Lenni Reviews: "The Mystery of Nevermore" by C. S. Poe

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is intended for 18+

Ever walk into work and find a pig heart under a dislodged floorboard? Me neither but Sebastian Snow has. Now he's caught up in a mystery involving the works of Edgar Allen Poe and falling for the lead detective on the case - Calvin Winter - despite being in a rocky relationship with another cop, Neil Millett. More important than his now complicated relationships, Sebastian can't resist being nosy and may very well end up the next victim.

First off, it was interesting having the main character; Sebastian, have achromatopsia. I didn't know that was a thing and learning about it through our main character didn't slow down the pacing of the book.

As for the rest, the mystery itself was compelling and I'm not a fan of mysteries. To be fair, it's likely because I'm a literature geek and it was based around Poe's work. Sadly, I have to take a point off for (er, spoilers, kinda?) damaging a rare book. I'm a bibliophile and a librarian. You just don't hurt books.

But seriously, this book was a fast, fun, and naughty read. Sebastian and Calvin are characters you can empathize with and have a decent amount of chemistry. The mystery itself I can't really comment on as I don't have much experience in this genre but I found it interesting. I would consider reading more in this series in the future. 4 out of 5.

High School Dxd Born: Season Three (Review)

Issei and his harem of hotties are back to take on their biggest, boldest, bounciest adventure yet as they fight to prevent Ragnarok (aka the end of the underworld)! 

With summer vacation just around the corner, Issei’s got one thing on his mind—spending sunny days with bikini-clad babes. Unfortunately, the Chaos Brigade is planning something big, and with heavy-hitters like the Norse God Loki in their corner, the House of Gremory is going to have to survive Rias’ underworld boot camp if they hope to stand a chance.  While they prepare, dark forces gather strength behind the scenes, Koneko’s family reunion turns into a real catfight, and Asia must survive an indecent proposal from a high-ranking demon. With plenty of balls-to-the-wall battles and bare-it-all beauties, fans of High School DxD should start making room on the shelf—their perfect pair is about to become a ménage à trois.

Lenni Reviews: “Ten Count” volume 2 by Rihito Takarai

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*This volume was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is intended for 18+.

Even after agreeing to keep his distance, Kurose still has feelings for Shirotani. Shirotani however, has virtually shut down after Kurose insisted on not seeing him anymore. With the help of his co-worker, Mikami, Shirotani finally agrees to meet up with Kurose; who confesses he wanted to stay away because it was not appropriate for a counselor to be in love with his patient. Not only that but Kurose wants to touch Shirotani; whose condition makes him sick at the thought of being contaminated. Shirotani finds that while his germaphobia still affects him, Kurose's touch also makes him excited.

And WHOA does it ever make him excited! Remember in the last review when I said there was no smut but a good build with the characters? This volume earns its M rating. Kurose and Shirotani go from tentative interaction to touching naughty bits. But as sensual as they get, there is still something traumatic in Shirotani's past that's only being hinted at in quick flashbacks. Shirotani "endures" very intimate touches but something simple like Kurose ruffling his hair sets him off. We'll have to wait to find out what happened but I give this volume a 4 out of 5.

This volume will be released November 8th, 2016.

For more of Lenni's writing and reviews, head over to Haunting Hypatia.

Laughing Under the Clouds: The Complete Series Review

Under the cloudy skies of turn-of-the-century Japan, three brothers shine brightly. Orphaned at a young age, the responsibility of providing for the Kumo family fell to the eldest brother, Tenka. A skilled swordfighter and proud guardian of his rambunctious younger siblings, Soramaru and Chutaro, Tenka Kumo walks through life with unfailing optimism and devotion to his family. But heavy clouds are beginning to settle over their secluded shrine—a growing gloom that signals the return of a deadly serpent known as the Orochi. As the Japanese military’s Yamainu Squad searches for the serpent’s human vessel, the unrest caused by the strict laws of the Meiji era spreads rebellion across the countryside. As the Kumo family’s ancient connection to the Orochi comes to light, old rivalries will be reignited, and the brothers’ carefree life will give way to the darkness of an ancient prophecy. As long as they stick together, what’s the worst that could happen?

Laughing Under The Clouds is a series that I admit I didn't get right into the first couple of episodes. At times I felt the pacing to be a little slow during the first two episodes. However once the establishment of characters and rules of the world were in place I really did enjoy myself. One thing that really grabbed me later on in the episodes were the relationships between the brothers Tenka, Soramaru and Chutaro. Each three of the brothers have different personalities that all play a role. Tenka is the oldest brother and definitely the more mature and responsible of the three. Soramru is full of energy and Chutaro is down right immature but also the youngest of the three so that is to be expected. However the series main focus is on Soramru who is going through what some might call middle child syndrome. Soramru is entrusted with the family swords which he practices with everyday. This pressure to live up to Tenka or to be good as him with the blade was interesting to watch. Tenka is the most mysterious of the characters. We don't really know too much about his motives and duties until later in the story. Each brother has their own sub plot and issues that they must face and it's great to see the show after a few episodes find their footing and really balance out the characters out. 

Animation and voice acting is good and very enjoyable to watch. This is a supernatural fantasy anime so there are a lot of things that you can work with and see that for the most part is original. The action was good but nothing that will knock your socks out. The voice cast was very enjoyable to watch. Dave Trosko, Terri Doty and Robert McCollum all did solid jobs as the three brothers. Each performance sounded great made me connect with the characters and had a lot of energy. Overall Laughing Under The Clouds is a good anime to check out. It has some good characters, likable chemistry and some fairly decent action. It might take a while to get started but once you do you will see it till the end.

Final Rating 3.5/5 Stars

Doamygar: The Complete Series Review

Take food fights to the next level in this bite-sized homage to mecha anime of the past. In modern day Kyoto, young Daijiro Kyogoku has finally taken over his family's traditional Japanese sweets shop. One day at the shop, Daijiro comes across a mysterious giant candy-making robot named Doamygar-D hidden in the shop's basement. This robot is a master of treats, and along with Daijiro, they make the perfect dessert crafting pair. When evil monster-like robots take over begin attacking the city, Daijiro must man his newfound candy-making mecha to feed the insatiable hunger of these foes and turn them back into harmless humans. There has to be someone behind all these transforming treat-loving terrors, and that someone might be closer to Daijiro than he ever thought possible.

Doamygar is best describe as a pure nostalgic trip for fans of the old school anime of the mecha genre. Everythiing from the over the top acting, facial expression of the characters and the animation itself screams old school. The entire series can be watched in one complete sitting of 33 minutes. Each episode is divided into three minute shorts that has our young hero Daijiro battling evil monsters. The characters as likable and very enjoyable to watch. Not much characterization to really make you connect with the characters. However the way the story is presented each episode feels more like a one off without a bit of connective tissue between them. This doesn't hurt the story narrative of the anime instead it makes you wish to have more. Doamygar knows what type of anime it is and doesn't try to be anything but that. The solid voice performances hits out of the park for those who miss that over the top, face pace style of voice acting in anime. The details to design and background  will send old school fans smiling with joy. The anime is fun and has a lot of lighthearted moments that the whole family can enjoy. My only gripe is the length of each show only being 3 minutes long. I wish this was a full series of 20 minutes. 

Final Grade 4 out of 5 Stars. 

Lenni Reviews: "The Thirteenth Man" by J.L. Doty

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*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Charlie Cass - the unacknowledged son of a duke - is freed from a POW camp, he returns to find a kingdom on the cusp of war. The dukes are plotting against one another and the king and now with the presumed dead Charlie back in the picture, they fear he will interfere with their plans. But Charlie refuses to go down without a fight.

I'm not usually a fan of military sci-fi but I honestly have to say this was the characters that kept me interested in this book. Charlie is a compelling, sensible character who is smart enough to surround himself with competent, loyal, and colorful people. Especially the prostitutes. They made me laugh. The techno jargon and political dancing were a little much but I just let it wash over me until the cool stuff started happening again. All that posturing and double meaning give me a headache. It's why I could never be a politician...

As this book was filled with all these thrilling space battles and has a satisfying conclusion to the main conflict, I felt the epilogue deflated everything; especially after such a climactic ending. I honestly can't think of another way to mend all those plot threads together without adding a few hundred pages to the book so I'll let the exposition dump slide. For unexpectedly entertaining me despite being out of my usual tastes, I give this a 3.7 out of 5.

For more reviews, check out Lenni's blog: Haunting Hypatia.

Mastering Manga 3 Power Up Review

Expert manga artist Mark Crilley guides you to another level with this powered-up drawing book. Complete your Crilley collection with this third installation, which elevates the instruction to focus on drawing methods to help you create distinctive and detailed professional-level manga art. Through 40 in-depth step-by-step demonstrations not covered in other Mastering Manga books, Mark reveals his secrets for adding color, how to draw manga-style.

Mastering Manga 3 is an impressive step to step guide on the basic fundamentals on different drawing styles of Manga. Unlike many how to draw Manga books, Mark Crilley shows step to step examples on how to draw particular eyes, poses and much more. Crilley does a great job of explaining the different styles of Manga drawings that readers are accustomed too. Mark Crilley explains different drawing styles such as Shojo Cuteness, Shojo Elegance, Dark Fantasy, Shonen Realism and many more. Each style is shown thoroughly explaining a little bit of the history or perception of each style then gives you a basic overview of how to start the style. Mark starts off with explaining the shape, the eyes and even given detail angles to which the style should be done. Is the book beginner friendly it depends on the level you’re at to be honest. I can’t draw if my life depended on it and found the explanation and steps to be a nice guideline to even do some of the basic shapes. One thing that I like about this book is that Mark touches on the topic of clothing and accessories. He explains how to draw armor, how certain style of clothing helps and panel. This is a very informative book for a 65 page book. Examples are shown in detail and easy to follow. If you’re interested in drawing Manga this might be one you might want to check out.

Lenni Reviews: "The Deadbringer" by E. M. Markoff

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Kira Vidal is a Deadbringer, possessing the ability to summon souls and raise the dead. Likely the last of his kind, this fifteen year old boy hides his abilities while living with his uncle. In order to live in peace, he has to keep out of reach of the Ascendancy and their elite soldiers called the Sanctifiers; who are charged with the mission of killing all Deadbringers. When a stranger shows up at their door asking for help, Kira's secret is exposed and he must protect his uncle while learning the truth behind his powers.

The world-building done in this novel is accomplished by dumping you in and wishing you luck yet at the same time it's immersive enough for you to get lost in it. There are a lot of interesting and distinct characters and while some may fall into typical fantasy tropes (like the mysterious counsel of evil hidden in shadow, climactic battle at a wall with ground troops, horned people, etc...), they all managed to get into my head clearly so I stayed interested throughout the entire book. At times the conversations lagged or got bogged down in WAY more complicated words than necessary; the narrative meandered off on occasion but once the story centered on Kira and his journey, this novel shined. Even with the cliffhanger ending (Arrgh! Where's the next one!!!), I ended this book feeling like I had a good time. As a fan of dark fantasy, I give this story a 3.5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Iron Goddess" by Dharma Kelleher

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*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reformed ex-con Shea Stevens has left a family history of crime behind her. Now the owner of Iron Goddess bike shop, Shea is content to build custom bikes, run her business, and enjoy her new relationship with her girlfriend. Things get complicated when not only is her shop robbed; an employee is shot, and her sister, Wendy, shows up after a decade of estrangement begging for help because her daughter has been kidnapped. Old ties come back to cause Shea much more trouble than just a couple stolen bikes.

I gotta say, this book was badass. There are straight, gay, and trans characters and they are people first. Their gender or sexuality are not used as tools to advance the plot, it is simply part of who they are as a complete character; not sterotypes at all.

Even though the motorcycle gangs were over the top with their racism, sexism, and at times an overt lack of logic, I'm not going to claim any knowledge of gang culture to call the book out on its portrayal of them. Overall, Shea was a believable character making the best of a shitty situation and everything works out as best she can manage without getting killed. A non-stop ride from start to finish, I give this book a 4 out of 5.

For more of Lenni's writing, check out Haunting Hypatia.