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ravensandpages's reviews
402 reviews
Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki
3.0
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Is Love the Answer? is a very sweet story about a young woman exploring her sexuality during her first year of college. I really enjoyed the cast and the message that gender, sexuality, and romantic attraction can be fluid and change as someone's understanding grows, which I think is very important and was really happy to see. I think the art was also nice and I enjoyed Chika and Ume's growing bond over the course of the story.
Is Love the Answer? is a very sweet story about a young woman exploring her sexuality during her first year of college. I really enjoyed the cast and the message that gender, sexuality, and romantic attraction can be fluid and change as someone's understanding grows, which I think is very important and was really happy to see. I think the art was also nice and I enjoyed Chika and Ume's growing bond over the course of the story.
Number Call by Nagisa Furuya
3.0
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Number Call is a romance between two boys who bond over the same nickname: Eight, both caused by different ways to read their names. By this chance meeting, they grow closer and then apart as they wrestle with their growing feelings for each other and what their future might hold.
This is a pretty easy read with a sweet storyline and simple art. The translator did a good job with the really specific culture surrounding the names & etymology at work here, which couldn't have been an easy feat. The lack of backgrounds also helps pick up the pace since your eye doesn't have as much to follow. I would recommend if you like more innocent style high school romances.
Number Call is a romance between two boys who bond over the same nickname: Eight, both caused by different ways to read their names. By this chance meeting, they grow closer and then apart as they wrestle with their growing feelings for each other and what their future might hold.
This is a pretty easy read with a sweet storyline and simple art. The translator did a good job with the really specific culture surrounding the names & etymology at work here, which couldn't have been an easy feat. The lack of backgrounds also helps pick up the pace since your eye doesn't have as much to follow. I would recommend if you like more innocent style high school romances.
Icarus by K. Ancrum
Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and HarperTeen.
I ended up DNFing ICARUS at 41%. I was going to try and push through to the end, but after careful deliberation, I've decided to shelve this.
This novel follows Icarus Gallagher, a thief who spends his days muddling through high school and his nights replacing pieces of the wealthy Mr. Black's art collection with his father's masterful forgeries. Across tightly woven short chapters, Icarus meets Mr. Black's son Helios, imprisoned in the manor and desperate for a friend, and against his better judgment accepts a deal that could upend everything he's been working towards.
I enjoyed the first inklings of their relationship, the layers and metaphors surrounding them, and I greatly enjoyed the prose. But overall, ICARUS felt... well, I'm not sure how else to put it other than shallow. It certainly had breadth, with a large cast despite Icarus' inner focus, and I have a multitude of screenshots of great lines, but I didn't feel any tension or draw to the story. I also found the book startlingly slow-paced despite the short length of the chapters which eventually turned the reading experience into a drag. I wanted to care about Icarus and Helios and their situation, but I didn't miss them or think about this book during my break from it. The story is missing something for me, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is.
I would still recommend this if you're into more slow-paced stories, heists & thieves, and gay relationships with a delicious sprinkling of religious metaphors. There are several quotes I'll be holding to my chest even though I had to give up on this one (and who knows, maybe I'll return to try again if Libby ever gets the audiobook). K. Ancrum is still an author I greatly admire, and I am looking forward to the other books on my list from her.
I ended up DNFing ICARUS at 41%. I was going to try and push through to the end, but after careful deliberation, I've decided to shelve this.
This novel follows Icarus Gallagher, a thief who spends his days muddling through high school and his nights replacing pieces of the wealthy Mr. Black's art collection with his father's masterful forgeries. Across tightly woven short chapters, Icarus meets Mr. Black's son Helios, imprisoned in the manor and desperate for a friend, and against his better judgment accepts a deal that could upend everything he's been working towards.
I enjoyed the first inklings of their relationship, the layers and metaphors surrounding them, and I greatly enjoyed the prose. But overall, ICARUS felt... well, I'm not sure how else to put it other than shallow. It certainly had breadth, with a large cast despite Icarus' inner focus, and I have a multitude of screenshots of great lines, but I didn't feel any tension or draw to the story. I also found the book startlingly slow-paced despite the short length of the chapters which eventually turned the reading experience into a drag. I wanted to care about Icarus and Helios and their situation, but I didn't miss them or think about this book during my break from it. The story is missing something for me, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is.
I would still recommend this if you're into more slow-paced stories, heists & thieves, and gay relationships with a delicious sprinkling of religious metaphors. There are several quotes I'll be holding to my chest even though I had to give up on this one (and who knows, maybe I'll return to try again if Libby ever gets the audiobook). K. Ancrum is still an author I greatly admire, and I am looking forward to the other books on my list from her.
Sound the Gong by Joan He
4.0
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
SOUND THE GONG is a dazzling conclusion to the Kingdom of Three duology that answers the age-old question, "would anyone sit down for a 350+ page adaptation of the devil and bagel vine?" with a resounding yes. Jokes aside, I had an immensely good time reading this sequel and revisiting all the characters after a torturous 15 minutes of separation. I really can't recommend reading them back to back enough, especially because this book is somehow even more action-packed and doesn't spend much time doing the early chapters sparknotes.
While I got even more of what I loved from the first book (found family, political machinations, and Crow, lord the Crow content in this one), I really enjoyed the exploration of fate, choice, and the multitudes each person contains. I didn't have any basis for the story of the Three Kingdoms before diving into this world, but I can tell it was adapted with both great love and a discerning eye, and has made me even more excited to seek it out.
Overall, the fast pace and shifting alliances make for one of the most bingeable series I've read in a long time. I loved watching Zephyr's ruthlessness alongside her battling between morality and divinity, and I was thoroughly satisfied with this conclusion.
SOUND THE GONG is a dazzling conclusion to the Kingdom of Three duology that answers the age-old question, "would anyone sit down for a 350+ page adaptation of the devil and bagel vine?" with a resounding yes. Jokes aside, I had an immensely good time reading this sequel and revisiting all the characters after a torturous 15 minutes of separation. I really can't recommend reading them back to back enough, especially because this book is somehow even more action-packed and doesn't spend much time doing the early chapters sparknotes.
While I got even more of what I loved from the first book (found family, political machinations, and Crow, lord the Crow content in this one), I really enjoyed the exploration of fate, choice, and the multitudes each person contains. I didn't have any basis for the story of the Three Kingdoms before diving into this world, but I can tell it was adapted with both great love and a discerning eye, and has made me even more excited to seek it out.
Overall, the fast pace and shifting alliances make for one of the most bingeable series I've read in a long time. I loved watching Zephyr's ruthlessness alongside her battling between morality and divinity, and I was thoroughly satisfied with this conclusion.