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.

You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon vol. 3 by Blackegg: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post by Blackegg

Volume 3 sees Wu Xingzi leave Guan Shanjin so that the latter can be happy with Mr. Lu, and head to the nation’s capital. He’s helped on his journey by Hei-er, who’s acting as Wu Xingzi’s bodyguard on Guan Shanjin’s orders—not that Wu Xingzi knows about it—and Mr. Rancui, the proprietor of the local peng society. He’s eager for Wu Xingzi to forget Guan Shanjin and so he introduces him to Ping Yifan, a successful merchant. The man is almost perfect down to his pengornis and scent that is very much like Guan Shanjin’s. It doesn’t take long for Wu Xingzi to decide that he’s going to spend the rest of his life with Ping Yifan.

But Wu Xingzi can’t entirely escape seeing Guan Shanjin in the capital, often in the company of Mr. Lu. Guan Shanjin is very busy with unravelling the origins of the treasonous plot that he took care of at the Horse Face city. It turns out the perpetrator is no other than Wu Xingzi’s long lost love, Yan Wenxin, now an important minister. And it appears Yan Wenxin knows of Wu Xingzi’s connection with Guan Shanjin, because he seeks Wu Xingzi out, ostensibly to reminisce, but obviously to influence him.

Wu Xingzi, usually very placid and forgiving person, isn’t that easy to persuade though. He’s very loyal to Guan Shanjin and knows him very well. So well, that he’s seen through Guan Shanjin’s ruse: he’s in fact Ping Yifan in disguise. The two clear the air between them. They just can’t be together until the plot against the emperor has been solved. It’s not going well for Guan Shanjin though, and the emperor has him arrested. But Wu Xingzi won’t sit idle and do nothing to help. The book ends before we learn how his plan will work.

This was somewhat different from the earlier two books. The plot is stronger and dominates the narrative, with the romance at the back. It does have some very good moments though, even if it relies on the excellence of some very odd masks. The sex scenes are fewer and less over the top. Guan Shanjin comes out better here as well. He shows in deeds, if not in words, that he cares about Wu Xingzi very much, as himself and as Ping Yifan. And Wu Xingzi shows that he’s not quite so helpless as he appears. We also learn that his father used to be an important person in the capital.

There were some side plots that were hinted at and then discarded, like what is happening with Mr. Lu, what is going on between Rancui and Hei-er, and who is the mysterious person behind the  peng society. There’s also a long extra story about Man Yue, Guan Shanjin’s longsuffering vice general, and Su Yang who owns a restaurant in Wu Xingzi’s hometown, which will be interesting to follow as well. Nevertheless, this was maybe the best book so far.

A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang: review

3/5 stars on Goodreads

A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang

A Palace Near the Wind starts Natural Engines series (duology?) set in a unique secondary world. Liu Lufeng is fighting the windmills of modernity that threaten to destroy the habitat and way of life of her Feng (wind) people. It’s an uphill struggle on the home front too, as many of her people have left the habitat for the palace of the king for easier life and human technology.

To keep the king’s constructions at bay, one member of Lufeng’s family is sent to the palace every year to marry the king. Now it’s her turn, after which only her youngest sister is left. She’s determined to save her, so the only option is to kill the king.

At the palace, Lufeng, a creature of branches and leaves, has to adjust to wearing clothes, sleeping in a bed, travelling by engine powered contraptions, and eating meat. But she endures, so that when the marriage ceremony takes place, she can kill the king.

But the marriage isn’t what she believes, the king turns out to be not who she expected, and he’s not the enemy she thought. There’s a place of even more destructive technology beyond the palace, and those in charge there aren’t above cruel atrocities.

Killing the king would be useless, so Lufeng’s entire family has to flee. Easier said than done, when some of them are perfectly happy where they are, and others need to stay in place for the safety of the rest. But she’s not about to give up. With the help of a couple of friends she’s made, she acts on a hastily concocted plan. The book ends before we learn how that’ll turn out.

This was a short, straightforward story with a couple of twists to keep things interesting. The pace was fast, with no time wasted on secondary plots, character development, or worldbuilding, which was mostly a collection of interesting concepts.

I was especially disappointed in the Feng. As a plant-based life-form, they were such an interesting idea, but then the unique physiology didn’t play any role in the story. Even their element turned out to be wind, which I found really odd. I didn’t particularly like Lufeng either, but it would be interesting to see where she ends up from here.

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

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennet: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennet

This is the second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. It’s set in a wonderfully unique secondary world where the centuries old emperor, the last remnant of the original people, rule over a population modified with blood from humongous sea creatures who once a year make to the land, destroying everything. The entire empire is harnessed to either fight the leviathans or to make use of them.

This time, we follow the investigative duo, Dinios Kol, the narrator, and his superior officer in the law department, Ana Dolabra, outside the empire to Yarrowdale, a small seaside kingdom that the empire has rented for a century for its practical geography. The dead leviathans are floated there to The Shroud, a secret facility where everything useful is extracted of them. It’s dangerous work, as the leviathan blood mutates everything around it instantly, but necessary. Now the century is up and the empire is trying to negotiate a new contract with the king.

One of the negotiators has been killed in a bizarre fashion and the body disappeared from inside a locked, upper-floor room. Ana and Din have arrived to investigate. Well, Din investigates and Ana stays in her room to avoid overpowering herself with too much stimulus like always. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take her long to figure out how it was done. That turns out to be the easiest part of the case.

A conspiracy against the empire seems to be afoot, and the perpetrator is not only capable of changing their appearances, but highly intelligent too, thanks to illegal modifications. Poor Din has his hands full as he hunts the killer through swamps to king’s court and even to The Shroud itself, all the while risking his life to instant mutation by leviathan blood stolen by the killer who has made it into a weapon.

Even Ana seems stumped, her behaviour turning more bizarre by the day. But nothing escapes her, and in the end, the truth turns out to be fairly simple and, as she says, banal. She’s very disappointed. Reader is less so. I sort of guessed where the case was headed to, but allowed myself to be distracted by the false leads. And even if the killer’s motivations were fairly simple in the end, the case was entertaining.

Murder wasn’t the only crime committed. Ana learns that the officers working for the empire at the Shroud have misused their power and illegally modified the workers. All in the name of greater good. In the end, the only arrest she’s able to make are these people. But it’s a lesson for Din as well, about the importance of the work they’re doing for the empire and the meaning of justice. 

The greatness of the series is in the characters. Din, the engraver with perfect memory, thanks to his mods, has personal troubles. His father’s debts are his to pay, and the bank is doubling the payments, now that he’s working in such a high-risk area. He has difficulty sleeping, so he finds willing bed-fellows, men and women, where ever he goes to avoid his own bed. He dreams of joining the legion to fight the leviathans, and returning to the man he left behind, but he knows that the bank will never allow that.

With the amount of sleep he got in this book, it’s a wonder he’s able to function through it, let alone have several sword fights. But he’s ever curious and able to detect the smallest details, thanks to his modifications. And in the end, after several talks with Ana, he’s even able to make up his mind about the legion.

There was maybe a character discrepancy with the previous book though. I don’t remember well, but I seem to recall Din had trouble reading, which was only once referenced to in this book when letters danced in his eyes. Yet he seemed to be able to read well throughout the book. Maybe I misremember, but it caught my eye.

Din was joined in his investigation by a new side-kick, Malo. She’s a warden, a local working for the empire with a modified sense of smell and sight. Her job is to track and fight smugglers in the swamps. She’s a fun, rough character and not a love-interest or bed-fellow, which I found refreshing. The end saw her needing to change her life, and maybe we’ll see her in later books too.

The most interesting character is, like before, Ana. She starts as her usual cantankerous, highly intelligent, and easily distracted self. But as the case progresses, she morphs into something else, and some of it is clearly deliberate. Din doesn’t know what to make of it, and she won’t talk. It could even be that she can’t talk about what kinds of modifications she has. She can hint though, and what Din learns through his investigation is so mind-boggling he refuses to believe it.

This was another great book. It retained the cozy feel despite the gruesome mutations and sword fights, the world remained intriguing, even if this one didn’t have mushroom houses, and the case, despite the banal ending, was good. I’m very eager to read more of Din and Ana’s investigations.

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

What I read in March

Here’s another recap of a busy reading month. I read and reviewed 35 items in March, 31 of which were mangas. Almost half of that was The Apothecary Diaries by Nekokurage and Natsu Hyuuga, 13 volumes so far. Well, 14, but the last one isn't out yet officially. I’ve been reading it on Manga Up!, the publisher’s official site, chapter at a time, and even though I’ve tried to pace myself, I ended up reading it all. Now I have to wait for the next chapters to be published at the end of this month.

If you haven’t read it, it’s a wonderful story set in maybe 19th century China, based on references to western cultures. It follows Maomao, an apothecary who is abducted and sold as a servant to the inner court of the imperial palace. She saves the life of an infant princess and gets to work as a food taster for the concubine, her dream job. The stories consist of mysteries she solves, tasked by the head eunuch with secrets of his own. Maomao is a delightful character with penchant for poisons and Sir Jinshi makes for a great romantic lead—even if after 14 volumes there’s still no romance. There’s also anime series on Crunchyroll and coming to Netflix soon.

I reviewed eleven mangas for NetGalley and Edelweiss. Gunsmith Cats Omnibus Volume 1 by Sonoda Kenichi is a reissue from the 90s and follows two bounty hunter women. It’s action-packed and fun. Dead Rock 1 by Hiro Mashima is a fun story about a school for demons. Four Lives Remain: Tatsuya Endo Before Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo is a collection of Endo’s older stories. They weren’t good. 23:45 by Ohana is a lovely story of a young college student who lets a ghost of a young man to move in with him.

Soul Taker by Jeannine Acheson and Thomas E. Sniegoski is a contemporary horror/fantasy of a woman who has lived for centuries hunted by the Church. Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir: White Rabbit and the Prince of Beasts, Vol. 1 by Yu Tomofuji is a spinoff of the original Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir series, a cute story of a little prince needing to find his magic and courage. Veil vol 1 by Kotteri is a rather odd, artistic comic of a woman who can’t see and a police officer helping her. Not much of a story, but very beautiful art.

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride vol 1 by Mamenosuke Fujimaru starts a romantic fantasy series, good but not entirely memorable. I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class Vol. 1 by Amano Seiju is a start for a fun high school romance. Also as an anime on Crunchyroll. The Failure at God School, Vol. 1 is by the same author as The Apothecary Diaries, Natsu Hyuuga, with artist Modomu Akagawara, but set in contemporary Japan and aimed at MG readers. And finally, I read vol. 3 of Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite by Julietta Suzuki. It’s been a fun series so far.

I read two novels I had ARCs for, both books that I would’ve read anyway. The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison, book 3 in the Cemeteries of Amalo series, was as wonderful as the other books. It has a feel of the last volume and a start of a new arc. The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal is book 4 in the Lady Astronaut series. It was good, but not as interesting as the earlier books.

For my own pleasure, I read The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter, Vol. 3 (light novel) by Yatsuki Wakatsu. The series came to an end to my utter disappointment, but otherwise it was a good book. The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish Vol. 4 also ended, but that I knew already and it didn’t come as a surprise. A slightly less interesting ending, but a fun read nonetheless.

Three of the manhwas I reviewed I’d actually read earlier, but they were officially published last month so I added them on Goodreads as read. Technically I could leave them out of the count, but since I haven’t counted them in the month that I read them, here they are.

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint vol 6 by singNsong. The story is in early stages yet here, as this volume reaches about episode 60 of 250 or so. I’ve been reading this one on Webtoons and am almost finished. Solo Leveling Vol. 11 by Chugong and Dubu I’d read earlier too, on Tappytoons. I’ve now finished the series there, but I’ll review them on GR when they come out in print, which will take a while yet. And lastly, the first volume of Shutline, a very graphic BL I’m reading on Lezhin where it’s ongoing, about a car mechanic and a gangster. It was recently added on GR when the Korean edition was published in print, so I added it too. No English version in print yet.

I read three very different BL mangas/manhwas. Semantic Error Vol. 2 by Angy continues the odd hate/hate relationship of two Korean college students. How to Deal When Your Intimidating Neighbor is Actually an Omega by Nikuya Inui is a sweet stand-alone omegaverse manga with a slightly different take on the dynamics. Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! vol 3 by Nmura continues the romance between two gamers and coworkers, but the story doesn’t really go anywhere.

And then, finally, my favourite comfort read: Mr. Villain's Day Off vol. 6 by Yuu Morikawa. The evil (or not so evil) general enjoying pandas and ice cream is such a delight. And it’s an anime too! On Crunchyroll. I’ve only watched one episode so far (I’m watching The Apothecary Diaries first), but it’s equally delightful, with the added delight of being in colour.

So, there it is, my insane reading month. On top of this, I started a couple of books in my favourite series, but had to put aside to make room for other reading. I’ll finish those later. And I prepared my own book for publication and read it a couple of times, but that’s work and doesn’t count.