Mini Review: Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose

Title: Alice in the Country of Hearts, Vol. 1
Series: Alice in the Country of Hearts #1-2
Author: QuinRose
Illustrator: Soumei Hoshino
Format: Paperback, 367 pages
Pub. Date: June 26th 2012
Source: Half Price Books


Book Description:

Tell the truth. Or face the consequences.

Kidnapped by a handsome man with rabbit ears, Alice Liddell finds herself abandoned in an odd place called Wonderland and thrust into a "game," the rules of which she has yet to learn. Alice, ever the plucky tomboy, sets off to explore and get the lay of this strange land, intent on finding her rude kidnapper and giving him a piece of her mind (and her fist). But little does she know that she's wandered right into the middle of a dangerous power struggle involving just about all of Wonderland's attractive, weapon-happy denizens. And the only way for Alice to return home is to get acquainted with the lot of them?! How in the world will she manage that and still manage to stay alive?!

Review:

★★★★

I love Alice in Wonderland, in all of its forms. If there's a retelling, a story inspired by Alice, or anything of that sort, I'm going to read it. In this case, it was the manga inspired version.

It was a really cute, fast read. The characters are all very charming. I really liked the twists on the characters we all know and love.

The illustrations were very pretty and complimented the writing well. One of my normal issues with manga/graphic novels is that I tend to find that you don't get a whole lot of story. That wasn't the case for Alice in the Country of Hearts. I thought it had a good, well paced plot that was mirrored by these illustrations.

Alice was likable and spirited, and held her own despite being in such a confusing place. There's a lot more romance in this version than the original, and an interesting twist of what those in Wonderland's heart is really made of and what makes them tick.

I look forward to reading the other episodes of this series and seeing where else it goes from here.

Mini Review: Twilight: The Graphic Novel by Stephenie Meyer

Title: Twilight: The Graphic Novel
Series: Volume 1
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Illustrator: Young Kim
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
Pub. Date: March 16th 2010
Source: Goodwill


Book Description:

When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret...

Review:

★★★★

I was a pretty okay fan of the Twilight books. I didn't think they were the best books ever made, nor were they my introduction to vampires. I also didn't hate them as much as so many people seemed to. For me, they were pretty middle of the road. Enjoyable, but not something I need to read over and over again. I read the series, and I saw the films. And when I came across the graphic novel version, I picked that up too.

I wasn't at all disappointed. The artwork in this book is absolutely gorgeous. It's done in an Japanese/manga style of illustration that makes everything a little bit softer and more pleasant to look at.

Because the whole story is condensed, I actually kind of liked the characters better this way. Bella is less annoying and whiny. Edward is less creepy and stalker-y. It's paced better and still gets the same basic gist of the story and plot across.

It was a quick read that I enjoyed. If you were a fan of the original Twilight series, this is a good supplement to enjoy alongside it.

Mini Review: Grimms Manga by Kei Ishiyama

Title: Grimms Manga
Author: Keiko Ishiyama
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: January 9 2018
Source: Tokyo POP


Book Description:

In this classic manga version of the Brothers Grimm fairytales, Kei Ishiyama puts her own creative spin on these beloved stories.

Featuring Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, The Two Brothers, The Twelve Hunters, Snow White, The Frog King, Puss in Boots, and The Singing, Springing Lark, this fantasy manga retells these timeless tales... but with a twist of originality!

Review:

★★★★

This is a very cute collection of Grimm-inspired fairy tales done in a manga art style.

I really enjoyed these retellings. It's worth emphasizing that again: these are retellings. If you are looking for exact stories the way the brothers Grimm told them, you're going to be disappointed. These stories all have new twists and changes that succeed in representing what the original story was about, while making it new and unique. For example, some genders are swapped and some morals of the stories are changed.

I adored the artwork. It went well with the text, and showed the flow of the plot so that you could easily see the stories unfold in front of you. Personally, my favorite artwork was for Little Red Riding Hood- I think that the wolf character looks darling.

If you like both fairy tale retellings and manga, you're in luck. This is something you'll want to read. It's a pretty quick read and one I'd definitely look through again.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN Mini Review: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas by Jun Asuka!

Title: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Series: Disney Manga
Author: Jun Asuka
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: October 1st 2017
Source: Tokyo POP


Book Description:

Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King, the ruler of Halloween Town and master of all things creepy and spooky. But he's tired of his life in the shadows and longs for something new. When he accidentally stumbles upon Christmas Town, he decides this is the perfect chance to try his hand at a brand new holiday and is convinced he'll have the world yelling "Scary Christmas"! With the young patchwork doll Sally trying to dissuade him and the evil Oogie Boogie waiting in the wings to take over Halloween Town in Jack's absence, he'd better hurry if he wants to get his plan in place by December 25th! You've seen the movie, now read the manga for a new twist on an animated classic!

Review:

★★★★

Disney? Check. Halloween? Check. Manga? Check. Tim Burton? Checkity check.

There's absolutely nothing that I wouldn't like about this combination of things.

I think making a manga out of this film was a really smart idea. Tim Burton's vision and aesthetic translate really well into the style of manga. Plus, I feel like there's a huge overlap of fans of Tim Burton and fans of manga & anime- but that might just be speculation on my part.

I really like the artwork. I find that it's really well detailed, and gives you a lot to look at. It goes well with the original story, as well as the story being told in this book.

The story felt a bit off to me though. It seemed SUPER rushed. I wish it had slowed the pace a bit more, to give me a longer experience of this book.

I think this book is well done, and is good for fans of manga, Tim Burton, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Disney alike. It pays good homage, albeit with a few bumps in the road.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mini Review: The Petite Fairy's Diary by Jun Asuka

Title: Fairies: The Petite Fairy's Diary
Series: Disney Fairies
Author: Jun Asuka
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: December 2017
Source: Tokyo POP


Book Description:

Petite is the smallest fairy in all of Neverland. She’s even smaller than a bug! Petite’s small size makes her clumsier than all of the other fairies in Pixie Hollow. With the Moon Banquet coming soon, all of the fairies must present their talents to Queen Clarion, but Petite hasn’t found her talent yet! Can Petite find her talent before the Moon Banquet in just a few days?

Join the fairies of Pixie Hollow in another whimsical adventure!

Review:

★★★★

I love Disney, manga, and fairies, so the new Disney Fairies Manga series is definitely right up my alley. Though I wasn't crazy about Vidia and the Fairy Crown, I saw that this upcoming edition to the series had a different author/artist so I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did, as I liked this one better!

The characters are really cute, and so is the story. It's a feel-good type plot that goes to show that even if you're different, you're fine just the way you are, and in some ways, even better! I think that's a lesson that we all need to hear every once in a while.

I liked the artwork better as well. I found it more detailed, and it went very well with the words on the page.

I think this is a good book for pre-teens/kids who are just starting to get into graphic novels or manga, though if you're older than that you can still certainly enjoy this book.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mini Review: Vidia and the Fairy Crown by Haruhi Kato!

Title: Fairies: Vidia and the Fairy Crown
Author: Haruhi Kato
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: July 25th 2017
Source: Tokyo POP


Book Description:

When Queen Clarion's crown goes missing on the night of Pixie Hollow's biggest bas, all fingers point to one thief - the rude and standoff-ish fairy Vidia! To keep from being banished from Pixie Hollow forever, Vidia goes on an outrageous hunt for the crown that takes her from one end of Neverland to the other. Can she find the crown in time to save Vida's reputation.

Review:

★★★

I love Disney. Love love love love it. I'm a big fan of their novelizations and manga adaptations as well, so I was really happy to pick this one up. It's a pretty cute book.

The artwork isn't my favorite, but it's pretty cute.

The story is really simple and a bit lacking in my humble opinion, but I really liked the attention that was paid to the characters. You really got to know them and got a lot of information about them, and got to watch them change over the course of the story.

I think it'd be a good book for the pre-teen age, though it's certainly enjoyable beyond that. If you like Disney or Tinkerbell, or even just fairies, it may be worth checking out. Personally, I enjoyed it well enough but it's not something I'll likely re-read in the future.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Graphic Novel Review Roundup: Manga Edition

Title: One is Enough
Author: Love Robert
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: July 8th 2014
Source: Netgalley & Diamond Book Distributors
Buy Now: Amazon

★

One Star.

One is Enough is a quick-read graphic novel about sixteen year old Matsumoto-kun. When he runs into, literally, his senpai Mizushima-kun, he wants to make it up to him. Lines quickly become blurred and the boy must decide how far he's willing to go.

This review is going to be short and sweet. I picked up this book because I'm slowly getting into manga, and I like the idea of senpai-related relationships. Unfortunately, this one didn't meet my expectations. The artwork, well, it wasn't very good for a published graphic novel. It was bland, with a plot to match. I was expecting this taboo, steamy relationship but what I was left with was a boring, flat story that wasn't really anything new or interesting. I really wanted to like it, but this just didn't satisfy me on any level.



Title: Manga Classics: Les Miserables
Author: Stacy King, Tszmei Lee, Victor Hugo
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: August 12 2014
Source: Netgalley & Udon Entertainment
Buy Now: Amazon

★★★★

Four stars.

Les Miserables is a classic novel that has been adapted so many times into films, books, plays, and so much more. It's one of my favorite musicals and a stellar book. When I saw that it had been given the manga treatment, I absolutely could not resist picking it up, and I'm very glad I did.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how well Victor Hugo's 1000+ page masterpiece was condensed into a 300-something page graphic novel. I thought that, upon first picking up, that surely they'd have to take huge chunks of story out. Of course stuff is going to be missing, but I'm astounded that the full story, give or take, remained in this adaptation.

The artwork is well done (very similar to that found on the cover), and the writing is too. It was a fairly easy read, and if you've read the novel before, this makes a nice little complement/refresher. If you are a fan of this story and of graphic novels, this is a book you should pick up for sure. Or, if you're intimidated by the length of Hugo's book (I don't blame you), this is a good first stepping stone to familiarize yourself with the general plot and characters.



Title: Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice
Author: Stacy King, Po Tse, Jane Austen
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: August 12 2014
Source: Netgalley & Udon Entertainment

Buy Now: Amazon

★★★★

Four and a half stars.

I'm going to start this review off with a confession that might make me seem like a bad bibliophile: I'm not a big fan of Jane Austen. I know that they are classics. I know that they are bestsellers. I know that they have adoring fans. I just have never really loved any of them (although, to be fair, I've only ever read them as an assignment in school). However, when I saw the pretty cover of this manga edition, I decided to give it a shot. I'm very glad I did!

This adaptation gets all the major plot points across while keeping the bulk of the text rather simple and light. It made it easier to read and understand, without having to study intricacies. Plus, I absolutely loved the art. It wasn't super detailed, and yet it still managed to convey the sense of elegance and femininity that most readers associate with Austen's work. It was cute.

If you're an Austen fan, this version of a revered story is worth checking out. If you aren't her biggest fan, like me, I still recommend it: I think I may try to read the original text again to see if my views on it have improved at all.

Thank you to Netgalley & Diamond Book Distributors & Udon Entertainment who provided me with digital copies of these books in exchange for my honest reviews.

Death: At Death's Door by Jill Thompson

Title: Death: At Death's Door(Death of the Endless #3)
Author: Jill Thompson
Format: Paperback, 208 pages
Pub. Date: July 1st 2003
Source: Borrowed from Emily

★★★

Three stars.

Death is a sibling of the Endless, a family that is older than the gods themselves. When her brother stirs up trouble, Lucifer closes the gates to hell, and lets everyone go. Because Death is a familiar, the souls flock to her for guidance. Together with her two sisters, Delirium and Despair, she must stop the insanity and save the Underworld.

----

Meh. That's pretty much my unprofessional opinion on this book.

-I understand that this is simply a personal preference, but I am not a fan of using grayscale in graphic novels. It makes everything drab and it's hard for me to mentally fill in the color.

-To be honest, I found it hard to follow. Everything moved along really fast and there were too many names that started with D. I found skipping between panels to be almost random, and it didn't follow a cohesive string, in my opinion.

+ I like the concept of Death being a goth girl. It's a cool twist, and I really liked the way that she was drawn.

-This felt like a fan fiction to me, not an official manga published by DC comics. It just felt like this was done unprofessionally, and to me, that is not a very good thing.

This was my first attempt at manga. I'll give it another shot, but not from Jill Thompson. If you like The Sandman by Neil Gaiman and manga, maybe this is up your alley. If you're just starting out with this medium, I recommend getting something else first.