Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 7 by Akihisa Ikeda Series Name: Rosario+Vampire Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches Intended Age Group: Older Teen Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced Edition: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4215-1909-8 Rating: 4/5 AmazonBarnes&NobleRightStufThriftBooks
Description from the Book
All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?
Personal & Info
Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.
Characters
Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills…But the human part might be changing permanently.
Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.
Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the passionate big booby lady.
Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.
Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is shy and a bit of a stalker.
Story & Thoughts
The book picks up where volume six left off with the cliffhanger. It’s resolved fairly quickly, and the manga seems to go back to monster of the week for each chapter. Most of the monsters are currently monstrels, though, so they don’t all get encyclopedias.
Some characters experience growth here as they are put under pressure from recent events. Tsukune experiences more changes, and he’s encouraged to leave school. Of course, we all know he won’t.
It’s subtle, but something I love about this volume is when Mizore speaks up. She clearly cares about what is best for Tsukune, and what would make him happy. His choices and what he wants are what matter to her. Kurumu worries about his safety, but Mizore worries about his happiness. I love that about her, and it starts to shine through a little here.
Something kind of silly, I noticed Moka was wearing a cute tank top and jeans when she answered the door for Kurumu. For some reason she felt the need to change into a dress before she left her room to follow Kurumu. I’m not sure why this was necessary.
Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 1 by Tomohito Oda Series Name: Komi Can’t Communicate Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life Intended Age Group: Teen Publisher: Viz/Shonen Sunday Edition: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-9747-0712-6 Rating: 3.5/5 AmazonBarnes&NobleRightStufThriftBooks
Description from the Book
Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve. With the whole student body keeping its distance and Komi unable to utter a single word, friendship might be forever beyond her reach.
Timid Tadano is a total wallflower, and that’s just the way he likes it. But that changes when he finds himself alone in a classroom on the first day of high school with the legendary Komi. He quickly realizes she isn’t aloof – she’s just super awkward. Now he’s made it his mission to help her on her quest to make 100 friends!
Personal & Info
I’m socially awkward so I’m super excited to try this series. I’ve only tried one other series where a character was awkward, and it was an anime. It has a manga, but I haven’t been able to try that version of it, yet. The series I’m talking about is called Watamote, or No Matter How I look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular. I highly recommend it if you like socially awkward or otaku characters.
The chapters in this manga are super short. There are nineteen chapters, plus one bonus chapter. They don’t all have cover art, either, which makes sense, because that would be a lot of extra art pages.
The art itself is nice. Komi is often drawn with huge eyes, and there’s just something about the style of the anatomy for the characters that I like.
Characters
Shoko Komi is the socially awkward main character. She literally can’t talk to anyone verbally.
Hitohito Tadano is the main character who first discovers Komi’s problem. He wants to help her make one hundred friends.
Najimi Osana is a very social character. They are described as gender unknown and pathologically dishonest.
Himiko Agari is in Komi’s class. She is a nervous person. People looking at her is her biggest problem.
Story & Thoughts
This is adorable. Upon hearing the premise, I didn’t realize it means she can’t speak to anyone at all. Komi can only talk to people by writing, and in some instances, miming.
The story is funny, but also heartwarming. The chalkboard conversation with Tadano is so touching. It’s so wholesome how Tadano and Najimi are trying to help Komi.
As a socially anxious person myself, I find parts of the story highly relatable. Komi’s condition is more extreme than mine, but I understand how she feels. I’ve had similar experiences, and I think it’s great manga and other media are starting to include characters like Komi.
This is a comedy, but to me, it’s only funny enough to get a smile. I think I only giggled once, but I can’t remember where. Personally, it’s not the comedy of it that I enjoy. I like how heartwarming and relatable it is. Even if characters are portrayed to the extreme, it’s still relatable. Komi and Agari are both relatable to me, minus the dog thing, because that’s a little odd.
Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 6 by Akihisa Ikeda Series Name: Rosario+Vampire Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches Intended Age Group: Older Teen Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced Edition: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4215-1908-1 Rating: 4.5/5 AmazonBarnes&NobleRightStufThriftBooks
Description from the Book
All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?
Personal & Info
Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.
Characters
Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills…or is he? Parts of this initial description appear to be changing.
Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.
Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the passionate big booby lady.
Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.
Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is shy and a bit of a stalker.
Story & Thoughts
The problem with the monstrels introduced in volume five continues in this one. The entire book is focused primarily on one encounter with Mido. Mido is like a superior of Saizo’s, but he’s not the highest rank.
Unoriginally, Mido kidnaps Moka. This plan seems to be becoming rather common. Moka and Tsukune have to deal with the encounter on their own. We also learn more about Tsukune’s new health condition. The events of this one are a bit heart wrenching as the story is still working in a more serious direction for the time being.
The volume has a small cliff hanger, as after things wrap up, Tsukune is once again in danger. Poor guy never gets a break…unless you count bones.
I like that as more about Tsukune’s condition is revealed, he’s still unique. Despite previous implications, he’s not just a second vampire added to the group. In case you missed Moka’s explanation before, it doesn’t work that way.
The bonus comics for this one are all about boobs. The main cast talks about measurements and bust size. The only one we really learn is Kurumu’s but not with numbers, just her cup size.
How to Train Your Devil, Vol. 1 by Tonchi Kataoka Series Name: How to Train your Devil Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy Intended Age Group: Older Teen Publisher: Seven Seas Edition: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64275-487-2 Rating: 2/5 AmazonBarnes&NobleRightStufThriftBooks
Description from the Book
The last thing Zeno expected when she set off to slay the Devil King was that she’d become his mother. But it was either that or kill a one-year old baby. And Zeno is no baby-killer – even if the baby is a pervert with a very lusty adult’s mind.
Personal & Info
I added this to my to-read list around the same time as My Monster Secret. It’s supposed to be funny, and fantasy manga are huge right now. There are so many of them, it’s hard to tell which ones are worth reading. This one sounded like it might be funny, and I recently got it as a gift.
There appear to only be four volumes in this series, so it’s not a huge commitment.
Characters
Zeno Zebia is the heroine of the story. She may have chosen not to slay the Devil King, but her skills are nothing to sneeze at.
Grull Gurrehl is the baby Devil King. He is one year old, and has apparently been lewdly educated since birth, as it is the Devil King’s job to procreate more monsters.
Nabu Zebia is Zeno’s grandmother. Zeno isn’t fond of her.
Lilia DeLoan is the daughter of a wealthy household. She joins the party after a fairly ridiculous encounter.
Story & Thoughts
I have to say, this manga seems rather controversial. From what I can tell, the perverted baby thing puts a lot of people off to the premise as it is. I figure, if done right, it can be interesting and entertaining, but I’m not sure this story does that. If it did, I’m certain I wouldn’t be thinking, “what did I just read,” upon finishing the volume.
The characters seem interesting enough. I like Zeno and Lilia, though I’m fairly certain Lilia is playing pretend. Zeno is a good ideal hero. She has ethical values and the skills to back them up when challenged.
As far as story goes…I think it’s trying a little too hard. The king, or judge, or whoever he is, is blatantly a creep. I can tell events are trying to be funny, but throughout the entire book, I didn’t experience so much as a giggle.
Most of the lewd parts of the story seem like they are just there for blatant lewdness. Some of it is fine, but it seems like a majority of it is focused on Lilia, which I find kind of suspicious. Not much information is provided about her. In addition to that, I’m positive Grull does not pass the Harkness test. Nothing actually happens to him, but there is a blatant attempt.
Taking all this into account, I do think the story has potential. I just don’t think it is executed well. There are plenty of parts I like, but it’s intended to be funny, and I just didn’t find it funny enough to be considered a comedy.
There’s a cliff hanger at the end. If you enjoy the book, you might want to get the second volume quickly, so you can find out what happens. Personally, I am unsure if I will bother continuing the series. Don’t get any hopes up about seeing more reviews for this.
Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 5 by Akihisa Ikeda Series Name: Rosario+Vampire Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches Intended Age Group: Older Teen Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced Edition: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4215-1907-4 Rating: 4.5/5 AmazonBarnes&NobleRightStufThriftBooks
Description from the Book
All-around average student Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?
Personal & Info
Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, and seen the anime, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.
Characters
Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills.
Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest.
Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the big booby lady.
Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.
Mizore Shirayuki is a new love interest.
Story & Thoughts
The first chapter finishes the adventure from volume four. After that, there are two chapters introducing my personal favorite character, Mizore. She is weird, quirky, and misunderstood, but I love her.
From what I recall about my first time reading a large chunk of the series, Mizore’s parts of the story tend to be unsettling and sad. There’s a pretty scummy teacher in her section of the volume. Mizore herself can be a little creepy sometimes, but I find her character interesting and relatable.
There is more scummy behavior in the last chapter. This time by other students, including Saizo, the guy from volume one. We learn a little about mixed blood monsters here. It’s obvious by now that monsters are no strangers to discrimination, both doing it, and being victimized by it.
Tsukune’s health takes an interesting turn. Will it be for better or for worse? I actually don’t know, because I never finished the series to find out what happens.
I like that this series doesn’t put all the focus on one character. Everybody seems to get their own opportunities to shine and show off their skills. Tsukune and Moka usually get most of the spotlight, but the others have their moments, and I love that. It’s like they get their own special episodes/chapters to shine.
Mizore pretty much takes over the bonus comics in this volume. She’s my favorite character, though, so these are my favorite ones so far. They add a little more character introduction for her regarding her abilities, and just plain silliness.
Notable Issues
There seem to be a significant amount of typos in this volume.
I’m a little confused because volume three calls the math teacher Kagome Ririko, but this volume calls her Ririko Kagome. Which is it?
On one panel, Saizo Komiya is labelled as a werewolf. I don’t think this is correct. Even if he is hypothetically half, I don’t think the term werewolf is accurate. He looked nothing like a werewolf when he transformed in volume one.
The translation for Mizore’s monster type seems odd. I can see how one might get that translation, but yuki-onna or snow girl sounds better than “abominable snowgirl.” It sounds too close to abominable snowman to me, and that’s something drastically different than what she is.
My Monster Secret, Vol. 1 by Eiji Masuda Series Name: My Monster Secret Genres: Aliens, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Vampires Intended Age Group: Teen Publisher: Seven Seas Edition: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-626922-38-9 Rating: 4.5/5 AmazonBarnes&NobleRightStufThriftBooks
Description from the Book
Everyone knows Asahi is the worst liar in school – he’s so painfully transparent that his childhood frenemy has developed gossip tabloids around his best kept secrets. When Asahi falls in love with the enigmatic Shiragami Youko from his class, he decides to confess to her before she, and everyone else, can read his feelings like an open book. There’s just one problem – Asahi stumbles upon her secret, and it’s a lot bigger than his! Youko is, in fact, a vampire, and if the school finds out, she’ll disappear from his life forever.
Personal & Info
I think it was sometime back in July that I added this to my list as a, “meh, this might be good,” option. It wasn’t on my immediate list of things to get or read, so I threw it on an ongoing wishlist for gift ideas. I got it this past Christmas and my expectations were mediocre. Due to a sudden change in my reading plans, I decided to read it sooner rather than later.
I’m glad I did, because I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. I wasn’t even in the mood for comedy when I read this, but it made me laugh anyway. In my opinion, that on its own says a lot about the quality.
This appears to be a twenty two volume series that finished in 2020. It’s never too late to get into a series, though.
Characters
Asahi Kuromine is the main character. As the description says, he is extremely transparent about everything. He can’t keep secrets or win at card games.
Youko Shiragami is the vampire love interest. She’s a bit oblivious, and not at all the quiet polite person people suspect her to be.
Oka, Sakura, and Shima are Asahi’s friends. I don’t think the book says what their full names are, so these might be their last names, or a mix of first and last. All that matters, is these are the names they go by.
Mikan Akemi is Asahi’s childhood “frenemy.” She’s a journalist for the school newspaper, and she doesn’t care if something SHOULD be written. If the article causes someone distress, she gets joy from publishing it.
Nagisa Aizawa is the class representative. Her speech habits are unusual and she is a stickler for rules.
Story & Thoughts
Going into this, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was supposed to be funny like a rom-com, but that still leaves room to guess. I had no idea where the premise would take the story, either.
As of the first chapter, I’m hooked. This book makes me laugh out loud while reading. The comedy holds up from start to finish. Even the bonus comics crack me up.
The main characters are amusing. I don’t care much for the three friends, yet. They seem like solid side characters, but not quite important as of yet. I don’t like Mikan. She contributes to the humor, but at the same time, I hate her as a person. She is cruel and enjoys the suffering of others.
The art is charming in a 90s nostalgia sort of way. It has the long faces, huge mouths, and big eyes, while also looking modern enough to clearly not be from that time period. Youko Shiragami looks a little different between the cover and what is actually inside the book sometimes. Her serious face almost makes her look like a different person.
This take on vampires is different than what I’m used to seeing. Shiragami has wings and she says vampires only drink blood romantically. She doesn’t die in the sun either. I wonder what other lore about vampires of this world we will learn as the series progresses.
I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like there might be some love triangle or harem vibes. Nagisa Aizawa’s actions make me suspect, but I don’t think it’s that kind of story. I’ll have to read more of it to be sure.
Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 4 by Akihisa Ikeda Series Name: Rosario+Vampire Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches Intended Age Group: Older Teen Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced Edition: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4215-1906-7 Rating: 4/5 AmazonBarnes&NobleRightStufThriftBooks
Description from the Book
All-around average student Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?
Personal & Info
Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, and seen the anime, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.
I can’t remember for sure, but I think the anime is significantly less accurate by this point. I can’t say for sure which episodes start to stray, because it’s been a while, but I know for sure the anime introduces another character before the events of this volume. That character, in the manga, is introduced after these events.
Honestly, looking at a list of the episode descriptions, several things appear to be changed or out of order. I HIGHLY recommend just reading the manga. I will no longer be mentioning the anime after this review due to the massive amount of differences.
Characters
Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills.
Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.
Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the big booby lady.
Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.
Ruby is a new witch character, who may or may not be significant later.
Story & Thoughts
It’s the start of summer vacation at Yokai Academy. The gang goes to the human world for a club field trip to practice some investigative journalism. Gin stays behind to attend summer school, and Miss Nekonome is the chaperone, although she isn’t much of one.
The entire volume focuses on the trip and the events that occur. We get more insight into the rift between witches and humans. Of course, Yukari also experiences a little character growth, since the volume’s theme is witches.
This is the first time we get to see any combat involving Yukari. Her techniques seem simple, but effective. I would guess her cards probably have metal edges. If they don’t, then the force she manages to put into them is amazing.
Another witch by the name of Ruby appears in this volume. I can’t remember how significant she is in the manga later on, but I know the anime liked to throw her in frequently for cameos. She shows off some cool witch abilities we have not seen in the story until now.
This volume ends in a major cliff hanger just when things are getting super serious. I recommend having volume five ahead of time, so you don’t have to wait.
Notable Issues
In a panel that recaps what species everyone in the group is, Moka and Kurumu’s species are mislabelled as switched. I’m surprised this mistake made it through editing.
I haven’t bought enough books each month to bother doing hauls for regular novels, and I haven’t been keeping track of them as well as manga and light novels. So, for roughly the past six months, I’m just going to do one massive haul to show what I’ve gotten. Think of it as one big end of the year haul.
Aurian by Maggie Furey
I’m always on the lookout for new books (new to me, not necessarily newly published) to try, so I often grab some seemingly random things if they look interesting enough. This is one of those things. I bought it from my local used book store. Or at least, I think I did. There are no stickers on it to verify.
This is volume one of a four volume series called Artefacts of Power.
What is it?
A magical fantasy adventure.
Blood Vow by J. R. Ward
This is volume two of the Black Dagger Legacy series, which is intended to be read in tandem by publication date with the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I don’t have volume one of this series, yet, because I’m not quite ready to start it. There are a few more volumes of Fallen Angels and BDB for me to finish first.
I was at my local used book store the other day and I caught this volume out of the corner of my eye. I knew what it was, just not which volume, so I grabbed it for two dollars instead of ordering online for six or more later.
What is it?
A sexy and edgy urban vampire novel that is part of a larger series/universe of books.
The Crossroads of Illys’thoph by Jean William Quantrell III
This is book two of a series called The Chronicles of Tyrfus Hillock. The series is rather new, and my family knows the author, so you should definitely check it out. It can be found on Amazon. I’ll also include a link to volume one. I don’t have reviews for these yet, but it’s on my to do list.
What is it?
A fantasy.
The Dark Glory War by Michael A. Stackpole
I’m not entirely sure, but I think I got this from my local used book store. It doesn’t have a sticker, so I can’t verify that.
This is apparently part of a series called The DragonCrown War Cycle. It’s four volumes including this one as the prequel.
What is it?
A fantasy of some kind.
Dragon’s Blood by Jane Yolen
I bought this from my local used book store. It’s volume one in a four volume series called Pit Dragon Chronicles.
What is it?
A Dragon themed fantasy.
Eight Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
This is volume one of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. I initially read this from the library, and enjoyed it, so I’m collecting the series to read all of it. There are only five volumes, but there is also a spin-off series. I think it’s about a vampire hunter, and it’s called The Slayer Chronicles. There are a couple graphic novels for volumes one and two of Vladimir Tod, too, but I have no interest in those.
I think I got this one from a library sale, because it is used and doesn’t have any stickers on it. As far as I know, this is a stand alone novel.
What is it?
A mystery romance.
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
I bought this one from my local used book store. It’s volume one of a series called Firelight. It appears to be a trilogy.
What is it?
A fantasy romance with dragon shifters who secretly live among humans.
Ghost of a Chance by Jayne Ann Krentz
This book was purchased at my local used book store. As far as I know, this is a stand alone novel.
What is it?
A mystery romance.
Guild Boss by Jayne Castle
I ordered this on Amazon. It’s book fourteen in the Ghost Hunters or Harmony series, which is an extension of the Arcane Society series. I did read this already, but I did not review it because I don’t want to review a series super far in. When I go back and reread the entirety of the series, I’ll do the reviews at that time.
What is it?
A paranormal romance with psychics.
Halls of Law by V.M Escalada
I honestly can’t remember where I got this one. The stickers or lack of, does not give me any clue.
This is volume one of a duology called Faraman Prophecy. I don’t know any more than that.
What is it?
An epic fantasy with military and psychic themes.
Love and War by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
This is volume three of the Dragonlance Tales trilogy. I bought it from my local used book store.
What is it?
A Dungeons and Dragons-esque fantasy.
The Magic of Krynn by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
This is volume one of the Dragonlance Tales trilogy. I bought it from my local used book store.
What is it?
A Dungeons and Dragons-esque fantasy.
Mister Monday by Garth Nix
This is volume one of the series The Keys to the Kingdom. It’s a seven volume series.
I picked this up at my local used book store, because I read the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix and loved it, so I want to see if I like other things he’s written. I will reread Abhorsen at a later date and post reviews for it.
What is it?
A fantasy adventure.
Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer
This is volume two of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. I ordered this one from ThriftBooks after I bought volume three in store.
What is it?
A teen half-vampire series.
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
I bought this from my local used book store. I think it was on the same day as the two Garth Nix books.
This is volume one of a series called Ranger’s Apprentice. The series appears to be pretty long with sixteen volumes.
What is it?
A fantasy of some kind.
The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
This is volume one of a series called Sea of Trolls. It appears to be a trilogy. I don’t know any more than that since I haven’t read it, yet. I can’t remember where I bought it, but wherever it come from it was used.
What is it?
A middle grade fantasy. It might have a touch of mythology in it. I’m not sure.
Serpent in Paradise by Jayne Ann Krentz
This book was purchased at my local used book store. This is a stand alone novel. I have already read and reviewed it.
What is it?
A harlequin romance.
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
This book was purchased at my local used book store. It’s one I grabbed from browsing, because it sounded interesting. It has a sticker on it that says it’s an autographed copy, but sometimes I wonder when I see stuff like that, because most of the time you can’t read the signature anyway.
This is the first book in a series called The School for Good and Evil. The series is six volumes, plus two prequels, and one companion book. Volumes 4-6 appear to be a sequel series called The School for Good and Evil: The Camelot Years.
The series appears to be ongoing.
What is it?
A middle grade fantasy with fairy tale themes.
Soft Focus by Jayne Ann Krentz
I think I got this one from a library sale, because it’s used and doesn’t have any stickers on it. As far as I know, this is a stand alone novel.
What is it?
A mystery romance
Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer
This is volume three in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series. I got this from my local used book store. It was the only volume of the series they had.
What is it?
A teen half-vampire series.
Troubletwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
This is volume one of a four volume series called Troubletwisters. It has Garth Nix’s name on it, so I want to read it to see if I like more things he’s written.
What is it?
A fantasy adventure.
Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick
This book was purchased at my local used book store. As far as I know, this is a stand alone novel.
What is it?
A victorian mystery romance.
Way of the Wolf by E. E. Knight
I bought this one from my local used book store while browsing for new things to try. It’s volume one of a series called The Vampire Earth. There are eleven books in the series.
What is it?
A post apocaliptic fantasy.
The Witches of Eileanan by Kate Forsyth
I bought this book from my local used book store. It’s volume one in a six book series called The witches of Eileanan.
What is it?
A fantasy, probably with magic.
Wolf in the Shadows by Maria Vale
I ordered this from Amazon. It’s volume five in the series The Legend of All Wolves. It’s a great series. I will reread the entirety of it and post reviews later.
What is it?
A wolf shifter romance.
Wolf’s Bane by Kelly Armstrong
I ordered this from Amazon. It’s the first volume of a series called Kate and Logan, which is a sequel series to Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series. It stars Kate and Logan, the twin children of Elena Micheals and Clay Danvers.
What is it?
A fantasy where werewolves, vampires, witches, necromancers, etc. live among us in secret.
Wolf’s Curse by Kelley Armstrong
I ordered this from Amazon. It’s volume two of the series Kate and Logan. I’m not sure if there will be more volumes after this one.
What is it?
A fantasy where werewolves, vampires, witches, necromancers, etc. live among us in secret.
This haul includes the manga I received as holiday gifts, as well as what I purchased on my own through Amazon and my local book store.
The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 7
I love this series. Unfortunately, volume eight doesn’t come out in English until May. I have already read this book, and you can read the review here. If you’d like to start from the beginning, the reviews for volumes one through six are also available.
What is it?
A Chinese inspired historical mystery romance.
Chi’s Sweet Home, Vol. 1 (Japanese)
This is the Japanese print of Chi’s Sweet home. It’s supposedly a good series to read for beginners of the language. I found it highly recommended from several sources, so I’m looking forward to using it for some language practice in my Japanese learning journey.
What is it?
A cute series of adorable cat adventures and shenanigans.
How to Train Your Devil, Vol. 1
I added this to my to-read list this past summer. I don’t know much about it, yet. The description implies hero surrogate mother to a perverted baby Devil King.
Update: The review for this volume is now available.
What is it?
It’s supposed to be a lewd and funny fantasy.
Inuyasha VIZBig Edition, Vol. 3
I’ve already read the Inuyasha manga, but I’ve never had my own physical copies. I’m working on that with these editions. It’s not a high priority, though, so I won’t be getting them often.
What is it?
A Japanese time travel adventure romance with demons.
My Monster Secret, Vol. 1
I added this to my list around the same time as How to Train your Devil. It appears to be about a girl who is secretly a vampire. I won’t know any more than that until I read it.
Update: The review for this volume is now available.
What is it?
It’s supposed to be a funny romance from what I can tell.
Noragami Omnibus Vol. 2 (volumes 4-6)
I’m building a bit of a buffer before I delve into reading these. The anime is great, so I’m excited to start the manga. It kind of reminds me a little of Soul Eater, because people can become weapons or objects.
What is it?
An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world, but also a bit silly at times.
Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1-3
This is a great manga, and a great anime. Of course, the anime ends long before the manga and deviates a bit. A friend of mine was collecting the series back when I was in middle school when the series was still new to the U.S. I was able to read most of it back then, but not finish it. I’m looking forward to completing my own set and giving it a full read.
What is it?
A gender bend, slice of life, comedy, romance.
Skip Beat! Vol. 36-42
This fills the chunk I was missing. My collection is now up to current, and I can start reading them to review whenever. I’m looking forward to it.
The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 7 by Natsu Hyuuga, Nekokurage, Itsuki Nanao, Touco Shino Series Name: The Apothecary Diaries (Manga) Genres: Drama, Historical, Mystery, Romance Intended Age Group: Teen Publisher: Square Enix Edition: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64609-120-1 Rating: 4/5 AmazonBarnes&NobleCrunchyrollThriftBooks
Description from the Book
Proving herself indispensable yet again by saving Jinshi from a horrific fate, Maomao is given the chance to explain her rash behavior during the holy ritual. But when she continues her investigation into the foiled plot, a bizarre outcome awaits, leaving the plucky apothecary impressed by the sheer nerve of the culprit behind it. But admiring the exploits of another won’t get Maomao very far when Jinshi tasks her with a feat of her own – to present him with blue roses at the needling of the eccentric La Kan! How will Maomao respond to this provocation from the man she despises the most?
Personal & Info
I wasn’t able to get this on release day, but I was able to get it before a major snow storm hit. I didn’t read it during the storm, but I had the option. It’s not terribly late, though. This review is only posted a little over a week after the release. It’s a little later than I wanted, but the site was down on my usual post day.
Volume eight doesn’t come out in English until May. That’s a big sad gap with no Apothecary Diaries.
Characters
Maomao is still her eccentric amusing self. She is one of the reasons I love this series.
Jinshi feels like a solid character at this point. We’ve seen enough of him to have a good grasp on his character and his general feelings about Maomao. It’s unclear if it’s romantic or platonic, but it’s clear he cares for her.
Lakan is getting more depth as we learn more about him and his past. It doesn’t change how unlikable he is.
Lihaku is becoming regular enough that I think he and Maomao can be considered friends.
Other characters from earlier volumes appear here again as Maomao returns to the inner court. It’s nice to see them again.
Story & Thoughts
This volume starts off with Maomao waking up after the events of volume six. She explains her suspicions of the culminating events to Jinshi and Gao Shun. As the drama of the attempted murder comes to a close, the group looks into a possible suspect, and the methods used in the disaster. This only takes up the first chapter.
The mysteries for this volume aren’t as elaborate as most of the ones before. They are mostly observations Maomao notices and resolves, or unusual tasks that turn out to be rather simple, though time consuming.
For the most part, this volume seems to focus on character backgrounds. Jinshi’s speculations about the past, Gao Shun’s family history, Lakan, even the physician in the Inner Palace. After the exciting events of the previous book, this one can be considered a bit of a lore dump.
In Chapter 34, we learn more about Gao Shun and his relationship with Jinshi. Gao Shun is more closely connected to him than just an assistant. One could consider them honorary family based on their history.
Jinshi also spends time speculating about the past regarding consorts and the royal family. There have been possible hints about Jinshi’s identity in the series up until now, but the story isn’t going to give us any solid answers about who he is, yet. We will have to speculate a while longer.
We start to learn a little more about Lakan and why he is the type of eccentric he is. It doesn’t justify anything he does, but it helps to understand him better. Based on the preview at the end, it looks like the next volume is going to show us more of his history, and our first look at Maomao’s mother.
