Scan barcode
ellelainey's reviews
2272 reviews
Manner of Death, Vol. 2 by Sammon, Yukari Umemoto
4.0
I'm really glad I binged Volumes 1 and 2 back to back, because it was great to follow all the little details from one volume to another. There was actually a lot more of the after-crime story than I'd expected, which was great, though it did feel like it went on for a long time. I can't say I really liked either Bun or Tan, though. Both were manipulative and red-flags in different ways, but they suited each other and the story, so that was fine.
Manner of Death, Vol. 1 by Sammon, Yukari Umemoto
4.0
A little predictable, and not nearly as intriguing as I'd thought - less murder mystery and more romance than I expected - but overall a good book/story. I'm glad I bought both volumes, because I was fully invested in finding out what would happen next, especially after that cliffhanger ending.
Sating the Wolf by Troy Arukuno
3.0
What a strange little story. It was kinda cute, kinda weird, the art was good but the plot weak. And I really feel like Henri the bunny is drawn very feminine, which was a bit jarring. Not a waste of time to read, by any means, but could use some work to make it really good, with some substance.
Nagahama to Be, Or Not to Be by Scarlet Beriko
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was the most stinkingly adorable thing I've maybe ever read! Friends-to-lovers. Opposites attract. "Do you wanna eat salmon?" Lol. Too cute and some STUNNING artwork! Utterly gorgeous from start to finish.
Tied to You, Vol. 1 by WHAT, Chelliace
Tied to You is an adorable college-age romance. Weaving together themes of unrequited love, friendship and fated mates, it spins a new take on the red thread of fate.
In this world, it's commonly known that a red thread connects two fated hearts together. Most believe it's only an urban legend, but everyone knows about it. The red thread connects two people and they're unable to sleep or function without one another, once they discover the thread after they turn 20. All it takes is a single touch to know and they can see the thread between them.
Wooseo is in love with his best friend, Jiseok, but knows that Jiseok is straight and they've been friends for so long that they can't be connected by the red thread. But when he bumps into Jiseok's older brother one day, Jigeon, and the red thread appears between Wooseo and Jigeon, things begin to unravel.
I loved that the red thread connection didn't make everything perfect for this couple, but actually made it more complicated and forced them to face things they'd been avoiding. I also loved that it wasn't in any way sexual; they just had to sleep beside each other, which was a really cute and sweet twist.
Sometimes, manga stories move fast and I've grown used to that, but this one took a nice length of time to explore the characters and their complex relationships before progressing. I loved the pacing, the artwork and the hints of what might happen in volume two.
I am absolutely in love with the recent influx of YA BL manga on the market lately, and this is another great story. I've already added it to my cart, to get the paperbacks on my shelf!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley
~
Tied To You, Vol. 1, by WHAT, Chelliace
★★★★★
272 Pages
Themes: forced proximity, fated mates, best friend's brother, unrequited love, love triangle
Tied to You is an adorable college-age romance. Weaving together themes of unrequited love, friendship and fated mates, it spins a new take on the red thread of fate.
In this world, it's commonly known that a red thread connects two fated hearts together. Most believe it's only an urban legend, but everyone knows about it. The red thread connects two people and they're unable to sleep or function without one another, once they discover the thread after they turn 20. All it takes is a single touch to know and they can see the thread between them.
Wooseo is in love with his best friend, Jiseok, but knows that Jiseok is straight and they've been friends for so long that they can't be connected by the red thread. But when he bumps into Jiseok's older brother one day, Jigeon, and the red thread appears between Wooseo and Jigeon, things begin to unravel.
Wooseo is a heart-on-his-sleeve type of person, but he's been holding back a lot to hide his feelings from Jiseok. Conversely, Jigeon has been shutting his emotions away for so long – with absent parents, he's had to grow up fast and be the parental figure to two siblings – that it's second nature. Until the red thread starts to force their hand.
I loved that the red thread connection didn't make everything perfect for this couple, but actually made it more complicated and forced them to face things they'd been avoiding. I also loved that it wasn't in any way sexual; they just had to sleep beside each other, which was a really cute and sweet twist.
There was a lot of story packed into this one volume, which was awesome! I love a long volume, especially when we got to see flashbacks from each main character, explaining their past relationship with each other and how that's affected the present day. At first I really loved Wooseo and Jiseok's friendship, but the cracks soon began to appear and feel more like Wooseo was being used by his friend, even though it may have been unintentional.
Sometimes, manga stories move fast and I've grown used to that, but this one took a nice length of time to explore the characters and their complex relationships before progressing. I loved the pacing, the artwork and the hints of what might happen in volume two.
I am absolutely in love with the recent influx of YA BL manga on the market lately, and this is another great story. I've already added it to my cart, to get the paperbacks on my shelf!
A Death at His Majesty's by David C. Dawson
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
~
A Death at His Majesty's, by David C. Dawson
A Simon Sampson Mystery, Book 3
★★★★★
280 Pages
3rd person, dual character POV
Themes: murder mystery, theatre, friendship, found family, religion
Genre: LGBT, Murder Mystery, Cosy Mystery, Historical
Triggers: mentions of 1920's homophobic laws and attitudes, murder, religious views
~
I've loved the Simon Sampson Mysteries, so far, so when I knew that there would be a prequel story – showing us how Bill and Simon came together – I couldn't have been more excited. Somehow, David C. Dawson manages to outdo himself with every book in this series. I remember being impressed when Book 2 was just as good, if not better, than Book 1. Well, he's done it again. This book could very well be the best in the series, yet. And I sincerely hope there's more to come. I could read about Bill and Simon's adventures forever. I hope they'll still be a crime-solving duo well into their nineties, because even then I'd still want to read about their escapades.
First off, I want to commend Dawson on making this an extremely female-centric novel. Not only do we get heavy amounts of Bill's POV, which was awesome, but the entire book is littered with timeline and well-written, well-researched honesty about the things women experience on a daily basis. These issues aren't just relevant to the historical timeline but also to modern women, because nothing has changed. I won't go on about all the scenes that made my heart race with anticipation or how I knew how Bill felt, whenever she thought there was danger, because that's something every woman knows. The thought process and reactions that Bill went through were phenomenally honest, heartbreaking, endearing and real.
Simon was adorable in this book. I loved the perfect meet-cute of how he first met Bill, then the little slivers of journalistic snark, how the shark inside came out when he realised he had a good source, but that he also knew how and when to draw the line between journalistic endeavour and friendship.
Bill was – as always – incredible. She's such a strong, feisty woman but it was lovely to see a softer side of her, in this book. To see her experiencing love, having a tender heart, and still ball-busting was so much fun.
While I can't say much about the plot itself, because anything I say would probably be a spoiler, I will mention that we get the unusual – but brilliantly executed – journal entries of the killer! This was so much fun, because there were tiny little snippets in those entries that gave us hints and clues towards the killer without ever pointing out just one person. So, we were able to follow the clues that Bill and Simon found, but add on the ones that only we knew about, to try to figure out who the killer was.
As always, the cast of secondary characters was full of life, colour and vibrancy. The story was immensely clever, well executed, and kept me guessing from the start. I was always on the edge of my seat, trying to work out who was liked to who and how. I adored Calvin and sincerely hope we get to see him again, and Aunt Cynny was wonderful! Bill's acerbic wit was like the cherry on top of a clever mystery and an adorable budding friendship.
All in all, a standing ovation for A Death at His Majesty's. It's been the highlight of my week, and I look forward to more from Bill and Simon.
~
Favourite Quote
“Noël insisted on bringing you in for this London run. God knows why. The only thing he knows about you is that you've been at the opera house. What did you do there? Make the tea?”
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
~
A Death at His Majesty's, by David C. Dawson
A Simon Sampson Mystery, Book 3
★★★★★
280 Pages
3rd person, dual character POV
Themes: murder mystery, theatre, friendship, found family, religion
Genre: LGBT, Murder Mystery, Cosy Mystery, Historical
Triggers: mentions of 1920's homophobic laws and attitudes, murder, religious views
~
I've loved the Simon Sampson Mysteries, so far, so when I knew that there would be a prequel story – showing us how Bill and Simon came together – I couldn't have been more excited. Somehow, David C. Dawson manages to outdo himself with every book in this series. I remember being impressed when Book 2 was just as good, if not better, than Book 1. Well, he's done it again. This book could very well be the best in the series, yet. And I sincerely hope there's more to come. I could read about Bill and Simon's adventures forever. I hope they'll still be a crime-solving duo well into their nineties, because even then I'd still want to read about their escapades.
First off, I want to commend Dawson on making this an extremely female-centric novel. Not only do we get heavy amounts of Bill's POV, which was awesome, but the entire book is littered with timeline and well-written, well-researched honesty about the things women experience on a daily basis. These issues aren't just relevant to the historical timeline but also to modern women, because nothing has changed. I won't go on about all the scenes that made my heart race with anticipation or how I knew how Bill felt, whenever she thought there was danger, because that's something every woman knows. The thought process and reactions that Bill went through were phenomenally honest, heartbreaking, endearing and real.
Simon was adorable in this book. I loved the perfect meet-cute of how he first met Bill, then the little slivers of journalistic snark, how the shark inside came out when he realised he had a good source, but that he also knew how and when to draw the line between journalistic endeavour and friendship.
Bill was – as always – incredible. She's such a strong, feisty woman but it was lovely to see a softer side of her, in this book. To see her experiencing love, having a tender heart, and still ball-busting was so much fun.
While I can't say much about the plot itself, because anything I say would probably be a spoiler, I will mention that we get the unusual – but brilliantly executed – journal entries of the killer! This was so much fun, because there were tiny little snippets in those entries that gave us hints and clues towards the killer without ever pointing out just one person. So, we were able to follow the clues that Bill and Simon found, but add on the ones that only we knew about, to try to figure out who the killer was.
As always, the cast of secondary characters was full of life, colour and vibrancy. The story was immensely clever, well executed, and kept me guessing from the start. I was always on the edge of my seat, trying to work out who was liked to who and how. I adored Calvin and sincerely hope we get to see him again, and Aunt Cynny was wonderful! Bill's acerbic wit was like the cherry on top of a clever mystery and an adorable budding friendship.
All in all, a standing ovation for A Death at His Majesty's. It's been the highlight of my week, and I look forward to more from Bill and Simon.
~
Favourite Quote
“Noël insisted on bringing you in for this London run. God knows why. The only thing he knows about you is that you've been at the opera house. What did you do there? Make the tea?”
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Stalking, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Outing, Death, and Lesbophobia
Given vol.8 by Natsuki Kizu
5.0
I love Mafuyu's connection with Ugetsu. My heart hurts for Haruki, who does so much for everyone else and is finally happy, but I get this feeling that it won't/can't last! I love how much Uenoyama cares for Mafuyu, that he apologised when he's messed up, explains himself and tries to find a good balance between keeping his commitments and being a good boyfriend. I have a feeling part of the reason Mafuyu feels so untethered and conflicted is because Uenomaya is doing all the right things, but it's either a repeat of what happened with Yuki or the exact opposite...