Cameron Walker is back and this time he’s in New York. The author does an excellent job of describing the energy, the bustle, the VOLUME that is the BCameron Walker is back and this time he’s in New York. The author does an excellent job of describing the energy, the bustle, the VOLUME that is the Big Apple. He even manages to bring in a famous Central Park landmark as part of his story.
The mystery is really good this time but the villain is—shall we say, subpar? It turns out to be one of this cackling, lunatic, over-the-top Disney types with a really screwy reason for discrediting the Futureland theme park. Think of the Judge Doom character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit and his plan to demolish Toon Town to build a freeway, except this villain’s plan isn’t nearly so useful.
Cameron gets his “crew” back and together they help him piece together the clues and take down the bad guy. Although he’s still upset over the loss of Dooley, Cam learns to lean on his friends. In fact, he relies on them so much that you start to get a little irked with him.
It’s the Scooby Doo scenario all over again. The meddling kids are the only ones knowledgeable about what’s really happening. The adults are clueless fools who only get in the way with their rules, curfews and stringent demands and the police are incompetent or on the take. After the debacle in Atlanta, Cam’s parents only want to keep him safe.
Cam doesn’t really understand this and few children will. It’s an aspect of adulthood to worry about children and keep them safe but Cam insists that he can handle things. It’s hard not to understand his frustration when his parents won’t listen to him but you see their point. Their argument is that it’s not Cam’s job to solve mysteries. He’s just an 11-year-old boy and he’s taking on a task that only adults should be handling. Cam’s behavior puts him and his friends in physical danger. His parents are under tons of stress dealing with the bad press from the glitching revs (androids) in Atlanta and the psychotic behavior of people who’ve visited Futureland in New York. They don’t need the additional strain of worrying about their only child again.
In short, this series are designed to appeal to the adventurous child, especially those who chafe under adult restrictions that they don’t comprehend. But there promises to be a sequel and Cam is getting older with each book. Who knows? Maybe he’ll come to understand why his parents worry. In the meantime, there are still the mysterious Architects looming on the horizon.
Cameron J. Walker wants to be a detective and he certainly seems sharp enough when things start going wrong in his parents's futuristic floating themeCameron J. Walker wants to be a detective and he certainly seems sharp enough when things start going wrong in his parents's futuristic floating theme park. But he's not quite there yet and not quite as quick on the draw as he needs to be. It takes him too long to recognize that people close to him have been replaced by revs (this book's word for "android") or to connect that dots about recent changes.
Still, he's a boy, just 11 years old. So it makes sense that he's not quite the Sherlock Holmes he wants himself to be. He gets help in picking apart the mystery from regular children. But the powerful denouement doesn't feature any of them, only one of the revs. So I found that scene a bit lacking. It had a powerful emotional resolution, filled with pathos. But it emphasized Cam's near-constant isolation from everybody except his immediate family and the revs that run the park.
(This is mere nitpicking on my part. But the book states that Cam has a star-shaped birthmark at the corner of his left eye. But cover shows it at the corner of his right. This is an ARC so the final cover may fix this error.)
This is the first in a series so perhaps future installations will feature a closer bond among Cam and his new flesh-and-blood friends. It also contains ominous notes that the park's problems are not over by a long shot. This novel will appeal to tweens who crave adventure, mystery, fantastic vistas and science fiction elements....more
It’s been three years since Delilah Dirk met up with the hapless former Turkish lieutenant, Erdemoglu Selim. Their association is frauShe’s baaaaack!
It’s been three years since Delilah Dirk met up with the hapless former Turkish lieutenant, Erdemoglu Selim. Their association is fraught with danger, mayhap, thrills, action and uncertainty. In spite of being practically in each other’s pockets due to their physical closeness, Selim is forced to improvise time and again when he and Miss Dirk make plans. No plan survives contact with the enemy and there are always enemies.
So, when she gets caught and he finds himself in the wrong place to meet up with her, he is forced to alter his position. He has to get involved in the fray when he would prefer to stay out of danger. He scrambles to find armaments or seize on random objects to make weapons—in a pinch, a rolling pin or a frying pan will prove very handy when slammed into someone’s head.
But it’s mostly good fun…until it isn’t. They meet a real enemy, someone who gets on Delilah’s bad side. To be sure, she’s racked up her share of foes. Selim encountered quite a few of them in his search to get in touch with her in the first installment. However, this is one man who’s managed to rouse Delilah’s vengeful ire.
In their efforts to clear her name and expose a traitor, Selim realizes a long-held dream—he’s going to see England! He’s been curious about Delilah’s home country even while she’s been very reluctant to return. She doesn’t explain this reluctance and, when he finds out why, he’s shocked and angry.
The graphic does a wonderful job of exploring this new dynamic in their relationship. We see 18th-century England through Selim’s eyes. A thoughtful, philosophical, adaptable character, Selim has his illusions shattered and ponders why should be so. Were his expectations unrealistic? If so, it wasn’t Delilah’s fault; she never over-praised her country. In fact, she was denigrating in her descriptions, talking about balls as places where people gossiped behind your back, where behaviors were mannered and fake and everybody spent too much time critiquing each other’s clothes.
His determination to see more to square his expectations with the reality is balanced with Delilah’s own personal journey. We, like Selim, have formed a false notion of her avoidance of England. She’s not a pariah by any means. But her elevated status is one of discomfort for her. She’d flee the country at the first opportunity if she didn’t have work to do and vengeance to pursue.
Far from being a world where you can’t go home again, this is a place where Delilah is more than welcome. It’s only her own adventurous spirit that won’t allow her to settle. And there is adventure here indeed. In the midst of a war with the French, Delilah and Selim must once again put their lives as well as their reputation on the line. It’s rollicking good fun and you once again flip through the pages as they scurry to save their skins and save Brittania. Also, if there ever was a place on earth where Mr. Selim’s extraordinary tea-making abilities are appreciated, it’s jolly old England.
Mr. Cliff has once again bolstered my faith in this series. I eagerly look forward to getting my hands on the other installments....more
Pippa Fitz-Amobi is at it again. When the police refuse to investigate a missing person’s case, she takes it upon herself to go digging.
What’s with thPippa Fitz-Amobi is at it again. When the police refuse to investigate a missing person’s case, she takes it upon herself to go digging.
What’s with the police in this small town? Are they really so swamped with work they can’t investigate when someone goes missing? This glaring idiocy aside, it becomes clear that searching for a missing—possibly dead—person is fraught with hazards.
In the previous novel, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, the readers learned Pip is the kind of personality that finds it hard to let go of things. It’s one reason why she’s such a terrific student. She latches onto a subject, soaks up what she learns and turns in Grade A papers. Yet being a type A personality has its downside. That murder investigation took its toll, physically and mentally.
As Pip goes further down the rabbit hole to find out just what kind of person the missing Jamie Reynolds was, it becomes clear that she’s fraying at the edges. She has shrieking fits, attacks friends and commits vandalism. These aren’t necessarily tied to the case but she’s turning into a bit of a loose cannon. Dark places are opening up inside her and her attempts to maintain a balance among finishing homework, delving into the case, maintaining her romance with Ravi Singh, following an on-going rape trial and dealing with a town that’s still reeling from a double murder aren’t working.
The novel is a fascinating study in how digging through other people’s trash can leave your own hands reeking and dirty. We are pulled through the increasingly murky pool that is Pip’s mind as she tries to maintain an even keel. She realizes that being a good girl isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and others around her are starting to realize her façade is shriveling up like a lemon in the sun.
Pip’s investigation leads to a shocking denouement, one that this reader never expected, and the resolution is as unexpected as its revelation. There is no happy ending here, only the ashes of tragedy as a small town finally explodes—an explosion just as ragged and terrible as Pip’s. If there is a sequel to this, it will likely deal with the extensive therapy that Pip must undergo to restore her psyche. As for being a good girl—that possibility may be gone forever....more
A dashing rogue meets a timid, sedentary person in distress. Thus begins the adventure of every person who wants to live a quiet life only to find it A dashing rogue meets a timid, sedentary person in distress. Thus begins the adventure of every person who wants to live a quiet life only to find it upended by someone with a penchant for trouble and a talent for mischief.
Meet Erdemoglu Selim, a lieutenant in the Agha’s guard. Right away, we see that this is not a man who’s fitted for swordplay, derring-do or heroics, making you wonder why he’s in a job that requires those very same attributes. He’s quiet, doesn’t crave adventure, can’t fight his way between other guards to gain his rightful pay and makes a great cup of tea. He’s Bilbo Baggins in a turban.
Which makes him wildly unprepared for the swashbuckling Delilah Dirk. She’s a feisty beauty (although that’s not the first thing you notice about her) who has mastered 47 different styles of swordplay and claims to be able to make herself invisible, walk through solid walls and fly through the air.
Right away the stage is set for outrageous antics, theft, daring escapes, harrowing encounters with rogues, bandits, armed guards, pirates and angry heads of royalty. The graphic novel gleefully takes this notion and runs wild with it. The graphics are stellar, leading the eye through one action-packed sequence after another. You can’t help but laugh at a series of panels that feature little to no dialogue but the words you’d expect to fly off the screen in the 1960s Batman television series. Blam! Crash! Tumble! Splash!
Selim and Delilah’s interactions and dialogue are filled with the kind of jovial nonsense you’d expect with such a mis-matched duo. She’s a woman who manages to pull him out of his comfort zone and takes him careening headlong into her adventures while he tries to convince her and himself that such excitement isn’t what he wants.
The color palette tends toward sepia tones but you hardly notice that. Facial expressions and movement are spot-on, especially when we’re dealing with a violence-prone, aged Agha with anger issues. The only objections I have are with Delilah’s clothing. She’s wearing a crop top with a sizeable boob window (always a no-no for me with this type of heroine), a wide belt that appears to have been made for someone five times her size so that you wonder how it stays on her hips and a voluminous skirt that looks as if it would get in the way of her vigorous movements. What kind of adventuress dresses this way?
Well, they can’t all dress like Wonder Woman, I suppose. It is a distinctive look, especially when compared with Selim’s more pared-down appearance. The rest of the graphic novel doesn’t disappoint and now I want to read more of their exploits. It might cost me more of my hard-earned coin but I’ll be keen to find more of Delilah Dirk’s adventures with her reluctant sideman. I will enjoy them with cookies and a fine cup of tea....more
The shenanigans in and out of the Cursed Princess Club continue apace. The story takes us farther afield as the Pastel Princesses finally get to leaveThe shenanigans in and out of the Cursed Princess Club continue apace. The story takes us farther afield as the Pastel Princesses finally get to leave their castle and travel to the Plaid Kingdom. The Pastel King seemed like such a sweetie but he’s really paranoid about letting anyone outside the castle get a look at his darling daughters. When he’s forced to go away on business, he keeps his precious darlings fastened up under tight guard, to the extent that they’ve had to pick up hobbies in order to keep from being insanely bored whenever he leaves the castle.
The Plaid Princes hardly have it any better. They prove to be initially shallow, until it’s pointed out to them that they barely know anything about their fiancées. Then they strive to get the know their intendeds better, often with hilarious results.
The princesses have rivals; Gwendolyn tries to figure out what’s wrong with her reflection; Frederick comes to learn more about Gwendolyn and finds that she’s not so bad. But poor Jamie still doesn’t have anybody! I’m beginning to wonder if he’s meant to be completely alone. His blinding glow and enthusiastic wearing of skirts (or nothing at all) should get him some romantic glances; his sisters can’t be the only ones getting all the attention. His magical ability to sense hidden aspects of people’s character when he eats their food is amusing but it does leave him rather on the sidelines at times.
The Cursed Princess Club also proves to have its secrets—humorous and disturbing. Gwendolyn’s sweet nature means she gets deeper into trouble when she tries to hide her curse. The Cursed Princesses prove to have spear counterparts with envious and silly Cursed Princes.
The manga remains a colorful mix of the serious and the silly, the magical and the mysterious. I’m just hoping I don’t have to wait too long for the conclusion....more
Bright, curious, hard working and highly intelligent, the character of Pippa Fitz-Amobi pulls you in from the very first page. She’s decided to make hBright, curious, hard working and highly intelligent, the character of Pippa Fitz-Amobi pulls you in from the very first page. She’s decided to make her senior capstone project about a possible double murder that took place five years previous and you’re immediately intrigued, unnerved and captivated. This mystery is placed amid high school and the typical high school kids: party girls, stoners, outcasts, people yearning for romance, others struggling to climb the social ladder, etc.
The story precedes apace with no lagging. Pippa and the reader slowly come to realize that the supposed good girl Andie Bell had dark secrets, multiple layers to her personality and was gifted at deceit. In struggling to understand Andie and uncover the truth behind her disappearance and the suicide of her boyfriend Sal Singh, Pippa finds that she’s not such a good girl either. She believes there are legitimate reasons for her to start lying to her friends, family and her possible boyfriend Ravi. However, her continued winding down dangerous roads and the choices she makes to clear Sal’s name cause her to question her own morality.
This novel works on multiple layers: the part that social media plays in establishing character; American society’s automatic condemnation of outsiders with dark skin; your typical high school milieu; the murder itself. It’s a tight little whodunnit that plays as a YA novel yet will appeal to older readers as well....more
The title caught my attention at once. CURSED princesses? Well, I knew stories of princesses who’d gotten cursed by malevolent fairies, witches or othThe title caught my attention at once. CURSED princesses? Well, I knew stories of princesses who’d gotten cursed by malevolent fairies, witches or other vengeful creatures (Princess Pirlipat of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is one such who comes to mind.) So the idea of them forming a club piqued my interest.
Most curious is the case of Princess Gwendolyn of the Pastel Kingdom. She looks nothing like her sisters Maria and Lorena, who sport stereotypical dewy shining faces, soft silken hair and bright large eyes. Even their brother James is so beautiful, he actually emits a glow. Absurdly, they have woodland creatures attending to their toilet or flowers magically springing up in their rooms overnight. It’s like a parody of early Disney. All that’s missing are musical numbers.
Gwendolyn, on the other hand, is a goth creation come to life, sporting green skin and hair, beady pupils, sharp jagged teeth, pointed ears and has scary, red-eyed creatures perched in her bed. The odd part is that no one in her family seems to notice her strangeness or see her as anything other than beautiful. She is her doting father’s favorite, the staff treat her with the same kindness as her siblings and nobody screams at the sight of her. You wonder if they’re all under some sort of collective spell that makes them see her as, well, ordinary.
Hilarity and misunderstandings ensue when the neighboring king of the Plaid Kingdom wishes to marry his three sons to King Pastel’s daughters. Gwendolyn stumbles across the Cursed Princess Club after she overhears Prince Frederick’s horrified response to her ghastly appearance. From then on, matters get more convoluted and bizarre. Misunderstandings ensue, spells don’t work, Frederick gets increasingly terrified at Gwendolyn’s attempts to communicate with him and Gwendolyn is beginning to suspect that she might be cursed after all…
The manga illustrations are an apt accompaniment to this cute and occasionally scary take on Disney silliness. The side characters are amusing (the banter between a couple of guards is especially funny). Frederick’s initial response to Gwendolyn’s appearance seems harsh but, frankly, it’s entirely the kind of reaction you’d expect when a man is certain he’s going to be engaged to a raving belle but is instead presented with a gargoyle in human form. Gwendolyn herself is deeply disturbed by certain members of the CPC. (The graphic novel occasionally pairs the sappy Disney stuff with the Grand Guignol. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.)
I didn’t realize this is part of a series but now I’m panting to see what happens next. The CPC are more of a social club than anything else but it’s obvious that some long to lose their curses and return to their former lives. I want to see just what happens next. This is so much better than “happy ever after”....more
This is a heist story…with vampires! But there’s so much more to it than a simple cute elevator pitch. Having grown bored with vampires years ago, a sThis is a heist story…with vampires! But there’s so much more to it than a simple cute elevator pitch. Having grown bored with vampires years ago, a story containing them has to be truly special to warrant my time. This story delivers.
Arthie Casimir is a haunted girl. But she refuses to let it break her. While she’s fueled by hatred for those who killed her people, subjugated her homeland and made her a penniless orphan, she guides her hatred into helping those who are equally oppressed. If she turns a coin or two doing so, who can blame her? She’s surrounded by an equally colorful panoply of characters, each with their own agenda. They’re drawn into her orbit for reasons of their own and not necessarily profit. The action is mesmerizing and organic to the plot.
There are actually two plotlines running through this story: a secret that will topple the ruling monarch and secure the future for Arthie’s hard-won inn and vanishing vampires. The latter seems to be so minor as not to warrant attention. While Arthie serves vampires as part of her clientele, they’re strictly a behind-closed-doors lot. If they disappear, it’s not her problem—or is it?
There are secrets, intrigues and motivations that render this a very tricksy and convoluted story indeed. Yet it’s all the more delicious because of them. People’s incentives fuel the plot, occasionally botching a heist or causing a misstep. Even Arthie’s secrets nearly prove to be her undoing, as they put strain on a long-standing relationship.
This story lured me in despite its inclusion of the walking undead. It surprises, jolts, enthralls and delights in equal measure. I will wait gladly for its sequel....more
This is another story about a virgin becoming inducted into the pleasures of the flesh by a more experienced partner. This trope is annoying in its reThis is another story about a virgin becoming inducted into the pleasures of the flesh by a more experienced partner. This trope is annoying in its recurrence in m/f romances. The dewy-eyed, (usually) young female spreads her legs for the aggressive, rakish, charming male seducer who knows instinctively all the right buttons to push without having to ask her what she likes (how would she know? She’s a virgin!) and brings her to a screaming orgasm his very first time with her and all subsequent times succeeding it.
However, you have to consider that both males and females start off as being sexually inexperienced until they decide to go exploring their sexuality. So this trope might make you grit your teeth but it can also be very stimulating if handled properly. No pun intended.
So when we have an inexperienced Yoshino who nevertheless knows enough about office politics to wear a wedding ring yet craves masculine attention seeking the pleasures of a gay bar, it’s intriguing. Yoshino has gathered that he prefers men to women because he notes how his eyes stray to male anatomy rather than women. So he’s not clueless. He’s also brought himself a dildo which he uses to pleasure himself. Oh, what a naughty boy!
Thus, Yoshino is knowing, curious, sexual and eager to learn. He’s also 30, which puts him in a different league than the typical adolescent female parthenos found in romances. When he goes to bed with the younger college boy Rou, there’s no power struggle.
Rou is far more experienced—an outgoing, voluble, extrovert who makes a perfect foil to the shy, retiring Yoshino. But it’s Yoshino who makes the first move and Rou takes Yoshino at his word that sex is what he wants. He notes that Yoshino seems nervous. So he takes his time; he wants Yoshino to enjoy this as much as he does. If he’s a little rough, he assumes that Yoshino craves him as much as he wants Yoshino—and Yoshino doesn’t tell him that he’s a virgin so Rou doesn’t know to hold back.
The subsequent burgeoning romance between the two hits the usual stumbling blocks. It’s Yoshino’s first sexual encounter, his first romance, his first…everything, really. So he doesn’t know the right words to say to negotiate their relationship separate from the bedroom. He misunderstands Rou’s signals; he misinterprets Rou’s words. For his part, Rou finds himself falling for Yoshino but, having never been in love (yet having plenty of experience in drawing others to him), he doesn’t grasp how to handle this confusing sentiment growing inside him. It takes outside intervention for Rou to come to terms with attraction outside the sheets.
The romance is one of the loveliest I’ve ever encountered in manga. The dialogue is believable, the boys are hot and the sex drips off the page. There’s even condom use, which I almost never encountered in m/f romances. Good for them!
For BL aficionados, this is yet another one to add to your list of favorites. ...more
Jordan and his friends make a school trip to Paris and it’s a grand time for everyone. Mr. Craft winds his usual Jordan commentary and illustrations aJordan and his friends make a school trip to Paris and it’s a grand time for everyone. Mr. Craft winds his usual Jordan commentary and illustrations around the events of the trip. Grievances are aired, insults are broached, friendships are made and tested.
The awful sock-and-sandal-wearing Andy realizes that nobody likes him and finally everybody tells him why. While I was glad Andy got his comeuppance via stern a talking-to and a severe burn by Samira, I wished someone would tell Alexandra that her weird nose honkings via hand puppets is annoying. But, other than having Ashley turn the tables and do the same to her, nobody tells her they really don’t like it.
But the true star of this book is Paris, the City of Lights. Everybody finds it an eye-opening experience, from the placement of the street signs to the artwork the children get a chance to peruse. The French have a very different way of doing things and the children and adults find the slower, calmer lifestyle immensely satisfying. (You wonder why Americans can’t manage it.)
All in all, this was a terrific addition to the New Kid series. I recommend it for children and adults alike....more
Nick and Charlie have been together for four months and their bond grows daily. They’re out to everybody who matters (and a few who don’t). However, tNick and Charlie have been together for four months and their bond grows daily. They’re out to everybody who matters (and a few who don’t). However, there’s trouble in paradise.
Charlie’s nerves about telling Nick Charlie loves him are both comical and painful to read. Anybody who’s ever been an adolescent in love recognizes the inner turmoil he’s undergoing.
Right now he’s got a secret and is anxious to divulge it. But when? How? What should the circumstances be? Should it be something elaborate, planned and romantic, like the movies? Should it be spontaneous? Should he wait for Nick to say it first? He wants to tell but he wants a guarantee. At the same time, he doesn’t want to Nick to say it just because Charlie pressures him into it. He loves Nick but he doesn’t want to be alone in his feelings.
Oy. It’s enough to dedicate you to celibacy.
The words are said…sort of. What ensues afterwards is the poignant stuff of romance when both parties want to look out for and care for one another. Nick and Charlie’s deepening affections are sweet to read but we’re given constant reminders that the world goes on around them and that others have their own lives to lead. There are other couples, showing us the myriad ways that people connect…or don’t. Nick still struggles to connect with his peripatetic father who seems to love him but won’t show up more than once a year. Nick’s older brother David remains a colossal waste of skin who finally gets his comeuppance from a most unexpected quarter.
The illustrations retain the varied shades of blue that is a signature of this series. It may not be to everybody’s taste (and it’s not my favorite color by any means). But the adorable love story in these series more than makes up for it....more
Crush is a comic trip through middle school with occasional serious moments. Jorge Ruiz is a hulking athlete who takes his role as self-appointed guarCrush is a comic trip through middle school with occasional serious moments. Jorge Ruiz is a hulking athlete who takes his role as self-appointed guardian very seriously. He uses his size to advantage to get others to behave (where was he when I was getting beaten up in middle school?). He also gets ridiculously tongue tied whenever the pretty Jazmine talks to him. It’s sort of a running gag (heh) that he can’t seem to get his mouth to work around her. He’s also not certain why this keeps happening. He’s a good-hearted lad but not too swift to understand how his own hormones are working against him.
Also on display are his friends, Liv and Garrett, who are undergoing their own trials. Liv’s boyfriend turns out to be a jerk and Garrett is desperate to get in with the popular footballers, even if that means ditching his real friends. Jazmine may or may not like Jorge but it’s tough to be sure when he can’t bring himself to speak to her—much.
Current-day issues crop up as well. When gym teachers strictly frown on insults in sports play and talk about body autonomy, I smiled in approval. It’s a constant thread throughout this book—respecting other people’s boundaries.
The coloring is plain but solid, the drawings are simple (eyes are either dots or dots in whites with small slashes for eyebrows above them). In spite of that, characters are easily differentiated from each other and the story manages credible twists and turns. Does Jorge get the girl? Do Liv and Garrett reconcile? Does James, the handsome, charming but really obnoxious quarterback, get his comeuppance? Read on and see....more
There’s a saying: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If there aren’t enough books featuring fleshy women scoring the hot guy, then you can There’s a saying: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If there aren’t enough books featuring fleshy women scoring the hot guy, then you can write it. That must have been what Olivia Dade decided to do. Based on the picture next to her author’s blurb, she seems to be a “plump and pleasing person”, as Gilbert and Sullivan would have put it. So it makes sense that her heroine, one fiery, red-headed April Whittier, is also a plus-size person.
April has been hurt by fat-shaming dates, well-meaning friends and a mother who’s constantly urging her to diet, choose the salad or get something off the menu with fewer calories. Her father long ago washed his hands of her because he couldn’t bear to have an overweight daughter.
She’s become defiant about it. She doesn’t try to lose weight, she doesn’t opt for salad over steak and, if strangers don’t like the way she looks, screw ‘em. It’s a healthy attitude to take but we get broad hints that April can still be wounded by the wrong casual remark.
While it’s refreshing to witness a handsome actor take an interest in a woman of her appearance, at times I thought the author tried a little too hard to have Marcus Caster-Rupp be such a phenomenally good guy that April’s weight didn’t matter. Surely a man like him has dated his share of skinny supermodels? But this is explained away by the fact that Marcus keeps himself very private; he doesn’t date much. He’s got a couple of secrets, including one that could jeopardize his career if it were ever found out and thus he tends to forego romantic attachments. The wrong woman might blurt out his secret and it would be all up with him.
How these two get together, navigate around their particular emotional minefields, ease slowly into each other’s personal spaces and deal with private pain and public scrutiny is absorbing to read. This is a world set firmly in the 21st century, complete with social media tracking people’s online activities, aggressive commentaries on Twitter and the inevitable paparazzi that dog Marcus’s footsteps. Even if he avoids the press by going to out-of-the-way restaurants, all it takes is one person with a cell phone to capture his image and post it on Twitter…along with very unflattering commentary.
There’s little subtlety here. The novel wears its sentiments proudly on its sleeve. People who don’t fit the stereotypical notions of beauty are just as deserving of love as everybody else. If you don’t like that, go choke on a donut....more
These four stories are complemented by illustrations from four very different artists; your tastes may vary. The stories by themselves are very winninThese four stories are complemented by illustrations from four very different artists; your tastes may vary. The stories by themselves are very winning, with object lessons about the dangers of sibling rivalry, learning to appreciate differences and being wary about whom you invite into your home. All of them feature children but not all the children are in pivotal roles.
The shapeshifters in question range from innocent victims to malevolent spirits, presenting a world of uncertainty for the humans involved. As in many cautionary tales, we learn that we are not masters of the planet. There are still surprises and shocks that can take us unaware. When the mystical decides to traipse into your life, you best be on your guard....more
This tale of a young woman’s feverish grasp for stardom combines familiar classic horror tropes: an all-girls environment, a creepy figure lurking in This tale of a young woman’s feverish grasp for stardom combines familiar classic horror tropes: an all-girls environment, a creepy figure lurking in the darkness, winding corridors that don’t lead anywhere, inexplicable injuries, secrets from the past and a wrathful spirit out for revenge. The madness begins early as two estranged women try to help a third member of their trio—only to fail spectacularly. The story then winds back and forth in time as Sunny Lee attempts to unravel why the sweet Mina committed suicide and why Candie refuses to talk about or acknowledge it.
It’s a horror tale but also one of deep female bonding, past and present. Except for the odd male or two, it’s almost entirely women who fill these pages, in an atmosphere that combines the anxiety of models who must keep to a certain weight and the hardship of tireless practicing you’d expect from ballerinas. Competition is fierce and the winnowing process is even fiercer. But the ones who’re voted off the island are the lucky ones…
The mystery runs deep and the twist is as shocking as it is unexpected. There’s also an aching romance nestled amidst the dread, as fangirl longing gives way to infatuation and finally love. The only jarring note comes at the end when the mystery is revealed through a verbose exposition. It’s nowhere near as long as a Lovecraftian explanation but it does tell rather than show who the real villain is and what’s her motivation.
All in all, this is a genuine workmanlike effort at feminine horror and will appeal to people who crave something a little different in their tales of terror....more
Seiichirou Kondou continues to work diligently for the accounting department. At the end of the previous installment, he was brutally attacked by peopSeiichirou Kondou continues to work diligently for the accounting department. At the end of the previous installment, he was brutally attacked by people who didn’t care for his interference and ruthless cuts to the royal budget. In this novel, we find out the malefactors responsible and Kondou levels what seems to him a suitable punishment.
Kondou takes almost everything that happens to him in stride. He watches everyone around him coolly, accessing their behavior and learning their place in this new world. His keen, analytical mind is housed in a supposedly frail body that can’t handle the food or drink of this country. But you’d never know it from how hard he pushes himself. While Kondou certainly doesn’t look frail, others continually comment on his slight weight, dependency on magical tonics and the constant danger he’s in from “magicules”, which act like a poison to him.
His character is baffling to Captain Aresh Indo-Lark. Kondou is devoted to his new position, often to the point of overworking himself. He’s careless about his appearance sometimes but doesn’t hesitate to wear proper attire to important events. The Captain must watch him like a hawk and insist on Kondou taking care of himself. But, since Kondou has apparently garnered enemies, Aresh must watch his back as well.
Aresh is developing romantic feelings for Kondou, feelings he hasn’t yet admitted to himself but which are becoming apparent to those around him. He continues to have sexual sessions with Kondou. Without telling Kondou how he feels, the latter thinks this is a burdensome chore for Aresh not the growing closeness of a lover.
Kondou’s intellect causes him to come up with an intelligent solution to a troubling problem. I’m curious as to whether it will succeed. Such is the allure of this unusual fantasy manga....more
With a wacky premise of faked amnesia, you expect hijinks to ensue. The author also manages to give us a sweet little romance between polar opposites.With a wacky premise of faked amnesia, you expect hijinks to ensue. The author also manages to give us a sweet little romance between polar opposites. Jonathan Forest is a driven, hard-nosed boss, a type A personality who acts like he’s got a stick permanently shoved up his nether parts. Samwise Eoin Becker is a bit of a slacker. He does a competent job as a manager but he’s not exactly focused enough to keep the employees in line. They josh with him, argue with him and don’t fear him, as one employee points out to him.
The characters are what sell this novel. The pages are filled with colorful personalities of all stripes, from the adolescent Tiff who’d prefer to be working with hair (she says); bumbling Brian who seems to be suffering from a developmental disorder that makes him more suited to scrubbing toilets than selling them; New Enthusiastic Chris, out for Sam’s job, et al. Then there’s Jonathan’s family, a motley bunch with their own varied opinions about how Jonathan should be living his life. Some of them are peacemakers, others are loud and rebellious, a few verge on the criminalistic and the grandfather manipulates them all by stating that he’s not long for this world so why shouldn’t they let him do what he wants?
The interactions are peppered with English colloquialisms that will baffle Americans. Yankees who’ve never watched any English program less elevated than “Masterpiece Theater” will scratch their heads over certain passages. You’ll just have to guess what’s happening from the rest of the text.
The love story is an awkward dance of Sam getting to know the man underneath his prissy exterior and immaculate clothes. All this is tangled up with Sam maintaining his pose of having partial amnesia, a juggling act that gets increasingly desperate as time passes and more and more people get wind of the deception. But the novel takes its time getting Sam and Jonathan together and it’s well worth the wait.
This is a grown-up version of Something Fabulous, a novel I thoroughly detested because of its abusive attitude towards Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern. Rather than insisting that Jonathan change his nature, Sam gets to understand why his boss works so hard and is so demanding—revealing the tenderness that beats underneath that two-piece suit. Sam has his problems too, and spending time with Jonathan gets him to reassess the slacker mentality that allowed Sam to drift into a boring job, a barren flat and an existence even more loveless than Jonathan’s. This is superior work from Mr. Hall and makes me glad that I stuck with his writings in spite of earlier disappointments....more