reading update
First: BAH! Waldenbooks still didn't have any of my manga in. *growls and sulks* Wish Amazon had them in the 4-for-3 sale so I could just get them that way. They did still have a few boxes in back, though, so maybe tomorrow.
Saiyuki Reload Vol 7 by Kazuya Minekura-I'm starting to get bored with this "Worm" story(not the full title, but I can't recall it off the top of my head. The story itself is interesting, but Hazel is a hypocritcal holier-than-thou little prat who doesn't have the decency to to at least be interesting to compensate. The storyline itself and the impact it has on Sanzo's group, especially Sanzo himself and Gojyo's reaction to that, is interesting but too much of it relies on Hazel, and I wanted him to just go away already a couple books ago. Also? No Kougaiji. Not even a cameo. *feels deprived*
Night of the Beasts Vol 3 by Chika Shiomi-Did I mention this is the OTP from hell? Just in case I didn't: OTP. FROM. HELL. Seriously. That said, I like this book more and more each volume. Aria's a VERY strong heroine without falling into the "I'm so badass" cliche-she wants her boyfriend back, the demons gone, and all these whiners to stand up for themselves and quit whining for her to save them from the big bad guy whose death they've been screaming for for years(yeah, I have about as much sympathy for the whiners as she does) who would have left them all alone if they hadn't constantly hounded him and given Kagara a way to take over by forcing him to defend himself. And for all that he's playing the "damsel in distress" role and is essentially dormant in his own body, Sakura still manages to be protective...and pull off a very "EEEE!!!" worthy rescue. And Akiya? Sure, there are plenty of creepy manga villains out there, but he's one of the few who actually gives me a bit of the creeps. *loves it and wishes the series was longer*
The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier-The first in Marillier's new series, this one is about the pict, specifically, about the pictish king, Bridei. This is, I think, the first time she's made her main character be a real person, even if little is known about it. It's not based as much on known history and oral tradition as her other books, but that's ok. We don't know as much about the Picts as we do about the Celts, or the vikings and people of the Orkneys. She essentially took what we do know and filled in the holes with similar traditions and beliefs of the time, primarily the Celts. I liked the book quite a bit(but then, I have yet to NOT like one of her books) though I'm curious to see how it'll go...this is the first time she'll be sticking with one lead from book to book, her other series have been generational. Incidentally, one of the things that I like about her books is that her characters-the girls tend to be 14-16 and the guys 17-20~- manage to be very much like they would have been in the time period, and the romantic relationships are very well developed and manage to avoid feeling wrong when the ages are taken into consideration, because it fits.
Saiyuki Reload Vol 7 by Kazuya Minekura-I'm starting to get bored with this "Worm" story(not the full title, but I can't recall it off the top of my head. The story itself is interesting, but Hazel is a hypocritcal holier-than-thou little prat who doesn't have the decency to to at least be interesting to compensate. The storyline itself and the impact it has on Sanzo's group, especially Sanzo himself and Gojyo's reaction to that, is interesting but too much of it relies on Hazel, and I wanted him to just go away already a couple books ago. Also? No Kougaiji. Not even a cameo. *feels deprived*
Night of the Beasts Vol 3 by Chika Shiomi-Did I mention this is the OTP from hell? Just in case I didn't: OTP. FROM. HELL. Seriously. That said, I like this book more and more each volume. Aria's a VERY strong heroine without falling into the "I'm so badass" cliche-she wants her boyfriend back, the demons gone, and all these whiners to stand up for themselves and quit whining for her to save them from the big bad guy whose death they've been screaming for for years(yeah, I have about as much sympathy for the whiners as she does) who would have left them all alone if they hadn't constantly hounded him and given Kagara a way to take over by forcing him to defend himself. And for all that he's playing the "damsel in distress" role and is essentially dormant in his own body, Sakura still manages to be protective...and pull off a very "EEEE!!!" worthy rescue. And Akiya? Sure, there are plenty of creepy manga villains out there, but he's one of the few who actually gives me a bit of the creeps. *loves it and wishes the series was longer*
The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier-The first in Marillier's new series, this one is about the pict, specifically, about the pictish king, Bridei. This is, I think, the first time she's made her main character be a real person, even if little is known about it. It's not based as much on known history and oral tradition as her other books, but that's ok. We don't know as much about the Picts as we do about the Celts, or the vikings and people of the Orkneys. She essentially took what we do know and filled in the holes with similar traditions and beliefs of the time, primarily the Celts. I liked the book quite a bit(but then, I have yet to NOT like one of her books) though I'm curious to see how it'll go...this is the first time she'll be sticking with one lead from book to book, her other series have been generational. Incidentally, one of the things that I like about her books is that her characters-the girls tend to be 14-16 and the guys 17-20~- manage to be very much like they would have been in the time period, and the romantic relationships are very well developed and manage to avoid feeling wrong when the ages are taken into consideration, because it fits.