Tag: Fantasy

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 1, Vol. 1 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 1: Daughter of a Soldier, Vol. 1 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356009
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

A certain college girl who’s loved books ever since she was a little girl dies in an accident and is reborn in another world she knows nothing about. She is now Myne, the sickly five-year-old daughter of a poor soldier. To make things worse, the world she’s been reborn in has a very low literacy rate and books mostly don’t exist. She’d have to pay an enormous amount of money to buy one. Myne resolves herself: If there aren’t any books, she’ll just have to make them! Her goal is to become a librarian. This story begins with her quest to make books so she can live surrounded by them!

Personal & Info

There is a mini-poster at the front of the book. The poster is not perforated, so I wouldn’t bother removing it. It’s big enough to fold out once, and has two sides. One side is the same picture as the cover, and the back is a cute picture of all the important characters pertaining to this volume.

Characters

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, is the main character. She is a twenty-two-year-old book nerd in the body of a five-year-old. Myne suffers from poor health, and can rarely leave the house or do normal household chores.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than her, and is very responsible and capable for her age. Her hair is green, and her eyes are blue.

Effa is Myne and Tuuli’s mother. She has green hair like Tuuli, and dyes clothes for a career.

Gunther is Myne and Tuuli’s father. He works as a soldier who guards the South Gate, and he has blue hair like Myne.

Otto is Gunther’s coworker. He handles all the important paperwork for the South Gate.

Lutz is Myne’s friend. He is the same age as her. His hair is blond and his eyes are green.

Ralph is one of Lutz’s older brothers. He has red hair, and he is the same age as Tuuli.

Fey is one of Tuuli’s friends. He has pink hair, and I think he is the same age as Tuuli.

Story & Thoughts

This isn’t the same as your average isekai. It doesn’t focus on an epic save the world plot or combat or have video game mechanics. I do get the impression magic is going to play a part in it later, but I don’t know to what extent. This series feels like it’s in a type of isekai category separate from the rest.

I can’t easily find the words to describe the important aspects of the story. The most straight forward thing I can say about it is it’s interesting. It’s not fast paced, but it has a unique kind of charm.

Myne is part of a poor family that struggles just to survive the winter, so in a world where books, paper, and ink are only for nobility, she has no chance of affording them. The majority of the volume is about Myne adapting to the new world and trying to make her own paper. It doesn’t sound very interesting, but I love it.

The relationships in Myne’s family are cute and sweet. Myne is practically instantly in adoration of her new sister, and her dad just wants his little girl to think highly of him. I love how they just humor her with obvious skepticism whenever she makes an odd request regarding knowledge from her past life.

This book is definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I can easily see how people could find it boring. To me, it’s so interesting and charming that I am disappointed I don’t have the second volume right away. I can’t properly express why I like it as much as I do. Something about it just feels right to me, and I’m fairly certain this may be a series I add to my list of favorites.

A Day Without Myne

This bonus chapter is told in Lutz’s perspective. It takes place on a day during the five day period when Myne is sick. It’s just a simple day where the kids use teamwork to hunt something they can catch with a net. In their spare time, they talk about Myne and what they think of her.

Unchanging Daily Life

The second bonus chapter is a short story in Shuu’s perspective. He’s Myne’s friend and neighbor from her first life. The story is about a trip they went on ten years ago and the events that occurred, as well as a current trip taken to the same location. Shuu mostly reflects on the fact Urano has not changed at all in the ten years since the last trip.

Bofuri, Vol. 3 (LN)

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Bofuri, Vol. 3 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: 978-1-9753-2354-7
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

Following their incredible performance in the treasure hunt event, Maple and Sally are interested in one thing and one thing only—buying a house! After all, every guild needs a home. Though their guild is still small, the girls and their friends are excited to have a place to meet, train, and grow—especially now that the newly minted guilds are all going to be facing off in the next big event! This is the birth of the legendary Maple Tree, the guild whose name strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear it!

Personal & Info

I had a headache while reading a large chunk of this, so it’s possible my rating might be a little lower than it deserves.

Characters

Kaede Honjou, player name Maple, is the main character. She didn’t play video games much until she tried New World Online. The game has a pain system that allows the player to actually feel pain when they take damage. Because of this feature, Maple puts ALL stat points into her defense.

Risa Shiromine, player name Sally, is Maple’s friend. She introduced Kaede to the game, and decided to follow her lead in making an overpowered build. Her primary stat is agility, and she has a special skill as a gamer to be able to handle fast movement and reaction times without any additional program assistance.

Kasumi is a katana weilding player that Maple and Sally befriended during the second game event.

Kanade is a mage player that Maple befriended during the second game event. His staff is a Rubik’s cube.

Chrome is the Anonymous Great Shielder in the forums and Maple’s friend. He’s also one of the best great shielders in the game.

Iz is a crafter that Maple met through Chrome. She’s one of the best in the game.

Yui and Mai are twins only differentiated by their hair colors of white and black. They are Maple’s newest friends, and chose pure strength builds.

Oboro and Syrup are Sally and Maple’s animal companion rewards from the second event. Oboro is a fox, and Syrup is a turtle.

Story & Thoughts

This volume is not as thick as the second, but thicker than the first. I’d rather these light novels be a little thicker, because they’re thinner than others I’m used to, but at the same time, it’s nice that they are short. Despite the thinness of the volumes, it always feels like a lot happens due to the shortness of the chapters and the fast paced story telling. They make quick, fun reads.

The book picks up after the second game event. The ability to purchase guild housing becomes available and Maple decides she wants to start her own guild. Everything takes off from there as the girls invite everyone they know, so far, to join.

Things are a little different compared to the first two volumes. Instead of just covering Maple and Sally’s adventures, the book covers all of the characters. For example, there are sections where Chrome, Iz, and Kanade all get their own individual adventures. It’s a pleasant change.

On the negative side, the story has a lot of grinding. Large sections specifically focus on gaining levels, getting a specific skill, gathering a specific item, or hoping to find good gear. Sometimes that’s interesting, but not always.

There is a game event in this volume, but it’s nothing big. It’s very short, and hardly touched on, because Maple can’t easily participate and there aren’t rewards that interest her. After that part of the story, the rest is their guild getting ready for the fourth event, which will be in the next volume.

Overall, a lot happens, but the story is a little too grindy. Regardless, there’s a lot to love. The characters are great, and Maple’s unique luck and way of playing the game seem contagious to those around her.

A Court of Wings and Ruin

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A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 3
Genres: Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-560-6
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre but for everything—and everyone—she holds dear.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place as one of the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers—both magical and political—and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust among the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series, the fate of Feyre’s world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.

Personal & Info

This book has some short perspective changes between Rhys and Feyre at the beginning and end portions. Aside from that, the main meat of the book is in Feyre’s perspective, as usual.

Characters

Feyre is still the main character. At this point in the story, she is a High Fae, a High Lady, and commonly known as Feyre Cursebreaker.

Elain is the middle child in Feyre’s family. She likes flowers and is considered the pretty sister.

Nesta is the eldest daughter in Feyre’s family. She comes off as snobby, selfish, and mean, but she would do anything to protect Elain.

Rhysand is the High Lord of the Night Court, and Feyre’s mate. His special skill involves mind manipulation.

Tamlin is the High Lord of the Spring Court. His special skill is shape changing, and his personality is beastly.

Mor, Amren, Cassian, and Azriel are Rhys’s friends and members of his inner circle for his court. Amren is his second in command. Mor is his third, who handles his affairs with the Court of Nightmares in his absence. Cassian and Azriel fill more military specialized roles.

Lucien is Tamlin’s emissary. He handles diplomatic relations between the seven kingdoms on Tamlin’s behalf, as well as any important tasks Tamlin needs handled.

Jurian is the human hero from the ancient war. Amarantha wore his conscious eye preserved on a ring, but he has since been restored to being human.

All of the High Lords appear in this volume, some with larger roles than others. The quick list (aside from Tamlin and Rhys) is as follows:
Helion – Day Court
Kallias – Winter Court
Thesan – Dawn Court
Beron – Autumn Court
Tarquin – Summer Court

Eris is the first son of Beron, and he has several fairly important appearances throughout the book.

Story & Thoughts

I like this volume more than the first, but less than the second. The events are more chaotic and messy. The politics between the courts and the pains of proper procedure take the stage as the Prythian prepares for war. There is a lot going on in this book, so much in fact, that it’s difficult to choose any one thing to talk about.

All of the significant characters have been mentioned at least once in the first and second books. That gives this volume plenty of freedom to focus more on relationships. I think that is my favorite thing about this one. Friendships, romances, sisterhoods, they all get more expansive coverage as relationships deepen or worsen. My one gripe with it is I want so much more for Lucien. I had high hopes in the early parts of book, but he doesn’t actually get much screen time compared to everyone else. His story seems to be a background overarching thing, so it progresses slowly.

I still love all the characters from A Court of Mist and Fury. The more I get to know them, the more I like them. After everything, I don’t hate Tamlin, but I still don’t find him likable. He’s not a lost cause, but he has a lot of growing to do.

When all was said and done, I had to take a few minutes to consider what to rate the book. The climax of the story in every volume seems to be where the series thrives, but the rest also has to be entertaining for me to give a high rating. There were a few things that didn’t quite meet my standards, which is why it’s not a five out of five.

Most of it was good, but I burned out on it around the last 150 pages, and had to work my way out of a reading slump. Sometimes the length of a book can be counterproductive. Some of the war scenes were a bit dull, and the ending seemed rushed to wrap up after the last battle. There are some other small things, but those are the main ones worth mentioning.

What guaranteed that it would not be lower than a four was how it made me feel. Before the book was over, I almost cried. There are a few things throughout the book that really tug on the heart. If I did not already know that all romances are guaranteed an H.E.A in order to even be categorized as romance, I probably would have bawled my eyes out.

The Clockwork War

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The Clockwork War by Adam Kline, Dan Whisker
Genres: Fantasy
Intended Age Group: Children
Publisher: Insight Editions
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-68383-236-2
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Beast friends Karlheinz Indergarten and Leopold Croak clash in an epic, imaginary battle waged in the branches of an enormous, ancient oak tree. But when lightning strikes young Leopold, he loses his imagination, and with it, his sense of right and wrong. The damaged boy grows to adulthood, treading a sinister path of industrial conquest. And Leopold’s thirst for power soon threatens the tree, the village, and worst of all, the children within.

But humble Karl discovers a gift for clockwork—the magic of gears and cogs—and assembles a mechanical army to fight back. Joined by the children themselves, Karl endeavors to save the village, the ancient oak, and maybe—just maybe—something more besides.

Personal & Info

This book is from an overstock discount store. I go there occasionally to find some new things to try. It looks like a cute and short stand alone story, so as long as it’s not terrible, it’s worth the purchase.

Characters

Karl Indergarten is the main character. He has a gifted imagination and owns the business K. Indergarten Clock and Watch Repair.

Leopold Croak is Karl’s childhood best friend.

Miss Understood is a kind woman who runs the local Preparatory School and Home for Orphaned Children. She has a habit of saying things that are not quite right, mostly in the case of common expressions.

Dr. Pimpledink is the village doctor.

Pim is Karl’s best friend after the incident, and a clockwork mouse.

Agatha Croak is Leopold’s daughter, who is allergic to everything, and thus lives isolated in a room at the top of a tower.

Toby, Stuart, and William are some of the kids who live at the orphanage once Karl and Leopold are grown up.

There are a few other minor characters, like Madeline, her grandmother, and the clockmaker.

Story & Thoughts

I actually forgot to read the description on the inside of the book jacket, so I had a misunderstanding of what the story was like going into it. It’s labelled as fantasy, there is a clockwork mouse on the cover, and the excerpt on the back describes a clockwork dragon defending a tree. These three things led me to believe it was a lot more fantasy than it actually was.

Don’t get me wrong, it is fantasy, just not the elves and spell casters kind. The world is a normal setting in an unspecified time. The fantasy aspect of the story comes from the fact the clockwork creations are fantastical to the point of actually being independently intelligent as if they have a heart or a soul.

Despite my misunderstanding, the story is cute. A little girl is afraid to go to Kindergarten, so her grandmother tells her a story about someone by the name of Karl Indergarten, which is supposed to be relevant to the origin of Kindergarten. But, the book is very clear, the story is not about the little girl. It’s about Karl Indergarten.

The book has the same feel as short stories kids would normally hear read aloud at a library. It even has the rhyming. The only differences are, it’s a bit longer and the vocabulary level might be a little higher. The recommended age group is closer to ten but I think kids around five might also enjoy it if read to them, and if they have a long enough attention span.

Overall, this book is not really my thing, but I think it’s a decent children’s book. My only issue with it is that Leopold’s logic has many flaws. The description says he loses his sense of right and wrong, though, so it makes sense. Children’s books don’t always have to make perfect sense anyway, either, so I don’t hold that against it.

A Court of Mist and Fury

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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 2
Genres: Enemies to Lovers, Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-558-3
Rating: 5/5
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Description from the Book

Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre’s hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world in turmoil.

Personal & Info

I was told to finish this volume, as the bare minimum, before making a judgement call about the series. The first book is not a good representation by itself. If you have not read the series and are interested in giving it a try, just know it’s about a thousand page time sink(combined count for volumes one and two) for the fair trial. The series is wildly popular, though, so you might find it worth your time.

Characters

Feyre is the main character. She is the youngest daughter in her family, and she has two older sisters. Her favorite hobby is painting, and she’s good at hunting. At this point in the story, she is now a High Fae, and everyone knows her as Feyre Cursebreaker.

Elain is the middle child in Feyre’s family. She likes flowers and is considered the pretty sister.

Nesta is the eldest daughter in Feyre’s family. She comes off as snobby, selfish, and mean, but she would do anything to protect Elain.

Tamlin is the High Fae Lord of the Spring Court. His special skill is shape changing, and his personality is beastly. Tamlin is Feyre’s love interest in the first book, and fiancee in this one.

Lucien is Tamlin’s emissary. He handles diplomatic relations between the seven kingdoms on Tamlin’s behalf, as well as any important tasks Tamlin needs handled. He can be snarky, but he usually means well.

Rhysand is the High Fae Lord of the Night Court. His special skill involves mind manipulation. He is disliked by generally everyone, because of his actions while Amarantha was in charge. He takes the stage as the lead male character in this book.

Mor, Amren, Cassian, and Azriel are Rhys’s friends and members of his inner circle for his court. Amren is his second in command. Mor is his third, who handles his affairs with the Court of Nightmares in his absence. Cassian and Azriel fill more military specialized roles.

Story & Thoughts

I am so glad I read this before deciding on committing to or abandoning the series. This is the best book I have read in a long time. It took me about four hours to get over the book hangover before I could do anything other than just stare off into space and process everything.

The first book is not my cup of tea, but it is extremely important to lay the foundations for everything. This one constantly references events from the first. It often explains other things that happened that Feyre and the reader could not possibly have known. There was so much more than what we actually saw going on. But don’t get me wrong, I still don’t like Tamlin as a love interest. Nothing in this book helps his case in my opinion.

Rhysand is the leading male in this volume, and the romance is so much better. He has way more personality and empathy than Tamlin. The build of this slow burn is so much more satisfying. It’s just so well done. Even the parts where not much is happening feel significant and engaging. I didn’t find a single moment of this entire lengthy book to be dull.

Even Feyre is better in this one. I liked her okay in the first book, but the growth and wisdom she gains in this one puts her leaps and bounds from where she started. She has a volatile temper, but she sees everything that I found myself thinking about the contents of the first book. I’m so proud of her.

There are so many things I feel like I can’t properly express with words, and things I liked about the book that I don’t want to say because they could be spoilers. What it really comes down to is the feeling that this book has so much more heart compared to the first. I can’t explain it any other way. I absolutely loved this book. If you’ve read the fist and did not enjoy it, please read this one. It is so much better. This review does not do this book justice. I do not have the words.

Bofuri, Vol. 2 (LN)

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Bofuri, Vol. 2 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: 978-1-9753-2354-7
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Maple has become famous overnight after finishing in the tip three of the battle royal and defeating over two thousand players without taking any damage at all. Now, with the treasure hunt event about to start, Maple and Sally set off in search of rare gear and adventure! The game admins and other players look on in both fear and excitement as they wait to see what crazy new development is about to hit the server!

Personal & Info

For others getting the light novels, the cover of the book is the papery kind, not the glossy kind. Because of this, it’s more flimsy. Mine has a small tear on it just from picking it up and setting it down a few times. You might want to be extra careful with how you handle it.

Characters

Kaede Honjou, player name Maple, is the main character. She didn’t play video games much until she tried New World Online. The game has a pain system that allows the player to actually feel pain when they take damage. Because of this feature, Maple puts ALL stat points into her defense.

Risa Shiromine, player name Sally, is Maple’s friend. She introduced Kaede to the game, and decided to follow her lead in making an overpowered build. Her primary stat is agility, and she has a special skill as a gamer to be able to handle fast movement and reaction times without any additional program assistance.

Several new characters appear in this volume. I can’t easily list them here without spoilers, so I’ll let anyone who doesn’t already know who they are find out by reading.

Story & Thoughts

This volume holds up well compared to the first. It’s approximately twice as thick, which is nice. The entire event they were prepping for is encompassed in this one book, so you don’t have to worry about getting the third to find out how it ends.

The length works against it a little, too, though. My biggest issue with the book is that there are several sections of the story where they have to wander around rather aimlessly. But, when something is happening, it’s really good. The various dungeons and bosses they have to clear are interesting. The boss fight with the bird had me on the edge of my seat. There’s still a decent amount of comedy mixed into the story, too.

In the first volume, there are occasional wholesome chapters of what people say in the game’s forums in reaction to Maple’s rise to fame. This one has something similar, which is the admins monitoring the event. Whenever Maple or Sally succeed at something that is designed to be impossible, or stumble into interesting situations, the admins freak out. It’s amusing, because the admins are afraid of either of them getting any more overpowered than they already are. There is also one tiny forum section as part of a normal chapter after the event is over.

The series does a good job making sure the reader knows where and how skills are obtained. However, Maple seems to have some skills that are not on her list of character information. I think they are skills she’s probably had all along, and just did not use until now. Several skills she uses in the event seem to be derived from her Hydra ability. When she first got and used the skills connected to that, there was an implication that there were only two skills: Hydra and Paralyze Shout.

I think I can excuse this, because of how early in the story it is. Maple is likely still learning what she can do. When she has to get down the cliff, she does take some time to look at her skills to see what is available to her. This all leads me to believe Hydra itself is more overpowered than I initially thought.

Overall, the book is really good. I wasn’t even in the mood to read it when I started, but after a chapter or two, I was sucked in. The series really is that good. I might have to bump it up on my priority list, because I’m always sad I don’t have the next volume.

The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 1 (LN)

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The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 1 by Yasohachi Tsuchise, Hagure Yuuki
Series Name: The Invincible Shovel (Light Novel)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64505-442-9
Rating: 1/5
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Description from the Book

The strongest miner in the world, Alan can reduce mountains to rubble with a swing of his trusty shovel—a legendary tool that grants him immortal life and can blast through the strongest of foes. When this legendary miner teams up with a runaway princess to track down cursed jewels and save her kingdom from an invading demon force, evil doesn’t stand a chance! A hilarious fantasy tale for fans of RPGs, with adventure…in spades!

Personal & Info

My light novel collection is currently rather small, so I’m gradually trying to expand it. Part of my process for doing that is getting my hands on some first volumes of things to try. This book is one of those volumes.

Shortly before reading this, I did a little research. It turns out that there are only four available volumes, and no new content has been added or announced since around 2020. The series is currently considered unfinished, and likely abandoned by the author, so keep that in mind if you decide to get into it.

Characters

Alan is the main character. He is a 1,011-year-old miner who lives alone on a mountain. His social skills are not great, but his shovel power is unmatched.

Lithisia is the fifteen-year-old princess of Rostir. She is first in line for her throne, and she needs help to save her kingdom from a demon villain by the name of Zeleburg.

Catria is Lithisia’s friend and sworn protector. She’s an embarrassment of a knight, and seems to be the only person in the story that has any common sense.

Fioriel is the last elf, and descendent of one of Alan’s friends. Alan considers her to be his niece.

Alice Veknarl is the last queen of Riften, and undead heir to the power of Veknar.

Julia is a water priestess from the Rahal tribe.

Story & Thoughts

This…This is not good. There is so much wrong with it. I had concerns early on when Lithisia explained the plot.

Lithisia, the princess of Rostir, goes into a long-winded explanation about why she is not in her castle, and why she needs help. At first, this description sounds very similar to the situation with Jafar and Jasmine from Aladdin. But as she goes on to say she has a body double covering for her, I can’t help but wonder why the villain can’t just force the body double into marriage and make everyone think he married Lithisia. Her story seems to have a significant amount of potential problematic holes in it.

After that, everything just becomes absolutely ridiculous. The characters are more like caricatures. Lithisia becomes hyper-religious about shovels, to the point she very obviously wants to turn her country into a cult. Her personality becomes the embodiment of shovel worship. I know the intention is to be for comedy, but it just paints her as a complete airhead and makes her annoying. Her friend Catria is the only person who does not buy into her new shovel religion.

Another aspect of the story I find annoying, everything has to be thought of as erotic or an innuendo. The joke is that girls want Alan sexually, but he’s too dense to realize it, because in his mind, there is no way that could possibly be what they want. I think the book does a poor job with this kind of humor. It’s like it’s trying to be a harem without actually committing to being a harem since the dude isn’t interested in anybody.

I guess, the long of the short is, it feels too try hard. I know it’s absurdist comedy, but I think it could still be that and be written better. It says it’s for teens, but the humor feels more juvenile than that age group despite a lot of it being sexual jokes.

Maybe it’s just not my kind of comedy, but I genuinely did not enjoy this. I have no interest in reading more volumes, so my copy will be going into the donate pile. If you want to read something good with absurdist humor, I recommend JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 10 (LN)

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Spice & Wolf, Vol. 10 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: 978-0-316-32236-2
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

After the turmoil in Kerube, Lawrence and his companions make for the kingdom of Winfiel across the sea. Their destination is the great abbey of Brondel, said to hold the wolf bones they seek. Arriving in the kingdom, they hear tell that the abbey, normally prosperous due to its great wool trade, has fallen into a financial crisis. Worse, the most powerful economic force in the world—the Ruvik Alliance—is entering the kingdom with its eye upon the abbey’s land holdings…

Personal & Info

It’s been a while since I circled back around to this series. I don’t remember how the events of volume nine concluded, but I do remember the majority of the significant parts. This book gives a few refreshers about those events, so that helped jog my memory a bit.

Characters

I don’t remember why, but something in the previous volume led me to believe Holo would have reason to be cross with Lawrence. I guess I was mistaken, because she has no lingering anger toward him. Lawrence is set on doing things by himself, so Holo takes a back seat for this one. She actually stays behind at their lodgings frequently, and only gives small indications of moral support or implied guidance when she’s present for negotiations. Lawrence seems to make progress in being honest with himself about his feelings, but he still doesn’t voice any of them.

Col doesn’t seem to have much to do. He’s just kind of around. He doesn’t seem to like some of Lawrence’s more blunt opinions on things.

Huskins is a shepherd. He tends to the Abbey’s vast quantity of sheep. The role he plays in the story is interesting.

Piasky is a face character of the Ruvik Alliance. Lawrence goes to him for pretty much everything. He’s also one of the few characters who can make Lawrence jealous because of what Holo thinks. There’s no problem of a crush like before, though. This one is more of a situation of Holo possibly thinking he is more admirable and capable than Lawrence.

Story & Thoughts

Lawrence’s group has left Kerube. They are following the rumor of the wolf bones to Winfiel, armed only with letters of support from Lud Kieman and Eve Bolan. This is the last journey Holo and Lawrence can currently use as an excuse to stay together, while neither of them is willing to be honest about their feelings.

Our group of travelers has uncanny luck for stumbling into interesting economic situations. They have no intention of getting involved, but of course, they never have a choice in the end. They always get involved.

The story for this one is a bit dull compared to some of the others. There’s a lot of information gathering, and then when things get serious, it feels more like a game of chess than their usual business dealings. I don’t think they make any profit from this trip, either. It’s more like they choose to do a good deed because it aligns with their morals and what they are after.

Honestly, I’m not satisfied with the ending. Lawrence is more honest with himself about how important Holo is to him, but he never says anything about it. Additionally, the group never discusses what they plan to do after their dealings with the wolf bones. I think it’s just assumed that he will go with her to Yoitsu as promised, but if that’s the case, why is he so worried about her running off without him for the duration of the book? He insists on handling everything himself so that she won’t have any excuse to leave. Maybe that’s just paranoia on his part.

FANGS, Vol. 2

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FANGS, Vol. 2 by Billy Balibally
Series Name: FANGS
Genres: BL, Fantasy, Vampires
Intended Age Group: M 18+
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4278-7187-9
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

As the sole survivor of a vampire attack, En wakes up to find that his hair has gone white as snow…and, worse, that he’s developed a craving of his own for blood. Since then, he’s been living with Ichii, his handsome guardian and mentor, who works with the vampire health and welfare organization FANGS. Life is good…except En can’t quite figure out what to make of his relationship with Ichii. There’s certainly mutual attraction, devotion, playful teasing, and yet — he can’t shake the sense that Ichii is hiding something from him.

The more the naïve and outgoing En learns about the lonely reality of his new existence, the more isolated he feels among his fellow jaded vampires. Without knowing the secrets of Ichii’s dark past, can En trust in him enough for the two of them to become paired partners?

Personal & Info

I can’t help noticing how good of a job this series does drawing hands and toes. Those are difficult, and there are several panels that show close-ups of them. They look great. I aspire to be able to draw hands and feet so beautifully.

The censorship method used in this book is different than the first one. The first book uses the “light saber” method. This one occasionally uses that, but usually shows more of the shape of things and colors them in with gray to avoid showing any details.

Content Warnings

-Depression
-Dubious consent

Characters

En is the main character. He’s a homeless nineteen year old who was lucky, or unlucky, enough to survive a vampire attack. En is the first new vampire in approximately fifty years. He now lives with Ichii, and is currently in the process of adapting to his new life as a vampire.

Ichii is the love interest. He’s so old that other vampires occasionally refer to him as grandpa. His job is to oversee the criminals and troubled clientele of the community. He does things like wellness checks and supplies them with blood.

Utsugi is one of the first vampires En meets. He’s paired with Aogiri, but apparently has a history of cheating.

Aogiri is paired with Utsugi. He’s a plastic surgeon, and incredibly dedicated to Utsugi.

Sugi is a grieving vampire. He was a bit of a wreck in volume one, but seems to be doing better in this one. He’s no longer cooped up in his house alone.

Umesaki is high up in the vampire community. She is present at vampire related crime investigations, and she helps produce specialty vampire items.

Story & Thoughts

I like this, but I think the first volume is better. It feels like volume one covers more things, but that makes sense, because all of the most important characters have to get introductions in that one. There are a decent number of characters, so now that all of them are covered, the story is focusing more on En coming to terms with life as a vampire.

My review for the first book states that this is a depressing story. If you are hoping it gets cheerier as it goes, it doesn’t. En struggles with his feelings throughout the entire volume. Now that he’s met everybody and learned a little about vampire life, he has concerns. He’s starting to understand what he’s in for, and on top of that, he’s unsure about Ichii, the one person he feels he can trust. The romance continues to be mostly physical as they figure things out.

In the mean time, the story is taking a bit of a crime drama direction. The true culprit responsible for the party that led to En becoming a vampire is likely still out there. As the only survivor of that party, En might potentially be in danger.

If you read the first volume, you know everyone constantly makes baby jokes about En. This book pushes those jokes harder. They’re one of the primary sources of comedy in the series, but this one shows En in a baby style of art much more frequently. Most of the time it’s fine, but sometimes it feels oddly placed.

I heard this volume ends in a cliff hanger, and that is correct. I won’t say what it is, but it definitely throws a wrench into En and Ichii’s relationship. Volume three was recently announced, but there is no date for it, yet, so anyone reading the series will have to be patient.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Enemies to Lovers, Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-556-9
Rating: 2.5/5
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Description from the Book

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Personal & Info

I originally added this book to my to-read list back in 2018. Not long after, I started to see the series explode all over the internet. It wasn’t a priority for me, though, so I thought nothing of it. More recently, one of my closest friends discovered it, and has been encouraging everyone to read it. Because of that, I’ve found myself with a free copy, which saves me some trouble, because it’s not likely to be available from my local library for a very long time.

This author is apparently known for using odd word choices and contradictory descriptions.

Characters

Some characters might contain spoilers or are more interesting if the book handles the introduction, so I’m only going to list the most important ones that are around for the beginning or majority of the story.

Feyre is the main character. The story is told in her perspective. She is the youngest daughter in her family, and she has two older sisters. Her favorite hobby is painting, and she’s good at hunting.

Elain is the middle child in Feyre’s family. She likes flowers and enjoys looking lovely when they can afford it.

Nesta is the eldest daughter in Feyre’s family. She comes off as snobby, selfish, and mean. I think the book says she is older than Feyre by three years.

Tamlin is the love interest. He is a High Fae Lord with a shape changing specialty and a beastly demeanor.

Lucien is Tamlin’s emissary. He handles diplomatic relations between the seven kingdoms on Tamlin’s behalf. His attitude is generally snarky.

Alis is a maid who tends to Feyre’s needs, and helps answer some of her day to day questions.

Story & Info

My thoughts about this book are a little complicated to put into words for a review, but I’m going to try. There are things I like about it. The world is interesting, and I can see plenty of promise for building off of it. Seven vastly different kingdoms based on the seasons and times of day with eternal weather is pretty appealing.

The book is written in first person. That’s a common thing I know many people tend not to like, but I think it’s done well here. It doesn’t feel like the writing is full of the word, “I,” constantly, and the writing has a nice flow to it. After a few paragraphs, I practically forgot about it being a first person perspective. The only negative things I noticed about the writing were the occasional indecisive contradictory descriptions, and some likely plot holes.

Characters are where things start to get messy for me. All of the characters that I like are side characters. The two lead characters for the romantic couple, Feyre and Tamlin, that’s where my biggest problem is. I don’t mind Feyre. She’s okay, but she has some personality traits that rub me the wrong way, and I don’t agree with some of her perspectives and wants. At the end of the day, I don’t mind her, but she isn’t my ideal of a main character.

Tamlin, on the other hand, he’s about as interesting as a rock. He is stereotype handsome and exotic, because of his beast traits, but that is literally all he has going for him. I can’t bring myself to care about him. If I don’t care about him, why would I want the main character to be with him? It takes so much away from the enjoyment of the story when the love interest is not interesting. It genuinely feels like the only reason Feyre falls for him is because he shows her kindness, which is something she hasn’t experienced much of in her short, sad life.

Aside from the characters, the other big issue is pacing. The book is a little over four hundred pages, but the whole thing is a slog. I couldn’t handle more than maybe thirty or so pages at a time before I had to put it down for a break.

The process of reading the book genuinely feels like a whole lot of nothing is happening for the majority of the story. It’s like a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but for the parts where that movie would do the cute and fun montages to show adapting to life living with the beast, we get a slogfest instead. Granted, I completely understand the process of events that had to occur, but it does not make the book fun to read.

For the majority of my reading, I felt like the book was a solid two. As the story progressed, and more characters were introduced, and I got to know them better, my opinion went up by a half. I like some of the side characters so much that they practically carried the book for me.

Based on this book alone, I probably wouldn’t be interested in reading more of the series. However, the whole series was gifted to me, and I have been recommended to at least read the first two books before making a final decision. So, I will be reading volume two at some point in the near future, before I decide if I want to commit to the entirety of the series.