alandd's reviews
1395 reviews

Kei X Yaku: Bound by Law 1 by Yoshie Kaoruhara

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

La trama me llamó mucho la atención desde el primer momento, y la forma en que Yoshie Kaoruhara la trabaja también me gustó hasta cierto punto. Siento que las cosas estuvieron un poco apresuradas, pero sigue siendo una narración fluida y efectiva. Es fácil sumergirse en la trama, al punto de olvidarte de la vida real.
Reseña completa (5 de julio): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/07/manga-kei-x-yaku-bound-by-law-1.html

The plot caught my attention from the first moment, and I also liked the way Yoshie Kaoruhara works on it to a certain extent. I feel like things were a little rushed, but it's still fluid and effective storytelling. It's easy to get immersed in the plot, to the point of forgetting about real life.
Full review (July 5): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/07/manga-kei-x-yaku-bound-by-law-1.html

Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin, Isadora Zeferino

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 

I have to confess I haven’t read Emma, but I don’t feel I missed anything important when I read this book. It’s solid, well-planned, and with characters that I liked right away from page one. It’s so easy to enjoy that it makes you feel like a kid again.

Both the style and the script are simple, but they don’t lack substance: they reflect a reality that we’re too familiar with in a way that is easy to digest. Evan was the best part of the story for how human he felt, how easy it is to relate to his feelings, insecurities, and hopes. Not to mention, Natalia is also adorable!

There were a couple of scenes that felt a bit confusing because of the large cast and how their relationships were developed. Don’t get me wrong, it was just a matter of re reading, maybe go back a little bit, but I believe it would have been much better if it was a longer volume. That way, it would have had more space to develop those relationships and avoid the slight feeling of it being a bit rushed.

All in all, it is a beautiful, cute book that makes you smile a lot as you go back to a time when everything was simpler, but not less dramatic. It’s the perfect reading to spend the time, daydream, and recover some parts of that innocence we forget about sometimes. I would even say it’s a healing book! 

Castle Swimmer, Volume 1 by Wendy Martin

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The synopsis masterfully summarizes what this book is about, but it doesn't mention how touching it is, how addictive and entertaining all the pages are, because it is impossible to put it down once you start. A solid script serves as an entry to a very well-constructed world, every detail carefully thought out, but without making it unnecessarily complicated.
Full review (April 24): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/04/comic-castle-swimmer-volume-1.html

La sinopsis resume magistralmente de qué se trata este libro, pero no menciona lo enternecedor que es, lo adictivas y entretenidas que son todas las páginas, porque es imposible soltarlo una vez que empiezas. Un guión sólido sirve como entrada para un mundo muy bien construido, cada detalle pensado minuciosamente, pero sin volverlo innecesariamente complicado.
Reseña completa (24 de abril): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/04/comic-castle-swimmer-volume-1.html

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The story captivated me from the first moment. Silas's voice is so strong, so solid, that it's impossible not to immerse yourself in the reality of him. He is a very well-constructed protagonist, just like the story, surprising with every opportunity, as viscerally human as can be, to the point of involving you in this emotional reality.
Full review (04-22): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/04/resena-review-spirit-bares-its-teeth.html

La historia me atrapó desde el primer momento. La voz de Silas es tan fuerte, tan sólida, que es imposible no sumergirse en su realidad. Es un protagonista muy bien construido, al igual que la historia, sorprendiendo con cada oportunidad, tan visceralmente humano como se puede ser, hasta el punto de envolverte en esta realidad emocional.
Reseña completa (22 de abril): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/04/resena-review-spirit-bares-its-teeth.html

Twilight Director's Notebook: The Story of How We Made the Movie Based on the Novel by Stephenie Meyer by Catherine Hardwicke

funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.0

Barefoot Souls by Maram Al-Masri

dark hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Refreshing and creative, overflown with emotion and vivid imagery, The Jinn Daughter is a novel that aims high just to deliver as much and then some. Rania Hanna has brilliantly started her writing career, also during a time when the Middle East has garnered a lot of attention. I highly recommend this book if you want a different kind of fantasy while exploring the meaning of death in human life.

Full review: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/04/resena-review-jinn-daughter.html

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Suicide and War

Plurielle(s) by Aveline Stokart, Kid Toussaint

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

While it was a very simple story, it includes complex and deep topics such as identity, being a teenager, mental health, a different family structure, and even suicide. It is family friendly, however, for the way it works with them. Although it's not possible to explore them in depth, it does present a reality that many have experienced (ahem, me?)
Full review: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/03/comic-elles-serie.html

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

dark emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

0.0

The first few pages were amazing, but then it was so simplistic and devoid of emotion I finished it expecting it to get better. Spoiler alert:

it didn't

All You Want, Whenever You Want by Omayu

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A cute, wholesome romance that explores a taboo relationship and how daily life can complicate things more than it should. It doesn't have the best beginning, but it catches up real quick.