Blood Stain, Vol. 2 by Linda Šejić

 
Blood Stain, Vol. 2 by Linda Šejić
My Rating: ★★★★

When Elliot took her latest job out of desperation, she knew that her new boss was probably creepy. What she wasn’t expecting was for him to be working out of his basement and sleepwalk hiring an assistant. What’s even worse is that he’s made an even worst first impression than she did because Dr. Vlad Stein is covered in blood and lurking in the dark.

I’m glad I’m reading the first three volumes back-to-back because it’s pretty slow moving. I have a pretty good feeling that the first three volumes are going to feel like one volume because they plot moves very slowly. That said, I was fully entertained yet again and am excited to read the next one because it’s a pretty funny series.

This time around, we get to learn a little about Vlad and his chef, Serge, as well as their relationship with one another. I like that they seem to also be friends, which would make sense given that Serge also lives at Vlad’s place. The interactions between the two of them had me cracking up a couple times. I’m excited to see where this goes.

It was fun to see that Vlad is just about as clueless as Elliot, though in totally different ways. They’ve made such terrible first impressions, but Vlad is the winner here. The guy doesn’t even remember hiring Elliot nor did he bother to explain why he’s always covered in blood. It was also interesting to see that his nickname is blood stain, which appears to be due to a combination of how his name sounds depending on one’s accent and the fact that he always has blood stains on his clothes.

While the plot moves very slowly, I am excited to read the next volume and see where the story goes.

Blood Stain, Vol. 1 by Linda Šejić

 
Blood Stain, Vol. 1 by Linda Šejić

My Rating: ★★★

After spending two years bouncing from job to job, Elliot Torres is exhausted. She can’t keep a job for long, and her sister is getting really tired of it. Strapped for cash, Elliot knows she needs to get it together, especially when her mom gets out of the hospital. She can’t wait for the perfect job to come along… except that one job that sounds way too good to be true.

I recently read Punderworld, so I decided to check this out and see what it’s all about. We follow Elliot, a directionless woman who is looking for the perfect job with a boss who meets her expectations. Unfortunately for her, she’s either not a good fit or she finds something wrong and bows out early. The opening is quite hilarious as we see the different jobs Elliot’s had and why it didn’t work out. It’s mostly her, and her sister is not letting her get away with it because they don’t have the luxury to be picky.

I think Elliot is quite realistic while set in an unrealistic and entertaining situation as she takes the job no one else wants as an assistant to a an allegedly crazy scientist. I had a lot of fun reading this. The artwork is beautiful, and Elliot’s shenanigans are hilarious. While she’s quite flaky and directionless, I really like her. She’s funny, has heart, and means well.

I was not expecting the volume to end where it did since most of it was about all the different jobs and how Elliot finds herself working for Dr. Vlad Stein. When I reached the end, it felt more like it stopped in the middle of the volume. We get to know Elliot pretty well, but we briefly meet all of the other characters, so that felt a little odd as well. That said, I do like it and I’ve already got the second volume, so I’m excited to see where this goes now that the plot is getting rolling.

Punderworld, Vol. 1 by Linda Šejić

 
Punderworld, Vol. 1 by Linda Šejić

My Rating: ★★★★★

In this Greek mythology retelling, we learn how Hades and Persephone fell in love through a series of hilarious misadventures. It was love at first sight for these two, but they barely spoke or saw each other for centuries. Between Hades being shy, and Persephone being sheltered and never allowed out on her own, a romance was not in the cards for them. That all changes when Hades unwillingly joins a celebration and finds himself ready to make his interests known with the help of a little liquid courage and a friend behind him.

I absolutely loved this story. It’s such a different take on both Hades and Persephone that I can’t help but be endeared to them. Hades is an overworked shy person while Persephone is sheltered and never allowed to make her own choices. Their personalities and everything they carry with them lead to a hilarious series of misadventures that are sure to suck every reader in right away. I immediately loved the way Linda Šejić designed and put their own spin on every single character who appears throughout this volume. I can’t wait to see what she does with this story next.

The artwork is absolutely stunning. It’s extremely vibrant, and you can tell a lot of work was put into the character designs. I loved seeing how the story came to be in addition to the concept art and the different ways some of the characters almost appeared at the end. I love seeing concept art appear at the end of graphic novels, so it was an added bonus to read how the story came to be side by side with concept art and early panels.

All in all, I loved this book and I’m excited to check out the second volume when it eventually comes out in addition to the author’s other works.

The Witch and the Beast, Vol. 5 by Kousuke Satake

 
The Witch and the Beast, Vol. 5 by Kousuke Satake

My Rating: ★★★★★

Injured and grumpy, Guideau falls face first into a trap set by the witch who cursed them. The encounter knocks Guideau back down to their lowest place, causing Ashaf to take a trip down memory lane. He remembers their first meeting and how their close, yet fickle, partnership began.

I’ve been loving this series, so I was extremely excited to start this installment. This time around, we got some backstory on Guideau. They’re such an interesting character that I was thrilled when Ashaf started taking a trip down memory lane. We don’t have all the answers yet, but it was interesting and I’m excited to see where this goes and to see the rest of their story unfold.

It was also neat to see how Guideau and Ashaf became partners. I assumed the Order of Magical Resonance had organized their partnership, so it was cool to see what actually happened and how it differed from what I assumed occurred. It’ll be neat to eventually see what Ashaf’s story is as well.

Plus, after hearing about the witch who cursed Guideau through multiple volumes, it was exciting to finally see her. She made quite the entrance that has left a lasting impression on me. I’m looking forward to seeing how this unfolds, especially with the way this volume ended. I can’t wait until I’m able to read the sixth volume because that ending is taking us to a whole new world… literally. I’m excited to see this place in addition to learning what answers they find there. 

The Friar’s Lantern by Greg Hickey

 
The Friar’s Lantern by Greg Hickey

My Rating: ★★★

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

In this choose your own adventure novel, you have the chance to join a study about the predictability of human behavior, sit on the jury for a murder trial, and test your luck in more ways than one. Along the way, you will question whether or not every choice you make is predictable or if fate has a huge hand in our lives.

I love choose your own adventure novels, so of course I had to read this book. Compared to other novels in this genre, I thought it was interesting that the basis of this one is a form of nature vs. nurture. However, I do think this book is shorter with a more limited number of endings than other novels in the same genre.

Personally, found this novel lacking in options. After returning to the beginning for the fourth time, I already knew where it was headed due to the lack of choices leading to new areas of an “adventure.” Some of the chapters were information heavy as well and didn’t always impact the next choice. That said, I could follow the author’s train of thought and see what they were trying to do with this, and I think it was a good first time run at doing a choose your own adventure novel.

Some of the chapter titles are a sequence of letters and numbers that appeared to be equations or science notes. Initially, I thought this indicated that at least a few of the paths one could take would gown down a sci-fi path. Paired with the light sci-fi feeling of the novel that reminded me of the indie movie, eXistenZ, I think that a bizarre sci-fi path would not have been outlandish.

While I think the story is lacking in options, I do think it’s a good beginner friendly choose your own adventure novel. I have some friends who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of options with some novels in this genre who would love something with a smaller pool of paths to take. I also think that the author is onto something here and I can see that there’s a lot of potential if they choose to write similar stories in the future.

Buried Beneath by Kelly Ann Hopkins

Buried Beneath by Kelly Ann Hopkins
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Zenith Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shelly Frank has always lived a carefully crafted perfect life. What no one knows is that behind the doors of the beautiful house she and her mom live in are secrets neither of them wants anyone to know about. You see, Shelly’s mom is a hoarder. The longer that her mother stays in the house, the more she loses touch with reality while Shelly is left to be the parent and the child. Depressed and lonely, Shelly’s life begins to look up when she starts dating Joshua. When Shelly’s deadbeat father sends her a plane ticket to Florida, she discovers the lies her mother has been telling since he left, slowly unraveling the single thread keeping her life together.

I was drawn to this book because one of the characters is a hoarder since I grew up with a parent with the disorder. Kelly Ann Hopkins perfectly captures the stages between not thinking much about it to the realization that not everyone lives this way. In Shelley’s case, she’s quite deeply affected by how she’s been forced to live, especially since trash (old food, magazines, etc) makes up a large portion of what is strewn across their home. Combined with how bad her mother’s disorder has gotten, it is understandable that she’s lonely, frustrated, and counting down the days until she can escape.

Thankfully, her escape comes earlier than expected when she is suddenly contacted by her father. The series of events that follows shows how much Shelly’s mother has lost touch with reality, how much she resents her ex-husband, and extent of denial about how bad her overall situation is. I feel bad for these characters, but I found myself thinking about how if I was in the situation described in the book, I’d be counting down the days until I could get the hell out of dodge too.

I found the characters to be well written and more complex than I was expecting. The only characters I wish were better developed are Joshua and Shelly’s stepmom, but mainly Joshua. He seemed very two dimensional to me and existed under the halo of young love. However, I do think both characters were great as well as very supportive people all around, which is exactly what Shelly needs. That said, I personally didn’t care for Shelly for most of the book. She comes off as very condescending and entitled for the most part. I also think she way she looked down on some others was exactly how she feared others would look at her if they knew about her house. However, I think she’s a great character and I was rooting for her all book long.

I’m also little confused about the eating disorder she has. It seems like she has bulimia, but then she has an ulcer and an eating disorder… but then she doesn’t have an eating disorder while she has one. It’s not exactly clear, at least to me, but I do think that if you have an ED or are in recovery, this might not be a book for you because the disordered eating that occurs will be triggering.

All in all, I think this is a great book, and I’m looking forward to checking out the author’s other publications.

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits #1) by Olivia Waite

 
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

My Rating: ★★★★

When the blindsided and heartbroken Lucy Muchelney is forced to watch her ex-girlfriend marry a sweet man that even she can’t hate, she doesn’t know what to do with herself. The only thing Lucy knows she can turn to is science. When she receives a letter asking if she knows of anyone who can translate a French astronomy publication, Lucy knows exactly who is up to the job: herself. She packs her bags and takes off to London to surprise Catherine St Day, the Countess of Moth, in hopes of translating the texts and entering the science world under her own name. What Lucy finds is that her fellow scientists are not accepting of her sex. On the bright side, she has found a new friend, confidant, and supporter in Catherine that’s lingering on the edge of something more.

After reading the third book in the series, I knew I had to start this series from the beginning. However, one can read the books in whatever order they wish because they each act as a standalone with a different storyline and cast of characters. I have to say that the first installment was absolutely spectacular. We follow Lucy, who is being pressured by her brother to give up astronomy and get married. He even wants to sell off her telescope even though it won’t bring much money in. Of course, Lucy is an astronomer and refuses to give up science due to her sex, so she fights like hell to get recognized as a scientist. This is the main plot, but if you want to roll up for the romance, it follows very closely behind the main plot.

Since I read the third book already, I knew that Lucy and Catherine would get together and fight their way over any hurdles that came their way. Knowing this beforehand did not take anything away from the book. If anything, I went in knowing that I was about to be treated to a great romance written with care and a hot, romantic flame. These two characters had such great chemistry on a friendly and romantic front that I was excited about watching their relationship develop very early on.

Since Lucy is an astronomer, the science plot was heavy handed. If reading about astronomy or any kind of science talk is not your thing, this may not be your cup of tea, but I think that one can overlook this in favor of the great cast of characters along with a wonderful romance story. I do think that each of the plots were interesting to follow, though I can’t say how realistic the actual science talk is since astronomy is not my area. That said, I did think it was interesting to read and see how Catherine was incorporated into the science world through art and love.