July reading recap

July was a slow month for me, as nothing really caught my interest. I started several books that I couldn’t finish. If it hadn’t been for review copies, I probably wouldn’t have read anything. In the end, I read four novels, three of them review ARCs, and 18 mangas, ten of them review copies. Twenty-two books in total.

The one novel that wasn’t a review copy was the latest Psy-Changeling UF romance, Atonement Sky by Nalini Sing. Even the spin-off series has nine books out already, and the series is going as strong as ever. Read my review here.

I had review copies of The Wizard by Shi Wu, a paranormal Chinese danmei with an interesting premise, but it wasn’t a very good romance. I read the vol. 1 novel of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint by singNsong, and it was as good as the manhwa adaptation. Lastly, I read the latest Peter Grant novel by Ben Aaronovitch, Stone and Sky, which sadly was a bit of a let-down.

Four of the review mangas I read were follow-ups to ongoing series. There was vol. 3 of Firefly Wedding by Tachibana Oreco, a series I probably would’ve given up already if it weren’t for review copies. The same goes with Tokyo Alien Bros. by Shinzo Keigo, but luckily vol. 3 is the last one. The end was good. Kill Blue vol 2 by Fujimaki Tadatoshi continues the story of a hit-man whose body turns into a teenager’s and he’s sent to a school. This is a funny series and the cliffhanger ending makes me want to read more. And then there was my favourite, Spy x Family vol. 14 by Tatsuya Endo. This series never lets you down.

Then I reviewed one stand-alone manga and a few series starters, some of which I liked and others that I won’t continue with. Cute but Not Cute by Sakishita Senmu was a stand-alone BL about two guys who probably shouldn’t have ended together. Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life, Vol. 1 by Fujimoto Yuhki was a great start to a cute high school series and I’ll read more. Tower Dungeon 1 by Tsutomu Nihei was a more artistic dungeon series and while it was good, it wasn’t for me.

The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows vol. 1 by Sakaku Hishikawa was a fun fantasy harem series and I might read more, whereas Gushing over Magical Girls vol. 1 by Akihiro Ononaka would’ve been much better if the girls in question hadn’t been 14. And lastly, Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice, Vol. 1 by Ryō Ichino was a fun start to a cute romance series.

The manga I read for myself was fun, but not all of it was good. There was Two Guys at the Vet Clinic by sinonome, a fun start to a BL series about two vets, but unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be more volumes available. I read 23:45 Re; by Ohana, a follow-up to 23:45, which was a fairly good conclusion to the story, though there’s room for more. My Younger Knight Takes Care of Me in Another World Vol. 1 by Nekonomori Shima is such a rip-off of The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter that it wouldn’t be too much to call it plagiarised. Also, it wasn’t as cute as the original. The Feisty Omega and His Twin Mates Vol. 1 by Ryo Ayamine was so bad I gave it two stars.

Secrets of the Silent Witch vol 4 by Tobi Tana was cute, but not as interesting as the earlier story arc, but I’m sure it’ll pick up another arc soon. And an anime adaptation came out on Crunchyroll in July too and it’s great. And last but not least, like previous months, I read three volumes of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun by Izumi Tsubaki, vols. 11, 12 and 13. I’ve almost read all the volumes available on MangaUP! and I’ve been pacing myself until there’s more.

So, despite my reading slump, I managed to read quite a lot. August has a great many interesting books coming out, so it should be a good reading month.

Astrolabe Rebirth by Fei Tian Ye Xiang: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Astrolabe Rebirth by Fei Tian Ye Xiang

I’ve read a couple of books by Fei Tian Ye Xiang and they’ve been a hit and miss with me. Astrolabe Rebirth is more of a hit. It’s a stand-alone sci-fi set in a unique world of Astrolabe. The City of Steel is a dystopian place for humans, enslaved by Father, an AI that rules the city with camera surveillance, robots and human clones. It’s a miserable, polluted place, where humans are likely to meet an untimely end for violating strict rules.

A-Ka is 16 and has just begun working as a technician mending robots and clones, a job he has unique aptitude for, but he dreams of freedom. He’s found his way out of the city, and is building a mecha for himself in secret to escape. One day, he rescues a man from the sea, preserved in a sleeping pod. He has no memories, so A-Ka names him Heishi.

The two mean to go their separate ways, but fate intervenes in the form of a clone uprisal, and the two are swept along with it. They find themselves outside the city, fleeing with humans and clones to the other side of the continent where free people live.

As Heishi regains his memories, he remembers his purpose: rebooting Astrolabe to remove everything that has gone wrong with the system since it was initiated. But Father has the same command system, and may get there first, rebooting the system to its liking. Humans and clones must work together to help Heishi to shut down Father before the AI destroys everything. But the reboot requires a special human component, and that’s A-Ka, the only human Heishi has learned to love.

This was a good story. It was hasty, the world-building was shoddy, and descriptions were confusing if they existed, but the core story was interesting. It wasn’t much of a romance, but A-Ka and Heishi learned to love each other through their hardships. It has some sad moments that were slightly weakened through miraculous twists, but the ending was very good.

A-Ka was a great protagonist, downtrodden but resourceful and resilient. He gained a miraculous ability, but it wasn’t overused. Heishi remained distant, but as he gained his memories and learned about humans, he became more interesting. There were some good side characters too, with proper purpose for the story. I would’ve wished for more romance, but the story was satisfying as it was.

The Wizard (Novel): When Words Kill by Shi Wu: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

The Wizard by Shi Wu

The Wizard is set in a nameless big city in modern China. It begins with a prologue seven years before the main story. Cheng Jinxi, 18, has confessed to killing his entire family and even though the detective in charge of the investigation, Liang Yuanfeng, can’t find any evidence of his involvement, the young man is taken to prison.

Readers learn already during the prologue, that Cheng Jinxi did indeed kill his family, and how and why he did it. He can hurt and kill people seemingly with his thought alone, which he demonstrates the first day in the prison by killing some prisoners. The director of the prison instantly realises that there’s nothing he can do to keep Cheng Jinxi confined if he doesn’t choose to stay. Fortunately for him, the young man has chosen to accept his punishment and stays, though with great liberties.

Seven years later, Liang Yuanfeng, only 32, is already burned out as a detective and on a forced leave to recuperate. Only he and his boss know that it’s because Liang Yuanfeng has resorted to vigilant justice. He’s kept in close touch with Cheng Jinxi, his only visitor in prison, and learned what the younger man can do. So he’s asked him to kill some bad people. He doesn’t regret his actions.

A great evil has taken over an apartment building and people have started to kill each other. When the building takes a special task force hostage and almost kills Liang Yuanfeng’s boss, Liang Yuanfeng is asked to bring in Cheng Jinxi to solve the problem. Liang Yuanfeng manages to negotiate a pardon for him, with himself as the younger man’s warder.

The two settle into the family home of Cheng Jinxi’s sister whose death in the hands of their extended family triggered him to killing everyone. Cheng family comes from a long line of shamans with great powers that women possess. But the family didn’t know that in their generation, it’s Cheng Jinxi who has the power, not his sister or little niece. Cheng Jinxi gets the custody of his niece, now 12, and the three become a small family.

It doesn’t take long for the two to become romantically involved, although it’s fairly one-sided, as Cheng Jinxi can’t really feel any emotions after everything he’s done. They spend their time solving supernatural crimes, and trying to come to terms with things they’ve both done. Atonement doesn’t seem possible, on top of which Cheng Jinxi has a time-stamp on him. Because it turns out, he’s not the one who’s using the power; it’s a demon to whom he’s promised himself as a sacrifice. And the demon is about to collect.

This was a good but gloomy story, with some tear-jerking moments. Liang Yuanfeng turned into a warm caretaker fairly easily for a burned-out cop, but his character remains slightly superficial. Cheng Jinxi has a deeper character and backstory, and he goes through a greater change. Theirs is not a very good romance, but it’s sweet with some tender moments. The story heads slowly but surely towards the impending doom and a happily ever after seems impossible. It takes a great twist for the small family to end up in a good place.

The writing stars as fairly good, but it deteriorates towards the end, with lots of repetition and contradictions in character actions. It didn’t really matter at that point, but it nevertheless managed to lessen the impact of the emotional climax. This is a stand-alone story, and the end is conclusive. While I liked it, it’s not among the great BL stories that’ll linger in my mind.

I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, Vol. 1 (light novel) by singNsong: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint vol 1 by SingNsong

The original Korean light novel of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint by SingNsong (a writing duo pseudonym) is finally available in print and ebook in English. I’ve read the manhwa serialisation on Webtoon (first seven volumes are also available in print in English), so I was familiar with the story and characters going in.

Dokja Kim (Kim Dokja in original Korean; all the names have been westernised for some annoying reason) is an unimpressive office worker in his late twenties. The sole solace in his joyless life is a serialised novel Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, which he has read over a decade, most of it as its sole reader. After three thousand chapters, the book has come to an end, and just as he wonders what he’s supposed to do next, the world ends.

The end isn’t random or a complete destruction. Humanity finds itself as participants in a universe-wide reality show for the amusement of Constellations, god-like beings who observe the show through thousands of channels somewhere in the universe. The show is deadly and very unfair. But Kim Dokja immediately realises he knows how the show is run. Because he’s been reading about it the past ten years.

Armed with the knowledge of the story and the rules of the new world, he sets out to survive. And from the very first scenario given to humans through game interfaces, he starts to change the story.

The first volume sets the scene, completes the first deadly scenario and starts the second. The scenarios are run by goblins who are hosts of the channels, their sole interest to amuse the gods and making as much money of them as they can. The gods interfere by claiming favourite players and paying in coins for interesting events.

From the start, Kim Dokja gains the attention of the gods, not least because he knows how to game the game. He also gathers a small group of people around him who all will play a great role in the story later. He doesn’t do it solely for kindness though. He does it to survive.

The manhwa adaptation is fairly faithful to the light novel. Not much is left out. There’s not much to leave out anyway. The narrative is fast-paced and sparce. Kim Dokja’s thoughts are portrayed well in the adaptation too.

The only difference I noted from the beginning is the way the second main character, Yu Junghyeok (Junghyeok Yu in English version), the original lead of TWSA novel, is portrayed. He's a regressor who has lived through the scenarios many times over, starting from the beginning every time he dies and getting stronger and more inhuman in every round. Kim Dokja makes clear in his inner thoughts that he’s afraid of Yu Junghyeok and sees him as a monster, though he admires him too. We also get Yu Junghyeok’s inner thoughts, which we seldom get in the manhwa. It adds an interesting layer to the novel.

The bromance between the pair is a fan-favourite that’s absent from the manhwa. I don’t know if it’ll develop later in the series, but it’s not here yet. Yu Junghyeok is absent most of the story anyway.

This was a good, fast-paced read, and a morally very grey story. Kim Dokja is the hero, but he’s not heroic or good in a sense we expect heroes to be. Side characters didn’t really become their own persons here yet, but as we learned, Kim Dokja’s abilities and knowledge of the story gives him insight into them too.

The layout with several different fonts, one of which was very difficult to read, made it visually busy. I also missed character profiles at the beginning—or end—of the book, like in the manhwa. And I don’t usually judge the cover, but I think the publisher could’ve gone with a better one. This one doesn’t reflect the story at all. There’s a long way for the characters to go yet, and even though I know how the story goes, I’d like to read the original version too.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Manhwa cover of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. Art by Sleepy-C.

 

Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh

Book number nine in Psy-Changeling Trinity series takes us to a completely different type of changeling, falcons. Adam Garret is the wing-leader (alpha) of WindHaven falcon clan in Arizona, fairly young for his position at 28, but capable. His backstory evolves around losing his parents when he was 18 to a poacher that he knows shot them knowing they were changelings and not real birds. But the J-Psy in the trial who was there to read the shooters memories confirmed accidental shooting.

It's not solely the injustice eating him. Assisting the J-Psy had been an intern his age he’d briefly encountered, only to realise she’s his mate. And then she betrayed him by taking the J-Psy’s side.

Ten years later, that intern, Eleri Dias, is a former J-Psy at the end of her life. A decade of absorbing the memories of psychopathic killers has destroyed her mind and once the last shield protecting her against the minds of other people goes, she’ll die. But before she does, she wants to track down a serial killer obsessed with her. That brings her to WindHaven’s territory.

This was a good, emotional story like all Nalini Singh romances. Adam is drawn to Eleri, as she is his mate, no matter that he hates her. But it doesn’t take him long to give up the hate when she almost dies saving a friend of his. For her part, she experiences fleeting emotions for the first time in ages. Unfortunately, every sensation erodes her shields and brings the death closer.

The hunt for the killer is fairly low-key and only after they come after Eleri does something happen on that front. The killer isn’t anyone interesting anyway and we don’t even learn why they’re obsessed with Eleri. There’s no additional background evil like usually working against the entire Psy race either. The focus is on Eleri’s impending death and finding a last-minute miracle to stop it so that she and Adam can have their happily ever after.

Like always, clan life with loving relationships is the heart of the story. Falcons had their unique features that were interesting, but the sense of ‘birdness’ wasn’t there the same way than with the animal natures of leopards and wolves. There are similar people like in every clan, the seconds in command and a healer who are all likeable. The one with some backstory even gets a romance of their own that I maybe liked a bit more than the main one. Nothing wrong with the main one, it was wonderfully emotional, but the first bedroom scene felt too soon, whereas the hookup of the second pair felt more natural.

Adam was the usual stalwart changeling hero with a big heart full of emotions to counter the complete lack of them in Eleri. She wasn’t the most interesting of the series’ heroines so far, but her impending death with no cure was compelling. Her acceptance of it and willingness to end her own life before her mind goes may upset some readers. Together they formed a good pair that was easy to root for.

Some old favourites like Sascha Duncan—and Naya!—make appearances. They don’t have great roles on page and barely any dialogue, but it’s always wonderful to see them. No Kaleb Krycheck to my disappointment.

The ending is, of course, happy and highly emotional. The solution they come up with for Eleri’s condition has wider implications to the entire Psy-changeling world, so it’ll be interesting to see where the author takes that. No solution to the unravelling of the psy-net yet though, so there will be more books yet. As always, looking forward to reading them.

Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch: review

3/5 stars on Goodreads

Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovich

This is already book 10 in the main Rivers of London series, on top of which there are some in-between books and comics that I haven’t all read. There’s a two-year time jump between this and book 9, and Peter’s twins that were born at the end of the previous book are now two years old and a handful.

Peter and Bev are on a holiday in Aberdeen of all places, and they’ve taken half the Folly, his parents and his dad’s jazz band with them. They end up camping in the garden of a colleague of Dr Walid, who has sent Walid samples of a dead sheep killed by something that’s not native to Scotland. Walid’s there to investigate.

Peter’s holiday starts well, with beach days with his family while Nightingale and Abigail investigate the mysterious animal and his dad performs with his band. But when an assault victim turns out to have gills, he’s called in to consult the local police. It leads to a full-blown investigation of not only a murder but a missing person, a summoner of weird creatures, a crooked oil company, and forced labour of people who are not quite human.

Meanwhile, Abigail and Nightingale investigate what turns out to be a black leopard, but not quite. They’re not the only people after the creature. A young woman is hunting it too. Abigail is instantly attracted and the two end up having a nice holiday romance. And it turns out, Ione isn’t quite human either.

This was a nice holiday read but not among the best Rivers of London books. I’m not entirely sure it was even a very good book. For one, the structure where both Peter and Abigail had their POV chapters left both their stories lacking. Admittedly, neither of them had enough to do to fill the entire book, but the separation of the storylines didn’t form a satisfying whole. Abigail is also in mourning of someone, but since I haven’t read the book where the death took place, I wasn’t entirely invested, though the grief felt real.

There were too many characters with nothing to do. Peter’s dad and his band were probably supposed to be the comic relief, but all their scenes turned out to be fillers. I don’t think Richard said a word, at least not in direct dialogue. Peter’s mom at least was given a role as a cook and a babysitter, but she didn’t contribute much to the story either. Nightingale, likewise, was underused. Abigail would ditch him constantly, and then call him to help, after which his contribution was covered with a couple of lines. The solutions to the mysteries were mostly accidental.

The narrative as a whole was heavy on telling and not showing, which gave it a slightly distant feel. It was bogged down by description of everything in Aberdeen, but like always, not the main characters. I always find this irking. I read a lot and can’t remember what the main characters of a series I’ve last read three years ago look like, and as six years has gone since the start of the series, there must’ve been changes. Abigail, for one, is no longer a little girl. The stakes were low throughout, the bad guys were mostly human, and nothing blew up. Peter had almost no role in solving things. And there were a few plot holes that were ignored.

The rest is very spoilery, so stop reading here if you haven’t read the book yet.

Here are some plot holes that bugged me after I’d finished. Who ransacked the home and office of the missing woman and why, if they thought she was dead and her contribution for the work was done already? Why did the people who rescued her lock her up when it would’ve been in their interest to let her go to the police? How were the selkies captured when they appeared to be very powerful and also so secretive that other water creatures didn’t even know about them? Why did the panther roam the forests if it was summoned in the city? If it was summoned by using the circle in the forest, why was it covered in a century’s worth of soil? If it was the same panther that had roamed there for centuries, why would they assume that it would go away once the summoner was dealt with?

These aren’t necessarily serious issues, but combined with the narrative as a whole, it gives a notion that the book was a holiday work for the author too. Nevertheless, it entertained me enough to give it three stars, maybe even 3,5 rounded down. And I’m not ready to give up Peter and his gang. But I’m hoping for a more substantial story next time round.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June reading recap

Once again, I’ve read so much manga this month that writing this recap took forever. In contrast, I only managed to finish three novels of the six I meant to read, and only one of those was a review copy, leaving three review copies for next month.

The only review copy novel I read was A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons by J. Penner, which I unfortunately didn’t like at all, so much so that if it hadn’t been a review copy, I wouldn’t have finished it. Luckily, the two novels I read for myself were better. There was vol. 5 of Case File Compendium by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou, where things got heated, literally. And I read Peerless vol. 4 by Meng Xi Shi where things are heating up a little too.

In comparison, I read 15 review copies of manga. To save space, I’ll simply list them here. Links lead to my reviews on Goodreads, if you’re curious.

Kill Blue, Vol. 1 by Tadatoshi Fujimaki. An assassassin returns to school as a teenager. Great fun.

A Star Brighter than the Sun, Vol. 2 by Kazune Kawahara. Still no closer to confession.

Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate 1 by Pom. This was great story of a boy who likes to dress up like a girl at school.

Shout Loud, My Heart by Youga Rayri. Very good BL romance.

Radio Storm, Vol. 1 by 팀S&S. Gloomy but good.

Outsiders Vol 1 by Akira Kanou. Confusing. I didn’t like it much.

The Hitman Stans, Vol. 1 by Rintarou Ohshima. Really funny story of a hitman supporting his favourite girl idol.

Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite, Vol. 4 by Julietta Suzuki. Still good and funny.

Nue’s Exorcist, Vol. 1 by Kōta Kawae. Good start to a series.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House: Succession, Vol. 1 by Aya Shouto. A spin-off that wasn't very good.

Ask and You Will Receive, Vol. 2 by Niyama. A good follow-up.

Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life, Vol. 1 by Miyu Morishita. A good start to a series about acceptance.

Veil Volume 2: Calming Noir by Kotteri. Art is great.

Cosmic Censorship Vol. 1 by Ryuuichi Sadamatsu. Action-packed.

Therapy Game Restart, Vol. 5 by Meguru Hinohara. Gah! So frustrating, but the men are getting there.

I also read 17 manga volumes for myself, most of that taken by eight volumes of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun by Izumi Tsubaki. I didn’t review all of them, but all were at least 4 star reads. I’ll list a couple here. I also read three volumes of I’m the Catlords’ Manservant by Rat Kitaguni, which turned out to be fun. One volume to go.

Here are the manga I read this month:

I’m the Catlords’ Manservant, vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3 by Rat Kitaguni.

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity 7 by Saka Mikami. My go-to good-feel manga.

On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance 01 by Shinnosuke Kanazawa. Really pretty, with a sweet story.

The Otaku Love Connection 02 by Chu Amairo. As zany as the first vol.

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint vol 7 by singNsong. I gave this 5 stars, but didn’t review it. It’s been too long since I read it for real, but the paperback came out this month so it’s in this month’s tally.

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture, Vol. 6 by Mikage Sawamura. This is the last manga, but light novels continue.

SANCTIFY, Lost Paradise by Godstation. Angsty and good.

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 9 by Izumi Tsubaki. The whole long series is silly and fun.

All in all, another satisfying reading month.

Peerless Vol. 4 by Meng Xi Shi: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Peerless vol 4 by Meng Xi Shi

Volume 4 continues where the cliffhanger ending of the previous book left things: Cui Buqu injured at the hands of Feng Xiao who has seemingly become a member of the Thirteen Floors conspiracy group. But things are never as they seem with the two espionage masters. In no time at all, they’ve created chaos and fled the caves.

They were lured there with the promise that they get to meet the leader of the group, but that person never shows up. All is not lost though, because they learn the leader’s identity anyway, someone they’ve met already, though someone neither of them thought much of.

Safety is fleeting. On Empress’s orders, Cui Buqu heads to a region pestered with floods. He’s accompanying an imperial censor who suspects foul play in distribution of aid. What looks like a simple matter of embezzlement turns out to be more sinister. And once again, the men are in mortal peril.

This was an excellent book. The number of times Cui Buqu almost died is incredible, yet he soldiered on. And Feng Xiao finally decides that Cui Buqu is the only person worthy of his attention. Too bad he has great trouble making the other man take him seriously. But the banter is spot on.

The volume doesn’t conclude the flood case, but it’s not a cliffhanger as such, merely it leaves the wrapping up unfinished. But the men now know who they’re fighting against and the rope is tightening. And of course, there’s the romance to root for. Looking forward to reading more.

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture (Manga), Vol. 6 by Mikage Sawamura & Toji Aio: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture (Manga), Vol. 6 by Mikage Sawamura & Toji Aio

Manga editions catch up with the light novels out in English so far (five volumes) here. According to the author and the manga artist, there’s a pause in the adaptations after this one, but both express a hope that there will be more manga after this, as the story continues in light novels.

This is a turning point in the story. Professor Takatsuki and Naoya return to the festival of the dead where Naoya gained his ability to hear lies. They’re not welcome to the village though, especially after an old neighbour of his grandmother’s discovers that Naoya can hear lies.

The men go to investigate anyway, and stumble on a real supernatural event for the first time, landing in the realm of the dead. Problem is, Naoya isn’t meant to escape it for a second time. Luckily, they have unexpected help.

During their time in the spirit world, both Naoya and the professor remember things from their past. In his case, the professor remembers what happened when he was spirited away. Unfortunately, his mind refuses to retain the memory, and it wipes away the entire visit to the spirit world too. He remains philosophical though. He’ll just have to keep Naoya around to remember for him.

This was a good recap of the events in the light novel vol 5, though very much compacted. It’s always interesting to see a visualisation of complicated events. This is a good place to end the manga, even if it doesn’t resolve anything. But I hope there will be more adaptations, even if Goodreads only lists the six volumes so far. At least there are more light novels to come (there are eight in Japanese.) Looking forward to reading them all.

Case File Compendium Vol. 5 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Case File Compendium vol 5 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

The series is gearing towards the end with this fifth volume, but the story didn’t slow down at all. The contrary. After the cliffhanger ending of the previous book, the start of this one was a bit of a let-down. It skipped the action scene straight to the aftermath. Unsurprisingly, He Yu and Xie Qingcheng survive. The plotline in the remote village, which was mostly diversion anyway, is dropped and the men return home.

Xie Qingcheng believes that he and He Yu should stay apart from now on. The upset triggers another mental episode in He Yu, and this time he finally tells Xie Qingcheng that it’s caused by emotional turmoil. He confesses his love to Xie Qingcheng who doesn’t believe him. But it has the benefit of calming He Yu. He claims he’ll win Xie Qingcheng’s heart and proceeds to date him. It’s no use.

They still need to find cure for Xie Xue’s illness. A death of yet another actress involved in the movie production points clearly at the producer whose name has popped up several times in their investigation. Convinced that the source of the drug that caused Xie Xue’s illness is the producer, the men set out to break into his compound. They find many surprises there and get unexpected help too. That leads to a great showdown. But the mysterious organisation acts before their secrets are revealed.

Not all is lost for the men though. They have the drug and can create the antidote to cure Xie Xue. And the events at the compound make Xie Qingcheng realise that He Yu might be serious about his declaration of love. The book ends before we learn if it has permanent impact on him. At any rate, it might be too late. Xie Qingcheng is holding several secrets from He Yu—and the reader.

This was a good volume, with the plot advancing on all fronts. There were no sex scenes of questionable consent or otherwise; the men got along, and the impossible, Xie Qingcheng having a change of heart about He Yu, happened. There was a good twist about the identity of one villain, and some good diversion about the identity of another. But they aren’t any closer to catching the mastermind. There are at least two more books to come, but I’m not sure it’ll be enough to unravel the final mystery.

May reading recap

May turned out to be a surprising reading month, partly because I struggled with getting into a reading mood, and partly because I ended up reading books that weren’t on my list. I read five books and 18 manga, on the paper at least. Three of the manga/manhwa I’d read already before, but only reviewed them in May.

Of the five novels I read, only one was a review ARC, although I had a couple of others I was unable to finish for various reasons. The ARC was for The Vengeance by Emma Newman, which was an ok read that I ended up giving four stars to, though in hindsight it was maybe more of a three-star book. After that, I read Love Between Fairy and Devil by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang, which turned out to be completely different from the TV series based on it, but equally good.

On the last week of May, I medicated my reading slump with the two latest Stephanie Plum novels that I found in the library and so weren’t on my list, Dirty Thirty and Now or Never. I’m now almost caught up with the series. I’ve skipped book 29 as I was unable to finish it back when it came out. They’re easy comfort reads and suited my mood this time round.

I finished the month by a short historical queer romance Copper Script by KJ Charles, which I only learned about a couple of weeks earlier, so it wasn’t on my list for this month. I decided to read it right away, and I’m glad I did. It was a great read despite its short length. The review was written in June, but I count the book to May reads, as I finished it before the month changed.

For my own pleasure I read manga vol. 14 of The Apothecary Diaries by Nekokurage & Natsu Hyuuga. I’ve been reading it on MangaUP! the publisher’s official site and could’ve reviewed it earlier, but I kept hoping there would be more chapters published, which there hasn’t been since March. The book version won’t come out until October. Solo Leveling vol 12 by singNsong came out in May, so I reviewed it this month, though I’ve already completed the series on Tappytoon, which is the official webtoon publisher. Also published in May was I Ship My Rival x Me vol. 3 by Pepa. This manhua I’ve read in full too on an unofficial site, as the official publisher BiliBili doesn’t support English content anymore. It’s only published on paperback, and while I love the story, I’m not entirely happy with the print quality.

I read ten review copies of manga. Here they are in the order they came out. Tune In to the Midnight Heart 1 by Masakuni Igarashi was a cute high school manga about a boy on a mission to find a radio host whose voice he used to love. Pink Heart Jam beat vol. 1 by Shikke is a follow-up series of a BL romance about two college students. Palace of the Omega vol. 2 by Fumi Tsuyuhisa concluded the rather boring and a bit icky omegaverse romance. Merry Witches’ Life vol 1 by Menota was a cute and cozy story about grief. Cosmos vol. 1 by Ryuhei Tamura was a good start to a series about a high school boy who can smell lies and gets recruited to an alien insurance company.

The Villainess Is a Marionette vol. 1 by Manggle is a double transmigration fantasy manhwa of a villainess trying to change her fate. Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner vol. 1 by Muk_Bu is a very creepy story of a young man who realises his neighbour might be a murderer yet can’t do anything about it. String by Paul Tobin is fun and action-packed story of a young woman who can see connections between murderers and victims as strings. Spacewalking with You 1 by Inuhiko Doronoda is an absolutely wonderful story of autism and being different and making friends and being accepted as you are. Cat + Crazy vol 1 by Wataru Nadatani is a fun story about a school boy obsessed with cats and his quest to become a cat-whisperer.

For my own amusement, I read Punks Triangle by Yuho Okita, a sweet BL story of two fashion students, one of whom isn’t who he seems. My Classmate Ren-kun is Kinda Scary by Kusege is another stand-alone BL romance of two high school boys who don’t realise they’re in love. I read volumes 1 and 2 of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun by Izumi Tsubaki. It’s a fun slice of life high school comedy of a manga artist and a girl who has a crush on him, available on MangaUP!. I also read The World After the Fall vol 1 by Undead Gamja & singNsong. It’s a manhwa by the same author as Solo Leveling, but it wasn’t as interesting as SL. I probably won’t continue with it. Official version is available on Webtoon.

So, a great reading month. I read a lot of web manga beside these, mostly to medicate the reading slump. I’ll likely review all of those at some point too. June is already geared to be a busy month, so here’s hoping I don’t fall into another reading slump.

Copper Script by KJ Charles: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Copper Script by KJ Charles

Copper Script is a stand-alone historical queer romance with a dab of mystery. It takes place in 1920s London and features Aaron Fowler, a detective sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, and Joel Wildsmith, a self-taught graphologist with an uncanny skill at understanding a person’s character through their handwriting. Both men are in their late twenties and veterans of the Great War, where Joel has lost his left, dominant, hand. Both are also gay at a time when that could land them in prison.

The two come in touch when Aaron’s cousin asks him to check Joel for fraud, having lost his fiancé because of Joel’s character assessment of him. Under a false name, armed with three letters, Aaron asks Joel to give assessments of each person. The results stun him, not least because one of the letters was written by him. Unable to leave be, he devices a blind test for Joel about an ongoing case. Not only does Joel call the perp, he tells that one of the writers is a very bad person. Unfortunately for Aaron, that letter was one of the control letters and belongs to a person he knows.

Joel is a graphologist because that’s the only way he’s able to support himself and work towards buying a better prosthetic hand than the government is willing to give him. He doesn’t trust the police—or Aaron—ecause a cop had tricked him into a sexual act, which had landed him in prison for two months. But when he reads Aaron’s letter, he’s instantly interested in the man, and aroused by him too. He knows he should push the other man away, but can’t help doing the opposite.

The mystery isn’t a typical whodunnit, and it doesn’t dominate the story. Aaron knows who; he doesn’t know the crime. He has a hunch though, as he tries to solve a death of a private investigator. The more he investigates, the greater the pressure on him to leave be becomes. But when the pressure lands on Joel too in the form of the biggest crime organisation in London, he knows he must do something. Problem is how to do it without ruining their reputations, landing them in prison—or losing their lives.

This was an excellent novella. It’s not long; sixteen chapters and a little over 200 pages on my e-reader. But it tells a complete, satisfying story of love that needs to be kept hidden, but which is so strong it’s worth the risks. Aaron and Joel were wonderful characters, with Aaron having a more complex backstory. Joel was more at ease with being gay, even though he had lost a lot because of it. He’s more emotional of the two, but with equally strong character as Aaron; a survivor willing to keep surviving. Aaron has had it easier in life to an extent, but he has maybe more to lose if they’re discovered.

Like always in KJ Charles’ books, the historical setting is well-researched and comes alive in small details. The solution to the men’s problems was maybe easily achieved, and mostly done behind the scenes, but it was satisfying. The ending isn’t necessarily a happily ever after, but it is a chance for the men to achieve it. All in all, a great small read.

Now or Never by Janet Evanovich: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Now or Never by Janet Evanovich

Now or Never, or Thirty-one on the Run, is book 31 in Stephanie Plum series, and I went and read it right after the previous one. Pulled an over-nighter with it even, so it was entertaining enough. Then again, these books aren’t very long.

For once, the book began where the previous ended, a few days later. Not that the author always remembered that there wasn’t as long a gap between the events as there was between books, and the characters spoke of events of the previous book like they’d taken place long ago. For example, Lula is ‘still’ dating a guy she met in the previous book, which was less than a week ago. Even with her dating history, dating a man for a week isn’t that great a surprise.

But at least the previous events were acknowledged, which doesn’t happen often with these books that seem to exist in their own vacuums. Stephanie’s sister, Valerie, who barely gets a mention throughout the series, even makes an appearance. I did call it though, that Stephanie would return to her apartment where she was evicted from at the end of the previous book. It would’ve been too much of a change for a series where nothing ever changes if she’d moved.

Stephanie’s big dilemma was introduced from the outset: she said yes to both Ranger and Morelli when they proposed, and didn’t’ tell either of them about the other proposal. As an added complication, there’s a fear of a contraceptive failure. Apparently she’d gone to bed with both men—which didn’t happen on page, not even a hint—and doesn’t want to commit to either of them before she knows for sure if she’s pregnant. So, in her typical fashion, she ignores the problem and concentrates on catching skips.

The collection of FTAs is fairly entertaining and keeps Stephanie and Lula busy for days. Like so often, the one that seems on the outset to be the most dangerous of them turned out to be less so, even if he was difficult to catch. The other skips would’ve been easier to apprehend if Stephanie wasn’t such a pushover, constantly giving them leeway. The most dangerous FTA is the one who they thought would be a harmless fool. Stephanie needs a lot of help to finally capture him.

The comedic relief comes in the form of Stephanie’s old schoolmate who after a brief hello decides they’re now dating and won’t leave her alone. But since he does nice things for her, like redecorates her firebombed apartment and gets her a TV, she finds it difficult to get rid of him.

What makes this book stand out are two major changes for Stephanie that’ll have an impact later. One, she finally learned how to shoot, thanks to Ranger who put his foot down and made her. Her unwillingness to touch firearms has been a running gag in the series. She even gets to put her new skill to use.

And the biggest change of all: Stephanie finally chooses between her suitors.

It happens out of page, which was bit of a let-down, but while her relationships with her men have been a staple throughout the series, they’re not the main focus, so it can be forgiven that it doesn’t steal the stage. The reader has to wait until the very end to find which one it is. The choice isn’t surprising.

This wasn’t the last book, as indicated by ‘not the end’ at the end. I hope that this will turn out to be a new start for Stephanie, to freshen up the formula, but I’m fairly sure things will continue as they’ve always been. There’s a bet of box of donuts that her marriage won’t last more than two months. We’ll see how that goes.

Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich

It’s book number 30 in the series, thirty years of Stephanie Plum. I’ve been reading the series almost as long, which doesn’t make me feel as old as it should. Stephanie definitely hasn’t aged. Technology has followed the date though (hence the wholly unironical covid masks here), and isn’t stuck in the mid-nineties where the books should take place.

Everything else has stayed pretty much the same for thirty years. The formula of Stephanie and Lula going after FTAs with more determination than skill works, so why change. You’d think that in all this time they’d learned something, but not so much, although Stephanie’s started to taze the difficult skips first and ask questions later. It turns out to be an improvement, and the duo manages to bring in quite a number of FTAs without much damage to their person. Stephanie’s car obviously suffers. How else could she get a loaner from Ranger.

The zaniness that took over the books somewhere during the mid-point, has been toned down recently, which is a return to earlier books. Grandma barely does anything silly, and the comedic reliefs are a helpful graverobber and Morelli’s dog Bob, neither of which is over the top silly. Even Lula’s Grendel stalker turns out to have an almost normal explanation. The real bad guy is, like in all books, fairly deadly and causes great damage, but, like always, a bit of an afterthought within everything else that is going on.

The two men in Stephanie’s life are the same too: Morelli and Ranger. This time, Morelli is out of town, giving Ranger time to make his move. And he manages to surprise both Stephanie and the reader. And when Morelli returns, he manages to pull the same move. It only took the men thirty years to get there. It seems though, that Stephanie still needs another decade or two to choose between them.

But she’ll need to change something, because after all these years, several break-ins and a couple of fires, Stephanie has to give up her apartment. Will she choose to move in with one of her suitors? Or will this be one of those story-lines that disappear by the next book, like so often? I guess I’ll have to read on to find out.

Despite all the sameness, this book managed to get me out of a reading slump, which I’ll count in its great favour, hence the four-star rating. Maybe I’ll even go back and read the previous book in the series, which I couldn’t finish. Not because it’s necessary to read it to understand the subsequent books, but to keep my thirty-year run intact.