Review: Spare and Found Parts

Spare and Found Parts
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Nell Crane has never held a boy's hand.

In a city devastated by an epidemic, where survivors are all missing parts-an arm, a leg, an eye-Nell has always been an outsider. Her father is the famed scientist who created the biomechanical limbs that everyone now uses. But she's the only one with her machinery on the inside: her heart. Since the childhood operation, she has ticked. Like a clock, like a bomb. And as her community rebuilds, everyone is expected to contribute to the society's good... but how can Nell live up to her father's revolutionary ideas when she has none of her own?

Then she finds a lost mannequin's hand while salvaging on the beach, and inspiration strikes. Can Nell build her own companion in a world that fears advanced technology? The deeper she sinks into this plan, the more she learns about her city-and her father, who is hiding secret experiments of his own.

Spare and Found Parts is quite a dark book, yet I found it to be kind of sad at points too, mostly thanks to Nell. While the world was intriguing and vivid, and I pictured it to be quite dark and gritty, the story kind of fell flat for me. Towards the end I was fully invested, but I will admit the start was heavy going for me and it was quite slow paced...so much so that I resorted to speed reading to reach a point when things really started to get going. 

I liked Nell well enough, I was on her side and I understood her and empathised with her, although she did come across as a little bit...I don't want to say crazy and unhinged seems a bit too harsh, but she did come across a certain way that had me side eyeing her at one point. She seems a bit Frankenstein-ish. I get that she just wants a friend and doesn't like being touched and so on...but she has two perfectly good friends ready and waiting, a fact she does eventually realise. 

I didn't really like Ruby much to be honest, and Oliver seemed like quite the creeper but I think that was largely down to Nell and her narrative because I'd changed my opinion by the end of the book and quite liked Ruby and Oliver really wasn't that bad. Nell kind of bias's you against certain characters. Odd seeing as Ruby is supposed to be her BFF. 

The flashbacks to Nell's childhood and how she grew up started out interesting but then I couldn't quite see what they had to do with the main story at one point, and the ominous letters from her Nan where a nice touch to add a sense of creepiness. Her father I quite liked at the beginning, he was oddly supportive but I reached a point when I was getting really bad vibes from him. Like you know when you can sense something is wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on what? 

Io's POV was interesting and shed Nell and her relationships in a different light. For me, the ending of the book was when things really picked up and everything started happening at once, with these huge reveals and twists but it just took so long for everything to get started and for Nell to even have her idea to build Io. The pace was just too slow and heavy going for me and I honestly was going to put the book down, but I know a lot of people where raving about it, so I sped read until things picked up, I have to admit. So it's possible I missed some things but overall this book was just okay for me. 

Manga: Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 3

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Volume 3
Rating: 3/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Eager for a new challenge, Haruhiro's party descends into the Cyrene Mines. However, as they go deeper, Mary is forced to face the ghosts of her past...in more ways than one!

Yep you read that right, the group are heading in to the mines where all of Mary's party members died. I think we all know this isn't going to end well. Things get pretty tense with Ranta as he makes some questionable moves, and Haruhiro's in a crisis about being a leader so....kind of not the right mentality for facing a super dangerous mine. 

Despite Ranta's idiotic behaviour throughout a large part of this volume, the group does become closer and we get to know Ranta himself better, and why he does what he does, so it was nice to see them all come together, and while I still think Ranta's an idiot....I do understand him and his decisions. 

The group actually looks pretty strong as we come to the end of the volume, having grown closer, and gotten an understanding for each other. Mary's dealt with her past and Haruhiro has a new resolve...finally. I really do want to smack him one sometimes you guys! But the group really bands together and starts to finally look like and come across like a team! The volume has a nice amount of action to keep you occupied, as well as the interesting look at characters. I did like the tension in this volume too as the group where creeping through the mine, and thanks to the first volume, I never assume everything's going to end well! 

Review: The Extinction Trials

The Extinction Trials
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

In Stormchaser and Lincoln's ruined world, the only way to survive is to risk everything. To face a contest more dangerous than anyone can imagine. And they will do ANYTHING to win. But in a land full of monsters - both human and reptilian - they can't afford to trust anyone. Perhaps not even each other...

I freaking love dinosaurs, Jurassic Park is one of my favourite films and I loved Primeval when it was airing, so I had to pick this up because you know...dinosaurs! The start was incredibly intriguing like...hello Plesiosaur! There's also intriguing tidbits of the world scattered throughout that makes you want to know more and our MC has a secret of her own that you're itching to find out! 

The Extinction Trials is basically a voluntary Hunger Games to see who's going to make the cut to get to go and rile up the dinosaurs by partaking in a spot of light egg-napping. Unfortunately everything they've been told doesn't add up and it turns out the dinosaurs are quite intelligent. This is certainly an original read! 

I loved our MC Storm, she's intelligent and determined and she's asking all the right questions. I was fully on her side and I was rooting for her throughout. Our other MC Lincoln, I was less sure of. He's certainly determined and I got where he was coming from and what his motivation was, but I still didn't entirely trust him in the beginning, then he kind of lulled me in to a false sense of security, before I ended up actually saying "Don't be messing with Storm bruh" because I knew he was ultimately going to do something shady. 

That being said, there's plenty of characters who are far shadier than Lincoln for less noble reasons. One of them got what was coming to him but he was really just there to be a complete a-hole and then get his just desserts. There was plenty of tension thanks to all the shady characters, and I was never entirely sure who to trust. 

I really enjoyed the growing bond between Storm, Leif and Lincoln, but like I said...I didn't trust Lincoln, and I had such a bad feeling about what he was going to do. There's plenty of twists and the betrayal at the end I kind of saw coming..but I didn't see how exactly it was going to play out. It was kind of sad to see the three people you where rooting for and who had bonded and worked so well together basically toss each other under the bus. To be fair, Storm did help out Leif and Leif returned the favour. I knew what Storm was going to do, but the conclusion certainly had me on the edge of my seat. 

I'm not entirely sure I ship Storm and Lincoln because while she opened up and trusted him and told him things, he still kept everything to himself and kept things close and didn't really return the favour, I think I need to see more of them to decide! I'm hoping we'll get more of Leif though! 

The Extinction Trials is fast paced and set in an interesting world that had me endlessly curious. It all seems a bit shady and I was fully in agreement with Storm about how off it all seemed, especially when it came to the people in charge and then on Pleiora it was all kind of confirmed and just had me like...okay...they're going to be endlessly idiotic and destroy things, you better sort them out Storm! There where so many surprises and I'm intrigued to see what's going to happen next, what'll happen to the dinosaurs? What' the deal with Reban? I think I know, there where a couple of mildly predictable things but then I wouldn't be surprised if they got twisted too! 

All in all the Extinction Trials is an original and exciting read, and it's certainly a wild ride. There's plenty of tension and it really has you on the edge of your seat...and kind of riding an adrenalin high too when the characters pull things off! The world was nicely described, and certain things where....grimly vivid too! I wasn't expecting quite so much to be packed in and covered in this book so I'm intrigued to see how things will continue and where the story will go from here! 

Manga: Sword Oratoria Vol 2

Sword Oratoria Vol 2
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The peerless Sword Princess can't seem to forget the sight of a young boy running away from her. Watching his receding back brings up memories from her own past and she begins to question her sole ideal of devoting everything to become stronger. For the first time ever, is Aiz is a bit troubled by her heart like any normal young girl?? 

Is it wrong of me to say that I'm enjoying Sword Oratoria more than I am the main series? The main series has had a few volumes where nothing much has happened to be honest, but so far Sword Oratoria has been action packed for each volume and I'm loving it! 

As we rejoin Aiz and co, the quest is over and Loki Familia have to sell all their drop items before they head out to celebrate...unfortunately it turns sour thanks to Bete and THAT incident happens. You know...the one where Bell overhears something and gets upset and runs away. Yep. That happens. It's interesting to see it from another perspective, because when you see it from Bell's POV you kind of think one way about the characters, but seeing it from Aiz's you see them in a new light. 

Aiz is kind of struggling with her feelings and dreams of the past, and the others are determined to cheer her up...which means a girls day shopping! Plus Monsterphilia is approaching and of course...something goes wrong. *cue ominous music* 

The art for this series is completely gorgeous, and I really loved how Lefiya's magic and magic circles where drawn in this volume, as well as the backgrounds. I know it's an odd thing for me to focus on, but so often the backgrounds are just kind of...there, it's nice to see backgrounds that have had effort put in to them, and are nicely detailed! 

There's plenty of action to go with the humour this volume, and the Gods...or at least two of them, are definitely up to no good and there's a sense of something shady at the end...but what? I have so many questions and there's so many little plot threads throughout, it's another excellent volume!

Manga: Gabriel Dropout 2

Gabriel Dropout Vol 2
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Gabriel's lazy adventures in the human world continue as she gets roped into going to the beach!

Poor old Gabriel just wants to chill at home, but she gets dragged to the beach once exams are over and done with and vacation starts. But that's not all for this volume, we get to see how Gabriel and Vignette first met, Vignette and Raphy get to know each other....and then it's Halloween so Satanya is loving life. 

The art is seriously so super cute, I can't even. The story and the characters are hilarious, there's plenty of humour packed in. I have to say, I think Satanya is my favourite and Gabriel is just so damn relatable! The banter between the two is completely hilarious too! I'm so looking forward to seeing more of the two of them, they're my favourite part of the series! 

While the stories are largely separate there are little threads that link them to each other, although there's no overarching plot and I'm not sure there will be! This volume does let us get to know the characters a little better, and see the interactions between them some more though! 

Re:Zero Chapter 3 Vol 2

Re:Zero Chapter 3: Truth of Zero Vol 2
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Subaru continues to support Emilia in her campaign to become the new Queen of Lugunica. But another candidate shows up, and it's the last person Subaru expected!

The last volume left us on kind of a cliffhanger and we dive straight in with this volume. It's Emilia's turn to speak before the Council, unfortunately she's reviled for being half elf and resembling someone shady from the past which provides an interesting tidbit that may or may not be expanded upon in future volumes. 

The selection kicks off in earnest, but Subaru is parted from Emilia and left on his own with Rem at Crusch's home. While there he decides it's time to learn to fight and we could be about to see him develop and grow some more and become a stronger character. He's kind of been left to his own devices and left on his own so it's going to be interesting to see what he does. 

Meanwhile the story diverges as our two characters part way because while Subaru is off taking part in his own little version of Fight Club with one of Crusch's people, Emilia is about to undergo her first trial in the selection....and it's certainly going to be interesting. The middle of this volume was a bit slow with not much happening, but we pick up again towards the end of the volume. I'm intrigued to see how things are going to progress as our characters have their own missions to fulfil. 

Manga: Kiss Me At The Stroke of Midnight 3

Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight Vol 3
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Hinana prizes her reputation as a serious high school student, too focused on getting into college to pay attention to boys. But she's a secret fairytale romance freak, sneaking away from her studies to see A Roman Holiday and tucking pop idol magazines into her textbooks. When her celebrity crush comes to her school to film a TV episode, she has to pretend to be totally uninterested even as she desperately tries to get close to him. However, she's not the only one who's not what she appears... her dreamboat isn't just a pretty face either!

Okay folks, this volume brings the drama! Mitsuki makes an appearance this volume, and he's Kaede's old bandmate. He's most definitely shady and up to no good but he's also kind of an airhead. Or at least, I thought he was with his mirror. 

There are plenty of cute and fluffy moments with Kaede and Akira kind of, sort of makes a move. He's obviously not going to sit around and with Mitsuki plotting, things are going to get complicated and drama filled and I'm so here for it! 

The main focus of the volume is Mitsuki wanting to mess with Kaede and it becomes obvious that something else may have gone down besides Kaede leaving the group, or at least I hope it has because really boys?! Reaaaaaaally?! I loved the fact that when Kaede came to save the day he didn't do what I was expecting at all, but it was so very Kaede at the same time. 

The fluff/drama ratio is spot on and we get left on a cliffhanger as Mitsuki clearly isn't done with his schemes, so I'm anticipating drama in the next volume too! I'm also not entirely sure what to make of some of the other members of Kaede's band. Things are definitely getting juicy though, and I'm super excited for it to see how Hinana will react and what Kaede will do! 

Manga: Baccano!

Baccano! 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

New York, 1927.
In a corrupt city where crime rules the streets, Firo Prochainezo is Camorra, an Italian criminal syndicate distinct from the mafia. A member of the relatively small Martillo family, Firo's nevertheless got big ambitions and is determined to make his mark. But while the Martillos may not be the biggest bad guys on the block, they've got some distinct advantages working in their favor. Does Firo have what it takes to become a made man? 
Let the crazy ruckus begin!

So....I anticipated one thing from this, and ended up getting blown away because it was even better than I expected, I mean...prohibition era New York....Mafia...mobsters....and supernatural elements?! So unexpected but so freaking awesome! I'm already eagerly anticipating the next volume of this manga, I'm not going to lie! 

Firo is a loveable badass with sticky fingers, and I'm already rooting for him to work his way up like he wants to. Bless him, all he wants is to be an exec in the family aka higher ranked than he is. He wants to join the Mafia gang his childhood friends are in without using connections...which is actually really admirable. He wants to work his way up to the top. I'm also incredibly curious about Firo because there's something going on with him...something with a supernatural bent to it I think. His friend Claire too! I'm so interested in him! He's a lot of fun, running over rooftops and so on. 

Maiza is another intriguing character, I felt like there was something off about him right from the start, and I wanted to know what his deal was. Then towards the end of the volume, there's a reveal about him that completely blew my mind because I was reading like "wait...this isn't a supernatural manga so what the hell?" and then I was like "Oh...okay, we're going all supernatural, I see" I was genuinely pleasantly surprised. I need more information on Maiza though! 

This is an excellent first volume, there's a surprise supernatural element that I wasn't expecting, but it only added to the fun! This first volume is fun, introducing you to the characters and setting up some interesting plot elements! There's a showdown in a casino, a shadowy phantom murderer, and a supernatural mystery element introduced at the end! I'm excited to see more! 

Manga: The Saga of Tanya The Evil

The Saga of Tanya the Evil 
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

When the average Japanese salaryman is suddenly thrown into in a world wracked with warfare and hardship by a supernatural power, they might first think to hide or run away. But not Tanya Degurechaff. A calculating and utilitarian man has been reborn as a child soldier. This young girl will do anything to rise in rank and find a way to live a life of comfort, and woe to any king, country, or god who stands in her way. 

First off, I really liked the art and the colour palette used for the colour pages, it was kind of gritty and lent it a vintage, WW2 air. Which of course fit very nicely with the story and the setting, which is kind of 30's, WW2 but alternate kind of thing! 

Our MC was kind of a douche before he was reborn and he had it coming really, I'm not going to lie. But I have to say, I did really like Tanya as an MC, I was oddly rooting for her to get her revenge on Being X and the other characters she didn't like and so on. She made me chuckle, and her inner monologue was priceless. I absolutely loved how they showed her inner thoughts and then the inner thoughts of some of the characters she was talking to, and they completely didn't line up. It was freaking hilarious. 

There's plenty of action and battles as well as strategy, plus helpful little boxes pop up informing you of what the different tactics and strategies are as well as other things mentioned throughout like historical battles and so on. 

It's actually oddly humorous because Tanya keeps getting the opposite of what she wants and the Gods are genuinely, 100% messing with her. I'm so curious to see what things are going to be thrown at her next! Plus she just wants to chill out in the rear out of danger but keeps getting pulled into helping a mad scientist with his dangerous experiments and being thrown out on to the front line. She's like a vengeful, spitting cat, she really reminds me of the old witch woman from Emperor's New Groove when she's in cat form. That's Tanya exactly! 

Tanya is totally psychotic and she does waffle a lot, this volume is establishing everything but towards the end a new character is introduced who could prove to be interesting. A fellow Tanya perhaps? The art is beautifully drawn though, particularly the backgrounds and the landscapes, and it's certainly an interesting take on the whole "Reborn in another world" trope. One of the more interesting ones so far. The only reason I gave this three stars instead of four was because I was a bit confused about who was on which side at the beginning, and there was just so much narrative at one point! 

Manga: Sword Art Online Progressive 6

Sword Art Online Progressive Vol 6 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The war between elves rages on, with Kirito and Asuna caught in the middle! The forest elves seek the dark elves' Secret Key, but to what end? Though Kirito tries to stay detached, Asuna can't help being swept along for the ride. Kizmel is supposed to be just an NPC, right? But then why does she seem so very human...

Kirito and Asuna finally leave the camp after hooking Asuna up with a veeerrryyy familiar sword *wink wink*, and they head off to a meeting. Hilarity then ensues as the ALS and DKB Guilds decide Asuna and Kirito can't join the same Guild because it'll upset the 'balance of power' and they're worried Kirito will start his own Guild. Like I could have told them that Kirito won't bother with that. Anyway, I love how he was all "I'm the beater, who'd want to join my guild?" and it pans to show Asuna, Agil and some others like "yeah I could go for that". Meanwhile a shadowy figure watching proceedings is revealed to be another familiar face, and let's just say he has the idea of starting a third guild.....

Asuna appears to be coming over all elf and has a distinct disgust for humans in this volume, which was kind of funny. They basically end up heading back to the forest to continue the quest line. But someone's pitting the two guilds against each other and it has to be another Beta tester. 

It was nice to see Argo getting involved in the plan, I actually quite like her! Kirito pretty much has a shadowy little plan/mission of his own that he's been carrying out while we've all been focused on other stuff. He mostly just lurks in the background until it's his time to do his big reveal. There's plenty of action and humour in this volume, as well as some tidbits dropped, not to mention blanks filled in and mystery woven throughout. The big plan is revealed just in time for the end of the volume, as the battle kicks off! 

I really do like how little details and background information is being filled in while still giving us new content to go with the old, there's so many connections to be put together! There's also more of a focus on Asuna, which is nice! Don't get me wrong, Kirito is still in there too, but a lot of the time he's like a shadowy presence in the back. 

We get a cool little bonus manga that's a collab with the governments cybersecurity awareness month project which was a fun little addition! 

Manga: Compulsive Gambler 4

Compulsive Gambler Vol 4
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The Student Council President is away, and the rest of the council will play...

Yumemi Yumemite is a super popular idol who's a big hit in the indie scene. Not only is she a student at the Hyakkaou academy, but she's also a member of the student council?! How will Yumeko do in a gamble with an idol?

This volume provides an interesting turn, as everyone seems pretty convinced that Yumeko is starting off a revolution against the President. I mean...she only really cares about gambling and playing games, but let's go with that! There's an interesting question at the end of the volume as well thanks to the preview! 

Yumemi is the latest Student Council member gunning for Yumeko, she's an idol as well, and she and Manyuda organise a rather public showdown with Yumeko. None of the council are happy about Yumeko beating two of their members and their trying to work out what to do next without the Presidents input because she's off on an "errand" to do with Yumeko. She's pretty much left them in charge. Yumemi is kind of deceptively normal but every bit as psych as the others, although probably down a peg or two from some of the others. She goes from cute to ugly/scary in seconds both personality wise and in how she's drawn. To be honest, she probably isn't the worst Council member, I could get where she was coming from with her dream, but she was kind of an a-hole. 

Itsuki makes an appearance again, remember her? She wants to join Yumeko and her squad to take down the President, and so begins an interesting storyline. She could be a funny addition, one of the slightly less psycho Council members, and Mary is hilariously not impressed with her. Throughout this volume Yumeko's squad do have some humorous banter amongst themselves. 

The gambling and gaming took an interesting turn this volume, Yumeko's opponent is an Idol and she's made the battle between the two quite public, so the games in this volume are twisted towards that. There's none of the usual card games, except for Old Maid. There's basically a giant game of tic tac toe and singing other idol related activities, which made for an interesting change and stopped the plot line from getting repetitive. 

The tension leads in to a deceptively happyish and kind of funny ending, with plenty of humour throughout the volume, but I don't think it's really over yet as someone appears to have had a hand in how things turned out, someone worked against Yumemi...and it could be someone shocking. 

I'm 99% sure the Student Council President is up to something, and it has me on edge, plus I'm still trying to work out what Yumeko's deal is. What exactly is she planning? Is she really only in it for the gambling or is this all part of her plan? This is another brilliant volume as we take down another member of the Council, people are definitely choosing sides, and it would appear a revolution is going to happen. But first Yumeko is going to have to deal with the President! 

Manga: Waiting For Spring 4

Waiting For Spring Vol 4 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The preliminary games begin, and Towa and the squad are all fired up! Mitsuki's childhood best friend, Aya-chan, is also at the arena playing his best, and the stakes are high. As Mitsuki and Reina cheer on the Seiryo team, Mitsuki sees the boys sweep the floor and is inspired to work hard, too! But when a ref's whistle cuts through the air, a close friend lies injured on the court... 

The games about to start and we meet the Captain of the team who's kind of...elusive I guess you could say. There's a cute moment between Towa and Mitsuki right from the start. Mitsuki bless her, is so awkward sometimes! Reina cracks me up to another level, she's even a little bit relatable at times. She's formed an odd sort of alliance with Aya which is quite funny for us, but not great for Mitsuki! 

Speaking of Aya, I still can't bring myself to like Aya. He's so cocky and arrogant, plus I'm fully Team Towa! We're kind of getting spoiled with cute Towa/Mitsuki moments so I'm guessing we're going to have to have some Aya/Mitsuki moments soon. 

I'm not going to lie, I thought everything would be fine and rosy so I was surprised at the two little plot twists with one characters injury and the outcome of the game and so on. It was a nice little twist that not everything went the characters way as usually happens in these kinds of manga. 

We get to see Reina, Mitsuki and Nana hanging out with the boys and Rui and Ryuji get some more page time for once! Rui gets some solo interaction with Mitsuki too which was interesting because we don't really see them interact all that much away from the group and to be honest we don't really see Rui much anyway. Kyosuke has his own moment with her too, and I'm totally sure he's messing with her because he clearly knows exactly what's going on and who has feelings for who. I kinda want to smack him one. 

The volume leaves us with excitement for the next as something could fiiiiiinally be about to happen, and there's plenty of cute moments throughout the volume as well as some well drawn action shots of the basketball tournament! 

Manga: Seven Deadly Sins 24

The Seven Deadly Sins Vol 24
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Meliodas is back--and he's not the only one! As Meliodas faces off against Derieri and Monspeet, Merlin has reappeared for a showdown with Fraudrin and Gray Road, and this time, she's not playing fair. The tide has started to turn against The Commandments, but while victory seems to be within The Sins' reach, the captain isn't all he appears to be...

This volume is action packed from the start as Meliodas has a showdown with two of the Commandments but something is...off about him. Meanwhile everyone inside the palace has been captured by Grey Road and things don't look too good for them. Luckily Merlin makes a shock return...FINALLY. There's a surprise from her before we get to sit back and watch her let her magic loose. She's such a badass this volume and I ended up looking at her a little bit differently to how I have been before. 

Good old Hendrickson gets his moment as he goes after Dreyfus/Fraudrin. I feel like Zaratras was back all of a sudden out of nowhere just for this particular moment. It was a bit convenient, as was the moment between Fraudrin and Griamore so I was kind of disappointed in that respect. Likewise Meliodas reappearing. 

We do find out what the deal is with Meliodas, who's remained kind of a mystery throughout the series. Like we have gotten some information about him and his past but there's still so many questions. I'm kind of intrigued by the reveal about him because it'll be interesting in the future volumes to see how it plays out and what ends up happening to Meliodas. Quite the internal struggle on his hands plus we get to see two different sides to him this volume, one of which was more vulnerable than we've ever seen before. 

So we get to see some different sides to the characters, and I ended up looking at both Merlin and Meliodas differently. Seeing the different sides, learning this new information about them, it paints them in a different light. Gowther however, remains shady AF. I'm kind of over him. Make him go away now! Things got super interesting for Howzer too and I'm looking forward to seeing him step up and get some more page time, hopefully! I've always been intrigued by his character. Although Gil is missing apparently?! Maybe he's just having a vacation. 

One battle has ended but the war isn't over yet and the action could be shifting back to Camelot which means we'll hopefully get to see more of Arthur again! 

Manga: Frau Faust Vol 3

Frau Faust Vol 3 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

A century after a scholar made a deal with a devil in exchange for eternal life, the story of Faust has passed into legend. But the real Faust is not a stuffy professorial man, but a woman, still on the run with her homunculus servant. When the magnetic, bespectacled woman passes through a provincial town, she adds a young orphan named Marion, looking for an escape, to her group. The next stop: A church basement, where a disembodied demon's arm lies sealed away, and an officer of the Inquisition name Lorenzo waits to spring a trap for the blasphemer...

There's action from the first chapter as we have a demon to deal with, that has a heartbreaking background to it, I'm not going to lie. Luckily taking care of it provides the distraction needed for them to escape with Mephisto's limb, so I mean....kind of a win? It all worked out okay in the end and Mephy gets to have one of his missing limbs back. 

I'm not going to lie, the people from the Church seem scary and creepier than the actual demons, I'm not really rooting for them but then I don't think I'm supposed to. Although Lorenzo really intrigues me, like why does he hide his face? What's his deal? We get some interesting background on him and his friendship with Vito that just made me all the more curious about him. He's going to be very interesting for sure. 

Another little tidbit about Faust and her past is brought to light as we meet her old friend Sarah who's responsible for Nico's body. We get to hear some more of her story as well as finding out more about Nico which I've been hoping for! Her story really doesn't paint the Church in a great light, like it gets worse for them with each volume, I swear! 

The intrigue keeps building up and I love how little puzzle pieces get dropped here and there to help you build up Fausts past. The ending of the volume could prove interesting for the next one and I'm anticipating it! We get to meet some new demons in this volume too and they're all interestingly drawn, each of them looks different and they have a nice amount of detail to them. We're slowly collecting up Mephisto's missing limbs and I'm curious about what's going to happen when he gets them all back, and once again I have a million questions! 

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Manga: Wake Up Sleeping Beauty 2

Wake Up Sleeping Beauty Vol 2
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Despite being a scaredy-cat and crybaby, high schooler Tetsu finds himself working at the eerie estate on the hill, where Shizu–the only child of the Karasawa family–is secreted away. However, his friendship with Shizu quickly turns to fear when several spirits of the dead appear before him, borrowing her appearance. As he struggles to find the humanity in her supernatural condition, Tetsu must also face a question at once terrifying and heartbreaking: What if the true Shizu never returns? 

So, Tetsu is low-key freaking out about the spirits, he's kind of scared but he doesn't want to be and he's determined to overcome his fear and work with Shizu to get to know her better so he's less afraid. I had to admire his determination considering how much of a scaredy cat he can be! The third spirit, Mirei, makes an appearance in this volume. She's kind of a cow, I'm not going to lie but I'm wondering if there's more to her beneath her bitchy exterior. Haru remains in first place as my favourite! 

We also get a new spirit this volume, who appears to be sticking around, and pretty much takes Tetsu for all he's worth. I kinda felt bad for the kid, believe me I did, but there's no need to be such a brat! Tetsu actually gets mildly scary because he nearly grows some balls when it comes to his sister, which was kind of funny. 

The ominous ending provides some more intrigue, as does the notebook, as Tetsu tries to work out how to help Shizu. The pace is still quite slow, and I still want to learn more about Shizu and why she is the way she is. Tetsu is a really interesting character to me too and there's clearly going to be some drama revolving around his friend and soccer and I'm intrigued to see what bearing that has on the story. 

Review: Everless

Everless
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

In the land of Sempera, the rich control everything - even time. Ever since the age of alchemy and sorcery, hours, days and years have been extracted from blood and bound to iron coins. The rich live for centuries; the poor bleed themselves dry.

Jules and her father are behind on their rent and low on hours. To stop him from draining himself to clear their debts, Jules takes a job at Everless, the grand estate of the cruel Gerling family.

There, Jules encounters danger and temptation in the guise of the Gerling heir, Roan, who is soon to be married. But the web of secrets at Everless stretches beyond her desire, and the truths Jules must uncover will change her life for ever ... and possibly the future of time itself. 

Okay so I know a lot of people loved this book and I was expecting to one hundred percent love it too, but I had to give it three stars in the end and I did debate for a long while about whether to give it four or three. The first chapter slowly drew me in, it gradually piqued my interest until I had questions to be answered and wanted to know how everything worked, and I was intrigued by the history and legends but I did end up being a little bit confused at the beginning. Plus there was a section of the book that had me reading....but my mind was wandering while I was reading. It was slow and not much happened either. I actually had to sit down and read it in one go because I started to read it and it was days before I carried on reading it. 

I didn't immediately take to Jules, our MC either. Once she got her resolve and spirit and determination I found myself enjoying her as an MC more and by the end of the book I was excited to see what would become of her and who she'd become as a character. However she did kind of bug me at the start, and she was kind of meh in the beginning. There's no shortage of creepy characters, Lady Sida, Liam, Ivan and the Queen. 

I was ready to fully hate Liam and be all Team Roan. Liam seems like an asshole at first but I ended up being all wtf because Liam's behaviour didn't quite match with the image Jules had for him. It was quite obvious he wasn't the nasty character Jules thought he was, and I ended up being oddly curious about him. Sorry not sorry, but I shipped Jules and Liam hard. I really wasn't bothered about Roan at all, he and Tam both seemed like throwaway characters to be honest. We didn't get all that much information on them, or spend much time with them to be honest. 

The world was so creepy, but interesting all the same. I enjoyed working out how it all worked, even if I was a tad bit confused at the beginning. There's an interesting mystery surrounding Jules and the mythology to the world is fascinating, I wanted to know more about the stories. There was plenty of potential there as you read, but there's just such a long stretch where you're curious....but nothing's really happening. Towards the end it draws you in, and the pace picks up and more things start to happen. There where some huge reveals and twists, and all these little mysterious plot threads thrown in and then there's the ending...lets just say it leaves you wanting more and I'm anticipating good things from the sequel already!