Graphic Novel Reviews: Black Bird vol. 12, Darwin’s Diaries vol. 1, and Pandemonium

  Black Bird vol. 12 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (Viz) – 4 Stars. A really great installment in a series that I’m absolutely addicted to. I really am so glad that there’s more of a focus on the Tengu, particularly the bonds between Kyo and his clan. Also the romance between Kyo and Misao has become more relaxed and sweet rather than somewhat weirdly obsessive and discomfiting. I am also very concerned for Hoki and longing for volume 13!

The Eye of the Celts: Darwin’s Diaries #1 by Eduardo Ocana and Sylvain Runberg (Cinebook) – 2.5 Stars. This volume left me with more questions than answers and not in a good way. However, I’m curious to see what Darwin’s deal/damage ends up being as well as finding out the cause behind the monster he’s investigating. I’m not sure I could recommend this title without seeing how the next volume plays out, but it does remind me a little bit of The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey.

  Pandemonium by Chris Wooding and Cassandra Diaz (Scholastic) - 4 Stars. Although I do sort of wish there had been a bit more substance and explanations, I was completely won over by the artwork. Not to mention how quirky, imaginative, and endearing the characters, the world, and the demonic Prince and the Pauper plot were. I also really liked the humor of it all. I think this will really appeal to fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Naruto, and Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet. If there’s a sequel, I will definitely be back for more Seifer and Carcassa.

Review: American Vampire vol. 3 by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Sean Murphy

How did I get it: The library.

Why did I read it:  I loved volume 1 and 2 of American Vampire so I just had to get volume 3 as soon as it came out.

How I would rate it: 5 out of 5 stars.

Summary:

This volume of the critically acclaimed series follows the star of American Vampire, Pearl, and her husband, Henry, as he is recruited by a mysterious group of vampire hunters, and head to World War II Japan to find a new breed of blood sucker. But what does the notorious vampire Skinner Sweet have to do with it?

Review: Without a doubt, this is one of the best graphic novels of 2012.

Divided into three separate parts, the scope, the horror, and the plot of American Vampire volume 3 were all top notch. I also loved all of the characters, particularly Pearl, Henry, Felicia, and Cash. “Strange Frontier” shed even more light on Sweet and also how it would feel for humans to be at the end of the era with no role left to serve outside of as a sideshow attraction. “Ghost War” dealt with Vietnam and a new strain of vampires that looked like H.R. Giger’s Aliens. It was so much fun and, as always, Pearl and Henry’s love for one another was very touching. “Survival of the Fittest” featured vampire Nazis, which was really cool, and the action was really engaging. The ending was incredibly sad in several ways, but fitting in keeping with the tone of the series thus far. I can’t wait to see what comes of certain revelations about vampire species, and what new plot points lie ahead for the all the timelines being explored.

In conclusion, awesome! For those who long for fiction where vampires are menacing, complicated, and just plain entertaining, I heartily recommend reading the American Vampire series ASAP.

Related Reviews:

• American Vampire vol. 1 by Scott Snyder and Stephen King
• American Vampire vol. 2 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque

Review: Geronimo Stilton #48: The Mystery in Venice

How did I get it: The library.

Why did I read it: I haven’t been in the mood for much of anything at all lately, but I was pretty excited about the new Geronimo Stilton book. I remain completely unashamed of my Geronimo Stilton addiction.

How I would rate it: 5 out of 5 stars.

Summary: 

When my friend Petunia Pretty Paws gave me a crystal figurine of a boat as a gift, I had to accept it. After all, I have the biggest crush on Petunia! But oh, was that crystal boat ugly! So I wasn’t too sad when my cousin Trap accidentally broke it, especially when I discovered a piece of paper inside with a mysterious message from someone in Venice, Italy, asking for help! A gentlemouse never ignores a request for assistance. So I, Geronimo Stilton, would do whatever it took to save the day!

Review: In Geronimo’s 48th adventure, he ends up in Venice and attempts to help out a mouse in trouble while failing to learn to be a glassblower’s apprentice. There’s plenty of humor and adventure as Geronimo handles both unrequited, irritating love and a bet which requires him to enter an annual rowing contest called the Regatta delle Befane. Thankfully his family and friends come to the aid of the party, and everyone ends up just fine plus or minus a few crystal boats, but that’s just as well.

I just cannot imagine finding fault with this series on any level. Even though there’s a bit of a formula to them in that Geronimo is bound to deal with a series of whacky misadventures before ultimately ending up happy with friends, I think that’s more a cause for celebration than cynical nit-picking.  I consider the half an hour I spent reading Mystery in Venice on Friday to have been the highlight of a rather dismal week, and you better believe I am putting a request in for Geronimo Stilton #49: The Way of the Samurai ASAP.

In conclusion, wonderful.

Review: Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard

 How did I get it: The library.

Why did I read it: I’ve been enjoying this series a lot. The second this third installment came out, I checked it out and devoured it.

How I would rate it: 4 out of 5 stars.

Summary: 

My killer is out there.

And my sister might be next.

Two months before I died, my best friend’s brother disappeared. I have no idea where Thayer went or why he left, but I know it’s my fault. I did a lot of horrible things while I was alive, things that made people “hate” me, maybe even enough to kill me.

Desperate to solve my murder, my long-lost twin, Emma, is pretending to be me and unraveling the many mysteries I left behind–my cryptic journal, my tangled love life, the dangerous Lying Game pranks I played. She’s uncovered my friends’ darkest secrets, but she’s never had the chance to dig into Thayer’s past–until now.

Thayer’s back and Emma has to move fast to figure out if he’s after revenge . . . or if he’s already gotten it.

Review: As I noted previously, it is difficult to review books in a series and come up with something new to say if the books continue to be similar to one another in quality and content. That said, I read this book even faster than the last two, and it’s probably my favorite so far.

Matters are becoming increasingly more complicated and confusing for both Emma and her deceased twin Sutton. All the light shed on alibis and motives has really come to amount to nothing much, particularly in the case of close friends and family members including Laurel. Although the adults have remained at the very periphery of the series’ plot, I wonder how long that will last since it seems like one or more of them could be up to no good.

I really liked that Emma’s distinct disadvantages became more a part of things, particularly now that finding the answers requires asking questions Sutton would be expected to know the answer to. I really loved the moments where she spent time with Sutton’s mother, continued to reach out to Madeline, learned that Sutton also named stars, and finally made the decision to do something to make herself happy by being far less secretive about her feelings/connection to Ethan. Thayer, of course, complicates everything and even by the end of the book, Emma knows far less about him than anyone else including Sutton and the reader, which I think is pretty cool.

More than anything else, I’ve just really been enjoying the crazy suspenseful ride Emma has been on throughout the first 3 books of The Lying Game series. Nothing is ever dry, clear cut, or straightforward as it first appears. No progress ever gets made without making a mess of the conjectures or notions Emma had initially arrived at, and while I initially expected this to drive me up a wall, instead it’s just been a blast.

In conclusion, can it be July now? I need Hide and Seek so badly it’s not even funny.

Related Reviews:

• The Lying Game by Sara Shepard (The Lying Game #1)
• Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard (The Lying Game #2)

Valentine’s Day Reads for Every Frame of Mind

Valentine’s Day isn’t really that exciting a day for me, but it is one where I get to thinking about fictional couples because the nice part of a fictional couple is they never make you feel like a third wheel when you’re following them around.

Couples like Ash Turner and Margaret Dalrymple from Courtney Milan’s Unveiled, Carrot and Angua from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, Chess and Terrible* from Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series, Eve Dallas and Roarke from J. D. Robb’s In Death series, Kate Daniels and Curran from Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series, and Warren and Kyle from Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series.

Yet even as I make that list, it occurs to me that the reason I love those couples? The reason I want to visit them again and again? Is that they have, often literally, a working partnership. They provide one another not just with happy times under the covers but with a support, friendship, and really a wonderful sort of love that is always worth reading about and paying attention to. Besides, it’s only logical to assume that the person who has your back all year round is the person most likely to garner some kind of Valentine’s Day card or stuffed toy or e-mail. Or at least they ought to.

So in addition to those couples listed above, all of which come highly recommended for various reasons, I would suggest checking out the following fictional (and strictly platonic**) partnerships:

Bertie Wooster and Reginald Jeeves from P. G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves series, Everett Hitch and Virgil Cole from Robert B. Parker’s Cole/Hitch series, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner from DC Comics, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin from Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series, Serge A. Storms and Coleman from Tim Dorsey’s Serge A. Storm series, and Wolverine and Nightcrawler from Marvel comics.

I suspect it would be remiss of me not to mention animal companions as being deserving of some acknowledgement of all the unconditional love they can provide throughout the year. But just in case you don’t have a beloved pet, there’s always Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and his dragon Toothless from Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon series or Arren and his griffin Skandar from K.J. Taylor’s Fallen Moon series.

Then again, if you’re alone this Valentine’s Day and none too happy about it so you want to read about fictional people who are likely to be forever alone, there’s always Christopher Carrion from Clive Barker’s Abarat series. He’s bound to make you feel better about your day, night, or lot in life at the present moment.

If none of those sound good… Well, I’m sure I could think of something else. Let me know!

 

 

* Right now there’s a short story about them called Home over at heroesandheartbreakers.com! To read it, all you have to do is sign up for a free membership.

** Unless read from a certain vantage point. In some cases. Not that I would know anything about that. Ahem.

Highlights from the Book Horde #50

Highlights from the Book Horde is a weekly post where I list the awesome books I’ve bought, borrowed, received in the mail, or checked out of the library.

In the Mail:
                          Review copies of Black Howl by Christina Henry (February 28), Doubletake by Rob Thurman (March 6), Fated by Benedict Jacka (February 28), and How to Be Death by Amber Benson (February 28) from Ace/Penguin.

From the Library:
American Vampire vol. 3 by Scott Snyder
Black Bird vol. 12 by Kanoko Sakurakoji
Blue Exorcist vol. 6 by Kazue Kato
Dorohedoro vol. 1-3 by Q. Hayashida
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
Infinite Kung Fu by Robert Venditti
Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard

Review: Better by Jaime Samms

How did I get it: Netgalley.

Why did I read it: The last sentence of the summary was very relevant to my interests.

How I would rate it: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Summary:

After filing charges that put his abusive ex-Dom behind bars, Jesse Turbul relocates halfway across the country, hoping to escape his past—but, of course, it’s never that easy. When Jesse meets third-year law student Aadon at the library where he works, their mutual attraction is instant and obvious.

Despite the sparks, they just can’t seem to make it work. Aadon is mired in guilt over his inability to help his older brother, damaged by events far too similar to Jesse’s past. Jesse is stuck in his own desperate wish to forget the painful shadow that continues to threaten him and any hope of a happy future.

The only way to move forward is for Jesse to acknowledge he’s broken and for Aadon to accept he can’t make him better.

Review: Oh, Jesse and Aadon! Where can I even begin? Both of these characters were so, so terrific in so many flawed, wonderful ways. Jesse is just a heartbreaker, struggling to recover from a lot of scars, both internal and external. Aadon is struggling to pretend he doesn’t have as many issues as he does as he fights an uphill battle for his ailing older brother, Ricky.

Samms did a great job avoiding easy solutions or turning either of her leading men into stereotypes. In fact she did a great job of sort of setting up a cliché dynamic only to make it clear that such a relationship wouldn’t work for either Jesse or Aaddon. I especially love that their being people in need of love and happiness was far more central to Better‘s plot than their sexual orientation.

Along the way to finding a fresh start with each other, both men mess up badly together and apart in such natural and painful ways. There was so much give and take, so many emotions, so many moving scenes, and just so much believability to their relationship from start to finish. Neither one is fixed, neither one is completely broken, and neither one is stronger than the other. They will probably never have all the answers or a cure-all for all they’ve been through, but they have each other and that was a lovely message.

So the plot was really engaging and the writing was lovely. There were a lot of cooks in the kitchen as far as minor characters were concerned, but they all served a purpose. I particularly liked Aadon’s friends and family as well as his therapist. I got a bit tired of Jesse’s support network since there seemed to be a lot of guilt-tripping from all sides and plenty of anxiety-inducing phone calls involved that never seemed particularly helpful. The light shed on Jesse’s close friend Sarah’s behavior towards the end of the book made me roll my eyes and groan because I really hoped the author wouldn’t go there, but none of the minor characters actively interfered or ruined the book for me.

In conclusion, Better is a beautifully executed Romance that I could not recommend highly enough and one that I will certainly re-read in the near future. After I read more of Mrs. Samms’ books, of course. And do not even get me started on how much I want to have the babies of Chapters 20 and 21.