About
This haul contains all comics, light novels, and manga for the months of September and October. I had enough to post a haul at the end of September, but I ended up delaying long enough that I decided to just do a two month haul instead.
Everything here is purchased in new condition. Some books come from Amazon, some from Barnes & Noble, and some from local stores.
Comics
Archie: Halloween Special
The only thing Archie I’ve ever tried is the TV show, Riverdale. Archie and Sabrina are in the same universe, so they often have crossovers. I like Sabrina, but I’m new to the comics, so, Halloween Archie special crossover with Sabrina.
What is it?
One-shot Halloween comic of Archie, featuring Sabrina. People not familiar with the comics would likely recognize the characters from the Riverdale TV show.
Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Annual Spectaculars & Holiday Special
These three comics are not trade paperbacks. They are stand alone stories as single comics with the carboard backing and sleeves to keep them in good condition. Every year or so, Archie Comics releases an annual comic for Sabrina, that’s what these Annual Spectaculars are. The Holiday Special is just a separate one-shot story.
I’ve always liked everything Sabrina ever since I was a young child. These were given to me to try to encourage me to read more non-manga comics. I have not read any Sabrina comics before, except one four book series that was published in a manga style, so these are a new format of the Sabrina universe for me.
What is it?
One-shot comics of Sabrina The Teenage Witch. People not familiar with the comics would likely recognize the character from the old TV show or the more recent Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Light Novels
The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 2
I love the manga for this series so much that I waited years for the light novel to get a physical release. Unfortunately, I had some bad luck with this volume. After ordering, the bubble packet was delivered empty, with a giant hole in the side, as if the book were too heavy and just fell out somewhere along the way. Customer service was contacted and a new volume was sent to replace it.
I ended up giving the replacement book a quick mold treatment upon arrival, because it had some gross black stuff on it, and I wanted to be absolutely certain it was not mold. It probably wasn’t mold, but the treatment was also the only way I could think of to get the gross stuff off of the book. Needless to say, my experience getting a copy of this was stressful and frustrating.
On the upside, the book itself is great. The light novel volumes feel durable, and decently thick. This one has twenty chapters, plus a prologue and epilogue, which is a lot for a light novel. It’s definitely a quality product.
I have not reviewed any of the light novels, yet, but if you want to read my reviews for the manga volumes, they can be found in the index section.
What is it?
A Chinese inspired historical mystery romance, mostly taking place inside the Inner Palace of the emperor’s consorts.
Ascendance of a Bookworm, Vol. 6-9
This series is numbered a little strangely. It’s broken up into parts with their own volume numbers. These volumes are Part 2, volumes 3 and 4, and Part 3, volumes 1 and 2.
Most of these came from Barnes & Noble, because that’s the only place I could find Part 2, Volume 3 in stock. Part 2, Volume 4 and Part 3, Volume 2 were included in the order, because I wanted free shipping, and it doesn’t hurt to have more volumes ahead of time. I could only find Part 3, Volume 1 on Crunchyroll, so I had to order that, too, since Barnes & Noble didn’t have that one, and I didn’t want to have a gap. As I collect the series, I keep encountering volumes going out of stock in most places, so I end up panic buying multiple books at a time.
I already reviewed all of the volumes before these ones. They can be found in the index section.
What is it?
An isekai about a bookworm who wakes up as a five-year-old girl in a world where books are unobtainable by the general public, so she decides to make her own and strive to make them more accessable.
Manga
The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 12
I’m late in reading this, because I haven’t been in a manga mood lately, but I’m still trying to keep up with the releases. Despite not wanting to read it right away, I did purchase this volume on the day of release. Reviews for volumes one through eleven are available, so at least I’m not too far behind.
What is it?
A Chinese inspired historical mystery romance, mostly taking place inside the Inner Palace of the emperor’s consorts.
Blue Exorcist, Vol. 8 & 9
I can say for sure that I have no plans to binge read this series this year. Maybe next year I’ll have more volumes and more motivation. As it is currently, I’m not in the mood for manga, and I’d rather have more than just these nine volumes before digging into this series.
What is it?
An action adventure starring demons and exorcists. The main character wants to be an exorcist even though he is the son of Satan.
