LGBT fantasy

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Lenni Reviews: “23:45” by Ohana

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

Iku has been in Tokyo for 2 months and is content with his otaku lifestyle. The most excitement he is forced to deal with is his ability to see ghosts. One in particular, Mimori, follows him home. As they grow closer, Iku knows Mimori will have to eventually move on.

This was cute. It’s a little slow, and I didn’t feel like I got to know these people as deeply as I’d like to, but this felt like a nice setup for a climax later. Iku is smitten pretty quickly, and when you think it’s going to be bittersweet, things get very… Convenient is a good word for it. Not bad, but nothing really new here. It’s not smutty as sex is implied, not graphic. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Eternal Covenant” Vol. 1, by Haejin

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

Ian Glauchester was abandoned by his parents and cursed with magic powers. Raised by Cardinal Brixton, Ian is now a decorated knight of the Knights Templar, keeping his powers a secret. That is, until he meets Jack, who has similar abilities.

This is an interesting start, setting up a lot of lore, a taste of a magic system, and some deep conspiracy. The art and pacing are very Webtoon, and let’s be real, these are paced and generally presented in a different way from something meant to be read all at once in a book or published in a magazine. Not as a detriment, it’s just designed to keep you scrolling, which doesn’t always translate fully to turning pages. Everything Is Fine is a good example, using the act of scrolling in the art (a great series). It still caught my interest, I’ll be there for volume 2. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Trickster’s Tale: Hu Yan Zhuan” Vol. 1, by Hontoku

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

Feijin is half demon, half human, and lives in a heavenly realm with his master, Sage Gaochun, who had taken Feijin in after his family died. Fejin is obsessed with his master, but if they were to do anything, it is Sage Gaochun who would suffer grave consequences.

Spoiler: I don’t care if this all turns out okay; Feijin drugs Sage Gaochun in order to finally sleep with him. That’s irrideemable in my book.

The man tiddies in this book are fucking insane:

If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was just a tall buff woman with a boob window.

There is plenty of plot with this smut, and while rushed, it can be intriguing. It’s hard for me to get past how the plot was touched off (see spoiler above). That makes me want to put Feijin in jail, not root for him to get with his crush. I’ve read other series where the main relationship starts with these shady circumstances (like Don’t Be Cruel), and that’s always in the back of my mind. No amount of man boob or tender glances is gonna fix that. All I remember is that complete violation of boundaries, and this book also has some shades of incest and power imbalances. 2 out of 5 because the art is pretty.

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Lenni Reviews: “Red and the Wolves: A Graphic Novel” by Cherry Zong

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

Red is a talented hunter tasked with protecting her Grandmother and helping to exorcize the Nawa in the dying forest around them. On a hunt, she meets Sil, a wolf girl who got caught in a trap. They become friends, but the threat of the rot spreading through the land still looms, and Red is plunged into a more serious threat than she could have imagined.

Far be it from me to turn town a witch fantasy comic. This one is beautiful and fun with some exciting moments, but as an avid reader, the twist wasn’t as shocking to me as it would be to someone less experienced in the genre. The lore and characters are so well done, and I am SO happy this was towards 400 pages. The story had plenty of time to breathe and is so well paced. The art style handles action, sprawling fantasy settings, and quiet moments with ease, and I highly recommend it. 4.8 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Monster and Ghost” Vol. 1, by Himemiko

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

Koton Tsubaki is ostracized at school due to his violent past but there’s one being that doesn’t care: Yuuki Kabuto, a ghost that decides to follow him around.

I guess that’s as good a reason as any to refuse to move on. 

The pace of this feels off somehow, but for a boys’ love comic, it’s SO sad. It gets dark and violent. Tsubaki is just chronically misunderstood and since Kabuto is dead, he can see beyond the tough exterior and eases Tsubaki’s loneliness. The art is fantastic and there’s no smut. The story does suck you in so I do want to read volume 2. 3.7 out of 5.

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Flame Con 2025

I’ve already posted a bit of my experience this year over at O&G (I should be posting there more often…), but I figured I’d talk about it a bit here, too. I can’t believe in the year of our Lord and Lady 2025, I feel the need to attend panels about fighting fascism, but here we are. It did get me thinking about digitizing some old stuff, like union pamphlets from back when my grandmother was fighting for the garment workers and old articles about her. We do need to preserve whatever we can; especially in the age of companies not bothering with physical media, claiming the rights to your digital media whenever they want (so you paid for it but don’t own it), or letting legacy media just die under the weight of relentless drive towards newer technology. But let’s not be a complete downer and take a look at what I brought home.

I had a lot of fun picking out random things to get and everything in that first picture is signed! I can’t tell you how much I nerd out about being able to get my stuff signed by the creator. Speaking of which:

I waited YEARS to get volume 5 of Starfighter simply because at a previous Flame Con, I’d gotten the first 4 and they were signed. I was tempted to just buy it online, but as they were generous to give me a press pass this year and Hamletmachine was going to be there, I was stoked to complete my collection. I probably embarrassed myself by squealing like an idiot, but I’m just some nobody, so she won’t remember.

I’m excited to dig into these and maybe review them for the blog. We’ll see. Sometimes I just like to read something and sit with it, but if there’s something here you want me to dive into, let me know.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Desert Butterfly Yearns to Be Caught” by Kaede Yunami

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

Seth is the wealthy leader of a desert country, far beyond what his bodyguard, Kyle, believes he deserves, but he cannot help but desire his boss and want to claim him for his own.

When this starts, it doesn’t seem like Seth is down for whatever Kyle is doing, and it feels like it’s slipping into non/dub con territory. Spoilers (maybe?), when they get together for real, it does not feel earned. There’s mention of Seth feeling caged and wanting to do things without Kyle hovering over him but that’s never really explored in a way that’s satisfying. It’s okay but clearly the thinnest of stories to get to the smut; of which there is plenty in its uncensored glory. This was meh and didn’t have any depth. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Feigning Fox with a Face Full of Flowers” by Ryo Ayamine

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

Takeru returns to his grandfather’s home after his death to take care of the property, only to be shocked when a fox spirit named Kazune comes to claim the promise Takeru’s grandfather made to the spirit.

This has all the foundations of a decent story, but it felt bland to me, even with all the smut. The setup of the back story with Takeru and his bond with his grandfather and Kazune’s shitty childhood brings us two characters who just want to be loved, but from the very first time they’re together, they don’t feel right. It’s also a bit rapey? Little dubious consent happening here? The sex in general gives off this cold, biological reaction rather than attraction or connection. I totally understand the trope to get to the smut as quick as possible (and it’s quite graphic), but this rang hollow for me. Maybe it needed more time to tell its story. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dinghai Fusheng Records” Vol. 1, by Fei Tian Ye Xiang & Qian Er Bai

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

Chen Xing is the last Great Exorcist who is fated to die on his 20th birthday. He is searching for his fated counterpart to save the world before that happens and meets Xiang Su about to be executed for a crime he didn’t commit.

This feels all over the place but not in a really bad way. It’s based on a novel and I think what’s happening is the parts of the novel that would work best in this new format are what’s included so it affects the pacing a bit. I had no problem rolling with it but this is an interesting fantasy that will tickle your BL itch as it’s focused on the fantasy story not tossing these two into bed right away. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Palace of the Omega” Vol. 2, by Fumi Tsuyuhisa

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

Ilia lives a quiet life after the death of his husband, but as civil war rages, he encounters a familiar young man who turns out to be King Khalid, leading the rebellion against Zayn.

First off, Suya is the MVP still. I love her. Secondly, I can’t see Zayn without thinking:

Because I’m dead inside and surviving on memes. Other than that, I love the rebels taking back the kingdom plot but… Y’all, they made it weird like I thought they would when I reviewed the first book. Sorry, but if the ages were tweaked so Kahlid wasn’t just shy of the legal age, it wouldn’t be as creepy. You can make him as badass as you want, but he’s still barely legal. And it’s weird when the flashbacks happen and they talk about how much they loved and wanted each other before the war, but it flashes back to a literal child. It’s creepy and hobbled my enjoyment. Yes, there’s plenty of detailed smut to be had, but ugh… 3.5 out of 5 because I do adore the art and the plot is interesting.

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