The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

This was such a cute book.

None of the Prince Charmings are the same person. Didn't everyone know that? They have names. Liam, the dashing hero who saved Sleeping Beauty from the evil fairy/dragon. Gustav, the large, strong man who rescued Rapunzel from the evil witch and freed her from the tower. Duncan, who's kiss awake Snow White. And Frederic who searched the land looking for Cinderella. Also what you don't know is that Liam does not like Sleeping Beauty's attitude. Gustav gets made fun of for falling out of the tower and having to be saved by Rapunzel when he goes blind. Duncan is odd and has no friends. And Frederic has practically never set foot outside of the castle and is afraid of practically everything.

Cinderella decides to go off on an adventure to find the countries missing bard, because life is too tame in Frederic's castle. Frederic, not wanting her to be hurt, follows slowly and tries to track her down. Frederic ends up running into all of these other Princes Charming on his quest to find his fiance. But then only realize too late that she has been kidnapped by the witch who held Rapunzel captive for so long. This witch is sick of being made fun of by those lyrical bards and always singing her as the bad guy and giving her a bad reputation. She will put a stop to all of these heroes.

This is a very comical book full of archetypal tropes turned on their heads. The Princes Charming are so much more than they appear. It is funny and a really light hearted read, even though the witch was planning on killing a lot of people. *shrugs* It is very much the basic hero's journey in plot, very much a heroes journey in tale too, but that is to be expected. Look at the title. I enjoyed the characters and the twist that Christopher Healy gave them. I love the fact that Cinderella is the most adventurous, next to Liam, because she her archetype is one of submissiveness whereas here it is so not the case.

The reprise of this story was just fun!

This is a book I'd suggest for a boy who is wanting a fun book to read. Girls can enjoy it too, but I find that it is harder for parents to find engaging books for their sons. This is one that I think they would enjoy and have fun with.

I enjoyed it and am excited for the next two books.

Ouran High School Host Club

Ouran High School Host Club has been a favorite of mine for such a long time. This series is what got me into anime then to manga and actually led me to a bunch of my favorite music selections with Ouran as the AMV that I found on youtube-- with the help of my best friend, of course.

I loved the anime though it was far to short. Ouran is one of the most favored shoujo mangas out there and for good reason. It's fantastic. For those who love the anime or are in need of a cute romantic comedy, this is for you.

Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarship student at the renowned Ouran Academy. Ouran is a place where rich kids from rich families come to learn and socialize. The Host Club is where some of the richest and smartest kids come to entertain themselves because they "have too much time on their hands." The boys fawn over the girls and the girls love it. Haruhi stumbles into Music Room 3 where the Host Club meets and accidentally breaks a very expensive vase. In order to pay it back, Haruhi becomes the Hosts' "dog," running errands and whatnot, and quickly becomes a Host as well. What most don't know is that Haruhi is actually a girl. "How do you miss that?" Because she couldn't afford to buy the school uniform and got gum in her hair the night before--therefore cutting her hair herself and doing a horrendous job of it--she looked like a boy and everyone thought she was one. She didn't see the need to correct it, because a person is a person no matter their gender, and she rolled with it. The Host Club, of course, found out but let the girls who visit believe she was a boy so then Haruhi could pay back her debt.

The story goes on and, as any romantic comedy goes, some of the boys start falling in love with Haruhi. However because some of them are socially inept and others are idiots they don't realize it. Haruhi herself doesn't realize that she is falling in love with one of the boys. But they go on many adventures where they all grow, except for possibly two of them (maybe), and develop past themselves. I love the way they develop. They all grow in many ways, they all have their weaknesses, they all have their own personalities. It was a great feat, or so I think anyway, when I finally figured out which twin was which. I felt very happy with myself. They are so much fun.

I enjoyed the development with Tamaki's dad, as well as Kyoya's dad, and how they are portrayed here in the manga differently than in the anime. In the anime, Tamaki's dad is a doting father, who loves his son so much, whereas in the anime he seemed colder. Kyoya's dad isn't as lovey dovey as Tamaki's but he is very proud of Kyoya and all the work that Kyoya does do. He wouldn't actually slap Kyoya, because he's proud of him.

The artwork is really good and full of fun things. Beautiful artwork of places and cute moments. If you get iffy on the first few chapters, keep going. The artwork gets better and less rigid. It progresses  just like any writers, well, writing. They get better and by the second or third book, you won't be disappointed.

Ah, this story is amazing. Such fun and so lighthearted.

Part of the ending did remind me of Maid-Sama. Super rich boy who falls for a girl who is struggling to make ends meet. Parts of the stories were similar, maybe slightly cliched, but we're okay with it because the story is so much fun. I recommend both books, because they are great.

The anime is only about a forth of the manga series where you get the brief glimpse of the awesomeness that is Ouran High School Host Club. If you enjoy the anime, please read this one. If you cannot find a physical copy of the book there are manga reader apps, such as "My Shelf," to read it.

Read it. Enjoy it.

Shades of Milk and Honey

I have been wanting to read this book a for a while. Jane Austen with magic! What could a romantic fantasy lover ask for?

Jane Ellsworth can manipulate folds from the ether and can do it as any fine, accomplished woman can do, though she has a bit more talent than most. However, she is older, not as pretty as her younger sister, and slowly accepting her spinsterhood.

The neighborhood is excited for the famous glamorist who is taking up a job at the Viscountess' home to glamor her home. He is amazing at his craft, being able to bring the outside indoors complete with birds, a babbling brook, and nymphs hidden in the woods all in the Viscountess' drawing room. Not only is the new glamorist in town, but the Viscountess' favorite nephew is here as well, stealing the hearts of many of the towns girls; and Mr. Dunkirk's younger sister has come for a visit. So many people have come that it throws everything into a happy chaos full of balls and growing friendships.

There are a lot of similarities to Jane Austen's work. The time period, the romances, and aura. Kowal did a good job mimicking and giving the experience of an Austen novel. The magic was a great twist and well explained as the story went on. It fit well into the setting that she produced. I rather enjoyed it and am excited to read on.

I do have two problems though. It is very much like Jane Austen, probably too much so. I have read all of the novels she produced and there are many, many instances and characters that are unnervingly similar to Austen's work. <<SPOILERS>> Melody reminds me very much of Lydia Bennett, Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth are practically Mr. and Mrs. Bennett with all the cases of nerves and toying with the nerves, Jane reminded me over a mixture of Jane Bennett and Elizabeth Bennett, Beth is a type of Georgiana Darcy with troubled pasts of boys,  and Mr. Vincent is our Mr. Darcy, of course. They had events from Emma and plot of Pride and Prejudice and others. I don't appreciate that as much as some. If I want to read the plot of P&P I'll read P&P.  (Though Mr. Bennett is one of my favorite characters and it was fun to see him in another place.) <<End of SPOILERS>> I wanted this to be different.

Oh, and number two, the ending. There was good and bad about the ending. Much like above, it ended like a JA book would with the main character and her beau getting together and a quick, omniscient conclusion.  It is expected and I'm okay with it. I'm not okay with kisses and embraces. Normally it is expected, but if we were going for historical propriety, kisses and embraces don't happen. The British at this time didn't hug or kiss on the lips, especially in public, because it was an improper display of affection. You didn't do it, even if no one was watching. Or if you did, you'd be ridiculed and seen as a Mr. Wickham/Lydia Bennett. A reputation, especially the girls, would be tainted so fast. So while it is nice in a modern America, it wouldn't have happened. (I blame this response on my JA Professor in college and her making mention/lecture on how although Persuasion did a fantastic job in a portrayal of the novel, the kiss at the end wouldn't have happened, as I explained above.)

Oh, and his words to Jane at the end were rather cheesy. Not a "squee" cheesy, but "oh, that is dripping in cheese there; probably too much."

I go on about dislikes, but I really did enjoy the novel. The conversation and the happening were well done. It was well paced and had good foreshadowing. I could have easily read this in two or three days (except I got super busy  at my house so it took a tad longer). It was fast. It was enjoyable to have a sweet romance with dashes of fantasy in it. You don't get that often in many fantasy novels. Often it is the other way around, where the magics are the focus and the romance is in the background. I plan on reading the next four books.

Enjoy.

The Historian

The Historian dives into the world of the most well known vampire: Vlad Dracula.

In the story, many people have died when they've started to research the true Dracula (Vlad Tepes) and his actual resting place. "A young woman"/"the narrator" finds a mysterious book in her father's library with an ornate wood carving in the center of the book. What is this book, why is Drakuya written it it. Every question she has more mysterious things happen, even the death of her cat as a warning to stop looking. Mysterious figures and strange stories from her father keep her investigating even though her cat isn't the only one killed.

Kostova did a great job in researching the affairs that correlate here. Knowing a lot about Vlad Dracula and Bram Stoker as well as the places "the narrator" visits wither her father. Way to do your research!

However, I didn't finish the book. It was sooooo slow. Her father is so scared of his shadow and can only tell his story behind the book that it takes the girl months go get anything. They travel all around Europe and only get snippets of the story. It is so stock full of description and travel (unless they are eating) that it is hard to get to the actual context of the book. It also jumps from letters, to her father's stories, to her own "adventures" that it is hard to follow in parts. There were parts were she met with another girl who was reading Bram Stokers Dracula, the chapter jumps to letters and what I thought was her own adventures, but then it jumped back to her sitting at the charol in the library across from the girl again. I was so confused. It jumped so badly and went so slowly...

Also, why doesn't she have a name? It's not that hard to give characters names and use them.

It is a large book with nearly 700 pages but I could only get through 115 or so (with Hadi Girl somewhere in the middle). It was kind of depressing and dark (large portions of the story taking place at night, in dark libraries, etc. as well as people getting killed mysteriously) and I've sooo not been in the mood for that. It seemed to actually make my mood worse. So I'm stopping and probably won't pick it up again.

If it was written differently, more engaging, less jumpy, I probably would read on because the idea was interesting, but I don't want to read a 700 page book on how to research the undead and the murder warnings that happen.

If you don't mind slow reading or are super into descriptions, this book is for you. Not for me. Good luck.