I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What is this stor[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What is this story about?
In this issue, the Warlord continues to be on the move to discover the whereabouts of the mysterious power that Maika holds. Meanwhile, Maika is starting to have trouble controlling the demon that is inside of her as the demon continuously wants to eat a living being and it seems that Kippa the fox child is on its menu!
Can Maika control her new terrible powers before it causes even more harm?
Read this issue to find out!
What I loved about this story:
Marjorie Liu has done it again with her masterful storytelling as we actually get to see Maika Halfwolf struggling with the demon inside of her and it was interesting seeing that the demon is also having trouble with controlling Maika’s body and trying to understand about Maika herself. Marjorie Liu really provided an interesting dynamic between the demon and Maika as it is rare that I read fantasy stories where the protagonist and the evil being inside of them are trying to understand each other instead of trying to fight each other. I also like the fact that we start to see more humanity in Maika as it shows that she cares for Kippa and does not want any harm to come to her, which is quite heartwarming given that Maika tends to not trust anyone she comes across to. Sana Takeda’s artwork is as gorgeous as always as the characters look so realistic and I love the different environments that we get to see in this book as they convey the atmospheres of the situations that characters get into such as the majestic temples that represent the animal royalty in this universe and the scary forests that represent the fear and terror that Maika and Kippa have to experience in their journey.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
Readers be warned that there are some scary moments in this issue, such as the demon inside Maika threatening to eat any innocent being in its path and that might creep out some readers.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part Four” is another fantastic issue of the “Monstress” series that any fan of fantasy and horror should definitely check out!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What is this stor[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What is this story about?
Continuing from the previous issue, Maika tries to evade the Warlord’s assassins as they are sent out to capture Maika at all costs! But when Maika discovers that she has a terrible new demon inside of her, after she activates the mysterious mask that she had stolen from the witches’ stronghold, Maika will soon discover that this new frightening power inside of her will cause her a lot of turmoil in the long run.
What I loved about this story:
Marjorie Liu’s writing continues to be extremely strong in this series as this issue focuses more on Maika discovering this terrible new demon that has hijacked her body after she activates the mask and how she is trying to learn more about herself and about the demon that is now inside of her. I also loved the way that Marjorie Liu continues to bring so much mystery to this story as we, the readers, try to find out exactly what Maika is and how she is able to possess such terrible power inside of her. I am also curious about the Warlord herself as she seems like a mysterious character who knows so much about Maika’s mysterious powers and I cannot wait to see what kind of character the Warlord will prove to be in the future issues! I also enjoyed the way that Maika and Kippa’s relationship with each other had developed over the series as it went from Kippa being terrified of Maika and not wanting to have anything to do with her to still being frightened by Maika’s terrible powers, but is trying hard to understand Maika as a person. Sana Takeda’s artwork continues to wow me as the characters and the environments they are in continue to glow on the pages and I loved seeing the demon itself as it looks truly terrifying as it is a dark figure that is covered with tentacles and has eyes all over its body.
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What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like gory violence, there is a bit of graphic violence in this issue as there are people being skewered by large objects and having their limbs ripped off their bodies. Some readers might want to skim over these parts if they make them feel uncomfortable.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Monstress Volume One: Awakening Part Three” is a wonderful issue that fans of Marjorie Liu’s “Monstress” series will greatly enjoy and now I am off to read the next issue of this series!
Now, I have been a huge fan of anime that deals with cooking and I had decided that I wanted to try my hand into a manga series th[image]
4.5 stars
Now, I have been a huge fan of anime that deals with cooking and I had decided that I wanted to try my hand into a manga series that deals with food! What luck I had when I picked up this popular manga series called “Food Wars! Volume One” by Yuto Tsukuda along with artwork by Shun Saeki and I was quite impressed with the bizarre creativity of this manga!
The story starts off with a young teenage boy named Soma Yukihira who works at his father’s family restaurant in a poor part of town and yet, the family restaurant is well known for their extremely tasty dishes. One day however, Soma’s father decided to sell the family restaurant and send Soma to a classy culinary school. At first, Soma is skeptical about all this since his major goal in life is to surpass his father in cooking. But, when Soma’s father mentions that if he passes this school, then Soma might have a chance at surpassing him, Soma decides to give this high class culinary school a chance!
Can Soma graduate from this high class culinary school?
Read this volume to find out!
Wow! I have to admit that this was one of the most unusual yet creative manga that I had read that dealt with cooking! Yuto Tsukuda had done a great job at writing this story as I found myself being immersed with the bizarre cooking world established in this volume and how each character treats graduating from this high class culinary school as serious business. I also loved the fact that we get some kind of “Toriko” vibe here as this series may not be as action heavy as “Toriko,” but it still treats the cooking scenes as scenes you would get out of an action movie! I really loved the way that Yuto Tsukuda wrote each character, especially Soma Yukihira, who is probably one of the most interesting characters in this story! Even though Soma can be a little rude towards other people at times, he is always determined to make the best dishes no matter how much the odds are stacked up against him and I always enjoyed this determined attiude that Soma possesses since it makes him a really likable character. Shun Saeki’s artwork is fantastic to look at as the characters are gorgeously drawn and I loved seeing some of the lighting around the characters as it makes them glow on the pages. I also enjoyed seeing the various tasty dishes that are shown in this volume, such as the image of Soma making a bacon wrapped potato dish, which looked quite tasty and unique!
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The reason why I took off half a star from the rating was because of the sexual imagery that came up whenever the characters are experiencing Soma’s cooking and you can see images of the characters imagining themselves halfway naked whenever they are describing the taste of the foods they sampled. Now, I usually don’t mind seeing sexual imagery depending on whether or not the story is a romance or something of the sort, but because this is a series about cooking, it just felt a bit too out of place in this setting and I sometimes cringed a bit whenever the sexual images come up in the story.
Overall, “Food Wars! Volume One” is a fun volume for anyone who loves manga that deals with cooking and action and I am definitely going to try to check out the next volume in this series!
I have been a huge fan of “Reading Rainbow” ever since I was a child and I have always enjoyed reading the books that were either [image]
4.5 stars
I have been a huge fan of “Reading Rainbow” ever since I was a child and I have always enjoyed reading the books that were either featured or suggested on the TV series. So, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that LeVar Burton, the longtime host of “Reading Rainbow” was going to write a children’s book called “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm,” along with co-writing with Susan Schaefer Bernardo and artwork by Courtenay Fletcher. This book will surely inspire many children to get through hard times themselves!
The story starts off with Mica Mouse sitting with her father during a storm and she became worried about the storm due to a hurricane coming in and destroying her home over a year ago. Mica’s father then went to comfort her by reading her a story about a rhino who also went through some hard times.
In the story, the rhino was living peacefully in his home when all of a sudden, a strong storm came through the valley and started destroying everything that the rhino cared about. The rhino was so upset by all the destruction that it ended up swallowing the storm. After the rhino swallowed the storm, the storm started causing so much disturbance within the rhino and the rhino was at a lost at what to do. The spider then comes by and tells the rhino this verse:
“The world up above is shattered and gray, But it’s where you belong, so you must find a way To let that storm out and move through your sorrow. You’ll find many helpers on your road to tomorrow.”
So, the rhino decided to go on a quest to get rid of the storm that is boiling inside of him.
Will the rhino be successful on his quest?
Read this book to find out!
Wow! I was quite impressed with this inspiring children’s book that was written by none other than LeVar Burton of “Reading Rainbow” fame! LeVar Burton and Susan Schaefer Bernardo did a great job at writing this story as I found this story to be quite inspirational, especially for children who have to deal with the harshness of the real world and need to find a way to go through life in such a negative world. I actually found myself relating to both Mica Mouse and the rhinoceros in the story as I sometimes found myself wondering about how I can deal with all the wars, deaths and prejudice going on in this world and I like the fact that this book tries to encourage children to get through tough times by inspiring them to remain positive and be aware of all the friends and families they have that will help them through tough times. Courtenay Fletcher’s artwork is highly creative and cute to look at as I enjoyed the images of both the rhinoceros and Mica Mouse as the artwork for Mica Mouse and her father are in smooth watercolors while the artwork for the rhinoceros is in cut out figures to help the readers distinguished between the two stories.
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The reason why I took off half a star from the rating was because I felt that this story was a bit too lengthy in trying to get its message across and I wished that they would have trimmed out a few verses that the animals were trying to tell the Rhino in order to get to the meat of the story much faster.
Overall, “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm” is a great inspirational book for children who are also going through hard times and want a good book that can inspire them to remain positive in such a harsh world. I would recommend this book to children age five and up since the length and complexity of this book might be difficult for some smaller children.
I have read at least two books from Virginia Lee Burton when I was younger and they were “The Little House” and “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Sh[image]
I have read at least two books from Virginia Lee Burton when I was younger and they were “The Little House” and “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” and I had enjoyed both books immensely! So, I then picked up another book by Virginia Lee Burton called “Choo Choo” which was quite a unique read and is one that I would definitely recommend for children!
The story is about a beautiful little locomotive named Choo Choo who would pull trains from the city to the country and back again every day. She was always accompanied by three workers who were named Jim the Engineer, Oley the Fireman and Archibald the Conductor who would all come together to take care of Choo Choo. One day however, Choo Choo was getting tired of pulling trains in between the cities and the country and she decided to run away from the station and show everyone in town how beautiful she really is!
What sort of adventures will Choo Choo get herself into?
Read this book to find out!
Wow! I never would have thought that I would enjoy this book so much! Just like Virginia Lee Burton’s other works, this book has a classic and old fashioned feel as we get to see how trains look like during the 1930s. I also loved the fact that this story has a different twist to the usual children’s story about trains, as it details the story about a young train running away from its owners, which I rarely read about in previous books about trains. Virginia Lee Burton does a great job at making this book both cute and exciting at the same time as I loved the fact that Choo Choo’s owners really do care about what happened to Choo Choo when she goes missing as it brings in a heartwarming element to the story. I was also sitting on the edge of my seat as I wondered if Choo Choo was ever going to make it back home safely and I liked the way that Virginia Lee Burton detailed the dangers of running away from home as Choo Choo gets into all kinds of danger on her travels and it would help teach kids about the dangers of running away from home by themselves. Virginia Lee Burton’s artwork is quite unique in this book as most of the images are in black and white colorings, giving this book an old fashioned and bold feel and I also enjoyed seeing the images of Choo Choo herself as she is drawn as a cute looking locomotive, which strongly reminds me of the image from “The Little Engine that Could!”
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The only real issue with this book is that there is one image in this book where Choo Choo ends up going through a scary looking forest that might frighten smaller children. The trees are drawn in a much eerier manner compared to the rest of the images and parents might want to go through the images in this scene first to see if their children can handle such scary imagery.
Overall, “Choo Choo” is a truly cute book that children who enjoy reading about trains will definitely get a kick out of! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the image of the scary forest might scare some smaller children.
I have been an avid fan of Eric Carle’s works, especially of his well-known children’s book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and one of the books [image]
I have been an avid fan of Eric Carle’s works, especially of his well-known children’s book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and one of the books that Eric Carle had worked on that I did not get the chance to read when I was little was “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” which was also written by Bill Martin Jr. All in all, this was one children’s book that children should definitely check out!
Since this story is extremely short, the summary will be brief. Basically, the plot of this book is about the reader seeing various animals comment on what other beings they are looking at that precise moment, while each animal states a variation of this quote:
“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? I see a red bird looking at me.
Red Bird, Red Bird, What do you see? I see a yellow duck looking at me.”
Wow! I cannot believe that I waited this long to finally pick up this popular children’s book and it was definitely worth reading in the end! I loved the simplistic style that Bill Martin Jr. brought to this book as the plot is basically having readers see various animals in different colors popping up in the book and commenting on other animals they have seen. I loved the fact that each animal is a different color such as having a blue horse and a purple cat as it brings a unique spin to the storytelling of this book and I was quietly anticipating seeing what kind of animals we will see pop up in this book. Eric Carle’s artwork is as always, a delight to look at as all the characters are rendered in paper cut outs which gives the book a creative look and I really loved the images of the different animals that show up in this book, such as the purple cat and the blue horse!
[image]
Even though there is nothing wrong with this book, I have to wonder why it was banned in the first place? Well, it turns out that when it was banned, the person who banned the book made a mistake regarding the author of this book, who is Bill Martin Jr. and the person thought that it was the same Bill Martin who wrote the book “Ethical Marxism: The Categorical Imperative of Liberation.” Now, I have never read any of the “other” Bill Martin’s books, but this was the first instance where a book was mistakenly banned for the wrong reasons and that got me curious yet annoyed.
Overall, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” is a truly cute book for children who want to have fun with identifying animals and colors all wrapped up into one book! I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
“Love is giving the world away, and being loved is having the whole world to give.”
I must admit that I rarely read romance novels [image]
3.5 stars
“Love is giving the world away, and being loved is having the whole world to give.”
I must admit that I rarely read romance novels that deal with time traveling since time traveling stories tend to confuse me due to trying to figure out what events are going on in the present versus what events are going on in the future and sometimes, the line between past, present and future can be blurred in certain stories. One such novel that I had read called “The Love That Split the World” by Emily Henry actually dealt with time travel and I have to tell you that it was one doozy of a read!
Natalie Cleary was your average high school student who is friends with her ex-boyfriend Matt Kincaid and Megan and lives in a happily adopted family with her siblings Jack and Coco and life was going well for Natalie. One night however, Natalie meets up with a mysterious boy named Beau at her high school football game and the two instantly fell in love with each other. But then, Natalie starts noticing some weird things going on around her small town in Kentucky, such as a preschool suddenly appearing where the garden store should have been and when the people in town suddenly disappear before her very eyes. It was then that a mysterious old woman called “Grandmother” came to Natalie’s dreams and gave her a warning that she has three months to save someone she really cares about. So, Natalie spends the majority of the book trying to find out who she is going to save while spending some time with Beau and trying to figure out these weird events happening around her town.
I have to admit that for a time traveling story, Emily Henry has definitely done a great job at putting a unique spin to the usual time traveling story as its core focus is the romance between Natalie and Beau and how they try to stay together throughout the different time rifts that goes on throughout their worlds. I also enjoyed the relationships between the characters, especially between Megan and Natalie and Natalie and Beau. I loved the fact that Natalie usually confides in Megan about her various visions that she has and how Megan is so understanding about Natalie’s “odd” dreams and visions as it is nice to have another character who knows about the main character’s secret abilities without having the reader go through the entire book wondering if the main character will ever reveal their secrets to anyone else. I also enjoyed the relationship between Natalie and Beau, although I found it a bit too contrived at times that Natalie suddenly thinks that Beau is her true love upon their first meeting. I loved the fact that Natalie and Beau truly love each other and I really like their cute little bantering with each other, despite the turbulent situation that they are stuck in.
The reason why I gave this book a three-and-a-half-star rating is because while the story had a strong start at the beginning, the story got a bit confusing once the time travel elements got introduced and I started to lose a bit of interest in the story due to being constantly confused about what is really going on with Natalie and Beau’s time traveling shenanigans. I also got a bit annoyed with Natalie throughout certain parts of the story as it seems like all she does is whine and complain about how bad her life is and how she is indecisive about her feelings about Matt when it is obvious that she would rather be with Beau in pursuing her relationship. Also, there were times where the pacing was a bit slow, especially during the scenes where the time traveling aspects were being explained in full detail and I was hoping for these scenes to be shorten so that we could get to the action sequences much faster.
Overall, “The Love that Split the World” may had had a strong start, but the story came apart once the time traveling aspect was introduced and it might be difficult for some fans of time traveling stories to get into. However, it is an interesting read for anyone who is a fan of time traveling romances!
I have another bookish confession to make: Even though I have been reading many of Robert Munsch’s books when I was little, I had never once re[image]
I have another bookish confession to make: Even though I have been reading many of Robert Munsch’s books when I was little, I had never once read his most highly acclaimed book “Love You Forever” and I am still kicking myself in the rear for not reading this book sooner! “Love You Forever” is a heartwarming story written by Robert Munsch along with artwork by Sheila McGraw that is definitely worth checking out!
The story starts off with a mother holding her newborn baby boy in her arms and as she rocking the baby to sleep, she started singing a little song:
“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living My baby you’ll be.”
We are then treated to the little boy growing up throughout the story as he started out as a troublemaking toddler to a teenager who likes to listen to strange music to a full grown adult man who eventually moved out of his mother’s house. One day however, the boy’s mother had gotten ill and…
What will the son do about this predicament and what will happen to the mother?
Read this book to find out!
Oh my gosh! How in the world could I not have read this book when I was little? I mean, I had read many of Robert Munsch’s other books including “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Stephanie’s Ponytail,” but this one seems to have fallen off the radar for me! Robert Munsch did a fantastic job at writing this story as we get to see how a mother witnesses the growth of her son throughout the story and how she still loves her son no matter how different her son becomes through looks and personalities. What made this book extremely unique in my eyes is how we get to see the positive and negative aspects of parenthood as while the boy occasionally got on his mother’s nerves whenever he got into trouble, we also see that the mother still loves her son no matter what the boy does and this aspect of the story made this book a truly heartwarming experience for me. I also loved the message of this book as it proves the importance of love by showing that the mother has always cared about her son no matter how much older she got and I think that children should read books that deals with the true meaning of family and shows that your family will always care about you through thick and thin. Sheila McGraw’s artwork is simply beautiful to look at as all the characters look realistic and I loved the images of both the mother and the little boy growing older with each progressive page. Probably my most favorite image in this book is of the son as a toddler sitting on the bathroom floor with toilet paper littering the floor and the boy holding a watch over the toilet!
There is an infamous scene in this book where the mother ends up sneaking into her son’s house, who is at this point a full grown adult living on his own and this scene might be a bit unsettling for some readers to handle. Now, I can understand how this scene would be upsetting to some readers as the idea of a grown woman sneaking inside her adult son’s house without him knowing about it would cause a lot of uncomfortable mental images such as what if the old woman was actually a burglar in disguised and the son had no way of knowing this because he was asleep the whole time? For me personally, I was not really upset by this scene as I thought that it was an exaggerated show of affection that the mother shows her adult son and because these are fictional characters, I did not really take this scene that seriously. Now, if the mother sneaked into an unknown child’s bedroom late at night or someone got hurt in this scene, then I would have felt a bit differently about this scene.
Overall, “Love You Forever” is a truly memorable and heartwarming book that children who wants to read books that shows the importance of love and family, will immediately enjoy! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
I have a confession to make: even though I had read the “Amelia Bedelia” books when I was little, I had never read the very first [image]
4.5 stars
I have a confession to make: even though I had read the “Amelia Bedelia” books when I was little, I had never read the very first book in the “Amelia Bedelia” series, which has surprised me since I thought that that would be the first thing that I would have read (but, I was a kid back then and I just read whatever was put in front of me). So, I finally got the chance to read the very first book “Amelia Bedelia” by Peggy Parish along with artwork by Fritz Siebel and I was pleasantly surprised by this introductory book into the popular “Amelia Bedelia” series!
The story starts off with Amelia Bedelia starting her first day of work at the household of Mr. and Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. Rogers left Amelia Bedelia a list of things she must do around the house while the Rogers are out. Before Amelia Bedelia went to work, she decided to make a lemon meringue pie for the Rogers once they get home and after she finished making the pie, she started going through the chores she has to do around the house. The first task that Amelia had to do is:
“Change the towels in the green bathroom.”
Sounds simple enough, except that Amelia thought that Mrs. Rogers had meant changing the designs of the towels and Amelia ended up cutting the towels into odd shapes. Next, Mrs. Rogers asked Amelia to:
“Dust the furniture.”
Instead, Amelia Bedelia took some dusting powder from the bathroom and dusted the furniture with it.
How much more damage will Amelia Bedelia cause in the Rogers’ household?
Read this book to find out!
I cannot believe that I waited until just recently to actually check out the very first book that jumpstarted the fantastic “Amelia Bedelia” series! I was quite impressed with how simple yet hilarious this story was and it is clear to see why the “Amelia Bedelia” series remained to be well -loved by children all over the world! Peggy Parish did a great job at writing Amelia Bedelia’s character as Amelia Bedelia remains to be a charming and likable character who usually takes things extremely literally and the fun in the story is seeing Amelia Bedelia do bizarre things with the chores she has to do around the house, such as a simple task of putting out the lights turn into Amelia Bedelia literally putting the lights outside to dry out in the sun. Fritz Siebel’s artwork is simplistic, yet cute at the same time as Amelia Bedelia is always drawn with an innocent look on her face and is always wearing a black dress with a white apron in front, signifying her status as a maid. I also loved the way that Fritz Siebel illustrated Amelia’s escapades in the Roger household, especially the scene where Amelia is dressing up the chicken as they were hilarious to look at. I also like the fact that the colorings are mainly in green and white colors as it makes it truly stand out from other children’s books that usually have black and white colorings in the artwork.
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The reason why I took off half a star from the rating was that I felt that the pacing was a bit slow in some places and I sort of wish that they trimmed down the activities that Amelia Bedelia has done around the house just so the pacing would be faster.
Overall, “Amelia Bedelia” is a must read if you want to read about how Amelia Bedelia’s adventures began and if you are a huge fan of the “Amelia Bedelia” book series! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
Now, I have a confession to make: I have often seen the book “Good Night, Gorilla” by Peggy Rathmann around many times when I was little and ye[image]
Now, I have a confession to make: I have often seen the book “Good Night, Gorilla” by Peggy Rathmann around many times when I was little and yet, I had never bothered to pick up the book despite the adorable looking cover. It was not until years later (way into my adulthood) that I finally got the chance to pick up this book and I have to say that I cannot believe that I waited this long to pick up this charming little picture book!
The story starts off with a zookeeper saying goodnight to a gorilla in his cage and as soon as the zookeeper goes off to say goodnight to the other zoo animals, the gorilla slyly take the keys from the zookeeper’s pockets and unlocks himself out of the cage. As the zookeeper goes around saying goodnight to the other animals, the gorilla quietly follows the zookeeper around, while freeing the other animals, which includes an elephant, a lion, a hyena, a giraffe and an armadillo, from their cages without the zookeeper noticing anything wrong. When the zookeeper finally goes back to his home to get a good night’s rest, the zoo animals ended up following him inside his house and…
Will the zookeeper discover that the animals are out of their cages?
Read this book to find out!
I cannot believe that I waited for years to actually read this book and it was definitely worth the wait! Peggy Rathmann had done an excellent job at writing and illustrating this book as I found this story to be extremely hilarious and cute! I really loved the way that Peggy Rathmann made the zookeeper and the gorilla’s adventures so cute and interesting at the same time as I was smiling the whole time during the scenes where the gorilla used the zookeeper’s keys to free the other animals from their cages. I also thought that it was cute about how the animals followed the zookeeper to his home as it added a unique twist to the usual children’s story about animals and the zoo as we have the animals actually break out of the zoo to follow the zookeeper home. Peggy Rathmann’s artwork was cute and gorgeous to look at as all the zoo animals are adorable looking, especially the small mouse and the armadillo and I also loved the fact that the majority of the story takes place during the night as it gives the artwork a soothing feel. I also loved the way that Peggy Rathmann made the backgrounds so luscious as it gives the artwork a beautiful feel to the story.
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Overall, “Good Night, Gorilla” is a truly cute and hilarious story that children who love reading books that take place in the zoo and bedtime stories will definitely enjoy for many years! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Tanglewood Publishing Inc. for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Tanglewood Publishing Inc. for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was time that I read more children’s books from NetGalley and I happened to pick up another children’s book from NetGalley called “Argyle Fox” by Marie Letourneau and I actually found this book to be quite cute!
The story starts off with a young fox named Argyle Fox who wanted to go outside and play, but his mother warns him that it is very windy outside and that he might not be able to play the games that he wanted to play. But, Argyle Fox went outside to play with his cards anyway and while Argyle was playing with his cards, the wind blows his cards away and Argyle had to go back home to find something else to play with. Argyle then finds an old spider costume and decided to play as a spider in the trees outside. But the squirrels warned Argyle that it is too windy outside to play as a spider. But Argyle ignored the squirrels’ warnings and continued playing outside, but then the wind comes up and blows at Argyle, which causes him to get tangled in his homemade webs. Argyle then goes back home and tried to find another game to play outside and every time Argyle tries to find a new game to play on this windy day, the wind just keeps on messing up his games. Just as Argyle was going to give up playing games outside, his mother quietly encourages to think of another game to play on a windy day.
What game can Argyle play on a windy day?
Read this book to find out!
I have been reading many children’s books that deal with the main characters (usually children) trying to find a fun game to play whether they are inside or outside and it has been awhile since I had read such as book as this. Marie Letourneau has done a great job at telling a story about a young fox’s determination to play outside, despite it being a windy day and I enjoyed seeing the various games that Argyle tries out on the windy day such as playing as a spider and playing as a pirate. I also like the fact that Argyle never gave up on trying to find the right game to play on the windy day as it shows that he has a lot of determination in trying out various games, no matter how windy the day got. I really loved the fact that Argyle’s mother was supportive of Argyle’s determination in finding the perfect game to play on a windy day as it was great seeing a parent support their child during their time of need and I liked the fact that Argyle’s mother encouraged Argyle to find a different game that would be more suitable to play in the wind. Marie Letourneau’s artwork is adorable and colorful to look at as I loved the images of Argyle Fox doing different activities such as playing as a spider and playing as a pirate and I also loved the images of the wind coming in with the words “WHOOSH” accompanying it as it gives it a huge presence in the story.
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The reason why I gave this story a four-star rating was because even though I found the story to be really cute, I have already read plenty of children’s books where the main character is trying to find a new game to play either outside or inside the house and I just found this story to be a bit repetitive at this point.
Overall, “Argyle Fox” is a truly cute story about encouraging children to find good games to play on a windy day and I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
I must admit that I was on a shopping spree on Amazon for books that were obscure and out of print and I happened to stumble upon this really o [image]
I must admit that I was on a shopping spree on Amazon for books that were obscure and out of print and I happened to stumble upon this really obscure book called “True Paranoid Facts!” “True Paranoid Facts!” is a factual book that was written by Calvin Zeit along with artwork by Henrik Drescher and the only reason I bought this book in the first place was because of Henrik Drescher’s artwork and I actually found this book to be quite an interesting read!
Basically, this book is filled with facts that deal with wars, historical figures and nuclear weapons that were relevant during the 1980s and these facts include:
“You can run, but you can’t hide.”
“Most wars in history have been fought over RELIGION!”
“Valley of the Dolls is the best-selling novel in the history of the world!”
“YOU are your own worst enemy!”
“Love is never having to say you’re sorry.”
Calvin Zeit has done a great job at detailing various facts that were relevant during the 1980s and compiling them into this graphic novel that is more aimed towards adults than anything, especially if you have knowledge about the Cold War paranoia going on during the 1980s. I like the fact that Calvin Zeit provided some source notes at the end of the book that details where he researched the facts in this book as I wanted to know where these facts had stemmed from and how authentic they were during the 1980s. There were also some facts that I found surprising as I did not know about some of these facts until I read this book such as “Valley of the Dolls” being the best-selling novel in the history of the world or that Nancy Reagan is more popular than Mother Teresa. Henrik Drescher’s artwork is as usual humorous and bizarre to look at as the artwork is mostly rendered in black and white colorings and the characters shown in this book are exaggerated beyond comprehension. One of my most favorite images in this book is the image of the food coming after a man as the facts state about how some foods contain dangerous and poisonous chemicals that could kill a human being and the image of the food coming alive really reinforces that fact.
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The reason why I gave this book a four-star rating was because I felt that the information in this book were a bit outdated. Of course, since this was written during the 1980s, this cannot be helped, although it still bothered me a bit when I look at information like “Valley of the Dolls” is the best-selling novel in the world and you look at the current best-selling books and that fact has changed dramatically over the years. Also, just because the cover of this book looks extremely humorous, does not mean that this book is for younger readers. This book contains lots of violence and nudity and that might make some readers uncomfortable if they do not like such elements in a story.
Overall, “True Paranoid Facts!” is an interesting book if you are looking to see what kind of facts about war, nuclear weapons and historical figures were relevant during the 1980s. I would recommend this book to fans of books that deal with the society of the 1980s!
“Hate cannot be fought with hate. Evil cannot be conquered by darkness. Only love has the power to conquer them both.”
I must admit that it[image]
“Hate cannot be fought with hate. Evil cannot be conquered by darkness. Only love has the power to conquer them both.”
I must admit that it has been awhile since I had last read Robin LaFevers’ hit novel “Grave Mercy.” However, years later I finally read the sequel of this fantastic series called “Dark Triumph” and I must say that it was even more exciting and personal than “Grave Mercy” was!
When Sybella first arrived at the convent of Mortain, she was mad with grief as she used to live with her monstrous dictator of a father d’Albret and her brothers Julian and Pierre and her life there was full of misery and turmoil. Just as Sybella was enjoying her life at the convent, her life takes a drastic turn as the abbess of the convent forces Sybella to go back to d’Albret’s kingdom in order to find a means to weaken the dictator during Brittany’s war with France. When Sybella founds out about this mission, she becomes truly heartbroken and she starts doubting the existence of Mortain as she wonders to herself about why would Mortain force her to go back to a life of pure misery with d’Albret? It was not until later on when Sybella meets up with one of d’Albret’s prisoners, a huge and ugly man called Beast who is a loyal servant to the duchess of Brittany and a pawn that d’Albret wishes to use against the duchess. When Sybella meets up with the prisoner, she decides to free him in order to prevent d’Albret from using him against the duchess and the two make their way towards the kingdom of Brittany to turn the tides in the war against France and d’Albret himself. But, Sybella will soon realize that she may have feelings for Beast and that might turn the life that she has known all her life upside down.
Wow! Even though I had enjoyed reading Robin LaFevers’ “Grave Mercy” novel, I never would have thought that I would enjoy the sequel “Dark Triumph” even more than “Grave Mercy!” I loved the way that Robin LaFevers made this sequel much darker and more personal than the first book as readers are introduced to Sybella’s side of the story and how her life was full of turmoil and betrayal that made her doubt her existence in the world and how Mortain would allow her life to become so turbulent. I really enjoyed seeing the character development that Sybella goes through in this book as she had an extremely miserable life with her treacherous family and I actually felt bad for her during the moments where she starts doubting her existence in the world due to certain circumstances not going her way. I also enjoyed seeing the relationships that Sybella had developed over the course of the story, especially her relationship with Ismae, as they shared a sisterly bond that kept them close to each other and I like the way that Ismae tries to comfort Sybella during her times of stress. But the character I was the most interested in was Beast himself as he has many similarities to Sybella (both love to fight off the bad guys and both had lost people that they cared about) and yet, he still retains a happy and go lucky attitude during the whole ordeal with d’Abret and the French. But, I cannot leave out one of my most favorite aspects of Beast’s character and that is (seriously) his BODY TYPE! I like the fact that we have a hero who is described as not being handsome looking, but still has an extremely muscular body that is able to take down any forces that come up against him and it is this description of Beast that makes me really fall for him!
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For those of you who do not like suggestive themes and strong violence, there are some surprisingly violent moments in this book which includes many characters getting their throats slit by the assassins that might be uncomfortable for some readers.
Also, the fact that Sybella’s family, her brother Julian and d’Abret included, seem to want to get into a sexual relationship with her, despite the fact that they are “related” to each other and that might be a bit upsetting for some readers to handle, especially since it shows that Sybella clearly does not want to engage in such relationships with her brother Julian and d’Albret and they were basically forcing themselves upon her.
Overall, “Dark Triumph” is a truly fantastic sequel to “Grave Mercy” that fans of historical romance and books that deal with assassins will definitely enjoy for many years! I am definitely looking forward to the third book in the series “Mortal Heart!”
Did you know that it has been over thirty years since “The Napping House” by Audrey Wood along with artwork by Don Wood had been published? Wel[image]
Did you know that it has been over thirty years since “The Napping House” by Audrey Wood along with artwork by Don Wood had been published? Well, did you know that Audrey Wood and Don Wood made a companion book to the “Napping House” called “The Full Moon at the Napping House” in 2015? Well, I did not know this either until I just recently picked up the book and I must say that it certainly lives up to the original book’s expectations!
The story starts off with the full moon coming over the Napping House and its residents (a grandmother, a young boy, a dog, a cat and a mouse) are trying to go to sleep. But, the family has become restless during the night and it seems like they will never go to sleep until an unlikely visitor comes by the house…
Wow! I never would have thought that the day would come when I would see a companion book to Audrey Wood and Don Wood’s classic children’s book “The Napping House!” “The Napping House” has always been one of my most favorite reads during my childhood, especially during bedtime. So, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that a companion book was being made for one of my most favorite childhood reads and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this companion book! I like the fact that Audrey Wood managed to keep the narrative of this story faithful to the narrative of the original book, while telling a different story in this companion book (such as the fact that in this story, the residents of the Napping House are actually having trouble falling asleep while in the original book, it focuses on them sleeping through the night). It seems like a reverse storytelling method of the original book and I found that approach to this companion book to be extremely creative as I am still reading the narrative of the original book, but from a different perspective. Don Wood’s artwork is as beautiful as ever before as the characters look exactly as they did in the original “The Napping House” book. I really enjoyed the humorous images of the boy, the dog and the cat playing around during the night while the grandmother is trying so hard to go to sleep as I found myself giggling at this display. I also enjoyed the more beautiful aspect of the artwork as we see the full moon shining through the house and making everything in the house glow in such beauty.
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Overall, “The Full Moon at the Napping House” is a fantastic follow up to “The Napping House” that fans of the original book will certainly fall in love with! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
Now I have a bit of a confession to make: I actually was introduced to this classic children’s story through an animated special that premiered[image]
Now I have a bit of a confession to make: I actually was introduced to this classic children’s story through an animated special that premiered on TV way back in the early 1990s and I have only just recently decided to pick up the book that the animated special was based off of. “The Little Engine that Could” by Watty Piper along with artwork by George and Doris Hauman is truly a cute classic that children will read for years to come!
The story starts off with a little train carrying good things for the little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain such as teddy bears, dolls, books for the children to play with. The little train also carried good food for the children to eat such as apples, oranges, milk and peppermint drops. Just as the little train was heading towards the mountains with all of these good things for the little boys and girls, it suddenly stopped on the train tracks and it could not budge. The toys then began to lament this predicament and they tried to receive help from various trains that stopped by. Unfortunately, none of the trains wanted anything to do with taking the toys to the other side of the mountain and they just left the toys on the side of the tracks. Finally, a little blue engine came along and…
Will the little blue engine help the toys get to their destination and will the toys make it over the mountain in time to give the little girls and boys their gifts?
Read this book to find out!
Watty Piper (which is actually a pseudonym for the Platt & Munk Publishing House) had done an excellent job at writing this cute little story as it details the importance of perseverance through the actions of the little blue engine as she tries to get the toys to their destination despite being so small. I like the fact that this story teaches children about the importance of never giving up in the face of a difficult situation and that they just need to do the best they can when they are dealing with situations that might be impossible for them. I also like the idea about the story being mainly about the toys and the train trying to get to the other side of the mountain to deliver toys and food to the little boys and girls since it reminds me a bit of how Santa Claus usually has to deliver toys and goodies to many children of the world, except in this case, this story does not take place during Christmas. George and Doris Hauman’s artwork is truly adorable to look at as all the toys are so cute to look at and I especially loved the image of the little engine herself as she is colored in blue, which is quite a unique color for a train, and she constantly has a smile on her face that makes me root for her.
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The reason why I gave this book a four-star rating is because I felt that the pacing for this story was a bit slow and I wished that they trimmed off a bit of the toys’ conversations with the trains in order to get to the main point of the story.
Overall, “The Little Engine that Could” is a cute story about the importance of perseverance in the face of hardship that children will easily relate to! I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
Now, anyone who has been reading Dr. Seuss’ books are probably more familiar with his books “The Cat in the Hat,” “How the Grinch Stole Christm[image]
Now, anyone who has been reading Dr. Seuss’ books are probably more familiar with his books “The Cat in the Hat,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Lorax.” But, did you know that Dr. Seuss had created some earlier books that dealt with the days of old where kings and kingdoms still existed? Well, “The King’s Stilts” by Dr. Seuss is such a book and it was a truly wonderful experience to behold!
Once upon a time, there lived a King named King Birtram who ruled the kingdom of Binn. Every day, the King would sign important papers of state, while taking a bath and his page boy Eric would hold up the papers while his other servant Lord Droon would give the King the papers to sign. But, probably the most important duty that the King has to do is to take care of a group of cats called the Patrol Cats, who protect the Kingdom of Binn from a group birds called Nizzards. The reason why the Patrol Cats are needed to protect the kingdom is because the kingdom is surrounded by the sea and only a set of trees that surround the kingdom called the Dike Trees can prevent the sea from flooding the kingdom. Unfortunately, the Nizzards are constantly pecking at the roots of the Dike Trees and the Patrol Cats have to chase them away. After the King finishes all the hard work he has to do for the kingdom, he takes a well-earned break by playing with his trusty stilts and everyone in the kingdom like the fact that the King is able to take some time off from his work. Unfortunately, the only person in the kingdom who does not like the King having fun on his stilts is Lord Droon since he believes that the King should never have any fun and he goes to the King’s private quarters and steals his stilts and forced Eric to dig up the stilts near the sea. Now with the stilts gone, the King became depressed and neglected his duties for the kingdom. This caused the Patrol Cats to get fat and lazy and they could not chase away the Nizzards, who started pecking away at the trees. Only Eric the Page Boy knows about the stilts, but Lord Droon threatened Eric to not tell the King about the stilts.
Will Eric be able to get the stilts back to the king before it is too late for the Kingdom of Binn?
Read this book to find out!
You know, even though I had read some Dr. Seuss books that were pretty dark in tone such as the “Bartholomew” books, “The Lorax” and “The Butter Battle Book,” it was still surprising to see another early Dr. Seuss book that takes place during the medieval times while still having dark situations happen to the characters. I like the way that Dr. Seuss wrote this story, as it was quite unique from most of his other works as the story is not told in Dr. Seuss’ usual cheerful rhyming scheme, but told in a straightforward narrative, which makes the story much more serious to read through. I also like the theme that Dr. Seuss presents in the story about how it is important to take a break once in a while after working hard and the fact that the King can function in his work activities extremely well after he goes out for a spin on his stilts really reinforce this idea. I like the fact that the King has a pretty good relationship with Eric the page boy, even though I would have liked to see more scenes of Eric and the King together to get a full grasp on their relationship with each other. Dr. Seuss’ artwork is as usual, highly creative to look at as the artwork is mostly presented in black and white colors, but there are certain objects in the artwork that are colored in red to show their significance to the story, such as the King’s cape and stilts, Eric the Page Boy’s pants and the Patrol Cats’ badges.
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Parents should know that unlike most of Dr. Seuss’ later works, the tone of this story is much darker as the scenes where the Kingdom of Binn is in danger of being flooded by the sea because of the Nizzard birds nibbling on the dike trees might scare some small children.
Overall, “The King’s Stilts” is a truly remarkable read from Dr. Seuss’ earlier works and one I would definitely recommend you check out! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the intense scenes involving the Nizzards would scare some smaller children.
Now I have read a couple of children’s books where the characters in question for some bizarre reason want to eat strange things such as in “Th[image]
Now I have read a couple of children’s books where the characters in question for some bizarre reason want to eat strange things such as in “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” where the old lady spent most of the book eating various animals she comes across to. Well, “My Little Sister Ate One Hare” which is written by Bill Grossman along with illustrations by Kevin Hawkes is pretty much a similar story that is just as crazy as “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly!”
This story is basically about a young girl who is the titular “little sister” being able to eat various animals which includes one hare, two snakes, three ants, four shrews, five bats, six mice, seven polliwogs and so on and so forth. Then, when the little sister tried to eat ten peas…
Can the little sister eat the ten peas and what will happen once she does?
Read this book to find out!
Now, when I first saw this book, I will admit that I was a little curious to see what this book was all about (especially with the image of a little girl eating the hare on the cover grabbing my attention). So, when I finally picked this book up, I was having a great time reading this really bizarre yet hilarious story! Bill Grossman has done an excellent job at writing this story as the story is both hilarious and creative to read and I really enjoyed the scenes where we see the little sister eating various animals such as shrews, bats, polliwogs, and ants while performing these acts on a theater stage. I like the fact that the little sister dressing up as various characters such as a magician and a snake charmer while she is eating the animals added a certain flair to the story as it makes seem like the little sister is in a stage performance while she is performing these tricks to the audience. Kevin Hawkes’ artwork is extremely comedic and exaggerated as we see various shots of the little sister’s mouth going extremely wide as she is about to eat an animal character and it was entertaining seeing these images pop out towards the audience in an unconventional way! Probably my most favorite images in this book are of the little sister dressing up in different costumes such as a magician, a snake charmer, a pirate and a cat while she is performing on stage as they give her performances even more creativity!
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Parents should know that the scenes where the little sister eats up the animals alive might either be too disturbing or too gross for some small children to handle and they might want to read this book first to see if their child can handle a book where the main character eats animals alive.
Overall, “My Little Sister Ate One Hare” is a hilarious and bizarre story that children who love reading about characters who do weird activities will surely enjoy for many years to follow! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the scenes where the little sister eats various animals alive might either scare or gross out some children.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“Every wo[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“Every word you have ever uttered, is engraved upon my heart.”
Hoo boy! It has been a while since I had last read a historical romance novel and what better way to start off the new year than to read a historical romance novel by a new author? When NetGalley offered me a new historical romance book online, I was tempted to try this novel “Wicked Intentions” by Elizabeth Hoyt out, since I had never read a romance novel by Elizabeth Hoyt before, despite hearing her name pop up in many romance discussions. After reading this book, I was so blown away by the raw and real romance shown in this novel!
Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, was known throughout London as being a notorious rake who would pleasure himself with any woman he came across. However, his main goal in this story is to find the person who murdered his former mistress Marie and he ends up enlisting the help of Temperance Dews, who was a widowed woman running a foundling home that her family established. Unfortunately, Temperance and her family were having a hard time trying to maintain the home since they did not have enough money to support the home. So, Lord Caire decided that he will introduce Temperance to high society so that way she can find a benefactor who could support the foundling home. But in exchange for that, Temperance must help Lord Caire find Marie’s killer in the dangerous streets of St. Giles and even though Temperance and Lord Caire did not get along with each other at first, they both soon realize that their feelings for each other might grow into a passion that might consume them both!
Wow! I must admit that this was a pretty awesome read for my first novel by Elizabeth Hoyt! I was amazed by the dangerous yet sensuous world that Elizabeth Hoyt had crafted and how the characters all try to survive in this type of world without being corrupted themselves. Elizabeth Hoyt has done a fantastic job at intertwining the murder mystery plot of Marie’s murder into the romantic plot line between Temperance and Lord Caire as it was interesting in not only trying to discover who Marie’s murderer is, but it was great seeing the growing romantic relationship between Temperance and Lord Caire! But what I loved the best about this book was how Elizabeth Hoyt wrote each character, especially Temperance and Lord Caire! I loved the fact that both Lord Caire and Temperance are shown as both having flaws (Lord Caire is a rake, while Temperance has a dark past that she has trouble telling people about) and I loved the fact that Lord Caire was trying to get Temperance to open up about her past and Temperance was trying to show Lord Caire what true love is all about. Although, the only nitpick I have about the characters was that I wish we knew more about Temperance’s family members like her brothers Winter, Concord and Asa and especially her sister Silence who has her own side story in this book. Also, I have to say something about the…. SEX SCENES. I must say that this novel probably has the most graphic yet sensual depiction of sex scenes I have ever read in any romance novel and it was quite an unusual yet mesmerizing experience to behold!
For anyone who does not like strong violence and sex scenes, this novel has plenty of violence and sex scenes that might make some readers squirm a bit. Regarding the strong violence, there are scenes where the victims of the murders have their stomachs torn open by the murderer and it is described in graphic detail. The same goes for the sex scenes are they are described much more graphically in this novel than in any other romance novel.
Overall, “Wicked Intentions” is a fantastic read if you are into historical romances that manage to combine murder mystery into the plot line and I definitely cannot wait to read more stories from the rest of the characters in this story!
Now, it has been a long time since I had read a book from Kevin Henkes’ famous “Mouse” series since I had so many other children’s books to get[image]
Now, it has been a long time since I had read a book from Kevin Henkes’ famous “Mouse” series since I had so many other children’s books to get through over the years. Many of the books from the “Mouse” series had an everlasting place in my childhood nostalgia as I used to read these books when I was little and I was surprised that there was a newer book from Kevin Henkes’ “Mouse” series called “Lilly’s Big Day” which seems to be a conclusion of a sort to Lilly’s story!
Mr. Slinger, Lilly’s teacher, is about to get married to Ms. Shotwell, the school nurse and he excitedly tells the class about this big news. Lilly is excited about this news as well as she believes that Mr. Slinger will ask her to be the flower girl at his wedding. However, when Lilly told her parents about the big news, her parents tried to explain to Lilly that just because Mr. Slinger is having a wedding, does not mean that Lilly will automatically become a flower girl in Mr. Slinger’s wedding. But Lilly still believed that she will become the flower girl in Mr. Slinger’s wedding and when Mr. Slinger finally told Lilly that she will not be the flower girl at his wedding and that his niece Ginger will be the flower girl, Lilly was upset by this. But Mr. Slinger assured Lilly that she can be Ginger’s assistant and help her get through the wedding.
Will Lilly help Ginger get through the wedding and will she still be the center stage of the wedding?
Read this book to find out!
Wow! You know it has been so long since I had read a “Mouse” book from Kevin Henkes and I have not heard anything about Lilly and her adventures for many years now. So, imagine my pure delight when I finally sat down and picked up a “Mouse” book that featured Lilly again and I was able to read more of her adventures in this cute and amazing book! I loved the way that Kevin Henkes made this book seem like a finale to Lilly’s story (although, this might or might not be the final book featuring Lilly since I am not sure if Kevin Henkes is still writing books featuring Lilly) as we get to see Mr. Slinger finally getting married and seeing most of the characters featured in other “Mouse” books such as Chester, Julius and Victor make their appearances in this book. I also enjoyed the scenes of Lilly imagining herself as the flower girl, even though Mr. Slinger had not said anything about Lilly being a flower girl as it shows that Lilly is in her own little world which was entertaining to watch. It also shows how some children in real life would occasionally get their expectations for an event a bit too high and not think things completely through once they start imagining themselves in situations that they normally would not be able to participate in. I also like the fact that Kevin Henkes actually progressed the characters much further in their lives in this book as we get to see Mr. Slinger get married and we see Lilly slightly maturing as a character, despite her need to be a flower girl. Kevin Henkes’ artwork is as always adorable to look at as the mice characters look so cute and I loved the fact that we get to see these mice characters performing human activities such as planning weddings in a humanized way! I especially love the appearance of Ginger herself as she is possibly the cutest character in the story with her pink dress and her small smile that shows up on each page!
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Overall, “Lilly’s Big Day” is a truly fantastic book in Kevin Henkes’ famous “Mouse” series and I hope to read more from Kevin Henkes “Mouse” series in the near future! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book, unless parents think that Lilly’s bratty behavior might be a bit troublesome for smaller children.
I would like to thank NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
Introd[image]
I would like to thank NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
Introduction:
Now, I have to tell everyone this: I am a huge fan of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!” I may not have the toys or the video games to prove that, but I sure as heck got a lot of movies and DVDs to prove that theory! So, after I read part of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s original 1980s run of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (the comic book series that jumpstarted the entire franchise), I was looking forward to checking out more “Ninja Turtles” comics and lo and behold, NetGalley happened to have a volume of the legendary IDW series of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” available for free called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Enemies Old, Enemies New Volume 2!”
What is this story about?
In this reboot of the famous franchise “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” the story starts off with Master Splinter explaining to the audience about how he remembers a previous life in Feudal Japan where he was known as an honorable ninja named Hamato Yoshi, who was a member of the Foot Clan. But one day, when Hamato Yoshi’s former ally Oroku Saki wanted to kill a group of innocent people to show everyone that the Foot Clan was powerful, Yoshi disagreed with him and left the clan. Yoshi’s depature caused Oroku Saki to go to Yoshi’s house and murder his entire family and also Yoshi himself and at this moment, the audience wonders what became of this life that Master Splinter was reminiscing about. Meanwhile, during the present time, April and Casey Jones had finally met each other due to April needing someone to teach her self-defense, which Casey was obliged to do and Casey needing a tutor to help bring his grades up in school, which April could do. Later on, Baxter Stockman is up to no good as he creates a set of machines called “Mousers” in order to take down the Ninja Turtles and to grab Master Splinter so that way he could use Splinter’s blood to make super powered mutants for General Krang’s army!
What I loved about this story:
Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz’s writing: I will admit that I was a bit interested in seeing how a reboot of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” would look like since we were going to get a reboot of this long running franchise eventually. So after reading this graphic novel, I was actually quite impressed with how they rebooted the origin story of the Ninja Turtles while remaining faithful to the original series. I loved the fact that Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz retold Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki’s backstory to the audience since I have always felt that it was important to explain about Master Splinter’s backstory to the newer audience so that way, they could understand the world of the Ninja Turtles much better if they know about Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki’s backstories. Even though I wished that more was explored with in this department, I enjoyed how the characters interacted with each other, especially the turtles with Master Splinter and April and Casey with each other! I like the fact that the turtles refer to Master Splinter as their father as it made their relationship much more heartwarming to watch and actually gives a closer emphasis on how the turtles see Master Splinter as more than their sensei. I also enjoyed the growing interaction with April and Casey as I enjoyed seeing them share their personal lives with each other and I was also interested in how April was able to witness the turtles and Master Splinter’s transformation into the mutated heroes they are known as now and I am really interested to see where April and Casey will go after this volume!
Dan Duncan and Mateus Santolouco’s artwork: Even though the artwork is a bit too scratchy, I do enjoy the dark and gritty feel of the artwork as it shows that this retelling of the Ninja Turtles is dark and edgy like the original Mirage Comics and I also enjoyed the action sequences as they are shown in great detail.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
The reason why I gave this book a three and a half star rating was because while the story was interesting, I felt that the story tended to jump around a bit too much due to having so many events happening in one volume (the turtles learning about their origins, April and Casey meeting each other, Baxter Stockman building his mousers, Krang trying to create an army) and the story felt a bit cluttered as a result. Also, I felt that while the artwork showed the action sequences in great detail, it was a bit too scratchy for my tastes and it was hard to see exactly what the characters were doing with the artwork being halfway blurred out and not being able to fully see the characters’ actions.
This is a bit of a small nitpick, but I find the fact that in this version, the turtles and Master Splinter were actually Hamato Yoshi and his sons reincarnated to be a bit too far-fetched for my tastes. Maybe as a long-time fan of this series, I was so used to the turtles just being mutated by ooze and the fact that they are reincarnated in this version just seems a bit odd to me. Maybe once I read future volumes of this rebooted series, I might start to get used to the idea of the turtles and Splinter being reincarnations of their former selves.
Overall, even though “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Enemies Old, Enemies New Volume 2” was an interesting read and a pretty decent retelling of the Ninja Turtles stories, the cluttered storytelling and scratchy artwork made this volume a bit difficult to read through at times and I hope it improves in the next volume.
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