Breaking Up Was the Plan, the Duke Falling For the Villainess Was Not! Vol. 2 by Kotoko, Ataka

Breaking Up Was the Plan, the Duke Falling For the Villainess Was Not! Vol. 2 by Kotoko, Ataka

My Rating: ★★★★

When Grace was reincarnated as the villainess in one of her favorite books, all she wanted was to make sure that Zane and Charlotte got together. What she didn’t plan for was for things to go completely off the rails when she saved Zane’s sister! Now he’s fallen crazy in love with Grace and is refusing to let her break things off. What’s worse is that something is strange about Charlotte, and Count Gardner is putting in his best effort to try to seriously court her. Poor Grace. Nothing is going right!

I almost dropped this book during the first chapter because I was just not vibing with it, but I’m glad I stuck with it! I was fully sucked back into the story by the end of chapter two and ultimately really enjoyed reading this. However, Grace is unnecessarily dense, and some of the things Zane has said and done are quite alarming. Those are my only real complaints about the book.

Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable story. I like several of the characters, and the world building is pretty interesting. Haniwa is my favorite character, and I really want to see what happens as their abilities get stronger alongside Grace. There were some things about a few characters, Charlotte included, that were confirmed for me as well. It’s made me more interested in seeing how one particular plot will unfold, so I’m excited to pick up the next volume.

Cozy Kawaii Christmas: 50 Adorably Festive Coloring Pages by Editors of Cider Mill Press

Cozy Kawaii Christmas: 50 Adorably Festive Coloring Pages by Editors of Cider Mill Press

My Rating: ★★★★★

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

If you’re looking for the perfect cute and cozy Christmas coloring book, then this may be the book for you! Inside you will find 50 festive coloring pages depicting a range of scenes with adorable animals featured in each scene. The festive pages are on the more detailed side, so this may be a coloring book for middle schoolers and older. I love that the coloring pages are printed on only one side of each page, so I won’t have to choose which page I want to color in and which page will be sacrificed to my alcohol markers bleeding through. All in all, it’s an adorable coloring book!

Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind, Vol. 2 by Jun Hareta, Yahiro Arase

Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind 2 by Jun Hareta, Yahiro Arase

My Rating: ★★★★★

Now that Keios has learned that he accidentally rejected Nicole at every turn, he’s doing everything he can to win her back. Unfortunately for him, every time he tries to make things right, everything goes completely wrong! Meanwhile, Nicole is as happy as can be now that she’s put her expectations on the table. She’s discovered her independence and is content with the future she sees for herself, and it doesn’t involve romance… or possibly Keios at all?!

I’ve been really enjoying this series so far. This time around, Keios has learned the error of his ways and is trying to fix it. Along the way, we get to know some of the characters a little more, especially Keios and the reasons behind his previous actions. It was another fun volume! I especially loved watching Nicole really embrace doing what makes her happy while Keios chases after her.

What I enjoy most about this series is that there aren’t any quick fixes that magically make everything better. While it’s fun to see things run a lot more smoothly than they do in reality, it’s always good to see someone have to actually try to learn from their mistakes and put in the work to fix things with the person they hurt. I also love that Nicole has moved on, so it’s going to be pretty hard for Keios to mend things. It’s been fun watching his misadventures while Nicole is living her best life with the support of her peers the whole way. I’m looking forward to checking out the next volume!

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts (The Marlow Murder Club #5) by Robert Thorogood

 

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood

My Rating: ★★★

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

When a new killer starts up in Marlow, the Marlow Murder Club is ready to find out who is going after celebrities. At least, part of the club is because Judith is out of it thanks to a surprise from someone linked to her past. To make matters worse, Tanika has been suspended, so they’ve lost the only person officially on their side. Will the trio figure things out, or does this spell the end of the Marlow Murder Club?

I’ve mostly really enjoyed this series, so I was a little sad to discover that this was almost a miss for me. This installment fizzled out fast and felt like two books smashed together for the first half of the book. I was honestly just bored unless it pertained to Judith’s past turning up at her front door or if someone was being questioned for the investigation. I really struggled my way through and almost gave up a few times during the first half, especially because of the lack of cohesion.

Thankfully, things picked up halfway through and I really enjoyed the majority of the second half of the book. Everything started pulling together and it was pretty solid. It also felt like the early books in the series, which was really nice. I enjoyed seeing all my favorite characters, though it sucked to see Tanika sidelined for the entire story.

While I ultimately enjoyed the book, I feel like this was a read for big fans of the series. I honestly would’ve ditched it if I wasn’t a big fan going back to its debut, but I’m really glad I stuck with it because it really pulled together around chapter 18. I’m not sure if this is the final book in the series, but it sure felt like it, so we’ll see what happens!

Breaking Up Was the Plan, the Duke Falling For the Villainess Was Not! Vol.1 by Kotoko, Ataka

 

Breaking Up Was the Plan, the Duke Falling For the Villainess Was Not! Vol.1 by Kotoko, Ataka

My Rating: ★★★

When Grace was reincarnated as the villainess in one of her favorite books, she’s determined to make sure things go according to plan so that her OTP can get together! Now she’s on a mission to appear as mean as the Grace everyone in this world knows without actually hurting anyone. Things begin to go off the rails when she saves a character who doesn’t survive in the original story, but nothing prepares her for Zane to fall more deeply in love with her than she intended. How is he supposed to meet his true love if he won’t let Grace break things off?!

I really enjoyed following Grace as she tried to keep the original story on track. It was interesting to see how she got along with others before she had “amnesia” as well as seeing who was truly on her side as this new and reformed Grace! However, I had a hard time believing she was an adult in her original life because she came off as a very sheltered teenager suddenly thrown into her favorite book. I understand having a lack of dating experience, but she seemed to be 100% naive and lost in every single area.

That said, I did enjoy the story. It did get a little boring around the middle, but then it picked up again and hit the ground running. I’m loving all the characters, the world, and just the story itself. I just wish Grace wasn’t basically a very sheltered teenager rather than an adult from our world. However, the story is funny and even heartwarming at times, so it’s worth checking out if you can get past the inconsistencies with Grace in the present vs who she was in her former life.

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.