Tag: Reviews

Review | The Amberglow Candy Store by Hiyoko Kurisu

DeAnneLeave a comment

In this charming, fable-like book from Japan, a fox spirit sells magical confections to troubled humans, only for them to get a little more than they bargained for…

Welcome. We don’t get many humans here.

In a cozy night-alley lies a very special store. It’s only open between the full moon and the new moon, and it’s full of wagashi, Japanese sweets. Each candy claims to cure some ailment of the heart or the head. But who is the mysterious proprietor, and why does he study his customers so closely?

From the girl who craves more time with her boyfriend to the friends with some buried resentments, each customer learns a valuable lesson from these sugary treats. The candies can give you what you most desire, but not always in the way you expect…

Back to the shop owner—did that shadow just make it look like he has a pair of ears? Surely, not a tail? If he is a half-fox spirit, so be it. But why is he so keen to study human emotions, and why does he say each candy has a “dosage”? Patience. Like the center of a gooey caramel, the best things take time to reveal themselves.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Connected stories about a unique candy store run by a fox spirit found on a seemingly abandoned road that most people can’t see? Sign me up. I absolutely adored this book, the different characters featured in the vignette were varied, all with their own individual struggles in life. The constant in each story of course is the candy store and its proprietor, Kogetsu. Not only are the individual stories heartwarming and touching, seeing them move through the difficulties they are facing with the help of the candies they buy at the store, but seeing Kogetsu through each story as he tries to better understand humans is charming. I especially loved that the last story was about Kogetsu himself in a way. By the end I was in love with the author’s writing and tone, but found I was greedy and wanted more of Kogetsu himself and his evolution and growth. The writing and settings that the author described were at times very whimsical, but then also very practical depending on where the characters were – be it on the road to the candy store, or in the ‘real world’. Overall I really loved the stories and characters, Kogetsu especially.

Happy reading!

Review | Ghosted in L.A. Complete Collection by Sina Grace

DeAnneLeave a comment

Daphne Walters’ Los Angeles story seems pretty common—she followed her high school boyfriend to college only to be immediately and unceremoniously dumped a thousand miles away from home. Her roommate doesn’t want her around either, but fortunately one heart-broken night brings her to Rycroft Manor, an apartment complex with more roommates and drama than she had ever bargained for—and they’re all ghosts!

While helping out the long-lingering and new residents of Rycroft, Daphne has to deal with everything from angry spirits, the mystery ghost behind the basement door, and her college roommate Michelle trying to exorcise her new friends out of their own home! All while dealing with a complicated love life, a more complicated best friend-ship, and learning her place in LA!

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I had previously read the first volume of this, so was eager to pick up the complete collection. Unfortunately some of the inconsistencies in the story overall dragged down my enjoyment a little bit. I loved the art style and the colors. A lot of the ghost characters were interesting and individual, but often it was Daphne and the other living characters that detracted from the story – saying that though I suppose you could explain a lot of their behavior as being young adults. I felt like the concept was so creative and interesting, but it just fell a little short. I still enjoyed it overall and am glad to have read the whole story.

Happy reading!

Review | The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

DeAnneLeave a comment

Translated from the Japanese bestseller, this charming and magical novel, inspired by the myth of cats returning favors to those who care for them, reminds us that it’s never too late to follow our stars.

In Japan cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives.

It’s also run by talking cats.

While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes, coffees, and teas, the cats also consult them on their star charts, offer cryptic wisdom, and let them know where their lives have veered off course—because every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. And for a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. After all, there is a reason the shop appeared to each of them…

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I am loving all of the ‘healing fiction’ books that are getting translated and this was another one near the top of my list. I absolutely adored this one. It definitely was more on the mystical and whimsical side, featuring a coffee shop that would spontaneously appear to people who were in need of some guidance or assistance, who may be at a fork in the road and need to know what way might work best for them. I loved the different cats and the way their identities kind of became apparent throughout the book. As with a lot of these books all of the stories were connected and as you go through the different characters it starts to become apparent just how they are connected. I absolutely loved the way everything was finally revealed as to just how deeply these people were connected and what had kicked off their experiences with the coffee shop/the reasons behind it. I can’t wait to pick the second one up off my stack and read it as well.

Happy reading!

Review | The Ghost Hunter Next Door by Danielle Garrett

DeAnneLeave a comment

The first rule of being a ghost whisperer: Don’t tell anyone.

Seriously. Don’t.

Sure, it might sound harmless. A fun party trick, even. I assure you, it’s not.

How do I know? Well, let’s just say that I’ve had a lot of experience with this sort of thing, and nine times out of ten, it turns into an all-consuming disaster.

Being plagued by needy ghosts twenty-four/seven is one thing; being harassed by a horde of curious — or worse, grieving — flesh-and-blood people is an entirely different circus. I mean really, who wants to hold an impromptu séance in the middle of the cereal aisle? Not me, and the manager of the grocery store probably isn’t too crazy about the idea, either.

So, that’s it. If you’re a ghost whisperer, just keep your mouth shut and act normal. Ghosts? What ghosts?

Now, if only I would start listening to my own advice …

Rating: 4 out of 5.

When I picked this up I was looking for something light, paranormal and that would make me laugh. I had seen a few of Danielle Garrett’s titles pop up in recommendations, so I thought I would check one out. It definitely fit the bill and I had a thoroughly fun time with it. It was a good take on a bit of a cozy mystery, only it didn’t feature a current murder they were trying to solve…but the details of how a certain ghost died in order to help the living with their ‘ghost dilemma’ and keep the ghost from wreaking havoc. This was made a little more complicated by the fact that most don’t know about Scarlet’s abilities. The characters (especially the ghosts) are charming – after all, who wouldn’t want to hear the opinions of their childhood cat in ghost form? Scarlet has depth and her struggles with balancing her up and coming business, relationships and keeping her secret while helping the local ghosts was a great read.

Happy reading!

Review | The Butterfly Disjunct and Other Stories by Stewart C. Baker

DeAnneLeave a comment

A scientist haunted by an impossible ghost. A cocky poet attempting to outrun peace. A grieving mother looking for life beneath Europa’s icy surface. A ship AI desperate to rescue its beloved crew. An ongoing fight against the end of existence. Equal parts earnest and strange, Stewart C Baker’s stories span the breadth of human emotion, space, and time. In this debut collection, gender and genre collide to celebrate relationships and empathy in all their forms.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I don’t read a ton of sci-fi so I thought a short story collection was a great way to go when I do reach for it. I found so many of the stories in here interesting, with many different aspects of sci-fi to them some were time travel, some were more end of the world/dystopian, some were straight up space humor (and there were some real gems that had me laughing out loud). There definitely was a lot of technical terms and language that some might find a little overwhelming at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole collection and would happily read more from this author.

Happy reading!

Review | Something is Killing the Children Omnibus Vol 1

DeAnneLeave a comment

WHAT IS ABDUCTING THE CHILDREN OF ARCHER’S PEAK?

When the children in a sleepy Wisconsin town begin to go missing, all hope seems lost. Most children never return, and those that do have terrible stories of terrifying creatures that live in the shadows. But even monsters fear the mysterious stranger that arrives shortly after. She believes the children and claims to be the only who sees what they can see…

Her name is Erica Slaughter. She kills monsters. This is all she does, and she bears the cost because it must be done.

The definitive collection of the entire “Archer’s Peak” saga by GLAAD Award-winning writer James Tynion IV (Department of Truth, Batman) and artist Werther Dell’Edera (Razorblades) is assembled here in a single volume.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’ve heard about this series but never picked it up, so was glad to see an omnibus available. I went into it essentially blind other than the title. I did really enjoy the atmosphere and setting. The graphics suited the dark and grit of the story. I did like that we eventually got some background information on who Erica works with and some of the lore there, but I would have liked to get more of that earlier in the story. It does appear there are some spin offs that might have more information and lore, so I would be interested in checking those out to further build on what was established in this first omnibus.

Happy reading!

Review | The Graveyard Club by R.L. Stine

DeAnneLeave a comment

Definitive horror master R.L. Stine introduces a new cast of devilish teens in a brand new graphic novella!

Parker West is a senior at Grave’s End High, in the sleepy town of Grave’s End, a town surrounded by cemeteries. A place where swarms of bats fill the sky every night, and kids play hide-and-seek amongst tombstones. But none of that feels odd to the locals– Grave’s End is as sleepy and dead as they come. A lonely hill on the edge of the town in the graveyard becomes the local hangout spot for Parker and his group of friends. They goof off, plan schemes, and form a secret club… the Graveyard Club. Members have to be daring and unafraid to wreak a relatively harmless amount of havoc in the name of fun. But one night, after getting into an argument with a local cop, the kids find themselves in a prank war. But what starts off as mostly harmless practical jokes and tricks escalates into attacks that might put these kids in real, life-threatening danger if they won’t back down first… and Parker’s never been one to give up without a fight. Beloved author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps, Fear Street, Stuff of Nightmares), who put a nostalgic sense of dread in our hearts as children, returns with a brand new original graphic novella–a coming of age horror story for generations new and old.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Anything R.L. Stine is a point of nostalgia for me, so I was excited to get to give this title a read. The art style was good, with lots of emphasis on color and shadows, which fit the vibe of the town of Grave’s End quite well. The main characters weren’t exactly likeable, and some of the negative attention on them seemed warranted (not all of it, but still). I found myself actually disliking Parker by the end, which I didn’t want to do, but as some teenagers do, he had a lot of attitude and was making not wonderful choices. I would definitely say that it portrayed a rebellious teenager really well though. It was a fun read and had some paranormal and not so paranormal elements that are quintessential Stine.

Happy reading!

Review | The Ayakashi’s Hunter’s Tainted Bride Vol 1 by Mamenosuke Fujimaru

DeAnneLeave a comment

Young, cheerful Nanao can’t wait to marry her betrothed, Reito, the young lord of the Byakurenji family. But that changes one night when she is attacked by a vengeful yokai spirit-an ayakashi-leaving her scarred with the mark of a demonic curse. Her cousin Akemi seizes the chance to steal away her fiance, but it doesn’t matter. Reito now finds her repulsive, and Nanao is forced to wear a monkey mask to hide her scar and live the life of an outcast. Years later, she meets Yako, the willful young scion of another noble family. When Nanao’s mask shatters after an accident, Yako sees her face and is drawn to her beauty and great spiritual power. But there’s more to the handsome young lord than meets the eye, and when Yako offers Nanao a way out of her torturous life, the new life that awaits her is filled with more mystery and intrigue that she could ever imagine…

Rating: 4 out of 5.

One thing I thought this manga did really well was balance not only world building and the rules of society, but also character building. Nanao is a very compelling character, from how her personality has been shaped after years of neglect and mistreatment, to how she starts to flourish little by little after Yako starts interacting with her. She definitely has the most character building and foundation, but you can definitely see how further volumes have paths to build up other characters and relationships. I really enjoyed the emotional depth of the story as well as the little tastes we get of how the different clans and society operates. This is definitely a series I would continue with to see how not only Nanao and Yako’s relationship develops, but also how each character progresses.

Happy reading!

Blog Tour | Higher Magic by Courtney Floyd | Review

DeAnneLeave a comment

“Higher Magic is my catnip. By what dark arts I know not, Floyd has summoned up a wonderful wizard-grad-school slice-of-life, replete with organizing, romance, anxiety, camaraderie, and courage. More please!” —Max Gladstone, NYT Bestselling Co-Author of This is How You Lose the Time War

In this incisive, irreverent, and whimsical cozy dark academia novel for fans of Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series and R.F. Kuang’s Babel, a struggling mage student with intense anxiety must prove that classic literature contained magic—and learn to wield her own stories to change her institution for the better.

First-generation graduate student Dorothe Bartleby has one last chance to pass the Magic program’s qualifying exam after freezing with anxiety during her first attempt. If she fails to demonstrate that magic in classic literature changed the world, she’ll be kicked out of the university. And now her advisor insists she reframe her entire dissertation using Digimancy. While mages have found a way to combine computers and magic, Bartleby’s fated to never make it work.

This time is no exception. Her revised working goes horribly wrong, creating a talking skull named Anne that narrates Bartleby’s inner thoughts—even the most embarrassing ones—like she’s a heroine in a Jane Austen novel. Out of her depth, she recruits James, an unfairly attractive mage candidate, to help her stop Anne’s glitches in time for her exam.Instead, Anne leads them to a shocking and dangerous discovery: Magic students who seek disability accommodations are disappearing—quite literally. When the administration fails to act, Bartleby must learn to trust her own knowledge and skills. Otherwise, she risks losing both the missing students and her future as a mage, permanently.

BUY LINKS | Bookshop.org | B&N | Amazon

Rating: 4 out of 5.

There was a lot in this book that I liked, it has great representation and is a great example of showing accommodations – which was something I was not expecting at all. That being said, I felt the book did not need to be as long as it was, at times there was just too much and it really dragged the pace of the book down. I did really enjoy the magic in the book and the way it was constructed, but even that sometimes was a little confusing even while being interesting. Overall though the story was fun and interesting and I enjoyed the experience of getting to know Dorothe and seeing her work through everything she needs to do.

Courtney Floyd is a neurodivergent fantasy author who grew up in New Mexico, where she learned to write between tarantula turf wars and apocalyptic dust storms. She currently lives at the bottom of a haunted mountain in the woods of Vermont with her partner and pets. Higher Magic is her debut novel.
Courtney has a PhD in British Literature and a penchant for irreverent literary allusions. Her short stories have appeared in publications including Fireside Magazine, Small Wonders, and Haven Spec, and her audio drama, The Way We Haunt Now, is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find her online at courtney-floyd.com.

SOCIALS | Website | Instagram | BlueSky | Goodreads

Happy reading!

Review | The Rebel Girls of Rome by Jordyn Taylor

DeAnneLeave a comment

From the author of The Paper Girl of Paris comes Rebel Girls of Rome, a thrilling and heartfelt dual POV novel about Lilah, a girl looking to reconnect with her grandfather over his mysterious past during a trip to Rome, and Bruna, a queer Jewish woman who escapes the Nazis in Italy and joins the resistance during World War II.

NOW:

Grieving the loss of her mother, college student Lilah is hoping to reconnect with her ever-distant grandfather who refuses to talk about his past. When a fellow student in Italy brings a long-lost family heirloom to her attention, Lilah travels to Rome with her grandfather in the hopes of unlocking his history as a survivor of the Holocaust once and for all.

But as they get closer to the truth—and the possibility of healing through new connections—she begins to realize that some secrets may be too painful to unbury . . .

THEN:

It’s 1943, and nineteen-year-old Bruna and her family are doing their best to survive in Rome’s Jewish quarter under Nazi occupation. When the dreaded knock comes early one morning, and Bruna realizes her youngest brother, Raffa, is missing, her desperate search to find him separates her from the rest of her family irrevocably.

Overcome with guilt at escaping her family’s fate in the camps, Bruna joins the partisan efforts against the Nazis and Italian Fascists. When her missions bring her back to her childhood crush, Elsa, she must decide what it really means to live and love—and if fully embracing herself might be her greatest act of resistance of all. But just as she starts to find light in the darkness, an attack that ends in unspeakable tragedy leaves Bruna questioning her fortitude to survive more than ever before.

Part historical mystery, part sweeping romance, Jordyn Taylor brings Bruna and Lilah’s stories to brilliant life in this compelling, emotional read in the vein of The Paper Girl of Paris. With dual historical and contemporary POVs—where heartbreak, hope, and finding light in times of darkness are inevitably intertwined—this is perfect for readers of Ruta Sepetys and Monica Hesse.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

It’s so important for books like this to exist. With so much being erased or forgotten about the Holocaust/World War II, there’s a need for both fiction and non-fiction books that remind us of not only the events that occurred, but the strength of so many different people who fought and struggled through that time. It’s also great to see books set during that time that aren’t necessarily set in Germany or Eastern Europe. The characters were well developed and well thought out in their connections and relationships, in a lot of ways it was easy to connect with them on different levels so they were very relatable. This book was exceedingly well written and paced, and I found myself really enjoying the dual POVs and the story they told.

Happy reading!