Review – Revolutionary Girl Utena Vol. 1 by Chiho Saito

Revolutionary Girl Utena Vol. 1
By: Chiho Saito
Release Date: March 23, 2017
Publisher: VIZ Media; Shojo Beat
Series: Revolutionary Girl Utena #1
Rating:


Sometimes there’s a book I just need. The gorgeous boxed set of Revolutionary Girl Utena was exactly that. I’ll be honest. I’m low-key obsessed with the anime of the same name. I watch it from start to finish a few times a year. Despite this, I never read the manga. Well, now’s my chance! This is the first volume in a two volume boxed set by Be-Papas, the creative collective behind Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Chiho Saito, the mangaka.

And who can resist a beautiful hardcover edition of a manga?

#ThrowbackThursday Review – Wanted by Matsuri Hino

Wanted
By: Matsuri Hino
Translator: Low Sin Lu
Release Date: (Original Japanese) 2005; (English) September 2, 2008
Publisher: VIZ Media
Rating:


I have been on a manga buying/reading spree lately. I’m a little late to the manga scene, at least compared to my husband, and have been trying to make up for it by picking up more or less every old manga I find at used book sales. Wanted by Matsuri Hino was one such purchase. That’s right. This is a standalone manga from the creator of Vampire Knight.

#MangaMonday Review – Ocean of Secrets Vol. 1 by Sophie-chan

Ocean of Secrets Volume 1
By: Sophie-chan
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Publisher: TokyoPop
Series: Ocean of Secrets #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


It’s no secret that I love manga. So when I had the opportunity to review a copy of a new manga I’d never heard of before, of course I jumped on it. Ocean of Secrets, Volume 1 is a brand new series by the mangaka Sophie-chan. The cover was full of pretty purples, and drew my eye to it immediately. This volume will be released on May 16, 2017, just a little over a week from now.

Throwback Thursday: Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6)

Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: August 3rd, 2004
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


When White Court Vampire Thomas Raith joins Harry on an errand (well, a  rescue mission) to save stolen puppies (yes, stolen puppies) Harry thinks his night is interesting enough. Add in gorrilla demons and it’s another thing entirely. Things only get weirder when one of the puppies stows away in Harry’s car. He’s amused but also alarmed as the dog, while a great security system which alerts him to an attack by the Black Court, Harry really doesn’t know what to do with the puppy. Let’s just say Mister doesn’t approve of the new house guest. And this, like always, is just the start to Harry’s next insane adventure. And boy is this book a doozy. 

#ThrowbackThursday Review – The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturns by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturns
By: Neil Gaiman
Website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/
Release Date: (Original) 1988; (this edition) December 1, 1988
Publisher: Vertigo
Series: The Sandman #1
Rating:


I was in the used book store attached to my library recently, seeing what new things they’d put on the shelves since the last time I wiped out their stock. Out of curiosity I wandered over to a shelf labeled ‘humor’. There, tucked between copies of newspaper comic strip compilations and stand up comic’s autobiographies was a misplaced copy of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: Preludes and Nocturns.

A ‘humor’ book this is not. But if you’re looking for some graphic novel horror in your life, you’ve come to the right place.

Review – Phoenix by S. F. Said

Phoenix
By: S. F. Said
Release Date: (Original) August 1, 2013; (US Release) October 11, 2016
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Award: Carnegie Medal Nominee (2014)
Rating:


Phoenix by S. F. Said is a book which, apparently, has been on my to-read shelf on Goodreads since its original release in 2013. I discovered it at the library, bright orange cover leaping off the shelf, as bright orange covers tend to do. I truly loved this book. Really. Honestly. It was a sit down after dinner and finish it in one go sort of a book, the sort you find only rarely. Surprisingly, this isn’t a book I’ve heard very much about. So, here I am, singing its praises from the proverbial rooftop.

But first, what exactly is this book about?

Throwback Thursday: Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5)

Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: August 5th, 2003
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


Harry’s ex, Susan Rodriguez (half-vampire)is back, just in time for evil fallen angels, a duel with the Red Court’s champion, a missing mystical Shroud he’s been asked to help find and a diseased headless corpse that CPD needs help dealing with. If Harry’s life wasn’t already complicated his good friend and Knight of the Cross, Michael Carpenter, is there to help Harry when it’s needed, and throw another wrench into the already complicated few days Harry is having. 

Review: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)
By: Leigh Bardugo
Website: http://www.leighbardugo.com/index1.html
Release Date: June 5th, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Series: The Grisha Series
Award: Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Young Adults (2014), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2014), Lincoln Award Nominee (2014), Prix Elbakin.net for Meilleur roman fantasy traduit Jeunesse (2013)
Rating:


When you hear an author’s name enough you become interested. I had heard of Leigh Bardugo a lot lately and decided to give it a try. Six of Crows has had such rave reviews I was afraid to not like her style for something so widely loved. So, I chickened out of starting there and picked up her previously published trilogy, the Grisha trilogy, instead. (Plus, I had a gift card and got the box set.) So, let me tell you about the first book in the trilogy, Shadow and Bone.

Throwback Thursday: Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4)

Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: September 3rd, 2002
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


When your girlfriend has left town (and is trying not to kill you) and your Faerie Godmother sells your debt to the Winter Queen what can you do? If you’re Harry Dresden, you find a way to get in more trouble, apparently.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – Slayers: The Sorcerer of Atlas by Hajime Kanzaka

The Sorcerer of Atlas
By: Hajime Kanzaka
Release Date: (Original Japanese) 1990; (English) December 7, 2004
Publisher: TokyoPop
Series: Slayers #2
Rating:


Happy Throwback Thursday, everyone. A while back we reviewed the first book in the Slayers series Slayers – The Ruby Eye by Hajime Kanzaka. Today we are taking a look at the second novel in the series, The Sorcerer of Atlas.