Review: Black Bird Volume 10 by Kanoko Sakurakouji

Genre: Shoujo
Series: Volume10
Pages: 200
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Buy:  Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
The past returns to haunt Kyo and Misao when Kyo’ s long-lost father suddenly reappears. But the reunion is less than happy, for Lord Yo is suspected of murdering his wife! Misao learns the real story of the deadly incident, but it is hardly comforting. Should she tell Kyo about his mother's fate, or should she protect him from a truth he might not want to know?

Feelings:
Kyo has parents. For a long time he seemed parent-less. Misao gets to know Kyo's father, even though, Kyo doesn't want her to. Kyo's parents introduction brought a new conflict to the story, but it also brought us back to the conflict between siblings.

This volume wasn't as interesting to me. I'm a little more than half way through the series now, and I need to decide if I want to put the time in to finish it, or if I have read as much as I want. I think I'm going to give it another volume, and see what I think after that. 

Review: The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

Genre: Dystopian Fantasy 
Series: Book of Ember #2 
Pages: 338 
Copyright: 2004 
Publisher: Random House 
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
“It is green here and very big. Light comes from the sky…”

When Lina and Doon lead their people up from the underground city of Ember, they discover a surface world of color and life. The people of a small village called Sparks agree to help the Emberites, but the villagers have never had to share their world before. Soon differences between the two groups escalate, and it's up to Lina and Doon to find a way to avoid war!

In the riveting sequel to the highly acclaimed The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau explores the nature of conflict and the strength and courage necessary to overcome it.

Feelings: 
I really enjoyed this second book in the series. I was actually pretty happy with the ending of the first book, but this was a satisfying read to follow the first. This one also has an ending that doesn't leave you hanging. I really appreciate that. Many books I read do leave you hanging.

After they leave the city of Ember, things are very interesting for Lina and Doon. I liked that they tried so hard to get the people out of Ember, and that in the town of Spark they become more children but still struggle to make sure their people are taken care of. I think getting to know the people of Sparks better also made this an interesting story. 

I will continue to read the series, but I don't feel like I need to immediately pick up the next book.

Review: Black Bird Volume 9 by Kanoko Sakurakouji

Genre: Shoujo
Series: Volume 9
Pages: 200
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Buy: Amazon

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

Misao and Kyo finally go all the way, and Misao can’t regret the new levels of intimacy, even though all the other demons seem to be able to tell that they are now lovers. But does Kyo feel the same way? Instead of bringing them closer, their new status seems to make him turn away from Misao. Is that just the nature of guys, be they human or demon? Or is there something darker behind Kyo’s sudden lack of warmth?

Feelings: 
I enjoyed the included chapters at the end that gave us some back story on Kyo. That was my favorite part of this volume.  The story of Kyo and Misao is getting to be a bit repetitive for me. They get closer and then Kyo pushes her away. I think that is going to happen again, and I don't really enjoy reading that. I think I would rather read a volume where Kyo and Misao are working together towards the same goal. But if that happened, where would the conflict come from. The build up to sex is finally over, so we have to have a new conflict to keep the story going.

I'm hoping it will be something that brings the characters together rather than pushing them apart. I think it is wishful thinking though.

Review: Daughter of the Ganges by Asha Miro

Genre: Memoir
Series: No
Pages: 274
Copyright: 2007
Publisher: Atria Books
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
Growing up in an Indian orphanage, Asha Miró dreamed that someday she would be adopted. At the age of six, her wish finally came true, but only at the misfortune of another. A Catalan family was in the process of adopting twins when one of the children suddenly fell ill and died -- a twist of fate that led the family to adopt Asha instead. Leaving a life of poverty behind, Asha was given a second chance.

Twenty-one years later, Asha takes a heart-wrenching trip back to India to uncover her native roots. Full of unexpected encounters, this adventure informs and touches Asha beyond her expectations. She visits her old orphanage, speaks with her former caretakers, explores the land that she might not have ever left, and comes to form a more solid identity. Yet one trip is not enough. Eight years later she returns, this time visiting the small rural village where she was born. While uncovering the details behind her adoption, Asha discovers the only living member of her immediate Indian family: a sister she never knew she had.

Feelings: 
This felt a lot like a journal to me. When I got to the end, I found out that it was take from a journal. The writing was very easy to read and didn't have the complexity of story that many memoirs have. I would have enjoyed this more if it had been written with more imagery. I felt like I was told everything and I didn't see the scenery of the story except on rare occasions. There were parts that were very detailed but for the most part it was simply written and didn't do a good job giving a feel for the places the author wrote about.

This book contains two shorter essays put together. The second added closure to the story that the first didn't have. It also showed how easy it is to get the story wrong when there are not good records. 

Margaret says that my father, Radhu Ghoderao, loved me a lot, so much so that he came to Mumbai to see me before I was adopted by my parents in Barcelona, but I did not recognize him. "Who is this man?" Mother Adelina asked me. "The Postman!" I apparently answered. p. 150

Asha does not find out about this on her first visit when she ask Mother Adelina about her past.

I find it difficult to understand how Mother Adelina managed to conceal such an incredible anecdote. I can't deny the anger that I feel. A father--my father--who traveled all the way to the city to see his daughter for the last time before she set off for a distant country to be adopted by a family, is an image from my story that is completely unknown to me and has a huge impact. p.151

She struggles with the fact that she wasn't given all the facts and that others kept what they knew from her. I'm glad that in the end she is able to meet her sister and they are able to talk about the past and it answers many of Asha's questions. However, the story didn't have the emotion that I was looking for.

This was written for families adopting a child from a foreign country or children who were adopted into a different country and are wanting to know what it was like for someone else. I recommend this to those readers. However, if you are looking for a good memoir this would not be one I would recommend.

 

Review: Black Bird Volume 8 by Kanoko Sakurakouji

Genre: Shoujo 
Series: Volume 8 
Pages: 200 
Copyright: 2011 
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 
Buy: Amazon


Summary: from Good Reads
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 magical realms. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get 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!

Raiko, the demon hunter who has been staying at Misao's house, is determined to save her--even if that's the last thing she wants! Kyo won't allow a threat to Misao to go unchecked and plans to take care of the problem in his own special way. Misao, however, hopes that she can broker a peace between Raiko and Kyo before things get out of hand. But when Raiko's attempts to "free" Misao fail, he hatches a devious new plan that will use Misao's bond with Kyo to destroy him!

Feelings: 
Raiko leaves Kyo with a hard choice life or death. To live he must make Misao is bride. However, he has been worried about what will happen if he does this.

This volume was fun we got to see Kyo when he was weak. I think I prefer him needing help. Looking forward to continuing the series.

Review: Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

Genre: Young adult fantasy
Series: Starbound #3
Pages: 425
Copyright: 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.

Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.

Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.

When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.

Feelings:
This was the last novel in the trilogy that begin with this These Broken Stars. In this novel all the characters from the previous two come together as well as two new characters. It is from the new characters point of view.

The characters are what make the story interesting to me. Lilac and Trevor are silently working behind the scenes to undo the evil Lilac's father has done. Chase and Fin are drawn in because of their history with the Whispers. Gideon and Sofia begin a relationship as we follow them but they are torn apart by lies. Moral tell the truth. As last book in the series it did a good job bringing everything together to create an ending that was satisfying.

I recommend the series to fantasy fans. It is a light read. I find that when two authors work together on a story it leaves me wondering about what was contributed by each person. I am sure every relationship like this towards differently based on the strengths and weaknesses of the off author's involved. This combination of authors work very well and the series was a strong one.

Review: Black Bird Volume 7 by Kanoko Sakurakouji

Genre: Shoujo 
Series: Volume 7 
Pages: 200 
Copyright: 2011 
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
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 magical realms. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get 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!

Misao knows her relationship with Kyo is dangerous, but she's used to being the one in peril! Will she be able to stand it when the tables are turned and Kyo is threatened? As leader of the tengu clan and boyfriend of the Senka Maiden, Kyo gets a lot of attention in the demon world, and very little of it is good. From the wrath of a reincarnated dragon to the hatred of a demon hunter, Misao must face the fact that she isn't the only one at risk in the relationship. But how can she just stand by while Kyo is threatened?!

Feelings: 
Kyo and Misao are struggling with their relationship. I enjoy the fantasy side of this manga, but the relationship between Kyo and Misao is beginning to seem a little childish to me. Kyo doesn't seem like he is that nice, he punishes Misao for what seem like inconsequential things to me.

It doesn't look like things are going to change, Raikoh's appearance in the story may end up causing Kyo and Misao to become a little more adult in their relationship. That's my hope anyway.

I'm going to keep reading the series to see what happens. I'm invested now.

Review: This Census-Taker by China Mieville

Genre: Fantasy
Series: No
Pages: 210
Copyright: 2016 
Publisher: Del Rey
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads

For readers of George Saunders, Kelly Link, and Karen Russell, This Census Taker is the poignant and uncanny new novella from award-winning and bestselling author China Miéville. After witnessing a profoundly traumatic event, a boy is left alone in a remote house on a hilltop with his increasingly deranged parent. When a stranger knocks on his door, the boy senses that his days of isolation are over—but by what authority does this man keep the meticulous records he carries? Is he the boy’s friend? His enemy? Or something altogether other?

Feelings:

The world in this novel is so close to our own but so different. This novella is startlingly simple, but there is also depth. I think the epigraph in this novel sets the tone for the book perfectly. The main character does not live " for but against." He struggles not only to understand simple things and we get to know him as a child, but from the adult perspective.

Like the other novel I read by China Meville this novel uses a sightly odd writing style. I think that adds to the story. It also adds a bit of distance between the narrator now and the narrator in the past.

A boy ran down a hill path screaming. The boy was I. He held his hands up and out in front of him as if he'd dipped them in paint and was coming to make a picture, to press them down to paper, but all there was on him was dirt. There was no blood on his palms. p.3

The third person style turns very quickly to first person. I liked this transition and the way we had distance from the narrator for the first two paragraph but "I" is interspersed so that when the third paragraph is fully in first person it does not come as a surprise.

People in the town saw that cloud long before I arrived, Samma would later tell me. p.3

The book gives lots of hints about what happens, but the adult narrator stays out of the child's story and we are allowed to come to our own conclusions about what happens in the story. I liked that the author gave the reader the opportunity to put together the hints. That made the novel a lot more satisfying for me.

While I loved this novel and will be adding it to my collection of kept books, which I try to keep relatively small, I was left wondering if I had missed something. There were many questions I felt weren't answered. That is why this book has a four bird rating instead of a 5 bird rating. I have read other books by China Mieville, and I also enjoyed them. I will be searching out more by this author. I highly recommend this novella to anyone who enjoys fiction with a slight alteration of the setting so that it almost feels like fantasy.