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pastelwriter's reviews
1082 reviews
Wolf Pack by Billy Balibally
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Considering what I know this mangaka is able to write…this was incredibly mid.
The pacing of this was completely off because it’s all condensed into one volume. We neither get enough of the complexities between the fenrir and humans nor of the relationship between Gar and Hati.
The artwork, of course, is gorgeous. The cover alone is stunning! However, the character design was terrible. There was a scene where literally members of the same pack were talking, and if it wasn’t for the different scar placement, they all looked exactly the same. There definitely should have been more variety in the character design.
Anyway! At least we’ll be blessed by a new Fangs volume soon enough!
The pacing of this was completely off because it’s all condensed into one volume. We neither get enough of the complexities between the fenrir and humans nor of the relationship between Gar and Hati.
The artwork, of course, is gorgeous. The cover alone is stunning! However, the character design was terrible. There was a scene where literally members of the same pack were talking, and if it wasn’t for the different scar placement, they all looked exactly the same. There definitely should have been more variety in the character design.
Anyway! At least we’ll be blessed by a new Fangs volume soon enough!
Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun, Vol. 20 by AidaIro
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Mitsuba and Kou content will always make my heart weak 💖😭💖 Just their precious faces on the cover and inside art made me screech.
It was an absolute delight and agony to be able to follow them in their adventure in the acquarium. Kou truly is such a sweetheart and cares so much about Mitsuba 🥺💖 And Mitsuba is such a messy character, but he clearly also loves how much Kou cares for him. It makes it all the more painful what he wants Kou to do, and his sneaky attempts to get Kou to dislike him enough to follow-through on what Mitsuba wants 😩 I know only pain.
I also become mush whenever there’s sweet content between Yashiro and Hanako! The two of them holding hands? Spinning in the auditorium? Be still my heart!
I can’t wait to be put through more agony as we learn more about Hanako’s past. I need my baby boy at the front and center of the narrative again 💖
It was an absolute delight and agony to be able to follow them in their adventure in the acquarium. Kou truly is such a sweetheart and cares so much about Mitsuba 🥺💖 And Mitsuba is such a messy character, but he clearly also loves how much Kou cares for him. It makes it all the more painful what he wants Kou to do, and his sneaky attempts to get Kou to dislike him enough to follow-through on what Mitsuba wants 😩 I know only pain.
I also become mush whenever there’s sweet content between Yashiro and Hanako! The two of them holding hands? Spinning in the auditorium? Be still my heart!
I can’t wait to be put through more agony as we learn more about Hanako’s past. I need my baby boy at the front and center of the narrative again 💖
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 19 by AidaIro
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Let’s start off by saying that…what happens with Hakubo and Sumire? Absolutely deranged. I’m into it, but I was certainly not expecting this manga to go there! 😱 That was some hardcore shit. Iconic for sure!
As always, as a girly whose brain has been rotten by my precious Hanako, it was dreadful that he was hardly in this volume 😭 it’s likely a considerable contributing factor for why this didn’t get 5🌟
It was fascinating though to have Sakura reveal so much information in this volume! We know the circumstances of how Yashiro will die… We know what/who Hanako’s yorishiro is… We know Sakura is over 100 years old… It’s a lot of information to learn in such quick succession!
Anyway. It was precious seeing Kou and (my enemy) Teru bond! All Kou wants is to be as powerful as his big brother, and I can’t fault him for looking up to him. It was sweet seeing Teru finally accept and encourage Kou’s path to becoming an exorcist. Though I must admit, Teru is correct. Kou's not really built to exorcise supernaturals without regard or consideration. He’s too close to two supernaturals in particular to ever be so emotionally uninvolved in the process. So, we’ll see where that goes!
As always, as a girly whose brain has been rotten by my precious Hanako, it was dreadful that he was hardly in this volume 😭 it’s likely a considerable contributing factor for why this didn’t get 5🌟
It was fascinating though to have Sakura reveal so much information in this volume! We know the circumstances of how Yashiro will die… We know what/who Hanako’s yorishiro is… We know Sakura is over 100 years old… It’s a lot of information to learn in such quick succession!
Anyway. It was precious seeing Kou and (my enemy) Teru bond! All Kou wants is to be as powerful as his big brother, and I can’t fault him for looking up to him. It was sweet seeing Teru finally accept and encourage Kou’s path to becoming an exorcist. Though I must admit, Teru is correct. Kou's not really built to exorcise supernaturals without regard or consideration. He’s too close to two supernaturals in particular to ever be so emotionally uninvolved in the process. So, we’ll see where that goes!
Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Mindy McGinnis strikes again with another incredible novel! I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, as I’m not really a reader of survival stories, but this was well worth the read!
First of all, I love how messy our main character is. Much like all of the main characters of this author, Ashley is far from likable. She’s not like other girls because she’s into nature and hiking and has many practical skills related to this. She’s also poor, unlike all her friends, and incredibly prideful. She doesn’t want to ask for help. It’s demeaning. She’s grown up knowing how to be independent and get herself out of situations she’s either gotten stuck in or put herself in. And I honestly love that. For a novel that is mostly spent in the head of a character lost in the woods, it’s precisely the fact that she’s far from perfect that makes her so interesting to read about.
Second of all, I really appreciated the part of this narrative dedicated to Davey Beets. It felt very realistic for Ashley to have so much admiration for a guy who taught her so much of how she knows how to engage with nature. The way the story goes because of the strong feelings she has for him makes the story all the more impactful. I think there was certainly a part that was unrealistic, but I loved it because of how it brought things full circle for Ashley. I’m always in favor of sacrificing realism for the sake of narrative cohesion and not leaving things unanswered.
As for the reading experience itself, as a character driven reader, I ate this up. I was perfectly content following Ashley and all the harrowing shit Mindy McGinnis put her through. I love learning as much as possible about how a character thinks and what makes them tick, and this is a perfect example of that. Plus, the narrative doesn’t make compromises. Ashley’s surroundings very seriously impact her present reality regardless of how much time is spent on Ashley thinking about her past. Nature truly has it out to get Ashley as she’s lost in the Smokies, and the threat feels very real. I can only hope I could fare half as well if I was in her precarious situation!
All this to say, I loved this fucking book. It was riveting. I loved the characterization of Ashley. I loved how messy she was. I loved reading about all the shit she had to do to survive. It was great!
First of all, I love how messy our main character is. Much like all of the main characters of this author, Ashley is far from likable. She’s not like other girls because she’s into nature and hiking and has many practical skills related to this. She’s also poor, unlike all her friends, and incredibly prideful. She doesn’t want to ask for help. It’s demeaning. She’s grown up knowing how to be independent and get herself out of situations she’s either gotten stuck in or put herself in. And I honestly love that. For a novel that is mostly spent in the head of a character lost in the woods, it’s precisely the fact that she’s far from perfect that makes her so interesting to read about.
Second of all, I really appreciated the part of this narrative dedicated to Davey Beets. It felt very realistic for Ashley to have so much admiration for a guy who taught her so much of how she knows how to engage with nature. The way the story goes because of the strong feelings she has for him makes the story all the more impactful. I think there was certainly a part that was unrealistic, but I loved it because of how it brought things full circle for Ashley. I’m always in favor of sacrificing realism for the sake of narrative cohesion and not leaving things unanswered.
As for the reading experience itself, as a character driven reader, I ate this up. I was perfectly content following Ashley and all the harrowing shit Mindy McGinnis put her through. I love learning as much as possible about how a character thinks and what makes them tick, and this is a perfect example of that. Plus, the narrative doesn’t make compromises. Ashley’s surroundings very seriously impact her present reality regardless of how much time is spent on Ashley thinking about her past. Nature truly has it out to get Ashley as she’s lost in the Smokies, and the threat feels very real. I can only hope I could fare half as well if I was in her precarious situation!
All this to say, I loved this fucking book. It was riveting. I loved the characterization of Ashley. I loved how messy she was. I loved reading about all the shit she had to do to survive. It was great!
After School Etude, Vol. 1 by Cyan Hirune
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This manga was absolute chaos to start with 💀 It definitely captured my attention. That’s for sure!
I was ultimately snared into keeping my attention on this manga because I’m a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine dynamic. Ichinomiya is an absolute menace to society…and with good reason! He’s feral, unsociable, and an extremely talented dancer. Then there’s Minobe. He’s sweet and good-tempered. He likes ballet, but he lacks the drive to make him stand out as a dancer. The two get paired up…and it’s 🤩 for Minobe for the whole volume.
Truly, my favorite thing about this volume was how genuinely Minobe liked Ichinomiya. There was no pretense and no hesitation. He was clear and direct while also being patient with Ichinomiya’s strong character. It made it all the sweeter when Ichinomiya starts reciprocating the feelings. He starts to feel treasured by Minobe, and it makes it clear to him that Minobe is worth his time.
The absolutely FOUL part of this manga is the ballet teacher who needs to FACE CHARGES and be sent STRAIGHT TO PRISON. The fucking disgusting dynamic and “relationship” he has with Ichinomiya makes me sick. And he literally physically harms him TWICE in this manga. I need him to ROT IN HELL.
All this to say, I’ll definitely be continuing this series!
I was ultimately snared into keeping my attention on this manga because I’m a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine dynamic. Ichinomiya is an absolute menace to society…and with good reason! He’s feral, unsociable, and an extremely talented dancer. Then there’s Minobe. He’s sweet and good-tempered. He likes ballet, but he lacks the drive to make him stand out as a dancer. The two get paired up…and it’s 🤩 for Minobe for the whole volume.
Truly, my favorite thing about this volume was how genuinely Minobe liked Ichinomiya. There was no pretense and no hesitation. He was clear and direct while also being patient with Ichinomiya’s strong character. It made it all the sweeter when Ichinomiya starts reciprocating the feelings. He starts to feel treasured by Minobe, and it makes it clear to him that Minobe is worth his time.
The absolutely FOUL part of this manga is the ballet teacher who needs to FACE CHARGES and be sent STRAIGHT TO PRISON. The fucking disgusting dynamic and “relationship” he has with Ichinomiya makes me sick. And he literally physically harms him TWICE in this manga. I need him to ROT IN HELL.
All this to say, I’ll definitely be continuing this series!
Perfect Buddy, Vol. 1 by Lash
funny
medium-paced
3.5
This was just a silly little time! I wasn’t truly sure what I was getting myself into when I picked this up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
For such a thick first volume, however, I feel like I don’t really get where we’re going with Hyunsoo’s past. It seems so…vague yet troubling. Of course I know our goal is a relationship between Hyunsoo and Youngchan, but I’m more curious about what is being left unsaid.
I am impressed however that this truly does seem to be committing to a storyline, and we meet a lot of different characters in this volume alone!
This volume ended in a cliffhanger of sorts tho…so I’m definitely curious to continue!
For such a thick first volume, however, I feel like I don’t really get where we’re going with Hyunsoo’s past. It seems so…vague yet troubling. Of course I know our goal is a relationship between Hyunsoo and Youngchan, but I’m more curious about what is being left unsaid.
I am impressed however that this truly does seem to be committing to a storyline, and we meet a lot of different characters in this volume alone!
This volume ended in a cliffhanger of sorts tho…so I’m definitely curious to continue!
Different for Boys by Patrick Ness
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Hhmm… I have complex feelings about this book.
On the one hand, I can see the vision of this. It very clearly is addressing issues of censorship. It had the reader contemplate what is typically deemed “worthy” of being censored vs what one could want to self-censor. It’s this idea that usually profanity and sexual acts are typically considered (especially in the US, and especially when talking about queer people) necessary to censor. However, it explores the notion that sometimes there are things in our lives that maybe are not perceived as being necessary to be censored, but that are still worthy of being private. That there are things we don’t have to share with the world because they’re that special.
However, I feel like this book reads more like a short story that needed more development. There was simply not enough here for any of the characters to truly have any depth to them. They all fell into different stereotypes in order for the story to shallowly explore some of its themes. If Ness had developed the story further, however, and been able to use the black-out in more moments to build significance, this could have truly been amazing.
As it stands, I don’t regret reading this at all, but I was left wanting more from it.
On the one hand, I can see the vision of this. It very clearly is addressing issues of censorship. It had the reader contemplate what is typically deemed “worthy” of being censored vs what one could want to self-censor. It’s this idea that usually profanity and sexual acts are typically considered (especially in the US, and especially when talking about queer people) necessary to censor. However, it explores the notion that sometimes there are things in our lives that maybe are not perceived as being necessary to be censored, but that are still worthy of being private. That there are things we don’t have to share with the world because they’re that special.
However, I feel like this book reads more like a short story that needed more development. There was simply not enough here for any of the characters to truly have any depth to them. They all fell into different stereotypes in order for the story to shallowly explore some of its themes. If Ness had developed the story further, however, and been able to use the black-out in more moments to build significance, this could have truly been amazing.
As it stands, I don’t regret reading this at all, but I was left wanting more from it.
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 4 by Mokumokuren
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This series continues being an obsession of mine!
Absolutely loved that we got Yoshiki and Hikaru doing some research on the history of their village. We’re slowly uncovering more information about the “impurities” that are plaguing this town now that Hikaru is not really Hikaru. It meant we got to see some new and interesting characters interact with the protagonists.
I also continue loving the aesthetic and vibe of this series. It truly impeccably creates atmosphere and tension. I love the sound effects (I often truly hear them in my head!) and the way the mangaka chooses what to focus on in specific tense or “spooky” moments.
Again. I love this series. I’m obsessed. No one can change my mind that this continues having strong queer energy and subtext ✨
Absolutely loved that we got Yoshiki and Hikaru doing some research on the history of their village. We’re slowly uncovering more information about the “impurities” that are plaguing this town now that Hikaru is not really Hikaru. It meant we got to see some new and interesting characters interact with the protagonists.
I also continue loving the aesthetic and vibe of this series. It truly impeccably creates atmosphere and tension. I love the sound effects (I often truly hear them in my head!) and the way the mangaka chooses what to focus on in specific tense or “spooky” moments.
Again. I love this series. I’m obsessed. No one can change my mind that this continues having strong queer energy and subtext ✨
Cosmic Crush by Clio Evans
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
This was an incredibly mid read for me from Clio Evans. Usually I love her works, but this one was just okay.
I think the main contributing factor was that I wasn’t really into the kinks the main characters were into. I don’t mind reading about them, but it makes the whole experience “meh” for me.
I also thought the pacing of this one felt very off. Most of Clio Evans’ work that I’ve read has a pretty fast pace because they’re so short…but I felt like this one was lacking plot which made it a bit of a struggle to get through. I felt no true urgency and thought too much time was spent with Mari and Raider in the caves just fully on their own. It just felt like a whole bunch of nothing happened and the characters couldn’t convince me of the “trouble” with just words.
Truly wish I had liked this one more, but I simply didn’t.
I think the main contributing factor was that I wasn’t really into the kinks the main characters were into. I don’t mind reading about them, but it makes the whole experience “meh” for me.
I also thought the pacing of this one felt very off. Most of Clio Evans’ work that I’ve read has a pretty fast pace because they’re so short…but I felt like this one was lacking plot which made it a bit of a struggle to get through. I felt no true urgency and thought too much time was spent with Mari and Raider in the caves just fully on their own. It just felt like a whole bunch of nothing happened and the characters couldn’t convince me of the “trouble” with just words.
Truly wish I had liked this one more, but I simply didn’t.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
I tried TWICE to give this a chance…but I just couldn’t do it.
Generally speaking, I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing style. I find it engaging and interesting. However, it was not enough to make me be able to deal with some of the issues I had with this novel.
1. I couldn’t take the fact that we had a 35 y/o man absolutely smitten with a 20y/o young woman…who he met…when she was FOURTEEN!!!! I just couldn’t deal with it. It made me uncomfortable, and I felt like it was an unnecessary dynamic added to the story.
2. There was no fucking need for so many scenes to be told BOTH from Carlota’s perspective AND Montgomery’s perspective. The “added” information was hardly ever elucidating enough to feel warranted. It was just a waste of time, energy, and page count. The point of a dual pov isn’t to read things twice but to get access to parts of a narrative that truly would be unknown if it was single pov.
3. Montgomery and Carlota both made me feel conflicted as characters. Carlota was too childish and acted like a brat …and Montgomery was often too morose and self-hating. I could’ve seen myself eventually liking both…but ultimately I didn’t have enough patience to find out.
I truly wanted to love this, but there were too many little things that kept me from doing so. And based on what others have said about the events that transpire in this novel… I have no interest in following that shitshow.
Generally speaking, I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing style. I find it engaging and interesting. However, it was not enough to make me be able to deal with some of the issues I had with this novel.
1. I couldn’t take the fact that we had a 35 y/o man absolutely smitten with a 20y/o young woman…who he met…when she was FOURTEEN!!!! I just couldn’t deal with it. It made me uncomfortable, and I felt like it was an unnecessary dynamic added to the story.
2. There was no fucking need for so many scenes to be told BOTH from Carlota’s perspective AND Montgomery’s perspective. The “added” information was hardly ever elucidating enough to feel warranted. It was just a waste of time, energy, and page count. The point of a dual pov isn’t to read things twice but to get access to parts of a narrative that truly would be unknown if it was single pov.
3. Montgomery and Carlota both made me feel conflicted as characters. Carlota was too childish and acted like a brat …and Montgomery was often too morose and self-hating. I could’ve seen myself eventually liking both…but ultimately I didn’t have enough patience to find out.
I truly wanted to love this, but there were too many little things that kept me from doing so. And based on what others have said about the events that transpire in this novel… I have no interest in following that shitshow.