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katharine_opal's reviews
492 reviews
Dega by Dan McDaid
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
This entire volume left me with the exact same feeling that the last part of 2001: A Space Odyssey gave me. "What the hell did I just read?" This volume is short and incredibly fast-paced. The world-building is thrust upon you, but the small amount of world-building you get is excellent. The plot is fairly confusing; it feels like I started a much longer book in the middle and finished while just a few chapters from the end. The end of the volume is either a massive cliffhanger or just a mysterious ending. It has very much eldritch horror or Lovecraftian style sci-fi vibes to it. I do really like the art style, it's gritty and messy, but it adds to the ambiance of the story. It reminds me of older comic styles, that were completely drawn with ink pens. The switches from full color to black and white, to partial color did throw me off. But I think it was just a stylistic choice. I liked what little bit I got, enough that I'm interested in seeking out a second volume if that will be a thing.
This entire volume left me with the exact same feeling that the last part of 2001: A Space Odyssey gave me. "What the hell did I just read?" This volume is short and incredibly fast-paced. The world-building is thrust upon you, but the small amount of world-building you get is excellent. The plot is fairly confusing; it feels like I started a much longer book in the middle and finished while just a few chapters from the end. The end of the volume is either a massive cliffhanger or just a mysterious ending. It has very much eldritch horror or Lovecraftian style sci-fi vibes to it. I do really like the art style, it's gritty and messy, but it adds to the ambiance of the story. It reminds me of older comic styles, that were completely drawn with ink pens. The switches from full color to black and white, to partial color did throw me off. But I think it was just a stylistic choice. I liked what little bit I got, enough that I'm interested in seeking out a second volume if that will be a thing.
CityZen by Jain
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
CityZen is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where humanity has made genetically engineered trees to combat a pollution crisis. Amal is committed to the goals of CityZen and wants to help further its goals once graduated. But her sister Sana, who is part of an activist moment, stumbles upon the plot which leads to realizing the truth behind CityZen and its "goal". I did like that while this is a post-apocalyptic story, they made it super colorful. Normally post-apocalypse stories are very gray and dim; not so in CityZen. The special pollution-reducing forest is bright pink! The style and fashion in the story feel like an odd bit early 2000s version of retro-futurism. It's like whoever did the designs used the idea of what people in 2005 would think the future would look like. I also thought the character designs were sort of odd. There would be families where no one has any features that would signify that they're related, but weirdly enough that actually gets explained in the story. The plot was interesting, but since it moved so quickly, there was no way to build proper suspense. Also, events happened so quickly, it felt like you were being tossed from scene to scene. One minor thing is the way that the teenagers are drawn, almost all suffer from the same-face syndrome, which annoyed me. The girls all have the "stereotypical pretty girl" face and the one boy looks like an adult man with how he's drawn. The expressions felt oddly muted, even in more intense scenes. The overall story was interesting, and I did like the concept as a whole, but it just felt a little stale with its execution. If the book was a series or a bit longer, I feel like they could have really built the suspense. Anytime there was a reveal, all I could think was, "Oh...that's it?". Which sucks, because the opening scene was so strong! It instantly intrigued me and made me want to read on to find out what was happening. I honestly think this would work really well as an animated series.
Spoilers for the plot line of two characters.
EDIT: WAIT. I'm sorry, there were actually TWO character deaths! The older sister, right in the beginning. Who is an Asian woman... So of the two characters who die in the novel, both are women of color. That's a big old yikes right there.
CityZen is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where humanity has made genetically engineered trees to combat a pollution crisis. Amal is committed to the goals of CityZen and wants to help further its goals once graduated. But her sister Sana, who is part of an activist moment, stumbles upon the plot which leads to realizing the truth behind CityZen and its "goal". I did like that while this is a post-apocalyptic story, they made it super colorful. Normally post-apocalypse stories are very gray and dim; not so in CityZen. The special pollution-reducing forest is bright pink! The style and fashion in the story feel like an odd bit early 2000s version of retro-futurism. It's like whoever did the designs used the idea of what people in 2005 would think the future would look like. I also thought the character designs were sort of odd. There would be families where no one has any features that would signify that they're related, but weirdly enough that actually gets explained in the story. The plot was interesting, but since it moved so quickly, there was no way to build proper suspense. Also, events happened so quickly, it felt like you were being tossed from scene to scene. One minor thing is the way that the teenagers are drawn, almost all suffer from the same-face syndrome, which annoyed me. The girls all have the "stereotypical pretty girl" face and the one boy looks like an adult man with how he's drawn. The expressions felt oddly muted, even in more intense scenes. The overall story was interesting, and I did like the concept as a whole, but it just felt a little stale with its execution. If the book was a series or a bit longer, I feel like they could have really built the suspense. Anytime there was a reveal, all I could think was, "Oh...that's it?". Which sucks, because the opening scene was so strong! It instantly intrigued me and made me want to read on to find out what was happening. I honestly think this would work really well as an animated series.
Spoilers for the plot line of two characters.
Spoiler
Also the one thing that really aggravated me was the single character death they had, I guess to add tension. Of all the characters you had that you could kill off, you killed the ONLY black girl in the main cast. Really? Come on, that's just trashy. You introduce her plot line, which was honestly fascinating, and then kill her off just for some added drama. Honestly, if the entire novel had been about her instead, and her trying to find out the truth of why her brother's death was covered up in this supposedly perfect city, it would have been way more interesting. Also, while not stated explicitly, it's hinted that Tina (the black girl) is dating Ana (the rich girl). So you literally tossed in a "bury your gays" trope for some dramatics. Also since you barely get to know Tina, her death had little to no emotional impact, which made it even worse. Sorry, this just really made me irritated.EDIT: WAIT. I'm sorry, there were actually TWO character deaths! The older sister, right in the beginning. Who is an Asian woman... So of the two characters who die in the novel, both are women of color. That's a big old yikes right there.
I'm a Villainous Daughter, so I'm going to keep the Last Boss (Manga) Vol.1 by Sarasa Nagase, Anko Yuzu
4.0
(Rating is 4.5!) I ended up liking this a bit more than I thought I would! Mostly, it's your standard reincarnation/isekai-style manga. But there is a slight twist on how they implemented it, instead of the usual, where the main character gets fully reincarnated into the villainess, with none of the original villainess's mind or personality remaining, they had the villainess gain the knowledge and memories of the reincarnated character, while still retaining her own mind and personality. That little flip of the normal trope was a nice little twist. I like how Irene's character is written! I liked that she wasn't your standard villainess, who does nothing and is just a spoiled noblewoman. They show that Irene, after becoming betrothed to the Prince, did her best to learn everything she could so she could truly support him when she became his Queen. But her independent ways and goal of becoming a pillar of support to her fiance are what lead her to lose him romantically. I also enjoy her slowly budding romance with the Demon King. She has that classical "This is just a way to further my goals!" mindset, but you can see that their relationship with others is slowly becoming something else. I do love the hint of a plot twist with the predetermined "Heroine" as well. I'm a sucker for role reversals! I'm eager to see how everyone's plans will unfold.
I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss, Vol. 2 by Sarasa Nagase, Mai Murasaki, Anko Yuzu
4.0
(Rating is 3.5!) The series plot slowed down a bit with this volume. It's a bit bogged down because there is so much dialogue, but it's all needed in order to fully explain the plot. The plot deepens and we even get some interesting backstories on some of the characters. The only downside is that it feels way slower-paced than the first volume because of it. Hopefully, all of this dialogue, planning, and scheming will pay off in the next volume!
黄泉のツガイ 2 by Hiromu Arakawa, Hiromu Arakawa
5.0
An excellent second volume! Questions raised in the first volume are answered, but not before raising more questions. The action scenes were excellent. As Arakawa's specialty, this volume had a great blend of gory action, comedy, and heartfelt moments. It starts the main character on the path that I think will be the overarching "quest" of the entire series. I look forward to volume three!
The Savior's Book Café Story in Another World (Manga) Vol. 1 by Reiko Sakurada, Oumiya, Kyouka Izumi
4.0
This premise is so interesting! A 30 something year old woman who is chosen to be the savior of another world, and given powers. It's nice that Tsukina is so practical-minded, and even says that she doesn't want to go because she already has a comfy life in her world. I also like that once she's told she can have whatever she wishes for, she instantly wants to create a cozy book cafe. How cute! This series is so nice cause I don't think I've ever seen a 30-year-old woman become what is essentially an isekai magical girl. Tsukina being an intelligent and carefully calculating person is a nice change from isekai protagonists being somewhat naive or oblivious is another nice change from the norm. This first volume is fairly slow, but it is setting up for the long plot. The hints of romance between Tsukina and the knight are also super cute. It's nice to see a cozy budding romance between two adults. The other savior character is the complete opposite of Tsukina, which makes you hope she gets what's coming to her. I hope we see Tsukina use her powers!
The Savior's Book Café Story in Another World (Manga) Vol. 2 by Reiko Sakurada, Oumiya, Kyouka Izumi
4.0
3.5 Rating!
A decent follow-up to the first volume. The whole "I am he doesn't hate me for [secret]" is a bit cliche, but it's still a cute type of plotline. I'm sad they didn't do much more with the troublemaker Savior, but seeing as the series is focusing solely on Tsukina, it makes sense. The end of the volume is very confusing. The last few pages are written like a fast epilogue and rushed through several pretty important things. It's written as if it was the final volume, but instead, there's a message saying "More volumes to come!" at the very end. Did the author intend this manga to be a duology, but once their publisher saw how big the demand was, they made the author continue? I really hope the writing won't suffer because of this as the series continues! Also, someone said the action scenes weren't good. They're not crazy amazing, but this is a romance series. I'm hard-pressed to think of a romance mangaka who also does amazing action scenes. Just my two cents on that!
A decent follow-up to the first volume. The whole "I am he doesn't hate me for [secret]" is a bit cliche, but it's still a cute type of plotline. I'm sad they didn't do much more with the troublemaker Savior, but seeing as the series is focusing solely on Tsukina, it makes sense. The end of the volume is very confusing. The last few pages are written like a fast epilogue and rushed through several pretty important things. It's written as if it was the final volume, but instead, there's a message saying "More volumes to come!" at the very end. Did the author intend this manga to be a duology, but once their publisher saw how big the demand was, they made the author continue? I really hope the writing won't suffer because of this as the series continues! Also, someone said the action scenes weren't good. They're not crazy amazing, but this is a romance series. I'm hard-pressed to think of a romance mangaka who also does amazing action scenes. Just my two cents on that!
The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World (Manga) Vol. 3 by Reiko Sakurada, Oumiya, Kyouka Izumi
4.0
A little bit of an awkward start to this third volume. Since it seems the second volume was originally written as the final one, but then suddenly was made to continue on, there was some weirdness at the start of this one. They had to do some handwaving about the statements made in volume two. Tsukina and Ill are engaged, but then they had to make up an excuse as to why they aren't married yet. Probably to keep the gentle romance still going. They introduced the new Saviour character, and while he seems to be your cliche "I'm going to save the world!" hero, it's hinted there's something not quite right about him. I'm glad they've added some elements of mystery and possible political intrigue. It added a bit more depth to the plot. The cliffhanger ending though... I feel like nothing good can come from that, since Tsukina obviously will turn him down. She's engaged and deeply in love in Ill. I just wonder how this new Saviour, who has already shown the he responds poorly to being told no, will react.
The Savior's Book Café Story in Another World (Manga) Vol. 4 by Reiko Sakurada, Oumiya, Kyouka Izumi
4.0
(Rating is a 3.5!)
Ah, and this is where the series staggers. At least for me, just a little bit. There's some awkwardness between Youta and Tsukina, which was expected. He keeps asking her out, but other knights keep pulling him away before Tsukina can explain that she's engaged. Of course, this is a bit of a blow to his self-esteem, which leads him to take "help" from a somewhat shady person. There are more sweet moments between Tsukina and Ill, and it's as cute as ever. The plot felt slow, until the big scene right at the end, which felt out of place and like a rehash of the second volume. The cliffhanger at the end of this volume makes me very curious about how this series will end because the fifth volume is the final volume. (I think?) Also, side note, can I say, I really hate the trope of when someone is already taken, but the person who has a crush on that taken person tells them "I won't give up!" in spite of them being in a loving relationship? Or when they go up to that taken person's significant other and say "I won't lose to you!" all smug? Like...bro...sit down. That's weirdo behavior, no woman alive likes an aggravatingly persistent man who won't take a hint. I know some girls find it charming, like "Ooh he's fighting for ~true love~!" but to me, it just makes that character look like a pest. Sorry, when a character does that, it just really sours my view of the character.
Ah, and this is where the series staggers. At least for me, just a little bit. There's some awkwardness between Youta and Tsukina, which was expected. He keeps asking her out, but other knights keep pulling him away before Tsukina can explain that she's engaged. Of course, this is a bit of a blow to his self-esteem, which leads him to take "help" from a somewhat shady person. There are more sweet moments between Tsukina and Ill, and it's as cute as ever. The plot felt slow, until the big scene right at the end, which felt out of place and like a rehash of the second volume. The cliffhanger at the end of this volume makes me very curious about how this series will end because the fifth volume is the final volume. (I think?) Also, side note, can I say, I really hate the trope of when someone is already taken, but the person who has a crush on that taken person tells them "I won't give up!" in spite of them being in a loving relationship? Or when they go up to that taken person's significant other and say "I won't lose to you!" all smug? Like...bro...sit down. That's weirdo behavior, no woman alive likes an aggravatingly persistent man who won't take a hint. I know some girls find it charming, like "Ooh he's fighting for ~true love~!" but to me, it just makes that character look like a pest. Sorry, when a character does that, it just really sours my view of the character.
Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess by Gwon Gyeoeul
5.0
I'd read so many isekai, reincarnation, reborn as a villainess, reborn as a character in a game and etc types of manwha, yet this one feels fresh and different from the rest! The female main protagonist is a Korean college student who is reincarnated as the villainess in an otome game that she recently played. But she's only traded one crappy reality for another. In her world, she's a college student living in a slum apartment, after finally getting away from her abusive Father and step-brothers. She starts to play "The Lady's Love; Love Project", an otome game recommended by her friends, and gets fixated on trying to beat the Hard Mode version of the game one night. But after getting stuck at a certain part of the hard mode storyline, she decided to go to bed, only to wake up as Penelope, the villainess of the game she had just been playing. Penelope's life is almost identical to Cha Si-Yeon's, both illegitimate children who are terrorized by horrible step-brothers. Penelope's route is literally hard mode, where just one wrong move could mean death. Cha Si-Yeon, now Penelope, wants nothing more than to escape the game, so she can return to her college student life. (I'm going to refer to Cha Si-Yeon as Penelope from this point.) The reason this felt different than the rest to me, is both how clear-cut the rules are and the goal of the female main character. Usually, when a female MC is isekai'd into a new world, it's because they died in their original one, or they just have no desire to return to their world. This is not so with Penelope. Penelope wants nothing more than to return to being Cha Si-Yeon, and her entire goal for the series is to escape the game and go home. The "rules" of the world being so clearly defined and always being followed is also a nice change. It's stated as fact, "This is how the world works, this is how you can operate within it" right at the very beginning. It disallows for any "godmodding" type of storylines, which a lot of these manwha's end up doing. Another thing is that Penelope has a clear plan of how she needs to "win" and how to avoid dying since she doesn't know if "You die in the game, you die in real life" applies here or not. It's just really refreshing to read a female MC who is both intelligent and calculated. Every move she makes is planned, and everything she says is calculated. Some of the characters are...a bit baffling. The Duke's volatile emotions baffle me every time, as do his motives. The brother's behavior confuses me, as well as the maid. I think this is one purpose though because Penelope herself goes "This wouldn't make sense in real life, but I guess it's whatever here" in response to something her maid said. I don't know man. The art style is gorgeous. I really love how the colors are done, some of the fancier panels almost look like gouache paintings. The way eyes are drawn and the way they're colored are also so pretty. I don't know how, but the way the eyes are done, "her eyes glittered like jewels" becomes a factual descriptor, not a poetic one! I'm excited to see how this manwha does as it continues on.
(Note: The read dates aren't really accurate! I just put them there so it's marked for my reads of this year.)
(Note: The read dates aren't really accurate! I just put them there so it's marked for my reads of this year.)