Manga Review: Frau Faust Series (Kore Yamazaki)

Series Title: Frau Faust
Author: Kore Yamazaki
Volumes Reviewed: 5 (complete)
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
US Release Date: September 2017 - November 2018
Genre: Alternate Historical Fantasy
Content Rating: Older Teen (strong violence, human experimentation, child possession, murder, a few words of language)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Indiebound | B&N | Azon | BookDepo | RightStuf
Summary (of Volume 1):

From the creator of The Ancient Magus' Bride comes a supernatural action manga in the vein of Fullmetal Alchemist! With electrifying art and a gripping story, Frau Faust reimagines the protagonist of the classic tale who makes a deal with the devil as a tenacious female scholar.

More than a century after an eccentric scholar made an infamous deal with a devil, the story of Faust has passed into legend. However, the true Faust is not the stuffy, professorial man known in fairy tales, but a charismatic, bespectacled woman named Johanna Faust, who happens to still be alive. Searching for pieces of her long-lost demon, Johanna passes through a provincial town, where she saves a young boy named Marion from a criminal’s fate. In exchange, she asks a simple favor of Marion, but Marion soon finds himself intrigued by the peculiar Doctor Faust and joins her on her journey. Thus begins the strange and wonderful adventures of Frau Faust!

*          *          *

Series: This is a five-volume manga series, all released and available.

Frau Faust is a brief but entertaining five-volume series about following your heart and doing things your own way with the time you have. Set in an alternate historical world of alchemy and religion that we barely scratch the surface of, it tells the story of the immortal Faust as she hunts for the hidden pieces of her formerly contracted demon, Mephisto, in an attempt to finally achieve death after over a century. Along the way she makes new friends, reconnects with old ones, reminisces past accomplishments and failures, weaves a little magic, and loses a bit more of herself in every violent confrontation with those who would try to capture or kill her. There's a lot of pain, and as typically happens when dealing with demons things can get pretty creepy at times, but despite a more melancholy finish there's a little humor and a lot of hope for all concerned by the end. Although the artwork is not afraid to be occasionally grotesque with unusual creatures and violence that doesn't shy away from blood and gore, it's generally rather simple and handsome with backdrop settings and expressive, emotionally-charged characters.

Bonus Stories: Volume 1 boasts the bonus short story, The Invisible Museum. Not only does it offer a fascinating location in the mysterious museum of invisible exhibits along with a fun cat-and-mouse chase story, but the intriguing theme of desiring to disappear proved both a dark and hopeful one. And the butterfly really was quite beautiful. 4.5 Scribbles.

Conclusion: A short but engaging alternate historical fantasy with lots of thrills, chills, and onion-layered characters. Especially recommend if you already enjoy Yamazaki's other series, The Ancient Magus' Bride.

Scribble Rating: 

3.5 of 5 Scribbles

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

Nightschool: The Weirn Books by Svetlana Chmakova

Pandora Hearts by Jun Mochizuki

Time Killers by Kazue Kato

Paragraph Review: Ink and Bone (Rachel Caine)

Title: Ink and Bone
Series: The Great Library, Book 1
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: New American Library (NAL)
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Alternate Fantasy
Told: Third Person (Jess), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (violence, death, war, intense situations, kissing)
Format Read: ARC (trade)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn…

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Ink and Bone was one of those books I really enjoyed but can't put my finger on exactly why. It was just a really good read as a whole: an engaging voice, a strong cast of characters I (mostly) kept straight, vivid settings and description, and an intriguing alternate history and story. If there was one thing that did stand out for me though, it was a lack of foreshadowing. I had little idea what would happen next at any given moment, but I enjoyed it that way as I shared in Jess's surprise, shock, and anguish. It wasn't a light story with its smugglers and book burners and countries at war, but I wouldn't call it a heavy story either. It had the comfortable weight of Harry Potter, an elite society with a full history and world power, and the boy who joins its ranks and discovers the light but also very dark sides of it. The book ended on a complete arc with no cliffhanger, although there is definitely more to Jess's story. Like what came before I have almost no idea what to expect from the next book or the rest of the five-book series, and very much look forward to finding out what happens to Jess and the Great Library in Book 2, Paper and Fire.

Series: There are 5 books in The Great Library series. As of this review, 4 are currently available, with the 5th and last releasing September 3, 2019. You can check out the entire series, along with a few short stories, on Goodreads here.

Scribble Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Scribbles

Manga Review: Pandora Hearts Series (Jun Mochizuki)

Title: Pandora Hearts
Author: Jun Mochizuki
Volumes Reviewed: 1-24 (complete)
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: December 15, 2009 - March 22, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Horror Fantasy
Content Rating: Older Teen (heavy violence and disturbing images, monster violence, some child abuse and neglect, mental instability, murder, some minor language)
Format Read: Paperback (own)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary (for Volume 1):

The air of celebration surrounding fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius' coming-of-age ceremony quickly turns to horror when he is condemned for a sin about which he knows nothing. Thrown into the Abyss - an eternal prison from which there is no escape - Oz meets a young girl named Alice who is not what she seems. Now that the relentless cogs of fate have begun to turn, will they lead only to crushing despair for Oz, or will Alice provide him with some shred of hope?

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Pandora Hearts is an extremely convoluted series with a multi-layered plot and extensive cast that hurt my brain more often than not. The paranormal fantasy story was an interesting one with many heart-stealing characters (darn you, Break *sniffles*) and intriguing twists, but with every volume the plot complicated more and more until I was less interested in the reveals and more in just finishing the series and being done with it. Despite my story frustration I really enjoyed following the character progression for most of the cast, especially my favorites - Break, Gil, Echo (although her climax still doesn't fully make sense to me) - but prepare your feels because with a violent and tragic story such as this one no one emerges unscathed, and many don't emerge alive.

Ultimately Pandora Hearts is a story of self-acceptance, grief, and forgiveness of yourself, your past, and the selfish and misguided actions of others. With seriously creepy monsters and several mentally unbalanced characters running about a twisted Alice-themed nightmare setting, it's a chilling tale of the darkness within us all, but ultimately ends in redemption. It's definitely not a read for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy epic, convoluted alternate dark/ horror fantasy stories then I recommend a Pandora Hearts binge.

Scribble Rating: 

3 of 5 Scribbles

Review: Daughter of the Pirate King (Tricia Levenseller)

Title: Daughter of the Pirate King
Series: Daughter of the Pirate King, Book 1
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Adventure
Told: First Person (Alosa), Present Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (violence, killing, abuse, minor torture, sensuality, innuendo and sexual implications - see Content Note below)
Format Read: ARC (BookHype)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

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In a Sentence: A quick and thoroughly entertaining pirate adventure with an easy writing style and truly kick-ass female protagonist.

Confession: Unless there's a lot of comedy involved (a la Pirates of the Caribbean), I'm generally not much for pirates. So although I'd heard good things about Daughter of the Pirate King, going in my expectations were low. To my surprise I discovered an exciting and engaging adventure with the truly kick-ass female protagonist so many other books have promised but few have actually delivered.

While Alosa's tendency to turn all the horrific things that happened to her into "teaching moments" wasn't exactly the healthiest, she was a genuine pirate princess and embraced it, her strength and surety and fearlessness a beautiful thing to behold. Her power was also different and interesting and added a nice twist to her character and personality. Cute and tortured Riden was an excellent foil and love interest, and his banter with Alosa was naturally a highlight. Their "relationship" was an intriguing one as Alosa's character, so detached after her violent upbringing, doesn't even seem to recognize or understand the concept of love, and I look forward to watching her discover it - with Riden's help - over the rest of the series.

Despite the murder and marauding that always accompanies pirates, the story's easy, breezy writing style made for a light and effortless read. The plot was simple with only one or two twists, which I found very refreshing - so many book plots nowadays try to outdo themselves twist-wise and end up a messy knotted ball for all their threads, and as I can typically predict most of them it's grown rather tiresome. With just Alosa's ruse and her search and little else to Pirate King's plot I could relax and enjoy the quick adventure without suspiciously second-guessing every little thing. I will say the last 30% or so had some flaws, but for the most part it was an engaging story with a satisfying ending.

Content Note: I typically avoid pirates because of the filth and debauchery that accompanies them, but told in an easy writing style from the viewpoint of a detached and fearless female I felt the dingier bits of pirate life and rateable content (see Content Rating above) were very tastefully handled and for the most part blessedly skimmed over.

Conclusion: An easy and entertaining adventure with an uncomplicated plot, fantastically fearless female protagonist, and tastefully handled piracy. I wasn't even 20% through when I found myself wishing I already had the sequel to read next, and now look forward to Alosa's next adventure, Daughter of the Siren Queen, with great anticipation!

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

Review: The Crown's Game (Evelyn Skye)

Title: The Crown's Game
Series: The Crown's Game duology, Book 1
Author: Evelyn Skye
Publisher: Balzer & Bray (HarperCollins)
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Alternate Fantasy
Told: Third Person Omniscient, Past Tense
Content Rating: Teen (some violence and minor sensuality)
Format Read: ARC (trade)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip-smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love…or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear—the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

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In a Sentence: An amazing alternate historical fantasy with a rich world, solid writing, vivid characters, awesome magic, and an engrossing story (despite an unfortunate love triangle).

Confession: I didn't expect to like this book. More often than not I dislike much-loved bestsellers with very few exceptions, and while Crown Game's magic, setting and concept sounded intriguing, the summary spoke too much of the romance - a negative trait for me. But while the romance did end up proving the weakness I'd expected, it did not play as large a part as I'd feared, leaving the rest of the book to completely dazzle me.

Contrary to the summary, there were three main characters. The two enchanters, who were very interesting and unconventional contrasts to each other, almost swapping gender roles as Vika was a strong, powerful, wild female to Nikolai's crafty, scholarly dandy male. But then there was also Pasha: heir to the throne and third in their unfortunate love triangle, he was an adventurous and inquisitive boy who would rather be free but is forced to do his duty for his country. Together they, along with the rest of the cast, made an engaging group to follow as the omniscient point of view focused not only on the main characters but over half a dozen others. Despite so many points of view though, for the most part I had little difficulty keeping everyone straight - the characters were all very unique and different from each other, including their names, so it was pretty easy to tell them apart despite the chapters being unmarked and occasionally following more than one person.

The setting was just the right balance of foreign and familiar woven through with secret enchantments. The Russian culture and history were never heavy or confusing, with just enough to be fascinating and exotic. The description was perfectly done, not too much and not too little; very vivid and easy to picture. The pacing was slower in the beginning so the reader could enjoy discovering the world and characters, became a bit choppy in the middle to move the game along, then slowed again at the end to savor the struggle as new twists came to light and the game concluded. The end itself was a bit abrupt for me, but simply because I wanted more and there wasn't any.

From the description I expected an actual fight-to-the-death duel, but it turned out to be more of a tournament, each taking turns to one-up the other in magical feats (although they did occasionally try to eliminate the other while they were at it). Despite less violence it made for a very engaging cat-and-cat interaction, especially as the story started offering just the magical feats and little of the preparation, so the reader became more spectator than confidante. This was occasionally a little disappointing but ultimately rather dazzling as the surprise and imagination of the magic blew me away. As the characters grew closer and the end of the game nearer things became more tense as loyalties severed and evolved, and with the revelation of a few twists I did not see coming the result was an exciting and uncertain one. Needless to say upon turning the last page and discovering no more I wished I'd had the sequel on hand for immediate consumption.

The romance was the book's only real weakness for me. The main characters' relationships formed a relatively complicated diagram involving several contradicting arrows and a definite love triangle (or possibly even love square). It wasn't hard to follow though, and while my very first actual "ship" didn't quite sail (*sigh*) I'm not averse to how things concluded and will be interested to see how it all ends up in the final book.

Conclusion: A solidly enjoyable, enchanting and engrossing read with vivid characters, dazzling magic, and a fantastic world. I did have some small issues with the love triangle and omniscient point of view, but by the end I was leaning more towards 5 than 4 Scribbles, especially after the climatic twists I did not see coming. Can't wait to lay eyes on the sequel!

For Fans Of: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Scribble Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Scribbles

Review: Caraval (Stephanie Garber)

Title: Caraval
Series: Caraval, Book 1
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Alternate Fantasy
Told: Third Person Limited (Scarlett), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (physical abuse by a parent, sensuality, violence, murder, suicide)
Format Read: ARC (publisher)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

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Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review. Thank you, Flatiron!

In a Sentence: An alternate fantasy with a familiar and interesting world and game but contradictory telling versus showing, a frustrating main character, and a weak sibling bond.

Caraval was one of those books that I really wanted to like, thought I might like, but wasn't too surprised when I didn't.

Writing & Characters: At over 400 pages, Caraval not only was but felt like a really long read with too much uninteresting description and Scarlett overthinking everything. There was also way too much insistent telling that was contradicted by what was actually shown, especially concerning the promised “unbreakable bond between two sisters” the story said it had but I never really saw. 

Scarlett constantly underestimated and discounted her smarter and stronger younger sister, always assured that she was incapable of taking care of herself or making good decisions and had to be rescued. Not that Tella was always foremost in Scarlett's mind, though. While she was supposed to be focused on finding Tella, Scarlett was constantly distracted by thoughts of her upcoming nuptials, which she swore was about saving them both but was really just about her. And that would've been okay - marrying someone is a big deal, and essentially all about you (well, and the person you're marrying). But the fact that she kept trying to convince herself it was about her and Tella when it really wasn't rubbed me wrong. And Tella was the same way. She said she cared about Scarlett more than anything, that she felt responsible for making sure her sister was happy. But her personality was predominantly selfish and adventurous, and I never really bought any actions contradictory to that. Together, no matter how hard I looked, I just didn't see the strong sisterly bond the book insisted it possessed - two sisters does not an unbreakable bond make.

Romantic Relationships: There were two romantic interests for Scarlett: her unseen fiance, and her mysterious Caraval partner. The outcome of the fiance was no surprise and I'm glad it wasn't, although I was secretly hoping for more of a shock for who it turned out to be. The partner was a heavy case of instalust that did not sit well with me as they were so unbearably physically drawn to each other despite no other attraction and in fact a bit of revulsion and indifference otherwise. Overall both "relationships" disappointed and disturbed me in different ways, but thankfully both ended realistically, which I appreciated.

Story: Despite a promising dark and twisted game concept, for the most part I found Caraval too confusing and way too coincidental. The clues were impossible for me to follow and it was always a surprise when Scarlett somehow found her way, which made it feel as if the game were conforming to her decisions instead of her actually solving anything. (Maybe it was? Hence my confusion.) Since every clue I thought I deciphered turned out to be false, I eventually gave up trying to guess and thereby lost most of my interest in the game itself.

This left only one element of the story to keep me reading: the mystery that was Scarlett's Caraval partner. It kept me interested despite a lot of frustration with Scarlett and an occasionally elevated level of character stupidity that made me put the book down and walk away a few times. But even that mystery eventually grew tiresome as the truth was revealed and then disproved and then revealed and then disproved again until I really couldn't care less who he was anymore and just wanted the mystery over with. The final answer, which wasn't revealed until the last chapter, was a little left field and rather disappointing compared to my guesses, but by then that was no surprise. After all the frustration and dashed promises, the story's end left me feeling a bit gypped but satisfied enough, I guess. I was happy with how one character turned out, but very "whatever" with the rest. 

Setting: The setting was the only aspect of the book that didn't disappoint. The dazzling but unnerving world reminded me of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland while the fun yet sinister game was reminiscent of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. There wasn't nearly enough of the world for me though, and what little teaser snippets there were always left me wanting more that would never come. 

Conclusion: Although I did enjoy the classically reminiscent world and game, there was way too much uninteresting description, Scarlett was too distracted and overthought everything to the point of frustration, and I never truly felt the sisterly bond. While the mysterious partner was intriguing, after way too many switchbacks I lost interest before the final conclusion, and while the end was for the most part satisfying it left me feeling a bit cheated.

Will I read the next book?: I actually wasn't expecting this to be a series, so despite my problems with Caraval the epilogue did intrigue me. However, while I am a little tempted to read the sequel since it will focus on what was, in this book, a stronger and smarter character, the foreshadowed plot has all the hallmarks of more of the same stupidity-inducing antics that frustrated me in this book and I’m not sure if the world and game are dazzling enough for me to put up with it a second time.

For Fans Of: A.G. Howard's Splintered Series

Scribble Rating: 

2 of 5 Scribbles