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ravensandpages's reviews
585 reviews
Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen, Vol. 1 by Hiromi Satō, Kamome Shirahama
4.0
received an arc in exchange for an honest review. thank you, netgalley and kodansha!
Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen is one of the most delightful spin offs to a series that I’ve ever read. This offers a really nice look into Qifrey and Olruggio’s relationship in more peaceful times through cooking, and each chapter has a delicious recipe or two at the end! I adore the concept of food as a form of care and affection, and this manga really makes you feel warm and happy about it. As always, the art is delightful and the pacing is very nice, I’ll definitely be continuing! I highly recommend this if you’re a fan of the original series.
Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen is one of the most delightful spin offs to a series that I’ve ever read. This offers a really nice look into Qifrey and Olruggio’s relationship in more peaceful times through cooking, and each chapter has a delicious recipe or two at the end! I adore the concept of food as a form of care and affection, and this manga really makes you feel warm and happy about it. As always, the art is delightful and the pacing is very nice, I’ll definitely be continuing! I highly recommend this if you’re a fan of the original series.
Aetherbound by E.K. Johnston
2.0
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Teen!
As a soft warning, I read the audiobook, so while I've tried to verify the correct spellings as much as I can, there may be some errors. If you read my review and still want to give this book a try, I would highly recommend the audio! The narrator is very pleasant to listen to and I enjoyed the sound effects. It made the reading experience more immersive than it would have been otherwise.
Aetherbound is a short science fiction novel that follows the early life of Pendt, starting with her very difficult childhood onboard the Harland, a ship that shares her family's last name. In the depths of space, survival is everything, and the usefulness of your abilities dictates your treatment and calorie count. While many of her siblings have an affinity for electronics, what her aunt and captain really need is a child with star sense to pilot the ship, and Pendt is at the bottom of the hierarchy with only the ability to change genes. When she realizes her only future purpose will be as an incubator, she sneaks off the ship and ends up striking a deal with the Brannick twins, heirs of the family that owns the station, controlled by the empire.
Overall, the tone of the book is less adventurous than the summary may lead you to believe. Pendt is the core of the book, and worldbuilding comes and goes as it serves her context and journey. A lot of it was hard to hold onto because of the way information was presented in fits and spurts as it became relevant. I don't fully understand what happened with the Aether and mages, I don't know what oglossa (sp?) is for, and the empire and rebellion have very little weight in the story before the final stretch. I think this book had a lot of potential- I wasn't particularly bothered by the themes of food and forced pregnancy as control, but Pendt seemed very quickly okay with tying herself to the Brannicks that way so soon after meeting them when it was the very thing she was attempting to escape. Her bonds with both Fisher and Ned were quick rushed, and besides her, characters didn't have much time to develop enough for me as a reader to care about things that happened to them. It felt like large sprints of development in plot and character happened at 40% and 80% of the way through, and the rest were boring lulls compared to the sudden spikes in action.
I was also slightly disappointed by some of the vagueness. I had to search externally to figure out Fisher is trans, even as a transmasculine reader myself who is usually combing for any sign of representation. I don't think the subtlety was pulled off, especially since one would imagine it would be something to contend with given the themes of forced birth, human trafficking, and lack of autonomy. I also felt that Pendt's powers as a gene mage were not as well explored as I would have liked, though that's simply a personal opinion.
Despite this book being a bit of a letdown, I think I will still try E.K. Johnston's other titles. I enjoyed the prose and the characters that were built up, but I think this one just wasn't for me. If you're a fan of quieter space settings as opposed to exciting rebellion-focused narratives and tense space opera, this might be more to your taste!
As a soft warning, I read the audiobook, so while I've tried to verify the correct spellings as much as I can, there may be some errors. If you read my review and still want to give this book a try, I would highly recommend the audio! The narrator is very pleasant to listen to and I enjoyed the sound effects. It made the reading experience more immersive than it would have been otherwise.
Aetherbound is a short science fiction novel that follows the early life of Pendt, starting with her very difficult childhood onboard the Harland, a ship that shares her family's last name. In the depths of space, survival is everything, and the usefulness of your abilities dictates your treatment and calorie count. While many of her siblings have an affinity for electronics, what her aunt and captain really need is a child with star sense to pilot the ship, and Pendt is at the bottom of the hierarchy with only the ability to change genes. When she realizes her only future purpose will be as an incubator, she sneaks off the ship and ends up striking a deal with the Brannick twins, heirs of the family that owns the station, controlled by the empire.
Overall, the tone of the book is less adventurous than the summary may lead you to believe. Pendt is the core of the book, and worldbuilding comes and goes as it serves her context and journey. A lot of it was hard to hold onto because of the way information was presented in fits and spurts as it became relevant. I don't fully understand what happened with the Aether and mages, I don't know what oglossa (sp?) is for, and the empire and rebellion have very little weight in the story before the final stretch. I think this book had a lot of potential- I wasn't particularly bothered by the themes of food and forced pregnancy as control, but Pendt seemed very quickly okay with tying herself to the Brannicks that way so soon after meeting them when it was the very thing she was attempting to escape. Her bonds with both Fisher and Ned were quick rushed, and besides her, characters didn't have much time to develop enough for me as a reader to care about things that happened to them. It felt like large sprints of development in plot and character happened at 40% and 80% of the way through, and the rest were boring lulls compared to the sudden spikes in action.
I was also slightly disappointed by some of the vagueness. I had to search externally to figure out Fisher is trans, even as a transmasculine reader myself who is usually combing for any sign of representation. I don't think the subtlety was pulled off, especially since one would imagine it would be something to contend with given the themes of forced birth, human trafficking, and lack of autonomy. I also felt that Pendt's powers as a gene mage were not as well explored as I would have liked, though that's simply a personal opinion.
Despite this book being a bit of a letdown, I think I will still try E.K. Johnston's other titles. I enjoyed the prose and the characters that were built up, but I think this one just wasn't for me. If you're a fan of quieter space settings as opposed to exciting rebellion-focused narratives and tense space opera, this might be more to your taste!
The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
unfortunately I’m just not getting into this at all, which sucks considering I have an arc of the sequel. LMAO. we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.
Pausing here to focus on other ARCs that haven’t come out yet!
Nina the Starry Bride, Vol. 1 by Rikachi
3.0
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Kodansha!
This beautiful manga follows the titular character Nina, a starving ophan who speedruns her rags to riches arc when she's sold off to become the dead princess's double. Recruited by the princess's half-brother Azure, Nina is now Alisha, the country's priestess-princess, soon to be married to a different country... but this disguise is in name only, as her strong-willed personality keeps shining through in a way only Prince Azure can keep up with.
I found the art style beautiful, but I had a hard time becoming invested in the characters and overall the plot felt contrived. I don't think the tropes (though I love them) were enough to carry me this time, especially given how childish Nina was compared to how mature and controlled Azure seems. I can tell they've got budding feelings, but I don't feel excited about them as a romance given this imbalance. I think I liked the pieces of this story, but found it difficult to love them when put together how they were.
Overall, if you enjoy the sound of the plot, I'd still recommend giving it a try! Disguise tropes are still some of my favorite, and I love the scenes with Nina and the Queen, and the younger prince. I just don't think I'll be continuing beyond this first volume.
❧ 3 ★
This beautiful manga follows the titular character Nina, a starving ophan who speedruns her rags to riches arc when she's sold off to become the dead princess's double. Recruited by the princess's half-brother Azure, Nina is now Alisha, the country's priestess-princess, soon to be married to a different country... but this disguise is in name only, as her strong-willed personality keeps shining through in a way only Prince Azure can keep up with.
I found the art style beautiful, but I had a hard time becoming invested in the characters and overall the plot felt contrived. I don't think the tropes (though I love them) were enough to carry me this time, especially given how childish Nina was compared to how mature and controlled Azure seems. I can tell they've got budding feelings, but I don't feel excited about them as a romance given this imbalance. I think I liked the pieces of this story, but found it difficult to love them when put together how they were.
Overall, if you enjoy the sound of the plot, I'd still recommend giving it a try! Disguise tropes are still some of my favorite, and I love the scenes with Nina and the Queen, and the younger prince. I just don't think I'll be continuing beyond this first volume.
❧ 3 ★