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destdest's reviews
2474 reviews
My Dear Cold-Blooded King by LifeLight
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Last read episode 156 [rating may change]
I enjoyed the tension and lore of the blood king. You’ll second-guess everything until that’s slowly revealed. Mei was mostly competent until the plot called for otherwise.
Ryusaki was fine except when he flirted with Mei. Their banter could be fun, but, at times, it was just too much. Like, take a hint! If he wasn’t in-universe handsome, he’d been the gross guy hitting on every woman at the gas station. There’s an instance where Mei narrowly escapes being raped by her former childhood lover. Not even days after, Ryu has cornered Mei and laments about how he should have his way with her, thinking she loves another man. Just no.
This type of thing is no stranger in shoujo manga, and My Dear Coldblooded King is by no means the worst offender. I’ve seen this type of possessive “no man can touch you but me," especially after the female lead has almost been/has been sexually assaulted or harassed. But as I get older, I look at these things more critically now.
When Ryusaki and Mei are good, it’s great. But he basically wore her down until she returned his affection/gave him a chance.
Also, a recurring plot element is Mei’s sexual attraction to the male lead. Mei crying about how she’s such a monster of lust got old quick! It’s been about 7 times you’ve lamented about this either stop putting yourself in those situations to have sex before marriage or sleep with him! Binge reading this repetitiveness was painful but in a weekly webtoon format it’s understandable, not annoying. Although there are many times when Mei wants to give up on her original decision, Ryusaki honors it with his whole heart, and they only have sex on their wedding night.
I liked the standoffish Katsu though he was hardheaded in his brooding. I thought Mei and he had great chemistry!
Overall, I didn’t lose interest once throughout
I enjoyed the tension and lore of the blood king. You’ll second-guess everything until that’s slowly revealed. Mei was mostly competent until the plot called for otherwise.
Ryusaki was fine except when he flirted with Mei. Their banter could be fun, but, at times, it was just too much. Like, take a hint! If he wasn’t in-universe handsome, he’d been the gross guy hitting on every woman at the gas station.
This type of thing is no stranger in shoujo manga, and My Dear Coldblooded King is by no means the worst offender. I’ve seen this type of possessive “no man can touch you but me," especially after the female lead has almost been/has been sexually assaulted or harassed. But as I get older, I look at these things more critically now.
When Ryusaki and Mei are good, it’s great. But he basically wore her down until she returned his affection/gave him a chance.
Also, a recurring plot element is Mei’s sexual attraction to the male lead. Mei crying about how she’s such a monster of lust got old quick! It’s been about 7 times you’ve lamented about this either stop putting yourself in those situations to have sex before marriage or sleep with him! Binge reading this repetitiveness was painful but in a weekly webtoon format it’s understandable, not annoying.
I liked the standoffish Katsu though he was hardheaded in his brooding. I thought Mei and he had great chemistry!
Overall, I didn’t lose interest once throughout
Atana and the Firebird by Vivian Zhou
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Smoke That Thunders by Erhu Kome
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a good read for me. I wanted to like this much more than I did. The cover, West African setting, and the title really drew me to this.
The pacing wasn’t slow, but I didn’t mesh well with the writing style. So much of it felt like unnecessary details or sterile. We have a fox spirit, kidnapping, and trying to unite two kingdoms! Narborhi is educated and can fight hand-to-hand combat. Nothing about that sounds boring but the execution was.
One of the main conflicts/themes is that Narborhi has seen the horrors of marriage going wrong and leaving women destitute or shells of themselves. Her mother's experience really shaped her worldview.
I like that the book acknowledges that marriage (at least certainly at her age - 16 years old) isn't for everyone. Despite that, many of the characters (one of the male leads even) desired marriage but didn't gaslight or belittle Narborhi's feelings. There's a balance of good and terrible marriage(s) here, but the power imbalances with the majority of the young brides are made very clear.
I liked the Red Tapestry once it was introduced, a haven for women to showcase their skills and talents.
The pacing wasn’t slow, but I didn’t mesh well with the writing style. So much of it felt like unnecessary details or sterile. We have a fox spirit, kidnapping, and trying to unite two kingdoms! Narborhi is educated and can fight hand-to-hand combat. Nothing about that sounds boring but the execution was.
One of the main conflicts/themes is that Narborhi has seen the horrors of marriage going wrong and leaving women destitute or shells of themselves. Her mother's experience really shaped her worldview.
I like that the book acknowledges that marriage (at least certainly at her age - 16 years old) isn't for everyone. Despite that, many of the characters (one of the male leads even) desired marriage but didn't gaslight or belittle Narborhi's feelings. There's a balance of good and terrible marriage(s) here, but the power imbalances with the majority of the young brides are made very clear.
I liked the Red Tapestry once it was introduced, a haven for women to showcase their skills and talents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Happy Shop by Brittany Long Olsen
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I just adored how sweet and tender this story was and the magical realism.
Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood by bell hooks
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
There’s so much the eyes of a child see that adults tend not to notice.
The memoir is mainly told in the third person. Very rarely is "I" used here. It creates a bit of distance between hook and her younger self. It's less about her and more about the exploration of girlhood or relevant things of that period that could connect with readers. hook's thoughts on marriage are very clear when you see how she came to those conclusions/her observations.
A running theme is the color of black (technically, we know it's not a color, but you get the idea). hooks always saw it as beautiful, but it was enforced to be a woman's color only; it was tied to maturity or mourning, not for young girls.
hook’s youth seemed very restrictive with her feeling out of place and constantly reprimanded for her outspokenness and questioning of gender roles. She has some nice lines here, and I wish I had learned of her work earlier.
The memoir is mainly told in the third person. Very rarely is "I" used here. It creates a bit of distance between hook and her younger self. It's less about her and more about the exploration of girlhood or relevant things of that period that could connect with readers. hook's thoughts on marriage are very clear when you see how she came to those conclusions/her observations.
A running theme is the color of black (technically, we know it's not a color, but you get the idea). hooks always saw it as beautiful, but it was enforced to be a woman's color only; it was tied to maturity or mourning, not for young girls.
hook’s youth seemed very restrictive with her feeling out of place and constantly reprimanded for her outspokenness and questioning of gender roles. She has some nice lines here, and I wish I had learned of her work earlier.
Coral's Reef Vol. 1 by David Lumsdon
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.0
I say this in love, but this has a very Deviantart + early 2000’s cartoon vibe.
With the fast pace, the constant winking, the sister with a weird obsession with her brother so she sabotages other girls, and the slapstick (coral and lilyanna ending up naked seems to be a recurring joke, I guess).
Still, it’s a relatively cute slice of life with fantasy characters. The love triangle with Nick Inferno and Lance (he's a jerk but seems to have genuine feelings for her) was also entertaining.
SN: Lilyanna’s design is too cute! The Orca Whale dude looked hilarious
With the fast pace, the constant winking, the sister with a weird obsession with her brother so she sabotages other girls, and the slapstick (coral and lilyanna ending up naked seems to be a recurring joke, I guess).
Still, it’s a relatively cute slice of life with fantasy characters. The love triangle with Nick Inferno and Lance (he's a jerk but seems to have genuine feelings for her) was also entertaining.
SN: Lilyanna’s design is too cute! The Orca Whale dude looked hilarious
Enlighten Me by Minh Lê
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Waverider by Kazu Kibuishi
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I really need to reread this series from the beginning for full enjoyment (end of an era y'all - the first book was 16 years ago 💀), but this was a pretty great conclusion with me trying to remember the major plot points.
I love how it doesn't fall into "the chosen one" trope because ... we need everyone to save the day. we can't pin our hope all on one human being. peace and conflict will always be with us. negative thoughts festering turns us into monsters.
the elves - conclusion
as a kid, I remember Trellis being one of my favorite characters for his Zuko arc as a kid, and the vague Zutara vibes he and emily had. Also, he gave up the throne to become leader of the stonekeepers. I really have to reread the series because I don't know if I should be feeling cheated or surprised at a great subversion
Riva's potential kind of fizzled out. What's her part to play in the future besides being a trellis' wife?she was like a mayour at one point. surely, she's overseeing something too
I love how it doesn't fall into "the chosen one" trope because ...
the elves - conclusion
Riva's potential kind of fizzled out. What's her part to play in the future besides being a trellis' wife?she was like a mayour at one point. surely, she's overseeing something too