Posted November 5, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Heaven Official's Blessing
Genres: Fantasy,
Romance Pages: 404
Series: Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu #7 Rating: Synopsis: LIFETIMES OF CRUELTY, CENTURIES OF DEVOTION
The Kiln is open, and White No-Face is back to his full power. The past eight hundred years have not blunted his hatred nor his obsession with Xie Lian — he aims to break Xie Lian down to nothing, even if all of humanity and the heavens themselves are collateral damage.
This time, however, Xie Lian will not face him alone. Together with Hua Cheng — powerful ghost king, stalwart protector, and devoted love — can Xie Lian finally reveal the face behind the mask and put an end to the nightmare forever?
It was perhaps a mistake to dash on and read book eight of Heaven Official’s Blessing before I wrote a review for book seven, but here we are, so I’ll do my best! And to be honest, I would recommend reading them that way too. Book seven is back in the “present” (after the flashback in book six), and it’s hurtling rapidly toward a final confrontation which takes up the first half of book eight (the latter half is extras). You won’t want to stop at the end of book seven, especially not given where it ends.
Book seven sees Xie Lian break out of the Kiln, reunite with Hua Cheng, return to the heavenly court, discover the big bad, play hide and seek with his captor around the heavenly court, and then essentially re-enact some Gundam series or other in an epic battle that takes him into Black Water’s domain. It’s full of action, and the end of the book isn’t really a natural break — it’s a cliffhanger moment, and it makes some sense to end a volume there, but as a reader it’s super annoying (and in terms of actual plot, there’s only half a book left).
This volume also sees Hua Cheng and Xie Lian comfortable in their feelings for each other (if not, in Xie Lian’s case, always happy with public displays of affection, or other people knowing about their relationship). More than ever, Hua Cheng’s total devotion is on show — and so is the answering strength his support wakens in Xie Lian. It’s lovely to read.
The story that’s been building over the previous six volumes is so satisfying at this point, with so many threads (which didn’t always tie together yet) coming together. I keep wondering when I’ll rate any given volume five stars, and it’s difficult to say: no volume alone makes me think “it’s perfect”; it’s the whole that gives me that feeling.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, danmei, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, romance, SF/F
Posted October 30, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Heaven Official's Blessing
Genres: Fantasy,
Horror,
Romance Pages: 403
Series: Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu #6 Rating: Synopsis: BODY IN ABYSS, HEART IN PARADISE
White No-Face, Xie Lian’s greatest fear and most hated enemy, has arrived…or so it seems. While the ghost with the half-crying, half-smiling mask is somewhere nearby, the creature is elusive as always, taunting Xie Lian from just out of reach and promising the total destruction of everything he holds dear.
As Xie Lian confronts the trauma of his last encounter with the terrifying ghost, Hua Cheng will do anything in his power to protect him. But White No-Face’s identity and purpose are not the only mysteries to unravel, as Hua Cheng also has a history in the labyrinthine tunnels beneath Mount Tonglu. Will Xie Lian finally discover the full connection they share—and learn the true depths of Hua Cheng’s devotion?
The sixth volume of MXTX’s Heaven Official’s Blessing is certainly full of ups and downs. The first section, in the “present” of the narrative, answers a few mysteries and gives us a moment we’ve been waiting for since the first book: Xie Lian acknowledges Hua Cheng’s feelings for him, and indicates that he returns them. It’s a lovely, lovely scene…
And then we slip off into a flashback even darker and sadder than the first. It’s better-paced, in my opinion, but it’s an extremely rough read, as Xie Lian is manipulated and cast down by his people. He loses his way severely, and it doesn’t really help to know that he ends up being true to himself again — you still have to read about him going through it.
Reading it with an eye for metaphor, and remembering how important Xie Lian’s virginity is as a theme, it’s hard to avoid drawing parallels with the incidents on Beizi Hill in the first flashback, and reading the mass-stabbing as a literal and metaphorical violation, so it’s all a bit dark.
There’s important stuff in this volume, but the flashback is a really rough read. It’s hard to decide quite how to rate it — but the scene from the cover is so good it has to be a 4/5, even with all the misery of the flashback.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, danmei, horror, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, romance, SF/F
Posted October 28, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
But Not Too Bold
Genres: Fantasy,
Horror,
Romance Pages: 160
Rating: Synopsis: The Shape of Water meets Mexican Gothic in this sapphic monster romance novella wrapped in gothic fantasy trappings
The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House—Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.
Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor's death, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.
But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Hache Pueyo’s But Not Too Bold is sort of a Bluebeard retelling, where “Bluebeard” is in fact a massive, ancient spider-like being called Anatema. The background to the story is mostly sketched in: there are Archaic Ones like Anatema in various places around the world, though each of them is monstrous in a different way, and their works are clearly desired by others for some reason — but other than that the details are thin on the ground. Which is fine, because what matters is the setting of the Capricious House, Anatema’s home, and Dália’s role within it as she takes over from her mentor, the old keeper of the keys, whom Anatema has eaten for stealing something.
There’s a genuinely creepy, claustrophobic feeling about it all, even as Dália sails through it all. In all of it, she’s happy where she is, happy serving Anatema, and that adds a sort of “Beauty and the Beast” feel in some ways, though it’s very much not the same story, as there is no transformation or any hint of one — we’re talking “romance with a monster”, not “redemption and transformation of the monster”.
I was completely riveted, and a little creeped out, all at once. It was a lovely read.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Hache Pueyo, horror, romance, SF/F
Posted October 17, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
A Side Character's Love Story
Genres: Manga,
Romance Pages: 160
Series: A Side Character's Love Story #19 Rating: Synopsis: As spring arrives, Hiroki's job hunt is in full swing. Nobuko, meanwhile, is thinking about the future - and in the process, must confront the truth of how she feels. When the choice is between the man she loves and the job she's grown attached to, there is no easy answer. The lives and loves of many now approach a crossroads...
The 19th volume of A Side Character’s Love Story by Akane Tamura doesn’t feature Hiroki very much, and even Nobuko really does feel like a side character at times. There’s so much focus in this volume on her new friends, and Hiroki and Nobuko don’t even see each other… which isn’t necessarily bad, but they also don’t interact very much, and I do miss that.
Hopefully the next volume will remember to spend a little time with the two of them, even if it means they have to have one of their discussions…
In the meantime, Nobuko’s new friends/coworkers have their own love stories going on, with different problems and different needs, and they’re fun to read about too.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: Akane Tamura, book reviews, books, manga, romance
Posted October 4, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Bloom into You
Genres: Manga,
Romance Pages: 188
Series: Bloom into You #1 Rating: Synopsis: Yuu has always loved shoujo manga and awaits the day she gets a love confession that sends her heart aflutter with bubbles and hearts, and yet when a junior high classmate confesses his feelings to her…she feels nothing. Disappointed and confused, Yuu enters high school still unsure how to respond. That’s when Yuu sees the beautiful student council president Nanami turn down a suitor with such maturity that she’s inspired to ask her for help. But when the next person to confess to Yuu is Nanami herself, has her shoujo romance finally begun?
I picked up the first volume of Nakatani Nio’s Bloom Into You because my sister had asked me to try to find copies for her, and I was curious. It’s an f/f manga, in which a 2nd year student (Nanami) falls in love (almost instantly) with a 1st year student (Yuu), and tries to get her involved in her election campaign to be school president.
The art is cute enough, fairly typical really. I thought that Yuu’s initial interest in talking to Nanami and understanding her all made sense, but Nanami’s quick response of falling in love with her just felt too fast, and I feel like Nanami was a bit manipulative trying to get her way and keep Yuu close by. The kiss is completely out of the blue as well.
I can see how they could form rather a cute relationship, as Yuu tries to be supportive of Nanami, and doesn’t mind when she’s not the perfect girl others seem to see. It’ll need some serious development right now, though, as Yuu seems to be completely uninterested in anyone (asexual and/or aromantic). I’m not sure if I’ll read more.
Rating: 2/5
Tags: book reviews, books, manga, Nakatani Nio, queer fiction, romance
Posted October 3, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Heaven Official's Blessing
Genres: Fantasy,
Horror,
Romance Pages: 465
Series: Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu #5 Rating: Synopsis: LAST GHOST STANDING, FIRST LOVE BLOSSOMS
Ghosts are converging on the cursed Mount Tonglu for a massive battle royale, the sole survivor of which may become a Ghost King, a being of unimaginable power. Xie Lian is sent to secretly infiltrate and try to prevent this--by destroying any ghosts strong enough to stand a chance. His heavenly powers are weakened near the cursed mountain, but he has one trump card on his side--Hua Cheng, who has survived Mount Tonglu before. As they struggle against murderous ghosts and the mountain's strange defenses, Hua Cheng's knowledge of the area may prove invaluable. But can they even begin to unravel the cursed peak's secrets?
There are parts of the fifth volume of Heaven Official’s Blessing that just cry out for the soundtrack to be “Yakety Sax”. It’s amazing that I get along with MXTX’s books so well, given that isn’t an uncommon element, but somehow it just fits (at least, now that I’m used to it).
It’s hard to review each volume separately, to be honest; because they were designed to follow continuously from each other, and I’ve started reading volume six. So many little things are starting to add up, and there’s the whole mystery of Wuyong and why there are so many similarities between the story of its prince and that of Xie Lian.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned the internal art yet, but I do love it — and especially the image of Hua Cheng as a puppetmaster, looking tiny and evil while Xie Lian just smiles.
Of course, there are quite a lot of coincidences here, with certain other characters showing up, and I’m also crying out to know what happened to Shi Qingxuan. I trust that that plotline hasn’t been dropped entirely, but I want to know what’s happened now! So, as ever, I’m impatient to read on, and I don’t suggest you read volume five without volume six to hand.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, danmei, horror, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, romance, SF/F
Posted September 26, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 1 Comment
The Baker and the Bard
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels,
Romance Pages: 160
Rating: Synopsis: Author-artist Fern Haught weaves an enchanting, gentle fantasy tale of friendship, determination, and respecting nature in their debut graphic novel, The Baker and the Bard. Perfect for fans of The Tea Dragon Society, Legends & Lattes, and Animal Crossing.
Juniper and Hadley have a good thing going in Larkspur, spending their respective days apprenticing at a little bakery and performing at the local inn. But when a stranger makes an unusual order at the bakery, the two friends (and Hadley’s pet snake, Fern) set out on a journey to forage the magical mushrooms needed to make the requested galette pastries.
Along the way, Juniper and Hadley stumble across a mystery too compelling to ignore: Something has been coming out of the woods at night and eating the local farmers' crops, leaving only a trail of glowy goo behind. Intent on finally going on an adventure that could fuel their bardic craft, Hadley tows Juniper into the woods to investigate.
What started as a simple errand to pick mushrooms soon turns into a thrilling quest to save some furry new friends—and their caretaker, a softspoken little fey named Thistle—who are in danger of losing their home.
The Baker and the Bard, by Fern Haught, is a short and sweet graphic novel which has justifiably been compared to the Tea Dragon Society books. The two main characters, Juniper and Hadley, are apprentices who leap at the chance to go on a bit of an adventure to find a particular glowing mushroom to fulfil a big order for a client. In the process, they make a few friends and maybe make things a bit better for some people.
It’s very slight, not going into a lot of depth about anything, but the dynamic between Juniper and Hadley is cute, and the little snake is very cute.
There is a bit of a jarring bit where Hadley asks Thistle about gender stuff; rather than an organic part of the journey, it feels like a bit of a Teaching Moment, because it’s not been clear up to that moment that Hadley had any such questions or was anything other than comfortable with themself. And to be clear, I’m not saying it shouldn’t be included or that the presence of a non-binary character needs to have a reason, but it felt like that specific scene came out of left-field.
Overall, a fun enough short read, probably aiming at middle-grade reading age, I’d guess? The art is pretty cute, with a pastel sort of aesthetic.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, graphic novels, romance, SF/F
Posted September 22, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
Book Lovers
Genres: Romance Pages: 377
Rating: Synopsis: Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.
Emily Henry’s Book Lovers starts with a fun idea: let’s follow the woman in the big city who gets left behind in romance novels by the guy who goes to a rural area and falls in love with a local farmer/bookseller/cafe owner/etc. The woman who’s kind of uptight, not in tune with nature, etc, etc. That’s Nora, and this is her turn for a romance, as her sister drags her off on a trip to a rural town that’s featured in one of the books she agented.
The story has sympathy for Nora, for the people who love the big city and prioritise their careers, and tries to peel back the layers and show us why they might act that way in the stories, what’s important to them, and, yep, how they might get their own happy ending. Nora’s not the typical romance heroine (in terms of tropes, anyway), and Charlie (the love interest) is equally not the typical romance hero.
That said, it is a romance and it follows the usual patterns and, in its way, is quite predictable even as it bucks one particular trend. That’s not a bad thing: it keeps up the contract with the reader that you expect when you’re getting a romance novel — but the constraint of the genre meant things didn’t come as a huge surprise to me.
I enjoyed Nora’s character, and the inevitable quirky side characters, though I’d have liked to understand Charlie’s attraction to her better. Overall, a fun one.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Emily Henry, romance
Posted September 20, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Heaven Official's Blessing
Genres: Fantasy,
Horror,
Mystery,
Romance Pages: 419
Series: Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu #4 Rating: Synopsis: FATES ALIGNED, BODIES INTERTWINED
The Reverend of Empty Words, a monster that feeds off the fears of the fortunate, is hunting Xie Lian’s friend, the Wind Master Shi Qingxuan. Knowing that his abysmal luck inoculates him from the creature’s power, Xie Lian doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into harm’s way—to Hua Cheng’s horror and panic. But another one of the Four Calamities may be closer than anyone knows, and even a ghost as powerful as Hua Cheng can lose control under the right circumstances. With his inhibitions gone, will desire overtake him?
Volume four of Heaven Official’s Blessing certainly goes places! It continues the story opened in the previous volume, digging into what’s going on with Shi Qingxuan and the Reverend of Empty Words, but it also begins a plotline involving Mount Tonglu, and another involving Ling Wen. There are some pretty epic reveals… and it also seems like Xie Lian is beginning to realise that he has feelings for Hua Cheng, as well.
There’s no flashback in this volume, and it really helps with the pacing — along with the fact that Xie Lian never seems to stop. Sure, there are some lovely domestic scenes with Hua Cheng, but there’s also a lot of plot going on. It isn’t like The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, where it’s basically all about Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe — there’s a lot more sidequesting going on, which gives the characters time to breathe and develop, and also shows us a lot more of the world and how things work.
To be clear, I love SVSSS! Different things suit different books. It’s also not to say that the events don’t drive Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s relationship, because there are absolutely developments there the whole time. It just feels like it’s driven more by other stories, in which Xie Lian and Hua Cheng play a part and which contribute to their story.
I’m excited for the stuff on Mount Tonglu, next!
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, horror, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, mystery, romance, SF/F
Posted September 15, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Love Everlasting
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels,
Horror,
Romance Pages: 137
Series: Love Everlasting #2 Rating: Synopsis: The mind-bending story of Joan Peterson's journey through love and horror continues in the second epic and heartbreaking arc of this critically acclaimed, Harvey-nominated series. After traveling from romance to romance, Joan finds herself trapped inside just one story, growing older with the love of her life instead of escaping again and again. And as she becomes a wife, a mother, a grandmother, she is on a bloody quest to discover if everyone in this new world is insane, or if she alone is broken.
Volume two of Tom King’s Love Everlasting is a bit different to the first: instead of multiple short romances, now Joan finds herself trapped in a different kind of love story. This time she gets married, has children and grandchildren, while all the while being haunted by the fact that she knows nothing is real: everything is happening in the year 1962.
The art style is great and expressive, and mostly I just want to be thrown a bit more of a bone story-wise. Just as it felt like it lingered too long on the random romances, it felt like it lingered too long on Joan’s fake family. We get no nearer to knowing why her mother(?) is putting her through this.
I’m still intrigued and would still pick up the third TPB if one gets released (seemingly not so far). But I do feel like as a reader I need a little more to hang onto here.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Clayton Cowles, Elsa Charretier, horror, Matt Hollingsworth, romance, SF/F, Tom King