Anime: History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi

This anime was funny, cute and touching. It starts out with a weak kid who is picked on every day, so he grows tired of this and starts wanting to fight and protect people that can’t protect themselves like he used to be. Kenichi starts training at Ryozanpaku.
His is invited to train there by Miu Furinji. After he learns a basic move from Miu he was able to beat a big guy from his Karate Club this is when he becomes a target of a fight club called Ragnarok. Ragnarok is made up of the best fighters that are ruled by the 7 deadly fists.

This anime was able to show that through hard work that anyone can become great. Kenichi beat Ragnarok and one by one he touches their hearts and you find out what went wrong with each of them why they had turned to a street gang and most of them become friends.

Kenichi and his Masters

Kenichi Shirahama
(The History's Strongest Disciple)

Miu Furinji
(The Ultimate Martial Artist)

Akisame Koetsuji
(The Philosophical Jujitsu Master)

Apachai Hopachai
(The Shinigami (Death God) of Muay Thai Underworld)

Hayato Furinjo
(The Invincible Superman and Miu's grand father)

Kensei Ma
(The Master of All Chinese Kenpo)

Shigure Kosaka
(The Prodigy of Swords and Master of all Weaponry)
(She is also becoming one of my favorite people in this story)

Shio Sakaki
(The Hundredth Degree Street Brawler)

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Manga: Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu by Kanan Minami

Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu is the series I go to when I want something fluffy and light and filled with drama. A series that helps me, for a little while, forget the stress and mundane of real life that I can get lost in. To be honest most books are read to transport us to another world but in the case with Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu which is categorized as smut my expectations are pretty low here and my needs simple. I just want something fun to read, to entertain me, and with this manga series I get exactly that.

Tsubaki is our heroine and she falls into the quiet, mousy category of a shojo MC. She knows how to style hair, do makeup, even dress up...other girls but doesn't think those kind of things suit her so she wears her school uniform skirt down past her knees, and puts her hair into two long simple braids. Her old fashion way of dressing even has the other students calling her a country bumpkin but Tsubaki has other things on her mind, her studies. Volume one begins with her and her younger sister starting the new school year and Tsubaki finds out that she didn’t make top student but the guy sitting next to her did. A long hair, laid back, flirt who doesn’t fit the profile of a hardworking, exam excelling student at all and what’s worse is how forward and rude he is to our heroine, to the point that he makes this quiet, people pleasing girl snap and randomly cut off his long hair! Of course this guy, Kyouta, who Tsubaki clashes with, is the series’ male MC and the story is about their relationship and all the drama it brings.

I can’t say this is a great series, it’s filled with the usual shojo clichés, the male MC took a good amount of volumes to like because his actions ventured into sexual harassment on many occasion and Tsubaki’s naiveté were at times quite unbelievable and frustrating but this series has its hooks in me. I cannot stop reading Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu because as the volumes carry on I do like the characters, I do love reading the lusty, swoony scenes and mushy dialogue. I crave the drama and the angst, and the series and it’s antics do crack me up on occasion, so I will recommend it to you if you are looking for something just to enjoy and not take too seriously.

Note: This series has not been licensed in English so if you want to read it you'll have to be search engine savvy. However, I do not promote the reading of online scanlations if a series has been officially published in a language you can read.

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Book Review: Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz
As punishment for a crime he didn't really commit, Matt was given a choice: Go to jail or go live with an old woman named Mrs. Deverill in a remote town called Lesser Malling. He should have chosen jail. A strange and sinister plan is coming together in Lesser Malling, with Matt at the center of it all. People who try to help him disappear... or die. It all ties to an evil place called Raven's Gate- a place whose destiny is horrifyingly intertwined with Matt's own. Matt is used to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now he's in the right place at the right time- for all the wrong reasons. It's going to take all his strength and power to save his life and stop Raven's gate from unleashing an ancient doom.

I am trying my best to write this review without any spoilers but I will tell you that Raven’s Gate starts off really slow, and even sometimes you think to yourself, why I am reading this. At one point I had to actually put this book down for a month after starting it, but then once you get past the boring parts you see that you are supposed to be confused, just like how the main character was but after he does puts the pieces together you see the story playing out in front of you.

I must say that I thought I would have been disappointed in Raven’s Gate but I came out of it smiling and a little upset that it had ended so quickly. I had a nice time reading this story, it was well written and even a bit over the top sometimes, but I feel like I was in the world of the book the whole time I read it, seeing and hearing everything that was going on. Mr Anthony Horowitz has a gift with drawing a reader into his world, to make you feel like you are actually in the book itself.

I can’t wait to read book #2.

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Book Review: Unnatural by Michael Griffo

Unnatural by Michael Griffo
In the town of Eden in northwestern England stands the exclusive boarding school known as Archangel Academy. Ancient and imposing, it’s a place filled with secrets. Just like its students…
For Michael Howard, being plucked from his Nebraska hometown and sent thousands of miles away is as close as he’s ever come to a miracle. In Weeping Water, he felt trapped, alone. At Archangel Academy, Michael belongs. And in Ciaran, Penry, and especially Ciaran’s enigmatic half-brother Ronan, Michael finds friendship deeper than he’s ever known.
But Michael’s only beginning to understand what makes the Academy so special. Ronan is a vampire—part of a hybrid clan who are outcasts even among other vampires. Within the Academy’s confines exists a ruthless world of deadly rivalries and shifting alliances, of clandestine love and forbidden temptations. And soon Michael will confront the destiny that brought him here—and a danger more powerful than he can imagine…

Unnatural was a good book, it started off strong and ended strong. I would say that it hits you right on the head and continues to do so throughout the whole book. The love between two people even if it is two men can be both great and binding.

This book was just one of the many that I had to add to my favorites, it draws you in and keeps you there. I can’t wait to read the next book. Michael Griffo in a fascinating writer but he likes to overdo it when it comes to describing scenery and the main character’s feelings, but it helps because you feel like you are experiencing everything they are feeling and you can’t help but love it as well.

I would recommend Unnatural to anyone who is willing to get over the fact that it is about the love shared between two boys. Love should not have limitations based on gender or race. Love is just love and this book makes you feel that way. It helps to remind you that we are all just people.

I also loved the part about vampires, it was something about them that caught my eye but the book had taken some turns that I am not sure are for the best or worst but Unnatural is made up of some interesting people, I cannot wait to see what happens in Unwelcome.

I love this book and it has made it to my top 10 list of books.

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Book Review: The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.
When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

This story started off a bit confusing but after three or four chapters it began to pick up and I could start putting the pieces together. There are a few parts of the book that will clue you in and help you feel the connection between yourself and the characters but then there are other times when the book just has this disconnected feeling and sometimes that can be very disappointing in a book, but Ms. Karen Mahoney knew what she was doing and she did a good job of getting her story to the point.

Sometimes there were parts in The Iron Witch where I wondered when it would end or get better and fortunately those parts are limited. I do believe that the main characters need a little work however, but The Iron Witch was a teen book and so the characters acted appropriately.

The Iron Witch was not only thrilling but it also made you think, a wonderful read once you got past the first few chapters. I won't say anything more before I let something slip so just read the book and see for yourself.


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Book Review: Last Breath by Rachel Caine

Last Breath by Rachel Caine
With her boss preoccupied researching the Founder Houses in Morganville, student Claire Danvers is left to her own devices when she learns that three vampires have vanished without a trace. She soon discovers that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is someone new to town—a mysterious individual named Magnus. After an uneasy encounter with Morganville’s latest resident, Claire is certain Magnus isn’t merely human. But is he a vampire—or something else entirely

This instalment of the series took an unexpected turn, but it was a turn that set my teeth on edge and had me reading non-stop. It was like a trap and the only way to escape was by finishing the book which I must say was not only great but was done in one day.

I think the only thing I found fault with in Last Breath was both Claire and Shane. Claire is simultaneously becoming smarter and childish, she needs to learn that if you can’t stand up for your friends (physically) then stop blaming yourself when they get hurt and because of that and other moments of bad judgement Claire was a big disappointment in this book.

Shane, sometimes I have to wonder about him, sometimes he treats Claire like his fiancé and then other times he treats her like a child and I for one think that he needs to step back and let her do things on her own. Why does he always want to run off and be the hero but Claire should stay at home? I almost wanted to say, “Shane, grow up, you don't live in the 50's any more; women don't stay home and just have kids and cook.”

However, despite Claire and Shane’s irritating moments I quite enjoyed Last Breath and for the story line alone I would give this book 5 out of 5.

Thank-you Rachael Caine your books are a great read and I can’t wait for the next one.

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