Clementine: Book Two by Tillie Walden

Clementine: Book Two by Tillie Walden

My Rating: ★★★★

When Clementine, Olivia, and Ricca find themselves on a small island seemingly enveloped in safety, the cracks start to reveal themselves more than ever. Ricca and Olivia just want to settle down in one place, but Clementine is suspicious of everything, especially the elusive Miss Morro. Will the trio be able to repair things now that everything appears to have settled down?

I went ahead and picked up the second volume even though I haven’t finished the game series yet. I can’t tell you if it’s true to the remainder of the games, but I can tell you that if you haven’t played them or only played part of the games, you can still enjoy this series. We follow Clementine, Olivia, and Ricca as they try to get back on their feet. The story continues to deal with trauma, but now it’s dealing with the characters trying to heal as much as this new world allows them to.

The characters are dealing with shared experiences as well as the things they’ve experienced before we met each other. We see this when Clementine gets sick and almost dies when she pushes herself too hard instead of resting when she can. Now that Clementine has a new found family with her friends, we see the cracks start to appear thanks to how the three of them deal with things differently. Olivia and Ricca just want to rest while Clementine is suspicious about everything, but we also see how the three of them just need to figure out how to meet somewhere in the middle.

It was also nice to continue to see a combination of characters. We see the unsavory characters who put themselves first, but we also see the characters who are still trying to help out and create a livable community. It was nice to see the trio get a little bit of rest on the island, but it’s also sad to see that the zombies are going to zombie no matter where you’re at. I’m interested in seeing how this series will end since it seems like everyone is trying to find somewhere they can stay put somewhat safely now that more and more people are banding together to survive.

The Queen of Poisons (The Marlow Murder Club #3) by Robert Thorogood

 

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

My Rating: ★

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

When Suzie showed up to a Town Council meeting, she never expected to witness a murder! Now Judith and her friends are on the scent. Who killed Marlow’s very own saint, Geoffrey Lushington, and why? With Tanika on their side, this group of friends are determined to hunt down the killer and find themselves unearthing Town Council drama in the process.

I’ve really been enjoying the series, so I’m a little sad that this one turned out to be a dud. We follow Judith, Becks, and Suzie as they do their thing and hunt down the town’s latest killer. Unfortunately, the group’s interest and involvement in the mystery felt super forced. It seemed like they were going through the motions just to go through them. It didn’t make me feel drawn into the mystery at all. I also had a hard time buying that Judith and co. actually solved the murder. It seemed like they were accusing everyone and their mom before they suddenly knew who it was for a while. We were told this rather than seeing it play out, so I was like… okay, Judith.

That said, I did like getting to know some of the characters a little more. I was hoping that Tanika would be more involved with the mystery solving trio, but at least we did get to learn a little more about her home life. I hope that we get to see Tanika and everyone more involved with each other during the investigations, and that we’ll see everyone more open to hearing what Tanika has to say outside of picking her brain.

I really wanted to like this book because I loved the previous two, but it was just a miss for me. The mystery just didn’t pull me in, it seemed like everyone was just running through the motions, and I’m not sure I buy that they managed to solve the mystery. I kept finding myself more interested in the drama surrounding Becks and her mother-in-law and wishing the mystery involved Becks and her in-laws rather than the Town Council. Plus, the fatphobia that emerges as the story progresses was extremely unnecessary and really soured what good the story had going.

Midnight Ruin (Dark Olympus #6) by Katee Robert

 

Midnight Ruin by Katee Robert

My Rating: ★★★

Between her extremely powerful mother and now equally powerful sisters, Eurydice has lived a very sheltered life. Her ex’s betrayal was the beginning of seeing and experiencing things out of her family’s control, and while that left her heartbroken, she’s ready to step out of the shadows and prove herself. Unfortunately for Eurydice, she’s picked one hell of a time to enter the political realm. It’s a good thing she has backup in the form of her best-friend turned boyfriend and her ex.

I’ve been enjoying this series, which is why I was a little sad that I wasn’t crazy about this book. We follow Eurydice, Charon, and Orpheus through their rotating perspectives in what could’ve been a thrilling throuple. Charon and Orpheus had excellent chemistry while Eurydice didn’t have chemistry with anyone. I could’ve lived with that if Eurydice wasn’t getting on my last nerve. I think she was trying too hard to prove herself while showing just how naive she truly is. I feel like the story kind of steamrolled past this in the long run because every risk she took panned out. I would’ve liked to have seen some things not play out how she intended at least once since she was running on a combo of stubbornness and arrogance.

That said, I did really like following Charon and Orpheus. I think they’re both interesting characters with two totally different experiences in life. I also enjoyed learning more about how Olympus runs, especially regarding the mysterious barrier that’s falling. I also liked getting a glimpse at who has been working behind the scenes and has been a big player in the shadows. It’s made me interested in checking out the next book despite not being totally happy with this one.

First Test Graphic Novel by Devin Grayson, Becca Farrow (Illustrator), Tamora Pierce

 

First Test Graphic Novel by Devin Grayson, Becca Farrow (Illustrator), Tamora Pierce

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Random House Graphic through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Keladry dreams of being a knight. It’s why she’s scrambling to put the new rule that allows women to train to become knights to good use. Unfortunately, she faces a lot of pushback, and even her own training master wants her to fail. Kel is extremely determined, so she does her best to ignore all the hazing and lack of support from the other people in training. When everything is unfairly stacked against her, she’s determined to do her best and help anyone she can along the way.

I’ve never read anything from Tamora Pierce before, so I went into the story without any expectations based on the original work. Now that I’ve read and enjoyed this illustrated adaptation, I’m looking forward to checking out the original story. I loved following Kel as she faces unfair rules and expectations. She knows that it’s unfair, but she’s also determined to show everyone just how wrong they are. It was great to see how many characters were on her side to begin with and who starts to join them as the story progresses.

The artwork was amazing and really brought the story to life. I can’t compare this to the original work, so I can’t tell you if it’s an adaptation that stays true to the story. However, I do think it was an excellent read and that there are a lot of people who will enjoy it. I know for me, it’s made me want to go and check out Tamora Pierce’s work, which I’ve surprisingly never read before.

Therapy Game, Vol. 1 by Meguru Hinohara

 

Therapy Game, Vol. 1 by Meguru Hinohara

My Rating: ★★★★

Getting dumped sucks. It’s why Shizuma is trying to drink away the pain his cheating ex caused. At least, hitting the bar seemed like a good idea until he found himself in Minato’s embrace the following morning. Unfortunately for the both of them, Shizuma doesn’t remember a thing, and that’s left Minato heated. Now Minato finds himself on a mission to win a bet that requires him to get revenge by seducing the straight guy who hurt his feelings.

I picked this up on a whim and turned out to be a pretty good read. We follow Shizuma and Minato after a drunken night of passion that one of them can’t remember! After raging about it to his co-workers, Minato is on a mission to get revenge and win a bet all in one go. Meanwhile, Shizuma is discovering that he’s not as straight as he thinks he is. Throw in some cute dates and two guys falling in love with a secret revenge fueled bet looming around the corner, I was hooked right away.

We meet an interesting cast of characters between Shizuma and Minato and their friends. I particularly liked seeing Minato’s coworkers and friends because they are so full of life. It was interesting seeing the people Shizuma surrounds himself with, but we didn’t see that much of them compared to Minato’s friends and coworkers. However, it seems to be a mostly solid cast, so I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and seeing what kind of character development is in store for Minato and Shizuma.

The artwork is absolutely beautiful and helps tell the story. There are several NSFW panels throughout the story. I don’t know why I was surprised by that, but I was. It’s not a bad thing, though. However, if that’s something you’re trying to avoid, this isn’t the series for you. Otherwise, diving into complicated relationships and seeing a character go from straight to questioning their sexuality is something you want to see explored, this is an excellent read.

Summer Vamp by Violet Chan Karim

 

Summer Vamp by Violet Chan Karim

My Rating: ★★★★★

Now that it’s summer, Maya is looking forward to hanging out with her dad and furthering her passion for cooking. Instead, she learns that her dad’s girlfriend is moving in, which leaves her worried that he’ll no longer have time for her. At least there’s the culinary camp she’s being sent to, right? Wrong! Maya is stuck at some regular camp where everyone thinks she’s weird. Just when she thinks it’ll be the same as school, she realizes that Camp Dracula is actually a camp for vampires! Now Maya has to spend the summer figuring out how to pretend she’s also a vampire!

This book is absolutely adorable! We follow Maya from the moment she begins her summer break. She doesn’t have any friends and is afraid of everything, but at least she has her dad and cooking. I think she’s a relatable character whether someone has a lot of fears, is dealing with a potential step parent, or has a hard time making friends. We even see her get bullied a little when she gets to camp, and a lot of kids experience at least a little bullying at some point. I think she’s a character that the target audience will be able to easily identify with.

What I love about this book is that there is something positive at every turn. We watch Maya and her cabinmates be at odds with one another only to become close friends as the story progresses. While this is a graphic novel for middle schoolers, the story and characters have a lot of depth thanks to the writing and the artwork really bringing the story to life. I loved seeing the characters grow while showing that sometimes things aren’t always what they seem on the surface. It’s a great story that I really enjoyed reading.

The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks (Montague Siblings #3) by Mackenzi Lee

 

The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee

My Rating: ★★★

Adrien Montague struggles with depression and severe anxiety, so he rarely strays far from home. He’s been trying to step out of his comfort zone with the help of his fiancée, Louisa, but it’s the mysterious broken spyglass his late mother never let out of her sight that’s opened a very old locked door. When Adrien finds out he has two older siblings that his parents never once mentioned, his entire life is turned upside down yet again. Now he finds himself on a grand adventure with his disgruntled brother to find their sister before figuring out the mystery behind the spyglass.

The book picks up almost 20 years since the Montague siblings had their last crazy adventure. We follow Adrien, the sole heir of the Montague estate. I really like that each book follows a different sibling. However, it was kind of irritating seeing the inner workings of Adrien’s mind at times. I think the author went a little overboard with showing us how severe Adrien’s anxiety is, which resulted in constantly telling us how bad it is over showing us how difficult it is to live with. It’s rather unfortunate because he’s a good character, the story is good, and I enjoyed seeing all my favorite characters again. It just gets weighed down by how much time is devoted to telling us about his anxiety in extreme detail.

That said, I really did enjoy reading this. It’s fun to see Adrien accidentally kickstart their last big adventure. I enjoyed getting to see the characters come together. I loved seeing  how my favorite characters have grown over the last 20ish years. It was also great to see what they’ll be doing for the rest of their lives. Much of the book deals with mental illness, so you should be aware of the following trigger warnings before deciding to pick it up: depression, suicide, parental death, and domestic abuse.