Tag: Volume 1

The Lightning Thief

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The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Series Name: Percy Jackson and the Olympians/ Camp Half-Blood Chronicles
Volume Number: 1/1
Genres: Adventure, Contemporary, Fantasy, Mythology
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-078685629-9
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school…again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed in his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Personal & Info

This is a reread review. I think I first read this back in 2018. I wanted to read it again to have a fresh memory to see what the differences are between the book and the new Disney+ series adaptation. The first episode of the series already aired by the time I got around to finishing, and I think I’ve already seen episode four by the time I’m typing this. My thoughts on the show will not be included in this review. I’ll be focusing on the book.

As far as the rating goes, I think it’s about the same as it was for my first read. It’s a solid three or possibly three and a half or somewhere between.

I love that this series has ADHD and Dyslexia representation. That’s not something I commonly see in books. Another series that has some good fantasy representation of a disorder is Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans. I don’t have any reviews for that series on here, yet, but I do plan to reread it eventually, since it has more volumes now. The Micheal Vey series has a main character with Tourette Syndrome, and it focuses on kids that have electric powers. I definitely recommend it.

Characters

Percy (Perseus) Jackson is the twelve year old lead character. He’s a demigod son of Poseidon. Anyone who has heard of the series already knows that, and it’s revealed early on in the story, so it’s not a spoiler. His parentage makes him a big deal, because he’s a child of one of the “big three” Greek gods.

Grover Underwood is Percy’s best friend, and the comic relief throughout the book. He’s the food obsessed character. He’s also prone to anxiety, and often bleats like a goat, because he’s a satyr.

Sally Jackson is Percy’s mom. She’s lived a rather unfortunate life, but her dream is to be a novelist.

Gabe Ugliano is Sally’s husband and Percy’s step father. Percy’s nickname for him is Smelly Gabe, and the pun of his last name speaks for itself as to what kind of person he is.

Annabeth Chase is around twelve, just like Percy. She’s the demigod daughter of Athena, and she has five beads on her camp necklace, which means she’s been there for five years. Her relationship with her human family is a bit tenuous and complicated. Annabeth is the smart character.

Mr. D, the camp director, is the god Dionysus. He runs the camp as a punishment, and he’s not great with kids.

Chiron, as in the centaur of Greek myth, is one of the people who runs camp half-blood. He helps train the demigods and gives them guidance.

Luke Castellan is nineteen, and a son of Hermes. He’s also the best swordsman at camp, and leader of the Hermes cabin. Annabeth has a blatantly obvious crush on him, but he thinks of her as a little sister.

Clarisse La Rue is a demigod daughter of Ares. She’s not terribly important in this book, but she plays a bigger role in some of the other volumes. She mostly plays the role of camp bully in the early parts of the story.

Of course, various Greek gods, demigods, and monsters also make appearances in the story or get significant mentions.

Story & Thoughts

Upon first reading this book, there are a few strong thoughts. Those primarily being, I don’t like Annabeth, and the children having to carry on the grudges of their parents is ridiculous. Now, for the reread, I can’t actually remember why I disliked Annabeth so much right away.

My memory says I consider her a bully, but she doesn’t actually do anything significantly mean in this book. There’s a little bit of name calling, but it doesn’t seem as mean spirited to me as I remember. I still think the kids carrying on parental grudges is silly, though. Annabeth, of all people, should certainly see it that way, because she’s supposed to be the smart one. If she were truly wise, she wouldn’t buy into all that.

One of the great things about this book is you don’t have to know anything about Greek mythology to read it. Any time something relevant comes up, like a god or a monster, they tell you the story. For example, Medusa makes an appearance at some point. They explain the most important parts of her story so you know who she is and why she is how she is. It’s like you get mini lessons while reading an enjoyable story.

The writing is all around great. The flow of the words makes the book feel like a comfort read. All of the descriptions are relatable and easy to understand, which makes forming a mental picture simple. Whether it’s monsters, places, or character descriptions, they’re all well done.

I also like the foreshadowing. Using the Oracle to give an extremely vague layout of the plot structure is pretty clever. The reader and the heroes both get a chance to figure out the meaning as the story progresses. The chapter titles are also wonderful. They give you insight into what happens in each chapter without spoiling anything, but they’re also silly enough to garner interest.

One more important good thing about it. The story has a serious plot, but the adventure has a lot of laughs. The kids don’t stop acting like kids just because things are serious.

The book is generally good, but as much as I praise it, it’s not perfect. It does feel like it drags in some areas, and Annabeth having a crush on the cool older boy is such a stereotype. Nothing bogs the story down too much, though. It’s well worth the read.

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.

This Dark Endeavor

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This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
Series Name: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Adventure, Historical, Horror
Intended Age Group: 12+
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0315-4
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

In this prequel to Mary Shelley’s gothic classic, Frankenstein, sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein begins a dark journey that will change his life forever. Victor’s twin, Konrad, has fallen ill, and no doctor can cure him. Unwilling to give up on his brother, Victor enlists his beautiful cousin Elizabeth and his best friend, Henry, on a treacherous search for the ingredients to create the forbidden Elixir of Life. Impossible odds, dangerous alchemy, and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.

Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science, and love – and how much he is willing to sacrifice.

Personal & Info

This novel is volume one of the duology, The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein. It’s apparently a prequel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I’ve never actually read any version of Frankenstein, so that means nothing to me. I’m only familiar with some random TV specials as far as the original story goes.

There are letters written in cursive throughout the story. From the sounds of things, that’s not common curriculum in schools anymore, so just make sure you’ll be able to read those going into this.

Content Warnings

-There might be enough low end gore description to bother someone squeamish.

-An animal dies in the story.

Characters

Victor Frankenstein is the main character. He has a thirst for adventure, and he is prone to melodrama, as well as wanting things his brother Konrad has.

Konrad Frankenstein is Victor’s older identical twin brother by only two minutes. He is sensible, charming, smart, and better at just about everything.

Elizabeth is a distant cousin to Victor and Konrad on their father’s side of the family. Despite everyone in the family being atheist, she chooses to be Roman Catholic. She is the love interest of the triangle, caught between Konrad and Victor. Both like her for different reasons. Elizabeth is both feminine and smart, as well as adventurous and feisty.

Henry Clerval is the best friend to the Frankenstein twins. He has multiple fears, including heights and claustrophobia, often paired with his overactive imagination. Adventure is not his calling, because he would rather write poetry or create plays.

Alphonse and Caroline Frankenstein are the parents to Victor, Konrad, and Elizabeth, as well as the two younger boys, Ernest and William. Caroline is about twenty years younger than Alphonse. Alphonse is one of the four magistrates in the republic of Geneva.

Julius Polidori is a wheelchair-bound alchemist the main group consults throughout the story.

Various doctors and house servants also appear throughout the novel.

Story & Thoughts

The initial setting of the story is Frankenstein manor located just outside of a town by the name of Bellerive. Victor, his twin brother Konrad, and their distant cousin Elizabeth, are all sixteen. They are well off, and home schooled by their father. The three of them grew up together, and their best friend Henry, a promising youth and son of a merchant, also studies with them. Henry also often stays with them whenever his father is out of town on business.

Their house is hundreds of years old, so they occasionally find secret rooms or passages. The place they find pertaining to the story is a room that starts Victor down the road to the mad scientist we all know. Victor gets drawn to the allure of alchemy, which will likely lead him down the path of controversial sciences.

Victor doesn’t actually start seriously looking into any of it until Konrad gets sick. There’s a time when doctors don’t have a clue what his illness is, or how to treat it. Victor, Elizabeth, and Henry decide to take it upon themselves to find or make a cure, the fabled Elixir of Life. Of course, it won’t be easy. They must adventure to find the ingredients, and anything that can go wrong, does go wrong. But, the adventures themselves give Victor a chance to dabble in alchemy. He follows recipes to create concoctions that will assist in their endeavors. It only takes one alchemical solution for him to realize he has an interest in the profession.

Elizabeth is the center of all romance in the book. Everyone adores her. Henry doesn’t wish to pursue his interest, but Victor and Konrad do. I’m actually surprised Elizabeth’s immediate interest is in Konrad. Konrad seems to think her weak and not cut out for adventure, while Victor thinks of her as more of an equal and fully accepts how capable she is.

Victor doesn’t always do the morally correct things. Whenever there is something he wants, he takes advantage of every deceit and opportunity that presents itself to him. He explains this by saying he is very passionate, but there seems to be something a little more unsettling hidden beneath that. Something that implies a crazed selfishness and envy, likely due to having an overly talented brother.

Part of the climax of the story is predictable. Early on, I speculated a possibility to myself, and that ended up being exactly what happened. However, because I did not look at the description for the second book, the actual ending caught me off guard. But, it makes sense for the direction the story needs to go.

I like this book enough to look into getting a copy of the second to finish the duology.

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.

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.

Dragon Head, Vol. 1

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Dragon Head, Vol. 1 by Minetaro Mochizuki
Series Name: Dragon Head
Genres: Drama, Horror
Intended Age Group: OT or Mature
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook
ISBN: 9781642121339
Rating: 1/5
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Description

A train of students is on its way back from the last field trip before exam season. Something goes terribly wrong, and the train crashes, killing nearly everyone on board. Teru Aoki, Takahashi Nobuo, and Seto Ako are the only survivors. But, the worst is yet to come, because the crash appears to have trapped them inside a tunnel with no hope of rescue from the outside. One of them starts to lose their sanity almost immediately. Will the others soon follow?

Personal & Info

This is a book I got for free from a BookWalker sale. It looks like this series was originally published by Tokyopop back in the day, before they shut down in America. That means the physical editions are out of print, so I don’t recommend trying to read those. The digital editions will be much easier to find, because they are more recent.

I see other people label this series as post-apocalyptic. I can’t verify that with only this one volume, so I won’t be marking it as such. It’s also commonly considered horror, but I’m not sure how accurate that is, either. I will indeed mark it as horror, because I feel like the actions of one of the characters is going to lead it down that road. If I ever read more of the series, I’ll update my tags with what I think fits.

This book/series has some gore because of the train crash. If you don’t like blood or demented behavior, do not read it. Consider this your content warning.

Characters

Aoki Teru is the main character. He’s the one who wakes to find the train is now a cemetery, and tries to do the morally right things in the terrible situation in which they now find themselves.

Takahashi Nobuo is a boy from a different class, who also happened to survive. He was apparently the kid in his class whom everyone else bullied. His character is rather unsettling.

Seto Ako is the only surviving girl. This volume doesn’t show much for her due to her lack of consciousness for the majority.

Story & Thoughts

I don’t think this series is for me. The first volume is bland, in my opinion, when read by itself. I don’t like it nearly enough to bother looking into getting the second in any format. If I already had the second one ready to go, I’d read that just to see if it gets better.

The story is slow. Not much of anything happens. The entire volume is the survivors realizing and coming to terms with the fact they are trapped with no rescue coming. The temperature of the tunnel is hot and uncomfortable. Their food supply is rotting fast, but they have a decent amount of water.

One of the characters is quickly going insane, which does not bode well for the other two. I’m curious to find out what happens, but not enough to look into it.

These things are practically the only information you get in volume one, so if you’re reading this review, you’ve practically read the book.

If I have to compliment something, I think it’s the premise. It sounds interesting, but I was definitely expecting something more.

Something I didn’t like, why did Seto Ako have to be on her period? That seems unnecessary to the story. Why is it included? Did the author just want to include an additional complication to the story to make things even more uncomfortable? This isn’t usually something people bother drawing attention to in stories. I’m not trying to period shame. I just think it’s unnecessary for this particular story.

Anyway, this book is not interesting enough to draw me into the series. It’s not my thing. It might be one of those things where you need to read more than one volume to get into it, but I’m not curious enough to pay money to find out.

My Best (♀) Butler, Vol. 1

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My Best (♀) Butler, Vol. 1 by Souko Masaki
Series Name: My Best (♀) Butler
Genres: Comedy, gender-bend
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook
ISBN: 9781646596515
Rating: 4/5
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Description

Rui Aoto’s family has fallen on hard times. It’s up to her to take care of her younger brother Kyo, and she refuses to be a burden on friends or family. When Rui cross-dresses to be able to work at a host club, things go awry. A rich boy, named Tohma, comes to her rescue, and her life changes drastically. To amuse Tohma, Rui agrees to a wager, and must now serve as Tohma’s “male” butler until next march. If she can do so, without exposing her true gender, Tohma will give her $10,000.

Personal & Info

I absolutely could not decide what to read for this week. Normally, I choose random numbers by rolling dice to decide which ebook on my list to read, but this time I was not satisfied with any of my choices. I ended up asking friends for random numbers instead, and then narrowing it down randomly from there. For some reason, I was more satisfied with that end result than my own. Anyway, this is the book that was chosen via coin flip after all others were eliminated.

This is one of the ebooks I got for free from a BookWalker sale. It does not appear to have any physical copies in English, yet.

Depending on your preference for consent, this book might irk you. There is crotch grabbing and peeking up skirts. That’s pretty much the only thing I recall seeing that is worth mentioning for any kind of warning.

Characters

Rui Aoto is the main character. She is Kyo’s older sister and considered flat chested.

Kyo Aoto is Rui’s younger brother. He dropped out of school after a confession to a male classmate went wrong.

Moka seems like Rui’s best friend. She is the daughter of the bakers who take Rui and Kyo in at the start of the book.

Benny is Moka and Rui’s friend.

Tohma is a bored and lonely rich kid. He has a bit of an attitude, and a severe allergy to women.

Saginuma is Tohma’s driver and butler, because they have yet to replace the previous butler. He’s been with Tohma’s family for a long time.

Yoinomiya and Ohgi are the two guys Tohma requested to watch over Rui at school.

Mr. T. Bear is a handmade teddybear from a series of children’s books. Mr. T. Bear is very important to Tohma. Kyo and Tohma are both fans of the Mr. T. Bear books.

Haruki is Tohma’s cousin, and the despot of the school. He has an anger problem.

Hatarai is Haruki’s butler.

Goryoba and Watatsumi are student council members. Goryoba is apparently very strong, and Watatsumi is “elitist.”

There are an abundance of characters with names throughout the book. I know I did not mention them all, and that is intentional. Several of them are insignificant, or only appear once or twice, so are not worth mentioning here.

Story & Thoughts

I went into this manga blind, and I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s a gender-bend. Those are some of my favorite kinds of manga. Yes, I know, the lady butler part should have made that obvious, but I wasn’t looking too closely at it.

Anyway, the setting is a little generic. The city they live in is divided into ten wards, which divide the people by wealth. Ward ten, where Rui and her friends live in the beginning of the story, is the poorest. Ward one, where Tohma lives, is the richest.

The host club job Rui’s friend Sera sets her up with is super creepy. The employees, who are teenaged boys (this is where the cross-dressing comes in), sit in a lobby where they can eat and drink from the club menu as much as they want. The facility has one way mirrors, where clients can see the employees to choose one to request for a private sitting. It’s supposed to be conversational entertainment, but the clients are all apparently older, and usually creepy, men.

Rui is warned before her shift starts that she should never leave the building with a client, because it’s unsafe, but that’s practically the first thing she does. It’s like she has no survival instinct. She definitely does not come off as an intelligent character early on.

The day to day life adventures Rui has as Tohma’s butler are amusing. She has much to learn, and must learn everything quickly. Reputation and perception are extremely important to do her job, as well as knowing how to use her resources to her advantage. The simple and ridiculous ordeals she has to deal with make good comedy. The people and places are definitely not entirely normal, either.

I have some suspicions about the Mr. T. Bear stories. I think they’re more than just a series of children’s books that Tohma likes.

There is a tiny bit of romance, but I don’t know if it’s enough to label the book as romance. Rui has a crush and gets flustered, but it doesn’t seem romantic to me. It could escalate to be more romantic later, but I won’t know for sure unless I read more.

I do intend to read more of this series eventually. It bugs me that it’s only available digitally. I’m going to have to figure out which source I would prefer to use, because I don’t usually commit to any digital manga.

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. 1

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The Titan’s Bride, Vol. 1 by ITKZ
Series Name: The Titan’s Bride
Genres: BL, Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Mature
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-63858-810-8
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Senior Kouichi Mizuki is about to take his final exams and graduate from high school, when he suddenly finds himself in a world of titans. Not only is he no longer anywhere near home, but one of these giants, Prince Caius, has claimed Kouichi as his bride! Thanks to a disturbing, world-ending prophecy, the prince’s upcoming nuptials cannot be with anyone of his world. Since Caius has no plans to send Kouichi back to earth, he is wholeheartedly set on taking Kouichi as his “wife”!

Personal & Info

This was on my list of things to read that I never thought would get localized. I’m glad it did, though, because now I can read it without having to import it or wait until I learn Japanese.

I knew going into this that it was explicit, and it very much is. 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. However, I had no idea what to expect from the story.

I can never tell if an explicit story is going to be good until I read it. A large number of them tend to focus too much on the smut, and not enough on the story quality. For me to enjoy explicit stories, I need to like the characters and engage with the story. This one is definitely worth the read, in my opinion.

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.

Medina Nall Rosas is Caius’ former fiancée, and one of his closest friends.

Dr. Malthu is the palace doctor.

Story & Thoughts

The setting is interesting. It’s not a world where titans are dominant instead of people. It’s a fantasy world, by the name Eustil, with multiple kingdoms and races. The main three types of people mentioned are titans in Tildant, elves, whose kingdom is not named in this volume, and beast men in Foval. The story implies humans, also known as halflings, were around at one point, but are no longer common, if they are around at all.

It has sketchy consent in the beginning, so use your own judgement regarding that. But, almost immediately, it’s clear the romance is sweet. Caius is caring and affectionate, and Kouichi wants Caius to be happy, even if it means being with someone else. The story is full of sappy stuff like that, and the characters are genuinely likable. It makes a good counterbalance to the smut.

If there’s something to complain about, I think it would be the pacing. It seems like both a lot and nothing are happening at the same time. They set a time limit of a month, and that month just seems to fly by. It might’ve been cool to learn more about the culture of the titans in that month. Some is mentioned, but not a whole lot. More of Kouichi adjusting to the culture and standard size difference would also be nice.

Maybe Kouichi trying to make friends, too. It seems like he doesn’t really know anyone there and doesn’t make an effort to. I don’t blame him for wanting to go with Caius when he has to travel. He would have no one to talk to, and what would he even do? Of course, most of these things are likely to get expanded on as the story progresses in other volumes.

There are little pictures between the chapters as some added details and funny bits. Between those and the sweet and adorable story, I find myself smiling while reading this. Obviously the smut doesn’t hurt, either. I will definitely be reading more of this series. Beware the cliffhanger at the end of the volume.