Review – The Missing Season by Gillian French

The Missing Season by Gillian French The Missing Season
By: Gillian French
Release Date: May 21, 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating:


Gillian French’s newest novel, The Missing Season, is a novel that straddles several genres—mystery, horror, and thriller. The author is no stranger to the genre, her novel Grit being nominated for an Edgar Award. This novel, too, is a great example of a young adult book that falls within that liminal space between thriller and horror.

#MangaMonday Review – Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 1 by Tomohito Oda

Komi Can't Communicate Vol 1 by Tomohito Oda Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 1
By: Tomohito Oda
Illustrator: Tomohito Oda
Release Date: June 11, 2019
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Series: Komi Can't Communicate #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 1 by Tomohito Oda is a delightful manga that begins on the first day of high school. It’s a story of friendship, teenage awkwardness, and of learning to overcome the fear of communicating with others.

Review – Lady Mechanika, Vol. 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Lady Mechanika: La Belle Dam Sans Merci Lady Mechanika, Vol. 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci
By: Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen
Illustrator: Martin Montiel, Beth Sotelo
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Publisher: Benitez Productions
Series: Lady Mechanika
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


We find ourselves back in Lady Mechanika’s steampunk London once again. Finally, our protagonist’s creator seems to be coming out of the shadows, but all is not well with inventor Archibald Lewis. And so kicks off Lady Mechanika, Volume 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci written by M. M. Chen and Joe Benitez, and with art by Martin Montiel and Beth Sotelo.

Review – My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 5 by Hideyuki Furuhashi & Betten Court

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 5
By: Hideyuki Furuhashi
Illustrator: Betten Court
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Series: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes #5
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


The fifth installment of the My Hero Academia spin-off series My Hero Academia: Vigilante, Vol. 5 by Hideyuki and Betten Court was released summer 2019. This volume brings certain elements from the first arc to conclusion, and introduces new elements which will certainly be explored further in the future.

Review – The Psychology of Zelda by Anthony M. Bean

The Psychology of Zelda The Psychology of Zelda
By: Anthony M. Bean (editor)
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Publisher: Smart Pop
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


The Psychology of Zelda, compiled by editor Anthony M. Bean, is a nonfiction novel about the beloved Legend of Zelda series and how psychology is utilized throughout the franchise. Each chapter is a separate article by a different author, many of whom are currently researching different aspects of video games.

Review – This House is Haunted by John Boyne

This House is Haunted by John Boyne This House is Haunted
By: John Boyne
Release Date: April 25, 2013
Publisher: Doubleday
Rating:


This House is Haunted by John Boyne is a wonderful, slow read filled with all of the wonderful bits of traditional gothic horror. Set in 1867, the story is told by Eliza Caine, a young woman who works as a teacher for young girls. When tradgedy besets her and her father, Eliza takes up a new position as a governess to two children living in a country manor. The children are odd, their parents are missing, something is wrong with the house, and none of the townsfolk will talk about any of it.

Review – Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Wanderers
By: Chuck Wendig
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Publisher: Del Rey
Rating:


A tale of humanity and utter destruction, Wanderers by Chuck Wendig is a fantastic epic sure to please fans of multiple genres. What begins as a mysterious illness effecting a few hundred people soon spirals into much more as the entire country takes notice. This seven hundred page epic takes readers from one coast to the other on a journey that takes you right to the end of the world.

Review – The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

Front cover of The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami The Strange Library
By: Haruki Murakami
Illustrator: Chip Kidd
Translator: Ted Goossen
Release Date: December 2, 2014
Publisher: Knopf
Rating:


A small novella, The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami sits neatly in the space between fairy tales, the surreal, and magical realism. It is a short thing, barely 96 pages, with a great deal of artwork. But within that space lies the unknown, the unforgiving, and both the harshness and beauty of the world and people.

#MangaMonday Review – No Guns Life, Vol. 1 by Tasuku Karasuma

No Guns Life Volume 1 by Tasuku Karasuma No Guns Life, Vol. 1
By: Tasuku Karasuma
Illustrator: Tasuku Karasuma (illustrations); Evan Walding (touch-up art & lettering)
Translator: Joe Yamazaki
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Series: No Guns Life #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


No Guns Life, Vol. 1 by Tasuku Karasuma is a seinen science fiction manga which has an anime adaptation airing this season, Fall 2019. In a future world, some humans have become the extended, people augmented with mechanical body parts which greatly increase their physical abilities. Juzo Inui is one of the extended, with a gun in place of a head. He is a Resolver, solving conflicts between the extended and regular humans.