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

An older practitioner, Mitsune, feels her powers are fading with age and retired from her business as a seer but when she sees how powerful Mieruko is, she cannot sit idly by and returns to help the young girl out.

In addition to seeing Mieruko FINALLY get some assistance (geez, this poor kid…) we have what appears to be a complete charlatan, Shindou, peddling charms and tricks but he’s actually legit. What the plot will do with him we’ll have to see. So far, we don’t have what could be considered a villain outside of the entities themselves. And the art does not fail in making them creepy as hell.

The side story with the cats is thankfully continued and it just warms your heart. I hope it stays through the entire series.

I am both frustrated by and entertained by the slow unfolding of this story. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 27, 2022January 26, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Fine Print” Vol. 1, by Stjepan Šejić

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

After a run of bad romantic decisions, Lauren Thomas seeks help from the most unlikely of sources; a real incubus. Unbeknownst to her, she falls into a competition among the incubi and the succubi to ascend to the rank of High Caller.

The art for this is beautiful; lushly painted and very expressive. However, there isn’t much body size representation. Not a huge drawback, just something I noticed. Aside for that, this is a fun premise that takes it’s time to build a believable world and get all the characters into place. For all the smutty elements, there’s a great story here that unfortunately ends on a cliffhanger. This stands as a strong 3.7 for me because of that, but this is worthwhile for the fantasy elements alone.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 26, 2022January 26, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Levius/est” Vol. 9, by Haruhisa Nakata

(Image Source)

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

This summary is a spoiler.

Levius has defeated Oliver and is now Champion, with all the complications and dangers that comes with it. New foes and obstacles come to light making Levius’ life more perilous than before.

This took a strange turn but I find it interesting. If this story was going to continue, it had to be about more than just this tournament and Levius is more of a brawler. His character has space to grow with the narrative that’s unfolding. 3.6 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 22, 2022January 26, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Therapy Game Restart” Vol. 1, by Meguru Hinohara

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Shizuma’s job as a veterinarian is keeping him to busy to spend as much time with his boyfriend, Hinato; who has some insecurities about their relationship because Shizuma used to date women.

For clarity, I have not read the original series. So, any backstory beyond this volume is a mystery to me. That being said, this is a cute, smutty story that reads fast and has a nice pair of characters. They contrast well, Shizuma’s nice guy attitude with Hinato’s more standoffish ways but it was a fun read. 3.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 21, 2022January 20, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Home” Vol 1, by Julio Anta & Anna Wieszczyk

(Image Source)

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

Seeking a better life for her unique son, Juan, Mercedes crosses the border illegally. When the zero tolerance policy separates her and Juan, she is determined to be reuinted with him.

Afer the disgusting events at the border, I was waiting for the stories that would come of it; both fictionalized and true. This book is timely, but there are some on the nose references (remember BBQ Karen? Yeah, she’s here). This is like “Black” but I fell this one has a better flow. I like where this is going even if the bad guy characters are overtly drawn as bad guys. The art could have been more subtle here to show that people don’t have to look “bad” to be bad. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Deserter: Junji Ito Story Collection” by Junji Ito

(Image Source)

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

This is a collection of short stories by the horror manga super star, Junji Ito. These are Ito’s early work and you can tell the moment you look at it. The art isn’t as detailed and the stories – to completely date myself here – give me Tales from the Crypt vibes. People messing with or doing things they shouldn’t be doing and getting a comeuppance. It’s good for some quick and creepy tales but not as good as his later work. 3.5 out of 4.

But hey, if you wanna do a remake of Tales from the Crypt with Ito as the Crypt Keeper, I’d watch that. Or maybe not considering how Ito’s anime turned out. I didn’t enjoy that as much as his printed work.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 18, 2022January 18, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Fist of the North Star” Vol. 3, by Buronson & Tetsuo Hara

(Image Source)

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

While we know Ken as a master of Hokuto Shinken, he is not the only one with some powerful martial arts skills. Rei, a master of Nanto Suichoken, is searching for his sister who has been kidnapped by a gang called the Fangs, and teams up with Ken to find her.

Despite a disappointing feeling regarding the few female characters for me to latch on to (I know that’s not the point of this series but still), Ken’s journey is dated but interesting. You can tell this is series is old and it may be some nostalgia creeping in but I’m enjoying this. I wonder what younger readers would think about this series. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 15, 2022January 18, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 4, by Haro Aso, Kōtarō Takata

(Image Source)

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

Akira is still working on his bucket list and in his travels to his parent’s home to check on them and meet some interesting characters on the way.

Ok, Beatrix is amazing and I wanna be her best friend. She’s a great addition to a cast that is a mix of action, humor, and drama. This volume has a great balance of those three and has some plot bunnies I hope are fully realized in later volumes. There wasn’t much here that dragged and I can see Beatrix getting on some people’s nerves but for now, I think she’s great! 3.7 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 16, by Tomohito Oda

(Image Source)

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

In this volume, there is the Sports Festival and Cultural Festival. We also have some side stories with the parents but the main conflict here is Manbagi’s crush on Tadano and her realization Shoko has feelings for him, too.

I like that we have Shoko talking more. She’s still quiet but her progress is showing. This volume could have benefitted from putting the side stories either at the very end or the beginning. I found them to be an interruption from the main story instead of being a cute break and it messed with the flow. I still enjoyed it because this series is fantastic but this was something I noticed. 4.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 2, by Rumiko Takahashi

(Image Source)

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

After the story of Priestess Shoko and her prediction of the end of the world, Nanoka is doing research on the accident that killed her parents and how it connects to the portal she is using to travel through space and time. She knows something isn’t quite right at home.

I can tell this is starting to get dark and I’m here for it. I know something up with those shakes she’s forced to drink and those powers she has. And not to be forgotten, Mao is dealing with not being able to heal as well but still has to fight some creepy blood drinking nun demon things so, I can’t wait to see how this affects his mission to defeat the demon that cursed him. I do wonder if this is going to get as dark as the Mermaid Saga or try to retain some lightheartedness as the series progresses. 4.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.