Manga: Bungo Stray Dogs 11

Bungo Stray Dogs Vol 11
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

The Armed Detective Agency receives an anonymous request-and it's asking for Kyouka's help by name. But during her investigation with Atsushi, ex-Guild member Montgomery keeps mysteriously getting in their way! And as another old foe defies death while seeking a triumphant return, a newer enemy-the sinister Dostoyevsky-bares his fangs against both the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia. Threatening to slowly but surely swallow the dark underbelly of Yokohama, how will this devil of a man alter the playing field...? 

Kyouka's permit has finally come in which means it's time for her to officially start work, luckily a job comes in that's just for her. I liked getting to focus on her a little more for part of this volume, and along with getting to see more of Montgomery which was fun, we got to learn a lot about Kyouka and her past, as well as her parents...along with the surprising truth about what happened to them and about Demon Snow. So right away from the start of this volume we had some interesting reveals to deal with! 

Things take an even more shocking turn when Fitzgerald makes a comeback, and we actually spend quite a lot of this volume with him as he picks himself up out of the gutter, which is admirable don't get me wrong...but I still don't like him, and starts scheming with the help of Alcott. Interestingly, he does lead us in to a murder mystery, and obviously opens the door for bigger things and plenty more intrigue when it comes to he and his ultimate plan. 

This volume is largely setting the players up for the hunt for this specific book, as well as finally telling us what the book is and setting up the Mafia and the Agency for some kind of mutual destruction thing courtesy of one particular player in the game! Volume 11 is nicely paced, provides plenty of intrigue and tension and sets up for some big things to come! 

Manga: Kaiju Girl Caramelise

Kaiju Girl Caramelise Vol 1
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Suffering from a rare, incurable illness that causes frightening changes to her body, loner Kuroe Akaishi spends her high school days avoiding her classmates--especially class idol Arata Minami and his groupies. But when Arata starts making her heart skip a beat with irritating regularity, Kuroe discovers that her illness actually has a big--make that MONSTER--secret: Romance turns her into Love-zilla...literally! 

I've been super intrigued by this ever since I spotted it...and after reading this first volume I think it might end up being one of my favourite new manga of the year! The colour pages are all pink, purple, girly kind of colours and I loved it, and then when she monsters out for the first time we get another colour page but the colour palette is less pinky pastel and more vibrant, bold colours. I really enjoyed the art, the character designs are cute which contrasts with the more realistic/kinda scary monster parts of her...and you know when she goes full monster. I also really loved how her eyes are drawn, as well as the monster version of her! 

I was drawn in from the first page of this volume with the kids reaction to her, and then we had the reveal right on the next page and I was like 'woah okay this is gonna be awesome'. Our main character Kuroe is so cute, even if she can be quite grumpy and serious with Arata at least, and she shows an adorable side of herself when it comes to sweets like pancakes and stuff. She was amusing, but you could also feel sorry for her and empathise with her and her situation. 

Arata surprised me because I was expecting him to be a bit of an arrogant a** that she has a crush on kind of thing? I wasn't expecting him to attach himself to her, and be so sweet. I could even relate to him a little bit as well! I just wasn't expecting him to be so earnest and genuine when it comes to hanging out with her, wanting to spend time with her and pursuing her, so I actually quite liked him! 

I am so intrigued to see how this romance is going to play out because things were all cute, and it was such a sweet start to a romance...and then it turned in to an actual scene out of Godzilla and she's determined not to repeat that for obvious reasons! So things aren't going to be easy and of course her monster identity is going to be a secret...I'm actually quite excited for it all! 

I also really enjoyed Manatsu, one of the other characters, she's hilarious with the butterfly costume and her love for Harugon, but I appreciated her being a much needed friend for Kuroe. Although I do feel like she's quite genuine, I am worried she's only using Kuroe but I guess we'll see. 

Honestly, I loved this. It's different, it's a lot of fun, and it's definitely going to prove to be interesting. This initial volume is fast moving, introducing us to Kuroe and her little problem, as well as Arata and sparking off the romance a little bit too! It does an excellent job at piquing your interest and leaving you wanting more, and I personally can't wait to see what's going to happen next and how Kuroe is going to handle this! 

Manga: A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School 7

A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School Vol 7 

Rating: 5/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Haruaki's summer has only just begun, and it's turning out to be anything but a vacation! Hospitalized after getting injured in a building fire, he'll be on a bumpy road to recovery as late-night medical horrors, an investigation into the mystery of how youkai are born, and a supernatural incident at Sano's part-time job won't give him a moment to relax! 

It's the start of summer break as we embark on this volume, and Haruaki obviously kicks the break off at the hospital courtesy of the last volume! We get to spend some time with the creepy doctor in this volume, as he takes quite an interest in Haruaki and his visitors Amaki and Izuna. I really did enjoy getting to see some more of Izuna, and the doctor was a fun addition to things...but don't worry the creepiness is offset by the humour! 

We got a hilarious look at each of the students summer vacations, along with Miki and the Principle and I also enjoyed how those little snippets were done. Of course we get a longer look at Haruaki's summer break as he volunteered to let Sano stay with him. There's a nice, creepy change of pace thanks to the cursed book which was enjoyable, before it descended in to hilarity pulling in some familiar faces we haven't seen a lot of, or at least in a while! 

Of course, I love mythology, legends and lore so I loved getting a lot more of the youkai mythology in this volume, particularly looking at the origins and birth of the various different types of youkai and it lead to an interesting reveal! 

However, I think my favourite part of this volume aside from the horror movie style cursed book chapters...were the chapters with Beniko at her family's B&B. Not only was it fun to spend time with Beniko and her three dads, one of whom (Kotake) cracked me up, but it was nice to get a bit of good old spooking too, reminiscent of the start of the series when they tried to get rid of Haruaki. I just love that we get to see more of some youkai than others for a volume and then for the next volume switch to a different one! I feel like the series is letting us get a good look at each of the youkai characters by doing things this way! 

Focusing back on youkai mythology and letting us get a good look at the students powers again, this volume was a slight return to the earlier volumes I feel, and we're presented with another fun and entertaining volume with hints of creepiness offset by the humour! 

Review: The Demon World

The Demon World 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

After narrowly escaping the fall of Rossarb, Princess Catherine leads a rag-tag group of survivors into the barren wasteland of the Northern Plateau.

With the Brigantine army snapping at their heels, Edyon and Ambrose become separated from the group, while demon hunter Tash leads Catherine and March to an unlikely refuge - the hidden tunnels of the demon world itself. They soon find that the tunnels hold their own dangers and, while Tash travels deeper, hoping to learn more about their mysterious inhabitants, Catherine and March must return to the surface to resume the war.

But the world above is in turmoil. King Aloysius's army has captured the Pitorian prince, Tzsayn, and is poised to overrun the whole country. To have any hope of challenging her father's tyranny, Catherine needs to form her own army, but when danger lurks at every turn, how can she tell an ally from an enemy? What Tash discovers in the demon tunnels could change everything, but if the message doesn't reach Catherine in time, the war might already be lost . . . 

When I read The Smoke Thieves last year I completely loved it, and The Demon World has been one of my most anticipated sequels of the year so I can finally see what happens next! While I did enjoy this every bit as much as the first book, I couldn't help but be a little bit disappointed simply because we spent the last book watching everyone come together so I was excited to see them all teaming up again in this book...but it's not long before they all end up separated again and I couldn't help but be disappointed by that. Especially as they were all in the same groups/pairs as before. Then there's the fact I was looking forward to seeing more of Tzsayn and getting to know him better but we barely catch a glimpse of him in this book. 

I also have to say, that while I liked Catherine in the previous book, in this one she went down a little in my opinion. The thing is, she's being looked down upon for being a woman and trying to do 'men things' like leading an army and I appreciated seeing her fighting against that prejudice, and having to battle against the snakey Farrow who'd I'd love to punch, but she was getting a bit too friendly with that demon smoke. She's intelligent and she's focused and the demon smoke ruins that but she does overcome it and come back to herself and I liked seeing her take control of her life. However I think my biggest problem is Ambrose. I don't....like him? I don't like his attitude, and I don't like him with Catherine because I think he's a negative influence on her as this book showed me. Whenever she was with him she seemed to just...not be quite herself, her judgement was off and yeah. 

Aside from those few gripes, we did pick up immediately where we left off, so we're back in the midst of the battle for Rossarb, leading in to a tense chase..and it's from there that things take an even more interesting turn than I had expected. We get to spend some time in the demon world, an interesting move to make and it led to some interesting discoveries and twists! I found Tash's POV particularly interesting as we got to explore the demon world a little more with her, than with all of the others, and discover how it works and how the demons work...as it were. Just when I thought the demon lore couldn't get any more interesting...I was proven wrong and I really do live for it! 

I really do love Edyon, this book hammered that home for me, he provides so much humour, although he does make things politically tricky for Catherine. She did kind of have me on edge when it came to things with Edyon because of the demon smoke issue, I didn't entirely trust that she'd sort it all out.  March continues to hit me in the feels with the secret he's keeping and how he's unused to the love and affection...and general caring that Edyon shows him and there's some angst at the end of the book courtesy of them! Their relationship, and romance is my favourite of this series, I have to say. 

The writing and world building continue to be rich, painting vivid scenes with the world continuing to be built up and expanded upon. The POV switches are smooth although I did partially wonder if Ambrose's was really necessary at one point. I feel like Tash remains as a strong character along with Edyon and March, although while I understand Catherine and Ambrose are both going through a lot...I find Ambrose to be quite annoying, whereas with Catherine...I still like her but I don't necessarily like everything about her and that she does. 

We've got action, tension, and the plot continues to move forward with our characters moving about and winding up in various different places. One allowing us to have a lot of huge reveals, another finally ending up in the place they're supposed to be, and we have a nice angsty, cliffhanger ending after a book filled with some excellent twists and reveals to keep us on our toes! 

Manga: Hatsu Haru 7

Hatsu Haru Vol 7 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

After an uneasy start to their relationship, Kai and Riko are officially dating! But now Kai has a new ocean of relationship questions to cross -- first up: what kind of lunch do you bring your girlfriend?! 

The second term begins, and obviously Riko and Kai start the new term as a couple. Of course it can't be all smooth sailing just yet, and our couple runs in to a couple of problems/new situations to navigate. They aren't entirely comfortable with each other just yet, although Kai is still quite sweet! Everything was all nice and cute, until Kai ended up spending his time moping around, soon joined by Miki who had his own dose of relationship troubles. 

I did like getting to see more of Miki's relationship and the troubles he was facing, and I liked that it showed some drama between them instead of just focusing on Kai and Riko. I feel like the troubles they're facing are very realistic, and therefore easy to empathise with and relate to. But we also get some realistic friendship drama too! Again, I liked getting to see more of Riko and Kiyo and their friendship, along with how they became friends in the first place. It all adds a lot more depth to the story and makes it easier to relate to the characters and root for them. 

I just have to say...I really do love Kai's sister, she's hilarious and never fails to make me chuckle. I so want to see more of her! I also feel like a couple of the other relationships are stepping up a little bit too and i'm hoping we'll get to see more of them and some more things happening with them! 

Volume 7 is an amusing instalment with a nice pace to it, and showcasing some realistic issues that the characters face! 

Manga: Dead Mount Death Play 2

Dead Mount Death Play Vol 2
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Disaster personified has arrived, but his purpose is unknown. One thing is certain-Polka and company are in the presence of raw power. With death upon them, Shinjuku is in frenzy...The true Death Play has begun. 

I've been looking forward to this volume to see what would happen next after a very enjoyable first volume, and volume 2 doesn't disappoint. Picking up right where we left off there's a showdown with Lemmings but no-one seems able to stop him. Arase the shady policeman is powerless and Polka fears revealing his powers in front of the police, he does however, make some interesting observations about Lemmings and the plot thickens when it comes to that character. 

Polka, in a show of character development already, puts his neck out for Misaki who I really thought he was going to abandon and to be fair..he did want to, and I loved the reluctant allies thing they had going on when she returned the favour. This volume also provides a little more background on the Corpse God, how he got in to necromancy and so on, we also get some interesting information on what his power can do. Of course the poor guy realises he knows nothing of our world, and he needs to learn...so you can imagine the hilarity that brought to this volume!  

Just when you thought things couldn't get more interesting...we get to meet Polka's family and are presented with an interesting mystery when it comes to the spirit that's attached itself to two of his family members. I thought it was particularly interesting to see what Polka's family was like, and where he came from and it did provide plenty of intrigue and a sense of distrust when it came to a couple of characters...which I haven't decided on whether it's justified yet or not in one case. 

Volume 2 gives us some nice reveals and twists, as well as some interesting connections as we find out who most likely put the hit on Polka and why, and there's an interesting connection between one of Polka's relations and Lemmings. We get to know Polka's family, who's related to who and how, who's in charge of what and so on...they're definitely interesting, and a little bit creepy at times. We also get a new character in the form of Hosorogi...a spirit inhabiting a pen. 

I do really enjoy the art for this, not just the character designs but the level of detail and the creepier scenes like for instance, when you see Polka hug his niece and nephew and then see it from another angle and it goes from heartwarming to creepy. I enjoy the little clever tricks used, and the creepier drawings mixing with the cute character designs, and the art has stayed strong so far. 

Volume 2 provides us with information, tension and danger, as well as some action and some puzzle pieces falling in to place...along with a new puzzle forming, one that we already thought we'd solved at one point in this volume! 

The final plot twist is one that comes when you think everything's all over, and it's all good, and it throws us in to a rather chilling ending. We still have a lot of questions despite the connections we've managed to make in this volume, and the reveals we've had, maintaining a nice balance between keeping us guessing while feeding us some answers so we don't get too frustrated! The pacing remains good with plenty of action and intrigue to keep you hooked alongside creepy, chilling elements! 

Manga: Kakegurui Twin 2

Kakegurui Twin Vol 2 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

After losing her hard-earned profits to student council member Aoi Mibuomi, a penniless Mary is given a chance to take it all back on just one condition: she must team up with Aoi to oust the student council president! But in order to do so, she needs to first prove her skills in one of the academy's most popular annual events-the Coupling Party! Will Mary be able to use her gambling prowess to survive this dirty game of cupid? 

I've probably already said this but I want to reiterate...I love this spin off, it's such a strong spin off and is consistently strong each volume much like the main series! As we all know from the previous volume, Mary has no choice but to team up with Aoi if she wants to avoid becoming a house pet, and this volume reveals his plan to take down the Student Council President...of course we know certain things from the main series so I'm curious to see this play out. 

This volume sees Mary get roped in to a Coupling Party to prove her gambling skills and I have to say it's an interesting game and we haven't seen one quite like it just yet in the main series, so it made a nice and exciting change from the card and dice games as you wondered how Mary was going to come out on top and how this game could be cheated when it relied on people. Of course as always...there's never any guarantees with this series that our protagonists are going to win! 

I felt a lot of empathy for Mary who's struggling in this volume with being constantly deceived and is struggling to trust people, it's a realistic reaction for her circumstances and seeing her pull herself out of it was admirable. I'm always amazed that the creator for this series can take characters that you might not like...and have you sympathising with them. 

This volume makes for tense reading (which volume of this and the main series doesn't?!) as it was unclear who the mole was. Then there's the fact that if the person who is the mole, really is the mole...then how did they do it? And if they weren't the mole, who was? And again...how did they do it? Along with all of that tension we also get a shock twist and betrayal that I didn't quite see coming and I was left screaming after that chapter! 

This volume really had me going at one point, and it's as twisty and tense as ever! I may or may not have cheered in relief once I'd gotten past the tension, but then...Mary has only succeeded in attracting more attention to herself, which leaves me with a little bit of foreboding! Now that this little interlude is over, and Mary has proved what a badass, scheming genius she is I'm excited to move on to seeing her participate in the scheme against the Student Council President in the coming volumes! 

Review: Gods of Jade and Shadow

Gods of Jade and Shadow
Rating: DNF 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. 

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld. 

Okay, so you guys may or may not know that I really struggle with DNF-ing books but last month I decided that enough is enough and if I'm not enjoying a book...I'm going to have to DNF it because I don't have the time to force myself to finish books that I'm not loving anymore. Especially as the other month I forced myself through quite a few reads that I ended up giving less than 3 stars. So here we are. I don't think you guys understand just how much I wanted to love this book. It's set in the Jazz Age, it's got Mexican Folklore and a Mayan God of Death...I wanted to love this book, and binge read it and just scream about it. 

Unfortunately, while intrigued, I found my attention wandering as I was reading and ultimately put the book down...and never really picked it back up. I tried, I'd pick it up...read a sentence and then end up putting it back down again. Much like I did with King of Ruin, I wanted to finish this and I tried to make myself but it just wasn't for me, it seems. 

What I did like, from the first 100 pages that I read, was the way the writing painted a vivid picture of Mexico right from the start. There's a lot of historical detail that was quite interesting and of course...we've got the mythology and the tales of the Gods which I can't get enough of. I admired the spark Cassiopeia had despite how she was treated by her family, I thought she was quite brave and refused to let them break her and that's all I really have to say, I'm afraid. 

This book is very simple in its storytelling, there wasn't as much depth as I'd have liked when it came to certain things, particularly the mythology, and sometimes the descriptions were a little sparse. Which is strange, considering the authors tendency to info dump quite easily at the beginning of the chapters when it came to each new city, which was what made it quite hard for me to pick this back up once I'd put it down. I happened to put it down when they'd just arrived in a new city and every time I picked it up and tried to carry on...I just couldn't get interested or invested because of the info dumping. I feel like there was a lot of telling when it came to this book, and not so much showing and I found it quite hard to get attached or invested in the characters which didn't help me when it came to reading this. 

While the premise was fantastic, the execution didn't quite live up to it, at least for me. This wasn't my style of book, and once I'd put it down I just couldn't get back in to it and I have to admit...I did start skimming after about 50 pages because of a lot of unnecessary writing. 

Manga: Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online 3

SAO Alternative Gun Gale Online Vol 3 
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

A surprise attack leaves Llenn and M fleeing to the wasteland, where they devise a strategy to eliminate their trigger-happy pursuers and seize the Squad Jam victory. 

The opening of this volume is fairly tense as we pick up where we left off at the end of the last volume and our cornered heroes attempt to make an escape, of course the Squad Jam isn't over yet and we're down to the final two teams. 

Moving forward a little bit more, we have quite an interesting change in character from M, it made for a good twist and provided some interesting information on Pitohui as well as a slight sense of foreboding. 

This volume is action packed as we have a couple of little showdowns before tailing off as we prepare for the final showdown in the next volume. I think I struggle with this series a little bit because it takes so long for the volumes to come out, and they're quite short so we've had three volumes but we still haven't finished with the Squad Jam yet, and I feel like any progress we make is very small and it kind of inches forward, rather than anything else. 

New Releases: August!

This is a bit later than it was supposed to be so apologies for that, but I've had a lot going on and my brain hasn't been 100% with it lately. There's a lot of exciting new releases to finish off your summer, and I've gathered a selection that I think you guys will also appreciate, and that I'm looking forward to myself! 

Reticence by Gail Carriger

6th August

Percival Tunstell loves that his sister and her best friend are building themselves a family of misfits aboard their airship, the Spotted Custard. Of course, he'd never admit that he belongs among them. He's always been on the outside - dispassionate, aloof, and hatless. But accidental spies, a trip to Japan, and one smart and beautiful doctor may have him renegotiating his whole philosophy on life.

Except hats. He's done with hats. Thank you very much. 

This is the fourth, and I believe the final, book in The Custard Protocol series and this time it looks like we'll be focusing on Percy and I'm so excited to head to Japan in this instalment! 

In case you don't know, this is set after the Parasol Protectorate so it'll spoil that series if you haven't read it already! 

Vow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

6th August

Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them―the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor's Watch will be a kingdom, and the two of them will meet all challenges side by side, together at last.

But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and in their rush to return to Tor's Watch, just outside the fortress walls, they are violently attacked and torn apart―and each is thrust into their own new hell.

Unsure whether the other is alive or dead, Kazi and Jase must keep their wits among their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies. And all the while, Death watches and waits. 

The sequel to Dance of Thieves! This is set in the world of The Remnant Chronicles but you don't have to have read it to read these two! 

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

6th August

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh's involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it's a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next. 

This is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and it sounds so deliciously gothic! 

The Dragon Republic by R.F Kuang

8th August

In the aftermath of the Third Poppy War, shaman and warrior Rin is on the run: haunted by the atrocity she committed to end the war, addicted to opium, and hiding from the murderous commands of her vengeful god, the fiery Phoenix. Her only reason for living is to get revenge on the traitorous Empress who sold out Nikan to their enemies.

With no other options, Rin joins forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who has a plan to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new Republic. Rin throws herself into his war. After all, making war is all she knows how to do.

But the Empress is a more powerful foe than she appears, and the Dragon Warlord’s motivations are not as democratic as they seem. The more Rin learns, the more she fears her love for Nikan will drive her away from every ally and lead her to rely more and more on the Phoenix’s deadly power. Because there is nothing she won’t sacrifice for her country and her vengeance.

This is the sequel to The Poppy War which left me screeching, I've been super pumped for it but I'm kinda poor right now and I have to wait for the paperback so everyone pray for me! 

Sanctuary by V.V. James

8th August

The small Connecticut town of Sanctuary is rocked by the death of its star quarterback. 

Daniel's death looked like an accident, but everyone knows his ex-girlfriend Harper is the daughter of a witch - and she was there when he died. 

Then the rumours start. When Harper insists Dan was guilty of a terrible act, the town turns on her. So was his death an accident, revenge - or something even darker? 

As accusations fly and secrets are revealed, paranoia grips the town, culminating in a trial that the whole world is watching . . .

I've been excited for this book ever since I saw Vic tweeting about it, and I only got more excited the more that I learned about it...then finally got all the details at Gollancz's blogger event...and I've just been itching to get my hands on this! It's going to be such an excellent read! 

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker
8th August

High seas, high stakes… and high time for revenge

Caledonia Styx let down her guard once - and her family were murdered by ruthless warlord Aric Athair and his blood-thirsty Bullets. Now captain of a crew of girls who have lost everything to the Bullets, she has sworn never to show mercy again.

But when a rogue Bullet saves the life of Caledonia's best friend, she faces an impossible choice. If she lets the boy live, could he help them bring down Athair - or will he destroy them all?

This has been one of my anticipated reads of the year because hello crew of badass female pirates! 

We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal
8th August

People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.

Nobody knows that Zafira is the Hunter. Forced to disguise herself as a man, she braves the cursed forest to feed her people. If she is exposed as a girl, all of her achievements will be rejected.

Nasir is the infamous Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If he refuses he will be punished in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya – but neither wants to be. And when Zafira embarks on a quest to restore magic to her suffering world, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve magic and kill the hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds, and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine . . .

Another of my anticipated reads and I think a lot of you guys have been excited for it too! The world's inspired by Ancient Arabia, and I can't wait to dive in to this!

Into The Hourglass by Emily King

20th August

Everley Donovan’s mission: retrieve the hallowed sword of Avelyn stolen by the wicked Prince Killian, who slayed her family and left her for dead. Should she fail, the seven worlds will come to an end, as could time itself. And no one treasures time more than Everley, whose lifesaving clock heart cannot beat forever. She has set sail with a rogue crew for the otherworlds, where the key to dethroning the prince lies deep within the Land Under the Wave.

But passage through these unknown seas—where horrors lurk and pirates rove—proves a treacherous gamble. The Land Under the Wave was not made for humans, particularly one with a fragile clock heart. Here, Everley’s tragic past resurfaces unsolved questions. Here, too, the prince has hidden secrets more precious than pearls, secrets that could fracture the future forevermore. Everley must take back her sword and break free from this watery world before her time runs out…or so will everyone else’s. 

This is the sequel to Before The Broken Star, and I mean...I think the synopsis of these two books speak for themselves? The covers are gorgeous, the hardbacks are gorgeous and it's wonderfully original and fun! 

Unleashed by Amy McCulloch

22nd August

When Lacey Chu wakes up in a hospital room with no recollection of how she got there, she knows something is up. But with her customizable smart pet, Jinx, missing in action and Moncha, the company behind the invention of the robot pet, up to something seriously sinister, she’s got a lot of figuring out to do. Lacey must use all her engineering skills if she has a chance of stopping Moncha from carrying out their plans. But can she take on the biggest tech company in North America armed with only a level 1 robot beetle ... ? 

I love Amy's books, I love how fun they are and I loved that this series has retained the fun, original element of Potion Diaries while having a different vibe to it! This is the sequel to Jinxed, and I've been so excited to see what's going to happen next with this! 

These Divided Shores by Sara Raasch

27th August

As a child, she committed unforgivable acts to free Grace Loray from King Elazar of Argrid. Now Elazar’s plan to retake the island has surpassed Lu’s darkest fears: he’s holding her and his son, Ben, captive in an endlessly shifting prison, forcing them to make a weapon that will guarantee Elazar’s success. Escape is impossible—unless Lu becomes the ruthless soldier she hoped never to be again.

Vex failed to save Lu and Ben—and that torments him as much as his Shaking Sickness. With the disease worsening, Vex throws himself into the rebellion against Argrid. The remaining free armies are allied with the stream raider syndicates—and getting them to cooperate will take a strength Vex thought burned on a pyre six years ago.

Imprisoned, betrayed, and heartbroken, Ben is determined to end his father’s rampage. Watching Elazar sway the minds of Grace Loray as he did those of Argrid, Ben knows he has to play his father’s game of devotion to win this war. But how can a heretic prince defeat the Pious God?

As armies clash and magic rises, Lu, Vex, and Ben will confront their pasts . . . or lose their futures forever.

I devoured the arc for These Rebel Waves in I don't even know how fast, I loved it. The end left me screeching, and then I had to wait even longer for the sequel because arc...but it's finally here! This is one of the sequels that I'm the most excited for, I can't lie, and I feel like I need to have a weekend to re-read These Rebel Waves and then crack on with this! 

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

27th August

Lara has only one thought for her husband on their wedding day: I will bring your kingdom to its knees. A princess trained from childhood to be a lethal spy, Lara knows that the Bridge Kingdom represents both legendary evil - and legendary promise. The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom controls all trade and travel between lands, allowing its ruler to enrich himself and deprive his enemies, including Lara's homeland. So when she is sent as a bride under the guise of fulfilling a treaty of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture the defenses of the impenetrable Bridge Kingdom. 

But as she infiltrates her new home - a lush paradise surrounded by tempest seas - and comes to know her new husband, Aren, Lara begins to question where the true evil resides. Around her, she sees a kingdom fighting for survival, and in Aren, a man fiercely protective of his people. As her mission drives her to deeper understanding of the fight to possess the bridge, Lara finds the simmering attraction between her and Aren impossible to ignore. 

Her goal nearly within reach, Lara will have to decide her own fate: Will she be the destroyer of a king or the savior of her people?

I love Danielle's books, I'm sure I've said this before? They're always fantastically imaginative reads so I'm sure you can imagine how much I've been looking forward to this book and I kind of feel quite spoiled by Danielle this year as Dark Shores also came out not long ago! 

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

27th August

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.

Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

The cover for this is so beautiful and the synopsis has me intrigued, so I can't wait to check this one out! 

Manga: As Miss Beelzebub Likes 6

As Miss Beelzebub Likes Vol 6 
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Between Mullin's adoration and Belphegor's love, Azazel has plenty of admirers. But there's no fan of Azazel's quite like his own vice-captain, Samyaza! A firm believer in the importance of a shredded bod, Samyaza is on a quest to maintain Azazel's image as a man's man-and he's got an endless supply of protein powder to help him! With a guy like that around, can Azazel still find the time to enjoy the cute things in life? 

We make some progress with Belphegor and Azazel with the implementation of an exchange diary, and Mullin wasn't the only one meddling to try and help them communicate which provided a lot of amusement in this volume. 

The main focus of this volume is Azazel and we even meet Samyaza, his attendant. This means that we get a little more information on Azazel, turns out he's the leader of the Grigori corps and I liked getting to know the mysterious Azazel a little bit more finally. Samyaza also made for an amusing character as he's so focused on making sure Azazel appears macho! 

Alongside all of that, Mullin becomes even more relatable when it comes to his weekend gaming plans, and he even bonds somewhat with Samyaza. It was fun to get another interesting new character, as well as get to know some of the old characters even better. The relationships are progressing bit by bit, and this is another entertaining volume! 

Manga: Magus of the Library

Magus of the Library Vol 1
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

In the small village of Amun lives a poor boy named Theo. Theo adores books, but because of his pointed ears and impoverished life, he isn't allowed to use the village library. As he endures the prejudice and hatred of the village, he dreams of going where such things don't exist: Aftzaak, City of Books. But one day, Theo chances to meet a Kafna--a librarian who works for the great library of Aftzaak--and his life changes forever... 

Not only the title and synopsis for this one attracted me to it, but the completely gorgeous cover art did as well and I have to say the art on the inside is to the same standard! I really enjoyed the art style for this one, the character designs were beautiful but so were the backgrounds and settings...the detail was truly wonderful. 

Theo is very easy to empathise with as he's picked on because of his ears, and with all his talk of heroes I was waiting for his own hero to show up...and then came Sedona! Who happens to be hilariously dramatic. 

I was fascinated by the world of this series, and the city of books and what the Kafna get up to and there's a lot of background to get out of the way first in this, including a short history of books and how the written word developed from tablets to scrolls and so on. I loved the description of books being like portals to new worlds and some pulling you in no matter what, it was so accurate! 

Despite the large amount of background to go through, and the build up to things actually happening there is a fair bit going on in this volume, a search for a grimoire, a sacred beast of legend and then the story really starts to get going and we have Magi and fire spirits too! 

This first volume does a fantastic job at introducing us to Theo, connecting us to him, as well as introducing the world of the book and what the Kafna are and what their duties are, as well as the library, all alongside a little adventure! This volume does nicely at highlighting the joys of reading, which as a bookworm, I appreciated immensely! Of course once things have been set up and introduced we have a nicely handled time skip before Theo heads out to take the test and the real adventure can begin. 

Of course, we can't just end with a happy adventurer vibe, oh no. We've gotten background on the world and its history as I've said, and that combined with the narrative at the very end of this volume makes for an incredibly ominous feel...but also has you leaving the volume with a sense of anticipation.