Witch Hat Atelier Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama

 Coco has always wanted to be able to use magic, especially since running into a man who gave her a book of magic when she was young. But she knows, as does everyone, that you have to be born with magic and Coco was not. That doesn't change the fact that she at the very least wants to see a Witch perform magic and when by chance one arrives at her mother's shop Coco has the perfect opportunity as long as she doesn't get caught! As the saying goes curiosity killed the cat and Coco will get everything she wants while losing everything she loves. 

I've been playing the Atelier games on PS4/Switch pretty much once a week every week so, to be honest, and totally not fair to the manga, I pictured this series being kinda like the games. They really have nothing to do with each other, as far as I'm aware, so not even sure why I did. Anyway, I'm almost glad I did though because I wasn't really expecting this to go a little bit dark side right off the bat with Coco literally encasing her mom in stone and having no way of releasing her. Not really as lighthearted as I thought it was going to be. 

The other thing that kinda through me was Agott's character, she was downright mean! I thought at the very least after Coco passed the test she'd be a bit nicer but nope she was still just mean!

By the way, those all sound like complaints but they aren't, I love it when a story is everything I didn't expect it to be, it makes it so much more fun to read when you realize that all of your expectations have been just thrown at the window!

In terms of the rest of the characters and Coco especially she is pretty much exactly how I expected her to be. At least so far. She is going to work twice as hard as everyone else because she needs to save her mom. 

What I really enjoyed more than anything with this is the art though. Especially the character and costume designs, they are so detailed! I probably spent a good five minutes looking at each character as they were introduced because they are each really unique. The backgrounds are gorgeous as well, I was thoroughly impressed by the attention to detail art-wise in this volume. 

Overall, this was not as lighthearted as I expected it to be, however, Coco's perseverance to overcome the first large obstacle that was put in her way hooked me almost immediately! With a cliffhanger ending (it's a manga so that's kind of given) that puts the apprentices in a scary situation, I'm looking forward to seeing not just how Coco overcomes this but hopefully how the girls work together to overcome the unexpected and assumably dangerous situation they find themselves in! 

Crime Writer by Dime Sheppard - This book is an absolute trip from beginning to end!

 

Crime Writer has been on my Kindle shelf for about a month maybe a little longer. The longer it sat there the more I second-guessed requesting it. The premise became sillier in my mind and I was really afraid of the execution. Yesterday at around 4:30pm I decided that I would at least give it a shot, I finished it at 2am this morning. Did I only get four hours of sleep because of this? Do I regret it? Not in the least. I was hooked from almost the very first sentence!

Evie Howland is living almost a fairy tale life; she is currently engaged to be married to billionaire playboy Daniel Bradley, she's living in her modest "dream home" in NYC, and all of this is thanks to her best selling crime novel series featuring Detectives Carolyn Harding and Jay Ryan. Well, it would be a fairy tale life except for the first time in ten years Evie has writer's block. And what's worse her characters are not letting her forget that she has writer's block. Not only are they interrupting her at the most inconvenient times to remind her that they have been on the same stakeout for weeks they are now injecting themselves into her everyday life! What? Your characters don't talk to you? I assure you this is very normal. Well, it is until it's not. Because it's not just Evie that can see Carolyn and Jay any longer. Everyone can. And as Evie must face the fact that not only are her characters alive and are currently wearing her clothes and borrowing her shower but that all of her characters are alive, not just the two who are her closest and dearest friends, but their arch-nemesis The Blade as well. Evie, Carolyn, and Jay must somehow stop a deranged, brilliant serial killer who up until forty-eight hours ago was only real in Evie's head. And to do it Evie may have to do the one thing she is most afraid of; end the stories of the two people she loves most in the world. 

I do not believe I have ever read anything that has broken the fourth wall so completely, so expertly in my life. I'm sure there are other books out there where the author's characters come to life, Evie even mentions that there are in this book, however, I have so many questions about what the hell happened specifically here. Sheppard wraps you up so completely in Evie's world and in turn this kind of weird other dimension where fictional characters are maybe living a completely separate and *real* life that finishing this is like coming out of an oddly specific dream. It was absolutely brilliant!

The entire story is told from Evie's point of view and right from the beginning you get the feeling there is something more to the story than just some cheesy gimmicky story about characters becoming real. Evie alludes to something going very wrong in her life within the first few chapters, something's happened and she's essentially cut the world off, she is not really living. She's just going through the motions of life. Billionaire wants to marry her and offers her everything her heart desires, maybe there's something a bit off about it, but Evie ignores that and just goes with it. You have this feeling pretty much the entire book that Evie is not happy. And then there is this scene; Evie has been kidnapped,  she has this feeling that she can write things into existence and so she tries it a few ways and those don't work but she has a flash of insight and writes I AM. Two little words, three short letters that are deceptively simple. Because in the book and in real life they are the beginning of magic. They can be used to harm, they can be used to uplift but they are the beginning of writing yourself into your own story. And that's it, the moment when this went from a really good book to an exceptional book because all of it becomes so relatable at that point, Evie up until this point had written herself out of her own story. And this is something that many of us do for a multitude of reasons; Evie's was a traumatic event but people do this every single solitary day for reasons ranging from becoming a parent to working a soul-sucking job and of course trauma. I AM becomes: We Are or worse I Was. And in real life, changing it back to I AM is just as difficult as it is in fiction, minus the fictional characters coming to life of course. There are a lot of smaller themes throughout this as well that are deeper than anything I expected when I started reading this but that's the overall theme. And it is done so wonderfully with such an amazing character that you want to hug Evie and tell her everything is going to be fine. 

So that's the main theme but there is also all of the fourth wall breaking and it is a trip. As I said I finished this around two am and ended up staying up another hour just pondering the implications of this book. Because it's just mind-blowing, in a fictional manner of course. Are authors writing entire dimensions into existence? If Evie has created this whole world when she stops writing the series do they just live or do they cease to exist? How do they know so much about Evie, I mean sure they are a part of her so to speak, but, I mean Jay and Carolyn know pretty much everything about her. And if Evie is in love with a man she created then does that whole paragraph I just wrote about writing herself back into her story mean absolutely nothing because she literally created her perfect man like some weird Frankenstein's Monster type thing. And is this like a kind of Wreck-it Ralph type thing where all fictional characters end up in some central location, central universe if you will; like is Eve Dallas hanging out with Matthew Bartholomew as we speak? Normally, it would annoy me to no end that I have so many questions but I'm not annoyed in the least, I can really interpret this whole thing however I want to and it doesn't feel like there's some giant plot hole. Catching a killer was more important than examining how this whole thing worked and that was pretty clear. And I appreciate Sheppard making it clear. There's a few times where maybe she could have gone down some path to explore how this all worked but she didn't, she has a character kind of arch a brow and then sets them back on the path of stopping the killer because that's what's really important here. 

The characters in this were all really great too and while it is told from Evie's POV you get a really good feel for everyone else. And even though Carolyn comes across as kind of a jerk, you can't help but love her because Evie loves her. This is a pretty long book and so I was afraid that at some point it feel like it was dragging on but it never did. Sheppard does a really good job of keeping the pace up with intense action scenes and mixing in Evie's self-exploration. And the romance of course. And Evie is absolutely hilarious, she's got that perfect smart-ass attitude that's clearly a self-defense mechanism from the beginning. I'm not ashamed to admit I relate to that. 

Overall, Crime Writer has a great cast of characters with a fast-paced plot that twists and turns in manners that you don't see coming because it's a book about cliches that have a mind of their own. And it truly has something for everyone in it. There is not one group of readers I'd specifically recommend this to. It's a little bit sci-fi, a little bit murder mystery, a tad bit of a thriller, a slow-burner romance, and a novel of introspection to boot that somehow even with all that going on works out to be just a fantastic book that almost defies classification. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Ruby Books for the eArc of this book, this review is being left voluntarily.

Howl's from the Dark Age by P.L. McMillan and various - Don't read this at a night!

I would not read this book at night by myself. I probably wouldn't read this book at night even if I wasn't alone either for that matter. I said I was looking for a scary book and Howls From the Dark Ages definitely filled that need. Maybe a little too well! 

A collection of short stories written by a variety of authors each of these tales are downright creepy and while I'm not going to review each story, however, I will say that The Crowing by Caleb Stephens was my absolute favorite. To be honest I'd like to see it turned into a whole book, as I really need to know what happens next!

My only tiny complaint is that in most of the stories I never felt like I was reading a story that was actually set in Medieval times and I think that's probably because they were all short stories just not enough space to really set the scene but still. The reason I read it was because of the timeframe they were supposed to be set in so that was a tad bit disappointing. And I mean just a tad bit because out of all of the short story compilations I've read recently this was easily the best. Each story felt complete I didn't feel like the author left anything out (other than the aforementioned), none of them felt rushed, and none of the stories were confusing. 

Overall, if you are a horror fan I can't recommend this one enough, just remember you may want to leave the lights on when you do. 

Thanks to Netgalley and HOWL Society Press for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief by Maurice LeBlanc, Art by Vincent Mallie - If you've never read Lupin I recommend this edition because Illustrations! (Duh)

 

I've been meaning to read Lupin so this new illustrated version gave me the perfect excuse! This volume contains the first nine stories of Arsene Lupin, one of the funniest gentleman thieves I've come across! To be honest one of the reasons I've not read this yet is because it was published in the early part of the twentieth century, so I  expected it to be very longwinded. It surprisingly was not, quite the opposite actually, feeling very modern in both the dialogue and the narrative. Lupin's hijinks are absolutely hilarious and I can now see why Miyazaki choose to model his Lupin on this character.

The art in this is of course amazing. It's kinda why we are here right? You could get any copy of Lupin, really for just a few dollars used, but I don't believe it would be the same without these simple yet surprisingly detailed illustrations. They reminded me a bit of the art from Madeline or Amelia Bedelia, two of my favorite childhood books, and really that's what initially drew me to this book. And even as someone who literally watched Miyazaki's Lupin III like a week ago, I think Mallie's Lupin will be the one that is forever in my head. 

Overall, I found Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief to be laugh-out-loud funny and while I'd say to go out and read it, I would definitely wait till you can purchase this version in June as the art in this new version makes these stories ten times better! 

As always thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

Black Mass Rising by Theo Prasidis - Simply one of the best Dracula retellings ever.

 

Oh wow! I have read many Dracula retellings, but this one is on another level! Easily my favorite retelling and definitely in the top ten of books I've read this year!

Dracula was finally defeated and Transylvania was finally living in a world that had hope and Aurelia has the most hope. Living with her parents and her little brother Vadim she lives as carefree of a life as she can in a post-Dracula world. That is until everything comes crashing down around her one afternoon, her brother is brutally killed by a demon and Aurelia is determined to set out and end this new menace, with a man only known as the Healer by her side leaves her village. Aurelia and the Healer are almost immediately set upon by a group of demons, both realize that they will not be able to defend themselves, and just when all hope is lost a female warrior, Wilhemina saves them and decides to journey with them for a bit. Little do the three of them know that this chance encounter is the key needed to restore Dracula. 

Dracula and his namesake Vlad Dracul are/were both highly religious tales/people. Vlad was well known for his crusade to keep the Turks out of Transylvania and to protect Christianity, so I've always found it a bit odd that retellings today have taken the religious component out of the story. I am not by any means religious but I believe what makes not just Vlad an interesting figure in history but the Dracula story interesting is because it is in essence a story about good vs evil in terms of Christianity. Dracula the character is the embodiment of leaving God behind, of being literally locked out of heaven with absolutely no way of getting in ever. There is no forgiveness for a vampire. In terms of Vlad Dracul the real-life human when viewing him using our modern lens it's almost impossible for some of us to reconcile the incredibly brutal acts that he committed in the name of Christianity. This makes him the perfect character to play out a story of good and evil and in the case of Prasidis's Dracula since he is "saved" for a time at least that hard line of good vs evil becomes much more blurry than it already was. The fact that he falls again (or he appears to fall again) after suffering a loss and falling into grief humanizes the monster. We have fallen into my favorite color "Grey". Now, will the story continue this way, honestly, I'm not sure, but I hope it does. Either way, Prasidis has some really important things to say in terms of questioning one's faith. 

The rest of the characters in this were great as well, I enjoyed a badass, warrior version of Mina, and Aurelia's story seems to be only just beginning. So I'm definitely looking forward to book two!

Now comes my second favorite part though and that is the art. As unique as the story is the art absolutely matches it! Art in graphic novels, comics, and manga get a lot of crap. Let's just get that out of the way. It's not considered "high art" by many people. The art in this, however, as far as I'm concerned is about as close to "high art" as you are going to get in a graphic novel (that is not to say that I actually believe that comic/manga art isn't high art personally). The scenes in this are reminiscent of beautifully done oil paintings, there is one scene where Aurelia and the Healer are on horseback and the moon is high above them and it's just breathtaking. I'd hang it on my wall. The use of shadows in this as well creates that perfectly creepy atmosphere that I think we all, unfortunately, associate with Transylvania in general (thanks Stoker). 

Overall, this is 100% of what I look for in dark fantasy/horror tales. Give me a story that makes me think any day and Black Mass Rising certainly does that. As I said in the beginning this is easily one of my favorite reads this year and so far an excellent retelling that returns to the roots of what Dracula is and who Dracul was. Highly recommend to horror/fantasy fans!

And as always thanks to NetGalley and TKO Presents for the eArc of this book, this review was left voluntarily.

The World of Yaxin: The Day of the Unicorn by Man Arenas - Simply Beautiful!

 This was just a really beautiful book about the magic that is the Unicorn. Told in little snippets about a Unicorn family by a faun the story follows a family of unicorns from the meeting of two Unicorns to the birth of their baby. The story is poetic and absolutely beautiful in its simplicity. The art however is what makes this really stand out. It is absolutely stunning. Each page is filled with a magical and whimsical scene taking us through the beauty that is bringing a new life into the world. 

 I think this would make a wonderful book for children of all ages but I can definitely see this being a centerpiece for a nursery theme and a wonderful gift for new mothers. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the advanced copy of this truly beautiful book, this review is being left voluntarily.

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow Crowns of Croswald Book 2 by D.E. Night - This is a new favorite series!

 

Ivy Lovely has reached the end of her first year at the Hall of Ivy and instead of spending her summer with her best friend Rebecca she is getting sent off to The Town, indefinitely! Darwin has tasked her with finding the other pieces of the Kindred Stone and the Selector believes Ivy will be safe from the Dark Queen there. But something is off even in the safest place in Croswald; strange dark storm clouds are breaking through the Town's barrier and even though Ivy was told she'd not be returning to the Hall of Ivy, she receives a letter from the Selector bidding her return shortly after the new school year starts. Ivy returns only to discover the Selector never sent for her and that the Shades that were in The Town seem to have followed her as well. As Ivy works with Derwin to retrieve his memories of where he put the missing fragments of the stone, Ivy feels that the Dark Queen is close, planning another attack from the shadows. 

There is no better feeling than when a title of a book makes sense, except when the author has cleverly weaved that moment into the story itself as Night has done with The Girl with the Whispering Shadow. The title of the book is introduced early on in this story, which was so unique that I was absolutely intrigued to figure out why Night had decided to do that. She did not let me down. 

Ivy is still the amazing character she was in the first one. She makes a plan and she sticks to it even if the consequences could spell trouble for her. And her unwavering loyalty to her friends is wonderful. And in turn their loyalty to her. This book focuses a bit more on Fyn and Ivy's relationship and I enjoyed that especially since we find out more about Fyn's background and a connection his family has with the Kindred Stone. We are also introduced to a whole group of new friends with the QQC, it's a secret so you'll just have to read the book to find out what QQC stands for! 

I am also 100% sure the Selector has to be a bad guy. She has to be working for the Dark Queen, she says she has to appear to be on her side but I think she's lying, I think she's totally on the Dark Queen's side. 

In terms of pacing this was well done and followed the same formula as the first book, which I thought would kind of be annoying but I ended up enjoying it as we get introduced to all sorts of new creatures and magic from Croswald. My absolute favorite new magical creature this time has to be Silius (I hope I spelled that right) I'm really hoping we see more of him in book three! 

Overall, a perfect second book with a fantastic cliffhanger ending that has left me excited to find out what happens next! Highly recommend it for fans of Kiki's Delivery Service and Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch! Also, since this is a middle-grade book this would make a perfect read along with the kiddos whether as a bedtime story or a buddy read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Stories Untold for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas - Not scary at all, but a damn good murder mystery!

Beatriz's world has been turned upside down, after her father is taken and executed at the end of the War to remove Spain's rule from Mexico she and her mother find themselves as unwanted guests at the home of her aunt. Treated like servants Beatriz is desperate to leave, so desperate in fact that she's willing to marry the handsome Rodolfo Solorzano, a wealthy land-owner she met at a ball. Beatriz's mother is absolutely against this marriage as it goes against everything her father stood for and is for all intents and purposes marrying the enemy. But, Beatriz goes through with it anyway seeing it as a way to give both herself and her mother a better life and a home. Within minutes of arriving at San Isidro though Beatriz feels something is very off with her new home, starting with a rat who's had its neck broken laying in the middle of the stairs. She also discovers she has an abrasive and strange sister-in-law whom she was never told about. As the days go on more and more inexplicable things happen in the home, things that terrify Beatriz to the point she is certain her home is haunted. She seeks help from the Church only to be treated like she is crazy, that is until she meets Padre Andres, who has a past connection with San Isidro and confirms to her that something is indeed very wrong with the house. With only Andres to help her Beatriz is terrified that the house will kill her before they can clean the rot that has infested it. 

I have been trying to find some sort of horror book that was actually somewhat scary for months, this book fell way short of that mark which was disappointing. It's really more of a murder mystery/romance than it is a horror story, as it more than any revolves around figuring out just what happened with Rodolfo's dead wife more than anything. And that is why I gave this four stars instead of five. 

That being said I did actually enjoy the mystery part of this. I honestly thought that Rodolfo had killed his wife for the vast majority of the book even after there is a bombshell dropped about the actual murderer I still believed he had to be the killer. Using the ghost as a clever way to mask that there was a murderer lurking in the shadows was fantastic I have to Canas that. I was more focused on the fact that the house may kill everyone than the fact that a living breathing person wanted everyone dead as well. 

I enjoyed Beatriz's character too, probably more than any other character including Andres the love interest. There's one point where she tells the ghost that if it kills her then it's stuck with her for eternity so it may want to think twice and that completely solidified Beatriz as a solid heroine for me, cause that's exactly what I'd do! Beatriz is terrified of whatever is in the house but it's not the standard "damsel in distress" situation by any means and I enjoyed that immensely. The ghost might scare her but she doesn't have to put up with its crap. Andres is interesting because he's pretty much the embodiment of colonialism in Mexico, everything he stands for is what Spain (and really every other colonizer in history) has tried to wipe out; the cultural and religious practices of the indigenous groups in the colonized areas. 

The book also does for the most part bring to light what those Native to Mexico would have endured during the Spanish colonization, it also makes a clear distinction between those of Spanish descent and those who were Native to Mexico at the time of colonization. For most Americans, I think that we associate Spain with Mexico and Mexico with Spain so much that we forget that Spanish isn't the native language of Mexico, far from it or that someone Native to Mexico isn't going to be light-skinned or oddly vice versa as I and I assume many have seen someone be absolutely gobsmacked when they realize that humans from Spain do not have dark skin but are fair and even blonde. But it's of course deeper than that. It's a story of colonization that we hear time and again throughout the Americas; Natives toiling on land that belongs to them, that has belonged to them for centuries under the watchful eye of a colonizer getting rich off of their work. Americans in general do not think about Mexico in these terms and I believe it's important that we do. Just like with Native Americans in America and Canada there were Native groups in Mexico that had their very way of life turned upside down, their cultural practices brutally torn from them, and their people forced into situations that most of us cannot even fathom today. The story of Mariana, especially, in this book is one that you can hear echoed throughout the southeast United States of slave owners and their wife's jealousies which ultimately resulted in the deaths of many young women. And yeah there are books on that. Specifically, the brutality young women faced at the hands of female slave owners. They aren't pretty books mind you but they are important reads. 

And while I found this slow to start it picks up in the last few chapters and becomes an edge-of-your-seat, nail-biter. And even the ending while not what I was expecting I found to be perfect given everything Beatriz had gone through. I'd want my freaking mom too! 

Overall, if you are picking this up because you are looking for a good scary read, keep in mind it's not really scary but it is a really great thriller with a murder mystery and a deranged killer lurking in the shadows, and just enough of romance to give you a break from the rest of it. Highly recommend it to anyone into period mysteries as well as horror novels. 

Why King's Confess by C.S. Harris - It's Baby Time!!

 As this is another one of my fangirl series I'm just warning there will be spoilers because so many very important things happened in this one! But first and foremost BABY!! I'm actually more excited about a fictional character having a baby than I am when my friends say they are having a baby. In my defense, the fictional character will never ask me for parenting advice and/or to hold their baby so I feel justified here. 

On a cold night, Gibson stumbles across the body of a woman just barely holding on to life, and near her, the corpse of a man who has had his heart hacked out of his chest. Gibson brings both the woman and the man's body back to his surgery and alerts Devlin of his gruesome find. It doesn't take long for Devlin to discover that the man is a Parisian doctor in London with a delegation from Napoleon to possibly start peace talks after France's brutal defeat in Russia. This means that his Father in Law, Lord Jarvis, immediately obstructs Devlin's investigation into this heinous crime. Once the young woman wakens from her ordeal Devlin discovers that not only is she a connection to his past he would rather forget but that this murder may be connected to the deposed French royal family. As Devlin carefully wades through international politics to capture a murderer, he's also reeling from the news that his and Hero's child is breach and the only person that may be able to save both of their lives is a woman who swore she'd kill him.

We finally find out what happened to make Devlin sell out of the military and why he then spent the next little while getting into drunken brawls. Quite frankly I'm not sure I blame him. We also get to see a whole new side of Hero's Mom and I have to say I always thought Hero got her smarts from Jarvis, however, I've had to reassess that whole situation after this book. I really hope we see more of Lady Jarvis going forward. Devlin's still mad at his dad which I am really at the point of saying this has drug on long enough. Like yeah, Hendon did something pretty rotten but c'mon. Move on. Annnddd something hopefully good and permanent happens with Gibson!! Oh and Kat is only mentioned once. If we could get to zero times in the next book I'd be eternally grateful.

On with the actual review. 

In terms of the actual book review, I was a little annoyed that Harris had something potentially bad happen with the pregnancy. I kind of figured she was going to but I really hoped she wasn't since it was a pretty cliche move. I like this series because it is one of the most unpredictable ones I've read so to make such a predictable plot in terms of Hero's pregnancy was a tad bit disappointing. Obviously not enough to make me lower the rating though. 

The mystery itself was one of the best yet. There were so many twists and turns just when I was absolutely sure I knew who the killer was I'd end up smack dab at a wall. The misdirects with this one were spot on too, I really thought the killer had to be the jealous husband (you'll figure out who that is early on) for most of the book. I wouldn't say I was completely in shock when the killer was revealed it just seemed too easy so I completely disregarded the character for most of the book. 

The thing I loved the most about this one though is that it deals with a "royal imposter". Honestly, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed these until I read Ariana Franklin's City of Shadows, which is loosely based on an infamous woman who claimed to be Princess Anastasia for most of her life. For the most part, I've only really looked at these I guess "phenomenons" for lack of a better term as historical footnotes at best, it never really crossed my mind that they could also make excellent plots for murder mysteries. But it completely makes sense when you think about it; anyone walking around saying that they were heir to a throne that simply doesn't exist for all intents and purposes in the aftermath of the varying revolutions in the 19th and 20th centuries would have a target on their backs for a multitude of reasons. This all adds up to a nail-biting thrill ride in the right hands. 

Overall, Why King's Confess is probably my new favorite of the series. The political intrigue allowed Harris to create numerous misdirects that left me on the edge of my seat the entire book. And yes even I have to admit the worry about Hero's ability to deliver the baby added to the tension and even though the show-down with the killer wasn't as explosive as I was expecting it also was just pure Hero energy and I loved that.

A Night of Wings and Starlight by Alexis L. Menard

 

In the Battle of the Fallen, 100 years ago the gods took away the sun from humanity, as a punishment for their decisions. In that 100 years, a dark queen has risen controlling all in Mirth, everyone believes she is humanity's only hope. And one Runner Arya has believed it wholeheartedly determined to become the first female Runner to the Queen she trains exhaustively her whole life and just when her hard work pays off and she gets her prize, she meets Azriel, a Watcher, and a servant of the Gods who tells her that it's not the Queen who will save humanity but Arya herself. Will Arya be able to find the strength to bring the dawn back? 

So here's the deal: I read this yesterday and felt pretty comfortable leaving a four-star review. I am still okay with it but I've determined that I have more issues with it than I originally thought. And honestly most of it I think I can chalk up to it being just too short. Personally, I think writing a shorter book has got to be a hundred times more difficult than writing a longer book, and I've said this before it takes a talented author to write something that's less than three hundred pages that feels complete. And I'm not saying Menard isn't talented, I'm just saying this book would have been served if it was longer.

This book is rushed and I mean really rushed like the characters have grabbed you by the hand and they are pulling you through the story and you get to the end and you've got whiplash. The main villain in this takes on the gods a hundred years ago and wins, I don't care how much the gods blessed Arya the fact that she is able to destroy the villain in the space of an afternoon is just too much to believe. Because it's so rushed I never once felt like the villain was really all that bad either. We are told she's done evil things but she never actually does anything evil in the book at all, I would have liked to see her character fleshed out a bit more.  

Arya and Azriel have some really great one-liners. I will absolutely give the author that but sometimes they are just awful or don't fit at all. The one that really got me and I will never get it out of my head is a reference to fins in a sexual manner. Yeah, like fish fins, or maybe merpeople fins I'm not sure. And I've tried to figure out what the heck this comment was referring to but I just can't and I'm not even sure I *want* to. Actually, I know I'm sure I don't want to know. It was just a completely unnecessary comment that felt just awkward and weird. Also, this is completely nitpicky but I'm not sure why Azriel says Darling all the time but by the end of the book, I was picturing a cowboy angel. You can't convince me that Azriel isn't rocking a Stetson and some spurs. 

The other thing I found to be really frustrating is that Arya starts out by saying she never notices men because she's so dedicated to her training. At the very beginning of the book she describes this man in like perfect detail and then she says something like, "But I don't notice men." By the end of the book, I had to assume that was supposed to be a smart-ass comment. And this is a wash, rinse, and repeat thing. Arya notices men. Often and in detail. Eventually, this is explained by Arya having sexual encounters to relieve stress, but not wanting to be in a relationship, this made the first comment about her not noticing men completely moot then. She obviously does and I'd have rather seen her just state that right off the bat. You can be dedicated to something and still be sexually attracted to people. And like I said, given how often she notices men I kind of feel like it was an attempt at humor. Kind of. 

Alright so for what I liked. I enjoyed the world-building in this. At first, we are just dropped into Mirth with very little explanation of what is going on but as the story progresses Menard fills in the background details that are missing so we get a bigger picture of both the world and its history. I also did enjoy most of the dialogue. Arya does have some deep and meaningful speeches throughout the book and for the most part, her smart-ass game is strong. She also never wavers from her path, once her mind is made up she sticks to the course she's decided on. Azriel is an interesting love interest. He's really dedicated to Arya and I enjoyed that as well. The plot twist with Loren is obvious from the minute Arya calls him her brother, but, with this type of twist, most authors would have had Arya have a moment where she wavers from her goal. Menard did not do that and I thoroughly loved that. There's no chick flick moment here and that was so nice. 

Overall, this really hits all the points it should which is why I'm giving it four stars but I just feel like if it had been a bit longer it could have been easily five stars. It's got an interesting world, with an intriguing history, and a villain that I believe should have been fleshed out more. I'm interested in seeing how the second book will go as well, honestly thought this was a stand-alone while I was reading it so I'm definitely intrigued by the fact that this is Book 1.

Thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the eArc, this review has been left voluntarily.

The Druid by Jeff Wheeler - The prequel I didn't know I needed, no seriously I totally forgot who the main character actually IS

 

It's been such a long time since I read the Muirwood series that I feel like I probably should have read it again before I read this. Especially when reading the Author's Notes says "Now you know how Eilean's (probably spelled that wrong) story begins!" So kind of a heads up for those who have read Muirwood, if it's been a while you may want to go back and read it again before starting this. 

Eilean is a wretched living in Tintern Abbey when the Aldermaston informs her that she will be leaving to help build a new Abbey at Muirwood. At first, she's excited, especially since her best friend Celyn will be going with her. However, the Aldermaston drops a bombshell on her, and she will be the servant to the Druid Mordaunt, a powerful druid that has been held prisoner in the old castle at Muirwood, her job is to befriend him so he will reveal where he's hidden a tome of magic. Eilean is terrified but determined to do her job and prove her loyalty to the Aldermaston. However, the longer she is in Muirwood the more she comes to believe that there is something very wrong within the Mastons and it's not Mordaunt. 

A few years ago I was obsessed with everything Wheeler wrote, I consumed the Kingsfountain series and the Muirwood series in just a couple of months. And then I tried to read some of the rest of his other series and I was never able to really get into the rest of his books. So when I heard about a prequel to Muirwood I figured this would be perfect. And while I did read it in just a few hours I still didn't feel that connection I did with the earlier books. I still enjoyed it but I didn't get that OMG I'm in for a treat, feeling I did with some of his other books. 

I enjoyed Eilean's character, she's intelligent and resourceful, and she really cares about the people around her, however, there was just something about her that felt off. There's a point where she is supposed to become really firm in her resolve to carry out the Medium's will but she never feels very firm at all, in anything. I hope that this will change in later books, as one of the things I've loved about Wheeler's characters is that he's made some impressive female characters who are strong leaders. Eilean fell a bit short from what I remember of the heroines in the other books in this series. Capt. Hoel is a very cookie-cutter type of character. He has a rare form of magic from the Medium, which of course means he hates it and wants to end the Druids. While I honestly did not expect him to have such strong magic, I honestly feel like I should have seen it coming given his attitude so it's a bit of a plot twist. In the end, though what is really going to keep me reading this prequel series is that Hoel and Eilean are going to crash into each other at some point and I am really interested in seeing how this plays out.

The progression of the story was well done I never felt like it was going too quickly nor did I feel like it was lagging at any point. One thing Wheeler is excellent at is fitting a huge world into very few pages. Mordaunt's character spans two completely different worlds and I honestly don't know how Wheeler keeps it all straight sometimes! But somehow he does it by bringing a little bit of the history of two worlds into one book. 

Overall, even though I didn't enjoy this as much as other books in the Muirwood series I'm still looking forward to seeing how this plays out so I'll definitely be reading the next one.

And thanks so NetGalley and 47North for the advanced copy, I am leaving this review voluntarily. 

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe - A next to perfect coming of age story!

 I had a bit of a witchy night last night, as after reading Kiki I determined I had to at least start Eva Evergreen and ended up staying up until about 5 am to finish it. Honestly, I'd say Eva is Kiki's slightly more mature older sister, even if she is younger than Kiki. 

Eve Evergreen is the daughter of Nela Evergreen, a Grandmaster witch, one of the two most powerful witches in the realm. Eva wants nothing more than to be like her mother, unfortunately for Eva, she not only came into her magic late in life, she has only just a pinch of it and that pinch seemingly always does the exact opposite of what Eva wants it to do. But Eva is not going to go give up so on the morning of the Council meeting to present twelve-year-old witches with their Quest Ticket Eva and her mother are both dismayed to find that her name isn't on the list; quite the opposite actually as Hayato, who is the head of the Council has decided to strip Eva of her magic entirely! Eva is terrified but stands up to Hayota reminding him that even if she only has just a pinch of magic she must be allowed to go on her novice quest! Ticket in hand Eva is off to find the town that needs her the most only she falls asleep on the boat and discovers that she may have missed her stop. Having little choice (she certainly can't go back to Hayato and tell him she fell asleep) she gets off the boat at Auteri, the last stop. This may not be where Eva was *supposed* to be but it's where she is now, and if Rin the kindly woman she met on the boat has any say on it, it will be where she stays. The Mayor of Auteri and Rin's mother however is adamant that Eva is too young to be of any help to her town, only a chance situation convinces her that Eva can stay. That and the stipulation that Eva *must* protect Auteri from the Culling, a magically formed storm that even her mother has never been able to stop. Eva agrees to this even though she has no idea how she can do what so many other witches and wizards cannot, especially since she only has a pinch of magic. But the longer she stays in Auteri the more determined Eva is to save her new friends.

This really was the perfect coming-of-age book. Eva struggles with the many issues that kids her age face from feelings of inadequecy to not knowing how to handle interpersonal relationships. She's also very stuck with this idea that there's only one way to solve a problem which interferes with her ability to see her own strengths. She compares herself to everyone around her and even as an adult I can relate to that. It's hard to see what your good at when you look around and it seems like everyone else is doing so much better than you are. Abe addresses this very well and instead of Eva seeming wishy-washy (as I was afraid was going to happen) Eva comes across as a child genuinely struggling to find herself and never giving up. While the coming of the Culling is her big test in this instead of it being Eva all of a sudden discovering that she *can* do this the entire book leads up to this moment, with small victories along the way. 

What really stood out for me the most with this book was Eva's support group. Her family and friends were such an integral portion of her story. They never push her too hard they are just constantly there for her reminding her that her magic may not work like everyone else's but that's what makes it so unique and perfect for the tasks placed in front of her. Charlotte though, I think I enjoyed the most because her character represented an issue a lot of children their age face and that's not really knowing how to interact with other children. I don't think this is something that is addressed often enough. We put her children in school for socialization as well as education but so many kids reach middle school and they don't know how to deal with other kids and so they take the route that Charlotte does and that's to be very standoffish. She wants to be friends with Eva desperately and Eva does as well but they simply don't know how to communicate that. In the book, this, of course, ends well but in reality, more often than not it doesn't and I don't think as adults and as parents, it's something we think about ever. There are so many other things to think about when raising a child and as adults, we have no choice in the matter we have to interact with people, we truly forget how difficult it can be. I appreciated the addition of this as something that both Eva and Charlotte have to overcome. As a parent, it was a great reminder of something my own children may struggle with. 

Overall, this is another one I would recommend to someone of any age. For adults, this book was a great reminder to believe in yourself and to rely on your support group when things get rough. As a parent, it reminded me to think like a child again, especially in terms of things they face when it comes to socializing and self-esteem. And for the middle-grade group, I think this is a wonderful story that they can really see themselves in. That they aren't so alone in the world. An easy five stars and I'm heading to the library first thing Monday morning to grab the next book in the series.

Kiki's Delivery Service by Kadono Eiko - Simply a delightful book!

 

Hayao Miyazaki may be one the only film maker's on the planet who can say that most people know his films first. And he may also be the only filmmaker on the planet that can confidently say that instead of ruining a book he enhances the experience of the book and in turn reading the book enhances the experience of watching the films he's created from the books, this is why I thoroughly enjoy reading the books his movies are based on. I'm never disappointed and I come to love characters that I already love even more. 

Kiki is a young witch whose coming of age day is approaching fast. Her mother Kokiri is driving her mad, asking her when she is leaving, what type of town Kiki should settle in (not a big one dear), which broom she should take (certainly not the one Kiki just spent forever making herself), and even the type of clothes she should wear! Kiki finally settles on a date to leave and she and cat Jiji take off, Kiki isn't entirely certain what type of town she will pick for her coming of age year but she knows that it must be by the sea. Flying past each of the smaller towns Kiki finally finds exactly what she's looking for a town by the sea; except it is the exact opposite of the type of town her mother recommended, Koriko is a large bustling town with a huge clock tower right in its center. As soon as Kiki lands she realizes that maybe her mother is right. This town hasn't had a resident witch in years and the city folk all believe tales about witches being evil. Kiki's only magic is she can't figure out how she will be able to help these people. That is until she meets Osano a baker who has a simple request to make a delivery for her. And with that one request, Kiki's Delivery Service is born, unfortunately now Kiki must convince the rest of the town that they need her service, which is much easier said than done! With only a year to accomplish her task Kiki isn't sure she's up to it but with a little help from the townspeople of Koriko maybe just maybe Kiki will be able to head home with her head held high!

This was such a delightful little book. It is episodic in nature, which was not what I was expecting after watching the movie a million times, however, I really enjoyed it. It gives us a better idea of Kiki's entire year in Koriko and the people she met there. Telling the story in this manner gives us not only a better idea of how Kiki grew in the year she spent in Koriko but also of the people she meets as well as the whole town. And some of the chapters are just wonderfully magical. Whether it's Kiki helping Chrysthanum dry clothes by flying high into the sky with them or trailing an entire band's instruments throw the sky and ushering in Spring with the sounds they make each episode truly makes you simply happy. Kiki's can-do attitude in the book is something that we miss in the movie until the very end, wherein the book it's almost the entire point. And Kiki is downright clever. There never seems to be a situation she can't resolve. 

Kadono's descriptions of Koriko itself were brilliant as well. Even without the benefit of the movie she describes it so well right down to being able to figure out roughly where one address that Kiki is given is in relation to another. That being said it's not too much. This is a children's book and Kadono keeps that in mind. She keeps descriptions short and important to what's happening, just enough to keep a child's interest and allow them to use their imagination. 

What I think Kadono does best here though is really cover what it's like to be a young girl. Kiki has feelings of inadequacy at some points, she doesn't understand boys, she is sometimes cranky for absolutely no reason at all (this is honestly one of my favorite chapters), she gets frustrated with her clients sometimes, and she thinks her mom is overbearing. Basically everything a thirteen-year-old goes through. And yet for the most part Kiki keeps up this very positive attitude throughout the book. And while having three teenagers in my house proves that is probably a tad bit unrealistic I still enjoyed it. 

Overall, this is one of those books I'd recommend for anyone of any age. Especially if you need just a little spot of sunshine, it's a quick read for adults and would make a perfect bedtime story for children thanks to its episodic nature. And if you've watched Miyazaki's version as I said earlier this will only make you love the movie more. 

Skallagrim by Stephen R. Babb - Save the girl, Kill the Man

 

Is this a story about a man who must save his lady love? Yes. Do I normally despise those? Also, yes. However, this was such a solid fantasy adventure book that by the end of it I could *almost* overlook some of the things that would normally have me giving up on it halfway through. 

Skallagrim wakes up in an alley with no memories of how he got there, he knows only two things he is in a fight for his very life and he must rescue his beloved before she is kidnapped. Unfortunately for him, things are not looking so good, he is surrounded by mercenaries and cultists all hell-bent on his death. He's barely dodged a death blow that has peeled away most of the skin from his face, he's losing blood fast, and he has nothing that will help him other than grim determination. That is until the sky above him lights up and like a falling meteor, a screaming sword falls from the sky right into his hands. Just in time for him to beat back his foes before the Archon Guard arrive. His real rescue comes from a merchant tied up in the corner who takes him to somewhere safe so he can heal. Skallagrim still can't remember anything and Erling, his savior, fills in what gaps he can for him, telling Skallagrim that the only way to save his lady love is to head into the very heart of evil before she is sacrificed by the Sorceror Forneus all to resurrect the Knight Balor. Skallagrim is pretty sure he can't trust Erling but he'll do anything to save the woman he loves, even if that means taking on ancient evils and mad sorcerers, even if he has to give his own life to do so. 

My main complaint and what kept this from being a five-star book is that I'm not a fan of the whole Dude must save the girl thing. Especially when the dude is ridiculously good, as Skallagrim is, gods he's even ridiculously polite as he's killing people. I kinda thought that since Skallagrim was a thief he'd be a little grayer than he is, but no, just good till the very end. This also means he is ridiculously overpowered which fits the type of story this is but still gets kind of old. Or it would have if the action scenes weren't so good. 

The thing I really enjoyed about this was the world-building and what's left not said in this. As Skallagrim makes his way through the forest to save his lady love the characters he comes across fill us on in the details of the world. It's done in such a manner that this world, its history, and characters aren't shoved at you all at once which can lead to you forgetting important points which ultimately leads to later scenes making no sense. And the monsters he faces are amazing. Babb actually gives the ghouls backstories. Honestly, I don't think I've ever really come across that, except in video games. If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced (it may be the second Tactics advanced it's been a bit since I played them) there are actually a couple of ghouls that you get the backstories of and I really enjoyed that there so it was nice to see it in a book. It gives the fight scenes a completely different dimension in terms of your feelings towards them. Especially with a kind of generic monster like a ghoul, normally, these are just mindless bad guys the hero has to fight but giving them a backstory makes them more than that. In this case evil on multiple levels. 

The pacing in this is well done too, it takes a bit to pick up, but once it does it just takes off and it's almost non-stop action until the end. But as a warning yeah there are a few chapters where it's just Skallagrim walking through the forest and you are left wondering if something, anything is going to happen. 

Overall, outside of the complaints I addressed earlier this was a solid fantasy adventure with just enough twists and turns and well-done foreshadowing that I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to Skallagrim next! 

Thanks to BookSirens for my copy of this book in exchange for my review!

Kaiju No. 8 by Matsumoto Naoya

 

This was not what I expected. Not even a little bit, so just know if you are going in with expectations that this is going to be a serious series about kaiju keep those because what you are going to get is so much better. 

Japan has got a Kaiju problem and sure the big problem with Kaiju is the hurt people. But there's another side most people don't think about and that's the disposal of the body of the enormous monster after the JDF takes them out. Kafka's job is to do just that, it's certainly not a glamorous job but hey someone's got to do it. One afternoon as Kafka is out training the newest member of the Kaiju clean-up crew, Reno, he and Reno are suddenly attacked by a Kaiju, Kafka risks his life to save Reno's. Inspired by his superior's bravery instead of evacuating Reno comes back to assist Kafka. This unfortunately leads to them both being hospitalized where something completely and utterly unexpected happens; Kafka swallows a tiny Kaiju and can now transform into one at will becoming Kaiju No. 8 the only Kaiju that has ever escaped the JDF.

This was hilarious, I was expecting this super serious manga about kaiju so I was completely surprised that I was laughing the whole time I was reading it. Kafka's character is great, he just rolls with it when he becomes a kaiju. I'm not sure I could be that accepting of becoming a monster but I'm glad he is because it leads to some seriously funny scenes. Reno is wonderful too. He comes off as kind of a jerk initially but his dedication to Kafka is really sweet. 

The designs of the Kaiju weren't really what I was expecting either, I expected them all to look more like Kafka's Kaiju form (the front cover) but they are kind of all over the place and I enjoyed that. Kafka's is by far the coolest, at least as far as I've read. 

Overall, this easily became one of my new favorites. And honestly, I can't imagine it falling off of that list any time soon. Highly recommend it to any looking for a new series to start, especially since it sounds like it will be getting an anime soon.

Doors of Chaos vol 1 by Mitsuki Ryoko - Everything about this is exactly what I link for in a manga!

 

Fun fact: In most cases, I don't read reviews before I read a book. Weird I know but I don't want my reading to be ruined because I've got someone else's opinion of a book in mind. I do look at the star ratings though and if they are low I'll skim the reviews to see if there is a valid reason for them being low. This manga is a pretty good case in point. It's sitting at a 3.6 or so starting rating and the first review is from someone that didn't like it. I on the other hand loved it; The art is beautiful, it has a complex storyline with some great characters, and heads are removed from shoulders within the first ten pages or so making it my very favorite cup of tea. 

Mizeria has lived in a locked garden with her younger twin sister Clarissa and their teacher Richter her whole life, she dreams of the day that she masters Harmonizing, and she and her sister can emerge from the Garden. That day has finally come and as the sisters prepare to be presented to the King even though this day is the culmination of her hopes and dreams coming true she is anxious. She has a bad feeling about what will happen next and she cannot figure out why. Unfortunately, her bad feelings become reality almost immediately when a group of Nocturnals attacks the Court led by Richter! As Richter attempts to kidnap both sisters Mizeria is saved by a mysterious but rude man in white telling Mizeria that she is the only one who can save not just the kingdom but the world now. With her world shattered Mizeria agrees to help Zelfa and the organization known as Jishoun if only to get the two people who mean the world to her back. 

The art in this is absolutely gorgeous the only complaint I have here is the character's eyes have a tendency to look incredibly creepy because of the way they are drawn. In some cases it works in others it's a little over the top for the scene. This is the author's first work though so I'll let that slide. There are also some action scenes where everything becomes a bit confusing and I had to spend a longer period of time trying to figure out what I was looking at. The character design is where Mitsuki really hits their stride. The villains especially are really well done they are terrifying beyond all belief! 

In terms of the story, there is a lot of background that I have a feeling will be revealed as the story progresses. (I'm really hoping the story DOES progress as currently there are only three mangas and I believe only two are translated to English). We find out what the Twins' role in the world is but there's a lot of missing information that is alluded to throughout this first volume that the side Characters address as things we'll learn about later as right now there are more pressing matters. I enjoy that. I think for some foreshadowing is difficult to do and I'd rather have an author just blatantly say we'll talk about this later than end up with gaps in the story. 

Overall, I'd say this was a solid first start, I'm kinda kicking myself for not buying the second one yesterday as the bookstore had both of them, but ya know hindsight and all that jazz. 

Akame Ga Kill by Takahiro - Here's hoping it's better than the anime!!

 

I originally watched this anime probably three years ago maybe four, it has been a while either way. And *ducks* I didn't like it. I think the anime started out solid but it ended up feeling rushed by the end. Someone at the time said to try the manga to see if I changed my mind. Obviously, since it's been so long it wasn't really a priority for me but my local library had the first six so I figured I'd finally read it. I've only read the first volume so I can't speak to whether it's better than the anime yet but I can say I am absolutely in love with the art in this. And the first volume reminds me of why I stuck it out through the anime, to begin with. A corrupt government, a group of rebels determined to take the government down, and some amazingly unique weaponry makes this such an enticing story!

Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu leave their village to head to the capital in order to earn their fortune and save their village from starvation. Along the way, the three of them are separated and Tatsumi goes it alone certain he'll run into his friends in the Capital. But the reality of the Capital is harsh and Tatsumi quickly learns that lesson. He is denied enlistment into the military and is then robbed of all of his money on his very first day there. With no money for an Inn, he decides to sleep on the street that night when like divine intervention Aria a young noble girl arrives and offers to allow Tatsumi to stay in her mansion, even though nothing has gone right the minute he stepped foot in the Capital Tatsumi agrees to go with her. From the guards at Aria's mansion, Tatsumi learns of Night Raid, a group of deadly assassins who target the rich seemingly to steal their wealth. That very evening the Night Raid attacks the mansion and Tatsumi risks his life to defend Aria from this group of villains. Only not everything is as it seems and Tatsumi will learn that some wolves come in sheep's clothing. 

The art in this is just really spectacular. It is so crisp, the opening image of Night Raid in this is absolutely gorgeous! But in this what really stands out is the array of weaponry the Night Raid uses from a giant pair of scissors to a sort of futuristic samurai exo-skeleton each member of Night Raid has a unique weapon that fits their personalities to a T. 

The story is yeah maybe a little cliche but it's the evilness of the nobility in this that really gets you. Especially what we learn about Aria's family's deadly secret. The nobles and the government aren't just corrupt they sick and twisted murdering bastards. And each member of Night Raid has a personal back story as to why they are dedicated to taking down the powers that be. 

Overall, definitely, a solid start and I'm hoping that the manga doesn't leave me feeling wanting as the anime did. An easy five stars for this first volume. 

The Grim Reaper and the Argent Cavalier Vol. 2 by Irono -

 As Cyan just left with Jade he is now a wanted man on top of being larvae, hunted by his own comrades as he and Jade make their way back to Jade's home base on their way they meet up with Bright another larvae working with Jade who has discovered a possible Larvae in a nearby village. They discover that an artist who had recently lost his arm is the prime suspect, however, upon closer inspection the duo believes they have the wrong man. This will be a costly mistake but also one that will reveal that tracking the larvae back to the Grim Reaper was probably not as beneficial as they originally believed as they find discover that in the Grim Reapers army there is a new enemy who is even closer to the reaper and far more deadly. 

Volume 2 introduces us to some new characters, Bright, is probably going to end up being my favorite character of this whole series btw. As well as some more background into how the Grim Reapers' army operates. We also get some background into Jade's life and why he uses the weapon he does and it is, of course, a heartbreaking reason. The volume ends on a couple of cliffhangers with Lady Reinette doing something that will probably end up being really stupid and Bright's past comes back to haunt him. 

Overall, I'd say I am fully invested in this series. I really have enjoyed this storyline it is incredibly unique in terms of a Grim Reaper tale and it has some pretty solid characters. I'm just really hoping that something doesn't happen to Bright in the next volume because he really is my favorite!

Spy x Family Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo - This is the most adorable series pretty much ever

 

Fangirl moment in 5...4...3...OMG WHY IS THIS SO CUTE!? My heart cannot handle the level of cuteness enshrined in this one series!! Like most people, I tuned in to the first episode a few weeks ago and fell in love with Anya, Twilight, and Yor.

Twilight is at the top of his spy game when it all comes crashing down around him. His next mission is to infiltrate Eden Academy an elite private school to get close to a traitor, which means Twilight is going to need to get himself a kid and a wife! But Twilight is a professional and if that's what it takes then so be it. He easily secures a child, Anya an orphan who has a secret of her own; she can read minds. The wife part isn't so easy though until he comes across Yor known to some as The Thorn Princess an assassin at the top of her game. In a fake family where everyone has a secret and an agenda of their own getting little Anya into Eden Academy is going to be harder than any of them assumed...

I feel like I'm probably going to be echoing a lot of what others said here but honestly that's because this is such an adorable series. The art is beautiful, the story is unique, the characters are wonderful and each of them has an intriguing backstory. I can't say that one character is better than another in this one because it's the three of them together that makes this a really special read. Anya's need to have a family, Yor's need to appear normal, and Twilight's need to finish his mission but his softer nature interfering play off of each other brilliantly. This is also laugh-out-loud until your sides hurt funny. 

Overall, easily a five-star read, and as many others have said if you aren't reading this you definitely should be. This is one of those mangas where I feel completely comfortable saying that it will appeal to everyone, even if you don't normally read manga. 

A Grave Concern by Susanna Gregory - We finally find out what's under Tynkell's habit, Micheal gets his promotion, and Matilde Returns

 

Matthew, Micheal, and Sheriff Tuylet have once again saved Cambridge from a deranged killer that was just a little too close to home for their liking! And in a cliffhanger ending Matilde strolls into town like she didn't run away forcing Matt to go to war. 

Matthew looks up to see Tynkell of all people fighting a cloaked man on the roof of St. Mary the Great he and Micheal both rush inside to save their relatively useless Chancellor and unfortunately is too late. Chancellor Tynkell is dead and Micheal has to find his killer and arrange to have a new puppet installed all in a week as he has finally received the recognition he deserves and will be installed as Bishop. Tynkell isn't even in the ground before the next body pops up and as the run-up for the election heats up Cambridge is a pot ready to boil over. Our heroes are in a race against time against a ruthless killer whose endgame will unleash chaos on the University. 

Once again I was only able to figure out half of the intricate web of murder and mayhem Gregory wove. Her misdirection with the actual killer this time was brilliant and even though I have never liked the character that ended up being the murderer I was still shocked and felt as utterly betrayed as Micheal, Matt, and Tuylet. That being said I'll be glad to not see in him the series anymore. That is one thing you can rely on Gregory for, if you hate a character she'll probably end up killing them or turning them into a murderer at some point, you just have to wait. Speaking of which this book introduces a new Prof to Michaelhouse who is an absolute jerk unfortunately she writes him out alive by the end of the book. This guy is awful so I'm a tad bit disappointed he's not going to end up locked up or in the King's Ditch. 

And the reintroduction of Matilde, I'm just as nervous about this as Matthew is!! I completely understand why he's on the fence about rekindling their romance she just took off, for years!! Personally, I think Matt is way too good for her but that's just me. 

We also get a quick check-in with all of our favorite characters just to make sure they are okay. Yolande has a few more kiddos I think, and Insard the Bargeman makes the sweetest gesture for Michealhouse, honestly brought a tear to my eye. This is just one of the things that makes this series great at book twenty-two Gregory has recognized that the people in her world have become important to her readers and includes some reference to all of the characters in pretty much every book. And I honestly love her a bit for it. The characters that make up Matthew's world have very much become important to me, I'd cry like a baby if Yolande, Insard, or even Rougham died. Yeah, I know Rougham of all people, but he's really not too bad. This really makes the series complete for me. It's like walking through your own neighborhood every time you pick it up. The names and faces are as familiar to me as the ones that I see every day in my real life. Actually to be honest possibly more. 

Overall, another solid entry into the chaotic world of 14th century Cambridge. I've almost finished the series now so I suppose a re-read from the beginning will be in order soon.

P.S. We finally find out what Tynkell was hiding under his habit all these years and I tell you what never in 100 years would have guessed it!! 

Dragon's Mage by Ava Richardson

 

Yanna Gray is the daughter of Witch Hunters, and not just any Witch Hunters Cassius and Nia Gray are two hunters who are known for their utter ruthlessness when it comes to eradicating Earth from the scourge they see as magic. And as far as they are concerned Yanna is never going to live up to their standards. So when Yanna discovers that one of their group is actually a witch in disguise trying to steal a rare magical artifact Yanna is determined to stop her, even if that means being sent to an entirely new world filled with Magic. In her fight to prove herself to her parents, Yanna now finds herself in Ragond, a world that relies entirely on magic and those who cast it. What's worse Yanna discovers that she is not just a witch but a Mage who can become a dragon rider. To survive this new world Yanna must become everything she's been taught to hate if she's ever going to make it back home.  

 I genuinely hated Yanna for being this very immature, whiny, brat. At first, however, the longer I read the book the more I figured out she was a product of an upbringing I can't even fathom. I mean honestly, my parents almost encouraged rebellion because that meant I was thinking for myself. Oh sure I'd get in trouble for things but it would have never crossed my mind to think exactly as they do and certainly not to *hate* because they do. So to try to enjoy a character whose life was the exact opposite of my own in a way that I've always found important was difficult at first. As I read on though I found myself enjoying watching her character development. It was interesting to watch her start to think and act for herself. Especially when her parents were so freaking awful. Yanna has to learn to trust herself first and foremost after being told most of her life by the very people who should believe in her unequivocally that she simply wasn't good enough. That's a huge character trait to tackle and I was pleasantly surprised by how well Richardson does with this. 

Wyatt, another very important character, has some tidbits of wisdom that are absolutely brilliant as well. His commentary on hate and forgiveness is probably some of the best I've read ever. I really mean that. I will keep his words of forgiveness in my head probably for the rest of my life. 

The pacing in this is really well done as well. There is a small plot twist but if you read a lot you are probably going to see it coming from a mile away, it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the story too much though. Or at least it didn't for me. The only tiny complaint I have is the dialogue. If one more character said, "Oh Gosh!" in a situation that clearly called for harsher language I was probably going to scream. I'm not sure if Richardson was actually avoiding swearing in the book (it really seems like she was though), however, even if she was there are plenty of other words/phrases to use other than Oh Gosh. It honestly made it difficult to accurately assess the danger the characters were in or their emotions when their response to every dangerous situation was "Oh Gosh!"

Overall this book honestly looks pretty superficial on the outside but covers complex topics with a pretty great cast of characters. On a side note, this is being marketed as a Teens/YA book but honestly, I'd say this is perfect for middle grade as well. If I bought this for any of my kids it would probably be my ten-year-old, not my older three.

And Thank-You to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for the eArc in exchange for this review!