Days of Sugar and Spice by Loïc Clément, Anne Montel

Days of Sugar and Spice by Loïc Clément, Anne Montel

My Rating: ★★★★

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

Rose was raised by her mom after her dad kicked them both out of his life when she as a kid. At the ripe age of 28, she gets a call informing her that her dad has died, and she has to return to her hometown to sign some paperwork. After inheriting her dad’s bakery, she discovers his old journal and finds her love for baking and reconnects with the town she once lived in. However, that journal is missing pages, and she’s shocked to the core when she finally gets her hands on them, changing her life forever.

I picked up this book because it sounded cute and sweet. I can now confirm that it’s exactly that. Rose is a bit unhappy in her current life when she gets the news that her dad has passed away. Inheriting his bakery turns out to change her life for the better as she discovers herself through baking, which bridges the connection she never had with her father. I thought it was a sweet way for her to fill the void and heal the trauma she experienced by getting the boot from her father when she was a kid. While the story is short, it’s clear that it’s affected her life and how she treats relationships through her interactions with her on again off again boss/lover as well as her romantic relationship with Gael, her childhood friend and crush.

I truly enjoyed Rose’s relationship with her aunt, Marronde, who talks through gestures and written notes thanks to the stroke she suffered. I was irritated about the truth about why she doesn’t speak that’s revealed later. I wish it was handled much differently and not attributed to Marronde’s stroke. However, I do love the character. In fact, I think I like Marronde more than I like Rose.

I also love Rose’s friend and co-worker, Mei. She’s such a bright character that I can see why Rose is such good friends with her. I love how she interacts with all the characters and the light she brings to the story. I was excited to see her turn back up after it appeared that she had exited the story.

One thing that I didn’t care for was the panels following the town’s stray cats talking to each other. I kept expecting it to somehow relate to the story other than just putting their two scents in between the panels. I kept expecting for the cats to openly talk to the human characters but that just never happened. I their individual panels is something the story could’ve done without because it comes off as a random addition.

Otherwise, I think it’s a cute story that surprisingly covers some tough topics. I love most of the characters and the artwork is adorable. I look forward to checking out Loïc Clément’s other work.

Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern

Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern

My Rating: ★★★★

When Lucy kills a bunch of vampires, she’s approached by the mysterious Lady Violet Travesty. Before Travesty can recruit Lucy and induct her into her secret vampire cult, she’s killed by Lord Byron. At least, that’s what Lucy and Byron think because Travesty is a mysterious and ancient vampire who just happens to be immortal. Joining Byron’s vampire hunting team of one, Lucy embarks on a hilarious journey to find Travesty and defeat her. Along the way, Lucy and Byron gain a third team member: a very serious vampire slayer. Above all? She just wants to know what Travesty meant when she said Lucy was special.

When I first started this book, I wasn’t really into it. The story wasn’t drawing me in, and I thought Lucy and Byron were a bit too shallow and airy. However, once Sham joins the team, the story got rolling and I really got into it. Plus, it turns out that Lucy and Byron aren’t as shallow and vapid as they first appear. I grew to love them both along with Sham, BB, and Victoria. I had so much fun following these characters on their hilarious adventures.

As the story unfolds, it’s clear that our team is a truly fabulous team. Lucy is bisexual, sassy, and cares a lot about everyone even when she’s mad. Sham is a super serious vampire slayer who wants to be known as the best slayer. She goes by she/her and has a terrible sense of direction. Byron is a very self-involved character who thinks that the world surrounds him, but he has a heart of gold. Plus, there’s BB, Victoria, and the spacey magic house that means well.

This is a hilarious story with cute artwork, fun characters, and silly yet interesting storylines that I love to pieces. I love how it pokes fun at vampires, romance, and even itself. I’m glad I kept on reading when the story wasn’t pulling me in because then I would’ve missed out on this gem. I had a good time reading it and I enjoyed the artwork.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Magic Cleaning #1) by Marie Kondō

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō

My Rating: ★★★

After reading Marie Kondō’s manga based around tidying, I decided to pick up this book. While the manga mainly covers how to get tidy with the KonMari method, this book goes past how and dives into the why. What I like about this book is that Kondō goes step by step and dives into the details of how and why each step works. It’s also interesting to read how she developed her method and why she believes it works.

While I enjoyed this book, I think I would’ve liked it better before I read the manga because I already learned the method and how it works. I wasn’t necessarily excited to read about the why and how she developed each step of her method. A lot of the reasons behind her method are a bit odd to me. If I didn’t already see and experience how the KonMari method works, I think I would be put off after reading about how Kondō arrived at each step she teaches clients and anyone who reads her books or watches her show.

That said, Kondō gave me a lot to think about. There’s a method behind the madness. Whether or not I agree with everything she says, I do think that her method works. I particularly like that she teaches everyone to clean by category over space. It truly takes much of the stress out of it. I also like her folding and storage instructions. Although, it would be great if there was a graph demonstrating her clothing folding methods for those who need a visual over written instructions.
All in all, I like this book, but I would recommend her other book, “The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story,” over this one. I think it teaches and demonstrates the KonMari method much better.

The Mrs. Frollein Collection: Small Hours by Valérie Minelli

The Mrs. Frollein Collection: Small Hours by Valérie Minelli

My Rating: ★★★★★

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

I’ve been following the Mrs. Frollein comics on and off since I started seeing them pop up on my dash on social media, so I was excited when I saw this collection. One of the fun things about these comics is that they’re short while still being relatable. I think it takes talent to draw people with something small yet relatable that also draws viewers in to see a bigger picture. Plus, the artwork is absolutely adorable!

If short comics that give a snapshot view into what is being depicted is up your alley, I highly recommend this collection. It’s cute, heartwarming, funny, and occasionally sad. I related to many while still enjoying the ones that didn’t apply. Mrs. Frollein is such a cute and fun comic to follow and I always enjoy what Valérie Minelli comes with. I look forward to continuing to follow her comics as well as keep an eye out for future collections that she puts out.

Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History—without the Fairy-Tale Endings by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History—without the Fairy-Tale Endings by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

My Rating: ★★★★

Continuing my search for books on women throughout history, I came across this book that touches on princesses remembered for not acting the way people thought they should. I picked it up as soon as possible and was not disappointed. If you’re looking for a serious history book, this will be a hard pass for you. This is a collection of mini biographies on princesses who are remembered for not acting the way people thought they should. It’s written in a fun style meant to give readers a short and sometimes entertaining run through that may inspire further research. If this sounds up your alley, I urge you to pick it up because you won’t be disappointed.

I thought this was a fun read that gives a series of snapshot views into the antics of princesses ranging from ancient times to now. Some of these princesses are fictional, which are noted at some point during their sections. I was aware of some of these fictional and non-fictional princesses from other books I’ve read. However, it’s always interesting to see what new information might appear as well as what a different author’s take on them is.

The people covered are separated based on what group the author believed they fell under. For example, there are warriors, partiers, floozies, and phonies. Yes, you read that right. You will find princesses and those who ran a scam and pretended to be one in the pages of this book. Other than fake princesses, you will also find people who are very loosely royal. The author may have stretched the term “princess” a bit and included queens and empresses and those who pretended to be royal, but it doesn’t make them any less fun or interesting to read about.

One of the things I liked is that we get an overall view of each person’s life, what they did, what may not be true, and how their lives went. I also liked when the mini biography began with what is usually told about the person before diving into what really happened. It’s always interesting to see how things were condensed or exaggerated before reading about the truth, or as close to it as one can find.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I learned about some people I had never heard of. I found the section on people who pretended to be princesses very interesting because I can’t believe people actually believed the stories they had created. I learned about some interesting people that I might find in-depth books on later. All in all, I highly recommend this book.