rlobel's reviews
82 reviews

Berserk volume 1 by Kentaro Miura is the start of an intriguing story that highlights a character with intense beliefs and perceptions of the world around him, driving him toward his vehement goals. As someone who mostly reads novels, Manga is definitely a new type of medium for me; however, when I stumbled across Berserk, I found myself wanting to learn more about its world and characters. Miura created a riveting epic fantasy, with a world inspired by medieval Europe, portrayed in a constant barbarous and remorseless nature. The Manga follows Guts, a mercenary, who is a questionable character as we get to know him. From the very first page, it is quite clear that Guts is not a hero because of the situations he puts himself in. As a fantasy, Berserk's world is filled with demons and higher beings, called apostles, that prey on the weak, and through the pages, we follow Guts as he hunts and fights these demons and apostles as a way to reach a higher goal of his. This first volume doesn’t reveal much about Guts except the importance of his values surrounding brutality and war that revolve around his belief that the weak deserve to die and those strong enough will fight until their death. Though there’s still yet to learn about what Guts’ goal is, it’s disclosed that he is searching for the five members of the Godhand. As a reader, we don’t know who or what that entails; however, it is implied that this goal of his has something to do with his brutal past that Miura has yet to unveil.

Berserk volume 1 was an enthralling start to this new adventure. The book had me on the edge of my seat with every page. Even though Guts is not someone to look up to, you can’t help but root for him, even through his monstrous traits. The illustrations were absolutely stunning with the angles that Miura decided to portray, and the fight scenes make the manga worthwhile. If Berserk was created as a novel, its story wouldn’t flow the same because the visual contrast of black and white, and the facial expressions that reveal an underlying portion of who Guts is make up how the entire story is perceived by each individual person. The only critique I have on this piece is that I wish it was longer so that there was more revealed about the plot. As someone who hates a rushed story, I’m glad Miura let us soak in who Guts is before revealing too much of the story before the time was right. However, to have this volume longer could have shown more of the plot that I’m so desperately wanting. Still, I’m excited to pick up volume 2 and continue on with this barbaric, yet thrilling adventure, and to learn more about Guts and what makes him truly tick as a gruesome fighter. Overall, Berserk had me hooked till the very end, and I have no choice but to give this volume 5/5 stars.

The Poppy War is the first book of its trilogy. The series is based on Chinese culture and history, specifically mirroring the second Sino-Japanese War. The series follows a war orphan, Fang Runin (Rin). The book begins with her taking the keju, which is a nationwide test to find the most talented youth to learn in the academies across the Empire of Nikan. Rin, having the highest score in her province, gets accepted to the most prestigious military academy, Sinegard. For a good chunk of the book, we follow Rin and her journey throughout the school years, and the discrimination she endures from being a dark skinned orphan, from a low province. But the petty squabbles of academic rivalry shift for Rin when she discovers she has the rare ability of a Shaman to call the power of one the Gods, that have been assumed myth. To make matters more complex, a second poppy war breaks out, with Nikan's longest enemy, Mugen. Now, with this newfound power, she becomes a military weapon, but with power comes a price, and Rin might have to pay with her own sanity.

The Poppy War is a rich and beautifully vivid book that creates a gorgeous fantasy from the very real events that occurred in our own world. Rin's character arc was brilliant in the way we saw a determined girl turn into a powerful soldier of war. The magic system was so intricate as it intertwined with religion and the very severe consequences that are given if used. I found some of the events shocking to read, and it was even more shocking to find out that the majority of it was based on very real tragedies. This is a phenomenal epic fantasy, but I would highly recommend researching its trigger warnings before picking it up. I can't wait to read The Poppy War's sequel, The Dragon Republic, and to follow Rin's journey in vengeance and fire. Again, incredible read 5/5⭐️.

So I tried reading Red Queen, but it wasn't for me, and I kind of just felt bored. This book centers around a world in which the impoverished and the aristocrats are separated by blood: red and silver. The silver bloods are these people who have extraordinary abilities, and they're marked with these powers by the silver blood that runs through their veins. The red bloods are just ordinary when it comes to "special abilities," which ultimately makes them powerless: living in poverty and fighting the silver wars. 

Throughout the course of events, we follow Mare Barrow, a red-blooded pickpocket. Her views on the silver bloods who rule the continent are very much intransigent. But things change for her when she's discovered as red blood with the abilities of a silver. To hide this phenomenon, the silver king uses her and showcases her off as a "lost silver princess" and marries her off to one of his sons.  That's as far as I got in the book. 

So I think the world's concept is actually intriguing, and if done well, it could have been so much more. A few of the major reasons why I DNFed this book is first, it's written in a very YA style. So yes, I'm very much aware that this is a YA book, so the straightforward, redundancy, with little to no underlying plot, is expected from the writing style. Usually, when I read that writing style, I tend to just ignore it, but because of the other shortcomings in the book, it was harder to get past. Second, the events in the book had little to no breathing room, like 10 major plot points all happened in the course of a day and a half, which doesn't allow the situations to marinate and really showcase the importance of each event. Third, because of the compression of events, the plot never really revealed it's self. All of these things are happening at once when they should have happened over a longer course.  Yet, we still have no idea why we should care and where these events are even going. 

The fourth thing I want to add is that the world building could have been 10× better. The world's concept is really interesting, but we barely get insight into the magic system they have. Like: What is the list of abilities, and what can each ability do? What are the ranks of power for each ability?  And why  do the silvers have abilities, and the reds don't? Furthermore, with that type of information, it could have given us more of a hint on why Mare does have these abilities as a red. Also, a major point is that parts of the continent are at war with each other, but it never explains why. Showing why could have been a great way to add more suspense regarding politics and giving contrast between the reds and the silvers. I think it was a great concept but poorly executed. I give this book 2/5 ⭐️.