fantasy

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Lenni Reviews: “Books, Iced Coffee & a Side of Dragons” by Amanda Lovelace & Raquel Travé

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Lucinda owns Little Lighthouse Books, a struggling book store. She deals daily with the antics of her dragon and her crush on Aster, the owner of the coffee shop next door.

This does have Tea Dragon Society vibes in that this book has the coziest vibes and beautiful colors. The drama is very low stakes and grounded. This has great representation and while it’s not subtle, it doesn’t need to be. It’s a cute little sapphic romance and a slice of magical joy that’s sorely needed. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Champion of the Rose” Vol. 1, by Cat Aquino & Dominique Duran

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Princess Rosa’s brother tragically dies, making her hair to the throne of the Empire of Sagrada. As the largest kingdom in the Known World, Rosa looks forward to serving her people and the Dying God they all worship but instead, her father holds a tournament where the prize is her hand in marriage. Desperate to become queen and make real change, she enlists Rey as her champion. Rey is a swordsman from one of the kingdom’s colonies and only wants to earn enough money to return to his native lands.

It’s interesting that Rosa is a mixed-race princess of a kingdom fueled by colonizing others. She has to come to terms with what her kingdom has done to people who look just like her. She may have been relatively sheltered as a princess, but that doesn’t stop the whispers and judgment. Rey is a transman and a fucking badass, who literally and figuratively is infected by the evils done by those who’ve conquered his people. The combat is fantastically done. It’s ruthless and dark. It reminds me of Centuria, making this a damn good dark fantasy. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Heroes” by Inio Asano

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers.

After defeating the Great Darkness, our group of heroes begin their journey home only to face the fact that the darkness is not something to be contained.

This reminds me of the Big City Greens episode: Montaged, only this is DEEPLY disturbing and sad. Trigger warning for SA of a child – implied, not graphic. It starts off silly:

Since those character names did get a chuckle out of me. But then it descends into death and pain. I felt unsettled by the end, which is likely the point given the quote in this book:

Have something upbeat to read after this. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 26, by Rumiko Takahashi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After Nanoka is abducted by Soma, she is forced to face him alone. Afterwards, Mao investigates a series of assaults by what witnesses say looks like a rat, leading him and Huakka locked in battle with Habuki and Sasuga.

The action is well balanced with the story progression in this volume. We’re getting more bits of lore and some great fight scenes with creative uses of the character’s powers. Takahashi has a great talent for giving this ensemble cast a fairly even amount of “screen time” and making it count. This is also less ‘monster of the week’ in format because everything ties back into the Goku Clan’s machinations. Very cool. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kagurabachi” Vol. 9, by Takeru Hokazono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After Iori regains her memories, her father shows up, and Chihiro has to trust him to protect her while he faces a power that turns the hotel and everyone in it into a weapon.

Hakuri is at Kamunabi and gets a bit of “screen” time, but the main fight is Chihiro vs. Samura Seiichi, and it is pretty cool. There’s a lot of talking, and since Irori is there, Seiichi has to really think about his goal of eliminating sword bearers and fighting putting her in danger. I wish Hakuri had more to do, but this isn’t really about him. Seiichi is the main threat. It’s a fun and action-packed volume with a lot of heads flying off. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Centuria” Vol. 4, by Tohru Kuramori

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Flying into a rage after Angvall’s death, Julian unleashes his power on Argos without thinking of the toll it would take on his body.

This volume also introduces The Supreme Lord (Argos’ father) and adds witches to those with special abilities. Clearly, Oracle Elstri has never heard of any stories where someone goes barreling toward their destiny while trying to avoid it because she is dead set on killing a child to prevent her prophecy. This makes her an interesting villain since she’s less of a zealot than her lord, who has some nuance to him. You’d expect the reverse. This is a cool world, and I can’t wait for this journey to continue. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Colette Decides to Die” Vol. 9, by Alto Yukimura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Hedes offers his skeletons the chance to name themselves, while Colette covers at a clinic for a while until another roving healer can take her place.

One of the major plot points is Colette returning to the village where she was born and why she’s the only one left from it. I’m not ashamed to say this volume made me tear up. It’s absolutely tragic and maybe a little triggering for some post-COVID. It really goes to show how strong Colette had to be and still is. It took some doing to climb out of that emotional chasm, but this volume managed to do it and give some fun moments. What an impactful volume. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Tales of Iga” Vol. 2, by Regujie

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Hanzo is called to assist Lord Matsudaira, and Masayasu is still training and grappling with what it takes to become a shinobi.

Aside from our A and B plots, we get some backstory for Tsuyu. Since her story with Masayasu is more interesting to me, this was a fun volume. It’s less about finding the treasures and more about exploring our characters and the machinations of their enemies. And – spoilers? – I found it a bit sad that Masayasu was so against the idea of killing being so normalized, then having to kill, but my guy… You’re training in a profession where killing is on the list of required tasks. I’m baffled as to what you expected. Also, when did this turn into a horror manga?

I was not prepared for that. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Seaside Where Dragon Boys Dwell” Vol. 1, by Asato Shima

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After her father’s death, Mizuka moves in with her uncle to a town know for Dragon Folk. Her uncle has another boy boarding with him, a Dragon Born named Tenshin and despite her cheerful efforts. he remains aloof and cold.

This is really about two outsiders finding a place where they can be comfortable together. We have a bit of lore about the dragon children but the core of this is Mizuka and Tenshin becoming a little found family with her uncle, Yoshinaru, who is a goofy, well meaning scientist. The art is beautiful and creative in the way it shows the dragon transformations and how they fit into the modern world. It’s sweet so far and I look forward to see what else is explored here. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Creatures & Corridors” Bill Sienkiewicz Premiere Edition, by Brandon Auman & Andrea Mutti

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In the summer of 1992, a group of teenagers plays the game Creatures and Corridors, unintentionally releasing a real curse that forces them to play for their lives.

I had more fun reading this than I thought I would. It has excitement, humor, and just the right amount of chaotic energy. It’s not afraid to get violent and bloody. Think more dark fantasy mixed in with the horror. I was never a tabletop person, so it misses a bit of the nostalgic element for me, and I know it was trying to go for that. And – no spoilers – I give it credit for not holding back when it came time to up the peril by killing characters. 4 out of 5.

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