Vampire on the Orient Express (Avery & Carter Book 1) by Shane Carrow

Vampire on the Orient Express by Shane Carrow

My Rating: ★★★★

When Lucas Avery and Sam Carter board the Orient Express, they expect all the bells and whistles that come with traveling to Constantinople in style. Instead, these two strangers become witnesses to a supernatural attack that leaves them scared and confused. Sam is perfectly fine with trying to pretend that he didn’t see the being that his mind is trying to block out. However, Lucas is compelled to get to the bottom of the mystery and convinces Sam to join him. After all, there’s an innocent life at stake.

I picked up this novella expecting a cheesy and fun story. What I didn’t expect was that this would be a great story that’d suck me in and leave me hoping that it’s the beginning of a new series. Shane Carrow had me so drawn in that I read the entire novella in one night. It’s such a fun and cheesy story with great characters and many hilarious moments that I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t like it.

The story takes place on a train traveling from France to Constantinople in 1914. We follow Lucas and Sam as they struggle to locate and defeat the vampires traveling with them. Lucas is a British diplomat and spy who vaguely remembers someone in his past mentioning their own supernatural adventures. Using this knowledge, he convinces Sam that he has to help him find and kill this supernatural being so they can save the girl who was attacked and has fallen into a mysterious coma. Sam, an American adventurer who has deserted the Foreign Legion, reluctantly joins the search.

I had so much fun following these two character’s adventures. Is it obvious who the vampires are? Yes. Is watching Lucas and Sam blindly fumble around during their investigation, unaware what or who they’re up against part of the story’s charm? Yes. It seems like these two guys are big dummies, but it feeds into the hilarious and fun charm that the novella has. I laughed so hard when these two characters just sat down with vampires and didn’t question a thing that I couldn’t wait to see how things would unfold.

Plus, the unlikely friendship that forms between Lucas and Sam is great. They bicker like an old married couple and form an unbreakable bond while fighting vampires and finding themselves in some deadly situations. I honestly thought there might be a budding romance at some point, but how their lack of romance unfolds makes sense for these two characters. The story is so short that I’m not sure that there’d be any room for romance unless the story turns into a series.

The ending was predictable, but it’s not bad. I just have a few questions that I’d like answered. I’m hoping that Carrow continues with these characters and turns this into a series. While I’d love to have some answers about how vampirism works in the universe he's created, I really just want to see these characters go on more hilarious adventures together.

A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

My Rating: ★★★

Six years after a deadly flu strain wipes out much of the human population, survivors are rebuilding their lives and cities. The new world consists of a combination of rebuilding cities, communes, and people living off the grid. Much of the population is terrified of the outdoors and face to face visits with other people. In the middle of this new world, Moira, Krista, and Rob are three people brought together and learn what it means to live again.

I don’t come across post-apocalyptic novels that also fall under adult fiction that often, so I knew I had to pick this up. Once I started reading, I quickly became absorbed in the story and enjoyed it from beginning to end. One of the things that I like about this book is that it has a great cast of characters that are very realistic. While these characters are thrown into a fictional setting, they are still relatable. I can understand their actions and why they’ve become the people they are at the point where the story picks up.

Rob is a widower and single father struggling to raise his daughter the scrutiny that new San Francisco focuses on families. His young daughter, Sunny, is acting out at school and new San Francisco is about to review their case and determine if he should keep custody of her. Unfortunately for him, Sunny’s behavior is due to a white lie Rob’s been telling her for most of her life and he can’t bring himself to tell the truth. I understand why Rob’s been lying to Sunny as well as why he never made new friends once the worst was over with the deadly flu. He lost nearly everyone he knew and his primary focus is his daughter and living day to day with a huge hole in your life.

Meanwhile, Krista and Moira have run from what family they have left. Krista had a fake death certificate sent to her family so that she could have a fresh start and get away from the hectic and toxic life she had with her family. Moira, a former pop star, changed her name and became a whole new person so that she would never be forced to become her dad’s celebrity puppet ever again. Both characters are so real that I enjoyed following them and seeing how events unfolded with their pasts threatening to bubble up to the surface in different ways.

When you throw these three characters together, you get a friendship between three people who have been too busy trying to get by to get back to living. This new friendship opens their eyes and urges them to deal with their past, the end of the world, and embrace life again. I enjoyed following these characters and their stories and look forward to reading more books from Mike Chen.

Deadly Waters by Dot Hutchison

Deadly Waters by Dot Hutchison

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca Sorley is just your average college student who is balancing her active social life with her academic career when several male students start turning up dead. While each death occurred under suspicious circumstances, Rebecca and her friends find it odd that each male student killed by alligators are also rapists. When more bodies turn up, it becomes obvious that someone is targeting rapists. There’s a good chance that this vigilante is a student, and the hunt to find them is on.

This isn’t your usual mystery as this is more of a slice of life story with a suspense and murder weaved through it. We follow Rebecca and she does not investigate the murders. However, her friend and love interest, Det Corby, is working the case and he does bring a bit of his side of things into the story. There is an occasional chapter told from the vigilante’s perspective, but otherwise, we’re following Rebecca and her group of friends through a short period of their lives.

I usually read mysteries from the perspective of characters who are investigating crimes, whether detectives or amateur sleuths, so I love that Dot Hutchison came at this story from another direction. It kept things interesting to follow a group of students who are experiencing the change in energy on campus as the crimes unfold. It gave the story a different dynamic because the primary focus was not on the murder mystery. Instead, as the story developed, it focused on survivors of sexual assault and how rape culture blames the victims.

I loved the many characters we follow throughout the story. There’s such a variety of wonderful characters that I would love to see again if this wasn’t a standalone story. I can picture the series continuing should the author choose to do that, but I also like that it’s a standalone and that we’re left to imagine what happens next based on where we last saw everyone.

As far as the mystery itself goes, I found that the chapters from the vigilante’s perspective when they were closing in on their next victim hindered the mystery. It was obvious who the vigilante was from the very beginning. I think that the mystery and suspense would’ve come through a lot better if these chapters were not included because just came off weird sitting next to the rest of the story. Plus, Hutchison’s efforts to shroud the vigilante’s identity just gave her a suddenly very masculine voice compared to every other chapter from her perspective. I seriously wondered if she had some kind of mental break down and didn’t remember killing anyone.

Otherwise, I think this is a great story and I highly recommend reading it if it sounds like a story you’d be interested in checking out.

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up (Magic Cleaning #2) by Marie Kondō

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondō

My Rating: ★★★★

After reading the first book in the “Magic Cleaning” series as well as the manga, I decided to pick this book up as well. I wouldn’t call this a master class because it’s much closer to being a cleaning encyclopedia with some extra info thrown in. I also love that there’s an index at the back of the book so that I can quickly find the section I might want to read again later.

I don’t think it’s necessary to read both books in the series. Instead, I would highly recommend picking up this book and pair it with the manga. I think that they complement each other well. That said, all three books do have useful information. I just think that this book lays out the same information in a much better way than the first book in the duology does. It also has several graphs breaking down the KonMarie clothing folding method, which is something that is missing in the previous book.

As always, I do think that it’s okay to skip some parts of her method if it doesn’t work for you. For example, I’ve tidied my space using her method and skipped over thanking the clothes and other things I got rid of and donated. However, I did find that figuring out if an item brings me joy is very helpful when deciding if I should keep or get rid of something. I originally thought it was an odd thing to do, but hey. Don’t knock it until you try it! It really did make a difference.
All in all, I think it’s a great book to pick up and read. Even if you don’t plan on taking on a new way of cleaning and tidying, the KonMarie method does have a lot of useful tips that can be incorporated into what you’re doing now.

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.