don't be dull, be fannish

"No. 6, Vol. 3" by Atsuko Asano, Hinoki Kino

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Oh, I just love it when Rat's trying to convince everybody - himself included - that he doesn't care about Shion when in reality, he would die to protect him, he loves Shion so much. That's why he keeps berating Shion because he's afraid something could happen to him. It's hard to write reviews for this manga because, having seen the anime, I know how it will continue and I don't want to spoil the upcoming volumes for anybody. But, gosh, Rat and Shion... *happy sigh*

"The Silver Branch (The Dolphin Ring Cycle #2)" by Rosemary Sutcliff

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣ •

3.5 stars. A good adventure book for the whole family, both kids and adults, a follow-up to "The Eagle of the Nine" by the same author. I liked the characters a lot, all of them, but especially Flavius and Justinus, the main characters. Though for me, the book was... missing something. Maybe because it wasn't about them being a part of various historical events, it was about the historical events featuring them, the story was more important than the characters. There were few scenes that I would've called "intimate" - we learned a lot about Flavius and Justinus without really getting to know them, if that makes any sense. But it was a good story and I'm sorry that I didn't get around to it when I was a kid. I think I would've adored it...

"Prophets (Apotheosis #1)" by S. Andrew Swann

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣

A sprawling space opera with some amazingly vivid imagery. But also heavy on exposure and with downright unlikable characters blinded by their various dogmatic faiths. When it was not the Catholic Church, it was Islam or some cooked up religion. I really, very much dislike people driven by their religion's dogmas instead of common sense. That's why the only person I liked and rooted for, was Flynn. One character couldn't save the whole ensemble, though.

To sum it up, there are some really great ideas in this book, some very exciting stuff. Unfortunately, I need more to be smitten with a book: I need characters that I love to follow. And this book offered them sparsely.

"The Delta Anomaly (Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2010 series) #1)" by Rick Barba

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣

I loved reading an official Star Trek tie-in book set during the characters' academy days. And I also loved the description of the cadets' life at the academy, their rivalry, fun and pranks - "Schiller!" - the tests Kirk had to pass... That part was awesome.

The alien entity that was the antagonist in this book was interesting too, a very unusual being. But after a while, I started losing myself in all the tests they conducted and in all the results they came to, but especially in Uhura's translating methods. Most of the time, I had no idea what she was talking about. So, that was a downer.

One thing I was ambivalent about was Kirk's relationship with Hannah. She felt too much like a Mary-Sue, I guess? The way he kept talking about her being the sole inspiration for his future research methods and so on... That just rang false to me. I mean, it was great that she made him think outside the box, but his infatuation with her was way too sudden.

Overall, a good book with some hiccups that needed smoothing out.

"Skyscrapers of Oz" by Yoshino Somei & Row Takakura

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣

The seme/uke characterization is very stereotypical here - the semes are larger, older and tougher, the ukes smaller, younger and sweeter - but that's not something I necessarily mind if the story is good. And this manga has an actual plot, it's not just sexing all around. What I do mind is the fact that it's about adult men sleeping with teenagers. That's dangerously close to being skeevy and squicky, to be perfectly honest. And that's why only 3 stars.

"Corsair #1" by Fuuko Minami & Erii Misono

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣

This manga is beautifully drawn and it has a really interesting story. So, why only 3 stars? Because it got terribly confusing at times. I mean, hints at things to come or at things past are great - but they should never confuse the reader to the point when he or she becomes lost. And that happened to me a few times when I wasn't sure who was talking about whom and in what connection they stood.

Still, a good manga worth following, I think.

"Sleeping Moon Vol. 1" by Kano Miyamoto

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

Much funnier than the cover and the synopsis suggested. Akihiko's reactions to anything supernatural were hilarious. And I thought Ren would be the aloof one so the way he suddenly became so clingy surprised me. I wonder why the change of heart. Was it, as Akihiko suspected, just because they were in the same boat? Or was it something more?

"Black Sun Vol. 1" by Uki Ogasawara

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣

The story is a bit thin. Okay, really thin: in a semi-historical setting, an Ottoman general takes a young crusader prisoner and makes him his bed slave only for the two of them to be separated by the plotting, jealous lover of the old sultan. At least the drawings are really beautiful. And also very, very graphic, the sex scenes, I mean.

Still, despite the paper thinness of the story and the three stars I gave it, I want to know where it's headed, how/if Jemal and Leonard will find a way to be together. So, I will continue the series, for at least a book or two more.

"The Spy Who Haunted Me (Secret Histories #3)" by Simon R. Green

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣

This book had a really interesting format, almost like a treasure hunt or a video game. My favorite bit was their adventure in Siberia, in X37. The rest of the jumps was... not bad but mostly used for shock value, I think, for their glitter, infamous reputation and style. X37 was genuinely scary and I loved how it was tied to what happened in Tunguska. Abandoned research facilities scare me more than haunted houses, to be honest.

Regarding the characters, I actually felt sorry for Blue Fairy. I hated him because of what he had done to Eddie in the last book but... I felt sorry for him here. He really didn't deserve this. But I really liked Walker here. I kind of hated him in the Nightside series and he deserved what he got, but this Walker? This Walker I might have grown to like. I missed the Drood family here, though. My favorite parts are always those where Eddie interacts with his clan of nutjobs. Sadly, that was lacking here.

"Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7)" by Patricia Briggs

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

I bawled like a little kid. I couldn't believe that Briggs did that, that she killed off that character. Why? Just... WHY?! I cried so hard my head started hurting. She really knows how to tug at your emotions. I remember that the ending of the first book made me cry just as hard...

I really liked this book, I liked that Kyle and Tad played much bigger parts than ever before. Kyle and Warren have always been my favorite couple in the series. I root for them like crazy. My second favorite couple was... well, the one that was destroyed in this book, hence my tears. Seriously, authors shouldn't do that to their readers!

Still, as much as I loved the book, I couldn't give it five stars because it felt too wordy in some places, like the characters' thoughts ran in circles. But it was definitely better than the previous one because the pack was much more involved in what was happening.