In the beginning, I thought it was a bit of a slow start - more plot-heavy than character-driven. At times, I didn’t mesh with the telling more than showing style. But ...

My God on today! It built intrigue so well. Everything is action-packed and thrilling. I felt the characters’ fear and held my breath when they held theirs. Then, there was court politics and political drama and so much doggone lying!

The characters aren't perfect and get downright frustrating. Lore cannot take no for an answer, and it keeps rightfully blowing up in her face.

I also enjoyed that the dead parent trope isn’t the typical one. Lore’s mother was a cunning social climber. Often, the dead mother character isn’t her own person and only acts as a figure. But Moremi wasn’t this strictly good or bad character. She had gray.

Also, I loved the ice (and draining) powers! Black characters with electric powers can feel overexposed, at times. So, this was refreshing.

This story hinges on love. Sometimes, the male lead showed his behind (albeit unintentionally or intentionally), but it was sweet. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but never stake your life on some man. Alawani showed Lore time and time again that he wasn’t super dependable. He’s more of a first love you think about fondly.

Remi was ready to ride for Lore, whom he barely knew. Maybe he was making flirty remarks, orrrrr we got a love triangle 👀


I got engulfed in the story! Felt like I was binge-watching a TV show.

Would read more show more from this author. I hope it gets a wider distribution. I’m ready for book two. show less

Kobayashi is endearing

The melodrama's going a bit overboard now.

But if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Not at all what I was expecting - but very fun!

The choose your own adventure bit really slowed things down for me, though

This manga really leans into its strengths, piano and cats. We get a new, money conscious pianist who used to be Kanda's son's childhood friend. Or, so he thought.

"I've never even had [a friend].

There's no hurry. You can take your time making them."

I've taken a long break from this series, waiting for the library to buy the subsequent volumes. It was a little jarring falling back into the cat baby talk and the melodramatic tone. But I still find it endearing despite all of that.

While the undying love between Essiya (Sylvia) and Arin was cheesy for how long they knew each other, I still liked this duolgy. Sefa and Marek come to the forefront a bit more, but they stay largely the same as before. We get the full picture of the Jasad kingdom's history, and magic madness is a ticking countdown in the background.

This is one of the few times I was happy for multi-POV in a story that basically had only one at the beginning, though, arguably, I found Sefa and Marek’s perspectives less interesting than Arin and Essiya’s. Vaida's sporadic moods to girl-bossery didn't really endear me.

Some loose ends get tied up, and there are mini recaps throughout for those who forgot book one. A lot of my predictions came true.

One of the fun things about Essiya’s character is the birthright-chosen-one reversal. She doesn’t have ANY leadership qualities, and it’s not a “she just has to rise to the occasion” type of thing. It’s not her gift, and it’s okay. You see other characters thrive with leadership, but it's just not in her wheelhouse.

In particular, the characters here and this story love to gas Arin up (I think the kiddies call it glazing these days). They are STANs you hear me. Yes, he is very capable and cunning, but you will never forget it. ‘What? Don’t you know Arin could disassemble a grown man with just his mere fingertips? The sheer beauty of this man. Don’t they foresee he alone is the honored one and they are plebeians?” You just show more hear Essiya in the background going “my man, my man, my man.”

Was there any real buildup between Sorn and Diya? Nah. But did I enjoy them all the same? Yeah, I would read a short/oneshot with these two.

Pet peeves aside, I’d read more from this author. One of my favorite parts is the long-awaited reunion between Essiya and Sefa (and Marek). Essiya’s touch aversion allowed Arin’s touch (so to speak), but now it extends to her bestie. Sefa was always such a sweetie pie.

Ending:

I'm glad Sefa didn't die. I just couldn't care that Marek did. Sorry, my guy, but we needed more time with him. He was funny, but he just popped in and out.

I liked the bittersweet. Essiya sacrificed herself (temporarily) and later came home like an army soldier to her husband in the end.

Did we just forget about Raya in the end?

I think in the end, it showed as much as Arin tried to uphold morals in Nizahl, he couldn't in the system - first of all, barely anyone was listening, and for all his efforts to treat the prisoners with respect, the jasadis were still being persecuted and slaughtered. It's like the good cop in a sea of corrupt cops; it starts at the top. The whole system is rigged. He had to use violence basically to get his way.

I called it book 1 that Arin had to have some Jasadi blood in him. It gets more twisted that his lover killed his mother/abusive mentor. show less

A very honest and vulnerable account of one sister's experience with an autistic sibling

The first story is the strongest of this bunch, and it acts as an origin story for Cat Ninja/Claude. How he met his owners and learned his fighting style.

I've never been interested in racing media or stories, so I was bored with the second story. I liked Octopunch's mini adventure, though.

"Kit ate three bananas in a row ... After Kit went home, Mom told me sometimes rude was just hungry. I thought rude was rude."

Excellent narrative voice! This acknowledges some of the messy bits of food insecurity, like not wanting to feel like a "charity case" or shame from people looking down on you; Great! from a kid's perspective and easy to digest for any age; lighthearted cat comics are dispersed throughout to break the tension

I think this especially relevant in today's current economy. Food prices are getting higher and higher and kids are affected by it, too.

Shout out to the parents who always offered food and recognized when a neighborhood kid or school friend needed it, even if they didn't have much themselves

I actually liked this series with its quirky space premise, but it needed one more volume to flesh it out. The pacing became very fast and abrupt these last two volumes.

While Exxo’s laidback brattiness was mildly entertaining, it felt very convenient. What’s even more convenient was Sylvan’s decision to do the right thing. Kneejerk moment or OOC? This is why I think another volume could have eased us into him making this decision.

There’s also no real resolution or acknowledgment between Lully and Lucas – not that there was anything serious on that front, but it seemed at least like a crush.

Overall, I liked the series and would read more from this author. The ending is very sweet.

I had a hunch Lucas was blasian in volume one

The perfect end to this series! I loved it.

I love that while the characters have developed in their personal arcs, they still retained their personalities, Squirrel being a worrier and an overplanner and Bird’s spontaneity. And Squirrel’s sweet little family went on the adventure with him this time – albeit to his disappointment.

Loved all the comebacks, too. As always, the artwork is bold, shapely, and fun. 5-star series!

serviceable

I thoroughly enjoyed the political intrigue, the enemies-to-lovers (though, I definitely believe Arin was quite smitten with her (Jasadi women seem to be his type), but realistically, she's fallen for a guy helping ethnically cleanse her people; I wonder if book two will confront this), the cast of characters, and Sylvia's internal struggles. I'm a little scared about book two - we're jumping headfirst into the chaos.

also, magical blue eyes still has authors in a chokehold

not for me - dnf pg 56

couldn't get into the banter; dude that kept making innuendos every 2 seconds was not as charming as he thought he was

I loved the bite-sized chapters and the sweet, fluffy feelings of new love in Tamani’s stories. Will definitely be an author I continue to read from.

Need this adapted and brought to FRUITION badly.

Pelty and Kedama will always have my heart

I'm glad Brandy is reclaiming her life and giving her own perspective. There are some areas or sections I wanted to know more about, or that seemed skimmed over, but not bad overall.

I'm glad she cleared the room with that Wanya business. His Breakfast Club interview is HORRID to this day.

The memoir is very reflective, and you can read that she's being kinder to herself. It doesn't revel in mess, and no, it doesn't tell what's on the famous Whitney note.

I was surprised by the background of Monica and Brandy's relationship. According to Brandy, they have been much closer than the media would depict.

The color direction was beautiful, but I found the story too disorienting.

I really enjoyed the adventure and the writing. Santat takes predictable beats here and turns them into something interesting and exciting. I was pleasantly surprised at the emotional core.

And thank you, thank you for the recap in the beginning, because it has been ages since I read the first one.

love the messaging. There are some fears we have to face, but there are others we can choose to avoid out of personal preference; and it's not our business to make someone feel bad for not wanting to engage with something they find scary

Same cute art style, but I feel like the first volume was easier to follow

Quirky! For the best reading experience, have sticky notes or colored tabs nearby to keep your spot. The artwork is very fun and shapely. The smallest of choices leads to the wackiest ends - and sometimes, our characters don't make it out alive.

There's one joke that may rub some readers the wrong way, when a heavily implied "almond mom" rejects a muffin because she has to stay "datable." Hopefully, most kids just see that as a silly throwaway line. The majority of this book is filled with fantastical elements and quite a bit of gross-out humor.

Megan, the main character, has a hard time standing up for herself, especially against a wacky principal or school bully, or even gaining the courage to talk to her crush.

I'm so curious about the layout for these type of choose your own adventure stories. How do they choose how to break it up?

Won a copy in a giveaway!

I enjoyed this! Through Our Teeth was both dark and charming.

First, the action and terror here were thrilling and, at times, unexpectedly funny. There are some heavy themes dissected here, namely the scrutiny, bullying, and discrediting (Black) women get when exposing abuse they’ve faced and mental health issues.

Imperfect characters reign supreme here. The plot twists kept twisting throughout this fast-paced novel. The dialogue was very strong. Each chapter kept my attention, and it reveled in the gray. The worst characters had humanity here, not all bad but not all good. There were some characters I literally wanted to fight! They irked me so badly.

I wish I had a more cohesive review, but I enjoyed this. Would like an adaptation, live, animated, or graphic novel of this.

I want to read more from this author.

This was so atmospheric. It feels a bit like an alternative Arizona/Western world because no one seemed to have cellphones.

I suspected the twist early on, but it was a fun journey to get there. Each of the little girls' backstories is so ridiculous, but it also feels perfectly in character for kids to think "they can't come back from this" for the silliest minor offenses.

Charming.

Some predictable beats, but it's still fun.

Started very slow but picked up toward the end

The characters here are charming – like, they’re zany and silly but still maintain some wholesomeness or realism. I think the localization team could tone it down a bit: “you mad, bro?” “we’re so back!”

Mogari is hilarious! The eating ghosts business adds a unique layer.

I’ve enjoyed this series, but I didn’t like all the pacing choices. It still has some areas of "telling" rather than showing. But Uzochi has grown a lot, and Zuberi has a character motivation now, even if it’s just her friend's return.

Lencho seemed like he had steroid rage this entire series, but it’s even worse here.

I really like the wholesomeness of Uzochi and Zuberi’s relationship. They value communication and acknowledgement of feelings. The book skips the initial falling in love for an established relationship with growing pains.

Another thing I like is that the parents play an important role as well. They are not just in the background; they’re contributing to escape routes, plans, etc. There's gray with characters. No one's all good or bad.

Now, the two aspects I wasn’t thrilled about Yiran being alive and Lencho being possessed. Lencho was already a hot head with an addiction to energy draining. The Liv’e thing cheapens his struggle with power. It’s like ‘the devil made me do it,” when you chose to complete the action yourself.

I was against the Yiran thing, but I did like that it was more ego-driven than the elders led on. I knew he was full of mess that it took Uzochi whole youth for him to pop back up. Just like when deadbeat dads pop up for the NBA or NFL draft.

This is a good bookend, but it leaves room for a third book, too.

This has major quirky energy. If you like Bee & Puppycat and Regular Show, this is for you! I love the cover's texture and the overall book design.

Gale is consumed with anxiety and overthinking. I like how this is portrayed visually, with the Pears/anxiety app doing just as much help as harm. The Pear corporation is a constant reminder of his failures. He's in a cycle of wanting to change but also wanting to hide away rather than to face another panic attack or disappointment in his lack of confidence.

The staring at your phone and playing a mini game to pass the time to avoid looking at other people WAS TOO REAL! Guilty of doing this myself.

The climax is subtle. There isn't a big ending. Gale honestly just commits serious effort to not listen to his anxious thoughts.

Aiden is meant to be a lovable doofus, but his carefree nature may grate on some. And I hope Gale was compensated for his artwork.

This was really good. A messy but vulnerable portrayal of a 3rd-culture child, Indian-American to be specific.

Also, the real villain is the lack of visibility and discussion of mental health resources in communities of color and those evil mothers-in-law from hell

I still say no true friend would call you a condescending nickname. I get that Nitasha didn't want to be alienated from her only friend, but calling her "India" was out of order; I think this was added to show how normalized the microaggression was for Nitasha. Ava should've stopped that on arrival.

I know it's juvenile, but I'm glad there was a portrayal of an avoidant parent. Parents do the silent treatment, too, sometimes.