Book and Manga Reviews

I sometimes post reviews of books or manga I've read on Amazon and Goodreads. They are informal and sometimes contain spoilers. Below are reviews I have done in the past.

Crimson Snow (yaoi) (posted on Amazon on 04/12/13)

The stories and characters were memorable, and the artwork was beautiful. The sex scenes are not overly explicit, and tastefully done. There are technically four stories here, but the fourth is a continuation of the first one, which is the cover story. The fourth story was welcome, because the first ended on a bittersweet note: Yukihiro and Kazuma made love, but then Kazuma left to face his demons, saying he'd be back when it was over. Poor Yukihiro has no choice but to watch him go. In the fourth story, it is unclear how much time has passed, but the reunion between Kazuma and Yukihiro is very heartwarming. I actually skipped ahead to read this story, since it was a continuation of the first, and I didn't want to wait for the happy ending!

The other two stories are touching as well, and I particularly liked the third one, because, for being so short, the characters were really in-depth, and you could really feel their emotions. To me, what makes a good yaoi is the story, not the sex, and Crimson Snow is a good example. If you have not read much yoai, but want to start, I recommend this one. If you are sad and a good song doesn't lift your spirits, read this, because even though there is pain, the endings of all stories are happy.

Little Butterfly: Omnibus Edition (yaoi) (posted on Amazon on 05/22/12)

I loved this manga. It was light-hearted, but it had some depth to it and some serious scenes. We see the trouble in Nakahara's family life, and the story is so much more than just sex (and the sex scenes are tastefully done). Kojima is the sweetest thing ever; it's no wonder Nakahara fell so hard for him! While Kojima struggles at first to sort out his own feelings--he likes Nakahara as a friend--he eventually comes to love Nakahara as deeply as Nakahara does him. And it doesn't take sex to do it! The ending is happy, and the two prepare to go to the same college together, and promise to be with each other always. I'm so glad the complete series came in an omnibus. The artwork is beautiful, and the characters are well developed. If you are looking for a sweet, heartwarming yaoi, Little Butterfly is the one for you. It will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Earthian vol 3 (shonen-ai) (posted on Amazon on 04/11/12)

While confusing because it jumped all over the place, this was a beautiful series (and I've already read the 4th one, but since that is -technically- the last book, I'll comment on it first). The only reason I didn't give it--and the whole series for that matter--five stars was because it did seem a little disoragnized at times, and the ending felt a bit rushed. But it was nevertheless a touching story, and I'm so glad Kagetsuya and Chihaya found each other, and defied the laws to be together. While the whole thing wasn't a happy ending, their personal story was, because they were together. Their reunion was so sweet and touching it made me feel all warm inside. The last scene is the two of them gazing down at the Earth together, after having saved it from destruction.

And I mean, come on, how could Kagetsuya -not- love Chihaya? He may not be very bright--despite the fact he gets high scores on exams--but he is adorable and loving...like an angel *wink*. If he was real, I'd so want him as a friend. Kagetsuya couldn't have picked a better partner (even if some other people don't always feel that way). If you saw the anime and were disappointed, read the manga! It is a complete 180! You get to meet more angels, not to mention the relationship between our two stars! Oh, and for those who are craving him, more Taki!

It was interesting to learn why homosexuality was punishable by death on Eden, but the relationship between Kagetsuya and Chihaya proves, above all else, God preaches love.

Earthian vol 4 (posted on Amazon on 04/11/12)

Did I mention I love Earthian? As I mentioned in my comment on the 3rd volume, the manga is a complete 180 of the anime. I was glad we got to find what happened to some of our favorite characters, because the ending of the third one, while happy as far as Kagetsuya and Chihaya's relationship goes, felt a little rushed. We find out that Miyuki and Taki did not die, though Taki is in a coma, and we learn the fate of Elvira as well. I thought the scene (which is in color) between Kagetsuya and Chihaya where they count down the time to the new year was really lighthearted, and it was amusing to see Kagetsuya wearing glasses. Chihaya's facial expressions throughout the whole series were the best.

What I would have liked to have seen more of in this volume was not just what happened with Michael and Raphael in the past, but in the future, after the events in the 3rd book. Since they have feelings for each other, I would have liked to have seen Kouga play with it more in this book, but oh well. Anyway, if anyone is a reader of shonen-ai/yaoi, I totally recommend Earthian. And if you are just starting your yaoi collection, get Earthian. The sex scenes are not that explicit, and the story is in-depth and touching. So please, read Earthian! It needs to grow in popularity.

The Godborn: The Sundering Book II (posted on Amazon on 10/10/13)

I have been awaiting this book for a long time, and was so happy to finally start reading it. I am a Forgotten Realms fan, and Kemp is one of my favorite authors in the shared world. It was so nice to see our old comrades (including Mags!) from Erevis Cale and the Twilight Wars.

This book is dark, as other reviewers have mentioned. There is a lot of blood, ichor, and vomiting from various characters, and the element of horror is everywhere. But there is also light and hope, and Vasan shines--pun intended!--as a character. I would love to see more of him in future novels. I love stories involving the gods and their faithful.

I wanted to give it 4 and 1/2 stars, but I can only do whole stars. I didn't give it a 5-star rating because the ending felt a bit rushed. Oh, yes, there was intense action, and everything came together, but there was a lot of lead-up and then bam! followed by a short epilogue. Though I will say, Riven/Mask's comment to Orsin when he kneels down to pray is priceless. This book is serious, but there are some humorous moments, made moreso by the fact that the overall tone of the book is dark.

I would have liked to have known what Mags was up to at the end of the novel (he's one of my favorite characters). We know he escapes with his friends, but it while it shows what Cale, Vasen, Riven, Orsin, and Garek are up to, it doesn't show Mags. That, a long with the rushed ending, is really the only complaint I have.

Overall, well done, Kemp! I eagerly await more!

Lover At Last: a Novel of the Blackdagger Brotherhood (posted on Amazon on 09/03/13)

I am so glad Ward was able to make this into a full-length novel instead of just a novella (though she had to include many other things to do so). It's about time we had a book about a homosexual relationship in this series! Qhuinn and Blay are perfect for each other, and after all they've been through, they are finally together. Of course, it isn't "official" until the very end of the book. Like all of Ward's books, the couple kind of gets together, has sex, then has an argument and a falling-out, only to make up and be reunited in the end. I loved finally being able to read "Qhuay". We learn why Qhuinn is the way he is.

I wanted to slap them a lot as I read this book. "Just confess already!" I wanted to scream more than once. But, happily, in the end, they are the way they should be: together. At heart, Qhuinn is a sap, and it shows in the last two chapters. The ending scene is adorable.

However, there is one thing I'm getting tired of: the language. Swearing is okay, but Ward often uses blunt, in-your-face descriptions, and it's gotten old, particularly in the sex scenes. I was psyched to finally read about Qhuinn and Blay, but I found myself skimming the sex scenes, much as I had with Lover Reborn. I understand they're supposed to be bad-@$$ males and have hard-core sex, but such sex can still be described sensually and not use crude language or descriptions. It gets old after awhile. In fact, if Ward wrote the whole novel the way she did during the POV of Xcor or the Chosen, it would be so much better (so long as she doesn't use "verily" or "upon" overly much, which she's gotten better about. I don't think "verily" appeared once in this book). Qhuinn's inner monologues made me laugh sometimes, but Ward' attempts at making the Brother's BA is a bit of an overkill.

I'd like to read about what happens to Saxton. I'm glad he and Blay are no longer together, but he needs love, too. Also, I can't help but like Xcor. I know he's on the "wrong side", and is described as having a black heart, but he isn't evil, and I'd be happy if he and Layla became a couple. The Band of Bastards are the enemy, but they are not evil in the conventional sense, and I like that.

All in all, except for the language and descriptions, I continue to enjoy the BDB series, and look forward to the next one.

Tale of the Waning Moon vol 4 (yaoi) (posted on Amazon on 11/17/14)

I really enjoyed this series. The artwork was beautiful, and I enjoyed the characters. I thought the Aldin and Ral relationship especially endearing. They could have a whole manga devoted just to them, I think.

Ryuka denied his feelings for Ixto through most of the series, but when it came to saving him, he could only do so if he loved him, and ta da, a happy ending! I'm a sap, so I like happy endings. The manga-ka had a little blurb about the "afterward" for some of the relationships at the end of the series. The one between Leyan and Widow holds promise, and Ral and Aldin live happily. Thr mangaka did not give a blurb for what Ixto and Ryuka's life is like together, but we can assume they are happy. The only one I had a problem with is Cymric and Izayoi's, as the former didn't seem too happy.

All in all, I liked this series. It was funny and sweet. Some might find him annoying, but I thought Coon was adorable. Nyan!

Fire in the Blood (posted on Amazon on 10/25/14)

I like that we get a glimpse into Mehen's relationships as well, and I think it'd be sweet if he got with a handsome dragonborn. Kallan, maybe.

I can't decide between Lorcan and Dahl. I love Lorcan, but he was a jerk in this book (moreso than usual). In the [i]Adversary{/i], I got the impression Lorcan might be falling for Fari, but in this one, he is clearly using her. Dahl grew on me, and by the end of the second book, when he gave her the rod, it was clear he liked her, and I can't say their relationship was unexpected, but it still came as a bit of surprise. It happened a little suddenly for me, but I can't complain too much. Farideh did seem to change a little. She experiences sex, and suddenly, she's just like Havi, a little lusty, but she was still Farideh. Dahl didn't strike me as the type to sleep with anyone, so again, it was a bit of a surprise, but still sweet. They are cute, but I still can't decide between Lorcan and Dahl.

The intrigue in this book is great. All that is going on in the Hells, and what the devil lords are up to. Now, it is clear Azuth is a part of Asmodeus, or trapped by him, at least. Ilstan's reactions and violence are a little confusing, if he is Azuth's Chosen, but then again, the Chosen of Azuth targeting the Chosen of Asmodeus makes sense.

Corymeans drive me nuts a lot of times, but Raedra grew on me. She was a strong female character who cared about her people, as a ruler should.

Zoonie is adorable, hellhound or not. I'm a dog lover, so she found her way into my heart easily.

All in all, a great book, and I can't wait for the next one!

Ze vol 7 (yaoi) (posted on Amazon on 08/31/15)

I love all the couples in this series (having multiple couples is one of the highlights of Ze, in my opinion, and Raizou and Kon are adorable), but I am a sucker for Kotoha and Konoe's relationship. I feel so sorry for Kotoha, and he and Konoe fit so well together. Shimizu-san did a great job with Kotoha's expressions. When we first meet him, Kotoha just seems to care about ice cream, but when we read about his backstory, we learn that he is a complicated soul, even though he is only a child. In fact, it is -because- he is a child.

I didn't have a problem with the age gap. For one thing, Konoe isn't human, so the taboo of child-adult relationships doesn't really count, and when you see the connection between them, you see it is made all the more poignant by how young Kotoha is. The mangaka did it tastefully and with a great deal of emotion.

Ze is an awesome series!

Ze vol 9 (posted on Amazon on 08/31/15)

The five star rating isn't just for this volume, but for this manga series in general. Ze is one of the best yaoi series I've read. There is real character development, the story is complex, and the mangaka makes you life an want to cry. You come to care for all the couples. So far, every couple "arc" has ended happily (or at least relatively so), but Asari and Shoui's story is heavy (as are Genma and Himi's, if you think about it). There is a lot of backstory in this series, and when we first meet Shoui and Asari, we are given one impression of them, but the backstory of relationship surprised me, particularly on Asari's end.

The artwork is beautiful, the story is amazing, and I can't stop thinking about this series. If you're a yaoi fan, and or if you enjoyed manga like Fruit's Basket of Loveless, then you have to read Ze.

Ze vol 10 (posted on Amazon on 08/31/15)

Ze as a series doesn't deserve anything less than 5 stars. It is full of depth and character development, and Shimizu-san knows how to make you care about all the couples.So far, all the couples' have ended at least relatively happily, but this story is complex, and that includes the characters themselves. Ze is not the typical, boy-meets-boy, there are feelings expressed, misunderstandings, sex, and call it good. No, Ze is one of those series that has a deeper story going on, and deals with issues like master-slave, how far would you go for the one you love, can love transcend time and memories (or loss of memories), and what makes a person "human". It is hard to find a BL manga that has fantastical elements (at least the ones that have been translated), but Ze is like a combination of Fruits Basket and Loveless.

There is a lot of backstory, and it can get confusing, as it is sometimes hard to tell when it's the past and when it's the present, but it is eventually made clear. In this volume, we learn more about Waki, and we meet Rikichi. We learn what started this whole thing. We also get to see how Himi and Genma's relationship has progressed. The Himi and Genma arc made me a little teary. The old Himi turns to "hakushi", and is reborn as the new Himi. We care about both Himi's, and we want Genma to love the new Himi. Here, we see that he does, and that to him, even without his memories, Himi is Himi.

I can't stop thinking about this series, and I can't wait til the next one.

Archmage (posted on Amazon on 09/07/15)

Overall this was a good read, and I finished it fairly quickly. There are some good plots twists, and for once the Drizzt books seemed to be tying in with larger events in the Realms, rather than just having RAS do his own thing. As someone who has read FR books outside the Drizzt novels, I sometimes feel that the Dizzt books are sort of their own thing, and only a part of the Realms in that they take place in Faerun and have the same races.

I actually liked that Lolth was a character in this novel. I know Wizards said they were going to tone down the influence of the gods, and I am probably one of the few who likes having the gods as characters. They don't have to be the center of the story, but it's fun to see them appear now and then. And since Salvatore tends to stay away from the gods, it was a nice surprise for me.

There is a lot of intrigue going on in this book, though the ending felt a bit rushed. There seemed to be all this build-up, with a battle that spanned several chapters, and then everything happened at once. Also, Drizzt obtained a severe injury and was out of commission for about a quarter of the book. Really, he didn't do a whole lot in this novel. It was like they just slapped the Drizzt label on it and said "yes, it is a Drizzt novel" so it would sell more books. Then he enters (all healed) in the nick of time to save the day.

Wulfgar's lusty, carefree attitude annoys me. He sleeps with women who he finds intriguing, then moves on to the next one, with no regard to their feelings. I've never been a big Wulfgar fan, anyway, but come on.

Catti-brie's accent was inconsistent. She started talking like a dwarf again, then stops, then slips back again. Pick an accent!

I'm interested in what Jarlaxle's plan will be. I've always loved him. There is a lot that happened that I hope the next novel or two answers. The books are not as good as they used to be, but they are better than the Gauntlgrym through Last Threshold books were.

 

There are more reviews, but this is more than enough for now.

Boys Love Manga

I will be posting about my interests as much as I will about my writing. After all, people are interested in multiple topics.

One of my greatest interests (obsessions?) is manga, which are Japanese comic books. I’ve been reading them since I was 13, though at that time the selection in the bookstore was small. Now, manga has become quite popular not only in the U.S., but in other countries as well. We don’t have the variety that Japan does, of course, since not every series is translated, but it has certainly grown.

One of my favorite manga genres, and one I’ve really gotten into over the past few years, is boys love, or yaoi. Just like it sounds, the BL genre focuses on male-male relationships. Its primary target is female readers, but I have talked with some gay young men who read it as well (and some straight men likely do, they just won’t admit it). Bara is a genre targeting gay men, but, as far as I know, they are not available in the U.S. 

BL can be sexually explicit, and there are scenes I sometimes have to skim, as I am rather shy. Yet, I am oddly addicted to this genre. A part of it stems from the fact that, even years before I started reading BL, my best friend and I were telling stories with male couples in them. Sometimes, I would just rather read about a same-sex couple than a heterosexual one. The sexual relationship between the couple is based on the uke (bottom), and seme (top). These terms actually stem from martial arts; uke means “to receive”, and seme means “to attack”. In some BL series, the couple are reversible, meaning they “take turns”, being uke and seme. The uke is often, though not always, portrayed as the “feminine one”. Their features are drawn more delicately, they’re often shorter, and more emotionally sensitive. 

Boys love and yaoi can be used interchangeably, but ironically enough, BL is used more often in Japan, while yaoi is used by English-speakers. In the 1970s, shoujo manga magazines would publish short stories featuring platonic relationships between boys (shounen ai). During this same time, fan fiction featuring male characters from shounen manga/anime recast as lovers (slash fiction) became popular. The term yaoi was used for this. Later that same decade, magazines began circulating devoted to this genre. Tanbi, June, and shounen-ai were terms that were used for original works with male-male relationships, but in the ‘90s, the English term boys love began to replace the other words, and today, boys love is used in Japan to describe the genre. The word yaoi is mainly used for slash fiction, but Western readers typically use yaoi as the generic term for the BL genre. This can lead to some confusion between Japanese and Western readers of the genre, so be careful. For the sake of authenticity, I will use boys love (BL) to discuss the genre. 

My BL collection has expanded over the last couple of years, and I have read many good ones. Earthian by Yun Kouga is confusing but wonderful. I love Hinako Takanaga’s works, such as Little Butterfly, Crimson Spell by Ayano Yamane, Tale of the Waning Moon by Hyouta Fujiyama, Ze by Yuki Shimizu,  and Love Stage! by Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaoh are just some of my favorites. If you consider yourself a lover of manga, then don’t avoid the BL genre.

Rising Star

Rising Star is the first book in the Rain of Stars trilogy, a YA fantasy series. Rising Star contains mystery, love, betrayal, and the responsibility and burden of duty. Over 2,000 years ago an angel's treachery left Celestia shaken, and it was followed by the War of the Races, which pitted celestials and mortals against the forces of the Hells. The Lord of the Hells was sealed away, but now, rumors are circulating that he has a daughter, and demonic activity is on the rise.

If you like swords and sorcery, elves, gods, and angels, then Rising Star is for you! I drew on elements of Japanese mythology, blending it with my own ideas and imagination. Currently, I am working on Falling Star, the sequel to Rising Star. 

There are many elements in this book, and it contains multiple characters, each with their own struggles and desires. In Celestia, not all celestials are angels. There are many types of celestials and realms within it.

You can find Rising Star on Amazon and barnesandnoble.com.

"An impressive foundation for a complex new series." – Kirkus Reviews