alanddauthor's reviews
1437 reviews

Crafting a Tradition of Witchcraft: Creating Foundations for Your Spiritual Beliefs & Practices by Raven Grimassi, Christopher Penczak

informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

Una adición importante a la biblioteca de cualquier Pagano y brujo practicante. Es una lectura que te muestra de dónde vienen varias de las creencias, cómo trabajan una con la otra, y cómo crear una tradición de brujería desde cero. Usa las ideas tradicionales como ejemplos y bases, pero explica diferentes ideas para que sea el propio practicante quien decida qué rumbo tomar.

An important addition to the library of any practicing Pagan and Witch. It's a read that shows you where various beliefs come from, how they work with each other, and how to create a Witchcraft tradition from scratch. It uses traditional ideas as examples and foundations, but explains different ideas so that the practitioner can decide which direction to take.

23:45 by Ohana

dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

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

2.0

Although a cute story with good, clean art, the pace was confusing and the rhythm erratic. There were scenes that left me wondering what was happening, not to mention that the sex scene felt forced. There were lots of holes. Even though I wanted to like this one, I couldn't connect with the characters, especially due to the negative portrayal of otakus.

Memoir of a Mangled Mind: How Concealing My Dissociative Identity Disorder Unleashed Multiple Personalities by Steven Simmons Shelton

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense

4.0

A heavy, incredible story of hope and resilience among the destruction of everything you thought was real. The author has a solid style that takes you through the darkest, most desperate moments of his life because of his DID, how he tries to do what he thinks is best, and the effects this has in his life.

Murderous Lewellyn's Candlelit Dinner, Vol. 1 by MUK_BU, Sumnagi, Dietrich Premier

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

5.0

Fue una aventura total. Llewellyn es, sin duda, mi personaje favorito, aunque Shavonne también es un escritor que lucha por llegar a fin de mes. Me identifico profundamente con él, con sus inseguridades y sus miedos, pero Llewellyn es psicológicamente cautivador, un personaje muy prometedor, del que estoy deseando saber más en el próximo volumen.

This was a total adventure. Llewellyn is by far my favorite character, even though Shavonne is also a writer struggling to make ends meet. I can relate to him on a deep level, his insecurities, and his fears, but Llewellyn is psychologically captivating, a character that holds a lot of promise, who I can't wait to know more about in the next volume.

Full review in my blog tomorrow April 24: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2025/04/murderous-lewellyns-candlelit-dinner.html

If It's You, I Might Try Falling in Love, Vol. 1 by Maru Kubota

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

Esta es otra historia preciosa que habla sobre las heridas emocionales del pasado, de cómo la sociedad puede condicionar a alguien a tener comportamientos autodestructivos, y cómo las personas indicadas pueden revertir el efecto. No se trata de un mesianismo ridículo ni de ser el santo remedio para los problemas. Se trata de sentir algo genuino, algo por lo que enfrentar el miedo a salir lastimado.

This is another beautiful story that talks about the emotional wounds of the past, how society can condition someone to engage in self-destructive behavior, and how the right people can reverse the effects. It's not about ridiculous messianicism or being a cure-all for problems. It's about feeling something genuine, something that makes you face the fear of getting hurt.

Full review on April 23rd:  https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2025/04/if-its-you-i-might-try-falling-in-love.html

All or Nothing by Shikke

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing

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

4.0

A nice friends-to-lovers romance with a queer awakening during high school years that makes you smile and laugh nonstop. The additional story at the end, however, was the total opposite. I can't understand why anyone was okay with this being included, so I decide to just ignore it.

Dinghai Fusheng Records Vol. 1 by Fei Tian Ye Xiang

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

I loved the concept, and there are many elements that would have worked otherwise. However, the pace was off, the plot didn't seem to go anywhere, and it's absolutely weird (and also a bait) to see a 16 years old boy on top of an adult man on the cover. There is no romance here, no chemistry, not to mention... a relationship like this is not legal? I ignore if this was okay at that time period, but it was definitely weird, in a bad way.

Read This if You Want to Be Instagram Famous by Henry Carroll

slow-paced

2.0

It's just a collection of simple, generic advice that you can find everywhere else (be unique, perfect your photos, interact, don't be rude...), so there's no point in wasting your time here. There were some good photos, though.

Someday I'll Fall for You, Vol. 1 by Tomo Kurahashi

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A beautiful, adorable story of two childhood friends discovering themselves in each other (quite literally!) It's not remarkable, but this highlights how human it is! Excellent from beginning to end!

Semantic Error, Vol.1 by Soori Jeo

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

El guion es una de las mejores cosas que he encontrado en lo que a manga respecta, no solo porque la historia es genial, sino también porque el ritmo y la distribución de las viñetas son fáciles de seguir. Hay mucho desarrollo en los personajes, sus interacciones y la presentación de cada uno de ellos, hasta el punto de que te sumerges desde el primer capítulo. Más que sumergido, diría yo; hasta el punto de no retorno.

The script is one of the best things I've found in manga, not only because the story is great, but also because the pace and the panel distribution are easy to follow. There's a lot of development in the characters, their interactions, and the presentation of each of them, to the point that you get immersed just with the first chapter. More than immersed, I'd say; to the point of no return.

April 14th on my blog: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2025/04/semantic-error-comic-vol-1.html