This was a kind of cute, kind of entertaining, kind of also unfunny read. I enjoyed the SNL-esque skits being planned by Sally and her coworkers, evenThis was a kind of cute, kind of entertaining, kind of also unfunny read. I enjoyed the SNL-esque skits being planned by Sally and her coworkers, even though almost none of the humour landed with me. To be fair, I usually don't find actual SNL funny either, but I can still give props to Sittenfeld for accurately echoing a similar brand of humour to the program (...the millennial fart jokes used several times were making me wither away).
Sally was a decent protagonist; her background and insecurities were laid out plainly from very early on, making her wry humour less unbearable even when it treaded straight into cringey territory. I liked Noah too, though he wasn't given very many faults when compared to Sally. I think that's why their relationship wasn't very interesting to me; Sittenfeld spends so much time establishing Sally as a genius writer who's really just an extremely anxious middle aged woman convinced she's too ugly for anyone above her pay grade to like her. Noah is this almost flawless opposite, shown to be an also middle aged, famously handsome musician (and not much else) who just happens to take quick interest in her. I wish he was given more nuance, rather than the entire focus up until the last 20% being on Sally's more unsavoury traits and jokes.
This was a very easy, relatively short read, so even though there were things I didn't like about it, I was able to make it through mildly entertained. A little more meat to the story and side characters could have done wonders!...more
Starting off summer break by sitting in my backyard reading the Fence comics brings back so much nostalgia, since I first started reading these 5 or 6Starting off summer break by sitting in my backyard reading the Fence comics brings back so much nostalgia, since I first started reading these 5 or 6 summers ago. I love these characters so much, & can't wait to binge the rest of the Redemption arc!...more
I spent the entire second half of this book actively disliking every single character, feeling the sky light up around me with constellations of plot I spent the entire second half of this book actively disliking every single character, feeling the sky light up around me with constellations of plot holes, and then the killer was revealed and everything became so terrible I actually thought it was funny. While the protagonist was having the truth word-vomited at her at the end (and I am being completely serious here), I felt a comical smile grow on my face as I thought "oooh this is so bad!" in catharsis.
I love when my built-up hate for a book is validated by nonsensical final reveals ❤️ It makes the suffering feel worth it.
Of course Fujimoto was able lure me into a comfortable feeling of warmth, ready to praise his depiction of the beautiful innocence in art and girlhoodOf course Fujimoto was able lure me into a comfortable feeling of warmth, ready to praise his depiction of the beautiful innocence in art and girlhood, and a couple pages later, BOOM! Why are there tears streaming down my face? What just happened? Why can't we be happy?
The contrast between Chainsaw Man and this illusion of a slice of life had me way too confident I could sit back and relax for a light read. Now I'm in pain, but god was it worth it. This was so well done for a one-shot; I can't wait to watch the studio adaptation and get put through the emotional wringer all over again.
Fujimoto's art style really enhanced my immersion into this work, like with all of his others. I can't believe there was ever a time I didn't like his art style (because I didn't for I think the first 3 CSM volumes?) but I've long since seen the light. He captures expressions with such great precision, without overcomplicating the details of his characters. He just gets it, and his style is uncomparable that of any other mangaka I know.
I'm so glad to have read this, seeing as it's incredibly different than the genre I know him for, while still managing to encompass all that is uniquely him. I'll be remembering Fujino and Kyomoto's story for a long time....more
Cú Chulainn has to be the standout of Celtic mythology. He's the only figure that made a lasting impression on me, whereas everyone else blended into Cú Chulainn has to be the standout of Celtic mythology. He's the only figure that made a lasting impression on me, whereas everyone else blended into their titles of king or queen, god or goddess. I'm interested to learn more about the stories surrounding Cú Chulainn in depth. Go dog boy go!
And also: other mythologies do women better. The Greeks, Romans, Norse etcetera feature much more impressionable, strong, interesting female figures, despite being simultaneously more outwardly misogynistic.
It's pretty cool that the theme of impersonation is an anomaly of Celtic myth!
(NOTE: Only read/rated up to page 152, as that's what I read for class)...more
We're really leaning into the horror now with more spirits making their way down the mountain and into the village. And that cliffhanger! I reacted juWe're really leaning into the horror now with more spirits making their way down the mountain and into the village. And that cliffhanger! I reacted just like Yoshiki with how oddly attached I've become to 'Hikaru'.
The changing dynamic between our protagonists is one of my favourite things about the progression of this manga. It's obvious Yoshiki is starting to grow fond of 'Hikaru's' company, beyond just his fear or forgetting the real Hikaru. It's even more interesting now that more people know about him amidst the escalating supernatural presence in the village.
Crazy how this was published in the big year of 2023, yet Violet and Cat still found a way to fail the bechdel test. And a woman wrote this? Feminism Crazy how this was published in the big year of 2023, yet Violet and Cat still found a way to fail the bechdel test. And a woman wrote this? Feminism is doomed ...more
You're telling me one the most exhilarating space-opera, sci-fi romances out there is getting a sequel............ AND IN LESS THAN A MONTH??
I was banYou're telling me one the most exhilarating space-opera, sci-fi romances out there is getting a sequel............ AND IN LESS THAN A MONTH??
I was banking on The Darkness Outside Us getting a movie deal with how incredibly immersive and heart-pounding every scene felt, but a sequel after that hopeful ending? I'm beyond excited. Schrefer please let my boys be happy after all they've been through ...more
Nothing like starting off another year of university with the only thing I'm capable of reading at the time: manga recommendations straight from twittNothing like starting off another year of university with the only thing I'm capable of reading at the time: manga recommendations straight from twitter.
This was a decent story. My main complaint was having 3/4 of the main characters have black hair with an art style that made it hard to differentiate their appearances. I struggled to decipher who was who until almost the end of the story, and by then everyone was already together, tension resolved. The main couple was more wholesome than I expected, though I wish there were a few more chapters so we could see what their relationship would be like after they got together....more
“I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite. ”
I liked this book better whenever there was no plot, becaus
“I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite. ”
I liked this book better whenever there was no plot, because any time there was, I couldn't help feeling echoes of some better-executed fantasy novel that Fourth Wing seemed at least somewhat reminiscent of. Throughout, I craved better executed world-building and a little more originality, though I can't deny being entertained by Violet's snarky narrative and most importantly: Xaden.
This was my first time listening to a graphic audiobook, which features a full cast of voice actors and background noises tailored to specific scenes, like swords clashing during a duel, birds chirping in a garden, and even the echoing of voices as characters ascended a stairwell. The narrators were all incredible, adding largely to my overall enjoyment of Yarros' story. The audiobook was all around incredibly well done, so it was a bit difficult for me to gauge how much of me was a fan of the actual story, and not just the movie-like production playing out in my ears.
When the plot fell short, I found myself instead seeking out more of Xaden and Violet's romance. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed their dynamic, considering I usually hate enemies-to-lovers centred around characters of Violet and Xaden's type (Feyre/Rhysand or Bella/Edward come to mind off the top of my head). Several reviewers have mentioned disliking how quickly the two go from hating each to being desperately in love, but I surprisingly didn't mind it. To me it never felt like Xaden truly hated Violet outside of a flimsy facade; a dual POV (and no I'm not counting the single Xaden chapter as that) would have done wonders for this book, or at the very least made their initial animosity towards each other more believable. Once the two got together, Xaden quickly solidified himself as my favourite character.
Violet was exactly the kind of protagonist I've come to expect from booktok's extremely hyped romantasy recs. When I heard there was supposed to be disability rep through the protagonist (something similar to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) I braced myself for the worst, and was right to do so! Because Yarros loved to pick and choose which scenes to remember Violet's chronic pain, throwing in crazy rough smut scenes without consequence, but making sure to have several mentions of how fragile she was during trials or any sort of training/battles. If I closed my eyes and ignored those issues, though, I could admit the smut scenes were actually good. It was refreshing to see neither Violet or Xaden overly caught up in sleeping together despite the uncertain lines of their relationship (behaving like adults! yay!) and their chemistry was well articulated.
The dragons were cool. I hear they were a highlight—if not the best part of Fourth Wing—for many reviewers, though while I liked their role in the story, I wasn't as impressed or interested by the dragons as most other people seemed to be. I've just seen it done better, with far more well-developed worlds than this one; if Yarros built a stronger foundation around this world, showing us Violets time as a scribe, more of Xaden's backstory, or parts of the war that led to the current state of the wards, maybe I would've cared more. Series like The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons do it better imo, but Tairn and Andarna were still decent additions to the story.
Might continue with this series, mostly to find out what happens following that cliffhanger. And Xaden! I really didn't expect to like him so much, but here we are....more
As per usual with Tokyo Ghoul, this volume managed to be in parts devastating, bittersweet, ominous and exhilarating. TheShirazu my beloved...........
As per usual with Tokyo Ghoul, this volume managed to be in parts devastating, bittersweet, ominous and exhilarating. There's no shortage of emotional highs and lows with such a large and well fleshed out cast. Ishida isn't afraid to axe any of the big players, and when he does it certainly won't be pretty (especially with the Aogori tree running rampant).
My only issue with this volume was some mild confusion during certain fight scenes; certain faces bled together from time to time, making it hard to follow what was going on. This wasn't the case for all the action, though! A good amount of one-on-one combat was gorgeously drawn, especially scenes involving Kaneki and the Shu family.
The character design shone through even more so than usual in this volume. I loved the subtle changes to some characters' appearances like Urie's undercut and Kaneki's glasses. Ishida's art style will always be one of my all time favourites....more
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