Magical Karina, Vol. 1 by Coyuri Tono

Magical Karina, Vol. 1 by Coyuri Tono

My Rating: ★★★

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

When Karina’s grandmother passes away, she barely has time to start grieving because there’s a monster on a mission to feed on her! Some guy called Zen hopped in to help, but he’s calling on her to transform, and she doesn’t want to get involved. Unfortunately for her, she needs to transform to survive the monster’s attack, and Zen just got eaten?! Now she’s on a mission to save Zen from staying dead, but she’s going to have to squeeze it in between work and school. There’s only so long she can outrun her grief even when it’s not intentional, and it’s lurking around every corner no matter where she goes.

I haven’t read that many magical girl stories, but I thought this was an interesting one since Karina doesn’t really want to jump into that life. She’s got enough on her plate between school and work, and that’s not even including the fact that her grandma just passed away. Karina is also riddled with guilt because while she loved her grandma, she’s also relieved to escape the person dementia turned her into. Due to the heavier plot, this may not be a story for everyone, but I think the author is handling it well so far.

Not everything is bleak, because there’s a fantasy plot where Karina can transform into a magical girl and fight evil, even if it’s just for now! Though, it’ll be interesting to see who is really evil, who falls in the middle, and if Karina and her friend Yuni will have to choose a side depending on what gets revealed later. Speaking of Yuni, she turned out to be my favorite character. I’m looking forward to seeing what she uncovers while helping Karina and being the voice of reason. Something isn’t adding up, and Yuni isn’t going to let Zen fool her.

While I think the series has a lot of potential, I also think that this volume was unintentionally chaotic. There’s a lot going on to set up the series, but it was a little too much in one go. I’m hoping it settles down a little in the next volume so we can really see the author’s vision and watch the story unfold.

The Failure at God School, Vol. 3 Modomu Akagawara (Artist), Natsu Hyuuga (Original Story), SEIKAISHA (Character Design)

 

The Failure at God School, Vol. 3 Modomu Akagawara (Artist), Natsu Hyuuga (Original Story), SEIKAISHA (Character Design)

My Rating: ★★★★

Now that midterms are sneaking up on her, Nagi is stressed but determined to do well. Once she learns Touta has the best test scores, she seeks him out in hope that he can help. Unfortunately, things go awry once Touta sees the plushie her brother uses to stay in touch with her! Things make even less sense when he tears the plushie apart, revealing there’s a curse doll inside. This turn of events becomes illuminating in ways Nagi never could’ve predicted.

I’ve been enjoying this story a lot, so I was excited to finally pick this up! This time around, we pick up right as Nagi thinks she can relax only for her to discover that mid-terms have snuck up on her. Things take an unexpected turn as we begin to dive deeper into Touta’s story while also expanding things on the mystery front. I’m not going to say much about the mystery because that’d be spoilers, but things took a big jump and the details don’t quite add up. However, I’m willing to suspend belief on that unless it turns into a major plot hole at some point.

Otherwise, I was fully absorbed in the story. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes and how the mystery plot will play out now that there’s been a big jump on that front. I’m also excited to get to know more of the characters since each volume has let us see behind the exterior of various folks.

Spellfire by Agatha Willow

Spellfire by Agatha Willow

My Rating: ★

I received a copy from Harper 360 through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Bryn graduated from the Grimoire Academy, she thought she’d never return. She has a love/hate relationship with the old school, especially after her first girlfriend publicly humiliated her there. Unfortunately for Bryn, she’s back on campus since her favorite professor passed away and left her their entire personal library. It also requires her to return to campus to pack up the collection and potentially run into Amelia, her former crush and now headmistress of the academy!

It’s a cute story with a lot of potential, but it reads more like it’s really Bryn’s diary without the diary format. Unfortunately, the longer I read it, the more I had a hard time believing these two characters were 23/24. They read more like two 18-year-olds while having roles that didn’t match up to that. I didn’t make it past the 20% point because I just got bored with how technical it was about Bryn’s work details. I also just feel like the character’s ages don’t match up with how the characters thought and acted, which kept taking me straight out of the story. I’m looking forward to seeing what Agatha publishes in the future, but this sadly turned out to be a miss for me.

Betrothed to My Sister's Ex, Vol. 1 by Chikage Nakakura, Tobirano

Betrothed to My Sister's Ex, Vol. 1 by Chikage Nakakura, Tobirano

My Rating: ★★★★★

As the second daughter, Marie was always considered the ugly and useless daughter doomed to be her family’s servant. Everything in her family is skin deep, and Marie has never met their standards. Even at what was supposed to be her own birthday celebration, her older sister Anastasia was set to take the spotlight from the start! Little did she know that she’d accidentally meet Count Kyros at the same party, or that it would lead to his engagement to Anastasia?! Unfortunately, the count confused which sister he fell in love with because he never got Maria’s name! In a crazy turn of events, Maria finds herself engaged to the count, and has a chance to escape her abusive family.

I can never pass up a Cinderella retelling, so of course I had to pick this up! My heart absolutely broke for Marie. She grew up with verbally and physically abusive parents, and her older sister silently went along with it even in her adult life. The verbal abuse and Marie having absolutely no self-esteem hits a little too close to home, so I feel really close to Marie because I completely understand her. I’m also curious about Anastasia because we really didn’t see much of her, but apparently she was nice? I guess we’ll see if it turns out she did indeed fake her death like I think she did, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out she went through a different kind of abuse from their parents.

All in all, this is among my favorite reads for the year. The story is well written, there’s a range of characters to both love and hate, and there’s so many ways the story can move forward as Marie slowly unpacks everything she’s gone through and begins her healing journey. I can’t wait to pick up the next volume and eventually check out the light novels and the manga! I have a feeling that this will become one of my favorite Cinderella retellings.

Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind, Vol. 1 by Jun Hareta, Yahiro Arase

Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind, Vol. 1 by Jun Hareta, Yahiro Arase

My Rating: ★★★★★

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

Ever since Nicole met her fiancé, she’s felt nothing but stone-cold rejection. Keios only has eyes for his childhood friend, Princess Caroline, and barely even pays attention to her even when she’s sitting in front of him. After many hurtful encounters, Nicole decides that enough is enough. If Keios is going to ignore her even when they eventually marry, then she’s going to embrace her interests and do what makes her happy! Unfortunately for Keios, the entire academy has noticed every time she turns up solo around town or to an event, and happier than they’ve ever seen her! He can’t figure out what she’s doing or why. Will he lose her before they ever have a chance, or will he face the music?

I was 100% sold on this story from the moment I started reading it. As soon as Nicole realized she was worth so much more than Keios and what he was putting her through, she chose herself over destroying herself for someone who has never shown they care. 5 out of 5 stars? This was 10 out of 5 stars; no notes. I wish I could somehow send this book to teenage me even though my situation was completely different because I really needed to see a character like Nicole back then. I can’t wait to see how Nicole continues to blossom as the series continues, but I’m also looking forward to learning more about some of the supporting characters!

Marrying the Dark Knight (For Her Money) 1 by sometime, Suoh

 

Marrying the Dark Knight (For Her Money) 1 by sometime, Suoh

My Rating: ★★★★

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

When Clarice sees an opportunity to save her noble family and her younger sister, she jumps on it without a second thought. Of course, this means she’ll have to marry the super scary Dark Knight who can punch through walls and defeat even the scariest of monsters! Who needs romance when the Dark Knight can pay for the medical treatment her sister needs while also saving her family from complete financial ruin? Clarice has a plan, but it all flies out the window as soon as it turns out the Dark Knight is disguised as a man thanks to society refusing to allow women to become knights. Now Clarice is on a mission to get to know her new spouse and make sure her sister is saved!

I picked this up because it sounded like it would be fun, and I’m happy to confirm that it met my expectations! We follow Clarice as she embarks on a journey to make sure that her sister receives the medical treatment she urgently needs while also saving her family from entering the final stages of financial ruin. Of course, the Dark Knight doesn’t make it easy for her to get close to! Once Clarice stumbles onto her secret, she’s faced with certain death or making things work even if Frost makes it difficult.

Personally, I really enjoyed this. Despite the reasons behind Clarice jumping face first into a political marriage even her parents didn’t want to agree to, it’s a light and hilarious read. I really needed something light and fun, so it was the perfect pick-me-up read. Plus, there’s an interesting cast of characters that I can’t wait to get to know as the series continues. I’m curious to see what the Dark Knight, aka Frost, is like once she eventually lets Clarice see past the surface.

The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens

The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens

My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Margaret K. McElderry Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ellinore is more than ready to retire from her adventurous life as a quester. It’s too bad that fate has other plans for her because her twin brother, Zig, will lose his life if she doesn’t get her hands on the horn of a mythical Elder Beast! The problem? Her entire questing history is a lie! Ellinore always finds a way around killing the beasts on her quests, but now she has to put off her retirement one last time and go on a quest with her brother and Princete Aven or risk losing her brother forever.

This is one of those books that I really enjoyed while also struggling to read it. It had a really fun and upbeat vibe with a fairly slow pace, and the two didn’t quite align for me. That said, it was really enjoyable to follow Ellinore as she embarked on her final quest. Unlike her previous quests where she occasionally had her good friend and dragon, Dave, by her side, she has two people she wouldn’t choose to take with her: Zig and Aven. If there’s one thing I love, it’s people going on an adventure with people they wouldn’t choose and then seeing the shenanigans start to unfold.

There are some truly excellent characters. Dave, Zig, and Aven were easily my favorite characters. I personally feel they really brought a bright light into the story. There were other characters that I loved too, like Farrah and Rylan, but what I loved most is that there was such a range of characters that really added to the story. Honestly, I almost wished this was told in rotating perspectives over just following Ellinore because that’s how good several of the characters are.

All in all, this was a fun read. The humor was excellent, I had my favorite characters, and I just enjoyed watching everyone come together. My only issue came down to the pace, which didn’t really match the overall vibe. Otherwise, if this sounds up your alley and you don’t mind modern slang being used in a fantasy universe, then it might be worth picking up.