Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

Just as interesting and strange as the first. This primarily focused on two different kidnappings, where our alien insurance company must help with the ransom- or get the victim back. We also get a hint at Rin's background as a human kidnapped by aliens as a child; I can't wait to learn more about her past.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC.

So yes, this is based on a animated short released on the Channel Frederator Youtube channel a good while back; if that name sound familiar, the studio that owns them also executive-produced cartoons like The Fairy Oddparents and Adventure Time. I still remember their brief jingle at the credits for Fairy Oddparents. The Summoning short I remember vaguely as being a cute idea that (at the time) didn't seem to take off beyond the short. Its nice to see the characters repurposed for a new graphic novel series. Its still a cute idea, and I love the characters. I'm glad that despite the rivalry between Claire and Swan, they were able to come to understand each other's magic and respect each other. Its so easy to make Claire a 'not-like-other-girls' protagonist, and I'm glad it didn't do that. The story was able to balance Claire's personal journey of being true to herself and the wider arc of the secrets surrounding the coven well. The ending was a little abrupt, but made clear that there would be answers in a later volume.

Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the ARC.

I guess it's okay? Nothing really stood out to me. Even the reveal of a betrayal within the monster-fighting group didn't stand out; of course the guy that looks brooding and evil is hiding something, he looks like the stereotypical bad guy. The art is fine, but the whole thing doesn't hook me enough to want more.

Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

A bit more character growth! Tenka finds her drive by failing and trying again! And after being honest with her friends about how she feels! Its really refreshing to see good things come to the main character only when they've actually earned it; it really makes you investing in their journey, and by extension, in the manga series itself. Art still looks good, but the flow of the dance remains off. I don't fully expect that to change, but it's not a deal breaker.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC.

First of all, the art is stunning. I guess this is what Tsutomu Nihei is known for, it's the first time I'm reading something of his. The backgrounds, the tower itself and the monsters within it are gorgeously detailed. The story gets a little lost unfortunately. or maybe its just me losing the plot a little. It's a lot of setup for the premise of the series, and I was still somewhat confused as to what was going on by the end of this first volume. I will be continuing though, the art alone makes it worth it; and hopefully something will make sense later on.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC.

This was really cute. Yaotome won me over right away; despite being afraid of driving, he's determined to get his license so he can take his rescue cat to the vet regularly. This is a slower-going romance, in the sense that we see the guys get closer both in and out of the driving lessons. Both had their personal hangups to get over before fully commiting to this new relationship, and the ending was a perfect stopping point for the story; happy and full of possibilities for the two.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC.

A really cool idea to tell a scifi story about the dangers behind climate change and capitalism, and how we can return to caring for our environment and our community, all told through poetry. Some details got lost, but overall really interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.

I think, of the wide variety of fantasy and horror that T. Kingfisher does, her fairy tale retellings are what I look forward to the most. She tends to return them to the darker undertones that the tale originally had, but still with a bit of humor and levity. That is the case with this one for the most part. As a retelling of Snow White, it took the core parts of the original and went wild with the rest. It features an older female protagonist who gets a romance with a hunky knight, like many of Kingfisher's fantasies. The story ran a bit darker than even I expected by the end; maybe it's just how I was thinking through the reveal of what really went down with the young girls, the revelations are kinda unnerving. And that's a good thing! The ending really stuck with me, its what makes Kingfisher a must-read author for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic for the ARC.

I watched the movie earlier this year, and by coincidence, found this not long after. I can't say I enjoyed the movie personally, it just wasn't for me. But this piece about the movie at least helped me understand it a bit better in the context of the time it was made in. Even if I didn't like a movie, I like a good conversation about it anyways, and this was well-thought-out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC.

By the author of A is for Arsenic, even more scientific explanations of Agatha Christie's choice of poisons in her novels! I read the first book back in high school, I think, and I loved it. This is more of that, which is never a bad thing. Explaining how chemically each of the poisons can kill, what it would take to survive them, and real cases where they were used, both in Christie's time and ours, this is as thorough as you can get in a little over 300 pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

While this is a prequel to Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vow, its so perfectly contained within it's own story that it can be read at any point in the series as a whole. It's a romantasy, in that its a fantasy whose story is primarily focused on the romance between the female and male protagonists; but it doesn't forget to build a beautifully complex world and magic system. I loved the details on the gods and their hierarchy, and how much more human they became now that you followed Matilda's growth as a goddess. I was instantly sold on the romance between her and Vincent, even with some tropes that I don't enjoy, like miscommunication, made sense in the moment. I also loved Matilda's relationship with Bade as her father figure. Honestly, I was ready to cry at many points throughout the story, happy and sad tears. One of the best books I read this year, by far.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC.

This is a fun and thoughtful project, of taking simple prompts like what would be fed into generative AI, and quickly draw or paint it. Of course it might not be what the prompter imagined, but its got so much more personality for what it is, that I think is hard for AI to replicate.

Thanks to NetGalley and Herbert Press for the ARC.

I love all the designs in this book, though I am partial to the gothic ones personally. I started the trio of well-dressed bats right now. Having never done cross-stitch before, I found the instructions and diagrams really helpful, from buying the right tools to starting the piece right to reading the patterns. As I only had the digital ARC, I'm keeping an eye out to nab a physical copy for myself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for the ARC.

This is my kind of silly action comedy. The worst killers out there make a deal with the government to reduce their sentence (or not get executed) by babysitting the children of the ultra elite. All are lethal in their specialities, but they also have their quirks that make them endearing as characters. It was fun to see the relationships between the teachers and other staff emerge, and I can't wait for the next volume.

Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

An idol manga starting from the ground up, from audition to... success? I like that we see that its not a given right away, despite how "perfect" Tenka seems. The characters swing from intriguing to unlikable, but I think its partly because they're such strong personalities. The art is good for the most part, though the dancing doesn't come through the best, at times a little confusing to piece together from static images.

Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

A broke and debt-ridden woman accidentally gets special powers in a kaiju incident, which leads to her recruitment/exploitation by a kaiju-fighting organization. All of this is played for laughs, to mixed results. It's a dark humor often at the expense of Sumire, which can get old at times. She is a relatable protagonist, though. Also, the art is pretty good, especially with the kaiju designs.

Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

Its a cute start to a supernatural slice-of-life. The character designs are fun, although the characters themselves feel a little one-note. If you just want a chill school comedy with maybe a little romance, this seems like it will fit the bill.