Lenni Reviews: "Saint Young Men" by Hikaru Nakamura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this answer to the question "What if Jesus and Buddha went on vacation" we have a thoroughly enjoyable and hilarious set of stories about these two powerhouses of the heavens living a normal(ish) life in Japan. If you're not into 'slice of life' stories, this will bore you but I found it endearing and fun! Both religions are treated with respect and the translation notes are exceedingly helpful for some of the side humor. It wanders a little but that comes with slice of life stories. I had a lot of fun reading this volume but it's hard to see where this would keep going for multiple volumes without getting repetitive. 4.8 out of 5. 

Lenni Reviews: "The Black God's Drums" by P. Djèlí Clark

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

Living with a goddess inside her, Creeper happens upon some valuable information about a scientist and his powerful but dangerous invention. A streetwise kid like her decides to sell this information to become a crewmember for Captain Ann-Marie of the "Midnight Robber." But the weapon in question could kill thousands and reignite the Civil War.

Other than the casual use of racial epithets typical of the South around the time of the Civil War, this was a cool take on a steampunk-like world set in an alternate universe. It's a shame it's just a novella but enough entertainment is packed into its short length, great characters, and fun action. Not enough books are written about the African Orishas and this is a highly creative and enjoyable take on that mythos. 4.5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Bones and Bourbon" by Dorian Graves

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Retz is tasked with bringing some escaped exhibits for Lady Delight, a lamia who runs a menagerie of captured supernatural creatures. Lady Delight is a former acquaintance of Nalem, an entity who shares Retz's body and mind so he agrees to the mission not knowing his Retz's brother, Jarrod, has been hired by the escaped funaribi to protect them from Lady Delight. Retz and Jarrod have been estranged for 10 years and their reunion occurs under the pall of their conflicting missions as well as a horde of homicidal unicorns.

With all the stuff going on, this book is difficult to pin down. I get some Supernatural vibes (I haven't watched more than a couple episodes of that but even I could see the similarities) but it is a superficial connection that didn't take away from the story as a whole.

The characters are lively, well written, and have some great chemistry; particularly Retz and Nalem. The dynamics of having to share a body with some ageless entity of dubious morals is conveyed very well. Jarrod and his boyfriend Ferris have a great relationship and Jarrod is a great character who happens to be transgender instead of being transgender being the entire focus of this existence; as it should be. And with a relentless army of killer unicorns in the mix, this is a cool dark urban fantasy. I really enjoyed it. 3.9 out of 5.

Young Justice Outsiders 3 ep review

Hey O&G fans, the wait is over and Young Justice season 3 is finally here! We first met Young Justice’s team of sidekicks almost ten years ago, they were still side kicks trying to be independant heroes of their own. Young Justice  gave each of its young heroes arcs of personal growth and evolution. The stories made it clear why certain characters simply had to figure out who they were outside of their relationships with the Justice Leaguers.

Now fast forward two years after the REACH Invasion was stopped, the team goes through another change. NightWing takes a break from the team leaving Aqua-Lad (now Aqua Man) to lead the team. The team has added members as well as lost some ( Kid Flash-Dead which resulted in Artimis retiring). The Young team also now shares the watch tower with the rest of the Justice League, giving them access to everything and everyone.

Season 3 starts with an unresolved issue from Season 2, Meta human trafficking. Children are still being abducted and used in experiments to bring out their meta gene, so they can be sold as weapons to the highest bidder. Nightwing  has been investigating and shutting down facilities on his own with help from Oracle, but needs extra help to find the real source.  So he recruits former members of both JLA YJ for his mission.

After the first 3 eps. I feel they are taking this series down a darker path than the first 2 seasons and so far they are doing an awesome job. Betrayal, loss, and minor defeats, each member of the team is being tested. I don’t want give too much away because  it is worth the watch. In the first episode alone you can see more than few side stories developing that are episodes themselves. Overall the series is off to a good start. My next review will be after episode 12 half way through the season to see if it keeps the same pace.

Lenni Reviews: “Imitatore” by A. Rose

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Born with multiple magical abilities, Sophie knows she is destined to do great things. But when she meets Oliver, an Imitatore who has the gift to use her powers and amplify them, her destiny rushes headlong at her, upending her life and leaving her with few she can trust and the future of the world at stake.

This book encapsulates every trope of YA fiction: Very tell, don’t show, simple sentences, and a wayward protagonist. By ‘wayward’ I mean the plot seems to blow her along; not leaving her to make many decisions. I do appreciate the diverse cast; a dark-skinned main character and non-gendered costar. There’s some cool world building but this is absolutely geared for someone younger than myself. I still had fun reading it, though. 3 out of 5.