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kwichris's reviews
126 reviews
Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen: A Novel by Sarah James
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I picked this up on a whim as I had happened to watch the movie The Hollywood Canteen last year on TCM. The concept of this book is intriguing, but the execution is a little haphazard. Not to say portions werent enjoyable; taking a look at this time period from a different lense besides war was refreshing. People forget that yes a war was being waged, but industries and communities went on with daily activities outside of the war zones. The reason for the murder takes a while to come to fruition (but readers will probably guess it a chapter before Annie does), but it's a very relevant issue to have as the center piece. (Taking credit for someone else's work) For the time period, the sexism and homophobia make sense, but sometimes it's almost just beat to death a little much. It took a while to get going, but about halfway through I kinda got into the groove of the book more, so it's not a bad read to pick up if you're looking for something different.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content and Stalking
Spy x Family, Vol. 4 by Tatsuya Endo
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Love the new dog character Bond, he'll be a fun addition to the Forger family. He might even balance out Anya's antics, so that's a relief. Anya has got to find better methods to both use her power and stop looking like a fool to her guardians, who have the patience of saints. Enjoyed the plot of this volume, Loid & Yor as usual were great, and the world building continues to be good. Now, we've got too many secrets and mysteries going, that I hope are all eventually addressed. Also Anya, for the love of education, will your grades ever improve? School can be a challenge but it's not THAT hard! It's harder to outright flunk than it is to just get average grades.... I'm really hoping there's a turnaround for her within the next two volumes....
Spy x Family, Vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
After three volumes, it's safe to say that I indeed enjoy the antics of Loid & Yor more than Anya. I know she's a child, but sometimes I wanna smack her for just not grasping the concept of learning. She just seems like the character that won't ever actually progress past her "I don't wanna study" era. The side characters continue to build out this world well, the side stories are quite fun, and I do enjoy the "power set" of our three main leads. Off to go read the next volume!
Spy x Family, Vol. 2 by Tatsuya Endo
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This series continues to be a fun read, expanding the world and characters with each new "mission." I kinda have gotten sick of the Manga trope of women having to stick to traditional roles or rather people always complaining about the characters not confirming... But I still enjoy the antics and internal dialogue for the characters. I will say overall I think I enjoy Loid & Yor moreso than Anya, hopefully some of her childish antics don't overshadow the good humor between the adults.
Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I checked this out after watching the recent movie on a whim while at the theater and finding the premise interesting. This is definitely a strong start for a series with a unique set up, well defined main characters, and a world that is slowly being built as the story continues to keep readers intrigued and wanting more. Speaking of which, I can't wait to check out the next volume!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, War, and Classism
Minor: Abandonment
Silver Spoon, Vol. 2 by Hiromu Arakawa
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Since I enjoyed the first volume, I was excited that the library had volume 2. While some of the stories seem a tad more disjointed here than in the first volume, overall the character development continues to shine and the emotional range is expanded. The artwork is of course gorgeous too. I'm not sure where to get the next volume, but I'm still intrigued by this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Blood
Minor: Fatphobia
Star Trek: Countdown by Roberto Orci
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As a long-time Star Trek fan that's seen every series, every episode, it was so fun to revisit the origins of the Kelvin universe and learn more about Nero, Ambassador Spock, and the events that led to the 2000s reboot movies. Well thought out and illustrated, had a great time reading this lore entry!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide and War
Silver Spoon, Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found this at the library and decided to pick it up on a whim. For the first entry in this series, it was a very emotional, funny, and educational read. The writer actually took the time to research and bring in as much practical knowledge as possible to make this agricultural school believable. The characters are built up slowly, but in a way that is believable to the reader and to how an outsider would likely react in a group of people more attuned to each other. If I can find the other volumes, I look forward to reading more about Hachiken and his journey of discovering what he truly wants and how this new world will shape him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Excrement
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexism, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent
Teen Titans: Robin by Kami Garcia
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I'm so glad that each installment of this series gets consistently better. The flow of story is more organic, the interactions between characters are meaningful, new and old characters alike get time to shine, difficult topics of found family/adoption/personal trauma are all dealt with in relatable ways, and the artwork continues to be stellar. I can't wait for the next installment, but I definitely will say in order of which characters I like most, it would be Beast Boy (Gar), Raven, Maxine (Max), with Damian/D Grayson tying for last. I would also like to mention Natalia (Max/Ravens mom) is also wonderful! All around, great characters, can't wait to see Starfire in the next issue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Physical abuse, Torture, and Car accident
Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven by Kami Garcia
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Wow, this installment really brought it all! Suspense, romance, character development galore... This is how you build on what you've already established as a base for your main characters. I love the introduction of Robin here in a way that seems very organic, Max really gets a time to shine again (her character is so interesting), and, of course, there's our main duo (plus Kong of course). THIS is how you bring Beast Boy and Raven together in an organic way built on mutual trust, experience, and concern for each other. Kudos to this story for not shying away from the emotional aspects of the character's stories and dealing with difficult topics like kidnapping and torture (familiar areas in comics of course). Can't wait to see what happens next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Torture, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail