Merman in My Tub vol 1

This is a review for Merman in My Tub volume 1 by Itokichi
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

 What happens when a merman moves into your bath tub?  Serious, studious Tatsumi is about to find out.  One day he rescues someone by the river and takes him home to help him only to realize that he didn't rescue a human, but a merman.

Wakasa is a very energetic merman who had to leave his home after tourists started flocking in trying to catch a glimpse of him.  Tatsumi rescued him from a dirty, trash filled river and now he is living in Tatsumi's bath tub.

This manga is very silly and fun.  It follows the day to day life of Wakasa the merman and Tatsumi the student as they learn to live together.  Wakasa has many strange friends who come over and complicate things.  Tatsumi has to try to keep Wakasa a secret from his family and friends. 

I enjoyed this manga a lot.  It isn't very serious or very deep.  It is a light, fun read that just makes you laugh.  Wakasa and Tatsumi are such extreme opposites, their daily interactions are frequently full of misunderstanding.  When you add in Wakasa's eccentric friends and Tatsumi's overprotective sister and friends and you have a real recipe for disaster.

If you are looking for a light story that will make you laugh I highly recommend this series. 

Warren the 13th & the All-Seeing Eye

This is a review for Warren the 13th & the All-Seeing Eye by Tania Del Rio, illustrated by Will Staehle
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

Warren the 13th is the heir to his family's hotel.  It has been in the family for hundreds of years.  When Warren the 12th was in charge it was a gleaming beacon visited by hundreds of guests who booked months in advance and were served by fleets of waiters, butlers, bellhops, maids and gardeners.  Now it is a shabby, run down hotel with no guests and only Warren the 13th and one chef left running things.  

Warren's Uncle Rupert is lazy and let the hotel become a run down decrepit old thing under his care.  Then he married a strange woman named Annaconda who is certain that there is a valuable secret hidden in the hotel.  Warren spends most of his time cleaning up the messes she makes searching for "The All-Seeing Eye."  No one except for her believes it even exists until one day Warren finds the journal of Warren the 2nd and sees it mentioned.  Now word is out and there are tons of guests quite literally tearing the place apart looking for the mysterious All-Seeing Eye.

This book is intended for Middle Grade readers.  It is perfectly paced to keep kids interested.  There are puzzles and riddles and secret codes hidden throughout the book.  They are fairly easy for an adult but they are the perfect difficulty level for kids.

This book is loaded with beautiful illustrations.  Some of them depict whole scenes, some are just decorative on the margins.  Each one is beautifully done and a wonderful addition to the book.  All of the illustrations are done in black, white and red.  They add a sort of gothic, turn of the century Victorian feel to the story.

I quite enjoyed this book and I am honestly looking forward to the sequel.  If you have kids looking for a new book to read check this one out.  If you or your kids are into old fashioned mysteries check this one out.

I received this book free from the publisher Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review.
This book will be released November 24th, 2015!

Magical Girl Apocalypse vol. 5

This is a review for Magical Girl Apocalypse vol. 5 by Kentaro Sato.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

This is a review for the 5th book in a series, as such it will not be spoiler free.  If you would like to read my reviews of the previous volumes of this series you can find them here, 1, 2, 3, & 4.

Kii Kogami's life has really gone to shit since it started raining Magical Girls.  Almost all of his friends are dead, his average, boring life is a memory now, there are roving packs of Magical Girls killing everything that moves and no safe place stays safe very long.

It has to be said; generally super violent apocalypse stories have gotten stale by volume 5.  There is only so much horror and blood you can pour into a story before it just stops shocking the reader.  That is not the case here!  This story has a great mix of horror and humor.  The jokes are irreverent and ridiculous but they perfectly balance the horror and gore to keep the story fresh and entertaining.

The plot line of this story keeps advancing at a steady rate.  It isn't just rush around just trying to survive the next 5 minutes.  The characters are forming bonds and learning about their screwed up world.  They have learned the cause of the apocalypse if not the full reasons for it.  They may have even found a way to end it and save their world.

The only down side to this series is the big reveal at the end of each volume makes you desperate to read more and you have to wait 3 months for the next part!  As always, I highly recommend this series to those of you who enjoy apocalypse tales and horror flicks, but only as long as you aren't squeamish because there is really a lot of gore!

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer

This is a review of Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

Magnus Chase is 16 years old and homeless.  His world pretty much revolves around finding his next meal, finding a safe place to sleep at night and avoiding police, social workers and anyone who says they want to "help" him.  His world is about to expand rather rapidly when he discovers that the old Norse gods are all too real, Valhalla exists and he is dragged into a quest to stop Ragnarok from happening.

In true Rick Riordan fashion the story grabs your attention and drags you along for the ride.  Magnus is a being of pure sass, snark, and witty comebacks.  Reading this felt a bit like reading Percy Jackson in that respect.  Magnus and Percy are definitely cut from the same sassy cloth but they are quite different people.  Where Percy jumps in and hacks with a sword, Magnus attempts to disarm enemies though he doesn't back down when the situation calls for it.

I will admit that I know far less about the Norse gods than I do about the Greek ones.  I can't say for sure how accurate Magnus Chase is when discussing the ancient mythology, but I would imagine it is pretty close.

There was a lot to like about this book, especially if you are a fan of Riordan's other series.  This one crosses over with Percy Jackson in a very neat way.  Riordan continues to branch out with his characters.  I think it is great that his stories have such a broad range of races and religions included, representation matters.

Personally I loved this book.  I couldn't put it down, I stayed up til 2AM reading it.  I highly recommend that you pick it up and give it a chance.  If you haven't read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Kane Chronicles series' by Rick Riordan you should also give them a shot. 

Gangsta Volume 2

This is a review of Gangsta Volume 2 by Kohske.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

This is the second volume in a series, reading this review will probably spoil the first volume.  If you wish to read my review of volume one you can find it here.

Nic and Worick are "The Handymen" they are the guys who clean up the messes left by gangs or do the dirty jobs that the police can't.  They are the neutral party that can clean up after or help any of the three gangs in the city of Ergastulum.  Ergastulum is not your average gang controlled city.  There are enhanced humans called "Twilights" who are generally bigger and stronger than everyone else.  The Twilights are part of a the city's dark past and a nasty prejudice still lingers in many people.

Nic & Worick just can't stay out of trouble.  A job request ends them in jail being questioned by the police.  Another job request pits them in a fight with another Twilight and this one is really tough.  This could be the roughest battle so far but the fight is interrupted and an intriguing new character enters the story.  While all of this is going on Alex is left at the office alone and something seems to be wrong with her.

I am still loving this series.  The dark past of the city is a looming mystery.  Nic & Worick's own past is still mostly secret.  The story leads the reader along from one crumb of knowledge to the next and fills all of the space in between with a nice combination of violence and humor.  The characters are diverse and each new character that joins the story makes it that much more interesting.

I highly recommend this series.  If you enjoyed Black Lagoon, Cowboy Bebop or Jorgmungand you will enjoy this.  If you like a story with rich complex characters and violence doesn't turn you off this is a great series.  

The Ancient Magus' Bride vol 2

This is a review for The Ancient Magus' Bride vol 2 by Kore Yamazaki
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

This is a review for the second volume in a series.  As such there will be spoilers for the first volume in this review.  If you wish to read my review of the first volume you can find it here.

Chise Hatori was just an unwanted orphan shoved around from relative to relative her whole life until she ended up being auctioned off the the highest bidder.  The man who purchased Chise is very kind to her though his outward appearance is unusual.  He gives her gifts, teaches her to be a mage and promises to take care of her but there may be something lurking in the shadows.

This volume continues the journey Chise makes into a new world.  A world of magic, fae, alchemy, mystery and danger.  Chise continues to encounter many new and amazing things as she lives her life with Elias.  She is learning to use her power and learning about her own unique abilities.  Being a Sleigh Beggy means she has access to great amounts of magical power but there is a cost to using it.  After each use she sleeps for days at a time to recover.  Elias knows that it could be even more dangerous to use her powers and he is attempting to find a way to prevent the worst case scenario.

This volume features new adventures and new kinds of supernatural beings to learn about.  Chise encounters mythical fae, spriggans, black dogs and alchemists.  Each new encounter is interesting and keeps readers on their toes.  Bits of Chise and Elias' pasts are being slowly revealed.

I am really enjoying this series.  There is a great balance of mystery, supernatural lore, and daily life.  Elias doesn't coddle Chise, he tells her the truth, he may not always volunteer all of the facts but he doesn't lie to her when she asks him questions.  He is willing to let her attempt to do things on her own before offering assistance.  He seems to have a dark past but he has many redeeming qualities and I just love the "bad guy trying to redeem himself" plot device.

This series is great.  Honestly, the only downside to it is having to wait in between volumes.  The characters are complex and they grow and change as the story goes on.  The plot is rich, the details are wonderful, and the story flows.  If you enjoy supernatural stories you should really give this one a chance.

Magical Girl Apocalypse volume 4

This is a review for Magical Girl Apocalypse volume 4 by Kentaro Sato.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

Hospital of Horrors

This is a review for the 4th book in a series, as such it will not be spoiler free.  If you would like to read my reviews of the previous volumes of this series you can find them here, 1, 2, & 3. 

Synopsis:  Kii Kogami's live has been a living hell since the magical girls arrived bringing death and destruction with them.  His school was destroyed but he and a few other students escaped.  They finally found a safe haven at a shopping mall.  Their haven didn't stay secure for very long and they were once again forced to run.  In all of the chaos this time their group was split in half! One half is safe in a local hospital with their injuries treated, the other half is transported 10 years into their past where they make a shocking discovery.

Kii is no longer sure that Tsukune is the girl he thought she was.  Kaede finally confesses that she has been in love with Kii for years and risks her life to save Kii.  They are rescued at the last minute by soldiers and head of to find the others at the hospital.  The hospital may not be as safe as they thought it was.  Is that magical girl the one they killed before?  One of the magical girls seems to be able to talk, can they use this somehow to save themselves?  What is up with the magical girl on the cover?  Her magical powers might prove to be a serious problem!

This series is constantly changing the rules on the reader.  You think you have it figured out and suddenly the ground shifts and everything is different.  It is done really well and without leaving the reader reeling, it keeps the reader hanging on the edge of their seat for more. Discoveries were made by several people in this volume that may finally solve the problem of where the magical girls came from and what they want.

I can't wait for the next volume to be released.  This one ended on quite the cliffhanger.  If you enjoy mayhem and zombies you should check this out.  If you are squeamish or don't like gore, this probably isn't for you.  There is a lot of gore but there is a lot of humor to balance it out.  To quote this volume "Watch an anime you moron.  Read a manga."