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house_of_hannah's reviews
257 reviews
The Anime Chef Cookbook: 75 Iconic Dishes from Your Favorite Anime by Nadine Estero
informative
lighthearted
4.0
Thank you so much to Quarto Publishing Group – Rock Point and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
This is a very cute cookbook ! There is a quick introduction that I can relate to as someone who has watched anime since they were a child. There have been plenty of times that I have been jealous of how food looks in anime, and wanted to take a bite.
After the introduction there’s a detailed list of kitchen tools and ingredients that you might not usually use, but will need for the recipes in this book. There is an explanation given for each one, which I really appreciate.
There are four categories of recipes here: Appetizers, Mains, Desserts, and Drinks. Each recipe is setup with an instructions sheet that not only gives you a step-by-step on how to create the dish, but also tells you which anime it comes from down to the season, episode, and episode title. There is also a paragraph explaining how this food was used in that anime. I love that they do this, as it really keeps it with the theme.
The instruction sheets also have a little graphic in the middle that lets you know how many servings the recipe will yield, how long prep will take, cook time, and other misc things such as how long to marinate if that is necessary. Some recipes include tips, or quotes from the anime featured.
After the instruction sheet there is artwork of the food. I do wish they had also included a picture of what the food looks like in real life, as having that side-by-side would be interesting to compare, helpful, and I prefer to have a real life visual of what it should look like when finished.This is a personal preference though.The end of the book is an index so you can search recipes by ingredient.
One thing I really appreciate is that the ingredients lists are done using both the US measurements and metric units. For example, if it says you need 2 cups of something, it will also list what that is in grams. It definitely makes this book more international friendly.
One odd thing I noticed is that they have a dish for Pokémon Café Mix in here, which is a mobile game, and not an anime. I think to keep with the theme they could have easily just listed the anime as Pokémon, and kept the description the same. There are also some dessert and drink recipes that do not have an artwork of the end result.
Overall this is a vibrant and cute cookbook that I think most anime lovers would enjoy. I would not say that this is beginner friendly in terms of difficulty, as there are utensils, techniques, and ingredients used that most would not have in their everyday life. I do think this a good theme for a cookbook, and leaves the door open for many more.
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales by Adam Kuplowsky (Translator)
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you so much to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
I would read a book on Eroshenko's life in a second. Just wow. I could not imagine living such a fascinating life. I like that there is an extended intro to really give us at least the basics about Eroshenko. This really helps at the end of the book to give more context about what Eroshenko is writing about.
The tales themselves are some of the most depressing stories I have ever read. I am a fan of horror and dark writing, but these are so real they crawl under your skin and sit with you. The tone can also be quite jarring. These are written as if you are reciting a story to a child, yet the content is quite adult. There's such a sense of simplicity with his writing, yet what he's saying leaves you breathless.
Due to this I took quite awhile to finish this book. I would read only one or two stories a day, and maybe not touch the book itself for several days at a time either. I feel like this book really lends itself to be read slowly and savored.
I would read a book on Eroshenko's life in a second. Just wow. I could not imagine living such a fascinating life. I like that there is an extended intro to really give us at least the basics about Eroshenko. This really helps at the end of the book to give more context about what Eroshenko is writing about.
The tales themselves are some of the most depressing stories I have ever read. I am a fan of horror and dark writing, but these are so real they crawl under your skin and sit with you. The tone can also be quite jarring. These are written as if you are reciting a story to a child, yet the content is quite adult. There's such a sense of simplicity with his writing, yet what he's saying leaves you breathless.
Due to this I took quite awhile to finish this book. I would read only one or two stories a day, and maybe not touch the book itself for several days at a time either. I feel like this book really lends itself to be read slowly and savored.
Tales of Nightmares: Wily Writers Presents #2 by Jennifer Brozek, Weston Ochse, Angel Leigh McCoy, E.S. Magill, Bill Bodden, Loren Rhoads, Yvonne Navarro, Alison J. McKenzie, Lisa Morton
dark
fast-paced
3.5
Thank you so much to SFWA and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
This collection has 9 short stories from authors of all walks of life. I'm going to include all the title names + authors, as well as a one sentence summary of each story.
La Japonesa - Lisa Morton
A woman writing a book on local folk tales discovers the story of a Japanese cat-woman. 4 Stars.
Into the Quiet - Alison J. McKenzie
A worn out mother is tormented by what she believes are hallucinations.
I loved the writing in this. Definitely want to check out the author's other work. 5 Stars.
The Dark Watchers - E.S. Magill
A man who worked as a guide for hikers until a terrible accident comes out of retirement when he's offered a hefty sum. His three clients give off red flags though, and he will soon find out exactly what that entails. 3 Stars.
Recall - Yvonne Navarro
A cop is haunted by the fact that he wasn't able to save his parents during a home invasion. 4 Stars.
Twenty Questions - Jennifer Brozek
Mixed media format. A woman agrees to play the game 20 questions with an online stranger. 2 Stars.
The Haunting of Mrs. Poole - Angel Leigh McCoy
A woman is haunted by a spectre that seems to be warning her of atrocities to come. 3 Stars.
Glue and the Art of Supermodel Maintenance - Weston Ochse
A man creates his own love dolls out of supermodels. 2 Stars.
Elle a Vu in Loup - Loren Rhoads
A woman heads to Mackinac Island to take care of a werewolf problem. As someone who grew up in Michigan, I loved the setting. 4 Stars.
The House on River Road - Bill Bodden
A house that appears once a year may be the cause of a multitude of disappearances. 3 Stars.
Averaging my ratings brings it to a 3.3. As you can see this collection started off very strong, and I am interested in checking out the first Wily Writers Presents, as well as the others yet to come. I like that this is kept short, as I sometimes get overwhelemed when it's 20+ stories. I had only heard of one of these authors before, so I enjoy how short story collections introduce me to authors I may not have picked up otherwise.
This collection has 9 short stories from authors of all walks of life. I'm going to include all the title names + authors, as well as a one sentence summary of each story.
La Japonesa - Lisa Morton
A woman writing a book on local folk tales discovers the story of a Japanese cat-woman. 4 Stars.
Into the Quiet - Alison J. McKenzie
A worn out mother is tormented by what she believes are hallucinations.
I loved the writing in this. Definitely want to check out the author's other work. 5 Stars.
The Dark Watchers - E.S. Magill
A man who worked as a guide for hikers until a terrible accident comes out of retirement when he's offered a hefty sum. His three clients give off red flags though, and he will soon find out exactly what that entails. 3 Stars.
Recall - Yvonne Navarro
A cop is haunted by the fact that he wasn't able to save his parents during a home invasion. 4 Stars.
Twenty Questions - Jennifer Brozek
Mixed media format. A woman agrees to play the game 20 questions with an online stranger. 2 Stars.
The Haunting of Mrs. Poole - Angel Leigh McCoy
A woman is haunted by a spectre that seems to be warning her of atrocities to come. 3 Stars.
Glue and the Art of Supermodel Maintenance - Weston Ochse
A man creates his own love dolls out of supermodels. 2 Stars.
Elle a Vu in Loup - Loren Rhoads
A woman heads to Mackinac Island to take care of a werewolf problem. As someone who grew up in Michigan, I loved the setting. 4 Stars.
The House on River Road - Bill Bodden
A house that appears once a year may be the cause of a multitude of disappearances. 3 Stars.
Averaging my ratings brings it to a 3.3. As you can see this collection started off very strong, and I am interested in checking out the first Wily Writers Presents, as well as the others yet to come. I like that this is kept short, as I sometimes get overwhelemed when it's 20+ stories. I had only heard of one of these authors before, so I enjoy how short story collections introduce me to authors I may not have picked up otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Mental illness
Never Name the Dead by D.M. Rowell
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Thank you so much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
I am sad to say, but this book ended up being just a 1 star read for me, and that star is purely for the Kiowa culture that I enjoyed learning about. If this wasn't an e-ARC then I honestly don't think I would have finished it.
There needs to be a lot more editing done here. There is an abundance of redundant paragraphs throughout this book that constantly took me out of the story. It felt like we were just idiling in the same thoughts over and over again instead of continuing on with events. This led me to skimming the last several chapters, as there was just so much included that simply didn't matter to the story.
For being a mystery novel there isn't much solved at the end. I shouted, "Wait, that's it !?" when I turned the page and the Acknowledgments were staring at me. There are essentially three plotlines happening simultaneously, and we are learning about them right up until the end, but only one is officially solved. The other two are just determined to be dealt with another day, so then what was the point ? It just made it feel like a good chunk of the book was pointless in the end.
I am sad to say, but this book ended up being just a 1 star read for me, and that star is purely for the Kiowa culture that I enjoyed learning about. If this wasn't an e-ARC then I honestly don't think I would have finished it.
There needs to be a lot more editing done here. There is an abundance of redundant paragraphs throughout this book that constantly took me out of the story. It felt like we were just idiling in the same thoughts over and over again instead of continuing on with events. This led me to skimming the last several chapters, as there was just so much included that simply didn't matter to the story.
For being a mystery novel there isn't much solved at the end. I shouted, "Wait, that's it !?" when I turned the page and the Acknowledgments were staring at me. There are essentially three plotlines happening simultaneously, and we are learning about them right up until the end, but only one is officially solved. The other two are just determined to be dealt with another day, so then what was the point ? It just made it feel like a good chunk of the book was pointless in the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Murder
Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
I couldn't picture these Kentukis as anything other than Furbys. Doesn't matter if it's described as a crow, bunny, or dragon, my brain says Furby.
I did end up overwhelmed by how many different POVs we are given here. Instead of being numbered, each chapter is titled with a town name. Some we only see once, others several times. We see new POVs almost right up until the end, so it would take me a few paragraphs sometimes to remember who the people are.
The first chapter is essentially what you first think is going to happen in a situation like this. Also, imagine my surprise when the first chapter is titled South Bend, which is only 30 minutes from my hometown, and a place I've been a million times. Definitely makes it more real, but that was one town the book only visited once.
We do get a variety of situations throughout the story, but I don't believe any of them are happy endings. Since there are so many POVs, it also feels like we are viewing the stories from a distance (maybe in our own Kentuki ?). For me I think I would have have been more interested in delving into some of these stories deeper, and understanding the characters a bit more, instead of having some of the one off POVs.
You definitely need to have a sense of disbelief going into this, as the entire concept is something that just would not work in reality. The legality of it is extremely sketchy, security would be a nightmare, but all countries agreeing on something like this would just never happen.
Overall this just ended up as an average read for me. I felt most of the POVs stayed too surface level, as the connections with the Kentukis would be cut right as things were getting interesting. There are two more books by this author that I am interested in reading though, so I will be checking out more of her writing.
I did end up overwhelmed by how many different POVs we are given here. Instead of being numbered, each chapter is titled with a town name. Some we only see once, others several times. We see new POVs almost right up until the end, so it would take me a few paragraphs sometimes to remember who the people are.
The first chapter is essentially what you first think is going to happen in a situation like this. Also, imagine my surprise when the first chapter is titled South Bend, which is only 30 minutes from my hometown, and a place I've been a million times. Definitely makes it more real, but that was one town the book only visited once.
We do get a variety of situations throughout the story, but I don't believe any of them are happy endings. Since there are so many POVs, it also feels like we are viewing the stories from a distance (maybe in our own Kentuki ?). For me I think I would have have been more interested in delving into some of these stories deeper, and understanding the characters a bit more, instead of having some of the one off POVs.
You definitely need to have a sense of disbelief going into this, as the entire concept is something that just would not work in reality. The legality of it is extremely sketchy, security would be a nightmare, but all countries agreeing on something like this would just never happen.
Overall this just ended up as an average read for me. I felt most of the POVs stayed too surface level, as the connections with the Kentukis would be cut right as things were getting interesting. There are two more books by this author that I am interested in reading though, so I will be checking out more of her writing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Confinement, and Sexual content
Minor: Kidnapping, Death, and Infidelity
Animal Castle Vol 1 by Xavier Dorison, Félix Delep
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Thank you so much to Diamond Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
As someone who has not read Animal Farm before, I was absolutely blown away by this graphic novel. I also want to pick up Animal Farm immediately !
The art is incredibly detailed, and the color palette really supports the story being told. I would honestly just read this for the art even. The animals are really brought to life, and you can see the hardships and emotions on their faces and body language.
The story itself isn't new, but I'm enjoying the format it's being told in. It's very easy to sympathize with the animals of the lower court, and there is a clear divide on good and evil. The most interesting part for me is the female cat, Miss B, that is trying to organize a revolution. The difficulties in organizing people, staying away from mob mentality, and sticking to your morals are all explored.
Be prepared going into this though; it is a brutal book. The first scene is an execution, and it ends similarly. Violence as a means of control is a major theme here. However, there is a meaning to all of it, and each scene is important to what the animals are going through. The ending is bittersweet, shows how you can play into the wrong hands, and makes me want to pick up the next volume immediately.
As someone who has not read Animal Farm before, I was absolutely blown away by this graphic novel. I also want to pick up Animal Farm immediately !
The art is incredibly detailed, and the color palette really supports the story being told. I would honestly just read this for the art even. The animals are really brought to life, and you can see the hardships and emotions on their faces and body language.
The story itself isn't new, but I'm enjoying the format it's being told in. It's very easy to sympathize with the animals of the lower court, and there is a clear divide on good and evil. The most interesting part for me is the female cat, Miss B, that is trying to organize a revolution. The difficulties in organizing people, staying away from mob mentality, and sticking to your morals are all explored.
Be prepared going into this though; it is a brutal book. The first scene is an execution, and it ends similarly. Violence as a means of control is a major theme here. However, there is a meaning to all of it, and each scene is important to what the animals are going through. The ending is bittersweet, shows how you can play into the wrong hands, and makes me want to pick up the next volume immediately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Bullying, Gaslighting, Violence, Classism, Gore, and Murder
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was hesitant to start this, since I wasn't the biggest fan of Addie LaRue. I am pleased to say that this is nothing like that book. It had me hooked from page 1, and I devoured the story. I've been burnt out on superheros lately, so it was nice to follow some villains.
Each character feels unique, but also real. They all have their own personalities, and I found it really easy to fall in love with the ragtag group of found family. I see that this is supposed to be a series, and although I don't really see where it's going to go based on the ending, I definitely wouldn't mind spending more time with these characters.
I did feel that the story was a tad too long. The short chapters definitely helped in mitigating that though. There are quite a few moments of "plot convenience", which is what brings it down to a 4 for me. Those moments really stick out to me, and unfortunately take me out of the story.
Overall, I am just straight up happy with this book, and I'll be thinking about it a lot over the next few days.
Each character feels unique, but also real. They all have their own personalities, and I found it really easy to fall in love with the ragtag group of found family. I see that this is supposed to be a series, and although I don't really see where it's going to go based on the ending, I definitely wouldn't mind spending more time with these characters.
I did feel that the story was a tad too long. The short chapters definitely helped in mitigating that though. There are quite a few moments of "plot convenience", which is what brings it down to a 4 for me. Those moments really stick out to me, and unfortunately take me out of the story.
Overall, I am just straight up happy with this book, and I'll be thinking about it a lot over the next few days.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Self harm, Stalking, Blood, Death, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
Marionette by Antonia Rachel Ward
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thank you so much to Brigids Gate Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
There are content warnings posted in the back of this novella that I will share at the end of my review. This novella actually starts out quite strong. It definitely feels like more work was put into the first 40% of this compared to the rest. The prologue, even though it was just a few paragraphs, is a perfect opener, and really gives us a taste of the vibes the rest of the novella will bring. There is no dilly dallying, and we jump right into (or onto) the meat of the story.
Unfortunately, I just wasn't into the plotline. It didn't feel original, or compelling. I had no reason to care about any of these characters, which I know can be difficult to achieve in a shorter story. The plot moved at the speed of light, with everything happening within just a few days. I bet the main character had whiplash with how quickly everything occured; what an interesting first impression of Paris !
One of the content warnings is dubious consent, but most of the spicy scenes just flat out have no consent at all. With the ages of the female characters also being quite dubious, the whole thing feels quite icky. All the men expect for the MC, George, seemed to be older men. George is 19, and the main female character, Cecile, comments that he is older than her, so it's possible she isn't even an adult yet. There is also mention of sex work being performed by a child, which had me do a double take.
Overall, this novella had a promising premise, but just included too many things that I personally dislike. I'm never going to be into love at first sight, and I prefer knowing that the characters are adults. There is quite a delicious revenge scene, which really shows off the horror aspect of this novella, but that alone cannot redeem it for me.
CW: References to suicide, violence, mutilation, sex scenes of dubious consent
There are content warnings posted in the back of this novella that I will share at the end of my review. This novella actually starts out quite strong. It definitely feels like more work was put into the first 40% of this compared to the rest. The prologue, even though it was just a few paragraphs, is a perfect opener, and really gives us a taste of the vibes the rest of the novella will bring. There is no dilly dallying, and we jump right into (or onto) the meat of the story.
Unfortunately, I just wasn't into the plotline. It didn't feel original, or compelling. I had no reason to care about any of these characters, which I know can be difficult to achieve in a shorter story. The plot moved at the speed of light, with everything happening within just a few days. I bet the main character had whiplash with how quickly everything occured; what an interesting first impression of Paris !
One of the content warnings is dubious consent, but most of the spicy scenes just flat out have no consent at all. With the ages of the female characters also being quite dubious, the whole thing feels quite icky. All the men expect for the MC, George, seemed to be older men. George is 19, and the main female character, Cecile, comments that he is older than her, so it's possible she isn't even an adult yet. There is also mention of sex work being performed by a child, which had me do a double take.
Overall, this novella had a promising premise, but just included too many things that I personally dislike. I'm never going to be into love at first sight, and I prefer knowing that the characters are adults. There is quite a delicious revenge scene, which really shows off the horror aspect of this novella, but that alone cannot redeem it for me.
CW: References to suicide, violence, mutilation, sex scenes of dubious consent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent
F*ckface: And Other Stories by Leah Hampton
This book was a pleasant surprise ! I really wasn't sure what to expect going into it. The short stories are a sort of snapshot of the character's trauma, which is why most of them don't really have a conclusion. It's just a moment in time that means something to the character, but also circles back to some sort of commentary about the area as well. Some are much more obvious than others.
There was everything from 2 star reads up to 5 star reads here. My average rating came out to be 3.7, which rounds up to a 3.75 here on Storygraph. Meat ended up being my favorite story, even though it's only 8 pages. There were some stories I could relate to, and understood quite well, while others I struggled to understand the point of. I don't think you need to have grown up in the area this takes place in to enjoy it. I'm from Michigan, so definitely not Appalachia.
Overall, there are some surprisingly good stories here. I'll be looking into what else this author has written for sure.
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was a pleasant surprise ! I really wasn't sure what to expect going into it. The short stories are a sort of snapshot of the character's trauma, which is why most of them don't really have a conclusion. It's just a moment in time that means something to the character, but also circles back to some sort of commentary about the area as well. Some are much more obvious than others.
There was everything from 2 star reads up to 5 star reads here. My average rating came out to be 3.7, which rounds up to a 3.75 here on Storygraph. Meat ended up being my favorite story, even though it's only 8 pages. There were some stories I could relate to, and understood quite well, while others I struggled to understand the point of. I don't think you need to have grown up in the area this takes place in to enjoy it. I'm from Michigan, so definitely not Appalachia.
Overall, there are some surprisingly good stories here. I'll be looking into what else this author has written for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Medical content and Miscarriage
Minor: Cancer
Confessions by Kanae Minato
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is definitely a more uniquely written book. There are six chapters, with each one being told from a different perspective. The story is told in a rather matter-of-fact style, with us being told events from diary entries, a phone call, the character's themselves, and even a character's website. As each character shares their story we see the events through their eyes, so it does become repetitive in hearing the same information over and over again for some aspects.
On the back of the book it is lauded for it's "shocking twists", but I really only viewed it as such with the ending. Everything up to that point doesn't really feel "twisty" to me, since we know from the beginning that we are dealing with troubled children, and that they did something horrible. However, I don't think this took away from the story for me at all. First and foremost it's a revenge tale, and I think it accomplishes that quite well.
Overall, this is a very readable story that will keep you engaged and interested. I always love when a book has me so absorbed that I don't even realize I'm turning the page, or that time's passing by, and this book accomplished that 100%. I wouldn't go into this thinking there's some big mystery to solve. We know very early on what happened; it's mainly the exact motivations of the characters that are explored, and how that influenced what happened.
On the back of the book it is lauded for it's "shocking twists", but I really only viewed it as such with the ending. Everything up to that point doesn't really feel "twisty" to me, since we know from the beginning that we are dealing with troubled children, and that they did something horrible. However, I don't think this took away from the story for me at all. First and foremost it's a revenge tale, and I think it accomplishes that quite well.
Overall, this is a very readable story that will keep you engaged and interested. I always love when a book has me so absorbed that I don't even realize I'm turning the page, or that time's passing by, and this book accomplished that 100%. I wouldn't go into this thinking there's some big mystery to solve. We know very early on what happened; it's mainly the exact motivations of the characters that are explored, and how that influenced what happened.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Pregnancy, Animal death, and Medical content