Friday, December 23, 2016

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Tokyo Ghoul: Days by Shin Todawa

Genre:
Young Adult/New Adult
Action/Drama/Psychological/Horror
Supernatural/Seinen
Series:
Tokyo Ghoul: Days, #1
(set in the Tokyo Ghoul Universe)
Release Date (JP):
July 19, 2013
Release Date (US):
October 18, 2016
Published by:
Jump j Books (JP)
VIZ Media LLC (US)

Written by:
Shin Todawa

Illustrated by:
Sui Ishida

Synopsis:
In the café Anteiku, where Ghouls gather, danger and the possibility of discovery loom. Yoshimura, the café's owner, is watching a certain someone. What sort of darkness will that person bring to those who hunt and those who are hunted? This book chronicles six all-new stories from the Tokyo Ghoul universe.



      


~~~

Series Titles:

Tokyo Ghoul: Void                                    Tokyo Ghoul: Past
 
(covers link to Goodreads)

      

~~~~~

*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains spoilers

It is written by Shin Todawa and illustrated by Sui Ishida. Tokyo Ghoul Days is for those familiar with the Tokyo Ghoul manga by Sui Ishida. Analytically, it’s written in third person omniscient which allows the reader to understand the main charater’s feelings, the vocabulary can be read at a fifth or sixth grade level, but the English translation doesn’t seem to do Tokyo Ghoul Days justice. It’s either too literal or felt inaccurate as I read through it. Like, “Takatsugi?” I’m sure it’s “Takatsuki.” I quite enjoyed the book but it was difficult at first to dive right in, as the first story, Hide’s story, confused me a bit. If the reader isn’t familiar with anime and manga, the story is slightly perplexing because the first story jumps from flashback to present and from character to character without warning. But I got through the whole thing.

Breaking up the light novel into its six stories:

The Bible: Hideyoshi Nagachika, nicknamed Hide, is the first character from Tokyo Ghoul to have his light novel debut. I maintain my previous complaints about this story, as stated in the beginning of this review. The story follows Hide during his time without Kaneki and features a few of their memories together but it jumps around without warning. I’m glad as a Tokyo Ghoul fan to learn what Hide was doing during the time Kaneki was adjusting to his new life as a half-ghoul and it displays Hide’s intuitive side.

Lunch Boxes: This one is probably my favorite out of the six stories, most likely because Touka Kirishima is my favorite female character in Tokyo Ghoul. Lunch Boxes follows the friendship between Touka and her human friend, Yoriko. It displays Touka’s struggle to live her life as a ghoul and a human in high school. I thought it was sweet but a little cliché with that basic “Mean Girls,” bullying plot to it.

Photos: I didn’t find Photos as memorable as others. This story follows the beginning of Shu Tsukiyama and Chie Hori’s friendship, during Tsukiyama’s high school days. This is more of an introduction to Chie Hori’s character, as Tsukiyama acts the same way he does in the actual Tokyo Ghoul manga. Photos is a good balance between a ghoul and a human perspective. It shows that ghouls are carnivorous for human flesh but humans are also monsters in their own way through things like abuse, perversion, manipulation, gluttony, etc.

The Big City: This story makes its way to my second favorite of the six stories because of how touching it is. It shows how gentle a fully developed, young ghoul can be; Ikuma is a sweet, gentle, and polite ghoul after being raise by a human mother. Ikuma Momochi’s story shows that humans and ghouls can live together without conflict but the fear of being eaten or hunted down is always lingering.

The Bookmark: Hinami Fueguchi is the focus of the fifth story and follows her emotional state after her parent’s deaths. I think it made for a potential future relationship between a ghoul and a human but they undoubtedly will never meet again. After Tsukiyama’s story displayed a human with a sinister streak, Hinami’s story shows people are not born heartless or merciless after a human boy helps her from being kidnapped by a group of high schoolers. He learns last minute of their identity as ghouls but, in the final section of this story, questions his father’s judgment in calling ghouls “inhuman beasts.”

Yoshida: Kazuo Yoshida’s story is probably the shortest of the six but also compelling. Towada gave this unfortunate ghoul a simple backstory, naivety, and got him some pity from me. While ghouls do not have any legal rights, they have morals and empathy like a human.

Overall, I enjoyed Towada’s expansion of the Tokyo Ghoul universe and am eager to get the next light novel, Tokyo Ghoul: Void, also written by Shin Todawa. It has many aspects that can be intriguing. It maintains a good balance of everyday life and action. However, I still maintain my opinion that these light novels are for fans who follow Tokyo Ghoul to have a better idea of who the characters are, what these stories can offer, maybe some terminology.

My Rating:


Tuesday, December 20, 2016

BLOG TOUR: Intended for Bristol by L.P. Dover


We are thrilled to participate on this Official Blog Tour for L.P. Dover's Last Chance, the ninth book in the Second Chances series! This can be read as a standalone! On our tour stop today, we have an exciting excerpt, a book trailer...AND, a cool tour-wide giveaway! Check it out and grab your copy today!

Genre:
New Adult
Contemporary Romance
Romantic Suspense
Series:
Second Chances, #9
Publish Date:
December 6, 2016
Publisher:
Loveswept

Synopsis:
L. P. Dover’s tantalizing Second Chances series gets a change of scenery as the Carolina Cougars’ infamous bad boy heads to the West Coast. His best laid plans call for seduction—but a driven career woman has him begging for more.
 
Trying to live down his very public indiscretions, Carolina Cougars kicker Jaxon Reed feels like the most hated man in the NFL. When he’s traded away, his new teammates in California don’t waste any time making his life miserable. Unfortunately for them, Jaxon’s no easy target. As payback, he sets his sights on the quarterback’s sister: a sultry brunette who’s curvy, confident, and sexy as hell. But what begins as a revenge fling turns into so much more.
 
Bristol Thomas doesn’t have time for games, especially those played by her brother’s Neanderthal teammates. A talented interior designer with lofty goals, she doesn’t know the first thing about football, or Jaxon—except that he’s exactly the type of man she usually avoids. But when his deep laugh and deeper kisses break through her walls, she becomes the target of a fan who’s obsessed with Jaxon. Now she needs to know that Jaxon has her back . . . because he already has her heart.


       

*Excerpt*


“Hey,” I squealed, waving my hand in the air. I was so happy my brother would finally get to meet Jack.

He walked toward me with a smile, but when he caught sight of Jack, that smile turned into an all-out heated glare. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he growled, quickening his pace.

Jack froze and gripped my arm, grumbling, “Shit,” before pulling me around to face him. “Bristol, listen to me. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out.”

Everything was happening so fast, I didn’t know what to think. “Find out what?” I asked desperately.
Before he could reply, Ryan ripped me out of Jack’s hold and pushed him away. Jaw tense, Jack was ready to fight, but I couldn’t let that happen. “Ryan, stop!” I shouted, digging my nails in his shoulder.

Jerking his head around, he glared straight at me. “Do you even know who this cocksucker is? He’s playing you to get back at me.”

I threw my hands in the air. “What the hell are you talking about? How do you even know him?”

Jack’s eyes never left mine, the anguish on his face making me sicker by the second. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what came out of Ryan’s mouth. He scoffed incredulously and spat at Jack. “He’s Jaxon fucking Reed, the asshole on the team I’ve been telling you about. Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”


Jack stepped forward, but then again, that wasn’t his name. It was Jaxon Reed.


Book Trailer:


What Others are Saying:
“Deft plotting and a hair-raising finale elevate this pulse-pounding tale.”Publishers Weekly

“I loved this book.”—A Crazy Vermonter’s Book Reviews

“A fun and entertaining story . . . I can’t wait to read more books in this series.”—Cocktails & Books

~~~

Don't miss the previous books in the Second Chances series!
       
(book covers are links to Goodreads)

       

~~~~~

**About the Author**
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.

Not only does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes, white water rafting, and you can't forget the passion for singing. Her two number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those songs usually consist of Christmas carols.

Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written over nine novels including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, and her standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.

L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

Stay connected with L.P. Dover
     
email: authorlpdover@gmail.com

~~~~~

***The Giveaway***


Blog Tour Organized by