Review: Black Bird Volume 3 by Kanoko Sakurakoji

Genre: Shoujo 
Series: Yes, Volume 3 
Pages: 200 
Copyright: 2010 
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 
Buy: Amazon

Here are links to my reviews for the previous volumes: Volume 1 and Volume 2

Summary: from Good Reads
He loves her blood, but does her love her?! Misao is starting to trust her heart where Kyo is involved, especially after he gives her one of his primary feathers. It isn't just her first present from him, it's a magic talisman that will keep her safe when he's not nearby! Misao is elated to be able to go to school without the fear of being eaten, just like a normal teenage girl. But as her feelings for Kyo deepen, she starts to realize that as his bride she will have to leave her human life behind--including her family!

Feelings: 
This volume of the manga was also very good. I enjoyed seeing Kyo and Misao started to have a less one sided relationship. Misao wants to know what will happen to her when she marries Kyo and Kyo is having similar fears. He is afraid that being with her and consummating their relationship will cause her great harm.

I looking forward to the next in the series.

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

Title: The Perilous Sea
Author: Sherry Thomas
Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Yes. The Elemental Trilogy #2
Pages: 414
Copyright: 2014
Publisher: Blazer + Bray
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

Feelings: 
I really enjoyed this book. I had to wait for a while before I could get a copy of this book, which is what happens when you try to stop yourself from buying books by using the library. It was worth the wait.

This book switched between the present and the past where the last book, The Burning Sky, left off. I liked the shift between past and present because it while I was uncovering the past I wasn't let in it didn't change the present or take away any of the surprises.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy. I am really looking forward to the next in the series.

Review: Black Bird Volume 2 by Kanoko Sakurakoji

Genre: Manga, Shoujo, Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Yes, Volume 2
Pages: 200
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Buy: Amazon

Here is a link to my review for the previous volume: Volume 1

Summary: from Good Reads
He loves her blood, but does her love her?

Kyo, the head of the Tengu demon clan, is Misao's only chance for survival. But even though she has sweet memories of him as a childhood friend, she has trouble reconciling them with the man he has become. Despite the strange attraction, can she trust her life, let alone her heart, to a man who only cares about the promise of her blood? There is a world of myth and magic that intersects ours, and only a special few can see it. Misao Harada is one such person, and she wants nothing to do with magic realms. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe a boyfriend. But she is the bride of demon prophecy, and her blood grants incredible powers, her flesh immortality. Now the demon realm is fighting over the right to her hand or her life!

Feelings: 
Misao wants to let herself have feelings for Kyo but since she can't remember more than a little bit about him from her childhood she is scared. She wants to make sure he isn't using her to bring prosperity to his clan. Kyo protects her even when it brings harm to himself. After an incident with Kyo's older brother, she realizes that even without her memories she knows he cares for her.

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Genre: Southern Fiction 
Series: Yes, Waverly Family #2 
Pages: 296 
Copyright: 2014 
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Buy: Amazon

Review of the first book in the series: Garden Spells
Reviews of other books by Sarah Addison Allan: Sugar Queen, Lost, Lake, The Peach Keeper, and The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Summary: from Good Reads

From the New York Times bestselling author of Garden Spells comes a story of the Waverley family, in a novel as sparkling as the first dusting of frost on new-fallen leaves...

It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

Lose yourself in Sarah Addison Allen's enchanting world and fall for her charmed characters in this captivating story that proves that a happily-ever-after is never the real ending to a story. It’s where the real story begins.

Feelings:
First Frost contained more of the magical elements that past books by Sarah Addison Allen. I liked it because they were simple and you can see how in a small town families would get the reputation that might over time come to be magical.


It has been a long time since I read Garden Spells so I wasn't sure when I started reading this if I was going to need a refresher or not. Turns out this book stood on its own pretty well. It does help to know the history of the characters.

The story switches point of view between characters. I liked that aspect even though I wasn't sure I was going to like it when I started reading the story.

I highly recommend this book. The magical realism is perfect for this story.

Skip Beat! Volume 4 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Title: Skip Beat! Volume 4
Author: Yoshiki Nakamura
Type: Manga
Genre: Shoujo
Series: Yes, Volume 4
Pages: 208
Copyright: 2007
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

Feelings: 
This book has a realization that Ren knew Kyoko before as well as a great hen suit. Kyoko has a rock that has shown up in previous volumes that she holds dear it helps take away her sorrows. Corn is what she calls the rock. I'm sure it will be making more aperence as the story continues.

Full of laughs and a good time. 

Ice Kissed by Amanda Hocking

Title: Ice Kissed

Author: Amanda Hocking

Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fantasy

Series: Yes, The Kanin Chronicles #2

Pages: 309
Copyright: 2015

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Rating: 3 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
In the majestic halls of a crystal palace lies a secret that could destroy an entire kingdom…

Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It’s a dream that brings her to a whole new realm…and the glittering palace of the Skojare.

The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that’s been threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself, it’s also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage. Her boss, Ridley Dresden, is overseeing her mission, but as their undeniable attraction heats up, their relationship is about to reach a whole new level—one neither of them is prepared for.

As they delve deeper into the Skojare world, they begin to unravel a long-hidden secret. The dark truth about her own beloved Kanin kingdom is about to come to light, and it will change her place in it forever…and threaten everyone she loves.


Feelings: 
I enjoyed this book like I did the first in the series. I felt like the book could have used a little more polishing I found a few mistakes in the copy, left out words. That happens but it does take me out of the story when I have to stop and think was that a mistake or is it supposed to be that way. That being said I really enjoyed the story. Bryn is an interesting character and I think at times she could really use a good shove so that she sees that maybe what she thinks isn't really the case. I think she may have gotten that shove in this book.

The end of this book made me wish I had the next book. I know that it is out already but I don't think my library will have it yet. I recommend this book to anyone who read the first book, Frostfire, and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the last book in the trilogy.

Skip Beat! Volume 3 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Title: Skip Beat! Volume 3
Author: Yoshiki Nakamura
Type: Manga
Genre: Shoujo
Series: Yes, Volume 3
Pages: 208
Copyright: 2006
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
Kyoko is determined to win her way into show business, even if it means wearing embarrassing bright pink overalls and putting up with spoiled stars. But her first big assignment is proving more difficult than she imagined when Kyoko finds herself in front of the camera with an injured leg. Will she be able to ace her first attempt at acting despite the pain, or will she make an utter fool of herself in front of her sort-of nemesis, Ren Tsugura?

Feelings:
The third volume has the conclusion of Kyoko's battle to become an actress against a misbehaving actress Ruri. Kyoko is hurt and when she is taken to the hospital she looses.

In this volume another member joins the Love Me Section. 

What a fun manga I wish sometimes it was in color so I could see the bright pink Love Me suit they wear. 

Around Again by Suzanne Strempek Shea

Title: Around Again
Author: Suzanne Strempek Shea
Type: Novel
Genre: Fiction
Series: No
Pages: 320
Copyrights: 2002
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: from Good Reads

When Robyn Panek is summoned by her ailing uncle Pal to operate his pony ring for one final season on his Massachusetts farm, her years away form the vacation spot of her youth seem an unbridgeable gap. But she is pulled by forces stronger than memory to piece together the events of that last childhood summer -- when a dark mystery swirled about her friend Lucy Dragon. They called her crazy, and Robyn must at last uncover the truth about Lucy's sudden disappearance -- and make peace with her own first love, Frankie. Now the future of Pal's six ponies, who circle the ring five times for a dollar a ride, is as uncertain as Robyn's own, as she confronts the past she ran from so long ago.

Feelings:
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Going back to where childhood memories are strongest isn't always easy but going back can also be healing. I read this book before I read Suzanne Strempek Shea's Becoming Finola and I thought it was good, after reading Becoming Finola I realized that this was the weaker of the two books.

The story of uncovering and discovering something from the past that didn't make since is not a new topic but I enjoyed this take on it. Sometimes endings aren't what we think they are, is how I would summarize this book.

I recomend this book but if you are going to only read one book by Suzanne Strempek Shea it should be Becoming Finola.

The Book Riot Reading Challenge 2015

Here are the 24 reading challenges from The Book Riot for 2015 and the book I read to complete the challenge.

1. A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25
Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic
2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
Can't and Won't by Lydia Davis
3. A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people) 
Can't and Won't by Lydia Davis
4. A book published by an indie press 
Housebound by Elizabeth Gentery
5. A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ 
6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna
7. A book that takes place in Asia 
China Road by Rob Gifford
8. A book by an author from Africa 
9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
10. A microhistory 
11. A YA novel
Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly
12. A sci-fi novel 
  The Martian by Andy Wier
13. A romance novel 
The Collector by Nora Roberts
14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
16. An audiobook  
The Lost City of Z by David Grann
17. A collection of poetry 
18. A book that someone else has recommended to you
Housebound by Elizabeth Gentery
19. A book that was originally published in another language 
Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic
20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind 
Wolf Children Ame & Yuki by Mamoru Hosoda
21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over)
Afterlight by Elle Jasper
22. A book published before 1850
23. A book published this year
Frostfire by Amanda Hocking
24. A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”)
The Life Changing Magic of Tiding Up by Marie Kondo

2015 Reading Goals

1. Read 10,000 pages (books marked with a ☀ do not count towards the 10,000 pages)

1. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (1/13/15) (361 pages)
2. Can't and Won't by Lydia Davis (1/18/15) (289 pages)
3. China Road by Rob Gifford (1/19/15) (audiobook)☀ 
4. The Chronicles of Secret Riven by Ronlyn Domingue (1/28/15) (400 pages)*
5. The Golden City by J. Kathleen Cheney (1/31/15) (373 pages)
6. Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna (2/3/15) (255 pages)
7. Many Moons by James Thurber, Illustrated by Marc Simont (2/3/15) (48 pages)
8. Leontyne Price: The Voce of a Century by Carole Boston Weatherford (2/7/15) (40 pages)
9. The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Anselm Grun (2/7/15) (28 pages)
10. Frostfire by Amanda Hocking (2/8/15) (321 pages)
11. The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney (2/12/15) (384 pages)
12. Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly (2/15/15) (340 pages)
13. The Collector by Nora Roberts (2/17/15) (483 pages)
14. The Lost City of Z by David Grann (2/19/15) (audiobook) ☀ 
15. A Better World by Marc Sakey (2/22/15) (380 pages)
16. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner (2/26/15) (394 pages)
17. Wolf Children Ame & Yuki by Mamoru Hosoda (2/27/15) (528 pages) ☀
18.  Black Bird Vol. 1 by Kanoko Sakurakoji (3/3/15)☀
19. Skip Beat! Vol. 1 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/3/15)☀
20. Skip Beat! Vol. 2 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/4/15)☀  
21. Skip Beat! Vol. 3 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/5/15)☀ 
22. Skip Beat! Vol. 4 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/5/15)☀   
23. Black Bird Vol. 2 by Kanoko Sakurakoji (3/5/15) ☀
24. Black Bird Vol. 3 by Kanoko Sakurakoji (3/5/15) ☀  
25. The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fford (3/8/15) (405) 
26. Skip Beat! Vol. 5 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/8/15)☀  
27. Skip Beat! Vol. 6 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/8/15)☀ 
28. Skip Beat! (3-in-1 Editions) Vol. 3 Includes Vols. 7, 8, & 9 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/9/15)☀
29. Skip Beat! Vol. 10 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/10/15)☀
30. Skip Beat! Vol. 11 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/10/15)☀
31. Skip Beat! Vol. 12 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/10/15)☀
32. Skip Beat! Vol. 13 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/10/15)☀    
33. The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne (3/10/15) (audiobook)☀
34. Skip Beat! Vol. 14 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/11/15)☀   
35. Skip Beat! Vol. 15 by Yoshiki Nakamura (311/15)☀   
36. Skip Beat! Vol.16 by Yoshiki Nakamura (312/15)☀   
37. Skip Beat! Vol. 17 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/13/15)☀   
38. Skip Beat! Vol. 18 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/13/15)☀
39. Skip Beat! Vol. 19 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/13/15)☀   
40. Skip Beat! Vol. 20 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/14/15)☀   
41. Skip Beat! Vol. 21 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/14/15)☀   
42. Skip Beat! Vol. 22 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/14/15)☀   
43. Skip Beat! Vol. 23 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/14/15)☀   
44. Skip Beat! Vol. 24 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/15/15)☀   
45. Skip Beat! Vol. 25 by Yoshiki Nakamura (3/15/15)☀
46. Ruby (3/17/15) (audiobook)☀
47. They Eat Puppies Don't They? by Christopher Buckly (3/22/15) (audiobook)☀
48. Eon by Allison Goodman (3/25/15) (531 pages)
49. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup (3/28/15) (audiobook)☀
50. Eona by Allison Goodman (3/28/15) (637 pages)
51. Black Bird Vol. 4 by Kanoko Sakurakoj (3/29/15)☀
52. Balck Bird Vol. 5 by Kanoko Sakurakoji (3/29/15)☀
53. Black Bird Vol. 6 by Kanoko Sakurakoji (3/29/15)☀
54. Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely (4/9/15) (audiobook)☀
55. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (4/15/15) (295 pages)
56. The Kindness Diaries by Leon Logothetis (4/21/15) (248 pages)
57. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (4/27/15) (400 pages)
58. The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck (4/29/15) (57 pages)
59. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett (5/4/15) (340 pages)
60. Quiet by Susan Cain (5/7/15) (audiobook)☀
61. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (5/9/15) (213 pages)
62. In the After Light by Alexandra Bracken (5/13/15) (535 pages)
63. The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland (6/5/15) (audiobook)☀
64. Watership Down by Richard Adams (6/12/15) (476 pages)
65. The Martian by Andy Wier (6/21/15) (387 pages)
66. Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunée (7/3/15) (audiobook)☀
67. Housebound by Elizabeth Gentry (7/3/15) (235 pages) 
68. Afterlight by Elle Jasper (7/5/15) (324 pages)   
69. Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee (7/2/2015) (audiobook)☀
70. Everdark by Elle Jasper (7/15/2015) (322 pages)
71. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman (7/21/2015) (audiobook)☀
72. In Seconds by Brenda Novak (7/23/2015) (400 pages)
73. Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic (8/5/2015) (208 pages) ****
74. The Finisher by David Baldacci (8/7/2015) (497 pages) 
75. Ice Kissed by Amanda Hocking (8/18/2015) (309 pages)
76. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen (8/15/2015) (296 pages)
77. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (8/18/2015) (270 pages)
78. The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas (8/19/2015) (416 pages)
79. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (8/21/2015) (446 pages)
80. The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson (8/22/2015) (473 pages)
81. The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau (8/23/2015) (338 pages)
82. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman (8/26/2015) (608 pages)
83. Rogue Wave by Jeniffer Donnelly (9/5/2015) (313 pages)
84. The Profit of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau (9/6/2015) (289 pages)
85. Black Bird Vol. 7 by Konoko Sakurakojo (9/7/2015) ☀
86. Black Bird Vol. 8 by Konoko Sakurakojo (9/7/2015) ☀
87. Black Bird Vol. 9 by Konoko Sakurakojo (9/7/2015) ☀
88. Black Bird Vol. 10 by Konoko Sakurakojo (9/13/2015) ☀
89. The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau (9/10/2015) (293 pages)
90. Black Bird Vol. 11 by Konoko Sakurakojo (9/14/2015) ☀
91.  Stella Bain by Anita Shreve (9/22/2015) (audiobook)☀
92. The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett (9/23/2015) (681 pages)
93. The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory (9/26/2015) (300 pages)
94. Son of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon (9/27/2015) (351 pages) 
95. Black Bird Volume 12 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (9/29/2015)☀ 
96. Black Bird Volume 13 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (9/30/2015) ☀
97. Bride of the Water God Vol. 1 by Mi-kyong Yun (10/2/2015)☀
98.  Bride of the Water God Vol. 2 by Mi-kyong Yun (10/2/2015)☀
99. Bride of the Water God Vol. 3by Mi-kyong Yun (10/3/2015)☀
100. Bride of the Water God Vol.4 by Mi-kyong Yun (10/3/2015)☀
101.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (10/8/2015) (240 pages)
102. Bobcat and Other Stories by Rebecca Lee (10/10/2015) (212 pages)
103. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (10/14/2015) (330 pages)
104. Catching Light by Kathryn Stripling Byer (10/28/2015) (62 pages)
105. Aurora by Kim Stanly Robinson (10/31/2015) (466 pages)
106. Bride of the Water God Vol. 5 by Mi-kyong Yun (11/5/2015)☀
107. Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland (11/6/2015) (audiobook)☀
108. Bride of the Water God Vol. 6 by Mi-kyong Yun (11/13/2015)☀
109. Black Bird Vol. 14 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (11/14/2015)☀
110. Black Bird Vol. 15 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (11/14/2015)☀
111. Black Bird Vol. 16 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (11/14/2015)☀
112. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (11/18/2015) (440 pages)
113. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshin Hamid (11/29/2015) (audiobook)☀
114. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (11/29/2015) (audiobook)☀
115. Picnic, Lightning by Billy Collins (12/13/2015) (104 pages)
116. Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb (12/17/2015) (688 pages) 
117. Black Bird Vol. 17 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (12/27/2015)☀
118. Black Bird Vol. 18 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (12/27/2015)☀

****This book put me over 10,000 pages!

2. Read or listen to 10 books of non-fiction

1. China Road by Rob Gifford
2. The Lost City of Z by David Grann 
3. The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne
4. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup
5. Predictably irrational by Dan Ariely
6. The Kindness Diaries by Leon Leogothetis
7. Quiet by Susan Cain
8. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
9. Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee
10. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
11.  Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic

3. Read 4 poetry collections

1. Catching Light by Kathryn Stripling Bayer
2. Picnic, Lightning by Billy Collins

4. Read 4 books of short stories

1. Can't and Won't by Lydia Davis
2. Bobcat and Other Stories by Rebecca Lee

5. Read 3 cover blind books

1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah