2025 Book Reviews January-March

All of the books/graphic novels in this article have an ISBN and that is why they are in this category instead of with comics as comic spotlights. Ratings are given in both stars and letters (3 stars or a C is average). Most of these books were checked out through the Aurora Public Library system.

Manga

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1

I just randomly picked up this series at the library and then the first main con of the year (Colorado Anime Fest) I attended had Frieren everywhere. That told me I had accidently stumbled upon a popular series. This first volume was ok and it did make me want to read more just to see what happens after a great mission happens (the life after).  

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vols. 2 & 4

These two volumes picked up and I enjoyed them more then the first one. I had to skip over volume 3 because the library had it. Even with that I didn't fell lost reading volume 4 like how some mangas can leave you if you read them out of order. This series really makes you think about how living forever or a really long time can impact a person's relationships and their concept of time. Lost of books I've read have had long living characters, but these concepts weren't really thought of in the way that this series does it. It makes you think about the impact of making friends that you know are going to die quickly in your lifetime would have. 4 stars out of 5 or a B+.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vols. 5 & 6

The arc with the first-class mage exam wasn't as interesting as the previous storyline. Also it was very weird that Frieren would have to do the exam at all considering her past and the head elf behind the scenes knowledge of her. 3 stars out of 5 or a C.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vols 7 & 8

This volume picks up again since it is the end of the exam and returns to the previous main storyline. What was interesting about this volume 7 was the interactions between Stark and Fern. They are so cute in their awkwardness. 4 stars out of 5 or a B+.

Inuyasha, Vols 6 & 15

This was three volumes in one. I had read the individual mangas back in the day, but this is one series that I don't mind rereading in new formats. Set 15 is great because it includes Koga who is such a funny rival for Inuyasha (any part of this series that has Inuyasha and Koga competing is super funny). 4 stars out of 5 or a B+.

Inuyasha, Vol. 14

The Meioju arc wasn't as interesting as other parts of the Manga. 3 stars out of 5 or a C.

One-Punch Man, Vol. 4

All of the books in the One-Punchman series are fast reads since they are mostly action focused. 4 stars out of 5 or a B.

One-Punch Man, Vol. 9

Garo attacks the hero association. Garo as a character stands out for me in how he is depicted when compared to many of the other characters in the series. His actions (like in relation to children) are complex. 4 stars out of 5 or a B.

One-Punch Man, Vol. 10

This begins the martial art tournament mini arc. This arc should have been much shorter and felt like it dragged. Also, Saitama trying to make himself look different was a little funny. 3 stars out of 5 or a C.

One-Punch Man, Vol. 11

2 stars out of 5 or a D.

One-Punch Man, Vol. 14

The martial art tournament is still going, but it is now getting interesting because monsters show up and they offer the contestants a chance to turn into a monster as well. 3 stars out of 5 or a C.

One-Punch Man, Vol. 19

Garo starts his own rescue mission even though he will not admit that to anyone even himself. As a side note one of the things I noticed posting all of the pictures of the covers for this post is that there can be seen a different quality to the covers that is inconsistent. The art in these manga is the same. Some characters it looks like time was spent on drawing them when others feel rushed. 2 stars out of 5 or a D.

One-Punch Man, Vols 22 & 23

2 stars out of 5 or a D.

Naruto, Vol. 1

I've been reading this series out of order, mostly fine because I've seen most of the anime. I've actually been getting Mommy Geek to watch it and I think she is starting to like it. I will say that I like the manga better then the anime. Mostly because in the manga Naruto is not so annoying and it is easier to build a connection with him. 3 stars out of 5 or a C.

Naruto, Vol. 3

3 stars out of 5 or a C.

Naruto, Vol. 15

3 stars out of 5 or a C.

Naruto, Vol. 26

3 stars out of 5 or a C.

Gunslinger Girl, Vol. 1

This book I found in the junior reading section of the library and I think that it should have been in the adult section. This is because of the extreme violence and adult topics it covers. Even though I'm used to Japanese products being more violent this one seemed to push into abuse. Some of it kind of makes me think of what the Black Widow must have gone through in the Red Room, but at the same time the details of child conditioning is just not something I'm really into getting first hand and just knowing it is in the back story of a character is enough. 2 stars out of 5 or a D-.

Gunslinger Girl, Vol. 2

I read a second volume just to say that I did try to give the series a chance, but still can't get past the child conditioning and mental abuse. Just a series that I personally thinks goes a little to far with certain topics. 2 stars out of 5 or a D-.

Kaiju Vols 7 & 8

I like this series because of the character development. Both of these volumes were just kind of average for the series with nothing really standing out. These were also fast reads. 3 stars out of 5 or a C+.

Angelic Layer, Vol. 1

In the past I had read another volume from this series. This Clamp series just doesn't feel as good as their other work. It does try to be more action focused for the battles, but the storylines around the battles don't hold your attention. It is very competition based with little overall plot. 3 stars out of 5 or a C. 

Soul Eater, Vol. 9

It has been awhile since I have read any Soul Eater manga or watched the anime. For this series I do like the anime better and this volume just doesn't hold your interest like the same section of the anime. 3 stars out of 5 or a C. 

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka

Very rough and stale. In Japan they try to make a manga for everyone and I feel like this series would have a limited market. This series could be good for a person who liked Blade Runner (it really has that feel to it), but it felt too niche for me. Just not my bag of tea, but some may like it. Murder, humans, and robots sums it up. 2 stars out of 5 or a D. 

Dr. Stone, Vol. 1

When I first discovered the anime it was a few random episodes a good chunk into the series, but the concept intrigued me. Then I found this first volume at Colorado Anime Fest in their manga library and I sat down to read. So glad I did. This first volume not only filled in some of the holes I had, but it was very funny. I really wish the local library would get this series so I could read more of it. The art work was good, but a lot of the drawings of Dr. Stone make him look older then a teenager to me and that throws me off a little on the style choice. So far my experience with this series has been great and I would highly recommend it. 5 stars out of 5 or a A+.

Shaman Warrior, Vol. 4

The art for this series looks like it was just pulled from someone's sketchbook and the storyline isn't interesting and drags. 2 stars out of 5 or a D-. 

Fiction

Legends & Lattes

I had seen this book advertised in a few different places, but only read it when it popped up on GoodReads reading challenge for fantasy books. I thought that it was a nice mindless read. I say mindless in that it was like putting on TV in the background when you don't want to think and want something not really stressful. Most of the book is them setting up the shop and the issues around it. There were only a few major events to get your 'heart pumping' which helped to make the overall book a calm read. When I went to do my rating on GoodReads I found a lot of haters of this book. It was funny that they were calling it fantasy trash and making fun of (lots of mean comments) about those who liked it. I will say I then went and looked at these 'haters' accounts and most of them had never read anything (either book or author) that could be considered to be classic fantasy and at most they only had modern fantasy smut on their reading lists. With so little exposure to the overall fantasy genre, they seem to have a lot of negative to say when they have no real background in the genre or overall have read few books. Haters are going to hate. 5 stars out of 5 or an A.

Example of one of the haters hating.

Bride

This book was one of many on one of the GoodReads book challenges for the start of the year. It wasn't my first choice, but was one of the few that the local library actually had. I was actually really glad that I did pick it up. The story starts out very slowly (nearly to the point I gave up on it), but does pick up around the 'kidnapping' attempt. From there the book gets good. At the same time when characters said or did things I questioned how realistic some of their decisions were even in a made up world. Even with that I thought it was good overall and I think the author needs to explore more in her fantasy writing. 4 stars out of 5 or a B+.  

Nonfiction?

Wildman of the Woods!: Where's the Creature with the Big Feet?

This is a great little cryptozoology book for kids that looks at some of the conversations around bigfoot. The only thing I didn't like is that it had a focus on some evidence that has been debunked. 3 stars out of 5 or a C.

Legendary Creatures

A nice little book that introduces you to creatures around the world. Nice pictures as well. 3 stars out of 5 or a C.

Graphic Novels

Those Left Behind (Serenity #1)

This graphic novel shows a little of how tough life is in the verse and the team's money issues. A long time fan of the Serenity series this was a nice little slice of their lives. 5 stars out of 5 or an A.

X-Men Epic Collection Vol. 17: Dissolution & Rebirth

This volume was so hard to get through and took me over a month to read because it just didn't draw me in. There was no reason to have emotional attachment to the characters even if you already knew them. The plot also jumped around way too much even though it was all a part of a larger story. 2 stars out of 5 or a D.

Hell Phone, Book 1

I guess that this would be a good early suspense/horror book for kids, but even with that it just didn't catch my interest as a reader because of how drawn out the plot was (needed to move faster). 2 stars out of 5 or a D.

The Mortal Instruments, Vol. 3

Even though I like the story line and full books (movie and TV show also great) from Cassandra Clare, these graphic versions are just not good. My whole problem with them is the artwork. It looks sloppy and thrown together. I wish it would have had more manga like art work which a lot of the time focuses on the beautiful vs rushed. 2 stars out of 5 or a D.

Children's

Pikachu Loves 

This was a cute little book that I stumbled upon at the grocery store. This would be a great book for super young kids and can help parents introduce them to Pokémon characters. 3 stars out of 5 or a C. 

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57147096-frieren

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 2 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58438422-frieren

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 4 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366003-frieren

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 5 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366041-frieren

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 6 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321360-frieren

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 7 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273636-frieren

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 8 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919700-frieren

Inuyasha Vol 15 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15803900-inuyasha-volume-15

One-Punch Man vol. 4 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25784128-one-punch-man-vol-4

One-Punch Man vol. 9 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29498953-one-punch-man-vol-9

One-Punch Man vol. 10 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29499019-one-punch-man-vol-10

One-Punch Man vol. 11 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31140450-one-punch-man-vol-11

One-Punch Man vol. 14 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36538800-one-punch-man-vol-14

One-Punch Man vol. 19 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51018428-one-punch-man-vol-19

One-Punch Man vol. 22 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55711505-one-punch-man-vol-22

One-Punch Man vol. 23 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56898059-one-punch-man-vol-23

Naruto vol 1 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204042.Naruto_Vol_1

Naruto vol 3 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204044.Naruto_Vol_03

Naruto vol 15 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/400636.Naruto_Vol_15

Naruto vol 26 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1846790.Naruto_Vol_26

Gunslinger Girl vol 1 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22553.Gunslinger_Girl_Vol_1

Gunslinger Girl vol 2 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22552.Gunslinger_Girl_Vol_2

Kaiju Vol. 7 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919707-kaiju-no-8-vol-7

Kaiju Vol. 8 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101158778-kaiju-no-8-vol-8

Angelic Layer vol 1 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/485098.Angelic_Layer_Vol_1

Soul Eater vol 9 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13528305-soul-eater-vol-9

Pluto Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4192261-pluto

Dr. Stone, Vol. 1 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39175733-dr-stone-vol-1

Shaman Warrior, Vol. 4 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1452539.Shaman_Warrior_Vol_4

Legends & Lattes Picture and supporting picture From:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200760126-legends-lattes

Bride Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181350327-bride

Wildman of the Woods Picture From: https://archive.org/details/wildmanofwoodswh0000teit

Legendary Creatures Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26484855-legendary-creatures

Those Left Behind Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12994907-those-left-behind

X-Men Epic Collection Vol. 17: Dissolution & Rebirth: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43210933-x-men-epic-collection-vol-17

Hell Phone Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60153590-hell-phone-book-one

The Mortal Instruments vol 3 Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44781952-the-mortal-instruments

Pikachu Loves Picture From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73880424-pikachu-loves-pok-mon