Review – Submerged by Vita Ayala and Lisa Sterle

Submerged
By: Vita Ayala
Illustrator: Lisa Sterle (artist); Stelladia (colorist); Rachel Deering (letterer)
Release Date: February 12, 2019
Publisher: Vault Comics
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


A graphic novel of true beauty, both artistically and literarily, Submerged Volume 1 by Vita Ayala and Lisa Sterle is a brand new release not to be missed. This is a story of many things. It is a story of family, a story of coming to terms and letting go, it’s about relationships. It is a story many can relate to, on one level or another, and one that is so very worth reading.

Review – Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Blackfish City
By: Sam J. Miller
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Publisher: Ecco
Rating:


Blackfish City is a dystopian science fiction novel from Sam J. Miller whose novel The Art of Starving won the Andre Norton Award. The story takes place on an earth drowned by the sea. Climate change has shrunk livable land, countries have fallen, and refugees migrate to places like Qaanaaq – a floating city near a geothermal vent close to Greenland. But as much as Qaanaaq is a savior for the displaced, it has its own problems. Steeped in corruption and with no housing or work for incoming refugees from “drowned cities,” disease is rampant. A disease referred to as ‘the breaks’ spreads among the people while outside the city a mysterious woman riding an orca and with a polar bear companion can be seen, a woman steeped in mystery and rumor.

Review – The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

The Prince and the Dressmaker
By: Jen Wang
Illustrator: Jen Wang
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: First Second
Rating:


The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang is an utterly magnificent story of acceptance, following your heart, and chasing your dreams. It is the story of a young prince, Sebastian, and a young woman, Frances, who wants to become a fashion designer and dressmaker. After seeing a dress Frances made, Sebastian hires her as his seamstress. But Sebastian’s secret and Frances’ dreams seem to go hand in hand.

Review – Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria

Beneath the Citadel
By: Destiny Soria
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Publisher: Amulet
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


I have not enjoyed a young adult fantasy novel quite this much since I read the Six of Crows duology. Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria is a standalone fantasy novel with a unique magic system.

Review – State Tectonics by Malka Older

State Tectonics
By: Malka Older
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: The Centennal Cycle
Rating:


I have been reading Malka Older’s Centenal Cycle series since it’s debut in 2016. It is a series which proved oddly timely, speaking directly to events which, as of its writing, hadn’t yet come to pass – namely, the events surrounding the 2016 US presidential election. Now, the series has come to a close with the third book in the series, State Tectonics. Like the two before it, State Tectonics is an oddly timely, fascinating look at politics, democracy, and the availability and spread of data and other information. Set on a future earth with a world government and micro-democracies, this is a book that shouldn’t be missed.

Review – Witchmark by C. L. Polk

Witchmark
By: C. L. Polk
Release Date: June 19, 2018
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: The Kingston Cycle
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


This book has been sitting on my kindle waiting for me to read it for quite some time. Now, my only wish is that I’d gotten to it sooner. Witchmark by C. L. Polk is an absolutely fantastic novel about magic, love, family, war, and the bonds between siblings.

My Brother’s Husband Vol 2 by Gengoroh Tagame

My Brother's Husband Vol 2
By: Gengoroh Tagame
Illustrator: Gengoroh Togame
Translator: Anne Iishi
Release Date: September 18, 2018
Publisher: Pantheon
Series: My Brother's Husband
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


If there is any manga whose release date I’ve been looking forward to it would be My Brother’s Husband Vol 2 by Gengoroh Tagame. I was so ecstatic when a review copy was sent that I read the whole thing cover to cover as soon as I pulled it out of the packaging. My Brother’s Husband is a story about family, loss, grief, guilt, and acceptance. It is a story we can all relate to in our own ways, and it is a story that demands to be read.

My Brother’s Husband Vol 2 continues the story of Mike, Yaichi, and Kana. Plot in a nutshell – Yaichi’s divorced and his somewhat estranged brother recently deceased. One day Mike, a Canadian man and his brother’s widow, shows up on his doorstep looking to connect with the family he never knew.

Review – Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey

Taste of Marrow
By: Sarah Gailey
Release Date: September 12, 2018
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: River of Teeth
Rating:


I haven’t had quite this much fun with a series in a very long time. There is something inherently wonderful about a cast of flawed characters traipsing about in hippo infested waters of the American South. Today we are going to take a look at Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey, the second novella in the River of Teeth series.

This story picks up two months after the conclusion of River of Teeth. The characters who survived book one are split into two – Adelia and Hero in one place and Archie and Houndstooth in another. A lot of themes are touched up on this novella. There are discussions on love and what you must give up or not give up for love. Friendship, family, companionship.

#MangaMonday Review – Kase-san and Morning Glories by Hiromi Takashimi

Kase-san and Morning Glories
By: Hiromi Takashimi
Illustrator: Hiromi Takashimi
Translator: Jocelyne Allen (translator); Jenn Grunigen (adaptor)
Release Date: February 28, 2017 (English); July 28, 2012 (Japanese)
Publisher: Seven Seas
Series: Kase-san Series
Rating:


I’m not going to lie. I was completely drawn in by the cute characters on the cover and the pretty pastel colors. I picked up this manga during a BookOutlet binge. I’d never heard of it before, and am very happy I managed to stumble across a copy. Kase-san and Morning Glories is a one shot manga volume that was extremely sweet with endearing characters.

Review – The Book of Hidden Things by Francesco Dimitri

The Book of Hidden Things
By: Francesco Dimitri
Release Date: June 19, 2018
Publisher: Titan Books
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Ladies and gentlemen, let us talk about The Book of Hidden Things by Francesco Dimitri. I’ve sat on this review for a while. I wasn’t sure how I felt right after finishing this novel. The characters were unlikeable, I was angry with some of their actions and decisions, and there was at once not enough and too much magic. Yet I found the story still in my head, leaving me thinking about it days and then weeks later. It is this, I think, that hallmarks a good story, and maybe more importantly than that, a story that makes you think and question even if you’re not positive what it is you should really be questioning.