Jason

I don't really know what to make of Spells Trouble, which ended up reminding me a bit of Practical Magic meets Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Overall, I enjoyed the story; in particular the relationship between Hunter and Mercy, the book's protagonist twitches. Opposites in many ways and argumentative like sisters can be, but never rivals and always there for each other at a moment's notice. Of course, the book ends hinting that may not always be the case. Luckily, we need not concern ourselves with that now.

Regarding tone, Spells Trouble is a little all over the place. At times it reads very much like an angsty YA novel, at others more like a simple Middle Grade, and then it hits you with a couple of very detailed mature moments that I was not expecting and honestly took me out of the story for a moment.

While I did enjoy the story, I was also a bit disappointed because it had the potential to be great. Unfortunately, it ended up being just a 3.5 for me. It moves along nicely and is easy to follow, but it also has some cliches and uses of slurs that were completely unnecessary. And since I did listen to the audiobook, I can say that while nothing amazing, the narrator does a solid job of bringing the story and characters to life.

Will I continue with the series? I don't know. It's not a hard pass from me, and honestly, if I had read this when all the books in the series had already been released, I probably would have. But is it something worth continuing in a year or two? I guess we'll have to see how my TBR looks at that time.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

With Seven Secrets, Vol. 1, author Tom Taylor and artists Daniele Di Nicuolo & Walter Baiamonte create a fast-paced, action-packed story with a surprising amount of emotional resonance.

While I am familiar with some of Tom Taylor's other recent comics work, I purposefully went into reading this book a bit blind. I hadn't heard of Seven Secrets until I came across it on NetGalley, but with a premise involving a mysterious order protecting secrets throughout history, I was instantly intrigued.

Overall, the story in this first volume of Seven Secrets is quite simple – bad guys want the Secrets, good guys make sure that doesn't happen. Even the book's colorful art helps establish the tone as a kind of Netflix anime. As with most comic books, the first few issues are mostly exposition and backstory for world-building. That said, it's the character work that makes this book enjoyable.

Amidst all the page-turning action, Taylor is able to somehow devote space to focus on the characters, which is no easy task when there are so many to introduce. You get a sense of who these characters are, their relationships, and the strain the Order places on them – even if all that is only quickly explored due to the fast pacing of the story. Still, the characters seem well developed enough and I can only predict will become even more so in future volumes. Characters of particular interest are Canto and Sigurd.

The one major downside I have to the story is the overwhelming secretive nature of the Secrets. I know, that sounds like I'm missing the entire point, but for six issues I'm being told how these Secrets have the power to change the world, but it's hard for me to care about their protection when I have no clue what they are or even how the Order first came into possession of them. Taylor does a great job of creating a world that's familiar, yet with enough questions to keep you intrigued – for instance, we find out the Queen of England in this world is a young Black woman, and when we finally do get our first peek at one of the Secrets at the end of the book, it raises more questions than answers – but a story can't be ALL questions. At some point, I'm going to need something definitive to go on. Luckily, the questions and little hints we get are good enough to continue reading; I can however see them becoming tiresome if they continue beyond the next story arc.

All in all, a very fun & quick read and a solid four stars. I am definitely looking forward to reading Vol. 2.

Thanks to BOOM! Studios and NetGalley for allowing me to read this digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I don't have much to say in terms of an actual review other than I absolutely loved this book. It instantly grabbed my attention and never let go. I'm so glad it's just the first in a planned trilogy, but also so bummed that means I'll have to wait for more.

Five years ago, I stumbled upon a Kickstarter campaign from a small studio in México looking to create a video game. Although I'm not much of a gamer, I instantly backed the campaign for two reasons; as a Mexican-American, I wanted to see this Mexican team succeed, but perhaps even more personally, as far as my dad's side of the family can gather, our native ancestors are the Tarahumara people. So I was very excited about the prospect of seeing a game about “my” people, even if in all fairness I may not actually play it. Unfortunately, that Kickstarter campaign wasn't successful. Such a bummer.

Fast forward a few years and again, I stumble upon a small independent game called Mulaka, released on the Nintendo Switch. “Wait, wasn't that the name of that one game I backed on Kickstarter?” It was! Despite that initial failure, the small team in México was able to make their game after all! This book tells the amazing story of how.

Making Mulaka is the fun, honest, and inspiring story not only about the resiliency of Lienzo, the developers behind Mulaka, but also about the resiliency of the Tarahumara people who inspired the game. An incredible tale of staying true to your vision, never giving up, and chasing your dreams no matter how far you'll have to go.

Fun fact: while reading this book, I found out one of the game developers and I share a family name. As he and my dad's family are from the same part of México, I like to believe there's a greater than small chance we might be distant cousins :)

The Walking Dead + Black Science + Black Hammer.

That's Oblivion Song.

I had not heard anything about Kirkman's newest title until I was lucky enough to get my hands on an Advance Reader Edition TPB, featuring the first six issues. From the synopsis alone, I knew it was right up my alley, and honestly, it was as good as I'd hoped it would be.

In Oblivion Song, Kirkman creates a new sci-fi world filled of monsters that immediately sucks you into the mystery surrounding the Oblivion event. What caused it? Will it happen again? It's big science fiction, but it's really the characters that draw you in. Take the main character, Nathan Cole, for instance. He's a scientist on a very personal quest to try and rescue those stranded in Oblivion, but there's more to it than just wanting to bring back those that have been displaced. It's clear there is more to his story and you can't help but want to follow along.

Helping Kirkman bring these monsters and characters to life are Italian artists Lorenzo De Felici and Annalisa Leoni. De Felici does the linework, while Leoni does the colors. The art is beautiful while still gritty enough to meet the demands on this story.

I would highly recommend you check this one out upon its release.