Men of the Harem, Vol. 1 by Alphatart

 

Men of the Harem, Vol. 1 by Alphatart

My Rating: ★★★★

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

Latrasil Valentine Tarium is soothing a broken heart after the love of her life decides to marry someone else. Not only did she have to hear the news from someone else, but he also had the nerve to ask for her to wait five years for him. In the midst of everything, Latrasil learns that her older brother is abdicating and that she will be inheriting the throne when her father passes. Throwing herself into her studies, she also hatches a revenge plan. She’s going to take multiple consorts once she’s emperor, and then make her ex select one of her consorts. Oh my!

While this wasn’t what I was expecting, it was still a pretty good read. We follow Latrasil from the time that she meets her first love up until she’s a scorned woman ready to put her revenge plan into effect. It was more serious than I was expecting, and politics ended up being a much larger plot than I was expecting. However, it’s not always serious. There’s some pretty funny events, which allows us to see another side to the characters. I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to seeing where the story goes from here. Plus, the artwork is stunning! If an art book for the series came out somewhere down the line, I would be all over it.

Love Advice From the Great Duke of Hell, Vol. 2 by unfins

 

Love Advice From the Great Duke of Hell, Vol. 2 by unfins

My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from WEBTOON Unscrolled through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Now that Paul’s romantic pursuit isn’t going so well, he’s starting to regret summoning the Great Duke of Hell to give him advice. He’s looking at losing his soul in a couple days all while making no progress with his crush! To top things off, he now has competition, but little does he know that it’s the Great Duke of Hell in disguise.

I loved the first volume so much that I almost decided to start following the story in its original WEBTOON format. While I did enjoy this second volume, it was all over the place at times, but it managed to be absolutely hilarious! Plus, the artwork is amazing and really helps in the humor department, especially this time around where the story goes a little off the rails at times.

I don’t want to say too much and start dropping spoilers because it’s one of those stories that’s really easy to accidentally spoil, but if you like the overall premise, I say give it a go. The first volume is top tier humor and the second volume falls a little short, but is still a fun read. I was not expecting that cliffhanger, so I’m excited to see where the story goes from here!

The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan

The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jolie Lam used to be just like any other teenager until she had a strange outbreak at a swim meet. She’s since quit the swim team, her former friends are now among her many bullies. Jolie is the most lonely and miserable she’s ever been! Everything changes when she saves a classmate, Huong Pham, after a terrible accident that happened during PE. There’s something familiar about Huong. Now that they’re friends, Jolie quickly discovers there’s a reason why Huong feels like the sister she never had: they’re the Trung sisters reincarnated!

I absolutely loved this book! We follow Jolie, a high school sophomore, during the roughest year of her life. She’s lost all her friends, she’s being heavily bullied, and even her home life is stressful. Her grandfather is known as a fortune teller, but his visions have begun to take a toll on his mind, and now her bullies are dragging him into things! Thankfully, everything starts to change once Huong enters the picture.

Jolie’s story is inspired by the story of the Trung sisters, who led a rebellion against the Han in Vietnam. Jolie and Huong are the Trung sisters who have been reincarnated and are currently teenagers living in San Jose. As the story continues, we learn what history tells us about the Trung sisters and then what Jolie and Huong remember happened. Plus, we also see them find their elements, unravel a mystery, and prepare to continue the war against their brothers.

I was so excited to read this because it sounded like it was going to be a great book, and it did not disappoint! Plus, I was not familiar with Vietnamese mythology and this book is heavily wrapped up in Vietnamese history and mythology. If you’re a fan of books like the Percy Jackson series, Aru Shah and the End of Time, or We Shall Be Monsters, then this is a book you’re going to want to pick up. I loved every single page. While I do think it was a little heavy handed with some of the typical teenage stereotypes, it was an excellent read. I’m looking forward to checking out more from this author.