Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 7

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Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 7 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire: Season II
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4026-9
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Average human teenage boy Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters – no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches, and unnameables out of his wildest nightmares! And now he’s a sophomore!

On the plus side, all the girls have a monster crush on him. On the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns because he only has eyes for one of them – the far-from-average vampire Moka.

On the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. On the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood…

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.

This volume advertises a mini-poster inside. This one is a fold out, like volume five, featuring Moka and inner Moka separated by a mirror. Again, I can’t imagine why anyone would tear this out.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is the only human at a school for monsters. Due to various events in season one, he wears a chain lock on his wrist, similar to Moka’s rosario.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest. She is considered the most beautiful girl in school, and the series likes to play up that fact.

Kurumu Kurono is the second beautiful love interest. She is the character with the largest breasts in the group, and the whole school also fawns over her, but not nearly as much as Moka.

Yukari Sendo is a twelve year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is a yuki-onna, but the translation constantly calls her a snow fairy. She’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Fangfang Huang is a freshman, and the son of the leader of a Chinese mafia.

Lingling Huang is Fangfang’s undead big sister.

Story & Thoughts

This volume focuses heavily on inner Moka. Now that she is out all the time, she’s socializing more than she ever has before, and her experiences are giving her more feelings than she is used to. She thinks this is a weakness forming, but she has the other Moka talking to her to help even things out and give her advice. It’s like seeing their relationship backwards, which is probably why the first chapter has the title Reverse.

The group is traveling to get Moka’s rosario repaired. The last two chapters are probably the most important. We get a look at a chunk of Moka’s childhood and see her family. The most important part of it seems to be the introduction of her third and final sister. We have not seen her, yet, so these flashbacks are covering a bit of what she is like.

Between those events and the usual shenanigans, there’s also plot building going on in the background. Fairy Tale is making moves and plans they have already put into motion are under investigation. There are some familiar faces returning, and not for anyone’s benefit.

I always enjoy the volumes that delve into character backstories. It’s also nice seeing inner Moka as more of a person. She deserves to be more than just the person who shows up when people need saving.

I can’t help feeling bad for Fangfang. He gets treated so poorly all the time. All he wants is to have friends and do right by his family.

Ghost of a Chance

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Ghost of a Chance by Jayne Ann Krentz
Genres: Ghosts, Mystery, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Mira
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 1-55166-524-7
Rating: 2/5
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Description from the Book

It was time to lay some ghosts to rest…

Anne Silver’s brother had been working to expose a clever ring of swindlers when he was struck down by a car – a clear case of attempted murder. Now Anne’s determined to finish what her brother started. But she can’t do it without the help of ex-CIA agent Julian Aries, a man who once betrayed her.

With Julian as an unwilling conspirator, the couple goes undercover to face ghosts old and new – an unsolved murder and a clever gang of fake psychics. But as Anne and Julian put their lives on the line, the icy chill of danger and a powerful desire they can no longer deny force them to confront the greatest unsolved mystery of all…their unlikely love.

Personal & Info

Jayne Ann Krentz (and all her other pseudonyms) is one of my favorite authors. Her books always feel comfortable to read, so I am amassing a collection. This one is a 250 page stand alone.

I purchased this novel from my local used book store for a dollar. Apparently it’s out of print. I think you can still find some audiobook or ebook versions if you don’t want the hassle of locating a print edition. The links I provided SHOULD lead you to some print editions if that’s what you want.

Characters

Anne Silver is the leading lady. She works at a university as a research assistant, and her brother Micheal is a reporter.

Julian Aries is the leading man. He is ex-CIA, and, in my opinion, there is absolutely nothing charming about him.

Prue Gibson is the housekeeper of the house they will be using to ensnare the ghost hunters.

Thomas Craven is the lead ghost hunter.

Sara is the “sensitive” that can sense and communicate with ghosts. She claims to have no last name.

Dan Hargraves is Craven’s assistant. He handles all the notes and research regarding their ghost hunting adventures.

Story & Thoughts

I think the most important thing to point out starting out is the fact this book is from the 80s. There are themes and opinions involved that definitely show the perspective of the times. The date in my book says it was published in 1984. If you don’t like to see consent disrespected, or how men would think or act in the 80s, you might not like this book. If you do like that, then you might also like Serpent in Paradise by the same author.

The story itself is okay. I don’t have any issues with that. Anne and Julian plan to trap some ghost hunters who use their profession to rob houses. That’s all well and good. The plot even wraps up nicely, though I’m not surprised about the plot twist at the end. I actually had my suspicions early on.

The biggest issue in the whole book is Julian. I have pages of notes about how horrible Julian is. I cannot stress enough how frequently he disrespects consent. There is technically no rape, however a significant amount of consent is in a very gray area, or in the badgering category, which does not really count as true consent.

Julian tries to find sexual meanings or responses in practically everything. He does not understand simple human compassion, and he is delusional enough to mentally justify all of his actions, even if his justification completely goes against something he was told. There are no redeeming qualities about him. He is a toxic person, and Anne should not like him at all. Any sweetness at the tail end of the book does not make up for the entirety of the book before it, nor does it change anything about him. Julian basically ruins the whole book.

Aside from all the Julian garbage, there are only two more things I think are worth mentioning. Anne doesn’t stand up to Julian nearly enough. She lets him manipulate her too much. The last thing isn’t related to the story, but there seem to be a significant amount of typos.

Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 6

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Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 6 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire: Season II
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3831-0
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Average human teenage boy Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters – no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches, and unnameables out of his wildest nightmares! And now he’s a sophomore!

On the plus side, all the girls have a monster crush on him. On the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns because he only has eyes for one of them – the far-from-average vampire Moka.

On the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. On the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood…

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.

I can tell I’m getting close to the parts I have not read before, because my memory of some of this stuff is foggier. For example, I didn’t remember who Fangfang was. I am absolutely certain I still remember some events that have not yet to occur, so I still have some to go before I actually catch up to that point.

The cover advertises two free mini-posters inside. Honestly, these are no different than the standard color images we see in every volume. These ones aren’t even fold out like the last one. They are both Halloween in theme. One is Inner Moka reading a book, and the other is Yukari watering a plant. However, these “mini-posters” are not perforated for easy removal, nor are they actually two separate posters. They are back to back, so if you choose to tear them out, you can only display one side of it.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is the only human at a school for monsters. Due to various events in season one, he wears a chain lock on his wrist, similar to Moka’s rosario.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest. She is considered the most beautiful girl in school, and the series likes to play up that fact.

Kurumu Kurono is the second beautiful love interest. She is the character with the largest breasts in the group, and the whole school also fawns over her, but not nearly as much as Moka.

Yukari Sendo is a twelve year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is a yuki-onna, but the translation constantly calls her a snow fairy. She’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Koko Shuzen is Moka’s little sister. She thinks Tsukune’s only redeeming quality is the taste of his blood, but she doesn’t go around biting him like Moka does.

Ruby Tojo is a witch met in season one. She currently works for the school to help keep the students safe. This now also entails supervising Tsukune’s training.

Ginei Morioka, also known as Gin, is the Newspaper Club’s president. Normally we hardly ever see him.

Fangfang Huang is a freshman, and the son of the leader of a Chinese mafia.

Lingling Huang is Fangfang’s big sister.

Three of the girls’ parents show up for sports day: Fujiko Sendo, Ageha Kurono, and Tsurara Shirayuki.

Story & Thoughts

This volume is more chill and fun than most of the others. There are no super serious adventures, but a couple new monster types are casually introduced as the story progresses. The tone at the end of the volume, however, is more serious.

The first two chapters introduce the Huang family, primarily Fangfang. Tsukune has a well known reputation now, so a representative of a Chinese mafia wants to recruit him. Jokes and shenanigans ensue from there.

The third chapter focuses mostly on Yukari. She gets a real look at herself from a different perspective and must deal with feeling self-conscious for the first time ever. Fangfang is just along for the ride in this chapter.

We get to see more of inner Moka in the final chapter. It’s another rare opportunity to see her out for a whole day. This time, she attends school for a full day, and her rivals in love try to analyze her skills to find a weakness.

After the usual end of the volume four panel comics in the back, there are a few pages of extra ones. The additional comics address fan mail concerns about the series regarding moe. Things like if the series has enough of it, if the creator even knows what it is, and drawing the characters in that type of style.

I think this volume is a little funnier than usual, since nothing particularly serious happens. It’s all shenanigans and chaos. Gin shows up a few times. We hardly ever see him in general, so it’s nice when he’s involved in something, even if it’s silly.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 7 (LN)

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Spice & Wolf, Vol. 7: Side Colors by Isuna Hasekura
Series Name: Spice & Wolf (Light Novel)
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Commerce
Intended Age Group: 15+
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-316-22912-8
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

In a break from Lawrence and Holo’s ongoing adventures, author Isuna Hasekura presents Side Colors, a series of short vignettes focusing on the series’ favorite characters.

Personal & Info

There are three short stories in this volume, so I will be breaking them up into their own sections for the review. I will post the overall rating in the usual place above, but the individual story ratings will go in this section.

The Boy and the Girl and the White Flowers: 2/5

The Red of the Apple, The Blue of the Sky: 3/5

Wolf and Amber Melancholy: 4/5

Characters

Holo is in all three stories.

Lawrence is in the second and third short stories.

Aryes Belange, which I assume is pronounced as Aries, is a religious girl with little to no knowledge of the world outside her house. I mean this to the extreme. She doesn’t even know flowers normally grow from the ground. Aryes is in the first and longest story, The Boy and the Girl and the White Flowers.

Klass is a boy younger than Aryes. He worked in the estate that housed Aryes. Klass is also in The Boy and the Girl and the White Flowers.

Norah is the shepherdess from volume two. She is in the third story, Wolf and Amber Melancholy.

Story & Thoughts

The Boy and the Girl and the White Flowers

Klass and Aryes, two children of varying ages, were living in an estate out in the middle of nowhere. Klass worked there and slept in the barn. Aryes was basically sequestered away in a building all by herself. Her situation so unusual to the staff that she was always the gossip of the place.

The lord owning the estate supposedly died, and some relative, I think his brother, came to stake his claim of the property. He evicted anyone he considered unnecessary, including Klass and Aryes. Hardly any traveling supplies were given, so the evicted were essentially doomed to struggle to survive or die on the road.

The story starts with Klass and Aryes, maybe two days travel from the estate, and proceeds to cover a portion of their journey. Of course, being part of Spice & Wolf, they end up meeting Holo at some point.

I don’t like this story much. To me, it just comes off as Holo being mean to a young boy for one hundred and twenty pages. She spends the entire story teasing, bullying, and pranking Klass for her own amusement. Her prank went so overboard it could be considered cruel.

We only get to see Klass’ perspective, though, so we don’t get an accurate idea of how Holo treats Aryes. It seems like she’s nothing but nice to her, but with how ignorant Aryes is of everything, we can’t possibly know what kinds of things Holo tells her. Especially since the two of them are always speaking where and when Klass can’t hear them.

The story is definitely not flattering for Holo. There are a few instances in the series where I feel she has been particularly cruel, and this is definitely one of them. Sometimes I just really don’t like her at all.

The Red of the Apple, The Blue of the Sky

This story seems to take place after volume one, but before volume two. Lawrence and Holo appear to still be in Pazzio, and for some reason Lawrence wants them to burn through as much money as possible. I don’t know why, and I didn’t see an explanation for it anywhere.

The plot primarily focuses on that, but at the same time, they are buying clothes for Holo. Lawrence explains a relations tactic regarding buying and selling clothing. The story is only about thirty pages, so it’s short, but I like it much better than the first one. Holo is not nearly as mean in this one as she is in the first one.

Wolf and Amber Melancholy

This is a short story from Holo’s perspective. It takes place after the events of volume two. Holo takes ill, and Lawrence must take care of her. While she is sick, Holo struggles with possessive thoughts regarding Lawrence due to jealousy of his friendly relationship with the shepherdess Norah.

I like this story. It’s interesting to see how things work on Holo’s sides of the conversations. She might not seem so mean if we saw her side more often. It is unfortunate that a lot of her side is hiding her feelings and manipulation, but it explains a lot about how she acts and why.

Overall

Generally speaking, I like this volume. There are things I like, and things I don’t. I think the first story makes Holo look bad, but the third story significantly makes up for that in my opinion. The Red of the Apple, The Blue of the Sky is okay, but I don’t see anything special about it. Wolf and Amber Melancholy is my favorite of the three. I think it gives significant insight into how Holo thinks, since it’s the only part in the series so far that covers anything in her perspective.

Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 5

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Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 5 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire: Season II
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3691-0
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Average human teenage boy Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters – no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches, and unnameables out of his wildest nightmares! And now he’s a sophomore!

On the plus side, all the girls have a monster crush on him. On the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns because he only has eyes for one of them – the far-from-average vampire Moka.

On the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. On the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood…

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.

This volume includes a small fold out poster of Moka holding a watermelon carved like a jack-o’-lantern. Do people actually tear these out? It’s not even perforated. I feel like I’m ruining the book if I remove it.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is the only human at a school for monsters. Due to various events in season one, he wears a chain lock on his wrist, similar to Moka’s rosario.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest. She is considered the most beautiful girl in school, and the series likes to play up that fact.

Kurumu Kurono is the second beautiful love interest. She is the character with the largest breasts in the group, and the whole school also fawns over her, but not nearly as much as Moka.

Yukari Sendo is a twelve year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is a yuki-onna, but the translation constantly calls her a snow fairy. She’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Koko Shuzen is Moka’s little sister. She thinks Tsukune’s only redeeming quality is the taste of his blood, but she doesn’t go around biting him like Moka does.

Ruby Tojo is a witch met in season one. She currently works for the school to help keep the students safe. This now also entails supervising Tsukune’s training.

Ginei Morioka, also known as Gin, is the Newspaper Club’s president. Normally we hardly ever see him.

San Otonashi is an alumnus of Yokai Academy. She was the president of the Newspaper Club when Gin was a freshman.

Story & Thoughts

This entire volume encompasses one event. I think it’s the first volume in the entire series to do that. It’s summer vacation time again, and this whole volume is “the beach episode.” But don’t let that fool you, some cool stuff actually happens, so it’s not just fan service.

The Newspaper Club goes on another one of their vacation trips to the human world. This time, they go to the beach. Everything is all arranged so they will be staying with a former member of the Newspaper Club, San. San is also the main focus of the book. Using her as an example, we get to see what it’s like for a monster who has graduated from Yokai Academy and continued on to live in the human world.

Fairy Tale shows up, being the main villain for the season. And so does Gin! We hardly ever see Gin, so this is a pleasant surprise. He even sticks around for the whole book. Well, sort of. He’s off doing something else while the main group is dealing with their own problems.

I think this volume has more typos than usual. Aside from that, it has a great story. The insight into a monster living in the human world among humans is something the gang is curious about as they all wonder what their own futures will be like. Obviously this is only one example, so they can’t base expectations off it, but it gives them hope, and it’s good insight for the reader, too.

We also get to see a new monster type. Unlike the usual set ups, we get to see a good version and bad version of them. Normally we only see one, and the gang beats them up, end of story. There’s a little more to it this time.

Book Haul March 2023

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About

Most of the books in this haul are the first volumes to series of which I already have some other books. Obviously I can’t exactly start reading a series without the first volume. All of these are pre-owned purchases through Amazon.

And I Darken by Kiersten White

This is volume one of a trilogy. I already have books two and three, because the series was on my list and I found them cheap at the discount store. Obviously I couldn’t start the series without this first book, though.

What is it?

A fantasy romance of some sort? I’m not sure. I just know it’s on my list, because it interested me at some point.

East by Edith Pattou

I’ve heard good things about this book. The bargain overstock store had the sequel for cheap, so I grabbed that a while ago just in case I end up liking it. I still needed a copy of this one before I could read it.

What is it?

Supposedly a retelling of something called East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and involves a girl leaving home with a polar bear to go to a castle.

Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill

This is volume one of the trilogy Clash of Kingdoms. I already have volume two, so I can’t exactly read that without this one first. Volume two was something I found randomly at a discount store. The series was already on my to-read list, and if I ended up liking it, it was cheaper to just grab the second book there than to have to order it online later.

What is it?

A fantasy romance of some sort where the main character’s father has been murdered and she must go on an adventure to find the murderer. At least, that’s what the description implies.

Omens by Kelley Armstrong

I’ve been trying to get my hands on this for a while. I tried being patient. The local library has a digital copy, but only ONE copy. It’s been seemingly eternally checked out. So, I resorted to buying a copy for myself.

I love Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series, so I want to try her other works. There’s a book on my shelf that contains Otherworld short stories as well as short stories for this series, so I figure why not start with this? It’s volume one of the Cainsville series.

What is it?

A mystery of some sort, maybe? A girl finds out she is adopted, and that her real parents are serial killers. She then runs away from home and ends up in Cainsville, Illinois. From the sounds of it, things get weird from there.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

This is volume one of the series The Princess Diaries. I already have volumes two and three, because I found them cheap at a bargain overstock store. Now that I have this one, I can start reading the series whenever I feel like it.

This book was kind of gross when it came in. It looked like it had blood stains and some gunk on it, but I managed to get most of it off with a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol. What do people do with their books to get them covered in blood (or blood-like substance)?

What is it?

Seems like a coming of age series regarding a teen princess, possibly with romance?

Manga Haul March 2023

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About

This haul also contains some comics, because I figure they are similar enough to share the same post. Any time I get comics, they will be in the manga hauls. They will be in the manga section of the index as well whenever I review any.

All of these are Amazon purchases, except for Noragami and Detective Conan.

Comics

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Lost Adventures & Team Avatar Tales

This is the first comic omnibus recommended to read for this series. The Lost Adventures are stories that take place during the events of the TV show. Team Avatar Tales takes place later. A reading list I looked at implied that section should be read way way later, but I doubt it matters. My guess is they were both put in this book because they can be read close together.

This is the hardcover library edition. It looks like the library editions might be the best ones to get. Some of the comics only have the library editions as hardcovers. They seem to have more content than the paperback versions, too. At least, that’s what the descriptions seem to imply.

What is it?

A comic omnibus of The Lost Adventures & Team Avatar Tales building more onto the story from the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search

From what I gather, this is the third omnibus in the reading order. I got the third before the second because it was cheaper at the time. I think this one is the library edition. There’s another version of the omnibus, but it looked like it was paperback only. This one is hardcover, and the description implied it had more content than the other version.

What is it?

A comic omnibus of The Search that continues the story from the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Manga

Black Cat, Vol. 14

I only need four more volumes for this series: 15, 16, 18, and 20. They’re out of print, so my collection for these advances slowly with pre-owned copies.

What is it?

An action adventure starring an ex-assassin gunman turned bounty hunter, and supernatural powers.

Detective Conan, Vol. 2 (Japanese Edition)

This book is a late birthday gift. With this volume, I now have one through three of this series in Japanese. I like to look through them every so often to see which words and phrases I can pick out. It’ll be a while before I can actually read them, but they are good motivation to keep me learning the language.

What is it?

A mystery series in which a secret organization turns the protagonist into a child via medicine.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 14 & 15

I think there are about eighteen more volumes in this series. Slowly, but surely, I’m working my way to getting them all.

These are out of print, so I buy all of them pre-owned.

What is it?

An action adventure featuring supernatural powers and magic items with a similar vibe to Yu Yu Hakusho.

Noragami Omnibus, Vol. 4 (volumes 10-12)

I can probably start reading these any time now. As long as I don’t read them one after the other and work them into a rotation, it should be okay. I just don’t want to catch up to the release and have to wait. At this point, I’ll just add them into my rotation whenever I feel like getting around to them.

What is it?

An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 13

This series is almost complete. There are only two more volumes left, and then I can put it on my list of things to read.

What is it?

A romance story about an incompetent ninja girl sent to woo Lord Hanzo.

Bofuri, Vol. 1 (LN)

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Bofuri, Vol. 1 by Yuumikan, Koin
Series Name: Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. (Light Novel)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life, Video Games
Intended Age Group: 13+
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9753-2273-1
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Though she doesn’t play many MMOs, Maple has either a natural talent or impossibly good luck, because by pouring every last stat point she has into Vitality, she’s created a character who can’t be hurt! Whether it’s physical attacks or magic or status effects, nothing poses a real threat. In no time at all, news spreads across the server about the adorable terror who can’t be defeated. While Maple may just be having fun, her broken build is sure to attract lots of unexpected attention…

Personal & Info

This is a title I’ve seen around frequently, but when it comes to isekai or video game theme series, I like to be careful with my selections. Those genres are so popular right now, it can be hard to figure out which ones are worth trying. I didn’t decide to try the series until a friend recommended it, and I didn’t get around to having a copy until that same friend sent me one for my birthday.

I’m trying to expand my light novel collection, so for things that have them, I choose to get the light novel versions. The manga for this is probably amusing. The light novel is funny enough, but seeing more visuals must be hilarious. I’ll probably get the manga eventually to have both.

For others getting the light novels, the cover style of the book is the papery kind, not the glossy kind. Because of this, I think it’s a little more flimsy. Mine has a small tear on it just from picking it up and setting it down a few times. I don’t recall doing anything rough enough to cause that, so you might want to be careful with how you handle it. Or maybe I was just unlucky, who knows.

Characters

Kaede Honjou, player name Maple, is the main character. She does not know how to play video games, which leads to her putting all points into her defense.

Risa Shiromine, player name Sally, is Maple’s friend. She introduces her to the game, but she doesn’t join her until about halfway through the book, because her parents are making her study to get her grades up.

Story & Thoughts

I wasn’t sure if this was an isekai or not going into it. It is not. This series is about a VR game with the title New World Online, and Kaede’s time playing it.

The chapters are short, and the story is funny with a fast pace. The prologue and chapter one were all I needed to get hooked. Now I have to add this series to the list of many that I need to buy.

I love how much creativity the game allows. I wish games really had this many realistic options. It’s like anything you can think of can be applied to the game mechanics, even if it’s a little ridiculous. Maple’s gameplay experience proves this time and time again.

The gaming community for NWO is so wholesome. Everyone in the forum wants to watch over Maple, because regardless of her build, she’s still new to the game. That is so much better than most of the gaming communities I hear about.

Some of the conversations are not entirely clear about who is speaking, so you have to pay attention to the context.

There’s a bonus chapter at the end. It mostly covers some sightseeing and things Maple does to get materials for her white shield.

If I have to complain about something, I think it’s how much time the grinding at the end takes. By then, they are both just trying to obtain skills and items while time is elapsing until the second event. That felt a little draggy to me.

Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 4

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Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 4 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire: Season II
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3544-9
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Average human teenage boy Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters – no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches, and unnameables out of his wildest nightmares! And now he’s a sophomore!

On the plus side, all the girls have a monster crush on him. On the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns because he only has eyes for one of them – the far-from-average vampire Moka.

On the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. On the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood…

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 the only human at a school for monsters. Due to various events in season one, he wears a chain lock on his wrist, similar to Moka’s rosario.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest. She is considered the most beautiful girl in school, and the series likes to play up that fact.

Kurumu Kurono is the second beautiful love interest. She is the character with the largest breasts in the group, and the whole school also fawns over her, but not nearly as much as Moka.

Yukari Sendo is a twelve year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is a yuki-onna, but the translation constantly calls her a snow fairy. She’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Koko Shuzen is Moka’s little sister. She thinks Tsukune’s only redeeming quality is the taste of his blood, but she doesn’t go around biting him like Moka does.

Ruby Tojo is a witch met in season one. She currently works for the school to help keep the students safe.

Kahlua Shuzen is Moka and Koko’s older sister. This volume spells her name “Kalua” but two and the internet spells it the other way. I don’t know why they are different. Someone must have made an editing mistake somewhere.

Story & Thoughts

This volume picks up where three left off in Mizore’s village. It takes two chapters to wrap up that event. We get some foreboding warnings as foreshadowing for things to look forward to.

The next two chapters are some I think are highly memorable. My first time reading this was years ago, and I still remember pieces of these chapters vividly. Inner Moka gets to come out to play more as Tsukune is beginning his training to control his power. It’s nice to see more of her outside of purely combat.

There’s a Castlevania reference in that section I never noticed before. I didn’t know much of anything about Castlevania back when I first read this, but I know enough now to recognize the name of the whip. It’s a pretty obvious reference, so you’ll know it when you see it.

The last chapter of the book focuses on Kurumu. She’s at her wit’s end regarding how to improve her chances with Tsukune. This chapter brings up her ability that we haven’t seen in a long time, her charm mind control. It mostly shows she can still do that, but the chapter is also a bit sad as we see Kurumu struggle with her emotions.

What do we learn from this volume? According to the combination of chapters and bonus comics, we learn which characters are masochists.

Season II is focusing more on the characters themselves, rather than monster of the week like season one. I love season one, but I also love how connected to the characters this season feels.

The King (Black Dagger Brotherhood #12)

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The King by J.R. Ward
Series Name: Black Dagger Brotherhood
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-451-41706-0
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath finally assumed his father’s mantle – with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sits heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessoning Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything – and everyone – at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure-blooded vampire on the planet. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response – or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out…or will Wrath’s tortured legacy take over?

Personal & Info

I need to find time to circle back to this series more often. Between the main series and the spin-offs, it’s long. I like reading it, and I still have a lot to get through. It just takes more time than my other books because these are around six hundred pages each. I shall strive to shorten my gap between volumes, but I promise nothing.

Characters

Wrath, the king, and Beth, his queen, are the lead couple for the book. This is the first book that readdresses a couple instead of focusing on one getting together for a happily ever after.

Wrath’s father, and his mate Anha are important backstory characters.

Assail, I don’t remember if his last name was ever said, is vampire nobility who chose to become a drug dealer. He doesn’t care what anybody does, as long as it does not interfere with his business.

Ehric and Evale are Assail’s cousins. They act as his assistants, bodyguards, and enforcers.

Sola Morte is the human woman who fascinates Assail. She specializes in things like thievery and breaking and entering.

Sola’s grandmother is also technically a character worth listing. She’s mostly referred to as Vovo, and I love her. I can’t find the words to explain why, but it involves how she interacts with people.

Trez is something they call a Shadow, and part of a civilization by the name of s’Hisbe. From the sounds of it, they are vampires with different abilities and rules from the norm. Trez runs the night clubs, and he is promised to a princess he wants nothing to do with. The previous book establishes his crush on Selena.

iAm is Trez’s brother. He owns a restaurant, and he cooks to relieve stress. We get to know his character a little better in this book, and I’m starting to like him.

Selena is a Chosen who regularly services the Brotherhood for their blood needs. She has a crush on Trez, as well as some issues she keeps to herself.

Layla is a Chosen carrying Qhuinn’s child. She is infatuated with Xcor, but does not let that affect her judgement for what is right.

Xcor is the leader of the Band of Bastards. He is infatuated with Layla, and causes problems for the Wrath and the Brotherhood.

Story & Thoughts

As per usual with this series, there’s a lot going on in this book. Every book in this series has a ton of perspectives and jumping around to various plot pieces. It can be a lot to follow, but I love it.

The main focus of the book is Wrath and Beth. Beth wants a baby, but Wrath does not. Drama ensues, and they have to deal with political nightmares at the same time. It’s nice to see Beth play a larger role in a book again. She’s been stuck in the background ever since she had her love story as the first book in the series.

There’s also a historical perspective. Not all of the books have this kind of perspective, but they are good for lore and background. This one specifically is about Wrath’s parents. You can sort of think of it as a short story. It takes place while Wrath’s mother, Anha, is pregnant with him, and essentially proves the politics never seem to change. Someone is always trying to take or manipulate the throne.

My favorite part of the side content is Assail and Sola’s story. Their romance was introduced in Lover at Last. I didn’t care for it when it came up back then, until the later parts in that book. However, I absolutely love it in this one.

The ground work has been set in the previous volume, so this book has all the juicy parts. Assail gets to show off his alpha male instincts as well as his sweeter side. Sola gets to show off how capable she is in a pinch. I love these two characters, and I think they make an excellent couple. I look forward to seeing where it goes, if it goes anywhere. Their section is likely not complete, yet. I just can’t see it ending like this. There has to be more.

The most important side content is probably Trez and Selena’s story. The next book in this series, volume 13, The Shadows, looks like it will be their novel. The ground work for that also began in Lover at Last. Qhuinn and Blay were the main focus of that book, though, so I didn’t think much of the introduction at the time.

The last perspective worth mentioning is Xcor and Layla. Their complicated Romeo and Juliet feelings for each other continue to be complicated. They don’t gain much traction here, but their story continues to build. I suspect they will eventually get their own book, but I don’t know for sure. I try not to look too far ahead, so I can avoid potential spoilers.

Something I think is worth mentioning, the lessers have been a very minor part of the story for the past several books. Lately the focus is on the internal vampire problems. I think the reason is because the lessers are struggling for cash, so they are busy focusing on drug dealing to rekindle their funding. We only seem to see the odd lesser here or there, either when the Band of Bastards takes them out, or someone stumbles across one on the street.

I feel like I’m forgetting something I want to say, but I can’t think of what it might be, so quick recap of my thoughts. It’s good to see more of Beth again. Vovo is awesome. I love Assail and Sola’s romance, but there has to be more. Selena is great, but her circumstances are unfortunate. Trez needs to get his life together. I don’t like how his downward spiral is turning into a different kind of downward spiral. iAm is growing on me. Layla and Xcor are complicated. I love this series. The characters and writing are so engaging and comfortable.

Trigger Warnings

I’m just keeping a running list of trigger warnings that have been in the series so far, from what I can remember. If you’re reading the series, or considering reading the series, and you have sensitivities, you might want to know these. The list so far: abuse, attempted rape, pregnancy problems(ex: miscarriages), drugs, kidnapping, sexual themes, rape, mutilation, torture, and violence.