Tag: Young Adult

Review: The Black Mage

DeAnneLeave a comment

the black mageWhen I first heard about this book I knew it centered around a black student going to a wizarding/magic school, but didn’t know much else. The story was fast paced and fun while also dealing with important themes of racism. There was also the inclusion of important figures from the civil war that added to the overall theme and story line.

I feel that stories like this are important, where difficult subjects are openly discussed and shown in a consumable format. While reading you don’t necessarily think about what the overarching message is because the story is a great adventure, but it’s there nonetheless.

The art style perfectly fits the story and the effects for spells were just what it needed. The colors were vibrant and were great with the fantasy aspects of the story.

The Black Mage comes out October 29th, from Oni Press, be sure to pick up a copy!

Happy Reading!

Review: Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa

DeAnneLeave a comment

soul of the swordShadow of The Fox was pretty much my favorite book of 2018 (see my review of it here) I was VERY eagerly anticipating Soul of the Sword, so was over the moon when I got approved for an eARC.  This was easily my most anticipated book of the year.

First things first, Soul of the Sword pretty much picks up where Shadow of the Fox left off and has the same anime like feel. Many scenes felt like they were a transcript of an anime and it was amazing. In this way the book was very similar to Shadow of the Fox. While there are a few new characters thrown in, it is mostly the same cast of characters. The overall character development and building of relationships in this book were top notch and I’ll admit, makes me worry a bit about what is going to happen in the third book and how much Julie Kagawa is going to break my heart.

In this installment the POVs are Yumeko, Hakaimono/Tatsumi and Suki. Kagawa has a way of writing the different character arcs and their journeys that it is seamless when they all come together.  I love how if you read carefully there are little hints here and there regarding character’s motivations/intentions. She also made sure that more of the history of the dragon scroll and the wishes bestowed was revealed without it being too much of an info dump.

I absolutely loved how she wove in Japanese mythology and legends, she made the world and culture that she wrote feel absolutely real.  Sure there may have been some character traits or actions by characters that I didn’t love, but those things weren’t out of character for the people she had written.  Besides the slight slowness of the first half there wasn’t anything I actually disliked about the book.

I did feel that this story suffered a little from 2nd book syndrome and the first half was a bit slow, which is understandable considering all the set up that was happening but the rich settings, characters and characters more than make up for the slowness. This book had to be a bit of a bridge just so we can get to what I’m sure if going to be an amazing conclusion.  The last 20% was a thrilling journey where the action was non-stop and had me on the edge of my seat.

It will be very interesting to see where the final book goes as so many loose ends are going to need to be tied up. It’s definitely going to be a long wait until it’s available!

Soul of the Sword is out now! Make sure to pick up a copy of this book and its predecessor Shadow of the Fox if you’re interested in a thrilling adventure full of Japanese mythology.

Happy Reading!

Review: Under the Moon by Lauren Myracle

DeAnneLeave a comment

under the moonI wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, but was intrigued and wanted to check it out since one of my favorite characters from the Batman universe was Catwoman. This was an interesting take on her younger years and the events that lead up to her being who she was. I did feel like some points were a little too overemphasized, but overall the story was interesting and enjoyable.

This story begins when Selina as a child and discusses her adolescent life into high school. We are shown struggles she goes through both at home and at school and there are certainly a number of pivotal moments that lead her to her journey to becoming Catwoman. I’m not sure if this follows canon at all since I’m not super familiar with the original comics, but you can definitely see some of the things that could have led to her later beliefs and actions in this story. This story is definitely more modernized in the technology shown, which I believe is a benefit for younger audiences that may not be super familiar with the original genesis/backstory of the character.

I loved the art style and the more monochromatic theme, especially when past and present had different color schemes. The characters are richly done and easily recognizable once they are introduced.  I have to wonder if this will be a story that will be continued as it would be interesting to see where else Lauren Myracle could take the character.

Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale is out now, be sure to grab a copy if you want to add it to your collection!

Happy Reading!