librariefellngs rated Crave: 1 star
Crave by Tracy Wolff (Crave, #1)
My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students …
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My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students …
A young reporter escapes being mauled by a man wolf and changes into a man wolf by the moon. His own actions soon result in a horde of police and scientists seeking him out, along with others like him...
I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't. My first problem was that I didn’t care about the main character at all. Reuben is 23 years old and works as a reporter. He talks like a 45-year-old philosophy major and having sex with women who aren’t his girlfriend; he is a bland character with no real traits. The rest of the characters are thin. That Reuben’s girlfriend is a lawyer or his mother is a doctor may seem interesting, but their careers define them a lot. All the rest are pretty interchangeable.
As for the writing, it is not stellar either. Besides being clunky, it’s replete with info dumps.
One …
A young reporter escapes being mauled by a man wolf and changes into a man wolf by the moon. His own actions soon result in a horde of police and scientists seeking him out, along with others like him...
I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't. My first problem was that I didn’t care about the main character at all. Reuben is 23 years old and works as a reporter. He talks like a 45-year-old philosophy major and having sex with women who aren’t his girlfriend; he is a bland character with no real traits. The rest of the characters are thin. That Reuben’s girlfriend is a lawyer or his mother is a doctor may seem interesting, but their careers define them a lot. All the rest are pretty interchangeable.
As for the writing, it is not stellar either. Besides being clunky, it’s replete with info dumps.
One positive is the mythology she has created for her werewolves, the Chrism, and so on. That Reuben accepted the change and became the werewolf version of Batman also impressed me. My interest in the rest of the book did piqued, but it did not captivate me. The Wolf Gift intended the first in a series to be the climax of the story.
It just wasn't my kind of book.
You can also find this review on my blog: Click here
The old village well is just a curiosity - something to attract tourists intrigued by stories of lost treasure, or …
"Aladdin and Alibaba have entered the Dungeon of Qishan hoping to find hidden treasure-- but danger's found them! A horde …
From a universe where necromancy abounds, comes Gideon the Ninth.Her home planet, the Ninth Planet, holds trials to determine who will inherit unimaginable power.
As the heir of the Ninth and the strongest necromancer on the planet, Harrow needs... a sword. Luckily, Gideon knows the sword.
Since they can remember, Gideon and Harrow have hated each other.
The moment Harrow dangles freedom in front of Gideon, Gideon knows she will have to follow through with the plan... even to the very end.
There’s just something about this book that doesn’t work for me. The first time I tried it, I wasn’t able to get into it. My second attempt was more challenging, but I got through it.
It is because of Gideon herself and the style of the book that I did not enjoy it. She sounded like she was trying way too complicated to be edgy and cool. I …
From a universe where necromancy abounds, comes Gideon the Ninth.Her home planet, the Ninth Planet, holds trials to determine who will inherit unimaginable power.
As the heir of the Ninth and the strongest necromancer on the planet, Harrow needs... a sword. Luckily, Gideon knows the sword.
Since they can remember, Gideon and Harrow have hated each other.
The moment Harrow dangles freedom in front of Gideon, Gideon knows she will have to follow through with the plan... even to the very end.
There’s just something about this book that doesn’t work for me. The first time I tried it, I wasn’t able to get into it. My second attempt was more challenging, but I got through it.
It is because of Gideon herself and the style of the book that I did not enjoy it. She sounded like she was trying way too complicated to be edgy and cool. I found the other characters to be one-dimensional - even Harrow doesn’t get much development until the end of the book. Oh, and if you are seeking a good lesbian romance, you will be disappointed. There’s nothing romantic about it.
The second problem was that it felt aimless. The start of the series seemed promising, and for a while it did. However, once it became apparent, it was going to be a pointless tournament arc with murder; I lost interest. There are no rules, only vague objectives, and it is impossible to follow the person solving the puzzle, so things just sort of... happen. The characters and style didn’t appeal to me, which would have been fine if I enjoyed it.
The third problem, I also found the world building to be vague. There was a lot of aesthetic detail on, with skeletons and bones and locked doors everywhere. Beyond that, it was hollow. Despite the brief spaceship journey at the beginning, it is not science fiction, rather fantasy.
What is the purpose of the Emperor? Are there any reasons becoming his servant is so desirable? Where do the other planets stand? What is the purpose of necromancy?
I’m not sure whether I’m going to continue.
You can also find this review on my blog: Click here
There is a slight improvement in the storyline from the previous volume, so this volume gets a star more than the previous volume. Sailor Moon: Pretty Guardian, Volume 2. The story becomes a little more detailed, and we get a sense of the plot as well. It’s much more enjoyable now!
Although I love the art style, something still bothers me. There is literally a ZERO development for the side characters outside of Chiba Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask, Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon, and a glimpse of Queen Beryl’s past.
Usagi is the focus of this book, and the world obsesses so much about her it’s impossible to ignore her. If you are not an Usagi fan, you are most likely to be VERY disappointed. Is there any point to including them at all? I don’t get it.
There was Sailor Venus pretending to be a princess when she was not one. In the …
There is a slight improvement in the storyline from the previous volume, so this volume gets a star more than the previous volume. Sailor Moon: Pretty Guardian, Volume 2. The story becomes a little more detailed, and we get a sense of the plot as well. It’s much more enjoyable now!
Although I love the art style, something still bothers me. There is literally a ZERO development for the side characters outside of Chiba Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask, Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon, and a glimpse of Queen Beryl’s past.
Usagi is the focus of this book, and the world obsesses so much about her it’s impossible to ignore her. If you are not an Usagi fan, you are most likely to be VERY disappointed. Is there any point to including them at all? I don’t get it.
There was Sailor Venus pretending to be a princess when she was not one. In the pre-canon Silver Millennium, Princess Serenity/Usagi killed herself after Prince Endymion is murdered. Usagi is sad and has no idea what to do. A cliffhanger ends this volume.
My memory recalls that Naoko Takeuchi wanted to kill the Sailor permanently, but her editors talked her out of it. Therefore, her motivations are much more tragic than her publishers’.
Nevertheless, I had a great time with this one, and I can’t wait to read the next volume.
You can also find this review on my blog: Click Here
Reading this brought back so many memories.
As a kid, watching Sailor Moon on TV, I was obsessed with Serena’s (Usagi) and Darien’s (Mamoru) relationship.
Unfortunately, the manga is a mess. There is poor character development, cluttered panels, and a lack of focus on the overall story.
In terms of pace, it is incredibly fast. The story took days, not weeks. Although it may seem unfair to compare the manga with the anime, this read disappointed me, since I am a huge Sailor Moon fan. The filler episodes improved the plot greatly. The villains got a chance of being evil and to discover who they are.
The anime was full of suspense and drama. In fact, there were a few battle scenes where I wasn’t sure about the Sailor Warriors’ victory, and they even lost some battles, like normal heroines do sometimes. The manga rushed through all of that quickly. …
Reading this brought back so many memories.
As a kid, watching Sailor Moon on TV, I was obsessed with Serena’s (Usagi) and Darien’s (Mamoru) relationship.
Unfortunately, the manga is a mess. There is poor character development, cluttered panels, and a lack of focus on the overall story.
In terms of pace, it is incredibly fast. The story took days, not weeks. Although it may seem unfair to compare the manga with the anime, this read disappointed me, since I am a huge Sailor Moon fan. The filler episodes improved the plot greatly. The villains got a chance of being evil and to discover who they are.
The anime was full of suspense and drama. In fact, there were a few battle scenes where I wasn’t sure about the Sailor Warriors’ victory, and they even lost some battles, like normal heroines do sometimes. The manga rushed through all of that quickly. Soon after, they were going to fight a new foe.
Based on the writer’s confirmation, the author ran out of ideas and threw random things into the story.
As I mentioned, Sailor Moon’s character development is lacking. Having hardly any character characteristics or emotions beyond the surface level prevented me from becoming invested in the characters. As for the romance, it was chaotic as well. The two love interests start out hating and despising each other. Their hatred for each other suddenly disappears when they kiss. In a previous life, they were lovers.
The blandness and flatness of every character annoys me? All the girls discuss friendship and love, but I’ve never seen them casually hang out and discuss feelings like normal people. Every time a character died, it did not bother me at all. My goal was to write this review and move on to my life as quickly as possible. There is one prop I give Sailor Moon, which is that it has so much open lesbian representation for a story written at the time it was written.
You can also find this review on my blog: Click Here
I love Sailor Moon.
I watched all the anime (the original one, that is).
Anyhow. There was nothing worthwhile about this third volume. I found it to be very confusing and messy. I can't even begin to describe how the translation has been done - it's like it's been done by a child.
The anime handled the plot better as well. In my opinion, the original manga is too self-destructive. So far, Usagi has killed herself twice because she didn't want Mamoru to live without her. I'm not interested in that kind of life.
I think the anime's creators realized that romanticizing suicide for loved ones was unwise, so they changed it. Likewise, I love it this way.
That's just my opinion. Perhaps that's why I've never really liked Romeo and Juliet. The final battle was messy, with lots of drama, twists, and tears. There was nothing there. I find …
I love Sailor Moon.
I watched all the anime (the original one, that is).
Anyhow. There was nothing worthwhile about this third volume. I found it to be very confusing and messy. I can't even begin to describe how the translation has been done - it's like it's been done by a child.
The anime handled the plot better as well. In my opinion, the original manga is too self-destructive. So far, Usagi has killed herself twice because she didn't want Mamoru to live without her. I'm not interested in that kind of life.
I think the anime's creators realized that romanticizing suicide for loved ones was unwise, so they changed it. Likewise, I love it this way.
That's just my opinion. Perhaps that's why I've never really liked Romeo and Juliet. The final battle was messy, with lots of drama, twists, and tears. There was nothing there. I find it too gimmicky.
The epic, world-shattering battle full of dramatic self-sacrifice, and then reincarnation, that ends the first story arc concludes, and then we immediately move on to the beginning of this new story.
Chibi-Usa's introduction is odd and half-stupid, and her setting herself up as a cuckoo in Usagi's home by hypnotizing Usagi's parents doesn't sit well with me. It's obvious to me who Chibi-Usa is, and there are plenty of clues that make it clear why she's drawn to Usagi and Mamoru, but still. Both as a character and as a plot device, she does not appeal to me. So it's just as well that the story quickly shifts the emphasis to the new enemy, the Black Moon Kingdom, which is kidnapping one by one the guardians.
Takeuchi's art improved in this volume, but I cannot say exactly how.
As for this series, I don't see myself continuing it.
Click Here
This is a review of a rework.
As far as fan fiction is concerned, 50 Shades of Grey and Master of the Universe (based on the Twilight Saga) are essentially the same. A major difference is that Edward and Bella’s names have been changed to Christian and Anastasia, respectively. My knowledge of this comes from the fact that I have both and that I switch between them occasionally while reading with no difficulty.
To me, it seems obvious. There is no difference in the mannerisms of the characters. There are even similarities between the things they say and what the original characters said. Especially Edward’s “dazzle” line and asking Bella to trust him. Besides being incompetent in the romantic dependency, her mother remarried. Edward’s troubled past still motivates Bella to save him from himself. The only difference now is that Edward can hit Bella when she strays too far.
Christian …
This is a review of a rework.
As far as fan fiction is concerned, 50 Shades of Grey and Master of the Universe (based on the Twilight Saga) are essentially the same. A major difference is that Edward and Bella’s names have been changed to Christian and Anastasia, respectively. My knowledge of this comes from the fact that I have both and that I switch between them occasionally while reading with no difficulty.
To me, it seems obvious. There is no difference in the mannerisms of the characters. There are even similarities between the things they say and what the original characters said. Especially Edward’s “dazzle” line and asking Bella to trust him. Besides being incompetent in the romantic dependency, her mother remarried. Edward’s troubled past still motivates Bella to save him from himself. The only difference now is that Edward can hit Bella when she strays too far.
Christian Grey is condescending, controlling, possessive, and cruel. It is impossible for Ana to behave as she normally would. Therefore, she puts up with it. She believes that by giving him what he wants, when he wants, and as often as he wants, she will eventually be able to win him over. What are the chances of it working? Most likely in the books. How does it work in reality? In most cases, no. How various women will waste their lives on some jerk because they have read shit like this and think it will come true for them? I have known women like this. There’s a sad, lonely side to him, and if I could only understand what’s wrong, I could change him!
There seems to be a theme of rape. Christian tells Ana he enjoys having complete and total control over another person. Not just in the bedroom, but in Ana’s entire life. He cannot yield when Ana rejects, plunging on regardless, confident she will enjoy whatever he does, so why bother ceasing?
There are women out there who think this is romantic.
As the book finishes, Ana flees in emotional turmoil because Christian cannot provide what she needs.
Now I’m wondering why this book is so popular. What is it about this book that appeals to so sufficient women?
A Kyoto enthusiast, Chikahito Takamoto is in his second year of high school. He transported to a mystery world during a trip to his favorite city. Sakura, Tachibana, and Hana are the trio he meets there. His immunity from their powers makes them believe he is no ordinary teenager. Chikahito's life changed when Hana chooses him. What can he do to change the unknown fate that awaits him?
From a story perspective, I wasn’t really into the story. It just didn’t really catch my interest enough to continue after this first volume. It was easy to understand Japanese words and terms. I found nothing too complicated, though towards the end, the storytelling flow was a tad strange. It did not grab me.
There is never any time for Chikahito to reflect on what happened around him or for the reader to breathe. He just goes from one part of the …
A Kyoto enthusiast, Chikahito Takamoto is in his second year of high school. He transported to a mystery world during a trip to his favorite city. Sakura, Tachibana, and Hana are the trio he meets there. His immunity from their powers makes them believe he is no ordinary teenager. Chikahito's life changed when Hana chooses him. What can he do to change the unknown fate that awaits him?
From a story perspective, I wasn’t really into the story. It just didn’t really catch my interest enough to continue after this first volume. It was easy to understand Japanese words and terms. I found nothing too complicated, though towards the end, the storytelling flow was a tad strange. It did not grab me.
There is never any time for Chikahito to reflect on what happened around him or for the reader to breathe. He just goes from one part of the story to another. I’m thinking he was a tad too accepting, which is fine for a more comedic manga, but not for one that seems so serious.
His relationship with Hana is so vague. Like why she pick him? And how He is like her?
It is confusing to read a character’s future regarding his role in this war.
Let's see what happens in the next volume.
If you ask me if you should try this manga, I’d say sure. In terms of story, it is a 2.5, but in terms of artwork, it is a 3.
During my high school years, I read Marked. Despite my hatred for Zoey Redbird, I’m curious about what’s about to happen to her. I only read the first five books of the series before stopping.
One day at school, a Tracker marked Zoey Redbird and turned her into a vampire. With a refreshingly fresh take on the vampire legends, this story combines matriarchy and goddess worship to a pleasing effect. The Goddess Nyx has marked Zoey specially she given a special responsibility and added gifts, which she will need since there is something wrong at the House of Night, and her own mentor and High Priestess may not be as gentle and caring as she claims to be.
The first thing you need to know about Zoey is that she is such a hateful person. It has been a long time since I read about an MC who radiates such …
During my high school years, I read Marked. Despite my hatred for Zoey Redbird, I’m curious about what’s about to happen to her. I only read the first five books of the series before stopping.
One day at school, a Tracker marked Zoey Redbird and turned her into a vampire. With a refreshingly fresh take on the vampire legends, this story combines matriarchy and goddess worship to a pleasing effect. The Goddess Nyx has marked Zoey specially she given a special responsibility and added gifts, which she will need since there is something wrong at the House of Night, and her own mentor and High Priestess may not be as gentle and caring as she claims to be.
The first thing you need to know about Zoey is that she is such a hateful person. It has been a long time since I read about an MC who radiates such negative energy. Here, she calls all girls she doesn’t like derogatory names, such as bitches, hags, sluts, and hos. She believes she is better than them. She has a group of friends who are like her, and I don’t like any of them.
There is nothing impressive about Marked’s world building.
The House of Night series is set in a world very similar to our own, except that in Zoey Redbird’s world, vampires have always existed.
However, Marked does such a horrible job of implementing it. It’s labeled fantasy. With vampires having existed for so long, why are people so ignorant of them? Why is there only one vampire boarding school? Wouldn’t vampires have waged war against humans if they had existed for so long? After all, they’re much stronger than them. Considering how attractive vampires are and how successful they have been, why would anyone discriminate against them?
Marked’s romance is rubbish.
Their relationship was entirely insta-love. Their first encounter was as Aphrodite sucking Erik’s cock, which is the most disturbing aspect of the story. This is serious. Zoey sees Aphrodite forcing a blow-job on Erik. The two of them fall in love.
If you’re reading it out of curiosity, I can tell you it’s just as terrible as you imagine. Do not read this and be happy you didn’t.
A vampire attacked Yuki Cross ten years ago, but she had no memory of what happened before that. She’s adopted by Cross Academy’s headmaster and assigned to guard the school’s secrets with another student, Zero. Cross Academy divides into two classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. When Day Class students return to their dorms at twilight, they cross paths with Night Class students. The Guardians of the Academy are Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu, doing their part to protect the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: vampires rule the Night Class.
In this story, Yuki is the protagonist, and there’s nothing to like about her. There is an intriguing mystery surrounding Kaname’s strange obsession with Yuki, as well as the tragic backstory of Zero in which he seeks revenge against a powerful vampire. This results in some pretty dramatic stakes and tensions between Zero and Kaname.The world …
A vampire attacked Yuki Cross ten years ago, but she had no memory of what happened before that. She’s adopted by Cross Academy’s headmaster and assigned to guard the school’s secrets with another student, Zero. Cross Academy divides into two classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. When Day Class students return to their dorms at twilight, they cross paths with Night Class students. The Guardians of the Academy are Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu, doing their part to protect the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: vampires rule the Night Class.
In this story, Yuki is the protagonist, and there’s nothing to like about her. There is an intriguing mystery surrounding Kaname’s strange obsession with Yuki, as well as the tragic backstory of Zero in which he seeks revenge against a powerful vampire. This results in some pretty dramatic stakes and tensions between Zero and Kaname.The world building in vampire lore was very limited. They revealed Kaname is a Pure Blood Vampire that can turn humans into vampires. There was a hint that a pure blood vampire had attacked Zero.
The book reveals Yuki was not informed for over four years of Zero’s vampire status. Zero wants Yuki to kill him with his gun is heartbreaking. There are several forces at play, but the main one is romance.
As far as the story is concerned, it’s sometimes tricky to tell what Hino is trying to do. Hino specializes in romantic comedies. In Vampire Knight, you can still see that influence, which is part of why this volume is so strange. It’s clear that Hino is trying to write a serious story, with dark characters, a dark past and lots of blood.
However, there are lots of panels in this first volume where Yuki and Zero are like some kind of comedy team. A big source of comedy is the headmaster, who teases Zero, exults over Yuki, and sparkles with his apparently naïve dream of promoting peace between humans and vampires. Lighthearted scenes are so rare that they become jarring compared to the darker scenes.
Can you see yourself continuing to read this series? Yes, I enjoy some parts of manga, especially when it turns dark.
Is it for anyone? It depends on your taste for dark vampire stories.
I hate this book. Here is a quick review of the book.
Halo is a not-very-inspiring story about three angels sent to a posh coastal town called Venus Cove for some bizarre reason. They live lives of luxury and self-righteousness, doing very little proper service other than volunteering. A melodramatic and meandering plot follows Bethany and her melodramatic romance with Xavier. Some genuine conflict eventually shows up, several hundred pages too late to make the book any good, but that’s okay; as the author emphasizes several times, this book wasn’t written for artistic merit! Basically, it’s just a way to take your money and preach to you.
A lack of personality was apparent in the heroine. As opposed to doing well, she put her feelings about Xavier first. I found Xavier’s perfection sickening. He’s good-looking, but what else makes you want him? No more talking about his hair and eyes. …
I hate this book. Here is a quick review of the book.
Halo is a not-very-inspiring story about three angels sent to a posh coastal town called Venus Cove for some bizarre reason. They live lives of luxury and self-righteousness, doing very little proper service other than volunteering. A melodramatic and meandering plot follows Bethany and her melodramatic romance with Xavier. Some genuine conflict eventually shows up, several hundred pages too late to make the book any good, but that’s okay; as the author emphasizes several times, this book wasn’t written for artistic merit! Basically, it’s just a way to take your money and preach to you.
A lack of personality was apparent in the heroine. As opposed to doing well, she put her feelings about Xavier first. I found Xavier’s perfection sickening. He’s good-looking, but what else makes you want him? No more talking about his hair and eyes.
I hated the climax. When these characters realize there is a demon in town, they do nothing. In the meantime, they “wait for higher authorities to intervene.”
It would be easy for me to go on, but I don’t want to.
The end.
Tanjiro sets out on the path of the Demon Slayer to save his sister and avenge his family! Learning to …