Sandy
If you need something quick and sweet to put you in a good mood then this miniseries would be it. Told from the point of view of, animal lover, Yuiko – Beast Master was one of those shoujo's with a unique premise but with all the familiar clichés. But before I tell you what I enjoyed about this story I must say I never would have given it a shot if didn't already love Motomi Kyoususke's current series Dengeki Daisy but because I do I did give Beast Master a try and am sorry I did not pick it up sooner.
The story begins with our heroine Yuiko trying to coax a cat to come to her, her neighbor's cat who likes to go out and because Yuiko loves animals so much she doesn't mind. Well she may not mind but the animals do. After Yuiko gets the cat in her arms and nearly crushes it with her affection he escapes up a tree after clawing her face, this is when Yuiko sees a guy in the tree. The next day Yuiko finds out the guy is a new student in her class and his name is Leo. Leo seems very serious and scary to the other students in the school but Yuiko who recognizes him as the guy who got the cat down from the tree the other day goes up to him and thanks him and we find out Leo isn't scary at all. He's actually quite adorable and sort of like an animal himself.
I loved both characters in this story, Yuiko is funny and brave despite getting herself into typical damsel in distress situations and Leo was a cross between cute and smexy but mostly just cute. I couldn't fully believe that because he grew up in the wild all his life that he would act more animal than human because he isn't Mowgli he was actually raised by his father and guardian Toka-san but I let it slide because hey this isn't a series that should be taken seriously but even if it's not to be taken seriously Beast Master could have been great if the plot was just fleshed out a bit more.
Still the story was an interesting and fun read this mangaka knows how to keep her readers laughing and awing and her males stands out in the sea of bishounen that seem to plague this genre.
This webcomic was discovered while I was browsing through wirepop.com. I kept seeing the cover image in the header or in the sidebar so I decided to click on it and see what it was about. The synopsis made it sound like a cute, fun read with some elemental magic thrown in for good measure (and romance) so I quickly dived in and finished volume one in one sitting. Note to all, if I knew I'd have to wait until next year for volume 2 I would have tried to take my time and savour this manga.
The story starts off with our main character Sandra Tansin having a dream that she's standing at the edge of a cliff and then quickly she wakes up and we know that she has had this dream before. Soon, after she wakes up, she spots her aunt spying on the neighbours and finds out there is a new boy around her age, soon after this we find out that the Sandra, despite being really cute, has low self-confidence. Now usually when an MC has low self-confidence I put my guard up because that's a signal for future “woe is me” type thoughts and no one likes being around a mopey person let alone reading about a mopey MC. I continued reading however and found out that the reason Sandra tends to keep to herself and not standout is that she's picked on at school and is called things like “weird” and “freak”, why? You don't find this out until near the end of the book where we get to see Sandra become a much stronger person.
Putting aside Sandra's social issues for the moment let's move onto the cool elemental magic. Things immediately begin to change when adorable Fred or as I like to call him Phaidros moves next door to Sandra. Not only does she discover that she can control air but that both her and Phaidros have met before, what else do we find out? Phaidros has a secret; he's on the run from something called the Hepta Sophoi or Seven Sages (as I have google translated), what is this? Who are they? I have no idea because in this first volume all we get is build-up and a surprise visit from one of the members of this...organization looking to bring Phaidros back with her and she's not too nice about it.
Action, comedy, and cute scenes - In the Air is recommended for readers who are looking for something that is both light and fun with many lovable characters. The art is very manga inspired with its sweat drops, chibis and over exaggerated expressions but Brenda Hickey's style chooses not to go down the route of large eyes and almost non-existent nose and lips. In fact, there were occasions where I thought the noses and lips were too large for my tastes but I'm not too picky that I let it bother me and neither should you.
In issue one of Pariah the first main character the reader is introduced to was Brent Marks, a vitro trying to fit in with the rest of the crowd and live a normal life at a normal school, even though he's smarter than everyone around him including his average, couch potato parents. Unfortunately for Brent after a disaster at a lab that is being dubbed a terrorist attack by a group of vitros he is suddenly labeled as dangerous and is captured in his own home by the government. Issue two of Pariah introduces the reader to Lila Ellerman, a vitro who is part of the group that is connected with the disaster that set off a deadly virus.
Unlike Brent who tried to live like an average kid and go to school with people who don't understand him Lila and her group accepted the offer given to them by Marinus Labs to go and work for them on their radical projects. This way, as Lila saw it, she got to work to her full potential and was free from persecution, and surrounded by teenagers just like her, unfortunately one day during an experiment something goes horribly wrong. A biological weapon is accidentally released but it's obvious that the weapon itself is not an accident and Lila and her group are being framed.
This issue of Pariah definitely had more action than its predecessor. Lila and the other vitros are literally being hunted down by the government and treated not like the teenagers they actually are but terrorists because the groups of forces trying to take these kids down aren't aiming to take them alive, but that doesn't mean just because they have guns they have the advantage. Lila and her group are not only genius but they are resourceful and they are not going to be taken without a fight. Sure they all have their differences and don't all see eye to eye but when they do cooperate and work together as a group they are unstoppable. Lila is just a girl with a crush on a guy hoping that he wants to be more than just friends with benefit but unfortunately for her she's also a girl who needs to lead and be strong or she's going to get herself and her friends killed.
Pariah is a smart and interesting series done in a sketchy and unique style. If you are looking for something smart with action then give this book a shot.
Picking up exactly where issue number one ends issue number two dives straight into action. After a night of some hot love making with a guy named Kyo who Eugenie had connected with earlier that night the two get a surprise visit before the night is even over. Or more specifically Eugenie gets a visit and Kyo is the unlucky one who will have to deal with the hotel room charges for damages. I doubt that was on his mind though when, to Eugenie's surprise, he swoops into protector mode and attacks the intruder who looks like a giant walking ice age and actually puts up a decent fight. Our girl Eugenie isn't one to stand on the sidelines though and it's her shaman magic that finally sends the creature back to where he came from leaving behind two very shocked and naked adults staring each other down in a hotel room.
The night ends with very little answers however as Kyo literally disappears before Eugenie could get any answers from him or send him to the underworld and our heroine feels like an idiot for getting involved with what could have possibly been one of the creatures she works every day to vanquish. And another thing to claim her thoughts is that another creature knew her true name and there is more than normal paranormal activity happening around her than she's used to.
Another great issue with a lot more action than the previous book which was shown beautifully through vivid colours and well-drawn action sequences, and a lot more development in the story as well. We got to see more of Eugenie's family life and relationships as well as learn more about what she's like beneath her hard shell and it makes her an even more a likable person then she already was. Another great thing about this issue was the revelation of Kyo being far more than human who I hope to learn more about in issues to come since we don't get to see him anymore after the first few pages.
There was a lot more narration than I would have liked but I understand that the narration was vital to telling the story and couldn't be left out and it definitely wasn't enough of an issue to stop me from wanting to read the next book.
What grabbed my attention about Wildefire was that not only was it featuring a main character of cultural background I've never seen before featured in a YA but that it was also featuring a deity other than the typical Greek. And what makes things better is that after a few chapters in Wildefire you find out that there are a whole host of other deities being featured in this book as well as a wonderful melting pot of ethnically diverse characters. And what's better than the characters being diverse is that a majority of them were very likeable and there were no stereotypes to be found. Many were funny and sarcastic while some were just frightening or outright total bad-asses. They all played off each other rather well often times clashing as much as they got along.
Ashline Wilde, our protagonist was certainly a heroine that was both take charge and outspoken. And although I like a female heroine who is confidant and can stand up for herself in the very beginning of the book I wasn't sure if I was going to like her all that much because she was aggressive to the point where it was a bit hard for me to read the scenes. Fortunately though aggression is not what Ashline is completely about and I was able to like her by the end of the story.
Wildefire starts off with Ashline basically beating up a girl her boyfriend had cheated on her with, though it was more of girl mouthing off to her and Ashline retaliating with action but things certainly don't get better when Ashline's sister Eve returns and ends with a warrant for her arrest. After a tragic night we move to a few months later and to a new setting. Ashline has transferred to a new school across the country nestled in the California Redwoods where she can get away from her past and start fresh but this is when things start becoming strange and Ashline realizes there is a lot about herself that she doesn't know.
Wildefire was a great balance of action, teenage drama, and romance. A premise that was wonderfully unique and beautifully written with smooth dialogue and colourful description. It wasn't perfect however and there was one main issue I had with the story. Near the middle we reach a point where all the characters learn of a certain turning point in each other's past and I was displeased that it was told in the second person perspective. Now this could just be my issue, I haven't heard anyone else mention it in their reviews and it didn't ruin the book for me but it did make me put it down for a while before continuing with it. Other than that though I did enjoy Wildefire very much and hope to see the few unanswered questions left in this novel to be answered in its sequel.
More on the 3.5 side but I really enjoyed it.
In the very near future (in an alternate universe) the world has gone to hell or more precisely went to hell a long time ago. The economy has collapsed, schools are held in grocery stores at night, reincarnated corpses are being used as mindless slaves, and demons from the common pee spraying, potty-mouth pest in the library to the weather controlling levitating threat on the deserted street are a very common fact of everyday life, and with demons come Demon Trappers.
Riley Blackthorne is an apprentice demon trapper trying to prove herself in a male dominated profession. Everyone seems to be against her just because she's a girl and any mistake Riley makes she's given a harder time on the account of her gender. She's not one to let that stop her from doing what she feels is her calling though and she'll do whatever it takes to prove that she's meant to be a Trapper. Its unfortunate for Riley though that what was supposed to be a very simple job goes horribly wrong and ends up involving emergency personnel, local news and her being brought in front of the Trapper Guild for trial. Lucky for her not everyone is actually against her.
Forsaken was one of those books that I had high hopes for but unfortunately left me feeling disappointed. I still enjoyed it quite a bit of course but I was hoping to love it since the world of Forsaken sounded so different from the usual paranormal YA I've read so far. The story, unfortunately, fell flat for me in both world building and characterization.
The issues I had with the world building were the inconsistencies between what I was being told and what was being shown and therefore had me asking a lot of unanswered questions. For example if cigarettes are a hundred dollars per pack how can people still afford to drive cars? If metal is so valuable that a necklace made of it is thought to be expensive why are there abandoned cars sitting collecting dust still in tact? And if a leader of your organization is pretty much hated by everyone in the organization because he's a chauvinistic, abusive alcoholic who mistreats his apprentices why does everyone still follow him?
And one big issue I had was (and this is basing off the assumption that the world of Forsaken is just like our world plus the demons and economic crisis) is why in a world where women can be soldiers, firefighters and police officers is it so hard for a girl to become apart of an organization that has been around for centuries? I understand it takes that one first person to challenge the system but why would it take so long for this to happen?
Sorry for bogging you guys down with questions but these were what had my attention after I read the book and not the plot itself which shouldn't have happened especially when it leaves you with a cliffhanger.
The characters although very different from each other and adding a nice contrast to our heroine felt like they needed something more or something less for me to really care about them. Riley was the strong independent type who dished back whatever was thrown at her most of the time but she was also judgmental, ungrateful and acted like she was better than another character who I actually liked so that annoyed me. Simon who is another trapper is your standard good Christian boy was thoughtful and kind but also quiet and well that's it. We never saw much more of Simon other than his being nice to Riley which was kind of boring. I don't need him to be a bad boy but a little more personality would help him a lot. Beck was the most interesting of the lot to me. A veteran of war and laid back jokester most of the time Beck did his best to add levity to a dangerous situation. Unfortunately for Beck though his dialogue grated on my nerves and may have been a part of his act to come across as an idiot and be underestimated but reading his lines grew tiring after a while.
I know it sounds like I didn't like this book but I really did and I am getting the sequel. Jana Oliver is a very good writer which I learned from reading Sojourn. She did a great job there in mixing scifi with historical fiction and she did a great job here in applying the demon trappers world to ours. And that aspect of the book was probably my favourite part I loved reading the details and seeing how the paranormal fit in with the normal.
So if you were interested in this book before reading my review then give it a read because what I didn't like might not bother you at all.
For the most part Witch Song was what I expected it to be – an adventure filled, coming of age, high fantasy, that pits good against the all-powerful evil, and for the most part I enjoyed this story very much up until the climax or what I thought to be the climax. It turns out that everything that was building in Witch Song, the main thing the characters were striving to defeat wasn't the main thing they should have been focusing on and when I found that out well I was disappointed. I suppose it, and I can't say what it is because it would be a major spoiler, was supposed to be a twist (and I love a good twist) but honestly I just felt underwhelmed at the revelation. It felt like the story was moving up this hill and when it reached the top there was another hill hidden behind it that we had to quickly climb again when there should have been a nice quick descent to finish the story. However, before you decide that maybe I didn't like this story after all let me talk about before that point in the arc and tell you what I did enjoy about Witch Song.
Brusenna or Senna is our sheltered main character who has lived alone with her mother in almost seclusion her entire life outside a village where mostly all of the inhabitants are prejudice against her kind, her kind being witches. She is both immature in her magic and socially - the latter isn't a surprise when we see the cruel way the villagers treat her in the first chapter. If I were treated that way just for what I was and was that outnumbered I would be afraid of people too and as for being immature in her magic that is Brusenna's mother's fault because I never understand it but in most stories parents always decide the best way to protect their children is to leave them in the dark. FYI fictional parents this plan never works because something bad always happens and the children are left defenseless! The bad is that an evil witch is taking power from all the witches and is using witch song for her own selfish ways. She is basically screwing up the climate which of course is not only affecting people but all living creatures.
Thus a quest begins because well Brusenna's mother is gone and lack of parental supervision means the kid is on her own. I like quest tales, there are little pockets of adventure sprinkled throughout the book while underneath there is still our main story – Brusenna, an untrained young witch is the last hope to save the world, and in Witch Song she comes across both friends and enemies, a hodgepodge of quirky characters who I either loved or despised while she trains for her battle against this big baddie. It was Brusenna's different interactions with new people and places that I enjoyed the most, it added a certain charm to the story but there wasn't enough of it for me to become fully immersed into the world of Witch Song. Still, the parts of the world and people I did read about were my favourites and if it wasn't for them I can't say I would have liked this story all that much. There were moments where I was laughing and moments where I actually loved genuinely loved the story I was reading but stepping back and looking at is as a whole Witch Song is a story that had great potential but didn't quite meet it.
So in conclusion, although I didn't fully love this story I am happy that I got to read Amber Argyle's writing, she obviously has a wonderful imagination and knows how to create characters so I will most definitely be checking out what she comes up with next.
Review copy provided by Rhemalda Publishing
After loving the Disney movie version for so long I finally read the original story. Not this edition in particular with illustrations but I couldn't find the one I read. Many who have read the original story that both stories are very different and they are. I loved the author's descriptions of the mermaid kingdom it was so much more beautiful than what was shown in the animated movie and the little mermaids sacrifice was much greater though she took no less time to think about the horrible consequences to her actions and although the love she had for the prince felt more realistic in the original story because she had a lot more time to actually know him I do like the prince in the movie better xD. And although I loved reading about her sisters and actually having a grandmother who told her stories (in the original version) I also like sugar happy endings (in Disney at least) and catchy songs so you can guess which one I choose in the end.
Thank-you Sea Lion Books for allowing me to read an ARC for review.
What I found appealing about Pariah the moment I found out about it was that it was a story about teens, special teens being hunted down simply because they were different. It's a story I've heard of before but in Pariah the teens don't have special powers they are simply too smart for their own good.
In this first issue we meet Brent Marks a vitro who adamantly declares that he is not a freak on the second page but at the same time he is teaching a high school class of uninterested teens that what he has designed has limitless possibilities and could make any of them millions if they took his equation to the right company. And when Brent shows his frustration with the continued indifference of his peers I can't help but be reminded of my own former teachers back in high school because that's exactly how they would have reacted. And it just solidifies the idea that Brent Marks isn't a completely normal teenager even if he has no idea what goes on inside a girl's head like every other boy his age.
What sets the story in motion is what happens a few pages later when Brent returns home to his average parents. A disaster has occurred and suddenly all vitros everywhere has been declared terrorists and Brent is suddenly in deep trouble.
A story portrayed in rough lines and watercolour like style with soft hues, the art is certainly something that will take getting used to as I've never seen anything like it before but it was still beautiful to look at and had me taking in every detail on the page.
This book was a good start to what looks like to be a very promising series, a chapter to one what lays ahead.
The story begins with our protagonist Alex getting what he wants, a weekend alone while his nagging mother, distracted father, and annoying little sister go and visit his uncle's family in Warren, Illinois. Unfortunately, Alex isn't even alone a day before the house is set on fire and he is nearly killed. What happened? Something very big and very hot had crashed through the roof of his home and into his sister's empty bedroom and as it turns out Alex's home isn't the only place on fire, there is smoke rising up throughout the entire neighborhood.
It doesn't take very long for the situation to get from bad to worse after the sky is darkened and filled with ash and Alex makes the tough decision to walk the solo journey to find his family.
Well the journey isn't easy as to be expected when there are no cars to catch a ride on because all of their engines have been ripped apart by ash, or when food runs out because there is a shortage in supplies and people start getting desperate and doing desperate things. There was no telling what would happen to Alex as he made the trip and all throughout his journey I would fill up with tension whenever he would encounter a person because there was no way to know how this person would treat him. Was he in danger or was he safe? Would they help him or would they hurt him?
The many different reactions to the natural disaster were so varied yet all possible that it was obvious that Mr. Mullin had done his research and not only in the social and economic fallout of such a scenario but in the actual cause itself and he did a great job in applying it to the story that it didn't feel at all like I was reading a text book.
But now on to why I really enjoyed reading Ashfall - the characters. Alex may have started off as a kid who liked to keep himself in his room playing World of Warcraft but he grows right before the reader's eyes becoming someone you could depend on and someone who could survive without loosing his humanity. Also, the kid had a black belt in tae kwon do. I'll refrain from squeeing and being fangirly but if your character knows any kind of martial art he is instantly cool in my eyes especially if he doesn't perceive himself as cool. Tae kwon do didn't define Alex it was just a part of who he was and it sure saved his butt on many occasions.
Darla was also another great character, we meet her along the way and she was the rational, tough love opposite to Alex's bleeding heart. Where Alex almost seemed to dig himself into a whole to help those in desperate need Darla was the level headed realist who kept things afloat. A true self-sufficient person who proves herself through her actions Darla is a person I would want on my side in any dire situation.
Anyway to wrap things up because I've talked too long, Ashfall is a well thought out speculative tale that shows the grim reality of how far people are willing to go to stay alive but it also shows the hopeful truth that despite the situation people can still choose to be kind.
Two identical twin brothers, one is a trouble maker with no plans to continue his education pass junior high; the other has a scholarship to a famous boarding school. One wishes to become a doctor and help people while the other is a demon. No really, and not just any kind of demon but the spawn of Satan himself and unfortunately for Rin, daddy is more interested in setting up room and board inside his body than taking him out for some father/son bonding time.
What makes things worst though is that the same day Rin learns all of this his last living guardian dies protecting him and now he and his brother Yukio only have each other. And Yukio has a secret of his own that is just another big shock in Rin's life.
Like all good shounen Blue Exorcist has a good balance of light humor and intense action sequences not to mention a protagonist with a goal to become something greater than who he is. In Naruto its to be Hokage, in One Piece its to be Pirate King and in Blue Exorcist its to become a strong exorcist so that no one will ever have to die trying to protect him again. This isn't going to be easy though because Rin isn't the sit down and study type and being a demon himself he has to keep what he is a secret along with hiding a tail and pointy ears.
A good start to what looks like is going to be a promising series if it continues with the world building and building on the relationship between Rin and Yukio.
The ARC was provided by the publishers Sea Lion Books. Thank-you very much for requesting a review.
I have to say I have not read much comic books (in fact I think this is my second one) and after my experience with the first one I read I was worried that I would not enjoy the very little amount of pages I get with one issue. With graphic novels and manga you get at least 100 pages. I was worried that the story would feel rushed or lacking development but I am relieved to say that that never happened here.
Dark Swan starts us off with our protagonist in the middle of exorcising a death spirit from a shoe and although she gets tossed around a bit our heroine gets the job done with the calm and ease of a person who has done this sort of thing for awhile. And right before this job is even done Eugenie has another job offer, something for more dangerous than banishing a dark looming Keres. A job that would require her to cross into the Otherworld physically to rescue a kidnapped girl from faeries or as the tricky folk prefers to be called - Gentry.
I haven't read the Storm Born novels yet which wasn't a problem at all because there didn't feel like there was anything important missing that I needed to know, the pacing was perfect and I enjoyed the casual revelations of Eugenie's life. She enjoys puzzles in her downtime, she has a roommate who gets himself laid with faux Native American poetry and she isn't the only shaman in the family.
Eugenie's also not the cold, calculating person she pretends to be. She may be able to kick ass and say she isn't going to risk getting herself killed by saving a girl she's never met but that doesn't stop her from mulling it over and seriously consider the idea of potentially falling into what looks like a trap.
The art is also something I really enjoyed, facial expression and emotion were portrayed very well and objects (like Eugenie's tattoos) were detailed enough to show that the original novel was given proper attention without distracting the reader from the story itself.
A great start to the story, if you enjoy your heroines tough but still feminine and your stories with magic and action then pick up Dark Swan on Wednesday when it comes out. We can all then whine over the cliffhanger together.
review copy provided by author
It is the year 2014 and what is left of the world are the effects of an event that took place two years before. In our near future five meteors have fallen to earth and from them has sprouted a new life form – Cornucopia Blue. Vegetation with roots and fruits whose colours range from blue to violet grew out of the meteors and without hesitation quickly and silently flourished. Henry, an employee at a nursing home, received a warning three days before the rest of the world and with this warning had to quickly decide who he was going to save and who he was going to leave behind.
Now Henry is pretty much your everyday average guy and when I say that I don't mean like in some movies where the protagonist comes off as a normal guy but actually has a past where he used to be in the Navy Seals or CIA. No, he really is normal, no special training, and no time in his past where he was a total badass. Nothing in his life that would perfectly prepare him for the end of the world he knows. And I think that's what made him such a believable and life like character. Actually all the characters in this novel could have been anyone passing you on the street, but now their life isn't normal and they have to adapt to this new way of life, fight it, or die.
Cornucopia Blue is like an incurable sickness inflicting the very Earth itself. You can try to destroy it through fire bombing or even nuclear attack but the effects are only temporary because even though lives are lost the Cornucopia Blue still thrives and from it sprouts new life that does whatever it can to live.
The timeline shifts back and forth between the year 2014 and 2012 - when the meteors first fell. In the present we have Henry travelling with the last two survivors of his original twenty-two companions searching for a place that still resembles old Earth and in the past we see the original twenty-two and find out what happened to them. The transitions are done well and carry the story along at a smooth pace, and as the story progressed I would start to dread reading about the past events because part of me didn't want to know what had happened to the other survivors to cause them to no longer be with our three-man group. There were times when I would even pause to do something else because I did not want to find out but I couldn't stay away for long. I needed to know how it ended.
Luminous and Ominous is definitely a story that makes you think, the Cornucopia Blue wasn't a cataclysmic even that destroyed the world but is a much more beautiful replacement. The colours of the vegetation leave the characters staring in awe; the ripe fruits change you when you eat them but seem to cause no harm and everything just seems to be much more vivid. Could you imagine watching the world from space, a ball of indigo and violet glowing in the dark vacuum? It makes you wonder if the change really is a horrible thing or would it be better to just accept what has happened? And is accepting this change giving up or is it a step towards survival?
Despite the great story however there were some things that could have made it better. The writing could have benefitted from some more editing when it came to exclamation abuse and some dialogue that at times didn't fit with the rest of the story, but other than that this was a great read that had me thinking about it for days after I finished it.
Considering the things I have heard about James Patterson books I have never been interested enough to read any novel by him. Not even the original novel from which this manga is adapted from but from the moment I found out on Svetlana Chmakova's livejournal that she would be doing the artwork for the adaptation I was on board.
First of all to get my fangirling out of the way I will comment on the artwork. I loved it (points to cover). Svetlana does a great job of portraying different emotions through facial expressions and displaying action sequences without smothering the page in too much detail. And her character designs within a story are always unique enough that you won't mix anyone up or mistake a guy for a girl (I'm talking about you Japanese creators). However, if you compared a few characters in this book to characters in her other series you might be like me and go “hey _ looks like ___ from __” but that has been my experience with other mangakas as well so I wasn't bothered by this just making an observation.
The story, it has a lot of potential and I am still interested to find out what happens in volume two but honestly volume one was sort of a mess. Despite actually being around sixty-six pages longer than the standard manga volume Witch & Wizard: The Manga vol. 1 felt both rushed in story line and lacking in background information. The story starts off at some point in the future where the main characters along with their parents are on a platform in the middle of a packed stadium about to be executed, after this we jump to the past to find out how they all came to be in that situation. In the middle of the night while everyone is asleep both Wit and Whisty are taken from their home under the charge of being a witch and wizard and they are each allowed to take with them one item, their mother hands Whisty a drumstick while their dad gives Wit a blank book. Now from this moment it's obvious to the reader that the parents know more than they are letting on and that Wit and Whisty know absolutely nothing about being “special”. They aren't the only ones however to be charged for their “crimes” because when they get carted off to prison (which is an abandoned mental ward) they are surrounded by hundreds of other children their age.
Witch and Wizard was an action-centric story lead by two fairly interesting young characters, both Wit and Whisty despite being forcibly removed from their homes, imprisoned in a rundown building, forced to undergo testing, and over the top punishments under the supervision of cruel child-hating warden take all their hardships in stride. They rarely fail to crack a joke and never break out into hysterics, which would have been my reaction. I had first assumed since the new Government regime was so openly anti-magic and the public was jumping on board no hesitation that in the alternate universe, knowledge about magic was the norm and everyone was in the know but that really isn't the case, magic is as new to Wit and Whisty as it is to everyone else but everyone else' reaction wasn't what I was expecting. No one was questioning it, acting skeptical and there were a lot of knowledgeable people in this world which made me think background information on both the new government and the world of Witch and Wizard would have left me feeling less confused.
It would have also helped if the entire first novel hadn't been packed into this one volume because so much had happened that there was barely any time to take a break and digest all that was going on. There was barely any character development for anyone and so currently I don't really care what happens to anyone at this point. Hopefully this will change in volume two.
You can see from the summary that Goong answers the “What If” question. What if Korea still had a monarchy and the prince heir to the throne attended a regular high school. Not the high school persons of his status attend filled with rich kids and kids that belong to important dignitaries but a regular high school filled with normal students. What If the prince had to choose a bride or be stuck with whoever his parents choose and what if who his parents choose think he's a total jerk and he thinks she's weird and irritating? What if they have to get married very, very soon because Korean monarch's marry young? A lot of shojo drama that's what but a lot of shojo humour too.
Our leading lady is Che-Kyung a headstrong girl who is very spirited and adorably cute a lot of the time. She is also the granddaughter of the deceased King's best friend and is betrothed to the prince heir because of a promise long ago the king and her grandfather made to each other.
Lee Shin is the prince heir and seems to be a bit of a jerk, meaning he's brash, not very compassionate and is at time rude to our leading lady. Lee Shin however is just as surprised as Che-Kyung to find that he is arranged to marry her and he didn't get much of a heads up when his parents told him he was going to get married.
And that's the main thing that bothered me. This arrangement had been thought up when both Shin and Che-Kyung were just little kids. The royal family knew who Che-Kyung was and had arranged for Lee Shin to attend the same school as her in hopes that they would meet but nothing more direct was ever done. I could think of a lot of better ways that this scenario could have been that would have saved a lot of shock and confusion but despite that little problem I did enjoy seeing a manga (or manwha) character actually interact with her family.
I enjoyed the relationship between Che-Kyung and her mom, it wasn't perfect but it was very realistic as well as her relationship with her brother. Lee Shin's cousin (the former prince heir)also returns home to Korea after being away almost his whole life and I like the brotherly dynamics that seem to be playing between the two of them but I can already see the seeds of love triangle being planted in this first volume.
The art is also very lovely especially the detailing in the royal ornamental outfits and the design of the palace. The mains boys I have to say are a bit too beautiful for my taste and could easily be female characters but I'll let that slide since their princes ;).
Its a good starts to the series, lots has happened and lots more will considering there will be 20+ volumes in this series and I am looking forward to more shojo cuteness that I can vicariously live through.
I am a somewhat new comer to the Vampire Academy fandom; I picked up the first book in January this year and quickly finished the series in July. I loved the first book, I found it fun, enjoyed the action and Rose's sassy, “take no prisoners” attitude and thought Richelle Mead's world of moroi, dhampir and strigoi to be an interesting addition to the vampire genre. That being said although my love for the series went up or down depending on which book I was reading as a long fan of graphic novels I was looking forward to reading this adaptation and seeing how all the characters looked as well as the action scenes.
It was disappointing to say the least; in short the adaption from novel to graphic novel was not a smooth one. As a fan I don't know how obvious the issues I spotted are to someone who hasn't read the book but to me I found the plot to be rushed and the transitions choppy. There was little to no character and plot development and therefore this book had the unfortunate impression of an elephant trying to fit into a Fiat. The only good things was that the art looks a lot better in person than it does on screen and I liked most of the artist's interpretation of the characters. The action scenes however could have fared better with more use of panels because at times it felt as if I was skipping over point “B” when moving from “A” to “C”.
In conclusion, despite my lack of enthusiasm for this book I will be giving the instalment for Frost Bite a read because considering how cute Christian turned out I want to see Adrian and Frost Bite was one of my favourite books in the series. Hopefully we'll actually get some character development so I can stat caring for the characters again.
Chosen as the April book for my friend's and my two person book club The Unwritten Rule was a simple story. The main character Sara has liked Ryan ever since the eighth grade but Ryan is dating Sara's best friend Brianna and has been for almost two months. However, now it turns out Ryan likes Sara and he liked her before he and Brianna had started dating. Sara of course doesn't know this until one night in Ryan's car when he kisses her. Then of course her heart and mind are torn for the majority of the book. Sara's been put in an awful position, she really likes Ryan but Brianna has been her best friend forever and although Sara liked Ryan first Brianna went after him and got him, besides she didn't know Sara had feelings for Ryan so Sara can't really hate her can she? Read More
Fables tells the story of what happens to the famous fairy tale characters we've read about in books and watched in movies after the happily ever after. They aren't too happy let me tell you and they are especially unhappy after being exiled from their world of kingdoms and magic to live with the mundys (mundane) in the real world i.e our world. Not only do they have to get actual jobs and try to make a living but they have to hide who they really are or risk the consequences of exposing themselves.
In this first volume of Fables Snow White's younger party girl sister Rose Red has gone missing and the evidence in her apartment says that not only is she missing but she's dead and its now up to the Big Bad Wolf who has been appointed Sheriff to solve the crime and catch the murderer.
Read very much like a crime mystery novel but filled with a host of unique and interesting characters Legends in Exile was a good start to what looks like is going to be a fun series.Its always great to see a classic retold in a whole new way and Fables did that very well with characters shown in a realistic light and smart storytelling.
Review copy provided by the author
An entertaining story with a nice balance of paranormal activity and teenage reality.
Pretty Souls is the story of Ellery “Elle” Jameson and her foster sister Cassidy “Cass” Wegner a werewolf and half-vampire respectively, whom while on patrol one night discover the beginnings of something they have never come across before. The people of their town are slowly becoming what seems to be living zombies and it's up to the girls to figure out who (or what) is behind it before someone they care about becomes the next victim.
The task isn't easy though, it's not like the girls have a 1-800 number they can call for advice, its just two teenage girls, their limited experiences and wits. It also doesn't help that the girls have their own lives to deal with. Lives that include doing their best not to screw up the home they currently have with their great foster parents or to destroy the reputations they've built up for themselves at school.
The pace of the story I admit feels a little slow at times, Elle and Cass may have been patrolling the streets of their town and dealing with the occasional paranormal baddie for a while but their far from experts. They're pretty much making up their next moves as they go along and despite Cassidy's “sources” and the suspects on their list each move they make seems to lead to a dead end until a little over a hundred pages when they hit a break and things start to really pick up.
I enjoyed seeing the werewolf issues from a female perspective, I haven't come across it that much in the YA genre and it was nice to see the downs as well as the ups to being able to shift your form. Another thing I enjoyed about Pretty Souls was the relationship between Elle and Cass; even though they weren't related by blood I enjoyed the bond between the two. They really felt like sisters, not always getting along but always being there for each other when the other needed her most. I also enjoyed the fact that the parents were actually not absent in this story, the plot was able to carry on without having parental figures being dead or MIA for most of the story and lastly I enjoyed all the non-paranormal bits that balanced out the supernatural parts. The story wasn't just about finding and defeating the villain, Elle also had guy problems occupying her mind for a large part of the time, as well as slight insecurities with her looks. She also thought about her foster parents and how she was lucky to find them and how she didn't want to lose them.
Two things I didn't really enjoy about the story was that one, I would have liked to have gotten a little more insight into the girls motivation behind their nightly patrols in the first place. And two, the story leaves you with a cliffhanger and some loose ends. I don't know if it was good or bad that I could see it coming, there were clues set out through the end of the story and the final page lets you know that this book really was just the beginning to something bigger. This story was worth the cliffie though and I can't wait for the next one to come out.
I don't know how many years its been since I've read The Bartimaeus Trilogy but I loved those books from the very first time I read The Amulet of Samarkand and was most excited to find out that a graphic novel version had been created. Thank-you Andrea of Aine's Realm for buying me a copy of this book ^_^.
The Amulet of Samarkand starts off the same way the novel did with the summoning of Bartimaeus the djinn by a young twelve year old magician. This is surprising because someone so young does not normally contain the skill to summon a djinn of Bartimaeus' level. And Bartimaeus isn't very happy to be taking orders from a kid especially when the kid orders him to steal an item from another magician. You know which item I'm talking about right? ;)
With a lot of trouble and witty dialogue Bartimaeus steals the amulet and gives it to the boy but unfortunately for him he has more work to do. And what had started off as a simple plan to humiliate a rival immediately twists into something a twelve year old boy cannot handle.
The story is told from alternating POVs and we quickly learn that the boy, Nathaniel, was sold by his parents when he was six years old to become a magician, this is in fact very normal in the world of The Bartimaeus Trilogy which is set in an alternate England where the Government is controlled by Magicians who have the ability to summon djinn and think themselves better than Commoners (non magic folk). I find this a bit funny because Magicians are not born, you have to study for years and develop skills to become one, so all Magicians were Commoners at one point.
For a book that was a lot thinner than the novel the story was adapted very well, both Nathaniel and Bartimaeus' characters were exactly as I remembered them from the books as well as the many side characters and the world of the books were shown and described thoroughly enough that readers who have not read the novels will not feel as if anything was left out. And lets not forget the story, I wondered if the whole thing would be told in this first volume and surprisingly it was but the story did not feel incomplete are rushed which I appreciated greatly.
The only thing I can complain about what that there were moments when dialogue was not needed, there was a lot of narration on Bartimaeus part and I know it was doing this to show his amusing and sarcastic side (because I enjoyed his narration) but there were some parts that were just describing things that were being shown to me through the art so those parts were repetitive. Other than those few parts however I loved this book.
So pick it up if you're looking for a smart, entertaining read with mystery, action and charm :)