cyanide_latte's reviews
1609 reviews

Mirrorverse: Pure of Heart by Delilah S. Dawson

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

[RTC]

Shaman King Omnibus 2 (Vol. 4-6) by Hiroyuki Takei

dark hopeful tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

How did I forget I'd read further in the original volumes than I thought and knew of Johann Faust VIII? Incredible. (And the Ren & Stimpy reference with the fox and tanuki spirits hit me like a pile of bricks.) This is still such a blast from the past. I adore it. Amazing, 10/10, no notes.

The Aristocats: The Birthday Wish by The Walt Disney Company

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

Oh my goodness this was absolutely adorable. I'm sad it's not available in print, the art is spectacular and overall it's just a fun little book. Super super cute (and very just like precocious Marie to pull some shenanigans like this because she's determined to prove how grown-up she is.)

The Magic Carpet's Secret by Joanne Barkan

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

In a fit of doing cross-reference research in regards to the lore of Twisted Wonderland, I stumbled across information regarding the Magic Carpet (whom I've always felt is an underappreciated character,) and was surprised to find there was a children's book that had been written containing some lore and backstory to the Carpet and its siblings! And while my personal feelings on the 1992 animated Aladdin film are deeply mixed even now, I wanted to find a copy of the book and give it a read to sate my own curiosity. The moment this copy arrived from eBay, I was hit with a blast from the past; I vaguely recall seeing other books from this series when I was younger. (A Pizza Hut my family used to frequent when I was a kid had a Kid's Corner and among the things there, books from this Aladdin series were always there.)

Childhood nostalgia aside, this is a quick little read that was far better written than I recall many children's chapter books like this one being. I enjoyed the lore that was introduced and how it was ultimately handled. My biggest annoyance was that Genie sort of overtook everything and the characterization of everyone else sort of suffered as a result. Secondarily, the introduction of the character Asha was interesting but she's very white, which I wasn't expecting and was slightly disappointed by (though that's often par for the course when it comes to the many things in the Disney Aladdin subfranchise that tend to disappoint me.) She does seem very distinct though, appearance-wise, which leads me to wonder if she wasn't drawn to resemble a young girl related to or in some way connected to someone who worked on these books. I don't think I'll ever get an answer to that though, so take my speculation with a grain of salt.

Be Careful What You Wish Fur by Vera Strange

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

As far as entries in this series go, this might be my favorite by sheer virtue of the fact that the villain doesn't repeat the same single iconic line over and over that plagues the previous 3 books.  While "darling" gets tossed around quite a bit, it's just such a natural part of all of Cruella's speech that it didn't really stand out in the same way.

Also, it was certainly an interesting entry, as it dealt a lot with social media trends and influence and the kind of obsession and addiction that can arise in being too into social media. I did genuinely enjoy seeing the character journey our MC went on in this one, heartbreaking as it was, because it did feel very raw and real. The B-plot with the puppies felt slightly forced in places, but I can roll with it for the most part. This one actually unsettled me a bit, and I loved that about it.  Granted, some of it might be because Cruella always scared me as a kid, but the overall transformation and fate of the main character taps into something that is chilling and something I think most fellow "The Magnus Archives" fans would appreciate.

The Witch Handbook to Magic and Mayhem by Tish Thawer

fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

0.5

I saw a lot of reviews talking about how this book was a "stuff your Kindle" pick-up for them and that they couldn't stand it. That things happened way too fast to the point the book reads like a first draft or (the more common remark) that it reads like the really long outline of a book. That the concept of the magically-changing shop, the sisterhood and the "handbook" itself that the novel is named for are all barely present within the store, relegated to the backdrop and set dressing and the story's MacGuffin. That this seems to be marketed as adult (or New Adult ) fiction but reads even worse than YA or Middle Grade with how bare bones the writing is. That things just happen in rapid succession with no rhyme or reason. And that most of all, the main character was bratty, her behavior makes no sense, she changes her mind on a dime, the magic isn't explained in any detail, and there's a sudden love triangle shoved into the latter half of the book that really comes in from left field and overshadows everything and it didn't need to even be there.

I'd first found this book while looking for Kickstarter campaigns to back, and I like to back writers who are trying to get their books out there or get them re-released for new readers in new formats. When I do this, I usually try to give the book itself a chance. It seems only fair, and when I saw this one, despite the reviews, I had hope. After all, if it's a re-release in a new edition, maybe the author will have taken the time to improve on the book! Many do.

I'm disappointed to report this isn't the case here. Every review stating these things about the book and why it's a letdown and not worth your time are correct. Nothing was changed, added or improved upon from what I can tell, based on what I've read in the copy I have vs the reviews on here. And it's a damn shame, as the initial concept was very interesting. I had been interested and hopeful. Now I'm just sad.

Disney Twisted-Wonderland, Vol. 3: The Manga: Book of Heartslabyul by Yana Toboso, Wakana Hazuki

dark tense 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

UGH. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoy this manga adaptation. I adore the way this is being handled and the art remains absolutely top notch. Can't recommend this enough to the curious~. Please please at least give this manga a shot if you're still on the fence about trying the game itself!

My Hero Academia, Vol. 13 by Kōhei Horikoshi

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.75

Not much to say on this one at this moment in time. While I do understand that there's a lot to go over throughout this entire series, I'm a little surprised that the latter half of the provisional license exam ends up being wrapped up in the first chunk of this volume.  It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make the pacing feel very abrupt.

The remaining portion of what we get sets up the next major arc, and we also end this volume with what has to be one of my favorite points of growth between Izuku and Katsuki. No doubt that'll also wrap up rather quickly in the beginning of the next volume, but it's still so crucial to understanding the continued evolution of them both as characters and of the way their relationship changes throughout the course of the series.

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This one is going to leave me with a book hangover of sorts now, I can feel it.  Well worth the read, every bit of it, but boy is it heavy and going to sit with me for a long time.

Almost There by Farrah Rochon

dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

5.0

As far as an alternate timeline story goes, I actually enjoyed this one as much as the canon we get from the movie! It's pretty emotional and dark, but it has some fantastic character work and writing throughout, and I have enjoyed the time I spent with it.  I will say to go into this understanding the main plot is a slow-burn and this is a very character-driven book. If you are okay with that, then I think you'll be able to enjoy this book for what all it does!