Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner, Vol. 1 by Sumnagi

 

Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner, Vol. 1 by Sumnagi

My Rating: ★

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

Shavonne is a struggling ghost writer who finds himself being targeted by a stalker. Unfortunately, no one believes his stalker is an issue! Things get weirder when his next door neighbor starts peeling onions right outside of his apartment on the regular. Once Shavonne goes on a date with the guy, it turns out that his obsession with onions isn’t the problem… it’s the fact that he’s a killer!

This is one of those books I’m going to keep thinking about just because it was so weird. We follow Shavonne in an odd mystery turned romance of sorts. His neighbor, Lewellyn, is a murderer who is obsessed with him, and he can’t even get away because the guy just paid for over a year of his rent in advance. I was more frustrated than anything with this story because the characters lack depth and the plot is all over the place. The artwork was nice, but that was about it.

While I’d like to know what’s up with Lewellyn’s obsession with onions, I can’t find it in me to continue the series. Shavonne is super passive and seems to discover, forget, and rediscover who his stalker is. We don’t know anything about Lewellyn other than he’s a rich stalker and possible serial killer who wants to get with the lead character for some reason. I think it could’ve been an interesting read if it knew what it wanted to be and didn’t go around in circles at an extremely slow pace. Ultimately, it’s just not a series for me.

The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess, Vol. 1 by Makino Maebaru

The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess, Vol. 1 by Makino Maebaru

My Rating: ★★★

Monica’s life as a holy woman isn’t seen as prestigious by many, but she still works hard to do everything she possibly can with her abilities. It’s rare for a holy woman to be as powerful as Monica, which is how she found herself engaged to the crown prince of Kophe. In a whirlwind of events, Monica goes from being socially elevated to a spurned lascivious priestess! With nowhere else to go, she finds herself accompanying one of her battle comrades to his home country so that she can help his brother and sister-in-law conceive. It seems like a simple plan until she finds out that her old comrade is actually the crown prince of the Belktrius Empire!

We follow Monica from the moment her entire life is turned upside by the crown prince of Kophe. Now that she’s being chased out of Kophe by her former fiancé, she finds herself getting the hell out of dodge. Along the way, we learn that her powers have a negative side effect: magically arousing herself and those around her! Luckily, she has trustworthy people at her side that are determined to keep her safe. This includes Kevin, her battle comrade who is also the crown prince of the Belktrius Empire!

While this was an interesting story with a great cast of characters, there are parts of the book that are boring and information heavy. I think that having multiple narrators would’ve helped out with that while also developing the supporting characters. I’m also feeling pretty iffy about the romance right now since it’s barely there and is glued together with some dirty dreams and Kevin’s jealous streak. I’m hoping to see some more character development and a believable romance plot in the second volume.

Spacewalking With You, Vol. 1 by by Inuhiko Doronoda

 

Spacewalking With You, Vol. 1 by by Inuhiko Doronoda

My Rating: ★★★★★

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

Kobayashi is struggling in and out of school. Even his best friend is making bets on how long he’ll last at his latest part time job! Now he finds himself wanting to befriend Uno, the new transfer student at their all boy school. While Uno is different from the other kids, he doesn’t let that stop him from living his life, and he’s inspired Kobayashi to do the same. This budding friendship is leading the duo to learn new things about themselves and life in this gripping read!

I absolutely loved reading this. We follow Kobayashi, a high school student struggling with both school and work. He hasn’t lasted long at any of his jobs because he has trouble doing his work, but everything changes when he meets Uno. Through Uno, he learns new ways to learn and has even become interested in school again.

I loved the characters, the story, and how well Inuhiko Doronoda captures some of the realities of the neurodivergent experience. While some details are exaggerated for storytelling purposes, they aren’t insulting in any way, and they work to make these characters feel real. When I got to the end of the book, I was glad it’s the first in a series because I wanted to continue reading the story ASAP. I can’t wait to eventually read the second volume!