ellelainey's reviews
2446 reviews

Wow! I thought the rumours about Haru were lies to make her look bad, but they're actually true! And just because Legoshi did something to help her, she stripped and tried to have sex with him...and like a dope, Legoshi is all happy about the fact she saw him not just as a wolf but as a man... Really?!?

The play was interesting and the argument that Legoshi is being self righteous is both fair and unfair. Yes, he is, but claiming he's weak or somehow denying his nature is untrue because he's simply more aware of it and the danger he poses.

I love Louis, with his fragile ego and hidden vulnerability.

While interesting the entire plot of Tem's murder has been ignored, with so much emphasis on Haru and this "inexplicable" draw Legoshi has towards her, that I won't be reading any further. I'm not even remotely interested in her, and in fact can see that Louis is a much better match for Legoshi. If that's not going to happen - and I checked spoilers to make sure - then I'm not reading any more.

4* for potential and art, but it's just not for me, though I can see why it's so popular.

This was such an interesting concept! This is a high school where herbivores and carnivores go to school together. The first scenes are of an alpaca, Tam, being stalked and murdered in the drama room! What an opening.

From what follows, there's the implication that things have been mostly amicable between the two groups before, but the rumours that Tam was murdered by a carnivore spreads like wildfire and tensions rise.
It very much gave me Zootopia vibes, with some sprinkles of Sing!

I loved that each character was distinct in both appearance and personality. You could (mostly) easily identify which species a character was by their design.

Legoshi is the main character and he's definitely interesting! A grey wolf, he lives with some demons, keeping to himself because he doesn't want what he is to scare his fellow students. We discover that he was actually pretty good friends with Tam, but now everyone thinks the "loner, psycho" wolf killed him! However, Legoshi is just an introvert trying to fight the demons of his species.

I like the meaning of the title, the back drop of mystery surrounding Legoshi and the murder. Legoshi is sweet and troubled, just 17 but dealing with the unavoidable reality that people are scared of him just because of how he was born. I really like the deer, Louis, too. I feel like there's definitely some simmering tension between Legoshi and Louis. Louis is from a rich family, kind of like the mean but beloved rich jock in most high school dramas, except he's king of the drama club. Late in the volume we see he's got some demons of his own - he can't admit to doing something nice for someone else without making out it's really for selfish reasons, and he's a perfectionist to the point of hurting himself.

Legoshi has an encounter with a bunny, Haru, that implies there might be some romance in their future. I'm not sure how I feel about that, because I haven't seen enough of Haru yet to decide how I feel about her, but so far she's definitely hitting all my hated Female MC tropes. I've never been a fan of the "woe is me, girl who is in unfairly bullied because every boy wants her but uses and hurts her" or worse, she gets blamed for being a seductress just because she's "so weak and frail and they must protect her only to end up hurting her". Haru embodies both of these tropes, with the added, unfortunate addition of the "She's so misunderstood and it's unfair how other girls victimise her for something that's not her fault" trope.
Honestly, if Haru ends up with Legoshi in the "I'm the big bad wolf who will protect you into death" trope, in the next volume, I'm out!

There's a lot of promise and potential in this world/series, so I hope it doesn't just drift into romantasy land...

Seiji and Shin are just as adorable in Volume 2!

By this point, they've been dating for 2 months, and have moved in together. Shin is so adorable about how excited he is about that. They get to have their first couple holiday, celebrate Shin's birthday, and have New Year together. Plus, they finally catch the convenience store robber! It's a busy volume.

Again, the one liners are epic:
"Your main dish has arrived, Sir!"
"He's hiding a god warrior in his pants."
"I got shot." <- this is actually the funniest one liner in the entire volume.

I wonder how Seiji will cope if it turns out that his precious cat is actually pregnant? She's been putting on weight for a while now and only Shin has noticed... I see fireworks from him, if that's the case, but lots of adorable cat/kitten moments in the future.

TROPES: age gap, policeman/uniform, opposites attract, double bi-awakening, first time, "pick me"
TRIGGERS: references to mild violence, PTSD

Shin Nakamoto (30) is a rookie cop, recently back in town after training. Seiji Tajima (38) is the cop who once saved his life, eight years ago. Shin became a cop so that he could work with Seiji, only to discover that Seiji soon left the police force. Now, 10 years later, Shin is a casual visitor to the convenience store Seiji runs. There's a lot of back story for these two, which is nicely filtered throughout the story, rather than just being dumped in as a whole block. It was nice to see the little trickles of information sprinkled throughout.

Shin and Seiji have an 8 year age gap, but they communicate brilliantly! Shin is very open about his interest in Seiji, even having an epic PICK ME moment that was swoony. Seijji, despite being older, is actually more shy and reserved when it comes to romance. However, he's very open minded and has already paired up a couple of friends, who began a gay relationship.
There is a reference at the end of the book that their story was an unofficial prequel, and this is the spin-off of that story, however I can't find anywhere to buy it. But you don't have to have read that to understand this story, but it would be nice to connect the dots. I hope SuBLime publish it, as well.

I really loved the way that Shin and Seiji's friendship became a romantic relationship, with lots of chemistry. They knew each other pretty well, had good banter, and didn't feel uncomfortable with each other, despite both making a point of their age gap being quite big.

Speaking of big...Seiji was hilarious! "Concealed weapons violation" was brilliant! Shin's Godzilla! There were some brilliant one liners, with a very fun, flirty relationship. I loved that they didn't play games with each other, but were open and honest all throughout. I particularly loved that, because they were both new to being with another man, THEY. DID. THEIR. RESEARCH! They both were eager to delve in, but with Seiji being nervous of Shin's...*cough* Godzilla *cough*...he made sure they did due diligence by being smart and careful. I love that.

Big thumbs up. I can't wait to read Volume 2, though I probably should have waited until Volume 3 was closer to release...

TRIGGERS: possessive/jealous/controlling and abusive ex, student/teacher relationship, coersed into sex, age gap


This was such a surprisingly beautiful story.

Minobe Chihiro is a 1st year high school student at the private fine art school, studying classic ballet. He's got everything a ballet dancer needs - except the drive, the passion and the ability to draw the eye when on stage as part of a group. In contrast, Ichinomiya is a talented ballet dancer, who has recently transitioned over to contemporary dance. He's got a reputation at school, for being unapproachable and grumpy. Underneath the exterior, he's actually really sweet and lonely, separated by his reputation as a dancer and a grumpy student.

They're perfectly imperfect characters who are adorable together; cute, friends-with-benefits, and have a sort of tutor and student vibe.

We mostly see the story through Minobe's POV, but at 59% we get to see some of Ichinomiya, who has such a tragic story.

There is a seriously messed up "relationship" between Ichinomiya and a teacher at the school, Futima, who becomes obsessed with him, abusive and violent; he's controlling and actually ties Ichinomiya up at one point. There's some off-page stuff that hints at even more violence, but it's hard to tell what really happens between them because Ichinomiya is so closed off a lot of the time, and we don't get to see much of his POV. It keeps the violence/aggression and most of the student/teacher relationship mostly off-page.

There are a few pages of sex at the end, but the build up is lovely and because it's between the MC's - Minobe and Ichinomiya - you don't feel too weird about them being teenagers, because they've had a legit relationships that has grown and evolved to the point where it's almost the inevitable result. Though they are teenagers and it's a little squidgy to read the pages, it did feel like where they were heading. It felt like a nice culmination of all the work they'd put into their relationship until that point.

Overall, the chemistry and connection between Minobe and Ichinomiya is what makes this story so amazing. Minobe is outgoing and fascinated by Ichinomiya right from the start, captivated by his talent, attracted to him but super excited to see him dance. In contrast, Ichinomiya is curious about how un-jaded Minobe is, that he's dedicated and eager to work hard, to learn dance, to share that experience, and he's not put off by Ichinomiya's reputation. That begins their work together, where Ichinomiya realises Minobe is a little over-eager about dancing together and encourages a physical relationship that eventually, slowly, blossoms into more.

I can't wait for Volume 2, to hopefully see Futima get his comeuppance.

I was really looking forward to this one, but I'm sorry to say that it just didn't stack up to my expectations.

I wasn't expecting a story with high school kids to be so explicit. However, I got through Caste Heaven, so I tried to squint and ignore their ages, preferring to think of them as college kids, but it just didn't work. There was A LOT of explicit, on-page sex between the two MC's.

Kumazaki is the school delinquent, but he's really a loner introvert. Terano is asked by a teacher to talk to him about skipping classes, but grows fascinated by him, and they soon begin a relationship. There's some drama from outside sources and jealousy, but it doesn't amount to much of a story, to be honest. It's mostly about them having sex and graduating high school.

I do give this points for being brave enough to start the story with an established couple - it isn't often you find yaoi with an established couple - which then provides flashbacks to show how they met.

  ** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE ** 

 Copy received through Netgalley 

 ~ 

 The Fox Maidens, by Robin Ha 

★★★★★ 

 314 Pages 

 Content Warning: mentions of off-page, non-explicit rape and murder, generational trauma, violence 

 The Fox Maidens is an intriguing graphic novel based on the legacy of the gumiho and an honest, if heartbreaking look at the generational trauma of women. 

 The Fox Maidens is a feminist retelling of Korean folklore, but it's also a story about how past mistakes or choices that our parents make leave unexpected duties and burdens for their children. It's a dedication to the sacrifices mothers make for their children and the burdens that woman harbour and pass on through the generations. 

 The story is ostensibly about Kai Song; the only daughter of a general who is known as the gumiho slayer, the commander of the Royal Legion. However, while Kai is the central character, it feels to me that the story is really about the legacy that her mother, Meorhu, has left to Kai. 

 Meorhu is the first wife to General Song, and at first their marriage seems surprising; she's a frail woman who hides herself away and allows his second wife to take precedence. Meorhu has a daughter, younger than the two sons the first wife has provided General Song. But things begin to make sense when we're about a third of the way through the book and Meorhu tells Kai the true story of how she and General Song met, fell in love, and became married. But the biggest revelation comes when Meorhu explains how Kai came into the world. 

 Meorhu is the character at the centre of everything that follows. It's her choices, her legacy, her origin story that lays the path for Kai's future. It's Meorhu's resilience, strength and fear that drives the entire plot of the story, and in a way, forces Kai onto a path that leads to death, destruction and eventually love. 

 I don't want to say too much more about the plot because there are a lot of twists and secrets, and saying much more might end up spoiling the story. 

 This is not a romance. 

 This is not an adventure. 

 This is not a fantasy. 

 This is a realistic portrayal of what it means to be a woman in the Joseon period in Korean. 

 This is the story of what it means to be a woman who is suppressed by others because of her gender. 

 This is the story about a young girl whose hope, future and dreams are smothered by generational trauma, and the burdens of her family, laid down long before she was born. 

 The Fox Maidens is heartbreaking, emotive, brutally honest, touching and full of anticipation. Through real, well written characters that could be our mothers, fathers or siblings, even in this modern age, Robin Ha explores what it means to be family, to be a woman, to be a mother and a daughter, and what it means to carry a duty inherited from someone else. 

 In the end, The Fox Maidens asks us what we would do in Kai's place. Would we have done anything differently? Would we have coped or been crushed under the pressure of her legacy? Would we have made the same choices or been trapped by the inevitability of her story? 

 When faced with the choice of living a lonely but immortal life, or giving someone you love immortality to save their life, even if that means sacrificing your own life, what choice would you make? 

This was recommended to me a LONG time ago, so I thought I'd finally try it. Since it's hard to get the full volumes unless you go to Amazon or buy the paperbacks, I thought I'd start with the chapter volumes available on Kobo. It's a smaller financial and time investment, but a couple of them should give me an indication of whether I want to read more or not.

~

Chapter 1 : 2*
Sadly, this wasn't at all what I was expecting.
Kouichi is tall, popular and (according to rumour) hung! He's in a basketball team and everything is going great, until he gets home and starts fantasising about a girl who was flirty with him. Right in the middle of *ahem* entertaining himself *ahem* he's transported to another world to become the 'wife' of the first Prince of Tildant, a land of Titans.
This was non-con all the way. For <30 pages, it had ZERO plot or even an attempt at a storyline other than "want wife, must have" and "Where TF am I?"
I'll read Chapters 2 and 3 to give it a fair shot at attempting a story, because they're so short, but I probably won't be investing a lot of time or money into this series.

If you want an isekai book that does great story, world-building, chemistry and spice then try The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter, by Yatsuki Wakatsu. And if you want a fantasy isekai with no modern age characters, then try A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation, by Misaki, Sando and Momochi. It's got no spice, is 10 volumes so far, and has incredible story, world-building and chemistry, with an aside of great adventures that any D&D enthusiast will love.

Chapter 2 : 3*
The non-con from Volume 1 is actually stopped BEFORE "it" happens. Kouichi complains and says no. For once in a yaoi, Caius actually listens and STOPS! He asks Kouichi to give him 1 month to convince Kouichi to be his 'wife', or he'll send him back to his own world.
This was a nice change, though there was still zero storyline.

Chapter 3 : 3*
Caius' ex-fiancee shows up and they're suddenly happy together! :/ Kouichi tries to be chivalrous though he's jealous and becoming attached to Caius. Which, obviously, only makes Caius fall head over heels for him.

Chapter 3: 3*
There's a bit more plot creeping in, but it's just so slow. Everything is about Caius trying to get Kouichi to have sex - which has happened (with consent!) by now - with no real bond or chemistry between them. I'm stopping here, having given it enough time to lead somewhere. I can see why there needs to be 50+ chapters/episodes, but I won't be continuing.

This was a beautiful story, with some nice characterisation and world-building. It begins with a bang - Lord Rupert has a nightmare about being a child and picking flowers for his mother. But when he goes to present them to her, she's standing on the balcony of their home and throws herself to her death. Later, we learn that it's because she was in a loveless marriage and was desperate for her cold, unfeeling husband to love her. Ever since, Rupert has nightmares and insomnia from the memories.

In present day - where Rupert is an adult - he's suffering through a visit from his step-mother, who is trying to matchmake him to a young woman he can't stand. He knows that's only for his step-mother's advantage, and possibly the girl's, and he refuses to play the game.
At the same time, Noah has just arrived on the estate to take up the position of groundskeeper. He's only 19, but he's desperate to earn money, because his mother is sick and he needs to pay for her medicine. On his way to report for duty, a maid begs him to deliver the tea tray to Lord Rupert and his guests, because she's so busy. But when he does, Lord Rupert drops a bomb - he tells his guests that he and Noah are madly in love and that he can't possibly entertain courting anyone else.

What follows is a mash-up of some of my favourite tropes : grumpy/sunshine, marriage of convenience, fake dating, rich/poor and hurt/comfort. Noah is adorable, sweet, naive and innocent, while Lord Rupert is surly, distant and sharp-tongued at first, flirty later. Their chemistry grows nicely over time, ending in a soft affection. Not the intense attraction and sexy times of some other stories of this kind, but slowly and with warmth rather than heat. While they do end up with sexy times, it's all behind doors and off-page, which suits the characters and the storyline, letting the plot take centre stage.

I'm looking forward to Volume 2.

  ** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE ** 

 Copy received through Netgalley 

 ~ 

 Hey, Mary, by Andrew Wheeler 

★★★★☆ 

 128 Pages 

 Hey, Mary is an intriguing graphic novel that explores the challenge of how to be gay and Catholic at the same time. 

 Mark is struggling. His best friend, Luka, has come out as gay at their Catholic school and to his parents, putting a strain on their relationship. Mark is confused about the church's teaching about being gay and that applies to his friend, but also confused about his own feelings – not just towards Luka in general, but the fearful thought that he's also gay! 

 Mark has always prayed and found an affinity for the Virgin Mary, but after a fight with Luka during a school trip to an art gallery, historical figures from the paintings start coming to life to talk to him. All of the historical figures are two things: queer and Catholic! They talk Mark through the teachings of the bible, the expansive queer history of famous Christian figures and even explore real world issues that Mark encounters throughout his days. 

 Mark confides in friends, a priest, and eventually speaks to his family. This way, we see how each part of his life differs from the others; unfailingly supportive friends, a wise and kind priest, well-meaning but conservative parents who don't understand. 

 The story is sweet but hard hitting in places. It could be a great resource for questioning kids or parents of teens who are struggling with coming out, giving them a look at the many connections between gay Christian history and modern living, which often counters the original teachings. 

 However...it could be too dark and depressing for some younger kids. I'd definitely say there are heavy chunks of sadness, fear and anxiety in Mark's story and it can feel a bit oppressing, which could be triggering for some kids. I also feel like it's very heavy handed with the pro-religion aspect, and gets quite preachy at points. There are counter points to nearly every argument, but for someone who is deeply religious it definitely sways towards using historical stories and teachings to overrule or discount modern teachings. I'm not religious at all, but that's definitely how it felt to me, and I wonder if someone who is as devout as Mark would feel differently. 

 Overall, I'd say this is a great resource for religious but questioning queer kids, with some supportive adult guidance, to talk through the stories, teachings and messages contained within. The ending is also very happy and easily resolved, which doesn't feel realistic, so that may also give a rose-tinted view to readers who don't know any better.