Review for the ARC.

I was not expecting this. I was so not expecting this. I read the blurb and I expected something like this: Supernatural 80%, Mystery 10%, Murder 10%. Instead, it was more like this Supernatural: 5%, Mystery: 30%, Murder: 50%, Random Stuff: 15%.

The supernatural part is really boring and quite soon over, it only pops up at times, but I feel like it was just added to give the murder some story. The murder/death part was really big and let's just say after a while I was through with it. We know he died, and we probably can easily guess who did and all that. But yet they keep on going and going. The binoculars get used a few times, but that is it. Nothing big or mysterious, just a huge let down.

I didn't like most of the characters. In some cases I was wondering how they got to be friends, they are all quite different.

The romance part was done nicely, the love triangle was not even something I would get angry at for once. Since you could clearly read they were feeling guilty, were trying to not do it.

The ending however, was just lame. The truth about the binoculars are revealed, and let's just say, blurgh.

All in all, not really a book I will be recommending to people.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

4.5 stars. 

This was a marvellous, interesting, great book, and I am glad I was able to read it. 

Tori at first I liked her, but as soon as I knew what she had done, the betrayal, the mean girl attitude, I started hating her. Especially since it seems she had absolutely no clue what she did wrong. In her eyes, she was innocent and she didn't feel like she didn't have anything to do with what happened to a friend. How dumb can you be girl? Did you even see what you wrote? Did you even see how your friend reacted to those? Didn't you see him ask you to stop. I can imagine you wanted friends, popularity and more, but this isn't the way. You can't just bully someone into death, and then expect to just frolic through life like nothing happened. Sure you didn't hang the rope around his neck, you didn't throw him of the balcony, BUT you were a cause, you were one of the reason he killed himself, and you will have to see that. I also was shaking my head when the big revelation happened and Tori was totally oblivious as to what happened.

I really liked how Tori was thrown head first in a request made by a caller. To give him a reason to live. What follows is a very interesting conversation, though I had times I was just annoyed at the caller. I found him rude, mean and I was wondering why and how. Luckily the explanation at the end was good, and it made for a nice twist in the end. 

I liked that we had those facebook/internet posts, were we can clearly see what happened and what Tori did.

Now that twist at the ending? I loved it. It was awesome and while I could have seen it coming, it was still a surprise.

Now the reason why this isn't a 5 star? Because of the ending, we never ever find out what happens to Tori. Did she get found guilty? Innocent? Did she ever go back to school? What happened there? So many questions, and so little answers. So -0.5 star for that.

All in all though, this book is pretty good, though you might be annoyed with Tori's attitude at times.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

I was at first a bit worried, should I continue this series? I know I enjoyed, no, loved the first book, but it was also so over the top, so much stuffed in a book that it almost seemed fake at times. But I was lured in, and I can honestly say, yes it was once again over the top, but it was also once again, love. :)

Anne can still not leave the whole Matthew thing go, so she goes to search around again and see if she can do anything, and yes, this includes various illegal things.
I didn't like everything Anne did, like how she as soon as she dumped Brent went to Anthony and let him kiss her and all that. I know she had feelings for him, but come on, you just dumped your boyfriend of a few months (or longer) and you don't need any time to recuperate, did you really like the dude? (I guess not)
I was also amazed at all the things she did just to close this case for once and all. Though it meant a lot of bad things happened to her, but also others, and probably will keep on happening. Though I really hope it will all get resolved in the next book. 

I seriously didn't like various characters in this book. We had a character who was just a prick, a school directory that was super-corrupt (as was also noticeable in the first book) and we also got a mystery woman (who I didn't trust and it seems I was right not to trust). 

I can somehow imagine that people don't like Anne. While she is trying to find out the truth and all, she also gets people fired, she hurts people and is very persistent in what she wants and how she wants it.

But I would also like to thank the author, I found some great quotes in this book that I will be keeping and using when needed. :)

I will be looking forward to the next book, only a few more months to go. Which I didn't really expect, I expected I had to wait another year or so.

Oh one more thing, thanks publisher and such for keeping the covers consistent. The many times I have seen that covers change for a series and that you suddenly have l

Review first posted on: http://twirlingbookprincess.com

When I heard Yen Press would be releasing the anthologies of Blood Lad I knew I just had to get them! :)

So here I am, and I can honestly say I loved it. It was silly, more over the top than Blood Lad (and that is something I thought couldn't be topped). There are several 4-komas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonkoma) and several normal comics about various characters.

We have stories about Bell who wants to diet because she gained too much fat and the hilarious things that happens after all that. But also stories about Liz, Braz and all the other characters. We even find out about how the mystery meat in the Third-Eye Cafe and what kind of traumas that induces. 

So is this volume worth its money? Yes, yes, and more yes. I really loved to see the characters again, and seeing them in hilarious situations was a great plus. However, there was one thing I didn't like. The art-style seemed to have dropped in some places. I had a few panels were it looked like a child had drawn the art, not a famous mangaka. But that is a minor thing, and luckily the rest makes up for that.

If you read the Blood Lad series and want something new, while waiting for new volumes to appear, I would really recommend this one. :) There will be another one coming soon.

Review first posted on: http://twirlingbookprincess.com

This book contains 4 stories, that all have to do with ghosts/hauntings and such. It doesn't really fit with the whole Nancy Drew thing though, since a lot of these books specify something otherworldly happening, while in Nancy Drew books there mostly is some worldly explanation for it.

I think my favourite would be the haunted house/tv show one, the one after that the Manga Mayhem story. 

The stories have one thing in common: They all start at a slow pace, and you really need to get through the first several pages to get to a good story, and that is why it gets -1 star. The other -1 star is because, while of course I expected ghost stories, I also expected them, true to Nancy Drew style, to have a logical reason, not some supernatural thing that Nancy often couldn't explain.

But it was also fun to see the gang again. Really loved the cousins and Ned was also great. Though you really notice the age and all of the books, especially considering that Nancy and Ned show barely any affection, they are boyfriend and girlfriend, yet you don't read about them hugging or kissing that much, they don't even say much words of love to each other.

But I would recommend this book to the fans, they might just like it.