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Oops!  I’m a week behind! The holidays are taking a toll on my reading, so here’s a quick, quick recap of last week’s WSJA -

First up – Hunter x Hunter Special One Shot – Kurapika’s Memories Part One – I liked this chapter a lot, and since I‘ve only read the first volume of Hunter x Hunter, I was surprised by how easy it was to become immersed in this story.  Kurapika, young and brash, wants to leave the forest and venture into the outside world.  It’s forbidden by his people, though, so he argues continuously with the village elder about getting permission to go.  A whimsical art-style with lots of soft, rounded edges made this a visual pleasure, and, despite relying on overused tropes, the characters are engaging and the dialog moves the story steadily along.  Looking forward to reading Part Two!

Naruto Ch 611 – More fighting!  More building of chakra!  More ominous threats from the villain!  And more reinforcements to ensure more fighting for chapter 612!

Bleach Ch 518 – Ichigo, with a little help from his friends, decides to make the journey to the Royal Palace.  Yes, that is all that happened in this chapter!

One Piece Ch 690 – Epic battling continues as fatal petrification gas closes in on our heroes!  This is news to me! Somehow I missed that there is a cloud of poison gas ready to deliver its fatal payload to our Straw Hat pirates and anyone else who gets in its path.  Smoker and Vergo are duking it out!  Why do so many of the characters look so much alike?  And why do the One Piece chapters always seem so short?

Cross Manage Ch 12 – I really like this story.  It’s easy to follow, it’s character driven, and there is no magic or epic dueling (not that I dislike magic or epic dueling).  It’s just basically about a group of high school students with completely different goals, backgrounds, and life expectations trying to get along, build a lacrosse team, and have fun while they do it.  Since Sakurai chased off three team members with his tough as nails training regimen, they no longer have enough players to field a team.  Desperate to fix what he’s done, Sakurai and Toyoguchi  get the ex-players together for a super-intense training session – without letting them know why they asked them to spend the three-day weekend with them.  No wonder Kato gets so angry and suspicious of him!  I thought this was nice chapter because instead of dwelling (mostly) on their faults, Sakurai pointed out their strengths and why he wanted them to come back to the team.

Nisekoi Ch 53 – This was another silly chapter that I enjoyed because it required zero brain cells.  Ichijo and Onodera hear their horoscopes for the day, and even though they don’t believe in that superstitious nonsense, they both go out their way to follow the advice for their lucky, or in one case, unlucky, day.  As Ichijo tries to interact with Onodera and Onodera attempts to avoid Ichijo, hijinks ensues and confusion abounds.  The ending was very cute, too.

Toriko Ch 213 – I just don’t get this one.  All of these needless, weird-looking chefs talking about oil and the need to be fit to compete in the cooking battle.  Most of these guys look like they would would struggle climbing a flight of stairs, and they are expected to compete in a triathlon to gather up their ingredients?  Only consolation – 50% of the competitors will be eliminated after the Swimming!  Biking!!  Running!!! Food Stamina Race!! portion of the battle.

That’s it for this issue, so see you for the next issue of WSJA.  I’m looking forward to catching up with Kenshin!

Running around after hyperactive puppies has put a dent in my reading time, so my look at the December 10th Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha is just a little late.  Still, I managed to read the issue in between mopping up messes, washing countless dog towels/blankets, and making so many trips to the backyard that I can’t count them all.

This issue kicked off with Naruto Ch 610.  While I plan to keep reading the series, I have no idea what’s going on and continue to flounder with the story.  The epic battle with Madara and his minions continues, with Ten Tails and Nine Tails, and oh, my, I am just not getting it.  Madara is about to start the Infinite Tsukoyomi ritual to summon the moon?  Lots of speed lines, sound effects, and close ups of sweating Naruto and Kakashi.  Kind of looking forward to the start of the next story arc so I know what the heck is going on.  Any Naruto fans out there? Which volume did this story arc start in?  I ‘m tempted to go backward a little with the Viz digital manga sale….

Next up – One Piece 689!  I haven’t read this series in forever, but I didn’t have any trouble getting in the groove.  Psycho evil dude Caesar Clown picks his nose while confronted by Brownbeard!  His crimes are awful (besides the lack of hygiene caused by the nose-picking)!  He has been using Brownbeard’s crew as GUNNIEA PIGS!!  Only Caesar has given Brownbeard a muscle relaxant so he can’t expose his foul deeds!  He looks like an idiot!  Caesar gloats, impressed with his own evil genius!  The only thing I didn’t like about this chapter? Luffy shows up during the middle, ready to exact revenge and beat the snot out of Caesar, so I have to wait until the next issue  for the battle to begin.  I really like the fighting in One Piece because the odds are always stacked so far in the villains favor, but Luffy always manages to hold his own, mainly because he is so driven to do the right thing and avenge the characters who have been mistreated by the evil baddies.  The art is fun and just cartoony enough to present a unique style. 

Nisekoi Ch 52 was stupid and predictable, but I thought this was a fun read.  Two bumbling gang members beg Raku to help them open a briefcase.  They have lost the combination for the lock, which is Chitoge’s measurements, so it’s up to Raku to save the day! He has to exert his non-existent ninja skills to obtain this information before the briefcase blows up?  Implodes?  Opens a time warp?  He has no idea what’s in it, or what the consequences of failure will be, but he is certain it will cause great harm.  Instead of just leveling with Chitoge, he sneaks around the school, spying on her. See, it’s the day that physical exams are conducted at school, and he just knows that if he’s sneaky enough, he’ll get the info he needs.  This endeavor does not end well for him.  This is one of the most overused tropes in shonen manga, but for some reason I found this chapter funny.  Probably because all of the male characters are so stupid.  Who knows?

Up next – Bleach Ch 517, with a color page!  Squad Zero descends on the Soul Society in full clean up mode.  Squad Zero  is in charge of protecting the royal palace, and the rest of the squads are in charge of guarding the Seireitei.  They are disappointed with the crap job the rest of the squads have done, and they quickly take charge. They are there to collect the gravely injured captains, as well as Ichigo.  Again, I want to learn more about these guys and their powers.  I didn’t feel as lost in this chapter as I did in the prior one, and I am looking forward to next week’s installment.  This chapter was far too short.

Cross Manage Ch 11 helped to keep this series among my favorites in the magazine.  It is so easy to jump on-board and feel comfortable with the characters.  Sakurai is dejected after three of the girls quit the team, claiming that he is too harsh and the practice sessions too tough.  He begins to think that maybe he isn’t the best manager for the team.  I like him a lot.  He is an overachiever, and he just can’t comprehend not giving one’s all to a job task or activity.  I wonder what he’s going to do now that he lacks enough players to field a team.  After two chapters, I am very invested in this story, and I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  Ch 24.  Sadly, I have nothing much to say about this chapter.  I am not a big Yu-Gi-Oh fan, and I don’t find the battles interesting or exciting in the least, and I’m not sure why.  Hikaru No Go is about an incomprehensible board game, but I find it exciting and suspenseful.  This is the one series in the magazine that I have no enthusiasm for.  At all. 

Whoa – Hunter x Hunter will be in the next two issues of WSJA.  Due to the many hiatuses Yoshihiro Togashi takes, I have tried to not get hung up on this series, so I am looking forward to getting a little taste of it.  Toriko was on break this issue, which I didn’t mind because last week’s chapter was so boring.   I hope the cooking battle commences soon!

Thanks to the generosity of Viz, I have a subscription to Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha.  Starting January 21, 2013, there will be a simultaneous US release to coincide with the Japanese release of the magazine.  I am curious to see how that’s going to work, and to see what new series will be added to the magazine, so here is the first of my weekly looks at Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha.  The magazine looks great on my iPad, though I did have a bit of a headache before I was able to get my first issue loaded.  All it took was an update to the Viz Manga app, but I didn’t think of that until after wasting about 15 frustrating minutes.  Always check for a software update! Note taken.

This issue kicked off with Bleach Ch 516.  Whoa!  I haven’t read Bleach in ages, even though it is one of my favorite series.  For shame!  I spent the pages here wondering what the heck was going on, but by the last panel, had it figured out.   I think.  There will soon be an epic confrontation with Squad Zero, a squad comprised only of Squad captains.  No peons in this group of warriors!  There still has to be some kind of pecking system, some top dog to lord over the other squad members, right?  Unless they are all so bad ass that they have a mutual fear and respect for each other.  I am looking forward to learning more about them and catching up with Ichigo in future issues.

Naruto Ch 609 was next. Ch 609, folks!  I am hopelessly out of my depth with this one, but there was fighting!  Which I like.  And Kakashi!  Who I like.    Naruto and Kakashi are duking it out with the bad guy Obito, who hates Kakashi.  That is enough right there to elevate him to evil bad guy.  Who could possibly hate Kakashi?!  After a little help from Nine Tails, it looks like Kakashi is ready for more fighting, so next week, the battle with Obito and Madara will continue!  This is comfort reading for me – mindless speed lines, over exaggerated poses, and endless wells of energy to keep up that toe-to-toe action. 

Nisekoi Ch 51 followed.  This is a new series for me, and I believe it just started it’s run in the magazine.  Raku, one of those impossibly hopeless, hapless guys who can barely comb his hair, has attracted a gaggle of girls, I think by being nice, which in manga usually means wimpy.  Raku’s gangster father has him engaged to Chitoge, who hated him at first sight, but she’s come around and realizes that he’s not such a bad guy and that she might really, really like him.  To cast some mystery over his love life, Raku made a childhood promise to a girl, but he can’t remember who the girl is!  Her identity is locked in his prized pendant, but the lock is broken, so he can’t open it to reveal his childhood love.  You’d think he would remember the first girl he fell in love with!  No wonder these manga boys are always single!  I am actually going to have to read the sample that’s on the Viz website to help wrap my head around this one. 

Toriko Ch 22 – I don’t have much to say about this one, because the entire chapter is nothing but character introductions for the upcoming Cooking Festival.  I usually love cooking manga, but the endless parade of contestants bored me.  Better luck next week.

Wrapping up this issue is Cross Manage Ch 10 is a sports manga about a girls’ lacrosse team.  I liked this story the best.  It was easy to follow for a new comer, the art is engaging, and the characters are likable.  Ex-soccer player Sakurai reluctantly agrees to manage the high school girls’ lacrosse team.  They need a lot of help!  They can barely fill the roster, and they all pretty much suck at the game.  I’m sure that under Sakurai’s guidance they will quickly overcome their shortcomings.  I love sports manga, especially with an underdog team, so I am looking forward to more of this one.

No One Piece!  It’s on break until the next issue, which is a bummer, because Luffy always makes me laugh.

To purchase Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, click here. You can check out the free Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha starter pack here.  Viz is having a sale on their digital manga. You can get 20% off until January 8th!  Click here for the deets.

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

I am a huge fan of superheroes, and when I saw that Entangled was publishing a series of novellas about super heroes, I had to read them. It was a little scary at first, because I was afraid I’d be disappointed, but Playing with Fire by Tamara Morgan is a fun, action-packed introduction to the Holding out for a Hero anthology series. I loved this story, and it even featured one of my favorite tropes – the second chance.  This read kept me entertained from the first page to the last, and I can hardly wait to read more of the anthology.

Fiona is a character I could immediately sympathize with.  She has the ability to hurl fire balls, but it comes at a steep price.  When her emotions get out of control, her powers do too.  She’s afraid of getting close to anyone because she is terrified of hurting them, and her last, failed attempt at intimacy ended disastrously, with her lover being badly burned.  To make this situation even worse, she didn’t even want the superhuman abilities to begin with.  Her manipulative boyfriend coerced her into it, and now she’s resigned herself to a sad and solitary life.

Into her life steps Ian, her childhood friend and the boy who broke her heart.  He was also responsible for her being bullied at school, so I did have a few issues warming up to him.  To be fair, Ian tried to rectify his past mistakes, but there were times when I felt that he didn’t do enough.  When it was his friend taunting Fiona, he quickly tried to put an end to the hurtful name calling, but when all Fiona wanted was for Ian to trust and believe her, he fell a little short.  In the end, he does gallantly redeem himself, but of the two of them, Fiona is obviously the more heroic. 

I enjoyed the world building, and am interested to see how other authors tackle a new world where superheroes , and super villains, could live next door. 

If you are looking for a fast-paced read with gobs of action, romance, and danger, look no further.  Playing with Fire was quickly gobbled up, followed by a “Please, sir, may I have some more?” plea from me.

Grade:  B+

Review copy provided by publisher

Jeramey Kraatz stopped by the Café to introduce himself and his new book, The Cloak Society.  I am excited about reading this book because I love super villains!  Especially super villains who are really good guys at heart.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Jeramey Kraatz] Writer, Reader, and all-around nerd. Avocado and cat enthusiast (separately). Likes to pretend he’s in music videos when no one’s around.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about The Cloak Society?

[Jeramey Kraatz] Of course! The book follows Alex Knight, a 12-year-old boy with telekinetic powers born into The Cloak Society—a secret team of supervillains in Texas. Alex is fourth-generation Cloak, so he’s got a lot to live up to. Cloak was defeated ten years ago by the Rangers of Justice, a team of much-loved superheroes, and now the villains have been lying in wait, looking for the perfect moment to enact their revenge.

Alex is part of the Beta Team—the other Cloak Society members around his age—and the book starts off on their first mission, which should be a routine bank heist. But it goes terribly awry when the heroes show up and Alex saves the life of a Junior Ranger named Kirbie. From there, Alex’s world gets…complicated.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Jeramey Kraatz] The initial concept came from me joking around with another writer about genre adaptations of Shakespearean works. I proposed a superhero Romeo and Juliet where instead of the Montagues and Capulets you had, say, the Masters of Evil and the Avengers. Weeks went by and I couldn’t get the premise out of my head. The problem was that to make the story compelling, I’d have to make the supervillain lead likeable in some way, which was the idea/challenge I really latched onto—I didn’t want to write a run-of-the-mill superhero origin story like I’d read in comics and seen in movies countless times. As the world and characters got fleshed out, the Shakespeare fell away, and Alex and the Cloak Society became the focus of the novel.

Character creation was so much fun for this book since most of the main cast has superpowers. They came about in two ways: Either I had a superpower I wanted to use in the mix and had to think “What would a person who could control temperatures act like,” or it was the opposite, and I had a character in mind and had to find a power that complemented their personality. I wanted to make sure that all of the powers in some way reflected who these characters are, to have shaped them in some way.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Alex?

[Jeramey Kraatz] Full. Of. Potential. I think that’s probably cheating, but it couldn’t be more apt.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Alex would never have in his pocket?

[Jeramey Kraatz] 1. Keys (Cloak’s security system is SO beyond simple locks)

2. A cell phone (too traceable)

3. A lockpick (he’s got telekinetic powers—he’s totally outgrown those)

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Alex had a theme song, what would it be?

[Jeramey Kraatz] Young Men Dead by The Black Angels. The guitar line is kind of creepy and foreboding, and the lyrics are really battle oriented. I listened to it a lot when working on the first draft. Bonus points for being a Texas band!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Jeramey Kraatz] For this book, I’m definitely drawing on a lifetime of reading comics. It probably shows on every page, in every little nod or Easter egg dropped in that only comic book readers will pick up on. Joss Whedon’s work, for sure. Claremont’s “Dark Phoenix Saga” is probably the biggest influence in terms of specific stories. I interned at Marvel in the X-Men editorial department while I was in grad school, and seeing how big story arcs were scripted and planned was definitely invaluable when I was working on the original outline.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Jeramey Kraatz] Caffeine, room to pace, and snack rewards. I’m very food motivated. Finish a chapter, and I get the piece of cake. I always feel really out of shape by the time I finish a big draft or edit.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Jeramey Kraatz] I finally got around to reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke after years of staring at it on my bookshelf and being scared by its size. It was such a complex, engrossing novel…probably the first time in a while that I’ve finished a book and immediately thought “I have to read that again.”

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Jeramey Kraatz] I learned to read using The Foot Book and never stopped.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Jeramey Kraatz] Reading a ton, from comics to YA to scholarly nonfiction—I try to keep it varied. I’m a sucker for bad horror movies and Netflix TV marathons. I work in the anime industry, so as part of my job I sometimes get to watch cartoons all day. So really, I’m living the geek dream.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Jeramey Kraatz] I’m all over the place. You can contact me directly through jerameykraatz.com, or follow me on twitter @jerameykraatz. I love hearing from other readers and writers, so feel free to be get in touch with me!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

You can preorder The Cloak Society from your favorite bookseller, or by clicking the widget below.  Available in print and digital.

Welcome to my  Under the Sea Giveaway,  hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Musings of ALMYBNENR.  This hop runs from September 14th to September 20, and you can win lots of new reads.  Click here for a complete list of blogs participating in the hop.

I am giving away a finished copy of Cuttlefish by David Freer.  I enjoyed this seafaring adventure, and I think you will, too!

Sounds good, doesn’t it?  Just fill in the widget below for your chance to win.  Earn extra entries by following.  US shipping addresses only, please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

I love this series!  The pacing is fast and furious and guarantees that the pages will turn rapidly.  I started The Ravenous Dead when I had a couple of free moments, but then I had to put it down because I had social obligations to attend to.  All I could think about was getting back home and hunkering down with Rachel, Kit, and new guy Luke.  How could they possibly out muscle a horrifying monster that literately rips the soul out of its victims?  I couldn’t wait to find out!

One of the things I like best about this series is how we are given little snippets of background information about the characters and the weird, alternate Vancouver that they reside in, while chasing around with Rachel as she tries to stay alive long enough to unravel the latest mystery she’s stumbled into.  Paranormal beasties try to blend in with normal humans, and when they don’t, it’s Rachel’s job to find out why, and if necessary, help put an end to any dangerous behavior.  The world building is believable, without being heavy handed.  It’s almost like Rachel deals with all of these nasty creatures so I don’t have to even be aware that they are standing in line next to me at Taco Bell.

The Ravenous Dead pits Rachel against a reaper, an undead being that feasts on souls.  She believes that it’s the same reaper that  she failed to destroy years before, causing the death of her partner.  She is consumed with guilt, and she has a driving need to free the souls trapped inside the reaper.  The only problem?  It is a terrifying monster, fueled with the souls of its victims, and Rachel must overcome her mind-numbing fear of it, which leaves her frozen and incapable of calling on her supernatural powers.

This is a quick, exciting read with relatable characters and a paranormal world I would like to know more about.  The focus is on the intense action and character interaction, with small breadcrumbs scattered throughout the narrative to help make the setting feel real and believable.  Rachel is a strong, smart lead, and she’s given just enough flaws to ensure that she doesn’t have things too easy when she’s going toe to toe with a cantankerous spirit.  I can’t wait for her n

From Amazon:

With the growing excitement over the upcoming release of The Hunger Games movie, this book seems to be the only one that I talk about anymore.  I have had Hunger Games discussions with no less than five different people at work yesterday alone, and that is a shocking number considering the lack of readers to be found there.

My barn buddies are not immune, either.  Elsa is eleven, and she’s in middle school.  She is a voracious reader, and she is getting old enough to read some YA novels.  She really loved The Hunger Games, and she asked if she could share her love here at the Café.  Who am I to deny a future book blogger??  Elsa, the floor is all yours!

My Review On The Hunger Games by Elsa:

The Hunger Games was a thrilling, exciting book. It showed how much love can stretch over distances,  and the importance of believing in what you want. I thought that the Hunger Games was about something different when  I heard about the book when I was in the fourth grade.   But now this year, after I’ve read it, it shows so much more than people killing other people for entertainment; it  explores how indecisive humans are and how ugly, despicable, and unruly we can be.  Even though this is a fiction book, it can help you realize what you want the most. I realized that I wanted to be stronger, not just physically, but mentally. I wanted to be my best, to be the strongest person that I can be for my friends and family.

I can confidently say that this is a great book and that I will want to read it over and over again. The Hunger Games is a book that I am officially obsessed with.  I had such a hard time putting it down and stepping away from Katniss and her struggles.  Would she survive the Hunger Games?  Would something even more horrible happen to her?  This is such a good story that even when I wasn’t reading it, I was wondering what was going to happen next!   I want to read the rest of Suzanne Collins’ books!

~Elsa,  age 11

Thanks, Elsa!  I dug out my copy of Catching Fire for you, so you can see what happens next!

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

I loved this book!  It had one of my favorite romance tropes – an enduring love that crosses over lifetimes – and a ton of action to keep things moving along. I couldn’t put it down.  Protagonist Rileigh is just snarky enough to be amusing instead of irritating, and the martial arts battles were fun to read.  I was sad when I reached the last page. 

When Rileigh and her best friend are attacked after a shopping trip to the mall, she shocks everyone by beating the crap out of her assailants.  When her life was in danger, a mysterious presence took control of her and handily fended off the thugs.  Shocked, Rileigh doesn’t know whether or not she’s going crazy.  All she knows is that everything around it going nuts, and she is fighting all of the disruptions to her well-ordered life tooth and nail.  When handsome Kim tells her that her life is in danger, she has a hard time trusting him.  When he tells her she was a samurai warrior in a past life, she starts to freak out. How can that even be possible?

While I had to make a serious disconnect from reality, I found the premise of this story irresistible.  As Rileigh fights to keep her life normal and death free, she keeps finding herself in situations where she is forced to admit that there is something really, really wrong going on.  What is that voice that keeps talking to her, and how does she know how to defend herself against swords, shurikens, and pummeling fists?  She’s never given much time to think about her new abilities, because her life is unraveling right before her eyes.  She isn’t exactly the bravest person around, and she would really like to turn tail and run away from danger, but that annoying voice inside her head won’t let her.

This is a quick, fun read that will keep you turning pages in rapid succession.  I literally did not move for extended periods of time once I started reading Katana.  Rileigh’s voice is strong and distinctive, and she held my attention for her entire adventure.  I loved the flashbacks to her warrior past, and kept wondering how thing

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

I spent most of my holiday vacation reading.  I am amazed by all  of the great stories I was able to enjoy during my time away from work.  The Book of Wonders is one of the titles that I devoured, and I literally spent most of a day flipping the pages of this fun middle-grade adventure.  An exciting spin on the 1001 Nights, there is plenty of action, adventure, and death-defying feats to keep readers entertained.  I liked the characters, especially the spunky Scheherazade (nicknamed Zardi).  She managed to get herself into, and back out of, an alarming amount of trouble over the course of the book.  With her best friend’s help, she remained surprising unscathed even during the most trying of circumstances.

Zardi lives with her family and her best friend, Rhidan, in the city of Taraket.  Her country is ruled by the evil sultan, Shahryar, who has outlawed all magic from his kingdom.  He is a cruel and vicious ruler, and he delights in the discomfort and pain of others.  When Zardi’s older sister, Zubeyda, is chosen to be the sultan’s next praisemaker, Zardi knows only fear.  The career of each praisemaker is terrifyingly short, and each ends with a hunt.  Zubeyda will be tracked down and killed!  Zardi is determined save her gentle sister from this cruel fate, and she will risk her life to save her!

This is a fast-paced read, with one frantic adventure following another.  With the help of Rhidan, Zardi leaps into the adventure of a lifetime.  She thinks that the key to saving her sister is finding the Varish, a group of rebels threatening to overthrow the sultan and return Aladdin, the rightful ruler, to the throne.  Rhidan, who was abandoned by his family and raised  by Zardi’s family, believes that the sorcerers of the Black Isle will hold the key to his true identity, as well as help save Zubeyda.  And so the two sneak away in the middle of night, and soon find themselves working on Sinbad’s ship.

I thought Zardi was a fun character.  She refused to allow anything to get in the way of saving her sister.  Not even being a shipwreck,  the Cyclops, or the queen of snakes could deter her from her goal.  Each new challenge was met with the grim knowledge that she could not fail, or her sister would die

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

For me, the greatest enjoyment with the Drake Chronicles comes from revisiting the characters with every new book.  The focus may have turned from one character to more fully flesh out another, but all of the Drakes and their significant others pop up time and again, offering advice (whether solicited or not), someone to ride shotgun in the deadly world of vampires, or providing someone to bicker with.  I love the family, and feel that I get to know them better with each installment.  This is one series that collects very little dust once it hits my bookshelves.  Even when I am pushing the limits of my free-time, I always find an extra minute or two to devour these books.  This is one of my guilty pleasures, and I count down the days until each new adventure is released.

This book takes a slightly different approach from the others.  Instead of just following the new couple around, there are multiple points of view.  Lucy has a starring role, and as she is my favorite character, I didn’t mind.  It was interesting to see how she’s changed from the events in Hearts at Stake, and it was sad as well.  There is a new distance between Solange and Lucy, and it’s breaking Lucy’s heart. Suddenly, for her own good, she has been cut off from her second family, the Drakes.  She doesn’t feel welcome in their home anymore, and most of the family is avoiding her.  That makes it hard for her and Nicholas, and it causes a bit of tension in their relationship.  Lucy hates being cut off from the people she loves, and she is determined to figure out what the heck is going on with Solange.

I found this storyline very compelling, and I felt so bad for Lucy.  Life is just not the same without all of the Drakes to surround her, and it’s even more distressing that she and her best friend forever are barely on speaking terms.   Everyone wants to protect Lucy, but she doesn’t want that for herself.  That is what I like the best about her.  She isn’t going to be a damsel in distress, and she is hell bent on being responsible for her own wellbeing.  All of the women in this series are tough and stubborn, and they don’t need anybody to pamper them.  I appreciate that; it gives them all a sense of empowerment, and it keeps me coming back for more.  The women in this series kick just as much Hel Blar ass as the guys.

Lucy’s cousin Christabel has moved in while her mother struggles with reh

May Contain Spoilers

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Review:

This was a very fun read, and it made me realize that self-pubbed books can be just as entertaining as books released by traditional publishers.  Yes, I have been known to be a bit of a book snob, and I have avoided smaller press and author published books.  The few I had read previously just didn’t draw me into the story, but over the past few months, I have read some that I really enjoyed.  The key is to sample, sample, sample, and make use of the free chapters before making a purchase decision.  I am finding that with my Kindle, I am reading books I would ordinarily not have.  The pricing for this book was hard to resist, too.  It was .99 cents, and after reading the free sample, I quickly found myself clicking the Buy button at Amazon.

Joss is a loner, and that’s how she likes things.  Her family isn’t quite normal, and her father has drilled both Joss and her younger sister Jill on the importance of being ready for anything and not getting close to anyone.  Joss is a Talent, and the government would swoop in like an angry crow and snatch her away from her family if they ever found out.  When Kat moves to town, Joss’ world is turned upside down.  She suddenly has a friend, and she’s making connections with other people.  Dangerous connections that could get them all in serious trouble with the government.  As Joss finally starts to feel like she belongs, though, she throws caution to the wind.

This is a very fast-paced read, and it will appeal to fans of super hero comics.  As Joss gets to know her classmates, she discovers that a surprisin

May Contain Spoilers

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When I was first contacted to review this book, I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly jumping with anticipation.  The cover convinced me to at least look at the book, but again, small publishers and their books aren’t really my thing.  I tossed the book into my luggage when I went on vacation, and I started reading it while sitting around the fairgrounds at a recent horse show.  I found it surprisingly fun, and polished it off in just over one sitting.

The humor is what really caught my attention when I started reading SZJMB, and the action kept me engaged to the end.  Nate and Misty are best buds, and after getting in trouble when caught making an ill-advised late-night run to Dairy Queen, they decide to run away.  That lasts about a day, but on their trek back home, they notice that things are a little too quiet.  Things are clearly not right, especially after the mayor attacks them.  Being fairly clueless, it takes both of them a while to realize that the mayor wasn’t drunk; he’s the victim of a zombie infection!  The entire town is crawling with zombies, and Nate and Misty seem to be the only non-zombies left in their small town.

The fast-pacing guarantees that the pages will turn rapidly as Nate and Misty run and fight for their lives.  They hole up at the local Wal-Mart, setting up their HQ in the vision center while attempting to decide what to do next.  Their strategy sessions are a lot of fun, and prove that watching lots of TV will help get you through a zombie apocalypse.  Despite their terror, they both settle down for a long siege by the zombies.  A lucky coincidence gives them a powerful weapon to use against the hordes of undead lumbering through town, and after they save a young genius from being zombie chow, it looks like they might actually survive their undead nightmare.

I really liked the young protagonists, especially Misty.  She doesn’t sit back and cringe helplessly as the mob of undead attempt to gobble her brains.  No!  She takes an active part in the zombie battles, and it is very clear that without her help, Nate isn’t going to escape from having his own brains quickly consumed.  Nate is appealing, too.  He makes mistakes, and while he usually learns from

May Contain Spoilers

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It’s the last week before the Labor Day holiday.  This is a time for soaking up the last of the warm summer rays before the leaves start to change colors and the colder weather of autumn begins to settle in.  This is the time for brainless, action-packed movies, and caving in to the theory that too much thinking is sometimes bad for your noggin, I picked up the second volume of Highschool of the Dead to help usher out the last of the summer. 

Where to start?  Let’s see – brainless certainly fits this series.  It is a mindless festival of gore and blood splatters.  Oh, and impossibly large breasted women, but I think I already covered that in my thoughts on the first volume.  Takashi and Rei have split away from their friends because of a falling out with Shidou.  They race off on a motorcycle, each clutching blunt-edged weapons so they can pummel the crap out of any zombies they encounter.  Ignoring for the moment the fact that motorcycles are loud, noisy machines, they make it unscathed to a gas station, where they are accosted by a nut-case intent on kidnapping Rei so he can have his wicked ways with her.  And because he needs a chick to survive. Or something like that.  During this encounter, both Rei and Takashi discover that they enjoy beating the brains out of anything that moves, including cash registers.  Go figure.

After discovering that all of the bridges in town have been closed off and our little gang is trapped on the wrong side of all of them, Rei and Takashi are reunited with their buddies from the bus.  Naked bath scenes with large breasted bimbos ensue.  Again, I wonder at the intelligence of these characters as they cavort loudly and drunkenly with hordes of the undead searching for a snack just outside of their bathroom.  Since there isn’t really a plot, whatever, we’ll just go whichever way the rubber ducky floats.

There is a rescue scene, a Hummer running over zombies scene, and even police officers firing on frantic crowds of desperate people trying to escape becoming zombie chow scene.  The bulldozer squashing everyone in its path scene only got a few measly panels, but it’s here!  Flattening anything in its path, leaving human and not-quite human pancakes in its wake!

I am not a fan of brainless horror flicks, but some people love them.  Dean will sit in front of Syfy all day long, watching Mongolian Death Worms, Mega Piranha, and Dinocroc, one right after another.  This is why I read.  I am trying to avoid having my brain cells rot during the course of a Sunday afternoon.  Still, there must be an audience for these kinds of movies, because they keep making them.  So, in theory, there must be an audience for brainless manga as well.

May Contain Spoilers

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Deadman Wonderland is the perfect example of one of the reasons I feel like  I have lost my manga mojo.  I was thoroughly enjoying this action-packed sci-fi series when its US publisher, Tokyopop, abruptly shut their doors for business.  Stu Levy, per his own infamous Tweet, was bored with the publishing industry.  Books were too old-school for him, so he turned his back on all of his fans and totally rained on their parade.  Bye-bye almost ten years’ worth of collecting the old fashioned, boring books his publishing company had been blitzing the market with.  Bye-bye series that I had come to love and anticipate, and in part prompted me to start this blog in the first place.  Ouch!  Talk about a slap in the face…

Deadman Wonderland is the type of series I didn’t have much interest in when I first heard about it.  I’m not a big fan of horror yarns or stories with graphic violence, though after taking a look at some of the titles I am following, I am going to have to admit that I do like some of these kinds of books.  While this title doesn’t have a lot of over the top violence, it does offer its fair share of blood sprays, explosions, and destructive combat scenes.  After reading the first volume, I was hooked.  How is Ganta going to survive and get out of Deadman Wonderland?  Will he survive the Carnival of Corpses?  At first glance, it doesn’t seem that he will survive very long, with his skinny frame and gullible nature.  Better for US fans if he had only lived the span of four graphic novels – we wouldn’t have been left hanging when yet another manga publisher shuttered their offices.

This volume has Ganta facing off against Yo’s sister in the second round of the Carnival of Corpses.  Minatsuki is a psychopath, and she gets off on lying and killing.  Her hair is her deadly weapon, and she can whip her opponents to bloody ribbons with about as much effort as it takes a normal person to yawn.  Their battle gets off to a fierce and furious start, and it looks like Ganta’s going to go down fast.  Then Yo arrives to complicate matters even more for the hapless Ganta.

I like this series, and I don’t know why.  The action is mind-numbing, the plot is erratic, and most of the characters are one-dimensional.   Still, there are enough twists and suspense to keep me turning the pages.  I like Ganta quite a bit, and I want him to survive, to find out why he’s in DW, and to somehow find freedom for himself.  I also like Shiro.  I want to know everything about her.  A fe