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.

Love Between Fairy and Devil Vol. 1 by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Love Between Fairy & Devil by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang

This is the original novel on which the TV series of the same name is based. However, as becomes clear already from the description, the original and adaptation share the premise and that’s about it. The two stories are completely different. So, if you’re looking for something that deepens the story of the TV adaptation, this isn’t it. The two are so different that there’s no point in trying to compare them either. (There's also an animated version that appears to follow the plot of the book more faithfully, but I haven’t watched it myself.)

The start of the book is maybe the weakest point of the story and very vague about how events have unfolded before the opening scene. Demon Lord Dongfang Qingcang has resurrected after a hundred thousand years, having been bested by Lady of the Scarlet Wastes, the god of war, and immediately captured by the officials of the heavenly realm. But he has had time to take a hostage, an orchid fairy Xiao Lanhua, and forced her to switch souls with him, so that he occupies her body and vice versa. He then uses her mouth to convince the troops that she’ll spend the rest of eternity imprisoned with him to make sure he never escapes.

He escapes, of course, and there’s nothing Xiao Lanhua can do, as she’s behind bars inside Dongfang Qingcang’s body. But as she tries to prevent him from leaving, she accidentally destroys her own body. Now the Demon Lord’s soul has escaped and she’s trapped inside his body with no body of her own to return to. So, out of options, she heads to the ghost realm to find his soul. She finds it, but when he tries to take his body back, she refuses to leave until he provides her with a new body.

The first volume is about the two of them travelling mostly in the mortal realm looking for a suitable body for her. But she soon realises he has an agenda of his own and he’s only helping her because it temporarily aligns with his interests. They get into hairy situations, and despite his better judgement, he finds himself saving her time and again. But he betrays her equally often, and by the time the first volume ends, the two are still together only because she’s managed to force his hand to keep her alive.

The first volume isn’t much of a romance, but it’s a good start to that direction. Dongfang Qingcang starts—and continues—as a truly evil character, but the presence of Xiao Lanhua, first inside his body and later with her own, starts changing him, and he occasionally finds himself doing things to please her—in his own fashion. She has no romantic feelings about him either, and the volume ends with her wholly disillusioned about him.

I liked this story very much. It didn’t matter that it didn’t match the adaptation. It’s fast-paced, funny, and well-written. The stakes are high from the start and they don’t lessen by the end of the volume. I didn’t miss the side-plots and other characters that filled the adaptation. The two were enough to carry the story. I liked Xiao Lanhua especially. She was strong and resourceful and not a clueless, wide-eyed creature wholly at the mercy of Dongfang Qingcang like in the adaptation, even when she was at his mercy. And he was truly evil and selfish, not just posturing.

The ending wasn’t a cliffhanger as such, but it doesn’t conclude anything either. The story has only begun and I really have to find out how this original version continues from here.

 

The Vengeance by Emma Newman: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

The Vengeance by Emma Newman

The Vengeance starts The Vampires of Dumas series, which I find both an intriguing and a slightly misleading series name. Vampires barely make an appearance, and it isn’t set in Dumas’ own time either. But it is inspired by his novels set centuries before, in the era of musketeers and swashbuckling pirates.

The book starts as a pirate story. Morgaine is a daughter of a female pirate captain sailing in the Caribbean. She’s lived her entire life at sea and loves it, and knows nothing of her mother’s life back in France. But on her deathbed, her mother makes a confession that sends her reeling—and heading across the ocean to France.

Morgaine isn’t her daughter. The real mother has searched for her for twenty years and she needs Morgaine’s help. Fired up by her anger towards the fake mother, but also anger towards the person who ordered her death, she sails to France to rescue her mother and avenge the death of the woman she thought of as her mother.

She is wholly unprepared for the polite society. But so is the society unprepared for her. And she isn’t given a chance to find her land legs. People are after her, trying to kidnap her left and right. One of them succeeds. He claims to be her father, and tells her not to go after her mother. She doesn’t listen.

Joining her on her quest is a young woman, Lisette, whom Morgaine’s father has hired as her (much needed) governess. Together, they go to see and rescue Morgaine’s mother. But things aren’t at all like she had imagined. And it may turn out that the one person she needs revenge on is the one she wanted to connect with.

This was a good, complete story, and clearly a stand-alone. Either there are different characters in the next book, like often in Ms Newman’s series, or Morgaine’s next adventure will be something completely different. It wasn’t a long book though, and the pacing was a bit off. 

Too much time was spent on the voyage to France, even though it didn’t affect the story in any way. And the book was closer to 70% mark before the women headed out to find Morgaine’s mother. That journey was mostly skipped, even though it had a great impact on the endgame. Perhaps the story wasn’t meant to conclude here originally, with maybe the second book about the events with Morgaine’s mother, which would explain the pacing.

Biggest sufferer was the relationship between Morgaine and Lisette, which happened sort of behind the scenes. One minute it didn’t exist and the next it was there. It was lovely that the women found each other, but if you’re reading this for a romance, heightened emotions and angst, that won’t be there.

The supernatural element was sidelined too. If there hadn’t been the series title revealing it, I wouldn’t have expected it when it emerged around 65% mark. It would’ve been an excellent plot twist. Now, I kept expecting it the entire book and was a little disappointed with how long it took. But we got an intriguing glimpse and I hope the follow-ups will dwell in the supernatural world more.

The ending was a bit hasty, and the reader is left with many questions about the other players who wanted to kidnap Morgaine, and what their agenda was. It was slightly too convenient as well, but it was done on Morgaine’s terms, and it was good. The writing was great and kept me engaged. I’d read more of this series, whether it’s about her or other characters.

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

April reading recap

April wasn’t quite as hectic a reading month for me as March was. I finished five novels and ten manga. Three of the novels were review copies and of those, A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennet was by far the best. The second Ana and Din mystery set in a very unique world is maybe the best novel of the year so far. (Click the book title for my review.) In comparison, I liked A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang considerably less, mostly because I found it under-developed. Saint Death’s Herald by C.S.E. Cooney was good, but not as mind-blowing as the first book in the series. Still, I’d read more.

I also read two novels for myself, both of them Chinese boylove novels. Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory Vol. 1 by Fei Tian Ye Xiang is a contemporary romance set in an imaginary Chinese city, and it was a good start to a series. You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post Vol. 3 by Blackegg continued the historical series with a volume that was maybe the best so far.

I read eight manga review copies. Among them were three follow-ups. Worst Soulmate Ever: Proposal by Haruta is the second volume about a dysfunctional alpha-omega couple who despite their constant arguing manage to tie the knot. Tokyo Alien Bros., Vol. 2 by Keigo Shinzo is about two aliens trying unsuccessfully to assimilate among humans as they are scouting the earth for potential invasion. The second volume was better than the first. Firefly Wedding, Vol. 2 by Oreco Tachibana continues the story of a kidnapped heiress stuck on an island of prostitutes with her kidnapper. It’s still not my favourite series, but the second volume was better than the first.

Ask and You Will Receive by Niyama was a very good start of a gay romance about two men, one of whom doesn’t know he’s gay and another who can’t stand the first. I’ll definitely continue with this one. A Vampire in the Bathhouse by Niko Izuki was a sweet story of a found family. No romance yet, though that may come later. 

Honeko Akabane's Bodyguards 1 by Masamitsu Nigatsu was a bit boring and a lot violent high school romance about a secret daughter of a yakuza boss who is surrounded by a class full of bodyguards. The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé 1 by Fumito was a fun and very awkward comedy romance of an older man suffering from erectile dysfunction and a younger man who admires him. The romance didn’t really get anywhere here as the older man doesn’t know he’s gay.

I also had a review copy for an unofficial BTS biopic that was so bad I had to stop reading, so I won’t mention the maker. And I read a manhwa that I wish I’d stopped reading: Lady Devil, Vol. 1 by Choco FUKI. It’s an unapologetic romance based on incest between twins, on top of which the story is really stupid, boring and badly written. I don’t recommend it.

Luckily, I had a couple of manga that I read for myself and really loved. My favourite feel-good manga, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity by Saka Mikami, has reached sixth volume. Here, Rintaro and Kaoruko, the two sweetest protagonists, finally start dating. And I read Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless vol 1 by Nozomi Uda. It’s a fun slice of life high school comedy about a boy who has absolutely no energy and dedicates his life for finding ways to avoid everything. I’m reading it on MangaUp! and there are no English versions published yet. I’ve caught up with the story there, so I’ve probably read at least half of the 13 volumes out in Japanese so far, but I’ll only list the first one here.

I’ve caught up with The Apothecary Diaries on MagnaUp! too and will add vol 14 soon, as I didn’t have time to add it in April. I’ve read other manga there this month as well that don’t have published versions in any language yet, like the fun high school romance Otaku x Gal by 138neco and Souchu. I’ll list those if they ever get Goodreads entries.

So, a fun reading month again, despite the couple of misses. Stay tuned for more.

Saint Death’s Herald by C.S.E. Cooney: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Saint Death's Herald by C.S.E. Cooney

The second book in Saint Death series (trilogy?) took its time to arrive. The first book, Saint Death’s Daughter (2022), blew my mind and I was eagerly waiting for the follow-up. In many ways, it was worth the wait. In others, a slight let down.

Miscellaneous Stone, the best and only necromancer in the world, is on a hunt for her great-grandfather Irradiant Stone’s ghost. Problem is, he’s a necromancer too, even if not alive anymore, and her teacher, so he’s not easy to catch. She’s followed his trail towards north. She knows he’ll head to Skakhmat where he has unfinished business of genocide kind to take care of.

She’s accompanied by Duantri, the gyrfalcon lady bodyguard, and Stripes, the tiger rug she accidentally brought to life in the previous book, and—once Grandpa Rad abandons his body—Cracchen Skrathmandan, the once enemy who is now filled with spirits of dead Skakhmat wizards bent on revenging on Grandpa Rad.

The hunt is difficult, but they almost catch Grandpa Rad several times, only for him to pull a disappearance act by jumping to a different body. It becomes especially difficult to best him when he finds the city of skinchangers and can become anything he wants after jumping to them. But she’s not above asking for help, from her gods and friends alike, and eventually they manage to best him.

This was a very straightforward book from start to finish: find Grandpa Rad and lay his spirit to rest. No side quests, no distractions from subplots. And while it worked as a story, with good twists and action scenes, it was not quite compelling enough to hold my full interest. It took me over a week to finish this as I kept putting it down.

The first book had two elements that made it one of the best reads of the year it came out. One was Lanie as an underdog, trying to prevail against her murderous family in a very macabre house. The other was the found family of her brother-in-law Makkovian and his daughter Datu, and the falcon ladies Tanaliín and Duantri.

Here Lanie and Duantri were mostly alone, with brief visits from the rest of the family or chapters from their point of view showing what they were doing elsewhere. Mak is on a pilgrimage that he apparently can’t abandon for his sister, and for some reason Tanaliín needs to stay with him and Datu, which strains her bond with Duantri. Mak is the third in their relationship, so they both pine after Duantri, but that’s as emotional as it gets.

The narrative was from several points of view, unlike the first book which was mostly from Lanie’s. Most of the time, they didn’t add anything to the story as such. They only seemed to highlight the fact that Lanie didn’t have enough to do in her own story to carry it like the first book. Even the final battle is mostly from other characters’ points of view.

But the biggest reason why this wasn’t as compelling is that Lanie is now overwhelmingly powerful. She’s not the underdog; she’s the final boss. And I never find characters like that interesting. She had no true enemies throughout the story to keep the reader fearing and rooting for her. Even Grandpa Rad was merely fleeing. She never had to face a true opposition like in the first book, where everything was stacked against her.

For every problem, she had a larger-than-life solution, or a literal deus ex machina in the form of her goddess, Saint Death. Even when her friend, Haaken Skrathmandan, rushes in to a rescue, he shows up with a flying tower he’s only now learned how to create. It’s nice that things go well, but it’s not very interesting if a reader knows everything’s going to be all right from the start.

That being said, this was a well-written, good book; cozy rather than gothic. Lanie was as lovely as before and endearing in her enthusiasm about bones. The ending was good and open enough that there will hopefully be more books. Something was building between Lanie and Haaken, and while he’s not my favourite love interest, (Mak would’ve been better, but he’s happy in his threesome) and he wasn’t as interesting a character as in the first book, it’s something to look forward to.

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

Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory vol. 1 Fei Tian Ye Xiang: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory by Fei Tian Ye Xiang

Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory is a contemporary BL novel by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, the author of historical xianxia BLs, of which I’ve started Dinghai Fusheng Records and Legend of Exorcism. It’s set in a large Chinese city and focuses on lives of five men that come together by chance.

Zhang Yuwen is a wealthy man in his late twenties who for some reason that isn’t really understandable decides to abandon a career on a rise as a film director and become an author, for which it turns out he has no true skill. His publisher tells him directly that his characters are not realistic.

He comes up with a brilliant idea. Since he owns a large mansion where he lives alone, he decides to rent out four rooms cheaply and observe his lodgers in order to learn about real people. He chooses only gay men, being gay himself. He thinks he’s chosen them carefully, but he mostly went with their looks. Turns out, all of them have something to hide.

The biggest lie is told by Zhang Yuwen himself. He doesn’t want to disclose he’s rich, so he tells the house belongs to someone else and he’s only a caretaker. He goes to great lengths to maintain the lie.

Yan Jun is an office worker with a fairly steady income. He tells Zhang Yuwen he occasionally needs to take care of his baby niece, hiding the fact that that he’s her guardian and the child lives with him permanently. Obviously, Zhang Yuwen soon finds out the truth.

Zheng Weize is the youngest of the lot at 22. He tells Zhang Yuwen he’s a college student, but he’s never attended and he supports himself, unsuccessfully, with live streaming. He’s in constant need of money and caring attention.

Chen Hong is 29 and moments away from having to close his gym business, but he doesn’t disclose his financial troubles. For him too, cheap housing comes as a saving. Last tenant is Chang Jinxing, a photographer without a steady income. He’s the most handsome of the lot and knows it himself. He pretends to be successful and educated and is neither.

Because of the lies, it takes a while for the group to become comfortable with each other. But Chen Hong is good at forming groups by activating them. He takes them laser tagging and hiking and very soon they start to become a family. A family who needs love and sex and lusts after each other and eventually falls for one or more of them.

Zhang Yuwen has forbidden them from hooking up with one another. But that doesn’t stop emotions from forming. Most of them fall for Zhang Yuwen or Chang Jinxing. Things change though, when a straight guy the group meets in one of their outings, Huo Sichen, turns out to be gay and he and Zhang Yuwen hook up. Drama starts to climax during a New Year’s stay at a resort, but the book ends before we learn what comes of it.

This was a good start to a series. It’s told from several points of view, so we get a good understanding of everyone. The characters with their lies and needs were interesting and easy to root for, even Chang Jinxing. I wanted all of them to find their love and each man seemed to suit everyone else, one way or another. But I think the pairings that began to form here are only the beginning, and everything will change several times during the story.

Author’s views of relationships and sex, gay and straight, were rather odd, based on stereotypes and stiff traditions. These views were repeated and rehashed constantly throughout the story and they were rather annoying, something that would get the story trashed by readers if it was written by a western author. It lessened my enjoyment of the story a little, but not so much that I would abandon it. I have to know what will become of all characters and if they will find their happily ever afters.