Tag: Romance

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 9 (LN)

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Spice & Wolf, Vol. 9: Town of Strife 2 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: 978-0-316-24548-7
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

The capture of a narwhal and the ensuing power struggle between the northern and southern districts of Kerube has Lawrence caught in the middle! Backed into a corner by his own trade guild, can the merchant find a way to extricate himself from this delicate situation? And what of the wolf bone from Holo’s pack? Can the Wisewolf of Yoitsu manage to keep her rage and frustration in check?

Personal & Info

This is the second and final part of a two part event by the title of Town of Strife.

I think this is the first book in which I’ve seen a world map inside in a long while. Every area previously travelled to or mentioned in the series so far is marked on the map. There is also a refresher summary of part one on the map page, as well as an explanation about the narwhal and the town of Kerube.

The table of contents page has an adorable picture of Holo riding a narwhal. Definitely worth looking at.

Characters

Lawrence spends a significant amount of this volume working alone. Holo has little to nothing to do with his dealings, and mostly serves a support role. When Lawrence gets overwhelmed or afraid, she pulls him back to sanity with reason. Col assists in that regard, and also does tasks for Holo and Lawrence. The three of them seem to have a solid friendship at the moment, but I think there’s the implication of Lawrence having to face Holo’s wrath in the end. Their relationship might become more turbulent after this.

Eve Bolan is the most important person in town during Kerube’s negotiations. Everyone wants to make a deal with her, and whatever deal she chooses to make will affect the entire town. Holo despises Eve, but Lawrence and Eve are tentative friends. Lawrence said it’s something along the lines of merchants don’t hold grudges.

Lud Kieman, a senior member of the Rowan Trade Guild, who also runs one of the buildings in Kerube, is among the many who want to make a deal with Eve. He seems like a ruthless person, and obviously doesn’t think of his underlings as people. They are just tools to him. Lawrence fears his wrath, because he wants to stay on good terms with the guild, but Keiman has the power to ruin that.

Story & Thoughts

Since this is part two, it continues almost exactly where volume eight leaves off, and gives a small recap as Lawrence explains to Holo and Col what happened at his meeting with Eve. From there, the story moves forward with Lawrence getting involved in Kerube’s business, whether he wants to or not. He’s sucked right into the middle of things because of his affiliation with the Rowan Trade Guild and his acquaintance with Eve. He has little choice in the matter since a single misstep could ruin his reputation within the guild.

Lawrence actually works on the entire deal on his own. He doesn’t even bring Holo with him. He has this idea that he needs to live up to her expectations, so instead of using her assistance every step of the way, he tries to do everything without her. This delegates Holo to a more morally supportive role, and leaves her available to catch him if he falls. Her biggest job here is to be a sounding board for Lawrence’s thought process. I kind of wanted her to be a little more involved. He tried to operate without her in Lenos, too, so it’s been a while since she has actually helped him directly with a deal.

The money scam with the copper coins comes up again, and thankfully they explain it in more detail. Once they went over it, I finally understood it. I think the story was keeping all the key details secret until the last minute, which is probably why I didn’t quite get it in the previous book.

Something I had an issue with is they seem to speak in riddles more frequently. There are a few places where someone would say something, and I’d have no idea what they meant. Sometimes it would be clarified by a thought from Lawrence, but the clarification didn’t help me see how what they said could possibly be understood by the person on the receiving end of the conversation.

I also had an issue keeping the North and South sides of the town straight during the entire plot. I had a hard time remembering which one is the poor side and which side owed the other what. Or who worked for which side because of those details. Like when it said someone was allied with the North side, I wouldn’t be able to remember if that was the side that needed the money or the side that was greedy. That’s not the fault of the writing, though, it’s just my brain.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 8 (LN)

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Spice & Wolf, Vol. 8: Town of Strife I 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: 978-0-316-24546-3
Rating: 2.5/5
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Description from the Book

Hearing rumors of a “leg bone of the wolf” being used as an artifact of the Church to showcase its power, Lawrence and Holo head to the site to gather more information. Holo can’t just turn away from what might be a relic of her own kind, after all. Of course, upon arrival, the travelers find that the town is the center of a giant trade dispute! Seems that Col will be getting a lesson in microeconomics!

Personal & Info

Again, it’s been a while since the last volume. I keep intending to circle back around to things, but my reading schedule remains a mess.

Characters

Lawrence and Holo trust each other more in this volume than they seem to in most. Holo is left to her own devices with Col multiple times, with the only stipulation being not to let her drink too much. She even runs an errand for Lawrence on her own, which hardly ever happens. Unfortunately, she’s back to hitting Lawrence on occasion when she is displeased enough. Holo does a poor job of hiding her jealousy and anger during the parts of the story that include Eve.

Col enters the story in volume six. He’s at most thirteen, and smart for his age. His intention is to study church law, but first he needs a better understanding of how the world works. He learns various lessons from Lawrence and Holo every day, even if he doesn’t always understand what they mean. While he is a great help and meticulous in his tasks, Lawrence cannot in good conscience claim him as an apprentice.

Eve Bolan is the merchant woman they met in Lenos. Their dealings with her there were not entirely wholesome. Lawrence can’t help but admire her regardless, because her business skills and connections are top notch. Not to mention her pretty face and ability to perfectly control her facial features when making deals. The dealings with her in Kerube are likely not entirely wholesome, either.

Story & Thoughts

Volume seven is a deviation to side stories completely irrelevant to the main plot, so this one picks up where six leaves off. Lawrence and company arrive in Kerube. Priorities are a little different from the initial plans, though. When leaving Lenos, the idea was to catch up to Eve and get Lawrence’s money back. I think it’s pretty clear that was just a pretense for Lawrence and Holo to extend their time together, because now that they are there, they don’t care about the money. That intention is completely forgotten. Instead, they are looking into rumors about the leg bone of a wolf, potentially from one of Holo’s deceased friends.

As far as the story itself goes, this is part one of a two part series of events. Because of that, this volume is entirely the set up. The usual half to three quarters of the volume that normally sets up the problem or scheme is this entire book. It does make it feel a little slow, but the set up is interesting enough.

I have some issues. I don’t know if it’s because it’s been a while since I read something from the series, or if my brain was just tired. It could also be actual editing mistakes that cut necessary sentences from the story. I don’t really know.

What I do know is I had more of an issue than usual telling who was saying what, and there were unclear details that kept throwing me off. An example of the type of detail I’m referring to would be, at one point Lawrence orders himself an ale and has a conversation with Eve. Eve never orders her own drink, nor does the text say anywhere at all that she drinks from Lawrence’s cup. She thanks him for the ale after the conversation, adding to my confusion, and later it clearly states she shared his cup.

There are many parts of the book that caused me this kind of confusion. If I’m mistaken and the text is correct and I just missed something, I’m sorry, but I flipped back several times to check things and could not find mention of the wording that would have said so. To me, it felt as if the text was saying what happened after the fact and expecting nobody to notice.

Some of the writing in this volume is also redundant. In the first several pages, it’s like they can’t stop telling you about the fact Eve sunk a ship in the river. It’s so frequent it’s actually annoying. The other redundant things are smaller, so I don’t entirely remember which details they were stating.

The copper coins explanation didn’t make much sense to me. They didn’t explain that in much detail, because supposedly it’s super simple, but I don’t get it. I read the explanation multiple times and it didn’t help.

Overall, the book is fine. It’s just much slower, because it’s part one of a two parter. The issues I experienced dragged the rating down a bit. I admit I was tired when I read the majority of it, but I really don’t think I missed anything. I’ve read other volumes of this series while tired and didn’t have these kinds of problems.

FANGS, Vol. 1

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Fangs, Vol. 1 by Billy Balibally
Series Name: Fangs
Genres: BL, Fantasy, Vampires
Intended Age Group: M 18+
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781427867933
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, he’s developed a craving for blood!

Fortunately, the vampire health and welfare organization FANGS is there to help with the transition, and the handsome Ichii steps up as his guardian and mentor. Swept up into a confusing and lonely new world where everyone seems to be hankering for a taste of his “virgin” blood, En must navigate the FANGS pairing system, an arrangement that sets up compatible vampires as mutual feeding partners…and partners in all other ways as well. But what happens when En panics and declares that he’ll be paired with Ichii? And what does brooding rough-around-the-edges Ichii make of his spunky, outgoing new charge?

Personal & Info

This book kept showing up in my recommendations for BL, so I finally got around to trying it. I think there are only two books in the series. If there are more, they aren’t yet listed anywhere, so as far as I know it’s a duology.

CONTENT WARNINGS
-depression
-talk of suicide
-possible dubious consent

The art often uses that snaggletooth art style. You know, the one where it looks like a tooth or fang are part of the lip instead of actual teeth. The fangs are often shown that way throughout this book. It’s certainly not my favorite art style. I prefer seeing the lips and teeth separate because it looks more normal, but also because I think vampire mouths are sexier that way. The weird lip thing just looks a bit silly to me.

It does have censorship for the intimate scenes. They use the “light saber” method. That’s what I tend to call the kind where the dicks are just an undrawn bright white mass.

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.

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.

Umesaki is a character who only comes up once. Whether or not she plays a bigger role later, I don’t know.

Aogiri is paired with Utsugi. He’s a plastic surgeon. They say he specializes in fangs. I assume they mean the organization FANGS, not literal teeth.

Masaki is, I think, the last vampire before En. Don’t take my word on that. It’s my guess based on information given. He helps host support meetings for the vampire community.

Mariko is married to Masaki. I’ll let the book explain more, because this is a unique circumstance.

Sugi is a vampire dealing with grief, whom En befriends.

Story & Thoughts

This is probably the most depressing boys love story I’ve ever read. They’re usually pretty cheery and heartwarming. This book very much is not.

There isn’t much romance in the romantic sense. Most of it is physical, but there are tender moments. It’s like a slow burn between the characters with physical intimacy before they are in love. Their experiences are based more on a need than a want. It’s making use of the vampire trope that feeding is a sexually intimate experience.

The story seems to be as much about the vampire lore as it is the budding romance between En and Ichii. En follows Ichii to work every day, since he has nothing better to be doing. They meet other people in the vampire community, and En learns what kinds of relationships and problems people of their species have, as well as how they live. He is generally not fond of any of it. It’s a big adjustment for him. But he makes friends very easily, because he’s like a ray of sunshine, or an innocent puppy, in everyone’s lives.

The fact of the matter is, most of the people in the story are lonely and/or depressed. The vampire lifestyle is not portrayed as anything glamorous. They point out how hard it is to live so long while the world moves on around you. In so many words, people grow numb and have a harder time feeling emotions like happiness. Part of the point of the existence of the FANGS organization is to try to curb this problem by pairing compatible vampires.

I like the book, but I don’t know if I recommend it, yet. I want to read the second book before I decide if it’s something I would suggest. It definitely might not be for everyone due to the depressing themes. Everyone seems to have a sad or tragic backstory. There is a blatant plot hook cliff hanger at the end of the volume, so I definitely plan to read the second book. Not just for that, but also to see how the love story develops.

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, Vol. 1

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The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Series Name: The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong
Genres: Danmei, Fantasy, Historical, Transmigration
Intended Age Group: 17+
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64827-921-8
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Half-demon Luo Binghe rose from humble beginnings and a tortured past to become unrivaled in strength and beauty. With his dominion over both the Human and Demon Realms and his hundreds-strong harem, he is truly the most powerful protagonist…in a trashy web novel series!

At least, that’s what Shen Yuan believes as he finishes reading the final chapter in Proud Immortal Demon Way. But when a bout of rage leads to his sudden death, Shen Yuan is reborn into the world of the novel in the body of Shen Qingqiu – the beautiful but cruel teacher of a young Luo Binghe. While Shen Qingqiu may have the incredible power of a cultivator, he is destined to be horrifically punished for crimes against the protagonist.

The new Shen Qingqiu now has only one course of action: get into Luo Binghe’s good graces before the young man’s rise to power or suffer the awful fate of a true scum villain!

Personal & Info

For those unfamiliar, danmei is the Chinese equivalent to boys love, and transmigration is the Chinese equivalent to isekai.

Danmei has been exploding in popularity for a while. I’m a long time fan of BL, so I figured it’s about time I got around to trying some danmei. This book is my way of metaphorically dipping my toes in to find out if I like it.

The story focuses significantly around the discipline of cultivation, which involves the use of qi, and also monsters and demons.

The book is actually shorter than it looks. Chapter one starts on page nine, and the last page is 291. The last sixty-ish pages are actually extra content intended to help the reader. There are a character and name guide, a glossary, and a gallery. I highly recommend making use of the character and name guide and the glossary if you are not familiar with danmei or Chinese literature already. They were an immense help to me for understanding tropes, name pronunciations, and additional details.

Characters

There is a wide cast of characters, so I’m just going to list the ones I feel are the most important. Some important ones, I might choose not to list. I don’t want to spoil anything for the characters who might become important later on.

Luo Binghe is the protagonist of the web novel series Proud Immortal Demon Way. As the protagonist, he’s obviously powerful and good looking, but he’s also noble and kind. Since this is the first volume, he’s obviously not at his full power.

Shen Yuan and Shen Qingqiu are for all intents and purposes the same person. Shen Yuan hates the content of the web novel and is transmigrated into Shen Qingqiu. We never actually see the original. His original behavior comes up as a subject regularly, but as soon as the book starts, Shen Qingqiu is essentially possessed by Shen Yuan. He is supposed to be the villain, but in this case, he’s the main character. The main character and the protagonist are not the same thing in this series, because the protagonist is specifically the star of the web novel, not the perspective we’re following.

Yue Qingyuan is Shen Qingqiu’s superior who often gives guidance, advice, and quests. It’s not going too far to say Shen Qinguiu benefits from his favoritism.

Ming Fan is Shen Qingqiu’s right hand disciple. He acts as an assistant for many mundane tasks that need doing. He’s also very much a bully, and takes pleasure in abusing the protagonist, Luo Binghe.

Story & Thoughts

The book is a little difficult to start, but not because of anything to do with the story. I’m not used to reading any kind of Chinese literature, so the issue is mostly the names. I like to be sure I’m mentally pronouncing things correctly, or at least as close as feasibly possible. For the first several pages, I found myself referencing the back of the book frequently. Once the story gets going, it’s not much of an issue, anymore.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but I definitely like this book more than I thought I would. It’s not fast. The romance seems to be a slow burn. The characters don’t even realize it’s happening. They just occasionally wonder why they feel a certain way, and wonder if they have a right to feel that way. I don’t think the two characters ever realize what kinds of feelings they are developing for each other, at least not in this volume. This slow burn ignorant approach leads to some down right adorable moments, and I absolutely love that.

The story itself is intriguing. It’s generally pretty different than Japanese isekai. There’s an automated system that is there to help guide Shen, and make sure the core points of the novel still happen, despite his changes to the story. The system definitely does not operate fairly. The points it threatens to take away are ridiculously large amounts compared to those it rewards, and it often makes up new types of point values.

It’s actually difficult for me to find things to say for a review that don’t spoil any content in the book. I liked it a lot, but for some reason have a hard time explaining things from it. I can’t say it was amazing, but I do love this book. It’s good, and I definitely recommend it if it falls into the genre categories that interest you.

I do not recommend setting the book down at the end of chapter two. It’s too perfect of a, “story over,” spot. I put it down at that point and it took me a whole week to be able to pick it back up. It wouldn’t be a happy end to stop there, but it feels like it could be an end. Just don’t stop there if you have a hard time picking books back up from that kind of thing.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 9

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The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 9 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: 978-1-64609-135-5
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

A festive atmosphere descends upon the Inner Court with the arrival of a long-awaited merchant caravan and its myriad wares. Though the excitement is contagious and even Maomao looks forward to making purchases of her own, she soon cottons on to something potentially sinister about the innocuous goods for sale. Before Maomao can tease out any evidence, however, her attention turns to mushrooms when Jinshi asks her to root out any poisonous varieties on the grounds. But is this request just a bit of landscaping, or does it have anything to do with the rumors about a missing court lady?

Personal & Info

I’m glad this volume released rather quickly after eight. Six months was a long wait, so the short time between the two newest volumes was nice. Three months isn’t long to wait for the tenth book, either, but I’m still sad I have to wait.

Characters

Maomao, my favorite character in the series, continues to be eccentric in all the best ways.

Jinshi is ever present in this volume, assigning various tasks to Maomao as per usual.

Shisui is Xiaolan’s new gossip friend and fellow laundry maid.

Other character also appear, like the Lady of Verdigris, the physician, Gao Shun, the ladies of the Jade Palace, etc. but they play smaller roles.

Story & Thoughts

This volume is a little more chill than the others. Maomao goes back to handling unique tasks for Jinshi. As usual, doing her best to prevent potential disasters that nobody else would notice. But, don’t let my description fool you. There’s still plenty of intrigue.

Maomao returns to speculating with her own silent theories. She’s unable to determine if things are coincidences or another plot to unravel. It’s understandable to be at least a little paranoid after the culmination of events from volume six. All she can really do at this point is voice her concerns and hope for the best.

The way Maomao works, we must often settle for hypotheticals. She never wants to interject where she knows it’s not her business or station. She’s also adamant about not giving anyone an answer about anything without evidence. If possible, she’d rather people work out the answer themselves with the information she provides. These are things long taught about her character at this point. So, don’t be surprised if there isn’t confirmation on the results of some mysteries. Maomao is usually correct, though, so you can probably assume her speculations are accurate.

The last chapter, The Moon Fairy, is part one of a multi-part episode. Unfortunately, the next book does not release until November. Based on the implications of what is to come, I’m looking forward to it. It’s likely to be humorous.

Maomao is what keeps me reading. I love her character so much. She’s eccentric and often has her own goblin mode when it comes to poisons and medicines. Seeing her just be herself is always the highlight of reading this series. A laugh or two is guaranteed just by having her in the story, and her interactions with Jinshi tend to have their entertaining moments.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 2

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My Happy Marriage, Vol. 2 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: 978-1-64609-147-8
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

For failing to inherit the unusual power that should be hers by birthright and bringing shame to her noble lineage, Miyo Saimori is cast out to become another’s problem.

Sent to the preternaturally powerful Kudo clan as a potential bride for its heir, Kiyoka, Miyo is surprised to experience true kindness for the first time in her life.

Despite the rumors in town that warn of his cold, haughty demeanor, Kiyoka Kudo warms quickly to the eldest Saimori daughter after the secrets of her past pique his interest.

But though Miyo has begin to feel at home with Kiyoka, the fact remains that she lacks the supernatural power prized by both the Saimori and Kudo clans, rendering her unfit to be Kiyoka’s bride.

Will the small happiness Miyo has found with Kiyoka end as soon as it has begun?

Personal & Info

I like the first volume, but for some reason ended up waiting a whole year to get around to reading the second. Probably because the series is releasing rather slowly. There’s an anime out now, though, so I want to catch up with the manga before watching that.

My Happy Marriage isn’t exactly a peppy series, but it can be both heartwarming and tragic. Keep that in mind when deciding when to indulge.

Characters

Miyo Saimori is the main character. She experienced abuse from her own family, and was sent to court a man everyone considers cruel. She has no psychic ability

Kiyoka Kudo is the love interest of the story. Everyone thinks he is too cruel for anyone to marry, but he has high political standing and wealth. He appears to have a destructive ability focusing around fire.

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

Kaya Saimori is Miyo’s younger half-sister. She received everything Miyo did not growing up, and she blatantly bullies her sister whenever she sees her.

Koji Tatsuishi is Miyo’s childhood friend. His hope was to marry her one day to save her from her terrible family.

Yoshito Godo is a young man who works as Kiyoka’s aide in the grotesquery military branch. He appears in volume one, but shows up more frequently in this one.

Lord Tatsuichi, I didn’t catch his first name, is the head of his household. He makes some morally questionable decisions.

Kazushi Tatsuichi is Koji’s brother. I’m not sure if he is older or younger. He plays a minor role, and appears maybe twice.

Story & Thoughts

This volume is a little more cheery than the first one. Miyo is starting to make a little personal growth, but her past still haunts her. Her scars run deep, and the people who inflicted them are still around to cause more damage.

The plot thickens, delving more into the schemes and reasonings of people who don’t want Miyo to marry Kiyoka. Opposing sides are made clear showing who would like to protect her instead of using her for their own selfish desires. Some plans of protection are more reasonable than others.

Kaya and Koji both get more coverage. We see how terrible Kaya is, and a glimpse into her childhood to understand a little about why she turned out that way. Koji’s family dynamic is revealed, and his silent inner thoughts are surprising when compared to his exterior personality.

Overall, there’s a lot to unload in this volume. It pulls at my heart, and it blatantly shows where most of the main characters stand. Kiyoka is proving to be a better person than his public opinion implies. The Saimori and the Tatsuichi on the other hand, both are proving to be extremely sketchy.

It’s difficult to talk about this series without spoiling anything. These books are best read fresh, not knowing what will happen. That raw emotion of the first time read just hits hard. Miyo’s tragic past and her struggle moving forward. The slow burn of romance bringing the first real happiness into her life under the constant threat of losing it. I’ll definitely be reading this series long term.

What Godo Saw

Like the first volume, this is a short story relevant to the events of the book. Combs and Memories is more of a continuation. What Godo saw is a change in perspective, instead. It covers Godo’s side of the events of the dinner at Kiyoka’s home. Apparently there was more going on than it appeared, because this story gets into his head and states his intentions, as well as a few small conversations the manga did not show.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 8

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The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 8 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: 978-1-64609-134-8
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Sly tactician Lakan’s attempts at provocation lead to his own downfall when Maomao challenges him to elephant chess, only to outplay him in a game of wits! In a stupor from drinking “poison” as punishment for his loss, Lakan dreams of a long-lost past, his affair with a beautiful courtesan, and meeting her daughter for the very first time. Upon waking, he finds himself at Verdigris, where he is pressed to buy the freedom of a girl of his choosing and take her home as his wife! But will any of the flowers there catch his eye when his heart is in love with a memory?

Personal & Info

I keep a close eye on the release dates for this series. This volume was originally planned to release in May. Unfortunately, it was delayed until July, so it’s been a full six months since the last book. Things have been rather hectic for me lately, so I didn’t have time to re-read the previous volumes. Hopefully I remember enough to keep up with the story.

Characters

Maomao, my favorite character in the series, continues to be eccentric in all the best ways. We learn more about her origins in this volume.

Lakan is probably the most unlikeable character in the series. Despite previous hinting, he’s not as terrible as implied, but he’s still pretty bad.

Jinshi, always intrigued by Maomao, realizes he is a cat person.

Other characters also appear, but these three consume most of the screen time.

Story & Thoughts

The book starts off by diving into Lakan’s backstory. There is a preview of this at the end of volume seven, so I was expecting it. None of it justifies anything he does, but it gives some insight into understanding why he does things. It’s weird to see him more humanized after the series painted him to be an insensitive jerk of a tactician. I get the feeling the story is trying to emphasize that he’s not really a bad person, just different, and often misunderstood.

Out of the six chapters, four of them focus on backstory. Maomao and Lakan are the main focus of the volume, and their connection finally gets an in depth explanation. We even get to see Maomao’s mother. Most of the information has been hinted at throughout the story, so these chapters just solidify everything. The part that got me was the reveal of who Luomen, Maomao’s Pa, really is. That was something I never saw coming.

I’d been wondering about Maomao’s nightmare from an earlier volume. That’s one of the things that gets an explanation in this book, so I’m pretty happy about that. Maomao has certainly had an interesting childhood.

The last two chapters are more fun. There aren’t any blatant mysteries. It’s just life getting back to normal after the Garden Banquet.

Maomao and Jinshi seem to have what could be a moment in this volume. It lasts for maybe a second. They seem to have potential romantic moments scattered throughout the series, but they never last long, and quickly devolve into comedy. I can’t help wondering if one of these times one of those moments will be different.

I did notice an issue that confounded my brain. There was a sentence in the book where, I’m not sure if it’s a translation error or editing problem, but the text was confusing. The wording was strange enough that I didn’t exactly understand the intended meaning of what it was trying to say. I muddled through, but I had to re-read the sentence multiple times and guess at the intention.

Wait Until Midnight

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Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick
Genres: Historical, Mystery, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Jove/Berkly/Penguin Group (USA)
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 0-515-13862-2
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Gentle Reader,

It could have been a scene from one of my novels. As a rule, respectable ladies do not accept calls from Mysterious Gentlemen on business of the most grave importance – but I confess that I was possessed of a lively curiosity. The past three years had been so determinedly dull, I hoped Mr. Adam Hardesty would offer a tiny respite from it. Indeed, upon first glance, Mr. Hardesty had such a formidable, thrilling presence, he quickly became the model for the villain in the sensation novel I was currently writing.

Imagine my shock and distress then, when Mr. Hardesty accused me of being party to a plot of murder, blackmail, and general villainy! I knew nothing of such occurrences, and proclaimed my innocence. Unfortunately, Mr. Hardesty left unconvinced, and I had an uneasy feeling over what his search would uncover. You see, Gentle Reader, though I live a most uneventful life now, my past contained a Great Scandal that would be ruinous if resurrected. To protect my secrets from Mr. Hardesty’s investigation, I concluded that I would need to conduct an inquiry of my own, and if that meant sharing my findings with Mr. Hardesty, so be it. And my course of action had nothing whatsoever to do with the illicit, passionate feelings that he aroused in me – feelings that propriety would definitely frown upon…

Yours most sincerely,
Caroline Fordyce

Personal & Info

While I only gave this three stars, it’s a good three stars. I consider books from this author to be comfort reads.

This stand alone book has psychical themes, but there are no real psychics in it. It simply takes place during a time when seances and psychic demonstrations were popular. They are all parlor tricks, so if you’re not into paranormal, it should still be fine for you to read this book.

The character list for this book is very long. I did my best to list all of the ones I feel are important, and the ones I recall making any kind of appearance that might be significant. There are more named characters than the ones I listed here. If I forgot to put them down, they likely were not important. Whether or not the murderer’s name is on the list, I will not say.

Characters

Caroline Fordyce is the leading lady. She’s a sensation novelist whose stories are published weekly in the Flying Intelligencer.

Adam Hardesty is the leading man. He comes from a poor background, which gives him a unique set of skills. Julia, Jessica, and Nathan are his adopted siblings.

Wilson Grendon is a wealthy, elderly widower. He took in Adam and his siblings and passes them off as his own distant relatives.

Emma is Caroline’s aunt and only living blood relative. She dresses plainly and presents a tall and severe appearance, with a matching personality.

Milly is Caroline’s aunt, but not a blood relative. She is short and wears brightly colored clothing, which matches her optimistic and cheerful personality.

Julia is Adam’s adoptive sister. She is married to Robert, the Earl of Sourthwood, with two children.

Robert is the Earl of Southwood. He is married to Julia, and they have two children. Robert is essentially a quiet and thoughtful man.

Mrs. Plummer is Caroline’s housekeeper.

Morton is Adam’s butler.

Elizebeth Delmont is the initial murder victim. She is spiritualist who hosts seances and spends time at the Society for Psychical Investigations.

Julian Elsworth is a fashionable practitioner of psychical powers. People consider him to be very attractive. He conducts his business in private homes in only the most exclusive circles.

Durward Reed is the President of the Society for Psychical Investigations and publisher of the newspaper New Dawn. He owns the mansion, Wintersett House, that the society uses as its headquarters.

Harold Filby is Adam’s fashionable and bespectacled man of business. He runs all kinds of errands and gathers information.

Ned is Adam’s coachmen. He’s worked for Adam for a long time.

Irene Toller is another spiritualist. She is Elizebeth Delmont’s rival in business.

Bess Whaley is Irene’s housekeeper and assistant.

Mr. Spraggett is Caroline’s publisher, described as a nervous, wiry, and balding man.

Gilbert Otford is a correspondent for the Flying Intelligencer. He wrote an article about Caroline claiming she has psychical powers.

Story & Thoughts

This book took way longer than I intended to read. No fault to the quality, I’ve just had a lot going on. As with most books by this author, this is a murder mystery. The murder is introduced at the beginning and the whole book is a romance based around the investigation.

It’s actually pretty interesting, because the majority of books I read by this author are about psychics. Psychics with actual talents, I mean. This book is only about frauds, psychics who use tricks and mechanisms to make people think they have powers. It’s an interesting flip from the usual content.

The book also follows the author’s standard storytelling formula. There’s both a murder and a backstory issue. Both get resolved by the end of the book. Some people don’t like writers who have a consistent formula for their stories. If that’s you, then consider this your warning so you know this author, and all her other pseudonyms, uses a consistent formula. I think that’s one of the things that makes them feel like comfort reads, but I understand not everyone relates to that.

The whole of the story is pretty straight forward, so I don’t have much to say about it. I do think it’s important to note that I had no idea who the villain of the story was until the story pointed them out. While it’s not always a bad thing to know who the villain is early, it’s nice to be surprised at the end. It really had me going, thinking I knew who the culprit was, then threw a curveball. Although, the more I think about it, the more I realize there were clues that pointed to them that I didn’t connect until after. So, there is the possibility to figure things out earlier than I did.

I think the most amusing thing in the story is how fixated Adam gets on the fact Caroline finds him inspirational for the villain of her novel. He doesn’t read her novel, but he can’t help thinking of the villain as literally himself whenever someone talks about it. It offends him to no end, and he can’t help interjecting possible hopes for the character or disgust for any unjust actions. The whole situation had me giggling whenever it came up, and during the first half of the book, it’s quite frequent.

A Condition Called Love, Vol. 1

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A Condition Called Love, Vol. 1 by Megumi Morino
Series Name: A Condition Called Love
Genres: Romance, Slice of Life
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook
ISBN: 9781646593415
Rating: 5/5
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Description

Hotaru Hinase is a normal girl who doesn’t care much for the idea of love. It’s just not for her, or at least that’s what she thinks. Change is set in motion when a simple act of kindness wins the heart of school heartthrob Hananoi. A trial run at dating might be just what Hotaru needs to find out what love means to her.

Personal & Info

My life has been high stress as of late, so I’ve been unable to get much reading done. I’m reviewing this digital manga as my book for the week, because one manga is all I can manage right now.

I got this for free from a BookWalker sale, but unlike other manga I’ve gotten this way, this one is actually available in print.

Characters

Hotaru Hinase is the leading lady. She’s a first year student in high school, and she is convinced love is not for her.

Hananoi is the leading man. He’s a good looking guy, but girls seem to always be disappointed when they get to know him, because they have different ideas of what he should be like based on his looks.

Kyo is Hotaru’s best friend.

Hibiki Keigo is Kyo’s boyfriend. He is the one who asked her out.

Kagari, I think, is Hotaru’s older sister.

Tomo is Hotaru’s little sister. She figure skates.

Story & Thoughts

I chose this at random on a day when I absolutely did not feel like reading anything. It was a great choice, though, because instead of trudging though it, I actually enjoyed the story immensely. This series is definitely going on my wish list of things to get for my physical shelf.

The art is beautiful. It has a unique charm that I can’t find the words to describe. I love the facial expressions. Hotaru’s thick eyebrows are fantastic, too. I don’t see many characters drawn that way.

The characters are interesting. Hananoi is a bit intense in an insane way. He’s kind and sweet and considerate, but he goes over the top on everything to the point of changing himself or to the detriment of his health. He just doesn’t know where to draw the line on doing anything for the one he loves.

Hotaru is a good compliment to his personality, because she acts as a sort of ground. She insists he does not change himself for her sake, and she doesn’t want him doing anything for her that is bad for his health or well-being. It seems like Hananoi isn’t used to people liking him for who he is or caring about his health. I think they are good for each other. They are each what the other seems to need.

As for the story itself. It’s so sweet and wholesome. It follows Hotaru as the main character. She doesn’t think love is for her and she is okay with that, but she sees what it’s like for other people who have someone, and she is open to finding out if she is capable of that connection. As the story progresses, she starts to learn what love means to her. Her initial thoughts about it were more than likely because she didn’t fully understand it. Hananoi likely had a point when he said she simply lacked experience.

This is a great manga. I smiled and laughed while reading it. It has sweet moments that make me go, “aww”. The characters are engaging and interesting. I love everything about it. Hananoi still seems to have some mystery about him, so I still see things for the story to build on as the story progresses. This is a series I definitely plan to read more of at some point.

The Titan’s Bride, Vol. 3

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The Titan’s Bride, Vol. 3 by ITKZ
Series Name: The Titan’s Bride
Genres: BL, Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Mature
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-68579-331-9
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Koichi has made the painful decision to return to his world. With their agreement satisfied and his decision made, Caius begins the magical process of sending him back. However, as the process begins, Kouichi watches as Caius’ physical form begins to fade. Unable to help him or ask why, the couple is dragged apart. What is wrong with Caius, and who, if anyone, will be able to help Kouichi in his hour of need?!

Personal & Info

It’s essentially a smutty romance, and not the censored kind, either. There are no black bars, blurring, or bright lights to block anything out. Do not read this manga if you don’t think you would like the smut sections, because there are a significant amount of them. You must be prepared for that going into it.

Characters

Kouichi Mizuki is a basketball star and very popular with the ladies. He is the one who gets summoned to another world.

Caius Lao Visteil is the prince of Tildant, the kingdom of titans. He summons Kouichi to his world because he must marry someone not of his own world.

Dr. Malthu is the palace doctor.

Baro Barrows is a canine beastman from Foval. He now works for Dr. Malthu as an assistant, and his nickname for Kouichi is Tiny.

Reiquerd Carlsine, also known as Reil, is an elf who chooses to study sex.

Dyne is Reil’s assistant. He appears to be a Titan, and does not show his face.

Story & Thoughts

This volume focuses significantly more on story than smut. It doesn’t bother me, but people reading it primarily for the smut might be a little disappointed. The first chunk of the book obviously relates to Kouichi’s decision, and finalizing whichever choice he makes.

After Kouichi makes his final decision, he and Caius try to settle into life together as a royal couple. Caius must resume his princely duties, and his busy schedule puts a strain on their relationship. On top of that, Kouichi feels inept at pleasing Caius. He lacks the capabilities necessary to keep up with Caius’ sexual drive and satisfy him. The second half of the book focuses on them tackling this issue.

The story finally introduces an elf character, and tells us more about elf culture. Reil is rather amusing. He comes off as sex obsessed and curious. I’m not sure I trust him, though. The few panels shown after they leave the Gate to the Spirit World make me suspicious. I have a feeling Caius and Kouichi are about to be angry after Reil’s last action. He likely doesn’t know what kind of offense he is doing, but it’s likely to be taken seriously by Caius and Kouichi.

I love that Baro basically becomes Kouichi’s best friend. They study and play basketball together. I think it’s amazing Baro is crushing on Kouichi, too, but he doesn’t want to break up the relationship with Caius. Baro’s had a lot of character growth in a short time. I hope he sticks around as a main character. Kouichi seems to like him as a friend, so an ongoing best buds relationship for them would be great.

The sections that show what is happening back on Earth make me sad. It’s unfortunate the universe has to heal itself in this particular way. The bonus comic relevant to these parts with the button is really sweet, though.