Review: Mizuki 1

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Shiori 1 Comment

MizukiTitle: Mizuki (1)
Author: Yazawa Nao
Book type: Shoujo manga, supernatural
Published: December 2010
Star rating:
In one word: Cute

Plot: Mizuki is a teenage girl with a problem that few other teenagers have. You see, Mizuki was born into a family of devils and has been roped into fighting monsters in her spare time. While she’s not really a fan of her transformation in general, Mizuki might well be forced to embrace her heritage if she wants to save her crush.

Review: An early title by Yazawa-sensei (best known for her work on Wedding Peach) is now finally available in English thanks to DMP. While I’m not a fan of their rental system, I did enjoy this piece.

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Review: Test Me!

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Shiori 4 Comments

Test Me!Title: Test Me!
Author: Dee Tenorio
Book type: Contemporary erotica
Published: November 2007
Star rating:
In one word: Wow

Blurb: “When wealthy scientist Vetta St. Claire begins a news experiment polling the male libido, she unexpectedly locks horns with long-time scientific rival Travis Carmichael. She never meant to test Travis’s libido…but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Down on his luck and on the verge of giving up his dream to make a real contribution to cancer research, the last thing Travis wants—or needs—is a fling with the prickly Vetta. Travis doesn’t like her. In fact, he hates her. But when the sex is this good… “Hard science” doesn’t begin to cover it.”

Review: Two apparent geniuses shag pointlessly while snarking at each other. There’s also some kind of mystic black nanny who “feels” they ~belong together~. Admittedly I laughed while reading this book, but I don’t think I was laughing in the right places…

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Review: Lovin’ Feeling Left Behind

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Shiori Leave a comment

App reviews? During my break, I received an early Christmas present – an iPod Touch! Now that I have access to some different bits and pieces on iTunes, I figured it might be a good opportunity to review a few different things as well. I don’t consume eBooks on the Touch per say (I still need a bigger screen for novels) but I have found a few interesting comics and visual novels that might just be a worth a review. Something different, don’t you think? :D


Lovin' Feeling Left BehindTitle: Lovin’ Feeling Left Behind
Author: Kaname Mechi
App type: Contemporary romance, manga
Published: April 2010
Star rating:
Price: $2.49AU ($1.99US)

Plot: After being unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, 24-year-old Haruka has sworn off love completely. Unfortunately she works at a marriage counseling centre and is forever being smothered in the relationship concerns of others. Just when Haruka thought work couldn’t get any more unbearable, her handsome new boss (Ryusei) enters the scene and stirs things up. The pair immediately get off on the wrong foot with insults that peak in Haruka being called “ugly”. Infuriated, she decides she’ll show Ryusei that she can be just as much of a woman as any of the office girls who swoon over him.

Review: Lovin’ Feeling Left Behind is a fun little story about a hurt woman deciding to love again on her own terms. It’s very short (194-panels – so maybe 20 pages?) but it’s a nice bit of harmless fluff to keep saved for when you need a pick-me-up read.

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Review: Preincarnate

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Shiori 2 Comments

Aaaaaand I’m back. Don’t even ask, you don’t want to know. I’ll likely be keeping it to two posts a week until I find a bit more free time. Thanks for sticking with me. :)


PreincarnateTitle: Preincarnate, A Novella
Author: Shaun Micallef
Book type: Contemporary fiction
Published: November 2010
Star rating:
In one word: Surreal

Plot: In an adventure that spans across both space and time, one man seeks to prevent his own murder… before he’s even born. Along the way there are cameos by classic authors, Hollywood celebrities and all manner of literary oddities.

Review: Shaun Micallef’s second book is similar to his first, Smithereens, in that they are both mish-mashes of brilliant absurdity. In saying that, however, Preincarnate will probably only appeal to avid fans of Micallef’s more inaccessible comedy. I loved it, but it was still something of a slog.

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Review: Spider’s Bite

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Shiori Leave a comment

Spider's BiteTitle: Spider’s Bite
Author: Jennifer Estep
Book type: Urban fantasy
Published: January 2010
Star rating:
In one word: Decent

Plot: Gin Blanco cooks a mean barbecue at the Pork Pit, but on the side she has a far more lucrative business going. Gin is also the Spider, a ruthless assassin who’ll take out (almost) anyone for a price. While she has stone elemental abilities (and to a lesser extent, ice) Gin tends to use her brain rather than rely on her supernatural skills. She’s definitely going to need her wits about her latest hit goes wrong and she is double-crossed. In Ashland, a city as dangerous as it is unpredictable, can Gin exact her revenge without falling hard for one of the good guys?

Review: A nicely composed adventure on the dark side that is let down by a dull romance and barely-there hero.

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Review: The Iron Duke

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Shiori 2 Comments

Note: First off, I should probably apologise for my silence over the past week or so. I’m beginning to think that starting a blog in the last six months of my academic studies was probably not the best of ideas. Add to the mix one hacked email account + the pending arrival of my first nephew and you get one very busy me! I’ll try to get back into the swing of things as soon as possible, but November is likely to be a quiet month for me, all things considered. Sorry about that and thanks for understanding!

The Iron DukeTitle: The Iron Duke
Author: Meljean Brook
Book type: Steampunk romance
Published: October 2010
Star rating:
In one word: Engaging

Plot: In a society still reeling from its occupation by the oppressive (though technologically advanced) Horde, Mina Wentworth carves out a simple living as a Detective Inspector. She works hard to support her family as much as possible, but is frequently met with bigotry from strangers due to her Horde blood. One day Mina is called to investigate a murder at the residence of one Rhys Trahaearn, the national hero said to have freed England from the Horde’s control. Mina has heard many stories about this “Iron Duke” but are they all true? As her investigations continues, she must work alongside Rhys to discover the truth behind the murder on his property. Something that becomes exceedingly complex when conspiracies abound and Mina finds it difficult to resist the Iron Duke’s charms.

Review: I was rather looking forward to reading this book, having heard so many great things across the blogosphere. I can confirm that it is a solid book with a strong steampunk aesthetic, however, I didn’t find it as hands-down awesome as I imagined I would.

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