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katharine_opal's reviews
487 reviews
The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World, Vol. 1 by Nana Mikoshiba, Norihito Sasaki, Riko Korie
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
I was delighted when I finished the first volume of "The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World". It is a standard shonen action adventure, with a little bit of comedy. I'd say Ranma 1/2 or FullMetal Alchemist level of comedy. But the tropes that it has are some of my favorites. I always love an underdog, and I love the "super-powered person acts like they're an average Joe" trope. The "bright and sunny optimist character is also super powerful" is one of my absolute favorite tropes as well. (Think Tanjiro from Demon Slayer or Atsushi from Bungou Stray Dogs) The characters are all pretty normal for a shonen manga, but they're still super fun to read. The mystery elements of the manga are subtle and not in your face. At first glance, it seems like a run-of-the-mill shonen manga, but the mystery elements clearly show that there is more to the story than it seems. The art style is lovely as well. Again, it's very obviously a style expected in a shonen manga, but it's so dynamic! The action scenes are very well done, and the page flow is great. The volume ends on a cliffhanger, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the second volume when it comes out!
I was delighted when I finished the first volume of "The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World". It is a standard shonen action adventure, with a little bit of comedy. I'd say Ranma 1/2 or FullMetal Alchemist level of comedy. But the tropes that it has are some of my favorites. I always love an underdog, and I love the "super-powered person acts like they're an average Joe" trope. The "bright and sunny optimist character is also super powerful" is one of my absolute favorite tropes as well. (Think Tanjiro from Demon Slayer or Atsushi from Bungou Stray Dogs) The characters are all pretty normal for a shonen manga, but they're still super fun to read. The mystery elements of the manga are subtle and not in your face. At first glance, it seems like a run-of-the-mill shonen manga, but the mystery elements clearly show that there is more to the story than it seems. The art style is lovely as well. Again, it's very obviously a style expected in a shonen manga, but it's so dynamic! The action scenes are very well done, and the page flow is great. The volume ends on a cliffhanger, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the second volume when it comes out!
Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft—Orphan of Agony Isle #1 by Casey Gilly
4.0
I just want to preface this with the fact that I know pretty much NOTHING about any Dungeon and Dragons stories, and I know nothing about Ravenloft. Which I think is a campaign or something? Really, I know nothing. So far, the comic seems to be setting up an interesting mystery. There is Miranda, a mystery girl with no memory of who she was before waking up in Dr. Viktra's lab. Miranda wonders who she was before and why Viktra is bothering to help her at all. There was also an interesting scene at the end of the volume, and a cliffhanger that makes me want more of this comic. It's hard to fully judge a story from only reading 29 pages of a comic series. My interest is piqued, and looking forward to reading more of this series!
It Took Luke: Overworked & Underpaid by Mark Bouchard, Bayleigh Underwood
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
I don't know what it is about this comic, but I'm in love with it. I absolutely adore the art style! The action scenes are dynamic, fast-paced, and are so fun to read. The flow of the panels adds to the action scenes; there are several page spreads that stood out to me. The way they're composed is just gorgeous. The color scheme for this comic is one of my favorite color scheme styles; black and white, with the only color being pops of red. I really like how easy it was to connect with the characters, mostly Sal. Molly and Hussam are written in a way that makes it almost feel like they could be your co-workers. It was all too easy to emphasize with them. I also emphasized heavily with Sal when they talk about how they accidentally trapped themself into a career that they ended up hating because it would mean trying to start over at twenty-seven. I winced reading Sal say "Now I'm thirty-one and full of resentment" and "I couldn't even tell you how many resignation letters I've written on my phone this past month". Like, ouch. I've been there myself, so it felt like the story really went for my throat. Sal is a painfully relatable character; struggling with their hatred for their job, and the brief mentions of their relationship woes with their partner. The story of the comic itself is great, even though it feels like it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm assuming this is a one-shot, not a series, but I really wish it was a series! What we see of the world in "It Took Luke" is fascinating. The mystery of the monster that Sal's team has been sent to exterminate was amazing, and the reveal is truly horrific. I'm not a huge horror person, but this captivated me, instead of grossing me out. This story is VERY gory, think Alien or The Expanse level of gore. But still, I found myself reading on in vaguely horrified awe. My ONLY complaint is that the comic is woefully short. The story itself does not feel short in any way; I was actually surprised to see it's only 92 pages. But I want more of this story and world; it's got me fully hooked. I really love this story and I really love the art style of this comic. I will totally be seeking out both the author and artist's other works after this!
I don't know what it is about this comic, but I'm in love with it. I absolutely adore the art style! The action scenes are dynamic, fast-paced, and are so fun to read. The flow of the panels adds to the action scenes; there are several page spreads that stood out to me. The way they're composed is just gorgeous. The color scheme for this comic is one of my favorite color scheme styles; black and white, with the only color being pops of red. I really like how easy it was to connect with the characters, mostly Sal. Molly and Hussam are written in a way that makes it almost feel like they could be your co-workers. It was all too easy to emphasize with them. I also emphasized heavily with Sal when they talk about how they accidentally trapped themself into a career that they ended up hating because it would mean trying to start over at twenty-seven. I winced reading Sal say "Now I'm thirty-one and full of resentment" and "I couldn't even tell you how many resignation letters I've written on my phone this past month". Like, ouch. I've been there myself, so it felt like the story really went for my throat. Sal is a painfully relatable character; struggling with their hatred for their job, and the brief mentions of their relationship woes with their partner. The story of the comic itself is great, even though it feels like it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm assuming this is a one-shot, not a series, but I really wish it was a series! What we see of the world in "It Took Luke" is fascinating. The mystery of the monster that Sal's team has been sent to exterminate was amazing, and the reveal is truly horrific. I'm not a huge horror person, but this captivated me, instead of grossing me out. This story is VERY gory, think Alien or The Expanse level of gore. But still, I found myself reading on in vaguely horrified awe. My ONLY complaint is that the comic is woefully short. The story itself does not feel short in any way; I was actually surprised to see it's only 92 pages. But I want more of this story and world; it's got me fully hooked. I really love this story and I really love the art style of this comic. I will totally be seeking out both the author and artist's other works after this!
The Last Session #1 by Jasmine Walls
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
"The Last Session" follows a group of friends, just about to graduate from college, joining together for one last session to finally finish their first D&D campaign, made way back when the group first met in high school. But, a new player joins the party, and mild discord ensues!
The cast is of "The Last Session" is wonderfully diverse and queer! I love all of the characters, and it is easy to feel connected to them. I also really liked that the character felt like actual people! They feel like people you would run into at the local LGBT comic shop or in a D&D server. Out of all the characters, I emphasized the most with both Lana and Cassandra. Mostly because I could fully understand and empathize with how both of them felt during the entire novel. Also, I loved the Ace rep! I feel like I rarely see any Ace characters in stories, so it was really nice to see here! The art style of the novel was compelling and just fun to look at in general. I loved the jumps between the real-life side of the players and the fantasy world of the campaign. Their campaign character designs were also super cool to see! I really liked "The Last Session". The title says it's only volume one, so I'll be on the lookout for volume two! I'm excited to see where the story goes from here!
"The Last Session" follows a group of friends, just about to graduate from college, joining together for one last session to finally finish their first D&D campaign, made way back when the group first met in high school. But, a new player joins the party, and mild discord ensues!
The cast is of "The Last Session" is wonderfully diverse and queer! I love all of the characters, and it is easy to feel connected to them. I also really liked that the character felt like actual people! They feel like people you would run into at the local LGBT comic shop or in a D&D server. Out of all the characters, I emphasized the most with both Lana and Cassandra. Mostly because I could fully understand and empathize with how both of them felt during the entire novel. Also, I loved the Ace rep! I feel like I rarely see any Ace characters in stories, so it was really nice to see here! The art style of the novel was compelling and just fun to look at in general. I loved the jumps between the real-life side of the players and the fantasy world of the campaign. Their campaign character designs were also super cool to see! I really liked "The Last Session". The title says it's only volume one, so I'll be on the lookout for volume two! I'm excited to see where the story goes from here!
Crowded, Vol. 1 by Christopher Sebela
5.0
After five billion years of this sitting on my TBR shelf, I finally read it, and now I'm smacking myself that I didn't read it sooner!
Shortly in the future, the job economy has devolved into gig apps, one of which is the crowdfunded assassination app, Reapr. Charlie Ellison, a social butterfly and a gig working queen, wakes up to discover she has a Tolar bounty on her head. In order to try and survive, she hires Vita, a bodyguard with a 1.4 star rating on the app Dfend. Insanity ensues. I really enjoyed the action of this comic, and the action is so wild it's nigh unbelievable. I also love the mystery slowly brewing behind both Charlie and Vita. Why does Charlie have a million-dollar bounty opened on her? What's going on with Vita's past? What is Charlie not telling Vita about how she could have gotten a bounty dumped on her head? It appears a lot of people don't like Charlie, but I honestly do. She's got the persona of being just a vapid party girl, but it's very clear this girl has an "always be hustling" mindset and is most likely much smarter than she lets on. To be able to flow and gain people's trust and become their "bestie" so fast is a skill not many have. There are also side characters that have, as of this volume, completely mysterious origins! I'm totally going to get my hands on the second volume when I can!
Shortly in the future, the job economy has devolved into gig apps, one of which is the crowdfunded assassination app, Reapr. Charlie Ellison, a social butterfly and a gig working queen, wakes up to discover she has a Tolar bounty on her head. In order to try and survive, she hires Vita, a bodyguard with a 1.4 star rating on the app Dfend. Insanity ensues. I really enjoyed the action of this comic, and the action is so wild it's nigh unbelievable. I also love the mystery slowly brewing behind both Charlie and Vita. Why does Charlie have a million-dollar bounty opened on her? What's going on with Vita's past? What is Charlie not telling Vita about how she could have gotten a bounty dumped on her head? It appears a lot of people don't like Charlie, but I honestly do. She's got the persona of being just a vapid party girl, but it's very clear this girl has an "always be hustling" mindset and is most likely much smarter than she lets on. To be able to flow and gain people's trust and become their "bestie" so fast is a skill not many have. There are also side characters that have, as of this volume, completely mysterious origins! I'm totally going to get my hands on the second volume when I can!
Season of the Bruja, Vol. 1 by Aaron Durán
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
The opening scene in this novel throws you right into the deep end, Althalia and her friends, and the behest of a terrified family, are trying to fix a possession. I admit, I was a little confused about the dynamics between the main characters in that scene. I had wrongly assumed that Althalia and the other characters were part of some supernatural defense team or something similar. But no, they're actually paranormal museum curators! It's also revealed after the opening scene, that Althalia is a bruja in training, and one of the only brujas left. I liked how this novel's magic system is based on Mexican mythology and practices! A lot of the time, books love to use Irish or Celtic mythology and beliefs are the base for their magic system, which does get a bit boring after a while. This story doesn't shy away from the history of Mexico, and briefly acknowledges the colonization that was done by the Spaniards. Knowing at least the basic facts of Mexico's history of being colonized is important to understand why the main protagonist feels as she does in certain scenes. I loved the art style in this! Lots of rich colors, and interesting character designs. This story ended with questions left unanswered that leave me craving the answers! I look forward to reading the second novel whenever it comes out!
The opening scene in this novel throws you right into the deep end, Althalia and her friends, and the behest of a terrified family, are trying to fix a possession. I admit, I was a little confused about the dynamics between the main characters in that scene. I had wrongly assumed that Althalia and the other characters were part of some supernatural defense team or something similar. But no, they're actually paranormal museum curators! It's also revealed after the opening scene, that Althalia is a bruja in training, and one of the only brujas left. I liked how this novel's magic system is based on Mexican mythology and practices! A lot of the time, books love to use Irish or Celtic mythology and beliefs are the base for their magic system, which does get a bit boring after a while. This story doesn't shy away from the history of Mexico, and briefly acknowledges the colonization that was done by the Spaniards. Knowing at least the basic facts of Mexico's history of being colonized is important to understand why the main protagonist feels as she does in certain scenes. I loved the art style in this! Lots of rich colors, and interesting character designs. This story ended with questions left unanswered that leave me craving the answers! I look forward to reading the second novel whenever it comes out!
The Moth Keeper by K. O'Neill
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
What a heartwarming story! I have never read any of K. O'neill's other stories, but I'm in love with their art style! It has a soft and whimsical feeling to it, something people who enjoy Ghibli movies would also enjoy. I love the characters, and I love seeing how the animal people reflect some of the traits of their real-life animal counterparts. The world is an interesting blend of magic and reality. The story has lovely messages about finding one's purpose in the larger community, the importance of community as a whole, and figuring out what you want in life. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the plot. But what a lovely read!
What a heartwarming story! I have never read any of K. O'neill's other stories, but I'm in love with their art style! It has a soft and whimsical feeling to it, something people who enjoy Ghibli movies would also enjoy. I love the characters, and I love seeing how the animal people reflect some of the traits of their real-life animal counterparts. The world is an interesting blend of magic and reality. The story has lovely messages about finding one's purpose in the larger community, the importance of community as a whole, and figuring out what you want in life. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the plot. But what a lovely read!
Hollow by Branden Boyer-White, Shannon Watters
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
This story was so fun! This feel of this story reminded me a lot of Hocus Pocus or Halloweentown. It has a great blend of spookiness while also remaining pretty low stakes. A perfect Halloween season read! The art style in this graphic novel is fantastic, I love how everything is drawn. The cast is wonderfully diverse and full of very fun characters. The main trio themselves have such a fun dynamic with each other. Also, the writer clearly did their research! Without spoiling the story, there is something a side character talks about, that made me realize she's a practitioner of the craft! How lovely! It's so rare to see pagans' or practitioners' magical practices accurately depicted in stories! It's a small thing, but it made me really happy. The story itself feels well-paced to me, nothing is too rushed. The romance plot, felt a bit sidelined, but it's honestly not a make-or-break thing. I'm just delighted there is LGBT romance at all! All in all, this is a fun modern retelling of the original "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". A perfect graphic novel to curl up and read on a chilly autumn day!
This story was so fun! This feel of this story reminded me a lot of Hocus Pocus or Halloweentown. It has a great blend of spookiness while also remaining pretty low stakes. A perfect Halloween season read! The art style in this graphic novel is fantastic, I love how everything is drawn. The cast is wonderfully diverse and full of very fun characters. The main trio themselves have such a fun dynamic with each other. Also, the writer clearly did their research! Without spoiling the story, there is something a side character talks about, that made me realize she's a practitioner of the craft! How lovely! It's so rare to see pagans' or practitioners' magical practices accurately depicted in stories! It's a small thing, but it made me really happy. The story itself feels well-paced to me, nothing is too rushed. The romance plot, felt a bit sidelined, but it's honestly not a make-or-break thing. I'm just delighted there is LGBT romance at all! All in all, this is a fun modern retelling of the original "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". A perfect graphic novel to curl up and read on a chilly autumn day!
The Anime Chef Cookbook: 75 Iconic Dishes from Your Favorite Anime by Nadine Estero
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
What a lovely cookbook! There is plenty of variety in the recipes, from full meals to appetizers, to desserts, to drinks! I liked how every recipe has a blurb and a little information bubble telling you what anime the recipe is from, right down to the season and episode! I like that every recipe also tells you how long it will take to make, both in prep time and actual cooking time. I also like that it tells you how many people it serves. The illustrations are beautiful! The whole layout of the cookbook is very nicely done and is set in a way that makes it very easy to read. A wonderful cookbook that would be fun for any anime fan who also loves to cook to have.
What a lovely cookbook! There is plenty of variety in the recipes, from full meals to appetizers, to desserts, to drinks! I liked how every recipe has a blurb and a little information bubble telling you what anime the recipe is from, right down to the season and episode! I like that every recipe also tells you how long it will take to make, both in prep time and actual cooking time. I also like that it tells you how many people it serves. The illustrations are beautiful! The whole layout of the cookbook is very nicely done and is set in a way that makes it very easy to read. A wonderful cookbook that would be fun for any anime fan who also loves to cook to have.
Zombie Makeout Club Vol. 1: Deathwish by Peter Richardson
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
This was a massive miss for me. The story seemed almost non-existent and was all over the place. Maybe because it's the first volume and it's doing introductions to the characters, but it does a poor job of it. This story also has a TON of gore, and it all appears to be very gratuitous. This entire volume seems to be only focused on aesthetics and how much gore can fit in it, and is sorely lacking in the storytelling department. I know only bare-bones facts about a few characters, but I'm left mostly confused about who is who, and what everyone's motives are. The only thing it has going for it is a good art style. It's not my favorite, but it is good from a technical sense.
This was a massive miss for me. The story seemed almost non-existent and was all over the place. Maybe because it's the first volume and it's doing introductions to the characters, but it does a poor job of it. This story also has a TON of gore, and it all appears to be very gratuitous. This entire volume seems to be only focused on aesthetics and how much gore can fit in it, and is sorely lacking in the storytelling department. I know only bare-bones facts about a few characters, but I'm left mostly confused about who is who, and what everyone's motives are. The only thing it has going for it is a good art style. It's not my favorite, but it is good from a technical sense.