Re:ZERO: Starting Life in Another World Chapter 2: A Week at the Mansion Vol 2
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Subaru thought his life would be peaceful now, but now he's died again and doesn't know why! Subaru tries everything he can to avoid repeating that fate, but nothing seems to work. Beatrice the librarian might be Subaru's only hope!
I'm not going to lie, I'm getting way more in to this story arc than I am the first story arc! The plot just keeps thickening and hooking me in more and more and I'm coming up with all these theories and trying to put everything together! I feel like this story arc is a lot better and a lot stronger than the first one, like the story is finding its stride almost.
Subaru has gone four days back and that really starts to get to him in this volume. It was a very well done and realistic reaction to his situation and I enjoyed seeing it play out on the page. He adopts the tactic of trying to make everything go exactly the same this time around with interesting effects.
Roswaal provides him and us with a tutorial on how magic works in this world, something that I found very interesting and would like to know more about. Roswaal provides mixed feelings for me. I want to like him, I want to believe that he has nothing to do with anything dodgy, but as much as I love his character and want to see more of him and root for him..I feel like somethings off about him and I'm just waiting to see what it is.
This volume provides us with a suitably shocking reveal and some surprise twists that I loved and had me gasping! There's some gory deaths and a lot more information about the world and Subaru's situation, again, something that I find very intriguing.
I'm really liking Beatrice, shockingly, and I'm intrigued by her. I'd love to see more of her and find out more about her and her past and who she is and so on. I could say the same about Rem and Ram as well! I so badly want to know more about their pasts and I'm hoping the next volume will provide that!
On top of aaaaaallll of that, we get an original short story at the end of the volume too!
A Week at the Mansion, I feel, really steps the story up. There's more gory deaths, more surprises, more intrigue and I feel like the tension is higher in this volume. There's brilliant new characters to get to know, and that fill you with intrigue as you try to piece together their pasts and so on. I'm so damn curious about Ram and Rem and motivations certain characters have! I feel like this arc is going to be a lot more detailed and go in to a lot more depth and I'm excited to see it play out!
Rokka Vol 3
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
The search of the traitor continues. Adlet's won over Hans, but this is no time to rest on his laurels--next up is Chamo, the Saint of Swamps! Despite her cute looks, this little girl is said to be the most powerful warrior alive, and things take a turn for the worse when she refuses to listen to reason. The Braves of the Six Flowers need to find the traitor quick before this turns into a bloodbath!
You guys know I'm loving this series, and things are picking up more and more as the intrigue and mystery deepens in this volume. We're straight in with the action in this volume, right from the start. Hans is firmly on Team Adlet but no-one else is buying it and there's a couple of characters looking pretty suspicious right about now. Something also changes with the Princess and she goes full on ragey...an interesting development for her character.
Mora continues to be the most suspicious character to me, I'm not going to lie. She's super suspicious and I really don't trust her or like her all that much. I don't really like Camo either although a lot of my irritation with Camo from the light novel isn't present here for the manga, possibly because the manga has less narrative, if you know what I mean.
My favourite two characters are definitely Hans and Adlet and I love how all of the characters are drawn, but Hans and Adlet in particular are brilliant! In this volume we see Adlet bond with Fremy and finally wins her to his side and I'm excited to see their relationship play out.
This volume ends with Adlet cornered and with only one ally nearby. Tension is high and it was such a mean place to leave the volume! Adlet's got enemies rushing to kill him and we have to wait for the next volume to see what happens next! CRUUUEELL!
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers has brilliant art and a fantastic pace with ever mounting tension building up and in this volume that tension hits an all time high. We leave off with high tension and huge uncertainty about who to trust and suspicions about some characters mounting! I'm so excited for the next volume and to see the truth come out!
Waiting For Spring Vol 1
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
A sweet romantic story of a soft-spoken high school freshman and her quest to make friends, Waiting for Spring will delight fans of earnest, fun, and dramatic shojo like Kimi ni Todoke and Say I Love You.
Mizuki is a shy girl who's about to enter high school, and vows to open herself up to new friendships. Of course, the four stars of the boys' basketball team weren't exactly the friends she had in mind! Yet, when they drop by the cafe where she works, the five quickly hit it off. Soon she's been accidentally thrust into the spotlight, targeted by jealous girls. And will she expand her mission to include... love?
I looooveee this manga! Like I read this volume and I can't wait for Volume 2...I need it now! I'd be tempted to read each individual chapter as it's released if the publisher was doing that (I don't think they are, correct me if I'm wrong!) which is something I never do because I love reading just one big volume! I'm impatient and the little chapters aren't enough but I desperately need more of this manga! I'd been looking forward to this manga ever since it arrived on my doorstep and I purposely saved it for last, I knew it was going to be a mood lifter!
Mitsuki is so relatable, I'm not going to lie. I loved her so much! As for the other characters....Towa is my favourite so far, I ship him and Mitsuki so badly it's not even funny. Rui is coming in a close second, he cracks me up so much! I'm not sure how I feel about Kyosuke and Ryuji so far, I need to see more of them to decide! They all seemed kind of like a-holes at first to be honest! It was nice to get to know them and see them interact with each other and with her and see another side to them and what they're really like.
Nana was another favourite character of mine, she was surprisingly nice, I'd pegged her as a mean character! I was also pleasantly surprised by Reina too! I loved all of Mitsuki's interactions with the boys. Waiting for Spring is such an enjoyable read and it really pulls you in and brightens your mood and then it leaves you hanging at the end!
Waiting For Spring is funny, enjoyable, easy to read and super addictive. It's also ridiculously cute and very well drawn, not to mention light and funny! I'm so excited for each new volume and to see where the story goes and if my ship sails and to get to know the other characters better! I had high expectations for this one and it really didn't let me down! It's looking to be a great romance manga!
Clockwork Planet Vol 3
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
After Naoto, RyuZU, Marie, and Halter’s mission to save Kyoto succeeded, the group must lie low. Branded as terrorists and with Marie presumed dead, the new allies decide to gather more information while acting out the daily lives of high school students—something Marie isn’t used to! While undercover, Marie receives valuable information through a coded message: The government is still abusing core parts to endanger civilians. Meanwhile, RyuZU wishes to find her little “sister,” AnchoR, but when the fellow automaton appears, is she a friend or foe?
So, I've been watching the anime of this, and I've not really been loving it. I couldn't wait for it to end to be honest. The manga however, is very good! It's so much better than the anime, so if you watched the anime and weren't that impressed...give the manga a try! I've been looking forward to each new volume and with this one, things are picking up even more!
We spend a bit more time at the high school in this volume, than we do in the anime, with Marie fitting right on in..or not as the case may be! I actually enjoyed that part of the arc and I hope we get some more scenes there because they crack me up. It's definitely more extended than I remember the anime being so it's nice to see some fresh new scenes.
We get Saionji, who's a new character as far as I'm aware...the anime kind of blurs in to meh for me. I'm wondering if Saionji is on to Marie or not, but he was only in it for a little bit...I thought he was a bit of a prat but I'd be intrigued if he popped up again to see what role he'll play in the story if any. It seemed like he might have a part to play but we'll see.
I love how fonts are used with speech in this manga, I'm not going to lie. RyuZU has a very mechanical/computer kind of font and Saionji has a flowery one to match his attempts at flirting with Marie. You get such a sense of tone and how the voice would sound from it, it really adds to the reading experience.
I really love Vermouth! And I'm loving RyuZU more and more, she cracks me up. Marie is still my total favourite though, I love her! She makes me chuckle and she's so intelligent and badass. Naoto isn't as irritating as in the anime, and is more bearable in the manga, but I still haven't warmed up to him 100%. I think next volume will make or break this series for me.
In this volume we get more of the history of the Clockwork Planet which I really loved, I want to know so much more about it and I've been itching for this kind of material, I hope we'll get more and more as the volumes go on!
Clockwork Planet is much better than the anime by far, and the manga always gives me a chuckle. Particularly the interactions between everyone in the group! I really love how it's drawn among various other little touches, and I'm liking the pace it has so far. I'm still intrigued, and I'm excited to see where this is going to go next, and how much more it'll differ from the anime!
Blackwing
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: BUY!
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Nothing in the Misery lasts…
Under a cracked and wailing sky, the Misery is a vast and blighted expanse, created when the Engine, the most powerful weapon in the world, was unleashed against the immortal Deep Kings. Across the wasteland, teeming with corrupted magic and malevolent wraiths, the Deep Kings and their armies are still watching—and still waiting.
Ryhalt Galharrow is no stranger to the Misery. The bounty hunter journeys to a remote outpost, armed for killing both men and monsters, and searching for a mysterious noblewoman. He finds himself in the middle of a shocking attack by the Deep Kings, one that should not be possible. Only a fearsome show of power from the very woman he is seeking saves him.
Once, long ago, he knew the woman well, and together they stumble onto a web of conspiracy that threatens to unmake everything they hold dear and end the fragile peace the Engine has provided. Galharrow is not ready for the truth about the blood he’s spilled and the gods he’s supposed to serve…
What a debut you! Blackwing drew me in more and more until I reached a point when I looked up, blinking back in to the real world with no idea what day or time it was, I became so engrossed in the book! I'd read most of the book in one go and completely forgotten about everything else. All I could think about was getting back to the book until I could finally sit back down and finish it. It was completely brilliant.
The opening of the book intrigued me, I was instantly curious about the world and eager to learn more about it and our main character Ryhalt Galharrow. Ryhalt is a great narrator, I love the narrative voice he had, he didn't take any shit from anyone and he told it like it was. He was such a realistic and believable character, and you couldn't help but root for him. I was so intrigued by his backstory and his history that we learned through tidbits throughout the book. I was completely hooked within in a couple of chapters.
Ryhalt is just one of a brilliant cast, there's his crew made of a group misfits and interesting people. Tnota who I for one, feel didn't get enough page time! I wanted to see more of him and learn more of his past, he cracked me up. And then there was Nenn. Nenn was my second favourite character after Ryhalt, and at the beginning of the book I was screaming "Noooooo! Why Ed whyyyy!?". But it was all good. I just loved her, she was a badass, she didn't put up with any crap and she owned it. I'm so curious about her, we learn a little about her and how she came to know Ryhalt but it wasn't enough. I need for Nenn to have a book of her own! She had some brilliant banter with Ryhalt too, and I loved their friendship and bond.
The Tanza siblings where an intriguing duo. Ezabeth was intriguing, I wanted to know more about her and what she could do and who she was and what went down between her and Ryhalt. She's powerful, and she's been through the wringer and she kept on fighting. She was the only one fighting to get out what she knew, and she wouldn't give up no matter how bad things got, I respected the hell out of her. She's a badass in her own way, not the same as Nenn, but a badass all the same. She also provided some very low key romance with Ryhalt. Very low key, don't worry guys.
As for her brother Dantry, I was all set to dislike him for being useless and whatnot, but I ended up really liking him by the end. Sure I rolled my eyes at a him a couple of times, but by the end of the book he'd changed and grown up a lot and I felt for the poor guy. I'm intrigued to see where his story will go.
These brilliantly intriguing and memorable characters populate a world that's so vivid I could picture it clearly. It was like the book was a movie playing inside my head, it was atmospheric, one of the things that helped to pull me right in to the book. You could feel the tension in the air, feel the uncomfortable atmosphere of the Misery. I was fascinated by the world and how it worked. I wanted to know everything about it. The Darlings provided a suitably creepy enemy, and I'll never be able to look at a small child without shuddering again. The Nameless provided plenty more intrigue too, who are they? What do they look like? What's their story? I'm going to need a separate book on the history of the world and the Nameless I'm not going to lie.
There's plenty of action throughout the book right from the start, and the battles and fights have you right on the edge of your seat, you're as tense as the characters are and completely with them in the moment. One particular battle actually reminded me vaguely of Helm's Deep. The world was just so different, post apocalyptic with a dash of Western.
Ed McDonald's writing was superb. He wove a picture with his words and I loved the phrases and descriptions he used. They fit with the world he created and the characters and everything in this book came together so well. It was fast paced, vivid, cinematic, atmospheric, humourous at parts and heartbreaking at others. I cheered with the characters, I was on the edge of my seat, and I was frantically trying to work out all of the intrigues and put pieces together. He kept me guessing until the end, and he's going to be an interesting voice in fantasy. One to watch for sure, and I'm excited to read more of his writing, to see what he does next!
Blackwing is an absolute blinder of a debut, it hooks you and draws you in until you've lost all track of time. Who even are you anymore? You're so invested in Ryhalt and his group it's like you're one of them. I'd heard all of the hype about this book, and I always take it with a pinch of salt but Blackwing deserves every single bit of hype. Ed McDonald provides a refreshing voice in fantasy, and the world he's created is one that I'm excited to explore. I need more please!
Compulsive Gambler Vol 1
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you're the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it's not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It's reading your opponent-the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling?At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she's gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!
The premise for Compulsive Gambler sounded amazing, a school for gamblers?! I eagerly dived in to this and I wasn't disappointed! This is one of my favourite manga of the year so far, it's brilliant. The atmosphere of this book is so creepy and puts you a little bit on edge, and then each game has tension that you can feel building. The art is completely brilliant too, right from the start with its colour pages, and all the way throughout the volume.
I really liked how the characters where drawn looking all cute and pretty the majority of the time but when it came to the uglier aspects of the school and the games, the desire to win, the need to win, the money and the nastiness, the characters expressions would be drawn a lot differently and definitely uglier. It was a nice touch especially as this manga portrays the darkness of society throughout. Not to mention the unfairness.
As soon as we start reading, we meet Mary Saotome, one of the nastier characters. I instantly hoped Yumeko would take her down but by the end of the volume I couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for her. As we read, we get a building sense of dread about the student council and their president until they finally make their appearances. They're pretty much a corrupt dictatorship in charge of everyone. Things get very interesting when they make their entrance and I'm intrigued to see how things are going to play out with them.
I love Yumeko! She's such an interesting character, she appears at first to be a nice, 'gentle' girl, but it quickly becomes apparent that she's a little bot sociopathic you could say, when it comes to gambling. She's quite a badass to be honest, and she's a little bit scary. She's incredibly intelligent and uses that to win and uncover everyones cheating methods. I got some Sherlock vibes in the way she uncovered and talked through each of the cheating methods and how it was done and so on.
Suzui, Yumeko's unlikely friend and our POV, would be the Watson to her Holmes. I really felt for him, the poor guys the most normal kid there from what I can see and he's experienced the full crappiness of what can happen at his school. I'm interested to see where this friendship is going to be honest, they seem to me like quite an unlikely pair.
I got so on edge and tense during the first gambling match, it was so cleverly done with the tension building and the way Mary played it and then the reveal happened and I got so excited for this series. I quickly became addicted to this, reading it as fast as I could. The tension is built up for each game, you think Yumeko's gonna figure it all out and win...but does she always? There's moments when you think she's done for, but she mostly pulls it back...sort of. I loved reading about the different games and how they're played, and the cheating methods being used. It was so interesting and Yumeko would be such a badass with the reveals. She's a bit crazy but I really, really root for her!
I'm so excited for the next volume to see her face off with the student council president and see what she's going to do after the results of her last match, not to mention see how Suzui fits in to everything, is he just there to be our view point or is he just there to be her sidekick or is there more to it? This is going to be such a brilliant series, and I'm going to be eagerly awaiting each new volume!
