Welcome to BRB, everyone! Today, I’ve got a
couple of book reviews to share; both short and sweet…or maybe not so sweet, it
depends how my opinion is perceived. Anyway, I will get started with the first review.
Review One
Yashakiden The Demon Princess 1, written by
Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Jun Suemi, is a manga novel about vampires,
Chinese Vampires to be precise. The beautiful man hunter and Shinjuku’s best
private detective, Setsura Aki, works alongside Doctor Mephisto to capture the
vampire princess and her three, blood-sucking peons before they destroy the
city and put everyone under their spell. It’s the first instalment in the
series and, unfortunately, the last I will read. I really had a difficult time
finishing this book, and it wasn’t for lack of trying, but I found the head
hopping and chapter set-up a brain drain; it’s still unclear as to what the
editor and/or author was trying to do. Plus, though eloquent as it was, the
over usage of metaphors and heavy description became tiresome.
The author is, without a doubt, creative
when it comes to describing the interaction between his characters and the
milieu, but I found half of it unnecessary and a distraction from the actual
story. I know that sounds strange, but I don’t know any other way to explain. Adding
to that, the plot was predictable and the dialogue mediocre at best. On the
flip-side, the characters were wonderful, especially the vampire
princess, frighteningly grotesque as she was gorgeous, and Setsura, just not
wonderful enough to carry the entire novel. I do feel bad, but my expectations were dashed, so Yashakiden The Demon Princess 1 gets 1.5 Stars; it’s only redeeming qualities are
the illustrations and characters, the rest I just couldn’t get in to.
Review Two
'Chihiro drifts
through life with no purpose, going from girl to girl, until one day he finds
an abandoned kitten in a box. He quickly falls in love with little Shiro and
couldn’t imagine his life without her. One evening, Chihiro finds Shiro has
fallen ill. While searching aimlessly for an animal hospital, he runs into
Kumazawa, a local vet who takes Shiro into his care. Watching Kumazawa in
action, Chihiro realizes he wishes to learn the value of life and asks Kumazawa
to consider hiring him at the vet clinic. Kumazawa agrees, but only if Chihiro
serves as his live-in housekeeper. Has Chihiro finally found his purpose in
life, or will living with the handsome vet be a little too much to handle?'
Honey Darling, story and art by Norikazu
Akira, is a delightful yaoi manga with a contemporary setting, simple but
attention-grabbing plot, excellent character development and beautiful art.
It’s also got hot, romantic sex! And when I say hot romantic sex, I mean the author did a tasteful job. This is the
first yaoi I’ve read in a very long time where the characters act like
intelligent adults, take time to get to know one another, and treat each other
with respect in the bedroom. The sex is consensual and truly an act of passion and love rather than lust. Kumazawa isn’t a typical seme, he’s reserved and
normally dates women, so he doesn’t show any feelings toward Chihiro until much
later when he begins to appreciate and depend on him. Chihiro isn’t the typical
uke either; although he looks more effeminate, he doesn’t act like it. I love
both men and the precious little cat Shiro that brought them together.
I thoroughly enjoyed Honey Darling, and I’m
actively searching for more of Norikazu Akira’s work. If you’re a cat lover,
yaoi lover, or just a big romantic at heart, you won’t want to miss reading
Honey Darling. 5 Stars!
Blak Rayne
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