Genre: Fantasy

Review – Iyanu: Child of Wonder, vol 1

Posted March 2, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Iyanu: Child of Wonder, vol 1

Iyanu: Child of Wonder

by Roye Okupe, Godwin Akpan

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels
Pages: 120
Series: Iyanu: Child of Wonder #1
Rating: two-stars
Synopsis:

Iyanu, a teenage orphan with no recollection of her past, suddenly discovers that she has abilities that rival the ancient deities told in the folklore of her people.

It is these abilities that are the key to bringing back an age of wonders, as Iyanu begins her journey to save a world on the brink of destruction! The Corrupt--cursed wildlife and strange, divine beasts--are determined to destroy humanity, unless Iyanu can stop them.

I really liked the colours in volume one of Roye Okupe’s Iyanu: Child of Wonder, and I like the character designs too, but something about the art doesn’t work for me — kind of an uncanny valley sort of thing, I think? There are some pages where it really threw me somehow.

The story itself is fairly familiar/unsurprising, with a chosen one and an in-group protecting themselves by high walls, oppression, etc. What I got fascinated by was the backstory, partly based on Yoruba customs, which is given in snippets between the chapters and then discussed in quite a bit of detail at the end of the book. It’s an interesting set-up.

I don’t think I’ll be continuing with this series, but I’m glad I gave it a shot. It’s probably for a younger audience, mostly; I can imagine an eleven year old eating it up and loving Iyanu.

Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)

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Review – The Beauty’s Blade

Posted February 28, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Beauty’s Blade

The Beauty's Blade

by Feng Ren Zuo Shu

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 394
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

Two powerful swordswomen face off in this enemies-to-lovers historical tale.

Ruthless and mercurial, Fu Wanqing is hardly the type of woman anyone expected to be heir to the jianghu’s preeminent righteous cultivation sect. Yet she’s famous for more than just her attitude: her raw power and beauty are renowned, rivaled only by those of demonic sect leader Yu Shengyan.

As such, Fu Wanqing is determined to face her in battle; after all, she must prove herself not just worthy of her station, but superior beyond the rest!

Unfortunately, the ice-cold Yu Shengyan couldn’t be less interested in her challenge. Yet when Fu Wanqing offers the rare medicine Yu Shengyan needs to cure one of her comrades, she relents. The catch? Yu Shengyan must agree to stay by Fu Wanqing’s side for three months. Fu Wanqing is certain that by the end of their deal, she’ll get her duel—but will her fascination with Yu Shengyan come to encompass more than just her sword?

I really wanted to be absolutely in love with Feng Ren Zuo Shi’s The Beauty’s Blade, the first baihe I’ve read. I love the cover, the inside art’s nice too, and I love that it flips various things on their heads (the fiery, impetuous, red-robed light-aligned cultivator, and the cool and virtuous head priestess of the demonic guild), and the whole presentation of the book is really pretty.

In the end, I did enjoy the book, but not as much as I hoped to. The story is a bit all over the place, with (at least to an English audience) lots of similar-looking names and unfamiliar terms. Some of the context I knew or could quickly work out from reading danmei, but terms like “jianghu” and “wulin” were new. There is a glossary in the back, at least, but still, it can be a lot to juggle. It did all come together for me in the end, given some time, but I can understand readers finding it a bit much — especially if they don’t have the context of reading other cultivation novels.

The two main characters are a lot of fun, though: Fan Wanqing and Yu Shengyan have a lot more in common than it appears at first, and their growing obsession with each other is quite fun. Unhealthy! But fun nonetheless. Fu Wanqing is less of a meathead than she appears at first, and Yu Shengyan has a lot more passion than it appears at first, and they both end up murderously possessive of one another.

I think at times certain parts of this felt rushed, or were maybe just underexplained for this audience (which it wasn’t written for, so that’s fair, but could maybe have been fixed with a bit of localisation), but overall I had fun. And though Fu Wanqing at the end indicates she’s no longer interested in the jianghu… I think they had fun wandering around messing things up together, and I expect they’ll continue, really.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

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Review – The Chromatic Fantasy

Posted February 25, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – The Chromatic Fantasy

The Chromatic Fantasy

by H.A.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 300
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

A Faustian bargain kicks off in this gorgeously drawn graphic novel reminiscent of stained glass and illuminated manuscripts, telling the story of queer transmasc romance, daring adventure, and (literally) fighting your demons. Jules is a trans man trapped in his life as a nun. The devil that the convent guards against offers him a deal to escape: an illicit tryst and lifelong possession. Jules takes the deal, and begins his new life as a criminal who's impervious to harm. He soon meets Casper, another trans man and a poetic thief, and together they steal, lie, and cheat their way through bewildering adventures, and develop feelings for each other along the way. But as Jules and Casper's relationship deepens, so does the devil's jealous grasp...

H.A.’s The Chromatic Fantasy is a pretty mad book, with beautiful colours and fun character designs, which seems mostly designed to satisfy the artist’s desire to show transmasculine characters having fun, falling in love, having sex in a variety of fun ways, and getting into trouble. It’s a weird mix of medieval-esque and modern elements, all jumbled together very energetically.

There’s minimal dysphoria in the story, to be clear, but it’s worth knowing that the characters are portrayed naked and as not having had surgery. There’s a reference or two to the possibility of surgery, but very minor.

It’s hard to explain exactly what happens in this book, it’s pretty nuts, but I enjoyed the artist’s enthusiasm.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (light novel), vol 5

Posted February 20, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (light novel), vol 5

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 489
Series: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (LN) #5
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

THE END OF AN EPIC TALE–AND WHAT COMES AFTER

Foes, allies, and one reassembled fierce corpse converge on the Guanyin Temple for a climactic showdown. With decades-long schemes finally unveiled, and dark secrets unearthed, the events of this rain-battered night will decide not just the fate of the entire cultivation world–but also that of a love story two lifetimes in the making.

Also included are eight short stories that focus on the future and the past. From magical incense burners to tense banquets, to lotus-pod hunting and nighttime expeditions with the juniors, these stories span from dawn to dusk and so much more!

It took me a while to get into MXTX’s Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, but by book five I was definitely all in with the main pairing, and feeling a lot of affection for various characters — even Jiang Cheng, who is a brash idiot, but has a lot of love in his heart nonetheless. This book finishes off the main story and then has a bunch of extras.

So, first the main story. It felt like… there was a lot of build-up for not a lot of payoff, plot-wise? It gave time for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s pining to really build itself up, and I can see that it brings all the threads together, but the ending is a lot of talking and it kind of feels like it peters out, despite the confrontations, hostage situations, etc. The fact that it wasn’t all aimed squarely at Wei Wuxian made his and Lan Wangji’s involvement feel a touch… coincidental rather than necessary? It would’ve worked out differently without them, of course — it’s not like they’re superfluous — but… it felt like it was building up to something huge, and what happened felt largely like an explosion of intense interpersonal nonsense between powerful people and… I dunno, I’d been expecting more somehow?

In any case, the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji finally reaches where it needed to go, and that part is lovely.

The extras mostly expand on that, showing us Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s married life. There are some details that I side-eye heavily (Bichen, for one thing, and self-lubrication, for another, along with Wei Wuxian’s tendency to go “no no no” when he means yes) but the emotional notes are lovely.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – Quince

Posted February 19, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Quince

Quince

by Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner, Emma Steinkellner

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels
Pages: 164
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

Lupe is just your average, insecure, well-meaning, occasionally cranky teenage girl whose life is completely turned upside down when she discovers she has superpowers at her quinceañera. Her quince powers only last as long as she’s fifteen, so over the course of this rollercoaster year, we follow the adventures of Lupe as she figures out what it really means to be a hero.

Quince is a fun project which I read in the English translation. Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner and Emma Steinkellner worked together, bringing it out in 15 issues, one issue at a time, on the 15th of each month… Lupe is celebrating her quinceañera when she gets superheroes, and her abuela is there to guide her, recognising her powers as being given to her because she’s going to need them for some reason.

It doesn’t dig an enormous amount into the whys and hows, but I thought the idea of a temporary superhero — with powers only for the year she’s aged 15 — was kinda neat. We don’t hear a whole lot about what her abuela did with her own powers, but the bond between the two of them drives the story… and drives Lupe to fight crime.

I’d say I wasn’t 100% happy with the fact that the story never explains how she gets the powers, why they only last a year, why a teenage girl is the most appropriate, why her abuela is so certain there’s a purpose behind it, but I mostly kinda rolled with it. I found the ending a bit trite, and the lead-in to the social responsibility, volunteering, etc, kinda… cringe? It’d have felt more natural if there was some kind of explanation, like Lupe’s quince powers are intended to instill that in her.

I wasn’t an enormous fan of the art at first, but it really grew on me, and I love Lupe’s character design. She’s a Mexican plus-size superhero with super teenage expressions, ahaha, and the art and colours ended up feeling perfect for it.

Overall, I feel like it’s probably better for younger readers, and I’m hardly the target audience, but I had fun. It was a random pick from Comics Plus to fill a bingo card I was using to prompt me to explore the Comics Plus collection (this prompt being “superheroes, but not published by Marvel or DC”), and I’m glad I gave it a shot.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

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Review – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (light novel), vol 4

Posted February 11, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (light novel), vol 4

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 377
Series: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (LN) #4
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

THE LONG WAY HOME

History stands poised to repeat itself as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are besieged by walking corpses atop the Burial Mounds. It is here fate offers them a second chance to protect their loved ones and unmask the true instigator of this grisly onslaught. As shocking revelations shake the cultivation world to its very core, the unlikely couple becomes preoccupied with other matters–like an evening of drunken impulse that may push their budding relationship into bold new territory.

Volume four of MXTX’s Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation has a looot of fun stuff, like A-Yuan (and of course, discovering who he is now, and what he is to Wei Wuxian and Lang Wangji). The drunk scene is excruciating (please, Lan Zhan, noooo, don’t do that) but also kind of sweet, and we also get some development on Wei Wuxian’s side. He’s not going to be clueless all the way to the end! Woooo! The scene with him in the tree is adorable.

It is of course also painful as heck: Wei Wuxian giving up his Golden Core and Jiang Cheng repeatedly just trash-talking him not knowing what he’s done, and the whole bit with the survivors of the Wen family, and knowing that everyone will always blame Wei Wuxian no matter what he does… arrghhh. And, of course… Jiang Yanli…

I am losing track of what happens in which volume because it’s written as one continuous story without obvious breaking points, dodging forward and back between the present and the past, but I’m pretty much used to it at this point.

At this point I’m already reading fic, though, so you can see I’m solidly sold on the whole thing.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – We’ll Prescribe You a Cat

Posted February 8, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 11 Comments

Review – We’ll Prescribe You a Cat

We'll Prescribe You A Cat

by Syou Ishida

Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 297
Rating: two-stars
Synopsis:

A cat a day keeps the doctor away…

Discover the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation in this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats.

Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.

Throughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.

Syou Ishida’s We’ll Prescribe You A Cat seems to me to fit precisely in the middle of current trends for books like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, offering a little magical realism to give people second chances, life realisations and tearjerking reunions. If you’re a huge fan of cats, you might enjoy it extra just for that, because each chapter/short story features a person being, indeed, prescribed a cat for whatever ails them (and of course, the cat works, sometimes in unexpected ways).

Obviously if you take a step back and think about it, this is pretty cruel to the cats — throwing them into situations with humans who often don’t know how to take care of them, or don’t even seem to like cats. Sure, it works out okay and people get won over, and there’s a magical realism explanation as to why the cats might not super mind/might have some say, but this kind of thing doesn’t actually work like that. Which is fine, that’s what this kind of fantasy is for, but the logical and literal-minded might not be able to set that aside.

For me, I just felt that these books are basically fundamentally the same. The mechanism for the reconciliations, realisations, reunions, etc, is different — but the same desire for a magical way to fix things is being met by these stories, whether it’s cats, coffees or childhood meals. I can imagine why they’re popular, both right now and in general, but to me they mostly lack bite and substance.

So this was okay, but left me pretty cold.

Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)

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Review – The Palace of Illusions

Posted February 5, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Review – The Palace of Illusions

The Palace of Illusions

by Rowenna Miller

Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 470
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

In the run up to the 1900s World’s Fair Paris is abuzz with creative energy and innovation. Audiences are spellbound by the Lumiere brothers’ moving pictures and Loie Fuller’s serpentine dance fusing art and technology. But for Clara Ironwood, a talented and pragmatic clockworker, nothing compares to the magic of her godfather’s mechanical creations, and she’d rather spend her days working on the Palace of Illusions, an intricate hall of mirrors that is one of the centerpieces of the world’s fair.

When her godfather sends Clara a hideous nutcracker for Christmas, she is puzzled until she finds a hidden compartment that unlocks a mirror-world Paris where the Seine is musical, fountains spout lemonade, and mechanical ballerinas move with human grace. The magic of her godfather’s toys was real.

As Clara explores this other Paris and begins to imbue her own creations with its magic, she soon discovers a darker side to innovation. Suspicious men begin to approach her outside of work, and she could swear a shadow is following her. There’s no ignoring the danger she’s in, but Clara doesn't know who to trust. The magic of the two Parises are colliding and Clara must find the strength within herself to save them both.

I Rowenna Miller’s The Palace of Illusions was a pretty fun choice for my Christmas seasonal reading in 2025, since it’s (loosely) based on the Nutcracker story. It didn’t feel super wintery, but it did feel magical: some of the descriptions of the anderwelt (the alternative world that creativity seems to come from) are really gorgeous. I liked that the main character, Clara, works with clockwork and lighting at the Exposition Universelle — it helps the plot along at certain points that she’s an expert in clockwork, but we also see her embedded in history, carefully carving a place as a female artisan.

I enjoyed the characters quite a bit overall, actually; I had some expectations/worries that were subverted, such as when it came to Clara’s sister. I actually found myself really attached to characters like Fritz, and really really hoping he wouldn’t turn out to be a bad guy somehow.

The inclusion of the fairy stories written by Clara’s godfather helped set the scene as well, and they were pretty charming. I kinda wished we’d seen more of his character, but it would’ve unravelled the plot too soon, so it makes sense that he had to stay in the background — and we did get glimpses of him through the story, at least!

The pace really speeds up toward the end, as well: it takes its time getting there, filling out detail and character, but then it takes right off.  Overall, I had a lot of fun.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – Love Everlasting, vol 3

Posted February 4, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Love Everlasting, vol 3

Love Everlasting

by Tom King, Elsa Charretier, Matt Hollingsworth, Clayton Cowles

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Horror
Pages: 136
Series: Love Everlasting #3
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

The next epic chapter of the acclaimed Eisner, Harvey, and Ringo nominated series!

Love Everlasting goes West, exploring the tropes and thrills of Old West Romance as everything shifts perspective and we discover the Cowboy's secret origin. Following the Cowboy as he follows Joan, we learn how Joan was first trapped in these stories...and how she might finally escape! The answers to the questions you've been asking are here in an addictive page-turner that will make you laugh and cry at the story of Joan and her Cowboy.

Collects issues #11-15.

I really really love the art in Tom King et al’s Love Everlasting — I’m glad it’s been consistent, it’s a style I’ve enjoyed. Buuuut the story is getting really frustrating: whenever you think you’re getting somewhere, Joan gets reset and goes through another love story.

I get that the repetition is part of the point, and it’s probably a lot of fun coming up with the multiple love stories in different styles (and the funny titles), but we really really have to start getting somewhere for real.

I’d read a volume four, but it’ll need to feel like a step forward for actually understanding why this is happening.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

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Review – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, vol 3

Posted January 31, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, vol 3

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 379
Series: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (LN) #3
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

SHOOT DOWN THE SUN

The bloody war against the Wen Clan once led Wei Wuxian to seek power in demonic cultivation, and the dark acts he committed drove a wedge between him and Lan Wangji. Now, those old sins come back to haunt him as his reincarnated identity is revealed to the cultivation world. But even as the other clans call for Wei Wuxian’s death, Lan Wangji stands by him, making Wei Wuxian realize what he took for disapproval in the past might have been a much deeper emotion.

The third volume of MXTX’s Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation flew by for me, with just a little pacing mismatch for me because of the rapid flips between the two timelines. It’s true that the long interludes in the past in Heaven Official’s Blessing weren’t always appealing either, but it’s weird and disorientating to flip back and forth quickly between chapters. I guess there’s no perfect answer there.

I loved seeing a bit more of young Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, all the same, especially Wei Wuxian’s first kiss, and all the tragic goings on of the fall of the Jiang Clan. I’m curious how much we ever learn about Wei Wuxian’s time in the Burial Mounds, and how he got back out: it might be one of those cases where less is more, much as in Heaven Official’s Blessing we never learn exactly how much Xie Lian has been poisoned, tortured, nearly killed, etc.

There are still a lot of characters and a lot going on, but I feel like I’ve got hold of most of the important things now. I’m curious how everything comes together, and — unusually for me — very tempted to start on the next book right away.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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