Tag: Romance

When We’re in Love, Vol. 1

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When We’re in Love, Vol. 1 by Fuyu Kumaoka
Series Name: When We’re in Love
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook 
ISBN: 9781646597048
Rating: 1.5/5
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Description

Nanase Sakashita never looked twice at school delinquent Daiko Hana. At least, not until he rescued her from an awkward conversation and she saw his smile for the first time. What influence will these opposites have on each other, and does Sakashita have a chance if he’s already in love with someone else?

Personal & Info

I’m reading this book on BookWalker. It looks like it’s only available in digital. The Thrift Books link leads to the all editions menu, and it only has the Japanese print. So, if you want to read this series, you’re going to have to do it digitally or track down the Japanese hard copies.

Characters

Daiko Hana is the trouble student. Other students are afraid of him and spread wild rumors about how scary he is, when the truth is that he is probably not scary at all.

Nanase Sakashita is the class rep of class 1-1 at Tohoku High. She is a smart, kind, and well-behaved girl.

Komari is a teacher at the school, possibly a substitute according to some context. She’s also Hana’s childhood neighbor and friend.

Kaoru Kitada is the 40-year-old guidance counselor for the school.

Nishino is a guy Hana apparently beat up for saying something he didn’t like.

Tsutomu Birukawa is a guy who repeatedly confesses his feelings for Sakashita and insists he will wait for her for as long as it takes.

Story & Thoughts

I think this manga is rather dull. This is entirely based on this volume alone, and there could be a chance that it gets better when sampled in multiple volumes. However, I got this digital volume for free, and I don’t plan on spending money to try more of it.

The only thing I knew going into it was that it was a romance set in a school. I see the direction it’s trying to take, but it doesn’t implement it well.

Sakashita is the goody-goody class representative, who has a chance encounter with the school deviant. This somehow leads to her inadvertently crushing on him. She’s never dated or been interested in anyone before, so she doesn’t understand why she feels so interested in being around him and getting to know him. Eventually something clicks, and she realizes she’s crushing.

The volume is too short for the pacing to make it interesting, and the story is easily predictable. The most interesting part is the end of the volume when Hana hears something he wasn’t intended to hear. That’s the cliffhanger.

It’s not necessarily bad, though. I just don’t find it particularly good if the best part of the whole book is the bonus comics in the back. I don’t recommend it, but it’s probably more appealing to teens who have not read a ton of other romance. It’s a chill and kind of cute read. I can’t exactly describe it as okay, which is why it’s not a two, but I can’t say I didn’t like it at all, either.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 11

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The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 11 by Natsu Hyuuga, Nekokurage, Itsuki Nanao, Touco Shino
Series Name: The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
Genres: Drama, Historical, Mystery, Romance
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-252-9
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Summoned to attend the Emperor on an evening jaunt to an ancient shrine that functions as a rite of passage for the rulers of the land, Maomao makes quick work of the puzzle inside, acquitting herself with aplomb. Having learned more about the Imperial bloodline than a commoner has any right to know, Maomao returns to her post at the Jade Palace. But her aim to stay out of the business of her betters is foiled once again when the Empress Dowager comes calling! The mother of His Imperial Majesty seeks Maomao’s aid in investigating yet another curse, one she fears she herself may have cast upon the infamous late Emperor…

Personal & Info

I can never get enough of this series. Every time I finish a volume, I’m already ready for the next one. Unfortunately, it’ll be a little bit of a wait. Volume twelve doesn’t come out until September.

Characters

Maomao is pulled into solving more royal favors, and this time not for Jinshi, but the Empress Dowager herself.

Jinshi isn’t entirely significant to the main story of the volume. He mostly plays the part of an observer this time around.

Empress Dowager Anshi, the current Emperor’s mother, is the main focus. The majority of the volume revolves around a favor she requests of Maomao.

Story & Thoughts

There are five chapters. The first is part two of The Shrine of Choosing, continuing from where volume ten leaves off. After that, the book focuses more on the Empress Dowager and what the previous Emperor was like.

I find this volume particularly interesting, because it digs more deeply into the details of the royalty. Up until now, we’ve only seen the Empress Dowager in passing. Now we get to see her in the majority of this book. Four out of five of the chapters are practically all about her.

The three part section by the title of The Late Emperor is all about how things were when the previous emperor was in power. Also, how the Empress Dowager attained her rank, and more about the births of her two children. The time of the previous emperor honestly sounds pretty terrible. Some progressive laws were passed thanks to Anshi, and are still getting better with the current emperor, but a lot of shady stuff was going on behind the scenes. I’ll let the book take care of explaining all of that, but my point is, the political intrigue of this volume is very interesting. It’s like getting a lore dump.

This section of the series might make some readers uncomfortable. It readdresses the inappropriate age preference the previous emperor had. The age of the Empress Dowager at the time of the Emperor’s birth was bleeped out earlier in the series when it was mentioned in passing at the first Garden Banquet. At this point in the series, it blatantly gives a number. We can all agree the previous emperor’s preferences were disgusting. I don’t think readers should let these parts ruin their opinion of the whole series.

I think the most significant thing in the volume is that we finally get a for sure answer about the mystery around Jinshi. Now, we’re left wondering how long it will be until Maomao finds out the truth, and if she will care at all once she has the answers.

As one of the few volumes that doesn’t end in the middle of a multipart section, I can’t help wondering if this particular ending is foreboding or encouraging. The contextual meaning seems a little unclear in that regard.

Shugo Chara! Vol. 1

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Shugo Chara! Vol. 1 by Peach-Pit
Series Name: Shugo Chara!
Genres: Comedy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Children/middle grade
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook 
ISBN: N/A
Rating: 3/5
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Description

Everyone thinks Amu is so cool, but the truth is she’s just shy. The misconception drives her crazy, because she just wants to be able to outwardly express how she really feels without getting embarrassed. Three magic eggs appear in her bed one morning and hatch into Guardian Characters, angel-like beings who can magically help her be someone new. But now people are harassing her about something called an “embryo.” What hardships will accompany this new found power?

Personal & Info

BookWalker’s copy, which is where I read this, did not have an ISBN listed anywhere. Usually there’s one at the end of the book, but that is not the case here.

There is no Crunchyroll link for this book, because they appear to only have volumes two and up. The series is more than ten years old at this point, so some places are only going to have digital or used copies. Just make sure you know which format you’re looking at if you decide you want to get into this.

Apparently I added this to my to-read list years ago and completely forgot about it. It’s pure coincidence that I managed to get a free digital copy to try the series.

There is a spin off series by the name Shugo Chara-chan!, which looks like it focuses on the day to day mini-adventures of Amu’s Guardian Characters.

Characters

Amu Hinamori is a fourth grader from Seiyo Elementary on her way into the fifth grade. She is unhappy with her life, because she doesn’t know what kind of person she wants to be, but she knows she’s discontent with how she currently is. Amu is the main character. I’m sure her pink hair already gave that away. She’s unique because she has three eggs.

Midori Hinamori is Amu’s mother. She is the editor for Housewife’s Wisdom monthly magazine.

Tsugumu Hinamori is Amu’s father. He is a wild bird photographer.

Ami Hinamori is Amu’s 3 year old sister. Their parents could have tried to be a little more original with their daughters’ names.

Tadase Hotori is the King’s Chair Guardian for a group the school refers to as the Guardians. He is often referred to as Prince and Kiddy Prince. His guardian character is Kiseki.

Ran is Amu’s first guardian character. She’s good at honesty and sports. Her symbol is a heart.

Miki is Amu’s second guardian character. She’s good at art. Her symbol is a spade.

Su is Amu’s third guardian character. She’s good at cooking. Her symbol is a club.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki is the Queen’s Chair Guardian for a group the school refers to as the Guardians. Her guardian character is Temari.

Yaya Yuiki is the Ace Chair Guardian for a group the school refers to as the Guardians. Her guardian character is Pepe.

Kukai Souma is the Jack Chair Guardian for a group the school refers to as the Guardians. His guardian character is Daichi. Kukai is also Captain of the soccer team.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi is a mysterious boy who wants to steal Amu’s eggs. His guardian character is Yoru, and their transformation makes Ikuto look like a cat.

Utau is apparently a fourteen-year-old famous singer and a member of the villain group.

Story & Thoughts

I kind of wish I’d found this series back when it was still new. I think I would have absolutely loved it back then. It would have been a great series to get into around the same time Tokyo Mew Mew was making the rounds.

The story is super cute and relatable, but it also exaggerates things in a way that is typically best enjoyed by younger age groups. The introduction is a good example. Amu apparently suffers from some common social problems. She’s the new girl at her school. Her classmates, and even her parents, all think she is super cool, because she has that cool and reserved exterior. It’s not Komi levels of social anxiety, but everyone thinks she’s cool because they don’t really know or understand her. Assumptions about her life abound, and she comes off as a cool edgy kid. The fact the parents buy into it, too, makes it unrealistic.

On the inside, and when she’s alone, Amu is frustrated about how she can’t properly express herself or do things she wants to be good at. That’s where the story becomes relatable. I feel like these things are something most kids go through. Feeling shame or anxiety or dread about having to do things they aren’t good at, or wish they could be better at.

This is where the eggs come in. The story says all children have something called a heart egg that disappears as they get older. In some special cases, the eggs hatch, and they get a guardian character. These guardians represent the kind of person the kids want to be. Maybe not exact, but they represent the traits they wish they had. In Amu’s case, for example, one of hers is more honest and more athletic.

But the great thing about this aspect of the story is, these guardians are there to assure you that you have what it takes to become the person you want to be. It’s like they’re the training wheels you need to learn how to be that person, and they’re always reminding you that you have that potential. I’m curious how how the story handles things when kids actually make progress with that kind of character growth. Maybe that’s when the guardian characters disappear.

It looks like the story is going in a sort of magical girl transformation direction, but the boys get transformations, too. Amu is special, though, so she’s going to have three since she has three characters. She is crushing on Tadase in this volume, but I strongly suspect her actual love interest is going to be Ikuto. There was a strong moment of tension between them, and an enemies to crush relationship would be adorable and interesting for them.

I love the message the story is outlining about personal growth and hope. Amu’s hairclip changes to show which guardian is affecting her, and I think that’s a cute way to easily portray who is in control. This is a series I wouldn’t mind reading more of, but I don’t know when or if that will happen. I have a lot I’m working on as it is, so I’ll probably just throw it on my wishlist for now.

Ai Ore! Vol. 1

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Ai Ore! Vol. 1  by Mayu Shinjo
Series Name: Ai Ore!
Genres: Gender-Bend/Gender Queer, Romance
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shojo Beat
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3838-9
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

Mizuki is the female “prince” of her all-girls school and the lead guitarist in an all-girl rock band. Akira is the male “princess” of his all-boys school and wants to join her band. Love may be on his mind, but romance is difficult when everyone keeps mistaking Mizuki for a boy and Akira for a girl!

When the lead singer of Blaue Rosen announces she is moving overseas, Akira does all he can to convince Mizuki and her bandmates to let him join. But will a resistant Mizuki allow him into her band, much less her heart?

Personal & Info

I bought this for about half price at a used book store. Their selection for manga was tiny, and this was one of the few potentially interesting things in decent condition that they had. I love gender queer and gender bend stories, so I figured it was worth trying.

Content Warnings

-Dubious consent, mostly for kissing.

-Attempted rape. The main attempt does not succeed, but there is also a second one intended as revenge. The book ends before giving a solid answer on if it actually happens or if it’s just an attempt to scare the person.

Characters

Mizuki Sakurazaka is the female lead, the girl who looks like a boy. She plays lead guitar in her band, and attends the all girls school, St. Nobara Girls Academy.

Akira Shiraishi is the male love interest who looks like a girl. He attends Dankaisan Boys High School, which is next door to St. Nobara Girls Academy. He abuses his cute appearance when it suits him, but can knock you out if you make him mad.

Ai Okita is one of Mizuki’s band mates. She plays the drums.

Momoko Kidera is one of Mizuki’s band mates. She plays bass.

Megumi Yuasa is one of Mizuki’s band mates. She plays. guitar

Kaoru Naruse is Mizuki’s childhood best friend and the lead singer of the band. She leaves fairly early in the volume, because her family is moving.

Rui Kiryuin is the student council vice president at Dankaisan Boys High School. He is apparently the only son of the Ryuga clan, the largest yakuza gang in the Kanto region. Despite his family’s reputation, he gets conned by Akira frequently.

Ran Nikaido is the student council president at Dankaisan Boys High School. His father is the commissioner of the metropolitan police.

Story & Thoughts

The first few pages did not hook me. As the story progresses, we see what the lives of the two main characters are like. Mizuki is in an all girl band and attends an all girls school. Akira attends an all boys school next door.

Those things by themselves are all fine and good, but things become over the top and highly exaggerated from there. Both Mizuki and Akira have freakishly blown out of proportion reputations at their schools. Mizuki is the “prince” of hers, and Akira is the “princess” of his. They are both so wildly popular that their entire student body at each of their schools revolves around them.

The story uses that to overly exaggerate the isolation students feel going to a gender restricted school. The girls look for the most masculinely handsome girl to fawn over, and the guys seek out the most feminine boy. A double standard is shown early on. Mizuki loves the attention and doesn’t find it strange at all. It’s just something she’s gotten used to. Akira, on the other hand, has his face plastered all over his school, and his classmates sell merchandise and stalker photos. While her school fame doesn’t bother her, Mizuki definitely finds the way Akira is treated to be creepy and unsettling.

While the story is overall cute, sweet, and romantic, it has some occasional dark vibes. The extent of which some students are willing to go to satisfy their own selfish desires is unnerving. The third year students from Mizuki’s school, and Rui from Akira’s, are prime examples. Consent between Akira and Mizuki can be a little fuzzy sometimes, too.

But, if you can get past those things, the story really is sweet and enjoyable. Mizuki doesn’t understand love at all, and she’s experiencing it for the first time. Akira is considered cute by all, but he never lets Mizuki forget he’s a guy. There’s even a childhood friend background going on for people who love childhood friends to lovers type stories.

I don’t know if I’ll end up buying more volumes for this, but it wasn’t bad. The absurdity of the exaggerated aspects of the story and the way the characters interact with each other is funny enough to make me giggle. I wouldn’t mind reading more, but I probably won’t go out of my way to do so.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 4

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My Happy Marriage, Vol. 4 by Akumi Agitogi, Rito Kohsaka, Tsukiho Tsukioka
Series Name: My Happy marriage (Manga)
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-248-2
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Miyo Saimori, the eldest of her clan and yet unblessed by the supernatural talent that graced her father and half sister, is sent off to marry into the Gifted Kudo clan. The young and aloof clan leader, Kiyoka Kudo, finds himself intrigued by this girl who stands worlds apart from the spoiled, social-climbing women who usually vie for his hand.

All too soon, Kiyoka comes to regard Miyo with affection and they make their engagement real and official, but Miyo still worries she lacks the training to be a wife worthy of the Kudo clan. Enter Kiyoka’s older sister, Hazuki, who takes it upon herself to tutor Miyo – and tease Kiyoka along the way!

Suddenly Miyo and Kiyoka cross paths with a mysterious man named Arata Tsuruki. What does he want, and what connection does he have to the enigmatic and powerful Usuba clan that Miyo’s mother hailed from?

Personal & Info

I bought this at the same time as volume three, and I read them back to back. Unfortunately, there is no word of the existence of, or any plan for, volume five. I hope the manga continues, but in the mean time, I’m going to work on getting the light novels. The light novels seem to be still ongoing with new releases.

Characters

Miyo Saimori is the leading lady. She has a long history of suffering abuse at the hands of her own family. Now that she’s out from under their roof, she can finally start to heal.

Kiyoka Kudo is the male love interest. He has high political and military standing as well as wealth, and he is the current head of the Kudo family. His job is getting very demanding.

Yurie is Kiyoka’s housekeeper. She has taken care of him since he was young, and he trusts her implicitly. She is a kind older woman and she is fond of Miyo.

Hazuki Kudo is Kiyoka Kudo’s older sister. We learn more about her history in this volume.

Yoshito Godo is a young man who works as Kiyoka’s aide in the grotesquery military branch. We see him frequently in this book as Kiyoka spends a lot of time at work.

Arata Tsuruki is 24 years old, and the heir to the Tsuruki family, which owns a trading company.

Story & Thoughts

This seems like a plot building volume. Miyo’s immediate family problems are behind her and no longer a threat to her health or wellbeing. The story is moving forward with Miyo’s education and dealing with her trauma.

Her biggest problem in this book is her nightmares. The cause is unclear, but they’re obviously related to her trauma. She’s not receiving scathing verbal abuse from her family anymore, so her mind is supplying it while she sleeps. While she’s struggling with that, Kiyoka spends most of the volume busy with work.

Some important and interesting things go on in this volume. I can’t say I’m satisfied with it, though. It’s good for the story progression, but I also feel like it’s a step backwards. Miyo’s health is deteriorating, again, and she hasn’t learned how to make her needs or struggles heard. She still has a long way to go when it comes to recovering from her family’s abuse.

The things I like most about the volume are that we learn more about what Hazuki’s life has been like, and Kiyoka finally makes some progress on research regarding the Usubas. There’s enough new information to draw me in for reading the next book when it eventually becomes available. It would be more interesting if we could see the side of Kiyoka’s job that isn’t just paperwork, but maybe that will come along later.

To Ease the Pain of Loneliness

This is a bonus novel style chapter. It stars Hazuki reminiscing with Miyo about the time when Kiyoka decided to leave home. She ponders what he needed from the house in which he currently lives, and what similar aspects she sees in Miyo that makes Kiyoka enjoy her company. It’s written with Hazuki’s perspective. I think it gives her a little more depth to add onto the little we’ve learned about her.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 3

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My Happy Marriage, Vol. 3 by Akumi Agitogi, Rito Kohsaka, Tsukiho Tsukioka
Series Name: My Happy Marriage (Manga)
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance 
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-156-0
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Though Miyo Saimori has found a place as Kiyoka Kudo‘s potential bride, the fact remains that she is untouched by thee supernatural power that defines both the Saimori and Kudo clans.

While Kiyoka seems willing to accept her as she is, Miyo is unsure and bewildered – she has never known such warmth in all her life…

Just as Miyo dares to believe she may have found happiness at last, her jealous half sister, Kaya, kidnaps her and locks her in a storehouse. Kaya’s eyes are red with rage as she declares her intention to dissolve Miyo and Kiyoka’s engagement and take Miyo’s place as his fiancée herself!

Will Kiyoka’s otherworldly abilities deliver her from Kaya’s clutches in time?

Personal & Info

I reread the first two volumes before reading this. It had been a while since I read them, and I was a bit late in getting volume three. I bought volumes three and four at the same time, so I’ll be caught up on the manga after reading both. Volume five is not yet out, even though it was rumored to release October of 2023.

Characters

Miyo Saimori is the leading lady. She has a long history of suffering abuse at the hands of her own family. Now that she’s out from under their roof, she can finally start to heal.

Kiyoka Kudo is the male love interest. He has high political and military standing as well as wealth, and he is the current head of the Kudo family.

Yurie is Kiyoka’s housekeeper. She has taken care of him since he was young, and he trusts her implicitly. She is a kind older woman and she is fond of Miyo.

Kaya Saimori is Miyo’s younger half-sister. She received everything Miyo did not growing up, and has been conditioned to want to be better than Miyo at everything and always have better than her.

Koji Tatsuishi is Miyo’s childhood friend. He is engaged to Kaya as an arrangement to become the next head of the Saimori family since they don’t have any sons.

Hazuki Kudo is Kiyoka Kudo’s older sister.

Masashi Okaito is the forty-year-old Major General in charge of the Grotesquerie unit.

Story & Thoughts

The first chunk of the book finishes the events from volume two. It shows Miyo’s side of things while Kiyoka is breaking down the gate. She stands up for herself against her family’s wishes for the first time in her life. I’m so proud of Miyo for not surrendering when it matters most. She’s had a lot of growth in a short amount of time.

Miyo’s family is absolutely insane. They shouldn’t have set her up with Kiyoka Kudo in the first place if they were going to decide she wasn’t good enough for that kind of life. They probably expected him to immediately throw her out.

The rest of the volume is more relaxed. Miyo wants to continue her cancelled education from her childhood, so Kiyoka’s older sister, Hazuki, is arranged to be her tutor. She seems super nice, and interacting with her will likely be good for Miyo.

New events are set in motion as Kiyoka receives a serious job order involving dangerous ghosts, and some interestingly foreboding foreshadowing predictions about Miyo. Something has been happening with her while she sleeps, so I wonder if all of these things are connected.

With her family out of the way, I’m curious to see what will happen next. I don’t like this volume as much as the first two, but it seems like it’s a transitional volume, so that’s normal. Either way, it’s still pretty good, and I’m looking forward to reading more of the series.

Rain

This is another bonus short story chapter written like a light novel. It focuses on an unpleasant memory of Miyo’s as a dream. The point of it seems to be Miyo realizing she can finally let out the repressed emotions she’s hidden away for so long, while speculating about whether it ever would have made a difference if she’d bothered to cry before. I think it shows more of her growth from healing to finally be able to let herself feel all the things she’s been repressing. The hope that one day she might not think about any of those traumatic experiences at all is promising.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 10

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The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 10 by Natsu Hyuuga, Nekokurage, Itsuki Nanao, Touco Shino
Series Name: The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
Genres: Drama, Historical, Mystery, Romance
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-136-2
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

When two beautiful foreign envoys with designs on the Emperor come calling, they spin a fantastical tale about a courtesan who once captured the imagination of their family patriarch. Now it falls to Maomao to concoct a theatrical scheme to give the ladies a whopper of a story to take home! And when the hubbub from their visit dies down, Maomao goes back to sniffing around the Inner Court for the perfume oils and spices sold by the caravan that could spell disaster for the throne’s future heirs. But the trail leads her back…to the Crystal Palace?!

Personal & Info

It took me longer than I would have liked to get around to reading this. I ended up doing a full series reread to refresh my memory, and just because I wanted to. The reread was immensely enjoyable. My review for volume eleven will be a little late, but I’ll get to it as soon as I can.

Characters

Maomao is wonderful, as always. I absolutely adore her.

Jinshi is ever present and extra stressed. He does not seem to be having a good time in this volume.

Shenlu is an older lady who runs the clinic. She’s far older than the typical court lady, likely due to her special skills.

Xing is the Head Lady-in-Waiting at the Crystal Palace. She works for Lihua.

Story & Thoughts

This volume is pretty jam packed. It has six chapters. Five of them are multipart events. Of course, the first one is the continuation of the final chapter from volume nine. But, aside from that, there is a three chapter event, and the last chapter is part one for another multipart event.

Part two of The Moon Fairy is fantastic. I was all smiles for that chapter. While I enjoyed it, I don’t think I can say the same for Jinshi.

The Inner Court has several rules that make important things, like medical care, more difficult than they should be. Maomao learns about more of these things, and sees some of the imminent problems the Inner Court is likely to face as an eventuality. It’s clear the current emperor has many things in a transitional state and has not yet fully addressed some of the policy reforms.

On that subject, I think the social aspects of the Inner Palace need addressing. That’s more of an issue for the consorts to deal with, though, and some of them are not aware of the things that need to be fixed. There always seems to be one problem or another at the Crystal Palace, but Lihua seems ready to start addressing those issues.. I hope Lishu can wise up to some of the negativity involving her own ladies-in-waiting at some point.

It’s pretty funny we only just now find out that Maomao has been breaking highly enforced rules this whole time.

I’m surprised Jinshi didn’t express anything to Maomao about the scratches on her face after the drama had passed. He’s usually more concerned about anything that hurts her. The face is also very important inside the Inner Palace because of how much of the social structure there is based on looks, so I thought there should have been a little more attention drawn to that.

All in all, the series is holding up very well. My usual rating tends to be a solid four, with only the occasional dip to a three. It’s definitely one of my current favorites.

Deception

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Deception by Amanda Quick
Genres: Historical, Mystery, Regency, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bantam
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 0-553-56506-0
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Once Olympia Wingfield had been free to devote all her time to her true passion: the study of ancient legends and long-lost treasure. But now, with three hellion nephews to raise, the absentminded beauty has very little time for research. Which makes it seem all the more serendipitous when a handsome stranger strides into Olympia’s library unannounced and proceeds to set her world to rights…

Tall and dark, with long, windswept black hair, Jared Chillhurst is the embodiment of Olympia’s most exotic dreams…a daring pirate, masquerading in teacher’s garb, whose plundering kisses and traveler’s tales quickly win her heart. Yet all too soon innocent Olympia will discover that the enigmatic and wickedly sensual Mr. Chillhurst is no lowly tutor but a future earl with a wealth of secrets – the kind that will lead them both on a perilous quest for a hidden fortune and a love worth more than gold.

Personal & Info

I found this book in pre-owned condition very cheap. I buy and read pretty much any Krentz/Quick/Castle novels I can find. They have a consistent story formula, and for some reason I always find the stories and writing style to be my comfort reads. Whenever I don’t know what to read or what I’m in the mood for, I grab a book by this/these author(s) and it always helps.

This is an older novel from the early to mid 90’s, so it’s going to be more common to find used copies, but it looks like Amazon and Barnes & Noble have reprints for newer copies.

Characters

Artemis Wingfield is Olympia Wingfield’s uncle. He is an older man with preference for fine manners, like dressing up for dinner and proper etiquette.

Jared Ryder, Viscount Chillhurst, is the thirty-four year old male lead of the story. He has an eyepatch and prefers to dress more like a pirate than follow any fashion fads. His family owns the Flamecrest fleet, and his father is the Earl of Flamecrest. Jared is the oddball in his family, because all his relatives are eccentrically proud of their buccaneer heritage, but Jared himself has a preference for schedules and economics.

Olympia Wingfield is the twenty-five year old female lead. She was raised and educated by her two eccentric aunts, only one of which was a blood relative. Olympia has a fascination of foreign lands and their cultures. Due to her interests, she is a member of the Society for Travel and Exploration.

Magnus Ryder, the Earl of Flamecrest, is Jared’s father. He is more like a pirate than what you would expect of an Earl.

Thaddeus Ryder is Jared’s uncle and Magnus’ brother. He is also a pirate type.

Mrs. Bird is Olympia’s housekeeper. She worked for Olympia’s aunts before her, and she is a strongly opinionated woman.

Ethan and Hugh are Olympia’s eight year old twin nephews.

Robert is Olympia’s ten year old nephew. He is the most civilized of the three nephews that Olympia is raising.

Demetria Seaton is Jared’s beautiful ex-fiancee. She now goes by Lady Beaumont after marrying a wealthy man.

Felix Hartwell is Jared’s man of business. He takes care of all business related affairs for Jared in London, and Jared considers him to be a good friend and very much like himself.

Gifford Seaton is Demetria’s brother. He is emotional and tends to have a hot temper, but cares deeply for what little family he has.

Constance Kirkdale is a good friend of Demetria’s. She is described as Demetria’s opposite in every physical way, but still pretty.

There are a significant number of other characters with names in the book, but these ones make up the starting families and the people important to them. Whether or not the culprit for the mystery is someone else or one of these, I will not say one way or the other.

Story & Thoughts

The prologue sets up the entire premise. Artemis Wingfield hires Jared Ryder to escort goods, one of which is a diary significant to the story, to his niece in Upper Tudway in Dorset. Artemis has a loose tongue, because he spills a ton of information that no cautious person would ever bother sharing. He practically gives Olympia’s entire life story to a man he hardly knows. Not only that, but he provides enough information to make it known that she can’t seem to hold down a tutor for her nephews, which is just what Jared needs to be able to insert himself into her household later.

Despite the lack of caution, it does do a good job setting things up. Both leads get an introduction in a way that explains their personalities and interests. It also provides the motive for Jared to go meet Olympia in the first place, while setting up the story point about the diary in the process.

I actually really like Jared’s character concept and presentation. He is born and raised a buccaneer, but prefers to be a skilled businessman with a schedule and personal set of rules. It basically makes him a businessman with a unique set of skills, because he is trained in the pirate-like skillset, even though he prefers not to have to use any of them. On top of that, he knows when to make use of them, and when to take the benefit from people’s assumptions regarding his appearance.

The story takes the instant attraction angle. Jared and Olympia both fall for each other from the moment they meet, but neither says anything about it for a long time. The only thing that prolongs it is respect for propriety and reputation. If they both would just be open about it from the beginning, it would be an entirely different kind of book. Honestly, I find stories where lack of communication is the only thing holding it back to be a bit frustrating.

The subject of marriage comes up about halfway through the book. It’s an interesting twist the way it happens. But at the same time, if you don’t know how Olympia feels, it comes off as entrapment. I was not satisfied with how the characters navigated this part of the story.

This is probably a good time to say Olympia’s character bothers me a bit. Her interests are fine, and most of her personality is fine, but there are little things. She is absent minded, like to the point she neglects to say the things that matter at the actual time when they matter. This tends to cause unnecessary emotional turmoil. But, what bothers me more is relevant to her interests. She could be taken aback or surprised by something, but as soon as she hears it’s a foreign custom somewhere she immediately changes her mind about it and is gung-ho about doing or trying whatever it is. She doesn’t even require any proof. In my opinion, this makes her far too gullible.

All in all, I like the book well enough. It’s a good comfort read to get me back on track after a small hiatus. The story is good enough to be interesting, but not amazing. I figured out the culprit almost immediately, so the mystery part is not difficult. The best parts are the character interactions, despite how frustrating some of them might be due to lack of communication. I’ll likely hold onto this one.

Surprisingly, this book aged well. I think the terminology it uses for describing characters has come full circle in a way that makes it mostly correct according to modern standards.

Marked

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Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Series Name: House of Night
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: YA
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-312-36026-9
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

ENTER THE DARK, MAGICAL WORLD OF THE HOUSE OF NIGHT, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampyre. That is, if she makes it through the Change – and not all those who are Marked do. It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend. To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny – with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

Personal & Info

I’m going into this without reading any descriptions. I’ve heard so many people praise the series. When I found a few volumes cheaply at my local store, I made sure to grab them. All I know going into it is that it has something to do with vampires.

The shop links go to copies of the singular volume, but there are also box sets for the series. So, if you prefer to purchase your books in sets, you can easily find those on the same sites.

Content Warnings

-Teen deaths

-Insensitive language (This book is from 2007 so characters throw around words like “retarded” due to that being the type of language used at the time the book was written.)

-Sexual themes (The story mentions things like blowjobs and erotic dancing.)

-Bullying (The gay character experiences bullying, and the mean girl character bullies everybody.)

Characters

Zoey Redbird, original last name Montgomery, is the sixteen year old main character. Her heritage is Cherokee on her mother’s side through her grandmother, Sylvia Redbird. She has an older sister and a younger brother, and she doesn’t like either of them.

Stevie Rae Johnson is Zoey’s roommate from Henrietta, Oklahoma. She’s a true country girl with a love of country music, cowboy hats, and cowboy boots. Zoey considers her a “true Okie” because she speaks with a southern “twang.”

Erin Bates is a pretty blonde girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her best friend is her roommate Shaunee, because they are extremely similar in personality and share a shoe size.

Shaunee Cole is Erin’s roommate from Connecticut. They are so similar in personality and interests that they call each other “Twin.”

Damien Maslin is the guy friend in the group. He’s from Dallas, Texas, has a sophisticated vocabulary, and faces bullying due to being gay.

Aphrodite is the mean girl of the story. She’s the “it girl.” She’s blonde, pretty, gifted, and prone to inappropriate behavior. Her three friend followers are Pemphredo, Enyo, and Deino. The main friend group refers to these four people as the “hags from hell.”

Erik Night is Zoey’s new crush. He’s about six feet tall, and good at acting. Zoey describes his appearance as reminding her of Superman with the hair curl. He’s also apparently the hottest guy at school. Absolutely everyone fawns over him.

Neferet is the High Priestess of the House of Night. She has beautiful red hair and green eyes, an affinity for cats, and a gift for healing. Neferet is also Zoey’s mentor, and she teaches Vampyre sociology class.

There are many more characters with names: Zoey’s friends and family from before, various teachers and other students, cats, etc.

Story & Thoughts

The story takes place in Oklahoma. Zoey attends school at Broken Arrow South Intermediate High School, but quickly ends up having to transfer to the House of Night finishing school in Tulsa. The book starts off with her getting marked as a fledgling vampyre, and vampyre fledglings can’t survive on their own.

Based on what I gather from her friends and family in the beginning, becoming a fledgling is the best thing that could have possibly happened to Zoey. Her family no longer feels like a family, so she’s unhappy at home, and her friends don’t seem like they are actually friends. Her best friend Kayla isn’t a very good friend, because she keeps important secrets from her. I’m not sure how much Zoey really likes her either, considering she calls Kayla’s speech “K-babble.” On top of that, Zoey’s almost boyfriend is the star athlete of the school, but he’s taken up drinking alcohol as if it were also a sport.

The friends Zoey makes at the House of Night seem way better than the people she previously surrounded herself with. Erin, Damien, Shaunee, and Stevie Rae already have a wonderful friendship. When Zoey gets to her new school and meets her roommate’s friend group, she experiences a warm welcome, and finds great friends in them. There’s a level of trust she has with this group that there’s no possible way she could have had with her previous friends.

I like this book. It’s really easy to get into and hooked me in the first few pages. The characters are well done. The way they speak and act feels more solidly real than a lot of other books. I was similar in age to the characters around the time this book was published, and I can tell effort was made to make it seem authentic. Granted, I did not speak the same way these teens do, but I am well aware that the “cool kids” did indeed speak in a similar manner to what is portrayed in this book. It’s a little annoying at first, because it means not everything is as grammatically correct as most books. But, once it gets going it feels natural.

Vampyre lore in this particular world is a little different than the usual. First and most obvious, their faces are marked with a crescent moon. Most adults have elaborate forehead decorations adorning the crescent. It’s easy to identify a vampyre on sight.

They don’t burn up in the sun. Sunlight is unpleasant to them, but it doesn’t kill them. They don’t have fangs. The change from human to vampyre is triggered by a special combination of genetics and hormones. And, the weirdest to me, they’re allied with cats. Most lore usually says cats hate the undead, but I guess these vampyres are not really undead, or at least it doesn’t seem like they are.

I also find it interesting most of the names and culture for vampyres involves Greek mythology. Many kids choose to have Greek names. Their Goddess is Nyx, and their sociology class talks about many of the roles vampyres play throughout history. The one that jumps at me the most is that the Amazons were all apparently vampyres. That one bothers me, because it mentions the disproven fact about them removing a breast.

This is a series I definitely intend to read more of. There are plenty of plot hooks to keep the draw. Something mysterious is going on at the school. Zoey’s uniqueness as a Cherokee fledgling is ongoing, and the book ends with a drop of more intrigue.

My only real problem with the story is so minor, it doesn’t even matter. I don’t keep up with celebrities, so I pretty much have no idea who any of the famous people are that the characters mention. A celebrity comparison is used to describe how Aphrodite looks, and I had to look up a picture to see who they were talking about. Aside from that, my only gripe is that the book wastes paper by always making chapters start on the right page. If a chapter ends on the right page, the back side of the paper is blank to make sure the chapter starts on the side they want.

Beautiful Creatures

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Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Series Name: The Caster Chronicles
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Witches
Intended Age Group: YA
Publisher: Little, Brown/Hachette
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-316-04267-3
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous planation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Personal & Info

This is volume one of the Caster Chronicles, which is four volumes long.

I read this series back in 2013. Unfortunately, after I read it, I found out there are short stories between volumes that are digital only. This made me feel like I hadn’t gotten the complete story. I didn’t have a kindle or anything back then, either, but now I do, and I have the middle story parts as well. So, it’s time for a reread. I also have the sequel duology that I don’t want to read until I get through my reread with all the little middle stories.

Apparently, I never took any notes or wrote any reviews for my initial read, so this review will be based on my reread opinions only. The rating is an average of my original rating and and what I would currently rate it. It’s been ten years, but my first impression rating should still count for something.

Characters

Ethan Lawson Wate is the sixteen year old main character. He’s six foot two, on the school basketball team, and can’t wait to get out of boring small town Gatlin, South Carolina.

Amarie Treadeau, mostly known as Amma, is the grandmotherly housekeeper of the Wate household. She is barely five feet tall, smart, ornery, and dabbles in voodoo, which is obvious early on in the story. She comes from a long line of tarot readers, which she also does as a side business.

Wesley Jefferson Lincoln, who goes by Link, is Ethan’s best friend since the sixth grade. He has a car they refer to as the Beater. His mother, Martha Lincoln, is part of the DAR, a women’s group that runs the town.

Lena Duchannes (Du-Kane) is the love interest. She supplies most of the paranormal aspects to the story.

Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood is the local shut-in and Lena’s uncle. The townspeople of Gatlin fear him even though they never see him.

Dr. Marian Ashcroft is the head librarian, and the best friend to Ethan’s mother before her accident. She’s not from Gatlin, and is blatantly smarter than almost everyone else in town.

Ridley Duchannes is Lena’s cousin. She is one year older, and they grew up together like sisters. Their current relationship is a bit estranged.

There are tons more characters, but I’m not going to list them here. Most of them are extended family members for Ethan and Lena. The rest are classmates from Jackson High, or parents, with a small sprinkling of other less important people who only appear once or only get passing mentions.

Story & Thoughts

Beautiful Creatures takes place in the small town of Gatlin, South Carolina, where nothing surprising or interesting ever happens. The residents of Gatlin follow the negative stereotypes of xenophobia, mob mentality, and prideful confederate heritage. If you are not born and raised in their town, are a little different, or don’t agree with their glorification of the confederacy, they will hate you and try to drive you out of their town. It’s that kind of place.

The book starts off slow. Around fifty pages in, the story only just starts to get interesting after finally finishing the primary introductions to Gatlin and the community. That’s about the time Ethan starts interacting with Lena and weird stuff starts to happen. From there, the book dives into a slow burn romance with intrigue and research.

Lena is a caster, or witch, there isn’t much difference. Her sixteenth birthday is going to be an incredibly important event, but not in the way normal people have sweet sixteens. The problem is, she knows little to nothing regarding what will actually happen, and anticipates having no control over it. No one will tell her or Ethan anything helpful, because of the ridiculous idea of ignorance being safer. So, the whole book revolves around the growing romance between Lena and Ethan, while they stress and try to figure out how to change the possible worst case scenario.

I admit I probably liked this book better the first time around, but I still like it well enough. The writing is enjoyable, so the majority of the story, where it feels like not much is happening, doesn’t feel like it drags. I think the portrayal of the characters helps significantly with that. There are many, but they all seem to be done well. For me, whether or not the characters feel fleshed out or authentic often affects how tolerable any book is.

I genuinely like the story. I have no issues there. Lena is melodramatic, but she has good reason. It’s actually surprising to me that her family doesn’t take her concerns seriously. People don’t bother to comfort her, let alone tell her anything that will calm her down. It’s always just reassuring her everything is going to be fine without doing or saying anything to convince her of that.

My biggest gripe is with Ethan’s dad, Mitchell. I get that he’s grieving, but he’s doing it in a selfish way. He locks himself in the only room in the house anyone can feel close to Lila (Ethan’s mom), and nobody else is allowed to enter. Mitchell isn’t the only one who lost someone. Ethan did, too, but his dad doesn’t seem to care about that fact. They need to be there for each other. They should both have access to the room.

There is one line in the book I found so funny I had to set it down for a moment while I laughed at it. Someone threatened the possibility of a Wal-Mart opening in Gatlin and everyone was so aghast at the idea. I don’t know why, I just found it absolutely hilarious. That was the funniest thing in the whole book to me.