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!

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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

Review: Something from the Nightside (Simon R. Green)

Title: Something from the Nightside
Series: Nightside, Book 1
Author: Simon R. Green
Publisher: Ace Books
US Release Date: May 27, 2003
Genre: Adult Hardboiled Urban Fantasy Horror
Content Rating: Adult (horror elements, strong violence, gore)
Format Read: Mass Market Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:

John Taylor is not a private detective per se, but he has a knack for finding lost things. That's why he's been hired to descend into the Nightside, an otherworldly realm in the center of London where fantasy and reality share renting space and the sun never shines.

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Series: This is the first in the 12-book Nightside series. All books, along with a short story compilation, are currently available for purchase.

Something from the Nightside is a darkly imaginative but heavily commentative adventure that covers a lot of genres - from urban/contemporary fantasy with both supernatural and paranormal elements, to hardboiled and noir mystery, as well as monster and survival horror. It has a little something for anyone who enjoys a quick story set in the sinister shadows, where few actually tread but many a mind loves to wander. I'm not sure how I discovered the Nightside over a decade ago, but it has been a favorite since and I've read almost all of the 12 novels in the finished series. They aren't perfect - far from it - but Green's world of unique characters and sinful delights is a guilty pleasure.

John Taylor is a classic hardboiled detective, albeit one with psychic powers and a mysterious past (even to him). He has loose morals but strong convictions, always finds himself walking into interesting situations, and has delightfully dangerous acquaintances. Having grown up in the Nightside, he knows its many hazards and secrets all too well, allowing him to unfortunately think and speak about it and its colorful regulars at length. Prone, both mentally and physically, to long-winded monologues about the places and people he encounters, John spends most of the book ruminating on the Nightside, and can take several pages at a time to describe his many, many thoughts and opinions about a single person or place out loud to his tag-along client. It's so unrealistic as to be comical, but commentary aside I found this second read to be better written than I'd originally remembered, and my opinion of the book has grown a little.

The mystery element of the story, however, did not grow better with age. It takes a backseat to the Nightside tour and was little more than a glorified treasure hunt, each stop only leading to the next stop of the mystery as a passing thought with no clues as to what they'll find at the end. The tour makes the book, but the clueless mystery was disappointing, especially when it ended with an unexpected horror climax.

But you don't read this book for the mystery - you read it for the Nightside. Green lets his imagination run wild and presents a dark world of deliciously disquieting offerings and residents. The darkness isn't overly disturbing, though - the brief descriptions only hint at the horrors inhabited within, most things mentioned offhand or in passing as tantalizing tidbits for the reader's imagination instead of painting the entire debauched and grotesque picture. Yes the violence and horror can get slightly unsettling at times, but for the most part Green's depiction of the debased world is a tame one with vague explanations and little language that is greatly appreciated by those of us with somewhat delicate sensibilities.

Conclusion: If you enjoy urban fantasies, detective stories, and/or soft horror set in dark and wild locations with dangerous characters, then I highly recommend you give the Something from the Nightside a try. I look forward to re-reading more in the series soon!

Scribble Rating: 

3.5 of 5 Scribbles

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Love, Lies and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings by Lydia Sherrer
Made to Kill by Adam Christopher 

Review: Shadow and Bone (Leigh Bardugo)

Title: Shadow and Bone
Series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy (or Grisha Trilogy), Book 1
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Dark Fantasy
Told: First Person (Alina), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (violence, sensuality, animal hunting and death)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

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Series: This is the first book in The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, also known as the Grisha Trilogy, and the first series in the Grishaverse.

I originally read this when it released in 2012 and recall really enjoying it, but although I collected the original paperbacks I never got around to continuing the series (not uncommon with me). When I recently felt the need for a fantasy read I decided it was time to finally finish this now classic series, but to my disappointment that ambition is not meant to be.

Shadow and Bone began strong with eloquent writing, an exotic setting, and interesting magic, and I was thoroughly engaged by Alina's rise from ordinary orphan to powerful savior. But although her journey was relatable, it quickly became clear that she was too simple for such an epic story, her naivete and lack of ambition holding the story back from exploring its full potential.

And then came the trek. As soon as Alina started running the story took a long, dull turn, the eloquent writing I had originally enjoyed becoming paragraph after paragraph of unending flora and fauna and walking and eating and sleeping with little active distraction. Even Mal's addition did little to perk it up, and I had to read in short bursts since my mind tended to wander after too long. Finally the Darkling returned and revived some of the tension, but by then I'd lost almost all interest in the story's outcome and counted the pages until the end.

The climax was brief and, despite a lot of action, sadly anticlimactic as Alina's cowardly running continued with no sign of stopping when she hit the second book. After perusing reviews of the rest of the trilogy I've decided I have little interest in continuing what sounds like more of the same and will sadly not be reading Alina's story any further.

Conclusion: Although originally a favorite back in 2012, it seems my tastes have evolved over the years on a diet of much better reads as this time I had to force myself to finish. While it started strong with an engaging setting, writing, and magic, Alina was too simple for the epic story and once she started running she and the story lost all luster. If you enjoy your dark fantasies epic and don't mind your main characters on the cowardly side then you might want to give Shadow and Bone a try.

For Fans Of: Kingdom on Fire Series by Jessica Cluess (review links below)

Scribble Rating: 

2.5 of 5 Scribbles

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

A Shadow Bright & Burning by Jessica Cluess

A Poison Dark & Drowning by Jessica Cluess

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

Blog Tour Review: A Poison Dark & Drowning (Jessica Cluess) + Giveaway

Welcome to the first stop on the blog tour for A Poison Dark and Drowning, the second book in the Kingdom on Fire series by Jessica Cluess from Random House! I found the first book, A Shadow Bright and Burning, an engrossing and enchanting read (you can peruse my full review here), so I am excited to start off the tour for the second book! Check out my review of A Poison Dark and Drowning below, and enter to win a shiny finished copy at the end!

Title: A Poison Dark and Drowning
Series: Kingdom on Fire, Book 2
Author: Jessica Cluess
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: September 19, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Alternate Historical Horror Fantasy
Told: First Person (Henrietta), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (scary situations, some gore, magical battles, some sensuality)
Format Read: ARC (publisher)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

The magicians want her to lead.
The sorcerers want her to lie.
The demons want her blood.
Henrietta wants to save the one she loves.
But will his dark magic be her undoing?

In this seductive and explosive second book in the Kingdom on Fire series, Jessica Cluess delivers her signature mix of magic, passion, and teen warriors fighting for survival. Hand to fans of Victoria Aveyard, Sarah J. Maas, and Kiersten White.

Henrietta doesn't need a prophecy to know that she's in danger. She came to London to be named the chosen one, the first female sorcerer in centuries, the one who would defeat the Ancients. Instead, she discovered a city ruled by secrets. And the biggest secret of all: Henrietta is not the chosen one.

Still, she must play the role in order to keep herself and Rook, her best friend and childhood love, safe. But can she truly save him? The poison in Rook's system is transforming him into something monstrous as he begins to master dark powers of his own. So when Henrietta finds a clue to the Ancients' past that could turn the tide of the war, she persuades Blackwood, the mysterious Earl of Sorrow-Fell, to travel up the coast to seek out strange new weapons. And Magnus, the brave, reckless flirt who wants to win back her favor, is assigned to their mission. Together, they will face monsters, meet powerful new allies, and uncover the most devastating weapon of all: the truth.

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

In a Sentence:  A solid and entertaining sequel with enchanting magic, vivid description, and dark twists.

Series Note: This is the second book in the Kingdom on Fire series. I re-read the first book, A Shadow Bright and Burning, right before reading this sequel. You can check out my review of the first book here.

After quite enjoying A Shadow Bright & Burning last year, I was eager to get my hands on the sequel and continue Henrietta's endeavors to control her powers and defeat the horrific Ancients that terrorize her alternate historical England. A Poison Dark & Drowning opens some two months after the end of the first book, with Henrietta settling into her secondary Sorcerer training and required duties. Determined to learn more about the otherworldly Ancients, her investigations soon lead her to a mysterious and magical house in search of weapons that could possibly turn the tide of the war. But as Henrietta and her companions struggle to wield the unnatural tools, information about the Ancients' origins as well as Henrietta's past and connection to them is uncovered, revealing dark and painful truths that may destroy them all.

This was a solid middle book with vivid description and a good pace. The first few chapters were a little quiet as we delved more into the Sorcerers' world, but things quickly picked up as the team began to reassemble and travel and soon there was plenty of action and tension and mystery to engross me. As with the first book a lot of the twists were generally predictable, but a few did take me by surprise, especially one complete shock near the climax whose fallout I enjoyed right to the end. The action finished a little too early for me leaving the last few chapters a bit sedate, but they wove a disquieting hopefulness for the final book that has me looking forward to the series end with a little dread but great interest. While I still hold to a few small unresolved predictions, given the surprising dark turns of the first two books I'm excited to say I really don't know what to expect with the third.

Henrietta continued to be the powerful but floundering girl of the first book, inexperienced and unsure how to proceed but desperate to do something to save those she cared about. Her fumbled failures - and even successes - tended to mire everyone deeper into trouble and tragedy, but for the most part her heart was in the right place and her fierce loyalty to Rook was commendable. The unfortunate first-book love triangle grew into an uncomfortable second-book square as a new and possessive prospect threw his hat into Henrietta's ring. Due to an unsettling personality turn, and my still firmly held predictions about him, I didn't like his addition even more than Marcus, so all his romantic overtures were rather hard for me to read. I also didn't like Henrietta's reaction to his advances (or to Marcus's before) as every time a boy shows her a hint of affection our strong heroine goes weak in the knees and questions her feelings for the one she really loves. I guess it could be considered realistic given her childhood insecurities and the mountain of pressure she's under, but I felt sorry for Rook being in love with an unassured girl like Henrietta. Still, despite serious spoilers, I will continue to root for Henrook (Rooketta?) to the series end.

Conclusion: A solid second book with good tension, interesting magic, and a few surprising plot twists, even if other twists were predictable and I had problems with the romance. Not much is currently predictable about the final book, so I will be going into it with definite excitement!

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

Jessica Cluess is a writer, a graduate of Northwestern University, and an unapologetic nerd. After college, she moved to Los Angeles, where she served coffee to the rich and famous while working on her first novel. When she’s not writing books, she’s an instructor at Writopia Lab, helping kids and teens tell their own stories.

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Review: A Shadow Bright & Burning (Jessica Cluess)

Title: A Shadow Bright & Burning
Series: Kingdom on Fire, Book 1
Author: Jessica Cluess
Publisher: Random House BYR
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Alternate Historical Horror Fantasy
Told: First Person (Henrietta), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (scary images, minor horror/gore, fantasy fighting, sensuality)
Format Read: ARC (publisher)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

I am Henrietta Howel.
The first female sorcerer in hundreds of years.
The prophesied one.
Or am I?

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames.
Forced to reveal her power to save a friend, she's shocked when instead of being executed, she's invited to train as one of Her Majesty's royal sorcerers.

Thrust into the glamour of Victorian London, Henrietta is declared the chosen one, the girl who will defeat the Ancients, bloodthirsty demons terrorizing humanity. She also meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, handsome young men eager to test her power and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her.

But Henrietta Howel is not the chosen one.
As she plays a dangerous game of deception, she discovers that the sorcerers have their own secrets to protect. With battle looming, what does it mean to not be the one? And how much will she risk to save the city—and the one she loves?

Exhilarating and gripping, Jessica Cluess's spellbinding fantasy introduces a powerful, unforgettably heroine, and a world filled with magic, romance, and betrayal. Hand to fans of Libba Bray, Sarah J. Maas, and Cassandra Clare.

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

In a Sentence: An engrossing yet frustrating yet enchanting alternate historical horror fantasy with vivid characters and engaging prose.

It's rather fascinating how humans have the emotional capability to be engrossed in a book and yet at the same time frustrated with it as well. That was my constant state for most of A Shadow Bright & Burning - reluctant to put it down, but always upset about one thing or another. Usually it was main character Henrietta, a moderately clever girl in the beginning but flippant about serious matters and later so distractedly concerned with the opinions of others that she came to rely too heavily on them and rarely seemed to think for herself. Occasionally it was the setting, a mishmash of history and fantasy and gothic romance with an odd dash of the Fae thrown in (for reasons never explained) that I never really wrapped my mind around until the very end. And then there was the action, too short and choppy and rather nonchalant to excite me or make any kind of impact despite the thrilling things happening.

But in spite my frustrations, this was one of the best books I read in 2016. It started strong on the very first page, delivering an engrossing story with enchanting magic and chilling monsters I had not expected but nevertheless found sensational. While Henrietta was generally more frustrating than not, she was a vivid character with an entertaining journey full of unexpected twists and animated secondary characters that really made the story shine. And although the action fell disappointingly flat, the rest of the writing was expressive and engaging and brought the enigmatic world to life.

I didn't quite agree with how the book concluded (despite its logic, I guess), but by the end I realized just how fully developed the formerly frustrating world had become and how invested I now was in the story and its players. It took the full 400 and change pages but everyone and everything had grown on me, and I am now very excited to continue following Henrietta and her story in A Poison Dark & Drowning!

Conclusion: While frustrating at times, this was an engrossing story of magic and monsters that was one of my favorite reads of 2016. I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys alternate historical horror fantasy, and look forward to the next book with great anticipation!

Re-read?: Definitely

Scribble Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Scribbles