Les Miserables

So after writing my review for Manga Classics The Scarlet Letter, I found the Manga Classics Les Miserables, is curretly released for Free Comic Book Day!, You can find it Here . I will eventually change this page to a review of the book, when I get done with my current list. XD

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, SunNeko Lee, Crystal S Chan, Stacy King

"Nathaniel Hawthorne's powerful tale of forbidden love, shame and revenge comes to life in Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter. When Hester Prynne bears an illegitimate child she is introduced to the ugliness, complexity, and ultimately the strength of the human spirit. Though set in a Puritan community during the Colonial American period, the moral dilemmas of personal responsibility and consuming emotions of guilt, anger, loyalty and revenge are timeless.

This manga retelling of Hawthorn’s classic American novel is faithfully adapted by Crystal S. Chan and features stunning artwork by SunNeko Lee which will give old and new readers alike a fresh insight into this tragic saga of Puritan America."

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This is my first time reading "Manga Classics" and when I first realized what it is, I got really excited. Classical novels, in manga form?  Heck yeah! How awesome would that be? So I checked it out.

Crystal Chan does a wonderful job bringing this classic tale to life. While missing some content, it keeps the structure and integrity of Hawthornes' original story. Its easy to read, and flows well, which makes it ideal for those in a classroom setting; or those who do not enjoy the lengthy prose of the classic; but it is by no means a perfect replacement. It does feel a bit rushed in some places and slow in others, and it lacks some of the depth that you get when you read Hawthornes version.

 SunNeko Lee is a wonderful artist, making sure each character has their own image, and are easy to identify. Her backgrounds are beautifully detailed and intricate.

The one thing I found funny was that it read exactly like a manga. Anyone who has read a physical one before knows that you start at the "back" of the book and read right to left towards the "front" of the book. Well this digital copy made me start at page 312 and move forward from there. It confused me at first, because I had expected it to read normally (it being a digital copy and all), but that was definitely a nice touch.



The Scarlet Letter released earlier this year and you can find it Here

Fizz Boom Bath by Caroline & Isabel Bercaw

"Have you ever been at a store and found yourself staring longingly at a table full of scrumptious-looking bath bombs, shower melts, or lotion bars and thought, “Gee, it would be fun to make these at home, but where the heck would I begin?!” Well, we’re here to take the mystery out of bath and body recipes and give you all the tools you need to crown yourself Archbishop of Bathtopia. We’ll hold your hand every step of the way, and then we’ll exfoliate it with some sugar scrub when we’re finished! This book will teach you how to create all kinds of delightful, natural, homemade treats. From fizzers to scrubs, masks to soaps, bubble bars to shower melts, we’ve got you covered."


Written by the two sisters that brought us DaBombFizzers ; and helped spark the popularity of the bath bomb; these teenage "Archbishops of Bathtopia" have a deep understanding of the process and ingredients involved, and the ability to transfer that knowledge to you in book form!

They list everything you could need right up front, both ingredients and equipment. The next part of the book a recipe for a basic bomb, then a whole ton of variations that they actually sell in stores. The last part of the book has all kinds of other "self care" products, such as body scrubs, shower jellies,(which are easier to make than I thought!) and a setting spray I am excited to try.

The artwork is full color, and beautiful renditions of their product ( and what yours could look like!) My daughter is loving this book (even if its on a computer right now) and Im pretty sure she is going to make us buy one when it comes out, and I am waiting for that day.

Release is scheduled for August 7th 2018 here!

Hunters by Maybury, Tierney, and Valderrama

"Famed warrior Azarias has gathered a small army of varied adventurers on a quest to gather the dust of a distant island god in order to save the life of their king. Along the way, they encounter numerous beasts and monsters all in the process of gathering artifacts necessary to locate the island god before ultimately defeating it."

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Hunters is a beautiful comic with new ideas in a throw back to the traditional Fantasy adventure.

 The artwork is detailed, stunning, and in full color you really get to know the world being presented to you. One thing that both surprised me and made me enjoy this more was that each chapter is drawn by a separate artist. You get to see so many different styles and tones for the adventure. The art does  distract from the story a bit at first, (When you get used to one style then get swung into a new one out of no where for the first time) but overall I enjoyed the differing styles.

Hunters is available now on Amazon in Kindle or Paperback edition.


The full roster of talent contributing to this epic tale include Paul Maybury, Josh Tierney, Miguel Valderrama, Carlos Valderrama, Devin Kraft, Anas Awad, Meg Gandy, Jared Morgan, Irene Koh, Kyla Vanderklugt, Benjamin Marra, Alexis Ziritt, Travel Foreman, Carlos Carrasco, Vlad Gusev, and Ramon Sierra.

Truth Seer by Kay L. Moody

"Egypt, 2121. Imara Kalu knows how she wants her future to go: Become a police interrogator in Kenya and then graduate as a truth seer in her last semester of the summer training program. But her plans fall apart when a group of terrorists take over the school and carry out a desperate kidnapping. Devastated that her sister is among the victims, Imara leads a rescue team and descends into the dangerous catacombs where the hostages are rumored to be hidden.

Although suspicious of others because of the truth she sees, Imara knows the rescue team will need her help as a truth seer to bypass the lethal illusions laid by the abductors. But as the terrorist traps escalate, Imara realizes how much truth she’s been ignoring and that holding back could get her sister killed. Throughout the journey, Imara confronts her past and amplifies her abilities as a truth seer only to discover that her sister’s kidnapping is just one piece of a much darker secret."

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When I fist read the Synopsis above, I didn't know quite what I was getting myself into. It didn't sound like something I would normally read. Personally I would class this book as Dystopian Fantasy. Its Universe is not overtly fantastic and borders real life. Its set a hundred years in the future with new tech and most humans have developed a new power known as hila. But this book does deliver. The author is obviously skilled at developing multifaceted characters who do grow and change with their environments. They react and speak how you could imagine someone similar, reacting and speaking. Imara, the main character is given this immense ability that gives her an almost omniscient view of the world and people around her, but she is still in the process of learning to wield it properly which becomes a major source of distress in her life. Her voice is strong and wavers when it makes sense. She has her ticks, and her own quirkiness that makes her relatable, 

I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this read, to anyone interested in the Fiction genre. Its easy to read, suitable for older children as well as adults. It is part of a Trilogy and I am really excited to be able to read the next two. 

To order your copy from Amazon follow this link! (Opens in new window) : Truth Seer

Wings of Ice by G Bailey

"Isola Dragice thought she knew what her future would bring. Only, one earth-shattering moment destroys everything.

When war threatens her home, Isola returns from earth to the world of dragons she knows nothing about, and to Dragca Academy. 

When the four most powerful dragon guards in history are ordered to protect her, they didn’t expect to be protecting an accident prone princess. One who, accidentally, nearly kills her whole class at Dragca Academy in her first week. 

What happens when fire falls for Ice?"

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This is my first read from this author, so I was excited to dive in and see what G. Bailey was made of. I don't typically read a lot of Romance, but I was interested (because dragons!) in the synopsis I was given(above) and because you don't often get to read reverse harems since not many people write them.

Wings of Ice is a fast-paced, Romantic Adventure, featuring a young Isola with a distant father, and almost no other family to speak of. She is sent to live with humans early on in life and is essentially left there for her safety, (Ya know, since she a freaking princess.) Events lead her father to come and get her from the human realm early and bring her to Dragca Academy, where she is surrounded by boys. Men really, who are set to out to protect her out of fear of a curse.

Bailey is quick to set up her world and launch you into the action. Obviously I don't recommend Wings of Ice to anyone that isn't an Adult yet, but it is a book you should consider reading if you don't mind being in the mind of a 18 year old dragonic princess who doesn't quite know what to do with all the men life has thrown at her.

Personally one of my critiques of Wings of Ice is that the fast paced storytelling left me wanting more. More description of the rooms, the people. Each character was given very little physical description, and getting to know them was hard as several of them seemed to have the same personality. Fantasy novels are typically full to the brim with descriptions of everything and I found myself having to stop to try and imagine what Isola was looking at and coming up with this half-formed picto-thought.

The dialouge in the book was also a little weird for me. Some of it was trying to be banter like and came across flat, or just rude. And some of the dialouge is just something I can't imagine being said.

Despite my critiques, I did enjoy Wings of Ice. It is a work that is definitely for Romance lovers more so than Fantasy lovers, and while I will definitely be checking this author out again, I'm not sure if it will be reading the next one in this series or picking up a new one.

G. Baileys Author Site 

Buy Wings of Ice

Power to the Princess by Vita Weinstein Murrow

"What if princesses didn’t always marry Prince Charming and live happily every after?

Like Snow White, who gets on with her stepmother just fine (in the end). And Belle the Brave, whose open heart helps her become a member of the Fairyland Police. And Prime Minister Cinderella, who just wants to help everyone have a better life. These fifteen girls are smart, funny, and kind, and can do anything they set their minds to. Power to the princess!"

This anthology follows some of our favorite princesses ( 15 to be exact! Both Disney and otherwise) through their lives, if their lives had been different from the original stories. They are strong and fearless, in both life and love. This book has been a long time coming and I am so glad to see it! 

I particularly enjoyed "The Little mermaid". It follows Marisha, the youngest of the Sea Kings six daughters, after there mother died in a boat accident. The Sea-King becomes fearful to the point that even when the ecosystem they lived in started to be affected, instead of going up and talking to the "land-dwellers", he sets storms upon them. Her grandmother plays a large part in her discovery of what she wants. (Like a lot of Disney princesses :D ) Eventually she meets a human princess named Melody who helps her clean the oceans and, they bring their two kingdoms together in a "lively and loving" marriage.

The illustrations are simple but powerful. They take up little space and leave room for the story, and that is what helps make this book shine. The stories speak for themselves.

This is just one awesome story out of 15. Vita manages to retell each princesses life in a beautiful and new way that just forces you to root for them all over again. I so hope that Vita will continue to write more of these and release a second anthology.

Chili da Vinci by Jarrett Rutland

"While others do “penguin” things, Chilly da Vinci—self-declared inventor penguin, builds machines that don’t work…yet!"


Chili is a tiny penguin with big dreams. With him and some of his penguin buddies stuck on an ice burg away from home, and an Orca just waiting for them to be all out of ice burg, its up to Chili to find a way off (even if no one else thinks he can) especially since his inventions put them there!

Chili builds and builds and builds, even when his machines don't work. He keeps at it. Even after being teased for his attempts (and even for what he eats!) he keeps on trying.

This little book is great. Its story is thoughtful and well written, and its message is something all kids should be taught. The artwork is cute, and throws back to the book as a whole with its influence coming from Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Tarot Cafe Manga Collection by Sang-Sun Park

"Meet Pamela, a tarot card reader who helps supernatural beings living in the human world. She'll help anyone, whether they're a love-stricken cat, a vampire spending eternal life running from his one true love, an unattractive waitress looking for the man of her dreams, or even a magician who creates a humanoid doll to serve the woman he loves. Although she is good-natured, there is a deep dark secret that she must deal with before she can move on to the next life."


At first this Manga screamed XXXHolic at me. Maybe just the fact that it was based in a shop and had all kinds of mystical people coming through, or perhaps the similar art style.

At first I didn't think I would be interested in reading another one. The manga seemed to be focusing on the mini stories (any of which could be their own series if fleshed out a bit) more so than its overarching plot line, where a woman, Pamela reads Tarot for the supernatural. As I continued to read, the story became more clear, and I became more interested, but it didn't really get good until the last chapter which was disappointing. I would have liked more Pamela less "other" 

The artwork was nice, but grainy and kind of broken up in the version I read. You could tell that it had a nice throwback style ( maybe using the same artwork from the original release?).  I would probably read the next 2 ( I'm assuming there will only be 2 more since the first release had 3 total as well) But its not a Manga I would personally add to my collection. I could see some people really enjoying this though.

This was originally released in the early 2000s.  

Chimera 1 The Righteous and the Lost by Tyler Ellis

 "Haunted by their pasts, a crew of thieves is hired for a covert mission in the midst of a galaxy being ripped apart by an interstellar holy war. If they want to survive - much less succeed - they must navigate hostile worlds, vengeful aliens, a deranged demon, and betrayal from within.  Collects the first six issues of the acclaimed sci-fi/fantasy series, as well as a pin-up and cover gallery."

If Star Wars and Firefly met and made a Dungeons and Dragons game, this would be the story they create. Its intriguing  plot and wide array of characters and backstory make it an easy-to-finish-in-one-sitting novel. The artwork sets itself apart and helps bring the whole story together.

The author uses "then" and "now" headings to give backstory which helps to differentiate whats going on and when. ( Especially helps when you are reading on a tiny screen, and are having trouble seeing the words already.) This first installment describes how the group came to be together and sets up for the next few books in a way that doesn't seem so information heavy.

I honestly cant wait to read the next one, and for this to become an overnight must have in the Manga/Amine/Otaku world.

It is currently available on Amazon, Here (Link will open in new window)

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After writing this (and when looking for the Amazon link) I discovered that this is not the first time this story has been told. This Edition is brand new, and includes the first 6 of Tyler Ellis' Chimera novels as well as exclusive artwork. It appears that he is not ready to stop writing this series and is reviving this fairly new story. Either way my original review stands, and I'm excited to see the next one.

Swim Little Fish by ALTAN

"A little fish has a big day

In this sweet and simple story, a little fish rises from the sea to see the sun.  After a long day of play, the little fish is ready for bed."

Cute short story about a little red fish.  Large print, easy to read words are great for early readers. The no mess pictures make it even easier for kids to figure out harder words using context. This book is set apart from others by its simplicity in the way it is presented to the children who will be reading it. To quote my five year old "It was fun." She read it to her brother and smiled the whole way through. 

Swim Little Fish is set to release on Amazon on June 22nd 2018 (link opens in new tab)

#SwimLittleFish #NetGalley