The Whisperwood Legacy by Jo Schulte

The Whisperwood Legacy by Jo Schulte

My Rating: ★

I received a copy from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A year and a half after Whisperwood’s closure, the Strauss family is falling apart at the seams. The Strauss  family is known for their long and strange history as well as their popular theme park, but now that Whisperwood is closed, there’s even more public interest than ever. What the public doesn’t know is that the family’s money has dried up without the theme park’s income, and the fighting has begun. Insert Frankie, one of the Strauss grandchildren, who is slowly learning the ropes of controlling the magic that is weaved throughout Whisperwood. When her grandma goes missing, the entire family discovers the real reason Whisperwood closed.

I was really looking forward to reading this, so it’s unfortunate that it ended up being a total miss for me. I think it has an interesting premise, but it had way too many characters and not enough world building. I ended up being far more interested in the few entertaining characters just because the majority of the characters were either extremely bland or very unlikable. I’m also not sure why Uncle Preston cusses almost every time he speaks. It was funny at first just because it was always so out of place, but it just kept taking me out of the story.

I kept reading because it was interesting enough that I wanted to see where the story was going, but Ella and her blog post when her grandma goes missing was the last straw. I finished that chapter, shut the book, and decided I was not going to continue. Her looking to capitalize off her adoptive grandmother’s disappearance was the final straw for me, so I shut the book at 48% and ditched it.

Ultimately, I think this book has an interesting plot, but it’s weighed down by too many characters and random bits of information that didn’t add to the story. We were being told too much and not enough at the same time, and it suffered some pacing issues that the memory flashes didn’t help. I probably would’ve still found a way to enjoy it if there weren't so many unlikable characters and a romance plot with an unsettling vibe.

Dark Restraint (Dark Olympus #7) by Katee Robert

Dark Restraint by Katee Robert

My Rating: ★★★

Ariadne Vitalis knew that betraying her father was going to change things between them forever. What she didn’t realize is that he’d want her dead, and that he’d order the man she loves to do the deed. Now Ariadne has to rely on Hera to keep her end of the deal, which is to keep her safe… for a price. Now she finds herself engaged to Dionysus, but thankfully the marriage will be on paper only. Knee deep in a huge mess, Ariadne must do everything she can to keep her end of the deal as the Minotaur breathes down her neck, and she can’t tell if he loves her or if he’s just getting laid before completing her father’s orders.

I’ve been enjoying this series and was excited to pick up this installment. This time around, we follow Ariadne and Asterion, aka the Minotaur, through their rotating perspectives. It was hard to get into the romance plot because Asterion is a full on stalker even though Ariadne was into it for some reason. At least he respects her boundaries and such outside of all the stalker shenanigans? Otherwise, I was super put off by the romance because Asterion’s possessive streak and stalker shenanigans were really off-putting.

If you’re someone who is into the series, I think that you’ll still like the book if you’re not reading it for the romance unless stalker shenanigans are your thing. I liked that we got to know more of the characters, especially Ariadne, Asterion, and Dionysus. We also got to learn a little more about Hermes, which was exciting! I really enjoyed the non-romance plots as well, and this book does have a lot going for it on that front. It’s made me excited for the next book, especially because we really haven’t seen much of Poseidon until now.

The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess, Vol. 2 Makino Maebaru

 

The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess, Vol. 2 Makino Maebaru

My Rating: ★★★★

Monica’s life as a holy woman has taken some twists. She went from an undervalued and spurned priestess of Kophe to a close friend of the Empire! Who knew Mr. Redhead was the crown prince of the Belktrius Empire? Certainly not her! Now she’s on a mission to destroy the monsters overtaking Kophe while also purifying the land.

While I enjoyed the first book, I also found it to be a so-so read because it was information heavy and the romance was practically nonexistent. However, this book hit the ground running and threw my issues with the story straight out the window. There was quite a bit of character development for several characters, which I’m very happy about. I also liked that we had minimal info dumping. We received more information through the occasional passage told through another character’s perspective, which was a huge upgrade and greatly improved the whole story!

Plus, the romance finally started developing and was believable. While I don’t care for Richard’s jealous streak, their friendship blossomed into a passionate romance. I honestly forgot that this was a light novel at one point and got a reminder that it’s NOT a spicy novel when their coupling faded into the next chapter! I do wish that Monica put two and two together much sooner, though. Halfway through the book, there is no way she could’ve possibly mistaken Richard's feelings as being platonic!

That said, I really enjoyed this book. It resolved the issues it had throughout the first volume and ended with a bang. Almost literally! Plus, the artwork that comes up every so many chapters was absolutely stunning. I hope to check out the manga adaptation next!

The Failure at God School, Vol. 1 by Modomu Akagawara (artist), Natsu Hyuuga (original story), SEIKAISHA (character design)

 

The Failure at God School, Vol. 1 by Modomu Akagawara (artist), Natsu Hyuuga (original story), SEIKAISHA (character design)

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Yen Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In a world where people born with supernatural abilities are called Himiko, Nagi always dreamed of what it would be like to have any kind of ability. Her grandma had them along with the certification that gave her the title of a god, and her older brother has them, but Nagi? Nope! Everything changes when she stumbles upon a mystery and is issued an acceptance letter to god school. Will Nagi figure out what her ability is and go on to become the future god of her family’s shrine?

I was so excited to read this book that I actually purchased it before I was granted an advanced copy from NetGalley. We follow Nagi as we are slowly introduced to her life and the impact that people born with supernatural or divine powers have on the world. Her younger brother is a Himiko, but he never leaves his room, so that dashed Nagi’s hopes that he’d become a god and take care of their grandmother’s place.

While we are introduced to a mystery plot that I think will be an ongoing plot, this first volume is actually a story of family and friendship. I really enjoyed following Nagi, meeting all of the characters, and laughing at the fun humor throughout the story. I’m really excited to see where the story goes as it continues as well as check out the light novels when the English translation drops. If you’re looking for something light and fun with a little bit of mystery and something strange lurking in plain sight, I urge you to pick this up!

Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner, Vol. 1 by Sumnagi

 

Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner, Vol. 1 by Sumnagi

My Rating: ★

I received a copy from Ize Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shavonne is a struggling ghost writer who finds himself being targeted by a stalker. Unfortunately, no one believes his stalker is an issue! Things get weirder when his next door neighbor starts peeling onions right outside of his apartment on the regular. Once Shavonne goes on a date with the guy, it turns out that his obsession with onions isn’t the problem… it’s the fact that he’s a killer!

This is one of those books I’m going to keep thinking about just because it was so weird. We follow Shavonne in an odd mystery turned romance of sorts. His neighbor, Lewellyn, is a murderer who is obsessed with him, and he can’t even get away because the guy just paid for over a year of his rent in advance. I was more frustrated than anything with this story because the characters lack depth and the plot is all over the place. The artwork was nice, but that was about it.

While I’d like to know what’s up with Lewellyn’s obsession with onions, I can’t find it in me to continue the series. Shavonne is super passive and seems to discover, forget, and rediscover who his stalker is. We don’t know anything about Lewellyn other than he’s a rich stalker and possible serial killer who wants to get with the lead character for some reason. I think it could’ve been an interesting read if it knew what it wanted to be and didn’t go around in circles at an extremely slow pace. Ultimately, it’s just not a series for me.

The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess, Vol. 1 by Makino Maebaru

The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess, Vol. 1 by Makino Maebaru

My Rating: ★★★

Monica’s life as a holy woman isn’t seen as prestigious by many, but she still works hard to do everything she possibly can with her abilities. It’s rare for a holy woman to be as powerful as Monica, which is how she found herself engaged to the crown prince of Kophe. In a whirlwind of events, Monica goes from being socially elevated to a spurned lascivious priestess! With nowhere else to go, she finds herself accompanying one of her battle comrades to his home country so that she can help his brother and sister-in-law conceive. It seems like a simple plan until she finds out that her old comrade is actually the crown prince of the Belktrius Empire!

We follow Monica from the moment her entire life is turned upside by the crown prince of Kophe. Now that she’s being chased out of Kophe by her former fiancé, she finds herself getting the hell out of dodge. Along the way, we learn that her powers have a negative side effect: magically arousing herself and those around her! Luckily, she has trustworthy people at her side that are determined to keep her safe. This includes Kevin, her battle comrade who is also the crown prince of the Belktrius Empire!

While this was an interesting story with a great cast of characters, there are parts of the book that are boring and information heavy. I think that having multiple narrators would’ve helped out with that while also developing the supporting characters. I’m also feeling pretty iffy about the romance right now since it’s barely there and is glued together with some dirty dreams and Kevin’s jealous streak. I’m hoping to see some more character development and a believable romance plot in the second volume.

Spacewalking With You, Vol. 1 by by Inuhiko Doronoda

 

Spacewalking With You, Vol. 1 by by Inuhiko Doronoda

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Kodansha Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kobayashi is struggling in and out of school. Even his best friend is making bets on how long he’ll last at his latest part time job! Now he finds himself wanting to befriend Uno, the new transfer student at their all boy school. While Uno is different from the other kids, he doesn’t let that stop him from living his life, and he’s inspired Kobayashi to do the same. This budding friendship is leading the duo to learn new things about themselves and life in this gripping read!

I absolutely loved reading this. We follow Kobayashi, a high school student struggling with both school and work. He hasn’t lasted long at any of his jobs because he has trouble doing his work, but everything changes when he meets Uno. Through Uno, he learns new ways to learn and has even become interested in school again.

I loved the characters, the story, and how well Inuhiko Doronoda captures some of the realities of the neurodivergent experience. While some details are exaggerated for storytelling purposes, they aren’t insulting in any way, and they work to make these characters feel real. When I got to the end of the book, I was glad it’s the first in a series because I wanted to continue reading the story ASAP. I can’t wait to eventually read the second volume!