Ash

Vol 1 rating: 4Vol 2 rating: 3

I thought that vol 2 was a little bit less enjoyable than vol 1 (hence the 1 star drop in rating from the previous volume). To me, Fynn was too whiny and demanding in this volume. The plot revolved around his desire to learn Niko's secret(s), but he was too pushy to my taste. I felt bad for Niko who had to give in to avoid Fynn's tantrums and keep him from storming out mid-conversation. I like Fynn despite all of this, but I definitely sympathise more with Niko.

The star/astronomy theme was much less prevalent in this volume, which is a pity considering it was so important in volume 1. I would have liked to see the boys spending more time up on their hill top, admiring the heavens like in vol 1.

Regardless of this criticism, I still enjoyed this volume, and the art was just as gorgeous in this book as it was in the last. It's too bad there are only two volumes in this series. I think it would make for an interesting long-term story. Regardless, this was definitely cute and heartwarming. I'm happy I discovered it!

Art: 5* (It's CLAMP, come on)Story: 3Pacing: 3Overall: 3 1/2*So CLAMP wrote another shonen-ai... Somebody hold me please.Why is this series called Legal Drug? No idea. Aside for the fact that the characters work at a pharmacy, there doesn't seem to be a specific link to drugs/medicine just from these first volumes. Knowing CLAMP, however, it'll probably be all explained in a much later volume (that doesn't exist yet because this series has been on a hiatus for way too long).Kazahaya (right) & Rikuo (left), the main ship.The story follows four guys who each have a special ability that normal people don't have. Kazahaya can see residual energy and memories when he touches something or someone; Rikuo can break/destroy small objects with his energy(?) and is also a bodyguard/protector for Kazahaya; Kakei has the gift of precognition and can see into the near future; and Saiga's abilities are kept in the dark, but it's said that he's an excellent investigator. Kazahaya and Rikuo both have a unclear background and are searching for “their most important person;” Kei for Kazahaya (his sister), and Tsukiko for Rikuo (we don't know their exact relationship at this point in the story).Girlriends? Sisters? Who knows.The boys work for Kakei at his pharmacy, but their main job is to go on various missions to find supernatural things/solve problems for mystery clients (think Yuko & Watanuki sort of dynamic).The similarities between this story and CLAMP's other works is quite obvious. Kazahaya and Rikuo are basically foils of Watanuki and Doumeki in [b:xxxHolic, Vol. 1 228063 xxxHolic, Vol. 1 (xxxHOLiC, #1) CLAMP https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388216406l/228063.SY75.jpg 236439], and even have some similarities with Fai and Kurogane in [b:Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Vol. 1 13570 Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Vol. 1 CLAMP https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386920662l/13570.SY75.jpg 15710]. Kakei, the mysterious pharmacy owner, is very similar to Yuko in xxxHolic. Saiga is the only one I couldn't find a definite look-alike for him, but then again Hisui and Kokuyo from [b:Wish, Vol. 01 936906 Wish, Vol. 01 (Wish, #1) CLAMP https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1406221143l/936906.SX50.jpg 921887] are pretty similar to him and Kakei... Regardless of the similarities, I think that this series is really enjoyable for CLAMP super fans.As with any CLAMP work, the story is pretty confusing when you first start reading it (but in my opinion, this is part of CLAMP's charm). Like with xxxHolic and TRC, you get thrown into a strange world without much foregrounding. The magic of CLAMP though is the crossover between series and the interconnectedness of the plots. I think that this series could be really amazing if ever CLAMP decides to continue working on it (vol 3 of [b:Drug & Drop, Volume 1 17261718 Drug & Drop, Volume 1 CLAMP https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1381292560l/17261718.SX50.jpg 23858335] anyone?)Major Yuko vibes where Kakei is concerned, but also, this scene is realy promising for the future of the series! Kakei opened his shop specifically for Kazahaya, before he even met him. I want to know what Kazahaya's true purpose is in this CLAMP universe.Overall, it's CLAMP; what's there not to love? Sure, it's a bit confusing, but it gets better as the chapters progress. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series (whenever it gets written and published).

Read it on my blog: https://wordpress.com/post/vicsense.wordpress.com/849

Summary

Review

very

some

Final Thoughts

I don't know what possessed me to keep reading this series, because there are a lot of problems with it, and I didn't particularly like the first two volumes, but somehow vol 3 was fairly better.

Dropped at 30%. I love Verne, but this ain't it bro.

Who in their right mind gave this manga such a high rating? This was undoubtedly the worst manga I ever read. First of all, the manga is a collection of very short stories that clearly do not have enough room to be expanded into something palatable.

The first story, that shares the title of this collection, had a decent premise, but it derailed completely after the first few pages when no one seems to be rightfully worried about the extremely odd situation of a boy shrinking down to the size of a doll for no discernable reason. The doctor just shrugs and tells him to go to school anyway? Like what?? Also, the “romance” aspect of the story made no sense and wasn't believable in the slightest.

As for the other stories, I don't remember them. No, seriously, they were so bad and uninteresting that I actually cannot remember a single plot element from either of the other stories. I'm trying really hard to recall anything at all, but nope. My brain is empty. I have a good memory by the way; this is entirely the manga's fault.

Bottom line: Zero character development, zero plot, and zero desire to recommend this to any other living being.

Art: 4Plot: 3½
Characters: 3½Total rating: 4

This manga was so pretty to look at, wow. The soft watercolours on the art pages are so beautiful, and the style lends itself really well to the overall theme of the story. Anna Backhausen is a very talented artist. Plus, thanks to the excellent character design, the two leads were unique and stood out from one another, which made them memorable and endearing.

In all honesty, I'm a sucker for anything that has to do with stars/astronomy/space, so when I saw this title I knew I absolutely had to give it a go. I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed, and I was happy to see that the space-theme was central to the plot (as opposed to being just a quirk of one of the characters).



The story revolves around Fynn, an unmotivated, chain-smoking, lazy student who was recently dumped by his girlfriend, Zoe, and Niko, a newbie in school who has a passion for astronomy and who is surprisingly friendly and popular in school despite his appearance. The two randomly meet one night on a hill top and become friends despite their obvious differences. Eventually, Fynn makes a move, but Niko's turbulent past keeps him from giving in and sabotages his hopes of having a relationship with Fynn. Both are damaged in their own way, but together they make one another better. Fynn gives up his smokes and starts to attend his classes again, and Niko learns to trust someone with his heart even though it's a scary process.

Niko's past remains obscure throughout the manga, which I assume will be the focus of volume 2 instead. However, this doesn't keep him from his HEA with Fynn, and all of this is cemented through their shared love of the night sky (and the Perseid in particular).

I look forward to reading the next volume and seeing where their relationship goes. Even though the pacing was off in some places, the plot was interesting enough to keep me hooked and wanting more of Fynn and Niko.

Art: 4Plot: 2½Characters: 3Total rating: 3One-shots are always hard to write and can be very hit or miss, in my opinion. Trying to squeeze an engaging plot, interesting character development, and make the story memorable into 200-odd pages is a feat in itself, and I understand why it might be difficult for manga artists in particular. Still, I expected a bit more “oomph” from a TokyoPop title, and instead I got a “meh, it's okay” feeling out of it. The story isn't particularly engaging, and the characters don't have much depth to them, but I guess that's because of the format of a one-shot instead of a series. For those wondering, this is a very light BL (this is not a yaoi manga, contrary to what the tags on this site say) that focuses more on Christian's obsession infatuation with Daniel, and his need to defy his dad all the time. The story starts with Chris as a child and his meeting with a teenage Dan, and follows their growth as friends, then servant and master, and finally as lovers (by then, Chris is 18 and Dan is 26). Personally, I liked Dan just a little bit more because he was the mature and level-headed one whereas Chris was often petty and childish.The art is definitely pretty. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but Dan and Chris' “empty” pale eyes were especially interesting in terms of the art. Weirdly enough, this style reminded me of Yuu Watase, particularly in [b:Ayashi no Ceres 01 6881912 Ayashi no Ceres 01 Yuu Watase https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327880486l/6881912.SY75.jpg 1034786] (maybe it's because of the stringy, spaghetti hair?).All in all, it wasn't a bad manga by any means; it just didn't grab my attention all that much.

Part II saved this book for me, somehow. Part I was so tedious and pointless that I very nearly gave up. I still don't think that this is one of the greatest pieces of literature, but I can see it's value and contribution to modernism and Camus' philosophy.

The fact that some of the top comments on this page are based on anti-Stratfordian sentiments is beyond ridiculous. Shakespeare regularly co-wrote with other playwrights. How does that possibly infer that Shakespeare is not a real person?

Unfounded conspiracy theories aside, Pericles is a tragic adventure story that has many common points with other more famous Shakespearean plays, namely The Tempest and The Winter's Tale (there's even a little bit of Lear in Pericles if you squint). The play also draws on many literary traditions and myths, such as the riddle (Sphinx, anyone?), knighthood (medieval lit 101), and ancient Greek/Syrian politics. Pericles is actually a pretty cool dude who is noble and upstanding. It's not his fault that some depraved king wants his head for figuring out his secret

Format read: paperback
Reading time: 4h
Tags: slice-of-life, mystery, short story, Japan, lgbt
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 10/10

Summary
In volume 2 of the ‘Case Files' series, we have 4 short stories and 1 extra chapter, same as with the first volume. Here's a breakdown of each:

1. The Cat's Eye of Insight: An elementary school boy turns up at Richard's jewellery store looking to buy a cat's eye stone that matches one he already owns. The boy's wish is to protect his unborn baby brother from harm, the same way his beloved cat, Milk, protected the family. Seigi and Richard find out that the cat has mysteriously gone missing, which creates tension between the boy and his family.

2. The Fighting Garnet: A young woman named Yamamoto wishes to purchase a garnet ring for herself after a bad breakup with a long-term boyfriend. Yamamoto is convinced that she is ugly and thus undeserving of a ‘pretty' stone like a ruby or sapphire. Yamamoto puts pressure on Richard as a beautiful person, insisting that he has an easier life than most because of his looks, much to Seigi's disapproval. Seigi and Richard end up helping the young woman in realising that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and that her ex is not worth her time and attention.

3. The Dance of the Emeralds: Tanimoto introduces her middle school friend, a ballet dancer named Shinkai, to Seigi. Little does he know, Shinkai's boss, Kataura, wants Richard's help in solving a crime at the ballet company, yet Richard is desperately trying to avoid it. One of the costume pieces, a magnificent emerald necklace, has nearly been stolen a few times, and the dancers believe that the piece is cursed. Richard doesn't want to play detective, but Seigi accidentally gets him involved anyway. The two work on solving the mystery so that the ballet performance can take place as scheduled.

4. The Opal of Reunion: Seigi reminisces about an old friend from his karate club when said friend turns up one day at the same train station as him. The two friends reconnect, with Hase taking Seigi out to dinner weekly despite his precarious monetary situation. Seigi recommends Richard's shop to his friend, and Hase takes the opportunity to try to sell a beautiful opal he obtained from an old lady with dementia. Seigi soon realises that his friend is not the same person he once knew, and the two come to odds because of their different ethics and principles. Richard shows a new side of himself when he comforts Seigi over the loss of his friend.

Extra: The Serendipity of Euclase: Seigi finally does good on his promise to make some flan pudding for his boss. Despite Richard's refined palate and picky habits, he praises Seigi's cooking skills and truly enjoys the heartfelt offering.

Review
Seigi and Richard are at it again! The slow burn is so delicious in this volume, especially in chapter 3 at the ballet company. Seigi's inner monologue is more and more honest with regard to his feelings, and even though he doesn't quite understand it himself, he has no qualms with constantly praising and admiring his boss. We're slowly starting to see Richard break out of his shell, too. Even though he is still very much the master of self-restraint, he falters a few times in this volume. I could essentially quote the whole book, but here are a few excerpts that are just too swoon-worthy to pass up. Most of these are just Seigi being an obtuse doofus who doesn't understand himself and cannot read the signs to save his life (I say this lovingly).

Whenever I was near Richard, I kept finding that all the things I'd locked away deep in my heart just started spilling out. He really was an enigma of a man. (p.32)

Richard looked at me and smiled. He has such a nice smile. My body wasn't exactly built to feel joy every time I saw a beautiful person smile, but Richard's smile in particular had a peculiar soothing quality to it. ... His smile in that moment was incredible. It was a stony beauty, like a cathedral painted by an impressionist master with every ounce of passion in their body. I did not voice this thought, of course. (p.56-57)



I stared vacantly at him as he pulled a pair of gloves out of his bag, nimbly put them on, and bowed before picking up the emerald necklace. I thought I'd be used to it by now, but this man–no, this human, no, this creature–was impossibly beautiful. He was beautiful even when he wasn't doing anything at all, but he really shone when he was up against something difficult like this. (p.132-133)

“That's not western script–that's your name! I'm capable of remembering the names of important people in my life.”Richard aggressively averted his eyes, grabbed his cup, and began drinking his water. He must have been really thirsty because he downed the whole thing. (p.143)

“How do I look?”“What?”Richard got my attention and spun around in front of the ticket counter.“It's not terribly strict, but there is a dress code. Do I look all right? Nothing on my suit or in my hair?”“You look perfect like you always do. The most beautiful man in the whole world is standing in front of me.” (p.179-180)

“Sorry, I didn't mean to bore you by talking your ear off about karate.”“I find it quite interesting, actually. I was listening respectfully. However, I must admit, I think I find watching you talk at such length more interesting than the subject matter,” Richard said in a completely flat tone before taking another sip of tea I'd made.” (p.191)



“His jokes were just silly enough and his voice just gentle enough to tell me that even if I wasn't doing a great job of covering it up, he wouldn't mind if I cried a little more. He was the one who told me not to say things that could give people listening to what I saying the wrong idea–like calling him beautiful or pretty. But surely he meant that in the context of when other people were around. We were alone in his car. There was no invisible person sitting in the back seat.“I don't know what the hell I'm saying right now, so just wipe this from your memory in ten seconds. I'm really glad I met you. I feel like I owe those drunks from Yoyogi Park a box of cookies. I'm just so glad I met you... thank you.”Car stereos sure are useful. (p.241)



........ This pairing might just be the death of me.

Series Overview:

Vol 1 ★★★★☆
vol 2 ★★★★☆
Vol 3 ★★★☆☆
Vol 4 ★★★☆☆
Vol 5 ★★★★☆
Vol 6 ★★★☆☆
Vol 7 ★★★☆☆
Vol 8 ★★★★☆
Vol 9 ★★★★★

Series average: ★★★☆☆

Unlike many people here, I actually enjoyed the last volume's dream sequence. I would have liked for the volume to explore their college life for real and bypass the trope, but it was still nice to get a glimpse into their future lives.

This series had a lot of ups and downs for me. It started strong with the first few volumes, then went down in the middle, and picked up again with the last two volumes. It feels like the author tried to stretch it out for way too long, so the middle volumes were fairly uneventful/uninteresting and only served as filler.

I liked the J-drama, which is why I picked up the manga afterwards, but now that I've read the whole series, it unfortunately falls flat for me in many places. I think the drama did a really good job, and I still enjoy it very much, but the manga was pretty average.

Format read: Ebook (Kindle)
Reading time: 3-4h
Tags: mystery, adventure, translation, friendship, found family, psychological, supernatural
Own a copy: yes (it's in the mail)
Reread likelihood: 10/10

Summary
Naoya continues to help Professor Takatsuki in his research on ghosts, but when Naoya falls ill and loses his ability to hear lies, he fears that his usefulness for the professor has run its course. Meanwhile, Takatsuki meets with new clients, who believe they are being haunted or, worse, that they are god-chosen.

Review

In the crevices between ordinary things, where the extraordinary lies, that's where the mysterious lurks. (p.44)

An Incident at School

Studio Ghost

Miracle Child

Just then, he caught sight of Takatsuki onstage. In an instant, the joy swelling in Naoya's chest was punctured. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. He could feel the smile that had bloomed on his face contort unnaturally. Staring dazingly at Takatsuki's face, made large on the screen, Naoya let the hand at his ear drop. What if, he thought. If his ears had become just like anyone else's... then that person–Takatsuki... How would he react? What would he say? (p.110)

Sasakura stared hard at Takatsuki, who seemed to be pushing himself to smile. “Don't get too caught up in this case.” (p.197)

Oh, Naoya thought. That was why Takatsuki had said to him, over and over–I want you to stay by my side. I would be happy if you were here. That was how he truly felt. Takatsuki chose Naoya to be his companion through the endlessly dark borderlands. (p.165)

Super cute! Proper review later

DNF @ 40%

I'm so sad I didn't like this as much as the show. The TV adaptation is so beautiful, and it's one of my favourite shows ever. I wanted to read the book since I love these characters so much, but their personalities are so different here that it's too jarring coming from the pov of loving the show (like how MDZS and Untamed don't quote match up).

I may try to pick it up again some other time, but for now, there are so many more things I'd like to read instead of this.

2.5 ⭐SummaryGu Yu escapes his hellish family life by moving hours away to Yan City to attend university. Once there, he rekindles with an old childhood friend and gets involved in his family affairs. Gu Yu starts to dream about inexplicable things: demons, ghosts, and monsters haunt him, but in his dreams, he also sees a strange man in Daoist robes. Gu Yu quickly finds out that the man, Wen Jiubo, is very much real, and works as an exorcist near the university. Wen Jiubo hires Gu Yu to work at his store, and eventually the two team up to solve supernatural cases all the while Gu Yu tries to uncover the mystery behind his new employer.ReviewI'm of two minds with this book. 1) It really isn't that great when you look at its construction, but 2) the premise is interesting enough to keep me reading despite all the plot holes. Seriously, there are more plot holes in this thing than in Swiss cheese. The translation is also really iffy, and the editing is seriously lacking. Now, I'm no stranger to reading fan translated works, and I can overlook a lot of things for the sake of the story, but in this case, this is not technically a fan translation. It's a finished, published product that I bought, so I expected a higher quality read. I'm just going to list a bunch of pros/cons to simplify this review.Pros• The premise: I love a good ghost story, especially when it features an investigative team that solves crimes and mysteries. Urban Tales is interesting because it features several cases that are all weird and unusual. It reminds me a tiny bit of [b:Ghost Hunt, Vol. 1 555430 Ghost Hunt, Vol. 1 (Ghost Hunt, #1) Shiho Inada https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320558736l/555430.SY75.jpg 542635], except GH is leaps and bounds superior in quality and in plot.• Wen Jiubo: The strange long-haired Daoist exorcist makes for an interesting lead character. We don't know much about him, and we don't know how he knows Gu Yu so intimately, but he clearly has a backstory that has yet to be revealed. This makes him mysterious and interesting to read about. He seemed OOC at times, but in general, he is a fun second protagonist.• Folklore: Although not really the focus of the story, the few moments where Wen Jiubo talks about the types of ghosts and demons is actually quite interesting.Cons• Gu Yu: He is one of the worst MCs I've read in a long time. Gu Yu acts very irrationally most of the time. He gets angry for no reason and lashes out at people (especially Wen Jiubo). When he's not angry, he's irritating and whiny. He doesn't feel “real” and is more a caricature of a young man than an actual person. • Plot holes: Once again, there are so many plot holes in this novel that the whole thing is just one giant hole at this point.• Choices that lack common sense: Why is Su allowed to bring her cat to school? Why does Gu Yu's mother insist on dressing him like a girl? Why did Bai hide himself for so long, only to pop up and claim he'd been looking for Grandma Li for years? What even happened to Bai after the case with Xiaoying? He just vanished from the story?? How come Wen Jiubo walks around in ancient clothes all day long, and no one bats an eye (the story takes place in modern times, fyi). Needless to say, the bad outweighs the good in this story, which doesn't make me inclined to continue with this series. There are tons of better reads out there, so I know I won't be returning to this particular world any time soon.

DNF 40%

Big fan of Poirot, not so much of Marple :/

The first book in the Marple series is not bad by any means; in fact, it is very clever, but I prefer Christie's other, more traditional detective Poirot to the sleepy hamlet heroine Marple.

I came for the promise of a high fantasy m/m, and I stayed for the Locke Lamorean thievery. Seriously, I didn't expect to find another gentleman thieves HF like LL (and yes, I'm aware that this one came WAY before LL), but I was pleasantly surprised that the book took that turn! I don't know why I thought it would be high fantasy, but I'm happy that it became a spy/thief thing instead (that's definitely my jam).

Seregil, whom I lovingly compare to Howl from Howl's Moving Castle in my head, was a delight to read and discover across the pages. I adored his quirky personality and his need to take a bath every two minutes, combined with his deep loyalty to his friends and strong emotions. Alec, our second protagonist, was equally charming, albeit slightly annoying with the overly emphasized modesty thing. Still, I really enjoyed seeing his progress as a Watcher under Seregil and Nysander's expert tutelage.

In my opinion, Nysander and Thero were the unsung heroes of this first volume. Thero was especially useful and endearing despite the fact that he and Seregil are mortal nemeses (not really, but they like to think so). As for Micum, well, I don't have much of an opinion really. He seemed to be just ‘there' and didn't really pique my interest all that much.

As for the m/m, the first half of the book had basically nothing in it in terms of romance, but I think that works well in showing how Seregil and Alec's relationship develops over time. I hate instalove stories, so this type of slow progression was much more realistic and believable. In the second half of the book, you can start picking up small clues here and there, especially from Seregil who slowly starts to see Alec in a different light. Ever since the prophecy, Seregil begins to notice small things about his companion, which makes the slow burning romance all the more delicious.

Naturally, the romance here is just a side plot to the bigger, political storyline that takes place. I loved the complex politics of the land, and all the different factions, governments, cities, etc. The fact that the monarch is, and always has been, a queen makes it all the more interesting.

Overall, this first book in the Nightrunner series was very enjoyable with lots of twists and turns, and I can't wait to tackle the next one!

How do I begin to rate this book?First, a summary of my experience:My reading journey in percentages:0-30%: Did I stumble upon a fetish thing? What is happening? Why is everything so vulgar?30-50%: Oh, ok, there's more to it than just debauchery. There's actually an underlying court intrigue.50-80%: Hooray for politics! This is getting juicy.80-100%: I can't put this down. How. Why. I don't understand how this happened.In a nutshell, it was violent, crude, not much happened plot-wise, and yet, here I am, having read it in two days and finished it at 4 am... I don't understand how, but this was really addictive. Another thing that I don't understand is how Laurent became my favourite even though he is quite objectively the worst person in this world. Now that these feelings are out of the way, onto the real review!REVIEWThe story is set in a pseudo-European world that has similarities with our own. The two main countries are Vere (I read this as a mock 18th century France) and Akielos (a Graeco-Roman society during the Alexandrian age, or there abouts). There are other countries/regions, but they aren't widely discussed in this book, so I can't pinpoint their resemblance to our world.Damen and Laurent on the cover of the Japanese edition of [b:Kings Rising 17158532 Kings Rising (Captive Prince, #3) C.S. Pacat https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454160767l/17158532.SY75.jpg 23581990] (vol 3).Damianos is the crown prince and rightful heir of Akielos, but his half brother Kastor usurps the throne after their father's death and conveniently has his brother removed by ways of shipping him off to enemy territory to work as a slave (or pet in Vere). Damianos, now known as Damen, tries to navigate the strange and debauched world of the Veretian court while also dealing with his psychopathic master Laurent, the crown prince of Vere. In a similar position as Damen, Laurent is also promised the throne following his elder brother's death, but he finds himself under the control of his uncle who acts as regent until Laurent is ready for his duties. However, much like Damen's treacherous brother Kastor, Laurent's uncle holds fast to a power that is not rightfully his. Laurent and Damen have an incredibly rocky start: Damen's position as a slave means that his life is in constant danger, and he is bound to the whims of his master without any possibility of retaliation. Naturally, Laurent doesn't know who Damen truly is, but his widespread hatred of Akielos and its people means that he automatically hates Damen to his core. Laurent is a violent, despicable, spoilt brat who takes pleasure in publicly shaming and torturing Damen. However, as time passes and they get to know each other a bit more, Laurent eases up on the hatred and, against all odds, they develop a tacit understanding of one another. There's no love loss here, but at least they're not at each other's throats.Make no mistake: this is a dark, dark world filled with horrible characters who do horrible things to their fellow humans. There are threats of r*pe on the regular, public SA, violence, torture, etc. The Veretians are a strange bunch to say the least, with very questionable tastes in entertainment. That being said, the grittiness of this society adds to the atmosphere of the book. Some things are hard to read and downright disgusting (everything related to the underaged Nicaise, for example), but it all serves as a stark contrast to the supposed “barbaric” nation of Akielos who are seen as little more than animals to the so-called refined Veretian nobles.Around the halfway mark, the political intrigue really kicked in and was the focus of the story until the end, which was a nice reprieve from all the horrible business between masters and pets.I'm looking forward to the rest of Damen and Laurent's adventure now that they'll be on the border, away from court.

I don't know what's happening, but I just can't find the motivation to keep reading this book/series. I loved books 1 & 2, but now I've been stuck on vol 3 at 30% for over a year, so I think it's fair to call it quits here. Maybe I'll revisit this series at some point, but for now, it's going to be shelved.

Temporarily on hiatus, unfortunately. I put it aside to read other things and now I feel that I should start over and give it my full attention because it's definitely amazing.

Format read: paperback
Reading time: 2 hours
Tags: theatre, satire, modern, detective fiction, mystery, drama, comedy, dark humour
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 7/10

Summary
Andrew, a detective fiction novelist, is an aging gentleman who is at risk of losing his wife to a younger man, Milo. To test Milo's mettle, Andrew decides to play a dangerous game of burglary, murder, and mayhem, and invites young Milo to his house where a series of events take the test of courage to new levels as Milo decides to play the game, too.

Review
I used this play in class in the context of detective fiction writing. The play is a satirical take on the genre as the playwright, Shaffer, mocks the genre's traditions through his characters. Andrew is a man who is bent on playing games, the same way that great literary detectives spend their idle time in between crime-solving. Milo, on the other hand, is much more down-to-earth and realistic. His view of detective fiction is negative as he associates it with class and gender issues, a false sense of superiority, and an all around pompous activity for the rich.

Milo is constantly picked on by Andrew for being ‘foreign' (of Italian and Jewish descent), which is a nod at Shaffer's main inspiration, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. Though Poirot is neither Italian nor Jewish, he is also regularly judged on the basis of his non-Englishness. Contrary to Milo, Andrew is more of a Sherlock Holmes kind of character as he sees himself as incredibly clever, more so than Milo, and he comes up with hare-brained ideas and theories worthy of the great detective.


Andrew (Laurence Olivier) and Milo (Michael Caine) in ‘Sleuth' (1972).

I also watched the 1972 movie version of the play in conjunction with the text, and the screen adaptation does a marvelous job at capturing Milo and Andrew's personalities and quirks. The play is a high-paced, action-driven story with many twists and turns that are hard to predict. I would recommend watching the movie after the play as I think they compliment one another very well.

Format read: paperback
Reading time: 7+ hours
Tags: detective fiction, police procedural, mystery, crime fiction
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 5/10 (once the mystery has been discovered, it's hard to justify rereading a mystery novel!)

Summary
Hercule Poirot is pulled out of retirement by the arrival of a mysterious letter announcing an upcoming murder and signed enigmatically as “ABC.” With the help of his trusty companion Hastings, Poirot goes on a cross-country chase to track down and stop this strange serial killer who murders people in alphabetical order. Poirot must find out his identity and understand the ‘why' behind these murders before the killer reaches the end of the alphabet.

Review
Poirot makes a triumphant return to the world of police work in this very ‘human' novel, The ABC Murders. Poirot's approach to the crimes is slow and methodical; not much happens in this book, and the narrative isn't action-packed. However, Poirot's understanding of the human mind is at the forefront, and the psychology of the killer is what is on display. Poirot's focus in this novel is on the killer rather than the victims. He determines early on that the victims have nothing in common–an unusual occurrence in serial cases–but the killer himself is where the true mystery lies. This person is thought to be unremarkable yet daring, simple yet genius, and shy but charismatic. These contradictions muddle the waters for Poirot and the policemen, but it makes the case all the more interesting to crack. A whole host of characters colour this novel, each with their own reason for wanting to bring harm onto others, but only one person can truly be the criminal mastermind who taunts Poirot with his overconfident letters.

The pacing in this book is very slow and there are no big “a-ha!” moments, but the simplicity of the narrative lends itself well to this very empathetic approach to the criminal mind. Poirot shows his great sense of humanity when he sympathises with the most vicious of men, and his humanistic outlook on how criminals are perceived and treated in society makes us readers ponder deeply about our own morals and ethics vis-à-vis criminals.

This Christie novel offers a self-aware view into detective work and weighs in on the age-old question of what it means to be human.

Pretty cute overall, despite the teacher being a major creep. Sajo and Kusakabe are slowly getting to know each other better. It feels like they've been doing things out of order, dating first then learning basic things about one another such as birthdays and life goals, but I think their budding relationship is cute regardless. Kusakabe is really sweet; he's very devoted to Sajo and serious about their relationship. It's nice to see, especially since they're still young and in high school. Anyway, I could really do without Hara-sen and his creepy vibes, but at least he isn't too central in the story.