_lunaria_'s reviews
351 reviews

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Finished reading this just now, so my thoughts are still jumbled up a bit. Definitely think this is gonna be one of the more notable ones I've read & still will be reading this year - I would really like to just ramble about this book, but I sadly can't as it would ruin the experience; but what I can say is that whatever you're expecting this book will be about, you're very likely wrong.
The reason I didn't give it 5 Stars even though I'm liking it so much & it's one of the books I completed more quickly than usual, is because I found some of the lines a little cheesy (not as in cute-cheesy, but more as in look-at-how-dark-and-edgy-i-am-cheesy). This felt a bit exaggerated & kind of pulled me out of the story at times.

Other than that: this book includes dark themes, also goes into their details. So if you're a more squeamish person I would advise against reading it. And to everyone else, happy reading. ;)

Blood on the Tracks Vol 17 by Shuzo Oshimi

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The Mill House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Enjoyed this a lot, which is why I was a bit disappointed by how it ended. Liked the plot twist, that was not the problem, but without spoiling anything: I can see what the author wanted to do. Just a shame that it opened up some more questions, and that it thus didn't feel like a 'true' ending. I think if '''the thing''' would have been done a chapter later after a more proper way of ending had already been written, it would have achieved the exact same the author would have wanted to do; just with it feeling more clean & with leaving me (& maybe other readers too, if this isn't something that is just bothering me) more fulfilled.
I still think the book is worth reading even so, & I'm looking forward to the third book in this series being released in english this October (I think it was).

Secret of the Alien, Volume 2 by Hamita

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I think the idea is really good, but things could have been fleshed out more. It treats its themes in a very superficial manner; this could've easily been fixed by exploring the characters deeper (at least the main character; he was thrown in a really odd scenario that would've been hard on anyones psyche, but he pretty much just accepts things as they come), or, if this isn't the authors style, maybe leaning a bit more into the gore-aspect.
Personally I would have preferred both, though, I think a really good deep-dive into all of the characters, some proper backstories & flashbacks, maybe one or two meltdowns before the main character accepts his fate, all accompanied by the nonemotional Haru & maybe a little bit more gore would have been really cool.
As far as I've seen this isn't the last volume though; on the last page of the Manga-Translation I've read it said the third volume will be released at the end of June. I will be reading that one too, because while the execution is lacking, the basic story idea is still interesting enough for me to keep reading. Also I kinda liked where we left off & I want to know how it'll continue from there.

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