, simple and overall warm.
Received this book as an advanced review copy from Fantagraphics through NetGalley.
The book doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it was a good read. The classic feeling of impending doom when reading dystopia is there.
The flow of the book is smooth, and there is enough intrigue to keep you reading. I loved the wacky art, and the consequences of unchecked fascism are shown well. (Also, I loved that reference to a certain Jim Carrey movie I love)
If you already read a lot of dystopia, it might feel a bit uninspired. But if you are new to the genre, you’ll appreciate how accessible and easy to read it is. Overall, an easy recommendation from me.
The book is engaging from the get-go. I loved the fast pacing and the flow. The artwork is great and nice to read. But I am giving it 3 stars just because of the predictability.
Overall, it's a decent manga. While this volume doesn’t have anything that sets it apart, there is potential, and I am slightly curious to see if the next volume offers something more.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the advanced review copy.
This was a great read. I loved the interaction between the leads and how their relationship grew over time. There were some weird moments, but they didn't ruin the overall reading experience. I loved the arc and how the story progressed from start to finish. It felt like a good feel-good movie.
Overall, highly recommended by me. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy.
Contains spoilers
I loved the book. It was a great read. After the first three-quarters, I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to keep reading about the characters. This is my second Rooney after Normal People. While NP is all about feelings, there were many parts that felt unnecessary. Intermezzo is a big improvement in that regard. It felt more organized and better composed, while still maintaining that flowing prose. The only disappointing part was the ending. I expected at least one of the resolutions to be different from what we got.
If you have read any Rooney before and enjoyed it, you'll definitely enjoy this one.
Read this book as an eARC from Netgalley.
This was the first time that I read a graphic novel adaptation of Sherlock Homes. The artwork is good and they haven't modernised the dialogues. You get the same classic feel as you would from the books.
Even though I have read other Sherlock Holmes stories, this was the first time that I read 'A Study in Scarlet' in any form. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this advanced copy for review.
The book is a collection of one page, four panel comics with the theme of Earth and the environment. Along with the four panel ones, it includes several one-page or two connected pages of fully filled jokes or commentary spread throughout the book.
There are many recurring themes and similar jokes, with several comics building upon, referencing, or continuing earlier ones.
It's an easy read, but only a few of the jokes were actually funny and made me laugh. Besides the jokes, it includes some wholesome comics and a bit of sexual commentary. However, the varying mix added to a sense of messiness, even though all of it follows a common theme.
Finally the artwork is alright, and I really liked the creativity used to make it adhere to the subject. It's a great effort but overall, it falls short of what I expected going in.
I received this book as an advanced copy from NetGalley. It’s a standalone romance manga set during the Covid era, showing a relationship that blooms during the work from home phase. This is the first time I am reading a book set during Covid.
The story is told from the male protagonist’s perspective and captures his daily life and the gradual unfolding of the romance. The artwork is detailed, and their connection through shared experiences and interests is portrayed really well.
The main weaknesses are the lack of character development and the one sided storytelling . We don't get to know much about the romantic interest's life or her thoughts. I felt like this weakened the chemistry a lot. The story also speeds up near the end, slightly disrupting the flow it had from the start.
In conclusion, if you're looking for an easy but fun romance read, this manga is worth checking out.
It's not that original. Same old origin story with all the classic tropes and clichés.
There are boring parts here and there, but they're not bad enough to make us stop reading.
By the end, I actually liked the final chapter, which focused on the origin story of a side character, more than the main one.
I'm not planning to read the second volume anytime soon, but do plan to check out the first volume of the other character's standalone series.
It could have been much better. It had many threads that weren't fully developed. It touches on a variety of issues, but some of them needed to be fleshed out a bit more. Also, the friendship storyline with Rami was super frustrating to read. They are reasonable at first, but it turns sour for no reason. I know the book is written for a younger audience, but the way Rami acts is unrealistic for a friend at that age.
Overall, an alright short read. I'm giving it half a star extra because of the artwork. The art is really beautiful and makes the reading fast and pleasant.
The book is painfully slow to pick up pace. The whole first act is really shoddy. The event that starts the journey of the MC is not very plausible and could have been easily avoided.
I really can't relate to someone acting so rashly with a kid and a wife. I can never see a dad acting like that.
And then there is the MC. He is really insufferable. I don't mind morally grey characters, but this guy is straight-up unlikeable.
The writing is unnecessarily winded and could have been shortened.
If not for the ARC copy, I would have DNFed and never looked back. The slap in the face was that this is the first of six planned books.
If it were part of a series, the author could have toned the book down so much. It’s not worth the time needed to read it.
Good try as a debut. I liked the villains more than the MC, and some side characters were interesting.
When not dragged down by long-winded parts and the insufferable MC, some parts were actually good to read.
Not much else I can praise. Kind of a frustrating and disappointing read overall.
If it were a trilogy, I might have given it another try to see the ending, but for a six-book series, it really isn't good enough to make you want to pick up the next one, especially with such a terrible protagonist
I kind of enjoyed this book. While the passive voice felt a bit awkward at first, I adjusted quickly and picked up the pace.
After that it's an easy read. I didn't mind the ambiguous ending befure but over time I see why people don't like it.
One of the major gripe I had was an unnecessary character arc that could have been avoided. Another issue is the less fleshed-out, forgettable side characters.
Overall, though, it’s an alright book. It has some flaws and I have heard rooney gets repetitive. But as my first sally rooney read it was entertaining.
The novel wouldn't be there if people in it communicated better. But that aspect didn't frustrate me that much as others since I have seen conflicts due to miscommunication. So the premise didn't feel unbelievable.
I read this as a web-comic online and was immediately hooked by its incredible premise and engaging start. Netflix adapted it for a season, and they wrapped things up at a good point.
However, after that, the story gets bogged down with too many subplots, and the main plot doesn’t move forward much. I read through about half of the 520-ish chapters, and while it's entertaining, the lack of direction made it tough to keep going.
If you’re interested, I’d recommend starting with one volume. Just be aware that if you continue, you might end up hate-reading through some arcs and waiting a long time for the main plot to pick up again.
The high rating reflects the strong start and initial arcs, but overall, I’d rate it three out of five.
The plot is straightforward, and the writing is clear but not particularly remarkable.
It follows a young woman and her journey as a prostitute. It was Intresting to read how she tackled her issues and see how the story will end.
The plot is not that predictable but not innovative either. It’s a decent choice for a light, uncomplicated read.