Sara is a new student at an exclusive and unique all girls boarding school. By chance she meets the most popular student, Silje and forms a fast relationship that blooms quickly into something more.

This is poetic and beautiful, also a bit haunting. But I have no frikkin clue what this is all about. There’s some sinister all girls boarding school in the middle of nowhere and they learn magic but is so strict if you break the rules you go to a special room for punishment, there’s implied genetic testing going on, and the mysterious school is eliminating these girls on by one until only one remains and for… What?

Don’t get me wrong, this is emotional and lovely but by the end all I had were questions that left me frustrated. 3.9 out of 5.

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September 9, 2021September 8, 2021 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “My Love Mix-Up!” Vol. 1, by Wataru Hinekure & Aruko

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

Aki has a crush on his classmate, Hashimoto but when he borrows an eraser from her, he sees she has Ida’s name written on it; he promises to keep it a secret for her. But when Ida sees the eraser, he thinks it belongs to Aki and that he as a crush on him.

First things first, I gotta talk about the art. While the regular scenes are lovely; soft and expressive like most in this genre, there are scenes of super-deformed faces that are unintentionally TERRIFYING. Not all of them but there were a few that had me cringe rather than laugh.

Aside for that, this is a hilarious mix up. It doesn’t take itself too seriously at all and is a light-hearted teenage drama (at least light-hearted for now, you never know). It is looking like we won’t get so much as a love triangle but a love dodecahedron.

Yes, I’m a geek. I love that world…

4 out of 5.

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September 5, 2021September 8, 2021 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Bad Boys, Happy Home” Vol. 2, by SHOOWA & Hiromasa Okujima

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

Things have been a little awkward ever since Seven planted a kiss on Akamatsu and Seven understandably gives him space. But Akamatsu finds he actually misses Seven but Seven’s past he’s kept hidden comes back to haunt them.

This sure as hell took a turn! I mean, it was clear Seven had a dark past but I didn’t see how dark it got. Trigger warning for child prostitution and sexual assault in this volume. I thought this series would just be our two main leads fumbling around into a relationship but this is an angle I did not anticipate. It’s interesting, I want to know what happens next, but yikes… 3.9 out of 5.

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August 22, 2021September 8, 2021 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “The Girl from the Sea” by Molly Ostertag

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Like most teenagers, Morgan dreams of leaving her small seaside town so she can be herself. After her parents divorce, her and her little brother are having trouble dealing with all the emotions, leading Morgan to take a walk near a cliff; only to be saved by an old and exceptional friend.

This was a sweet book with some great representation and a nice simple story. It’s perfect for it’s age group and had beautiful art. I would have liked to see more of it but the ending is satisfactory as it is and makes this all a light hearted read with great characters. 4.5 out of 5.

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August 16, 2021August 24, 2021 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “The Summer of You” Vol 1, by Nagisa Furuya

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Wataru Toda loves movies. While browsing the DVD racks in a store one day, he meets a classmate Chiharu Saeki; and they bond over a mutual love of films. But when Saeki confesses he has a crush on Toda, the dynamic changes and Toda has to sort out his feelings while the pair are on a summer mission to visit filming locations of the movies they love.

This is one of those manga that’s drawn so soft, you can just cozy up to it and read it with a smile. It’s pretty low angst and our main pair are really sweet. It’s a bit of a slice of life manga and isn’t graphic at all. If a teen wanted some LGBT friendly stories to read, this is a sweet one. If there is more, I wouls want to read it. 3.9 out of 5.

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November 25, 2020December 9, 2020 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Jealousy” Vol. 3, by Scarlet Beriko

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

Uichi is still plotting his way into the yakuza to be with Akitora but this time, he has a pretty good plan to make some money without actively committing violent crime. But Akitora’s bodyguard, Asoda, still doesn’t trust Uichi and thinks he’s a threat to his boss.

I know this is a prequel and they’re eventually going to work all this stuff out somehow but I am really curious as to what will happen between Asoda and Uichi. I understand Asoda’s point because Uichi’s lackadaisical attitude and utter carelessness with his own life being very worrying, but I can tell all Asoda’s meddling will do is piss off his boss. Akitora is chill but he won’t be if he finds out Asoda is not obeying orders. 4 out of 5.

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November 19, 2020November 17, 2020 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “How Do We Relationship?” Vol. 2 by Tamifull

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

Miwa is trying to become more confident not only in her relationship but in telling others she’s gay while Saeko is struggling with her own jealousy. While they grapple with their feelings, a guy named Kan joins the band club too and starts fishing around in their relationship and hates Miwa for some reason.

We also get a little backstory on their friend Usshi who doesn’t feel like it’s possible to get a boyfriend. It’s enjoyable save for Kan, who is seriously creepy and I hope he doesn’t hurt our main characters. I do want to see what happens next, though. And again, this is mature but not overly explicit. 3.9 out of 5.

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November 18, 2020November 17, 2020 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “How Do We Relationship?” Vol. 1 by Tamifull

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

Miwa is an introverted college student that has trouble making friends or finding a girlfriend. When she meets an outgoing and out of the closet Saeko they become fast friends but Saeko suggests they date each other. They join the music club together but Miwa is scared to come out to any of them.

They are both so cute together as they figure things out. Miwa had never been in a relationship before so Saeko has to be patient with her. And this isn’t very graphic; focusing more on our main characters’ emotions. The art is soft and expressive, perfect for these two as they grow closer. 4 out of 5.

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October 3, 2020October 17, 2020 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Caste Heaven” by Chise Ogawa

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

My usual disclaimer is only partly correct since it only applies to the one galley I got. I ended up blowing right passed it to review the whole series.

The premise of this is these kids in high school have a caste system enforced by the students themselves. The ranking is determined by playing cards; a King, Queen, Jack, etc. You can’t just refuse to participate without becoming a target to everyone else. So, of course this system is rife for abuse with students using their rank to exploit those below them. As this is rated 18+ and yaoi, there’s tons of sexual exploitation.

The plot tries to save itself with “Well, deep down, they have feelings” but it doesn’t take away from how non-consensual a lot of these encounters are – making it doubly uncomfortable for me considering these are high school kids. I do enjoy the couples that form and try to use the system to their advantage but this overall comes off as a bleak read. It feels wrong to say I enjoyed reading it, more like I was compelled to move forward. If you can take how rapey this is and you’re craving some dramatic yaoi, give it a shot. 2.7 out of 5

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September 15, 2020October 12, 2020 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow” Vol. 1, by Makoto Hagino

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

Konatsu Amano has just relocated from Tokyo to a small town with her aunt because her father’s job has taken him overseas. Concerned about making friends in high school, Amano meets a girl named Koyuki, the sole member of the Aquarium Club. Koyuki is excited to have another member and they become friends as they work in the aquarium connected to the school.

This manga is really sweet. I like that Konatsu slowly becomes more confident and has an adorable relationship with Koyuki. If you want some light and fluffy reading, this will fit the bill. It is, however, very ‘slice of life’ so if that bores you, there are parts you will want to bail in this volume. But I liked it. 3.7 out of 5.

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