Review – The Living End (Daniel Faust #3)

The Living End (Daniel Faust #3)
By: Craig Schaefer
Website: http://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/
Release Date: August 27th, 2014
Publisher: Demimonde Books
Series: Daniel Faust Series
Rating:


  I know I’m terrible about posting reviews but as I get caught up in series books I always struggle about giving a proper review while avoiding spoilers. However, there is nothing terrible about book three in the Daniel Faust series and now, even months after reading them, I’m still obsessed. 

Review – The Oyster Thief by Sonia Faruqi

The Oyster Thief
By: Sonia Faruqi
Release Date: October 16, 2018
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


The first thing I noticed was the cover, a beautiful dark blue background with a golden tailfin. I was immediately intrigued. The Oyster Thief is the amazing debut novel of Sonia Faruqi. With gorgeous prose and extraordinarily real characters, this is a book you will easily fall in love with.

Review – The Arrival of Missives by Aliya Whiteley

The Arrival of Missives
By: Aliya Whiteley
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher: Titan Books
Award: John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel (2017), James Tiptree Jr. Award Nominee for Longlist (2016), Saboteur Award Nominee for Best Novella (2017)
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Aliya Whiteley’s The Arrival of Missives is a historical fantasy novella that is absolutely not to be missed. The prose has lyrical beauty that sweeps the reader along and weaves a truly unforgettable story.

#MangaMonday – The Manga Cookbook Vol. 3: Fusion Food With Character!

The Manga Cookbook Vol 3: Fusion Food With Character
By: The Manga University Culinary Institute; Ryo KATAGIRI
Release Date: September 7, 2018
Publisher: Japanime Co. Ltd.
Series: The Manga Cookbook
Rating:


This is a bit of a different review than most Mondays, though it is still manga related. I had my eye on this series of books for quite some time, but I hadn’t stumbled across any in my bookshop travels. Well, one of my friends came across a copy of The Manga Cookbook Vol 3: Fusion Food With Character! at Comic-Con and got me a copy!

Review – State Tectonics by Malka Older

State Tectonics
By: Malka Older
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: The Centennal Cycle
Rating:


I have been reading Malka Older’s Centenal Cycle series since it’s debut in 2016. It is a series which proved oddly timely, speaking directly to events which, as of its writing, hadn’t yet come to pass – namely, the events surrounding the 2016 US presidential election. Now, the series has come to a close with the third book in the series, State Tectonics. Like the two before it, State Tectonics is an oddly timely, fascinating look at politics, democracy, and the availability and spread of data and other information. Set on a future earth with a world government and micro-democracies, this is a book that shouldn’t be missed.

Review – The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente

The Refridgerator Monologues
By: Catherynne M. Valente
Illustrator: Annie Wu
Release Date: June 6, 2017
Publisher: Saga Press
Rating:


Catherynne Valente’s The Refrigerator Monologues is a slim novel that packs one hell of a punch. It is at once a collection of short stories and a novel. While there are multiple stories from different women being told, they come together and paint a very vivid world filled with superheroes and villains, an afterlife rich in community with a certain life of its own, and the women who were used, hurt, and forgotten by those who were supposed to love them.

Review – My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Vol. 2 by Hideyuki Furuhashi & Betten Court

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Vol. 2
By: Hideyuki Furuhashi
Illustrator: Betten Court (artist); John Hunt (touch-up art and lettering); Julian Robinson (designer)
Translator: Caleb Cook
Release Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media
Series: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


October 2nd saw the release of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Vol. 2 by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court. This volume explores the quirk based society from the eyes of a vigilante hero while continuing with themes and questions presented both in the first volume and the series proper.

#MangaMonday Review – Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

Frankenstein: Junji Into Story Collection
By: Junji Ito
Release Date: October 16, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


If a manga bears Junji Ito’s name you can be certain I’ll be reading it. Recently, I received an early copy of Frankenstein: Junji Ito Short Story Collection by Junji Ito.

A caveat I want to note – the e-arc I received only had Frankenstein. There are two other short stories included in the collection. One of these is the Oshikiri story cycle, and I believe there is something featuring Ito’s dog as well. Once I get a copy of the final copy this review will be updated to include my thoughts on this as well.

Review – Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne

Kill the Farm Boy
By: Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Publisher: Del Rey
Series: The Tales of Pell
Rating:


I was very curious when I first heard about Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne. Written by two authors I really like and with a fun premise, I was excited. After all, who doesn’t like a trope smashing, funny, romp through a fantasy world?

Review – Witchmark by C. L. Polk

Witchmark
By: C. L. Polk
Release Date: June 19, 2018
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: The Kingston Cycle
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


This book has been sitting on my kindle waiting for me to read it for quite some time. Now, my only wish is that I’d gotten to it sooner. Witchmark by C. L. Polk is an absolutely fantastic novel about magic, love, family, war, and the bonds between siblings.