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katharine_opal's reviews
472 reviews
Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story was so goddamn good. After Oberon has a mental breakdown in the middle of a lecture at college, his life seems to be spiraling out of his control. He distances himself from his friends, drops out of college, and spends a lot of time dreaming. In his dreams, he starts dreaming of his high school crush, Kon, who went missing shortly after high school ended. Until Kon appears outside of those dreams as an apparition! Together, they slowly try to turn Oberon's life back around. This story was so interesting, and I adored both Oberon and Kon. They felt like real people and their struggles, though futuristic, were very relatable. Also, I really like how slang was written in this story. It feels like something kids of the future would use, but they also included "outdated" slang that older people use! It was a little detail that really helped add some reality to the story. The art was GORGOUES. I loved the art style so much, and the dream scenes were so pretty. I don't want to say too much about the story because it was so good. It's also a solar punk utopia style of a story that acknowledges the dystopia that it rose from. Please just go read it for yourself, it's worth it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Soul Taker by Thomas E. Sniegoski, Jeannine Acheson
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This story was incredibly fast-paced, and honestly had such interesting plot concepts! The last surviving member of an ancient species, an ancient Catholic order of crusaders, and an evil pharmacological company. The story has such interesting story concepts, and multiple characterizations I enjoyed. But...something about this story just fell flat for me. There were many individual concepts that were really cool to me, but when brought together, lessened their coolness. I think there was just too much going on at once? Having both the pharmacological company AND the Catholic crusaders trying to hunt her down at the same time made the story a bit hectic. This story also focused much harder on the Crusaders than the pharma company, so the evil company felt a bit like an afterthought. I feel like this story does have room to expand on itself, and maybe with another volume or two the plot will even out. The art was interesting, very American classic. I did really enjoy the fact the main character is an older woman and looks like one! You don't really get to see older women in stories do all kinds of cool adventure stuff like this story has.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Veil, Vol. 2: Calming Noir by Kotteri
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This volume falls victim to the same issues that I had with the first. The story is told in very small snapshot-style scenes, with a lot of illustrations and a page or two of monologue between scenes. Now, the scenes themselves are lovely. Full of casual romantic intimacy (intimacy as in closeness not [spice]) and are so lovingly drawn. The art, yet again, is beautiful. I hope this series slowly leans a little more towards the story side instead of being 1/4 story and 3/4 illustration.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Veil Volume 1: Temperature of Orange by Kotteri
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
An absolutely GORGEOUS manga. However, there isn't really much of a story? It's all told in very small snapshots, which admittedly in a vaguely linear fashion. About half of this manga is illustrations. The small pieces of story you get are very sweet, and are a slow burn to becoming a lovely romance. The entire energy of this manga is romantic. I wish the story was just a smidgen more concrete, but the art is so good I'm willing to forgive it a little bit. I'm so enamored with this couple, I want to know more!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 1 by Nachi Aono
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I won't lie, the concept for this story reminded me of parts of Gunslinger Girl and Little Witch Academia. There isn't quite enough substance to the story (yet?) to be either of those things. The main character is a girl who really doesn't want to be a magical soldier and isn't very good at combat. After her roommate dies on the field, she gets paired with another girl who shows up one day covered in blood. This story has some potential, but it feels like it doesn't know what it wants to do with itself right now. I had seen some people raise concerns about the way healing works in this world. I'll admit, I didn't realize THAT was actually how healing worked until one of the adults said it. I thought the explanation of "Oh, they're not kissing, she's just healing her with mana and that's the most effective way" was meant to be a lame cover story to excuse the two girls who got caught kissing in the stairwell. But uh, no. kissing is how you heal someone in this story's world. You hear a teacher/nurse in the background of one scene say something along the lines of "Oh she got injured so badly I'm going to have to kiss her to fix it", which is...hm. The mental image of an adult macking on a 13-year-old is NOT something I want in my brain. I honestly just don't think the author thought it through since you never SEE an adult kissing any of the minors. You only see the girls with each other. But really, that should have been thought through a little bit better and realized that making "kissing = healing" could create some hairy situations. All that aside, the art is gorgeous. I really feel that the biggest thing it has going for it is the art.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
4.0
I finally read this because I wanted to read some sci-fi classics, and I have no idea what that even was. Not sure if spoilers matter when the book has been out for fifty-something years, but I won't say anything. The story is incredibly slow, with a good amount of world-building. It quickly veers off in the last few chapters and left me with a feeling of "what the h*ll just happened." I did like the world-building of the characters and technology in the 2001 segments, the rest felt like it dragged. But it's a classic, and should be read at least once.
Alice in Kyoto Forest, Volume 1 by Haruki Niwa, Mai Mochizuki
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
~*~
Alice in Kyoto Forest is a delightful retelling of the original Alice in Wonderland but set in 1800's Kyoto, Japan instead of 1800's Oxford, England. Alice is an orphan, looking for a new start in life, which leads her to return to Kyoto, except it is not the Kyoto she remembers. The art style is charming and has a soft and whimsical feel to it. It drew me in, starting on the first page. The author has shown that they have an appreciation of the aesthetics of late 1800's Kyoto, which is evident in their artistic style. When it comes to the story, the jumps from locale to locale can feel a bit quick. However, this is also how it feels in the original story, so it is accurate as a retelling of the original. This is the first volume and falls to the same small stumbling block most series do. The story elements all have to be set into place in this volume, and there are many. It can feel like the story is a tad front-loaded and there are a lot of story pieces that are disconnected. However, it smooths out by the 4th chapter, with more of the aforementioned pieces clicking into place. I'm sure it will fully smooth out in the next volume of the series. Finally, Alice, as a character is adorable! An earnest young girl who tries her best to make the best of life, with a love of stories. I am interested in how this character will grow as a person she journeys along. This story of this manga intrigued me, and I already am itching to find out what happens next!
~*~
Alice in Kyoto Forest is a delightful retelling of the original Alice in Wonderland but set in 1800's Kyoto, Japan instead of 1800's Oxford, England. Alice is an orphan, looking for a new start in life, which leads her to return to Kyoto, except it is not the Kyoto she remembers. The art style is charming and has a soft and whimsical feel to it. It drew me in, starting on the first page. The author has shown that they have an appreciation of the aesthetics of late 1800's Kyoto, which is evident in their artistic style. When it comes to the story, the jumps from locale to locale can feel a bit quick. However, this is also how it feels in the original story, so it is accurate as a retelling of the original. This is the first volume and falls to the same small stumbling block most series do. The story elements all have to be set into place in this volume, and there are many. It can feel like the story is a tad front-loaded and there are a lot of story pieces that are disconnected. However, it smooths out by the 4th chapter, with more of the aforementioned pieces clicking into place. I'm sure it will fully smooth out in the next volume of the series. Finally, Alice, as a character is adorable! An earnest young girl who tries her best to make the best of life, with a love of stories. I am interested in how this character will grow as a person she journeys along. This story of this manga intrigued me, and I already am itching to find out what happens next!
The Last Session Vol. 1: Roll for Initiative by Jasmine Walls
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
"The Last Session" follows a group of friends, just about to graduate from college, joining together for one last session to finally finish their first D&D campaign, made way back when the group first met in high school. But, a new player joins the party, and mild discord ensues!
The cast is of "The Last Session" is wonderfully diverse and queer! I love all of the characters, and it is easy to feel connected to them. I also really liked that the character felt like actual people! They feel like people you would run into at the local LGBT comic shop or in a D&D server. Out of all the characters, I emphasized the most with both Lana and Cassandra. Mostly because I could fully understand and empathize with how both of them felt during the entire novel. Also, I loved the Ace rep! I feel like I rarely see any Ace characters in stories, so it was really nice to see here! The art style of the novel was compelling and just fun to look at in general. I loved the jumps between the real-life side of the players and the fantasy world of the campaign. Their campaign character designs were also super cool to see! I really liked "The Last Session". The title says it's only volume one, so I'll be on the lookout for volume two! I'm excited to see where the story goes from here!
"The Last Session" follows a group of friends, just about to graduate from college, joining together for one last session to finally finish their first D&D campaign, made way back when the group first met in high school. But, a new player joins the party, and mild discord ensues!
The cast is of "The Last Session" is wonderfully diverse and queer! I love all of the characters, and it is easy to feel connected to them. I also really liked that the character felt like actual people! They feel like people you would run into at the local LGBT comic shop or in a D&D server. Out of all the characters, I emphasized the most with both Lana and Cassandra. Mostly because I could fully understand and empathize with how both of them felt during the entire novel. Also, I loved the Ace rep! I feel like I rarely see any Ace characters in stories, so it was really nice to see here! The art style of the novel was compelling and just fun to look at in general. I loved the jumps between the real-life side of the players and the fantasy world of the campaign. Their campaign character designs were also super cool to see! I really liked "The Last Session". The title says it's only volume one, so I'll be on the lookout for volume two! I'm excited to see where the story goes from here!
In the Shadow of the Throne by Kate Sheridan
4.0
"In the Shadow of the Throne" is an isekai story, in which the protagonist Jordan, finds himself in another world, instead of the museum where he is supposed to be. I really did like this story. I love when stories do the "Hero's Journey" storytelling trope, it never gets old. The fantasy world Jordan wanders into is so fascinating and I wish I got to learn more. Sadly, the story doesn't go too in-depth with any of the characters and their motivations. It also doesn't go too in-depth with the world the protagonist is in. I feel like it hops from scene to scene a little too fast, and doesn't take the time to linger as it should. This book is rather short, and the plot is quickly paced. Almost too quickly for my personal liking. The story feels like it was meant to be longer; a multiple volume series perhaps, but got smooshed down into a single, short book. I wish was it was longer, that was so much more that could be explored in the world of this story! The art itself is fantastic and looks lovely. I was certainly be looking for more books the artist has done after this. Again, I really did like this story. I just wish there was more, but don't we all say that about the stories we like?