August Wrap-Up

Hey bookworms!

Oh boy what a month! I have been AWOL on my Instagram lately because I was preparing for the road trip that I’m currently on. We’re going to try to make it to Nova Scotia, covid willing lol. I’ll try to get a ton of reading done in the car because I’ll be spending 80% of the next three weeks in it 😂 If you want to travel with me and check out some of the sights across Canada, follow me on my Instagram stories @nessas.lair 😊 Anyhoo, this month was a decent reading month for manga and graphic novels! I read a total of 12 books but I still haven’t finished an audiobook. I’m listening to a super long one and I hope to finish it on this road trip. Anyhoo here’s my list of books that I finished this month!

My Library

Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro Volume 1 by Nanashi

Review:

TW: Bullying, verbal abuse, humiliation. This manga is definitely not for everyone so just be aware of that before you read it.

I LOVED this volume! I got this for free thanks to Kodansha's previous promotion where you could start a new manga series with the first volume for free. I now want to buy the entire series in hardcopy, but I can barely find them anywhere. Anyway, this is such a fun manga! Nagatoro is such a sadist or has some kind of humiliation kink because she just tears away at senpai every time she sees him. Their relationship dynamic is so weird but adorable. Some might say she's a bit verbally abusive but this manga is just so entertaining. Read it with a grain of salt and don't treat people in your life like Nagatoro does 😅 However, there's definitely never a dull moment and I can't wait to read more!

5/5⭐

Chihayafuru Volume 1 by Yuki Suetsugu

Review:

I also got the first volume of this manga from the Kodansha sale. It's so good and I'm hooked! I want to try playing karuta now, it sounds so fun! Chihaya and her friends are all so cute and I love their team dynamic. I love how she's kind of like an underdog and surprises everyone with her karuta abilities. The volume ends on a cliffhanger and I need this entire series so I can just binge it. If you like manga about games, definitely check this out!

5/5⭐

Netgalley eARCs

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk Volume 1 by Mika Yamamori

Review:

Holy moly the romantic tension coming from the two main characters. The artwork is phenomenal and every time I see the main characters, they give me goosebumps because they are so good-looking and such a good pair. I totally ship them! I loved their story and I can’t wait to read future volumes. I need more of Yoi and Ichimura especially after that ending!

5/5⭐

My Summer of You Volume 1 by Nagisa Furuya

Review:

I LOVED this manga! It was such an emotional rollercoaster and I LOVED Saeki and Wataru’s relationship. I shipped them so hard! They had such great chemistry and definitely gave you all the feels. There’s a bit of a heavy backstory and some crossdressing as a child, so it’s not all joy and cuteness. It really added to the impact of the story though. There were some bonus stories at the end and I was so happy to get more of Saeki and Wataru because I never want their story to end. I’m so psyched for Volume 2! One thing that confused me a little was the dialogue because sometimes there were floating dialogue bubbles and I didn’t know who was saying what. Other than that, this book is perfection. I highly recommend you read it! I almost cried so many times while reading this book because it was just so cute and emotional. Go read it!

6/5⭐

Eros/Psyche Volume 1 by Maria Llovet

Review:

This graphic novel was a bit of a hit and miss for me. I thought the artwork was super pretty and suited the creepy vibe of the story. I enjoyed reading the story even though I didn’t really understand what it was about 😅 I was wondering why the girls kept leaving the school and what exactly was the Rose School? If anybody has read this I would love to hear your thoughts! Oh and they also include the phone number and website for the Suicide Prevention Line in the copyright page of the book.

3/5⭐

The Keeper of the Little Folk by Carbone & Veronique Barrau and Charline Forns

Review:

This was such a cute graphic novel and I loved the artwork and colours! I always love reading stories about people finding out about fairies etc. and this did not disappoint. A comp title for this could be "The Spiderwick Chronicles". Children and middle grade readers would definitely enjoy this graphic novel. It is pretty fast paced so they won't want to stop reading. I loved how the authors added a small section at the end of the book which describes the fairytale creatures in more detail. I can't wait to read the next volume and I really hope things go well for Elina's grandmother.

5/5⭐

Glass Syndrome by Eiko Ariki

Review:

TW: Depression, abandoned by a parent, gambling, one instance of suicidal thought, and sex work.

This was a ‘meh’ manga in my opinion. I think it had the potential to be great, especially with the basis of the plot, but it just didn’t measure up. I loved Nijou and Toomi’s story and totally shipped them. I really wish we got more of their story because I felt like it just ended so abruptly. There’s also a side story in this manga that’s unrelated to the main storyline. I didn’t think this was a good addition because that storyline also ended abruptly. I wish both stories got a bit more fleshed out because they could have been so much better and really would have gotten to the reader emotionally. Overall, it’s a cute manga with a beautiful story, but it just fell a little flat for me..

3/5⭐

Makeda: The Queen of Sheba by Marlon McKenney

Review:

This was an interesting story but it was not what I expected at all. The authour did research on the topic and states which parts of the story are fact and fiction which was nice to see. I thought the illustrations were very unique and it’s cool cause the authour does all 3D illustrations himself. I’ve never seen a book illustrated like that. I thought this story was going to be more of a lifelong bio of the Queen of Sheba, but it’s only about one folktale in her life. The book also lists Makeda’s 9 laws of leadership which I thought were interesting. Overall this book was fascinating to read and would make for a great story to read to children.

3.5/5⭐

Fools in Love Anthology by Various Authors

Review:

I LOVED this anthology. This was the romance anthology I didn’t know I needed in my life. It was so emotional and heartwarming and I loved every couple. You just root for all the relationships and it’s just so sweet. It’s light and fluffy but also has lots of really emotional moments. I was on the verge of tears for lots of this book because it’s so good, so definitely have some tissues on hand when you read this. This book takes popular romance tropes and writes a story for each trope, but adding a little twist to each story. I thought all the stories were pretty unique and I liked how there were lots of diverse characters so there’s a story in there for everybody. I thought there were lots of stories with an average person getting a super pretty or popular person, which was a little bit repetitive, but I didn’t mind too much because their stories were still so good. Of course I enjoyed some of the stories more than others which is why this isn’t a full 5 star rating, but if you’re looking for a quick romance read that gives you all the feels, then check this anthology out!

4.75/5⭐

Other eARCs/ARCS

Tidepool by Nicole Willson

Review:

*Content Warning* - Gore, unwanted sexual advances, suicide attempts, PTSD, and stillborn babies

Thank you Parliament House Press for the eARC! Omg this was such an amazing book! I got chills from reading it. I totally agree with Willson’s dedication because horror is amazing and will beat serious fiction any day 😂 This entire novel has such a dark, eerie, and mysterious vibe that I really enjoyed and it drew me deep into the story right away. The setting was so spooky and was just so well written. It was easy to imagine how dismal Tidepool was and I swear I could smell dead fish by the time I finished reading it 😂 The characters were superbly written and it was great because I don’t think anyone was totally good or evil. The villain was morally grey too, so it was hard to automatically disagree with what they were doing. The book does pose a good question though of whether it’s ok to sacrifice one bad person to save an entire town. I thought Henry and Charlie were such dunces too. Henry’s grand plan to get Ada to invest in renovating Tidepool was such a guy thing to do, even if she was quite a bit older than he was. Also Charlie omg. I hate that horror movie trope where the girl sees the horrific scary thing and tells the guy but the guy doesn’t believe her and thinks it’s her imagination or something. That is Charlie, and for that I wanted to smack him. Poor Sorrow for having to deal with him but he got what was coming to him 😅 One thing I really enjoyed about this story was how Willson includes chapters of other people’s POV in order to add more information and backstory to the plot. It was great learning more about Ada’s past! Also this ending omg I think it ended perfectly. I love how you get to see the ending from multiple peoples’ perspectives and how everybody’s storyline gets tied up. Oooh and the gore! The gore was the icing on this horror cake. The kill scenes were quite gruesome and added to the chills you had going down your spine from the already eerie vibe of the book. Overall, this book is amazing and spectacular and you will not want to put it down! Go check it out I highly recommend it!

5/5⭐

The Black Door by Heather Kindt

Review:

TW: Attempted sexual assault

Thank you Heather for the eARC! So I had some mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely LOVED "The White Door" and after reading this book, I think "The White Door" is still my absolute fav book from this series. I did like how this book ended, everything wrapped up nicely, but there were some things that just didn't click for me. This book is just as action-packed as the last one, but it felt a little bit overwhelming because lots was happening.

——-SPOILERS AHEAD——

Some parts felt a bit rushed as well, especially the bit about the Gorg. There was some buildup to that part and the characters made it seem so terrible and world-ending, but that battle was over and dealt with in a chapter. There were also little things about the plot here and there that didn't make sense like when Vihaan is carrying Brek to the Eternals alter, Meg follows them "keeping to the shadows" as if she's secretly stalking Vihaan, but he literally knows she's following him because she shot a ton of arrows at him before "keeping to the shadows". Also the Z98 device seemed a little bit too convenient and invented just to help with the plot because previously Meg wishes she had her cellphone and then lo and behold, Marx gives her a device similar to a cellphone which she uses to communicate. Also sidenote, Marx is such an egotistical asshole. There are some parts in the story where I felt like Kindt added moments to humanize him, but it didn't work and I felt nothing for him, even at the end. The men in this book holy moly. I was totally rooting for Meg and Brek but there are moments in the book where Brek is being such a jealous a-hole and he even ends up ruining Meg's plan because he decides to antagonize Carter and play the alpha male. Regarding the sexy stuff, this book does a decent job with consent. I really like how when Meg and Brek have their first time, he makes sure she consents to everything happening and will stop the moment she feels uncomfortable. That part was great!

——SPOILERS END——

One final thing, I may have to double check but at one point in the book, Meg says she's 18, but later the characters say they are 19.

3/5⭐

The Littlest Dinosaur Finds a Home by Bryce Raffle, Steven Kothlow, and Illustrated by Tessa Verplancke

Review:

Thank you R&R Book Tours for the eARC! OMFG this is the CUTEST picture book I have ever read. Omg like I can’t handle how cute it is. The artwork is phenomenal and the dinos look so cute and chonky. I love the little details in the background of each scene like the little dino sleeping on the moon outside the window in Ty’s room. I also like how the speech bubbles were the same colour as the dinosaur that was speaking, this way it was super easy to follow the conversation. I also like how accepting Ty’s mom is and how she says families cause have parents other than the typical mother and father. This story is just so cute and I would totally just reread it over and over. I think kids will definitely enjoy this story and I look forward to reading every other book in “The Littlest Dinosaur” series!

6/5⭐

Audiobooks

Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

Review:

My friend recommended this book to me and I loved the narrator, so I decided to listen to this in audiobook form. I’ve been slowly listening to it and I have around 7 hours left. I will definitely finish it by the end of September though. I’m really enjoying it so far! Lots of stuff happens and there’s lots of backstories explored. It’s very nice to listen to and for some reason, even though lots happen, it’s very relaxing to listen to.

So that’s the end of my wrap-up! Which book are you most likely to read? I had so many great reads, and the one that was most emotionally hard-hitting was probably “Fools in Love”. If you’re in a romantic mood then definitely check it out when it releases on December 7th. “Tidepool” is also great for spooky season which, in my opinion, has officially started 😂 What were some of your fav reads this month? Let me know in the comments and…

Happy Reading 🥳