Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda book thoughts


Title: Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood
Series: Yes (Monstress #2)
Author: Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Published Date: July 11th, 2017
Publisher: Image Comics
Source: I bought it
# of Pages: 152
Format: Physical
Genre: Fantasy/Comic/Horror/Adult
Days to Read: 2
Rating: 3.75 / 5 stars
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram

Goodreads Synopsis

The Eisner-nominated MONSTRESS is back! Maika, Kippa, and Ren journey to Thyria in search of answers to her past... and discover a new, terrible, threat. Collects MONSTRESS #7-12

My Thoughts

Maika is on the run from forces that are determined to control or to destroy the powerful Monstrum/God that lives beneath her skin, but she also has a mission of her own. To discover her late mothers secrets. Her quest takes her to the pirate-controlled city of Thyria and across the sea to the mysterious Isle of Bones. This journey will force her to reevaluate her past, present and future, as well as who she can truly trust, including her own body.

Yes I did get that synopsis off the back of the book, almost word for word, but it's really a perfect synopsis.

I am loving how stuff is finally starting to come together! I'm not as confused as I was the first volume, though some confusion remains. Information comes fast, as soon as you learn something, something else gets thrown in the mix that confuses. I think it's done this way on purpose, it's how Maika is experiencing it, but it can be disorientating. However I am following along better than I was in the first volume, so I think that will continue as the series continues.

The art is amazing! It's rich and complex, and if I was basing my rating on the art style alone it would get all the stars!

I am really growing to love Maika and feel for her. I don't remember liking her in the first volume and I was trying to decipher what the story was trying to tell me. I didn't get it then but now that it's starting to make a little more sense I am really feeling for Maika and I see the story is very rich and deep. My favorite character remains Kippa though, Kippa is so cute and precious! Maika is growing on me though. With her learning about her mother, her past and why she's here, as well as about the thing inside her and why it's there in the first place, she deals with a lot and hasn't had it easy. And it's not going to get easier. She isn't an awful person, she isn't a saint, she's just trying to figure stuff out, deal with traumatizing crap, and that is proving difficult. She is getting more humanized and I am seeing why she is the way she is.

It's definitely a story to take in slowly. I initially wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with the series after the first volume, but I liked it enough (even with being confused) to give volume 2 a shot and this volume would tell me if I am going to continue with the series. Well I am! I am now invested and can't wait for volume 3! And at some point in the future will need to re-read the volumes to catch stuff I missed and remember all the pieces. It's a rich and complex world.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Food Wars!, Vol. 5 by Yuto Tsukuda book thoughts


Title: Food Wars!, Vol. 5
Series: Yes (Food Wars #5)
Author: Yuto Tsukuda
Published Date: December 4th, 2013
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Source: I bought it
# of Pages: 192
Format: Physical
Genre: Shonen/Manga/Young Adult/Cooking
Days to Read: 1
Rating: 4 / 5 stars
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram

Goodreads Synopsis

Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!

The assignment is to invent a new dish worthy of appearing on the high-class Totsuki Resort’s breakfast menu. To create their dishes, Soma and his friends use the combined knowledge and confidence they’ve gained while at the cooking camp to individually pass the challenge—everyone, that is, except for Soma! Having made a critical error, he finds himself behind with little time left. What can he do to overcome his biggest hurdle yet?!

My Thoughts

I said i'd have a review on here for everything I read from now on. I forgot how difficult it can be to review manga and graphic novels, so excuse short reviews for these.

I am still very much loving Food Wars! Getting to know the characters more. This volume even brought back a character from volume 1 I completely forgot about. Seeing the students meet and accomplish tough challenges. The different personalities of the characters. The delicious sounding and looking food and the art style.

This volume also shows off big corporations versus small businesses, and I really enjoyed seeing how that was tackled. I don't know when i'll finally catch up in this series, it'll be awhile i'm sure as i'm so far behind, but I am very much looking forward to doing so! :)

Friday, January 19, 2018

Food Wars! Volume 4 by Yuto Tsukuda book thoughts


Title: Food Wars!, Vol. 4
Series: Yes (Food Wars #4)
Author: Yuto Tsukuda
Published Date: September 4th, 2013
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Source: I bought it
# of Pages: 192
Format: Physical
Genre: Mnaga/Young Adult/Shonen/Cooking
Days to Read: 1
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram

Goodreads Synopsis

Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!

Let the shokugeki begin! Soma has challenged Totsuki graduate Chef Shinomiya in order to prevent Megumi’s pending expulsion. However, thanks to a condition levied by Gin Dojima, the match turns in an unexpected direction! With such a foolhardy challenge, can Soma and Megumi win to survive another day?

My Thoughts

I am loving Food Wars! It's difficult to review a graphic novel let alone when it isn't the first volume. I am loving the characters more with each volume, and my favorite has to be Megumi! I love her so much! Her hospitality, her caring. She's shy and insecure but she's starting to work on that and realize she can do it if she sets her mind to it.

I also love how Dojima looks at the students skills, not their background. How he gave Soma and Megumi a chance. You can also start to feel the group of students getting closer. This manga is really growing on me more with each volume.

But what is with that cliff-hanger?!

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Haunted by R.L.Stine book thoughts


Title: Haunted
Series: Yes (Fear Street #7, is basically a standalone series)
Author: R.L. Stine
Published Date: 1990
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: I bought it
# of Pages: 164
Format: Physical
Genre: Horror
Days to Read: 2
Rating: 3.25 / 5 stars
My Social Media:Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram

Goodreads Synopsis

Welcome to Fear Street.

Don’t listen to the stories they tell you about Fear Street. Wouldn’t you rather explore it yourself…and see if its dark terrors and unexplained mysteries are true? You’re not afraid, are you?

The Night Stalker

Melissa woke up screaming. The prowler was at her window…or was he? The recent headlines about a Fear Street prowler had everyone on edge. Her father now kept a loaded pistol in his bedroom. That made it even more frightening—and real.

Then the haunting began: her new car driving as if someone else had taken control; her birthday presents ripped open by unseen hands; an invisible force trying to push her out the bedroom window.

Out of the shadows of her bedroom came a menacing figure. Who was he? Did he really come from beyond the grave? And why had he come to kill her? If Melissa doesn’t solve the mystery fast, these questions will haunt her—to death!

My Thoughts

I really did enjoy this book for the most part! I think I also need to stop looking at reviews before I read a book. Afterwards sure, maybe see things differently or new things, but not before. That just leads to disaster.

Anyway I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. I needed to know how it would pan out even as I got worried about the ending. I related to Melissa in some ways. Not entirely because I didn't grow up rich but she isn't a typical snob. Her second guessing herself, her feeling frustrated that no one would listen to her, thinking maybe they were right, being timid but also being able to stick up for herself when she had too.

There is a lot of rape culture in the book. To me it always looked like a bad thing, it wasn't condoned in my eyes. She got frustrated, she said no, you heard her thoughts. If you honestly think that crap is ok i'd have to say the problem is with you, not the book. I do get how this book isn't for everyone though. Could it have been clearer? Maybe, but it seemed obvious to me. I like it didn't talk down to it's readers.

It's not the most well written, it's R.L.Stine and early in his career too I believe. But I did see it tackle some things and I really liked that. The ending could very understandably piss people off though. I see that clearly. To me it makes me think, and I like books that make me think. The plot was a bit...contrived to say the least. And a bit far-fetched. It's not ment to be a masterpiece though. I enjoyed it for what it was. As always these are just my thoughts on the book.

TW: Attempted rape, rape culture

Books on my radar: First Quarter of 2018

I had a bit of a dilemma. I want to stick to what I said about no monthly TBR's. I will still do read-a-thon TBR's. I want to read what I want, when I want. However I also noticed I have certain books on my radar, that I really want to read. I want to read a lot of things, but I have certain books on my radar i'm hoping to get too soon, for one reason or another. Each of these books is calling to me in a way right now. I don't think my reading mood changes all that quickly and does seem to be, at least in part, based on the season. Though I can usually read almost anything at any given time.

I wanted to share the books I currently have on my radar, for several reasons. Talking about books is always fun, including books you want to get to. It will also give you an idea of the books you might see reviews of in the next few months. At least some of them certainly! And of the books currently calling to me, so to speak. I'm going to divide them up into 3 sections. High Priority books, books I really want to get to, and other maybe books i'm thinking about. If you see any books you've read please feel free to tell me your thoughts about them! Without spoilers of course.

High Priority Books


I have Broken Hearts and Switched by R.L.Stine on here because i'm participating in a Fear Street challenge in a Goodreads group i'm in where we read 1 Fear Street book a month. Haunted is for January and what i'm currently reading. Broken Hearts is February and Switched is in March. I don't plan on completing The Complete Grimm's Fairy-Tales or Horrors! 365 scary stories. I started the Grimm's fairy-tales a few years ago and got burnt out on the constant repetition. Over and over and over the same stories will be told, it gets boring. But I do want to finish it, if I read 12-13 a month (and I haven't read any yet so far this year) I can finish it this year. The scary stories anthology, apparently each story is no more than a couple pages, if that, so while it would equal out to one a day, I haven't started it yet. My goal for this quarter obviously isn't to finish either of them, just make progress.

Nice Try Jane Sinner, Under Rose-Tainted Skies and The Girl in 6E are on here because they are what i'm hoping to get to for the contemporary-a-thon in February. Curved Horizon I got from Netgalley as I loved Fortitude Smashed! Gemina...I read Illuminae back in November...of 2016! I loved Illuminae and am ashamed, over a year later, I STILL haven't read Gemina. Hopefully I can get to it before Obsidio comes out! Citrus Vol 7 comes out next month and you better believe i'll be snatching it up! I'm loving Citrus so far. It has had some issues but it's getting better and I am so in love with it!

Books I really want to get to

Stake Sauce, Arc 1 and Major Arcana by RoAnna Sylver I really want to get to because I read Chameleon Moon by her January of 2017 and loved it! I still haven't continued on with that series and I do plan too at some point. I believe I got both Stake Sauce and Major Arcana from Instafreebie and i'm really interested to read them, and more from RoAnna! Magick because it has a Wiccan MC, i'm Wiccan and it sounds cool! Finding a fantasy book about Wiccans is...well unheard of to me except this book. I have it, I want to read it. Food Wars! i've read the first 3 volumes of it and I'm loving it so far. I have 4-7 (pictured) and what i'm hoping to do is get 1 volume a month, so if I do that i'd end up getting 8 and 9 in this quarter as well. My goal isn't necessarily to read them all (i'm still far behind in acquiring them) but at least make progress.

A The Legend of Zelda manga series. I read the first one January 2017 but I want to re-read it and then continue with the series. I have 2 and 3, there are 10 total volumes. Again, hopefully I can get 1 a month until I get them all. Saga volumes 6-8 are on here because i've read 1-5, have 6-8 and while it's an on-going series to my knowledge, volume 8 is the most current one. I am loving Saga so far!

Dance in the Vampire Bund volume 3 and 4 are here because i've read 1-2 and have 3 and 4. There are over 20 volumes in this series though, again I hope I can get them at a rate of one a month, and if I do then i'll get 5 and 6 in this quarter as well. With these graphic novel series I just want continue making progress on them because i'm loving them! The Dryad of Callaire is the second book in The Legend Mirror series. I loved the first one, The Beast of Callaire and really need to continue this series! There was a cliff-hanger and I need to know what happens! There is f-f romance between a lesbian woc mc and a bisexual love interest, Gods, mythology, a best friend that's a trans boy, good characters, and action! And bisexual, lesbian and transgender are all on the page!

The Soul of an Octopus is a non-fiction book i've heard so many great things about! I love animals and octopus's are fascinating. I've also heard people say it's the only non-fiction book that ever made them cry. If it makes me cry I can't say that because The Radium Girls made me cry too (and I highly recommend The Radium Girls). The Circle Within is about Wicca and I want to read more Wicca and Pagan centered books this year. Mapping the Interior is a Native American Horror book, which I believe is own voices, and I've heard good things about it and I got it from a Nocturnal Reader's box and I still haven't read any of the books I got from them.

Making Love involves an f-f- romance, a succubus, a cupid...it's short and it sounds interesting. Carrie by Stephen King as I want to read a few Stephen King novels this year. The World of Cherry is an wlw erotica, yes please! Mothmen has bisexuality, polyamory, cryptids f/m/m and it's erotica and it sounds very interesting. Forbidden Heat is the second book in a series. It has vampires, shifters, romance and I loved the first book! Interview with the Vampire i've already read. I've read the first 3 books in The Vampire Chronicles series but I read The Queen of the Damned over a year ago and I really want to continue on with the series. I know I found The Queen of the Damned a bit confusing and not as good as the first 2 but I still enjoyed it and i've heard it's setting up for the rest of the series. I read the first 3 TVC books before I started annotating books so i'd love to re-read them and annotate them. Yes they take awhile but I enjoy them so...whatever. I hope to have no more than a few months in between books from now on.

Skulduggery Pleasant I have the first 3 as I ordered them from the UK (I live in the US) and I want to read them. I think i'll enjoy them, the main character Stephanie has the same name as me and i've read a sample of the first few chapters and it hooked me. Getting books from the UK isn't cheap so that's why I got the first 3, to make it more worthwhile, but I didn't want to get the entire series before even reading any of it. So I need to hop on this series! Lily's Grace has an f-f romance, with a repear I believe and it's fantasy and has paranormal creatures and it just sounds so awesome!

Better off Red has an f-f vampire romance with a bisexual character, which is own voices and i've wanted f-f vampires FOREVER. Reign of the Fallen has necromancers and queer characters and it sounds so awesome! I don't generally pre-order books because I get paid once a month and yea...pre-ordering would never work out so this is on my must-get list for February! Brother sounds creepy and i've heard good things about it. Frankenstein....I read Frankenstein without knowing what I was reading was the censored 1831 version, the more commonly read one, and not the original 1818 version. So when I was that and saw the original for free one day on Amazon I snatched it up! I want to know what Mary Shelley originally wrote, the only version that really should have existed. I enjoyed the 1831 version, but I want to read the real Frankenstein!

Other Maybe books i'm thinking about

They Rise is some under-water horror that sounds interesting.Alien Sex is an..interesting anthology. Kraken...some of my Goodreads friends have enjoyed it and..i'm into weird things ok? Shell Game has lesbian pirates and i've been dying for more Lesbian Pirates since I read The Abyss Surrounds Us duology! Pizza to die for is a cozy mystery with pizza...I love pizza...and I want to read it.

Vampire Kisses I assume is a cheesy YA vampire romance...and i'm here for that. I love vampires and i'm ok with Cheesy. Floppy Shoes Apocolypse is a clown horror anthology. I like horror...and clown horror.

So what books do you want get to soon? Obviously I won't be able to read all of these this quarter, these are just what currently have my eye, and we will see what actually ends up getting read. Also i've decided I want to post only when I have something i'm excited to post about. I'll still have a review for every book I read, because I really want to keep a record of my thoughts on all the books I read, as well as monthly wrap ups that will include my reviews for that month, book stats and youtube videos i've posted that month (no sense in making a blog post about something I have a video on anyway I guess) and talking about other things that i've done that month, stuff like that. And I plan on making these on my radar posts every 3 months, hence quarterly. January, April, July, and October. If it goes well anyway. What books are on your radar? Any thoughts on any of these ones?

Edit: I forgot I need to read Stealing the Wind because gay mermen and i've heard good things. I ment to read it for Cramathon but didn't get to it. And maybe read a couple Goosebumps books. And Monstress Volume 2 and Lesbian Zombies from Outerspace Volume 2 because I wasn't sure about volume 1 of either of them (especially the lesbian zombies one..) but I want to read volume 2 to see how it continues (or ends in the zombie case's one).