manga: St. Dragon Girl Vol 1-2

Momoka is a martial artist who is a member of her school’s kenpo club. She has a crush on her childhood friend, Ryuga, who can pretend the future and cast binding spells, or something. When Momoka accidentally stumbles into one of Ryuga’s spells, she becomes bonded to the dragon spirit he was summoning to save Shunran, his cousin and Momoka’s best friend. Momoka remains bonded to the dragon spirit, whose power she can only use when Ryuga unseals the spirit.

I glanced at this series when it first came out but passed on it because it looked like Momoka spent most of her time worrying about if Ryuga liked her and never got to save the day. Sadly, I was right. I mean, for all their problems, at least Arina Tanemura* and Clamp would let the heroine actually be the heroine most of the time, you know? But I have review copies of volumes 3 and 4, so I figured I should check the first two volumes out first.

I’d like this book a lot more if Momoka was in charge of when she used her power, had any control over her power, didn’t essentially need Ryuga’s “permission” to use it, and actually got to save the day every once in a while instead of Ryuga showing up at the last moment no matter what the situation is. Not to mention the fact that she’s constantly worrying about whether or not he returns her feelings. He pretty clearly does, but mostly just teases her about things. Actually, their relationship would be pretty cute if it weren’t for the annoying parts with him controlling everything about the power and her never getting to save the day.

In short, not terrible, but if I didn’t have review copies of more, I’d sniff disdainfully in its general direction and rewatch Princess Tutu, reread Cardcaptor Sakura or read more Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne the next time I had yen for this type of Magical Girl Shoujo. Actually, they all sound like good ideas anyway.

*Not including The Two Titles That Do Not Exist. (If they existed, they’d be titled I.O.N. and Short-Tempered Melancholic. But they don’t exist.)

manhwa: Shaman Warrior Vol 7

It’s been well over a year since I read the last volume of this, and I really should have reread the earlier volumes as a refresher before reading this. It’s like Saiyuki all over again.

( spoilers )

Slightly Scandalous by Mary Balogh

Not wanting to be anywhere in the vicinity when her former fiance’s wife gives birth, Freyja Bedwyn decides to visit a friend in Bath. Along the way, a man fleeing an angry grandfather hides in her room, and doesn’t appear impressed by her arrogant hauteur when she kicks him out. Later, she catches him appearing to molest a maid in Bath, and confronts him that evening at a social gathering, only to learn that the man, Joshua Moore, had actually been saving the maid.

I was very nervous about this book. I love Freyja, who is arrogant, opinionated, frank, shameless and confident, and more than a little wild, but my experience with women in fiction like her, regardless of genre, is that if they aren’t evil, then they must be tamed and taught the error of their ways. And, indeed, for the first 60 or so pages, it appears that Freyja will be tamed and taught the error of her ways, including through public humiliation. It didn’t help that I was actively disliking Joshua, who was coming across as the typical annoying rogue character in romances. Thankfully, Balogh quickly remembered that she was a much better writer than that, the idea of changing Freyja to be more” proper” was cheerfully thrown out the window, and Joshua became more fun and likable as the two became friends (or at least, friendlier) and entered into a false engagement to save him from being manipulated into marriage with his cousin. Which would have irritated, save that the cousin, Constance, also really really really didn’t want to marry him. I do, however, sense a certain theme with Balogh and fake engagements, but maybe it’s just the ones I’ve been reading

This was fun, but I still think the two loose prequels to the Bedwyn books are better than (so far) the actual Bedwyn series. I’m glad that Freyja grew and changed without having to actually be changed or reformed, and I like that, aside from Freyja and Joshua, most of the relationship focus was on Freyja forming various kinds of friendships with other women. Though I am slightly disappointed that Joshua is socially acceptable, and so I was deprived of Wulfric having to come to terms with yet another sibling marrying a Lesser Being. And then actually kinda liking said Lesser Being.

Farscape 4.2-4.3

( There is always a good reason to run! )

Recent-ish and upcoming YA books I 'need' to get.

Mostly for my own reference.

Stuff from authors i haven't read before:

The Amaranth Enchantment - Julie Berry

BOOK:  Cinderella grows a spine, gets a talking goat, and hooks up with a street thief.
ME:  Paperback?

The Demon's Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan

BOOK:  Demonslaying.  Handyman.
ME:  Is the leaky pipe cursed?

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

PEOPLE:  It is awesome!  just like Battle Royale!
ME:  I...was never interested in that?
PEOPLE WHO AREN'T INTO THAT EITHER:  IT IS AWESOME!
PEOPLE WHO ARE INTO THAT AND HAVE MANY OVERLAPPING TASTES WITH ME:  IT IS AWESOME!
ME:  I feel worn down!

Magic Under Glass - Jaclyn Dolamore

Dancing girl saves fairy gentleman from being sursed into being trapped in an automaton.

The Rest Falls Away: The Gardella Vampire Chronicles - Colleen Gleason

BOOK:  Regency Buffy!
ME:  I only trust the first 5 seasons of Buffy when it comes to girls drawn to vampires.
PEOPLE WHO SHARE MY BRAIN:  LOVE!
ME:  *cautiously looks*

Ash - Malinda Lo

BOOK:  Cinderella!  Being active!  Not bemoaning her fate and being spineless and downtrodden and overwhelmingly good!
ME: I AM INTRIGUED!
BOOKS:  Lesbian Cinderella!
ME: ...You don't say.

Daughter of the Flames - Zoë Marriott

BOOK:  Scarred long lost princess plots to reclaim kingdom!
ME: ...!!!

Rampant - Diana Peterfreund

BOOK:  Virgin descendants of Alexander the Great fight evil unicorns!
ME:  OMG YOU SOUND AWESOMELY TERRIBLE!
PEOPLE:  It is awesome!
MEL  *deeply suspicious*
PEOPLE WITH GENERALLY RELIABLE TASTE:  It is awesome!
ME:  Really?

Flygirl - Sherri L. Smith

BOOK:  WW2 AVIATRIX!
ME:  SOLD!
BOOK: Who pretends to be white so she can join!
ME: ...You don't say!

Stuff I need to get to catch up/when they come out:

Fire - Kristin Cashore
Betraying Season (Leland Sisters, Book 2)  - Marissa Doyle
Splendor: A Luxe Novel (The Luxe) - Anna Godbersen
Enchanted Glass - Diana Wynne Jones
The Faerie Path #2: The Lost Queen: Book Two of The Faerie Path - Frewin Jones
The Faerie Path #3: The Seventh Daughter: Book Three of The Faerie Path - Frewin Jones
Warrior Princess - Frewin Jones
Fragile Eternity - Melissa Marr
The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen - Delia Sherman
A Conspiracy of Kings - Megan Whalen Turner