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chantaal's reviews
2248 reviews
One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews
4.0
I had no idea this series originally wrapped up as a trilogy with this book, but it makes total sense. The stakes for Dina and the Inn and her guests have grown higher with each installment, but doesn't falls into the power creep trap that lots of Urban Fantasy series tend to do.
Sean and Dina are still a boring couple whose romance makes no sense to me, but whatever. The world building is cool and I love all the side characters, and introducing Maud and Helen was a much needed contrast to Dina.
This was a fitting closure to the trilogy, and I totally would have been happy here.
Sean and Dina are still a boring couple whose romance makes no sense to me, but whatever. The world building is cool and I love all the side characters, and introducing Maud and Helen was a much needed contrast to Dina.
This was a fitting closure to the trilogy, and I totally would have been happy here.
[Oshi No Ko], Vol. 3 by Aka Akasaka, Mengo Yokoyari
3.0
This started off as such a wild premise, and as the story continues on past the initial setup to play out the main "mystery", I'm not sure how I feel.
Everything about this volume felt so...superfluous? I get the theming behind everything going on with Akane and the online bullying. But why a whooooolllle volume of this teen dating show, only to end with Aqua being told to meet with Ai's old manager to get info about her? AQUA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THIS SHOW so why should I?
Plus, I really hope this series deals with how Aqua feels about Ai because that man 100% jerked one out to Ai a least ONCE and he was reborn as her son...and he's conflicted about his feelings about how he feels about Ai...that's some fucked up shit! Let's deal with more of that!
Very reluctantly going to read the next volume to see if things move forward, but I'm close to dropping this.
Everything about this volume felt so...superfluous? I get the theming behind everything going on with Akane and the online bullying. But why a whooooolllle volume of this teen dating show, only to end with Aqua being told to meet with Ai's old manager to get info about her? AQUA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THIS SHOW so why should I?
Plus, I really hope this series deals with how Aqua feels about Ai because that man 100% jerked one out to Ai a least ONCE and he was reborn as her son...and he's conflicted about his feelings about how he feels about Ai...that's some fucked up shit! Let's deal with more of that!
Very reluctantly going to read the next volume to see if things move forward, but I'm close to dropping this.
Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews
4.0
Literally every plot beat and character beat and romance beat here was predictable, yes, but I read Ilona Andrews for predictability and comfort and fun world building.
Every entry in this series makes me enjoy it more, and I loved that we got away from Dina and got to experience a different type of strength in Maud compared to Dina. Loved the alien political dynamics, loved the predictability of Maud making a name for herself, loved Helen being a feral half-vampire gremlin child.
ALSO THERE WAS AN ALIEN DRAGON?!
This series has it all! I enjoy it for giving me the escapism I desperately need right now!
Every entry in this series makes me enjoy it more, and I loved that we got away from Dina and got to experience a different type of strength in Maud compared to Dina. Loved the alien political dynamics, loved the predictability of Maud making a name for herself, loved Helen being a feral half-vampire gremlin child.
This series has it all! I enjoy it for giving me the escapism I desperately need right now!
Your Lie in April, Volume 1 by Naoshi Arakawa
3.0
I can see why this is so highly regarded! It's a lovely story about grief and depression and trying to see the world for the beauty it contains again. It also has some absolutely ridiculous manga/anime silliness (how many times is the main character going to be knocked out/beat up by everyone?!) that felt so out of place juxtaposed with the more serious nature of the story. I just couldn't get past it.
Snowglobe by Soyoung Park
3.0
I love reading translated genre fiction when I can find it, because it's interesting seeing how the same stories and tropes are played out using different cultural contexts.
There's not much new here, especially not in how the story unfolds in a "uncovering the real nasty truth behind a dystopian society" context. But what makes this a little different - and at times harder to connect to - is reading this from a South Korean context. These are South Korean values about fame, culture, societal expectations, television, beauty, etc.
It's a decent read and went by very quickly, but again, nothing really new here if you've read a few dystopian novels.
There's not much new here, especially not in how the story unfolds in a "uncovering the real nasty truth behind a dystopian society" context. But what makes this a little different - and at times harder to connect to - is reading this from a South Korean context. These are South Korean values about fame, culture, societal expectations, television, beauty, etc.
It's a decent read and went by very quickly, but again, nothing really new here if you've read a few dystopian novels.
The Institute by Stephen King
4.5
No author is as compulsively readable as Stephen King is for me. I’m 39 years old now, but reading this took me right back to when I was 15 - devouring every single King book I could get my hands on, staying up late at night and scaring the shit out of myself, constantly fighting with my little sister because I still wanted the lights on at 2am when she was trying to sleep.
This is not his best but it’s still a good book and was a damn good reading experience for me, and sometimes that’s all I need.
This is not his best but it’s still a good book and was a damn good reading experience for me, and sometimes that’s all I need.
The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown
2.5
For a story about conjoined twins where one dies in a separation surgery and the surviving twin has to figure out life on her own...this was fine. Mostly predictable. The art was alright. Meh.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1 by Kanehito Yamada
5.0
Well, I knew this was good and I knew the basic premise, but I didn't expect to be so impressed with the combination of cozy vibes and melancholy. Fantastic start.