Andres

In my review of Vol.2, I mentioned that the fight between Zeus and Adam was going to be one of the best fights I've read in a manga, and after reading this volume, I can honestly stand by what I've said wholeheartedly.

The fight draws two opposing sides and points-of-view into an epic encounter that simply evokes thrills from not even the reader, but even the characters in the manga. In many ways, it's a battle of “archetypes” or “ideals”. Whereas Zeus has always been depicted as a “God among Gods”, often revered throughout history, in reality, he's a toxic r*pist while also being a terrible father and role model. Thus, Zeus in the manga is not depicted in a “divine” way, but rather as a disturbing (with emphasis) old man, which represents his own nature. In contrast, Adam is depicted as both a caring father and husband, which he truly was; when he states his reason for fighting, is such an epic and emotional moment that it simply wins the hearts of everyone (reader included).

The severe juxtaposition between the two, as well as the sheer intensity of the fight, makes this one of the greatest fights you'll ever read.

Adam is not one, but he definitely is the GOD of this manga.

Can't wait for the development of Kojiro vs Poseidon, especially after the weight and emotion of Zeus vs Adam's fight paves the way for this one.

Here, Gabimaru is still amazing in almost everything he does, but Sagiri steals his thunder on this one. And I'm not even mad about it.

You see, when you have a co-protagonist steal the spotlight from the character we started with, this one must be interesting or rather on par with the previously mentioned character. Not only Sagiri fills that role perfectly, but it also allowed both of them to grow as well; Sagiri ditches several of the inferiority layers we could see since the previous volume, and when it's time for her to step up in combat, it leaves you baffled at how incredible and strong her character is.

She doesn't leave her humanity behind, nor the author attempts to make things “easy” for her just to be on par with Gabimaru. Everything she does is due to her own will, courage, merit, and abilities we knew she possessed but that she didn't use. If you think about it, no other character thus far (except for his piece of trash master) has been able to be on par with Gabimaru except for her, which in retrospect is brilliant because it established the strength and tenacity of Sagiri since the beginning and what she was capable of. You know, I've been waiting to read a GREATLY WRITTEN female character for a while now, and I'm glad I found it in Sagiri. Props to the author for knowing how to write female characters.

Also, I love how the narrative keeps giving twist after twist. When you think you figured out something about the world or characters, something else is revealed that surprises you and your entire perception of how the story is going to unfold. Loving this series so far.

This serves as a great introduction to the series, world, and stakes as a whole, thus why people might be just a little disappointed when picking this up and expecting the whole fight to conclude within this volume. I believe the author decided to do this at the beginning in order for the rest of the fights to not be dragged with needless explanations of the major plot.

Hey, I personally loved this approach, even though my expectations weren't met.

The fight itself is awesome, as they explain the background of the fighters while building each individual, thus setting the stakes of it. At first, you don't see much of a personality when they start to fight... but when you realize just what they were doing, then adding their background, suddenly you see the actual fight start, with a revelation that will remind «Naruto» fans of a very iconic fight. And yes, it's an “OHHH SHIIIIT” moment.

Overall, I loved the character designs (Thor's is just...wow), the art, and the role of the valkyries. Brunhilde, in my opinion, and if her character is handled correctly, could be one of the best female protagonists I've seen. She has great potential, and her relationship with Göll is just cute/funny/heartwarming.

Honestly, can't wait to pick up the second volume.

No lo pude terminar. Me quedé a mitad del libro.

Yo no soy así, a mi me gusta terminar los libros que empiezo sin importar que no los esté disfrutando, pero no pude con este. Le daría 1⭐, pero como no lo terminé, no lo puedo juzgar en su totalidad.

Este libro me hizo reexaminar mis prioridades, ya que me pregunté a mi mismo: “Por qué estoy perdiendo mi tiempo leyendo algo que claramente me disgusta si puedo leer otra cosa que merece mucho más de mi tiempo y que de verdad me apasiona”. Así que, lo que aprendí de mi experiencia leyendo esto, es que a veces está bien hacer DNF.

It's a great story filled with great prose, and I feel that fans of «The Kingkiller Chronicles» will like it for what it accomplishes overall. Having said that, I really didn't feel a strong connection to the story as the better half of the book simply follows the day-to-day life of the protagonist since this one was a child until the age of 14-15. He doesn't really display a characteristic personality for the majority of it but there are several instances that his personality does come out in this first half, and by the time he starts learning to be an assassin towards the second half, he manages to be a likable/relatable protagonist.

When he started to engage in the duty imposed on him by the King, the narrative steadily began to gain momentum which culminates in the final “arc” of the book, as he is seemingly driven against a corner with every odd against him. By this point, I devoured every chapter until its conclusion. The righting, the stakes, the plot, and how Fitz figured in all that was so rivetting to read that I was dying to know how the story would end...and even though I liked the ending, its the type of ending that “returns to normality” aside from our protagonist's clear development, if you know what I mean.

It was a great book, but I hope that the sequel improves upon what was established here.
But hey, the trilogy is held in high regard for a reason.

This is the first rom-com book I've read in a long time that I can honestly say is great.

I think what sold this story for me was the fact that we are in a “mature” setting and that we are dealing with legitimate young adults. Therefore, we get to experience their successes/failures in their professional lives while also contrasting it with their personal ones, and the way the characters are handled to contrast one another gave way to a lot of effective humor as well as (putting it in simple words) “Awwww” moments.

Also, the fact that the author is incredibly self-aware of the usual rom-com tropes as well as including inconspicuous pop culture references made this a joy to read.

It feels weird to say, but I actually found the “romance” aspect of the book to be very...healthy. What I mean by this is that, especially in recent books/movies of this kind (looking at you Twilight, 50 Shades, To All The Boys, Kissing Booth and the rest of Pandora's Box Demons), the romantic aspects always thread the line between toxic/abusive/manipulative or you at least could get aspects of a relationship that are really negative but that was “romanticized”.

I don't really like that current trend, which most [YA] authors follow, so I was incredibly surprised that the relationship between the two protagonists was actually healthy, mature, and supportive.

You know, a “normal” relationship.
Also, since we're being adults here, the sex scenes are done better than the average standard or “frame of reference” a.k.a they are displayed in a positive and realistic light that is not often seen in similar books a.k.a hot shit.

Overall, I really liked this book and it definitely set a positive bar for romance novels in my regard. If it gets adapted to a movie, I hope it'll be done by a director and writer that actually values the essence of the story (weird opinion, but this would be an amazing 13-ep anime given the right animation studio).

I was anticipating this (paperback) release here in Spain for a long time now, and I wasn't disappointed. Let me rephrase that: it reached my expectations and hype.

Having read the first volume of “Fire Punch”, it's kinda hard to tell both works were written by the same author (considering that both were developed sequentially), as both are drastically different works that evoke different themes and characters; The art is sleeker and has its own personality in comparison with other manga, but also manages to evoke some inspirations from other well-known works. Also, the action panels are BRUTAL in the great sense of the world. If the fights go up from here, then I'm officially sold in that aspect.

Now, I love the main character. The trend I've been subjected in regards to new manga is that it takes me a while to care/relate/root for the main character until later in the story (a.k.a in later volumes) such as with “Jujutsu Kaisen”. So, when the protagonist is able to have this much of an impact on the reader not even halfway done in the volume, then you know it's something special; Denji is such a “simple” character conceptually, but I believe that's what makes him so fantastic.

When we meet him, we see that his dream is to have a life and enjoy many things we take for granted: have toast with marmalade for breakfast, bathe every day, ask a girl out on a date, sleep on a bed, etc. Then, we realized his reality, and how he continuously sold parts of his body just to pay the debt of his father and how he's struck by his mother's heart disease. It's at the point of inflection of the story that we find ourselves completely rooting for him, and want him to keep living his dream.

Of course, he more or less obtains his “dream”, but then we have a small yet significant development: he allows himself to aspire for more, even if small, things. Leaving the significance of his character behind, he's a fun character. He is. Like, the things he says, does, or his reasons for doing something are so unexpected that you find yourself thinking if he's actually serious. Spoiler Alert: He definitely is.

Also, when he gets serious and is ready to fight, not only does he have style but also evokes hype and expectations, which are definitely fulfilled until the end of this one. I pretty much have praised the main character and art all the way through this review, but let me conclude that if you have heard good things about this, a friend recommended it to you, or you're just curious, go read it.

It's that great. Thank me later.

Merged review:

I was anticipating this (paperback) release here in Spain for a long time now, and I wasn't disappointed. Let me rephrase that: it reached my expectations and hype.

Having read the first volume of “Fire Punch”, it's kinda hard to tell both works were written by the same author (considering that both were developed sequentially), as both are drastically different works that evoke different themes and characters; The art is sleeker and has its own personality in comparison with other manga, but also manages to evoke some inspirations from other well-known works. Also, the action panels are BRUTAL in the great sense of the world. If the fights go up from here, then I'm officially sold in that aspect.

Now, I love the main character. The trend I've been subjected in regards to new manga is that it takes me a while to care/relate/root for the main character until later in the story (a.k.a in later volumes) such as with “Jujutsu Kaisen”. So, when the protagonist is able to have this much of an impact on the reader not even halfway done in the volume, then you know it's something special; Denji is such a “simple” character conceptually, but I believe that's what makes him so fantastic.

When we meet him, we see that his dream is to have a life and enjoy many things we take for granted: have toast with marmalade for breakfast, bathe every day, ask a girl out on a date, sleep on a bed, etc. Then, we realized his reality, and how he continuously sold parts of his body just to pay the debt of his father and how he's struck by his mother's heart disease. It's at the point of inflection of the story that we find ourselves completely rooting for him, and want him to keep living his dream.

Of course, he more or less obtains his “dream”, but then we have a small yet significant development: he allows himself to aspire for more, even if small, things. Leaving the significance of his character behind, he's a fun character. He is. Like, the things he says, does, or his reasons for doing something are so unexpected that you find yourself thinking if he's actually serious. Spoiler Alert: He definitely is.

Also, when he gets serious and is ready to fight, not only does he have style but also evokes hype and expectations, which are definitely fulfilled until the end of this one. I pretty much have praised the main character and art all the way through this review, but let me conclude that if you have heard good things about this, a friend recommended it to you, or you're just curious, go read it.

It's that great. Thank me later.

I was waiting for this release for a while now, not only because it's what's on publication in the Shonen Jump at the moment, but because Norma Editorial (here in Spain) released a First Edition promotion where the volume costs 4 euros. So, win-win.

I must say I was NOT disappointed; I don't usually buy/read comedy manga that often, but this one truly made me laugh all the way through. If you don't know what it's about, it is basically as if Harry Potter was born a muggle...but trained like Saitama from «One Punch Man», had a no bs attitude, was very practical, and if he were even given a similar goal to that of «My Hero Academia»/«Black Clover». In fact, you can see a lot of similar situations that Harry endured while in Hogwarts, such as flying practice, quidditch, the labyrinth from «The Goblet of Fire» (which was actually accurately adapted in the sense that I finally got to see the sphinx, which was missing from the film adaptation), etc.

But, as I've mentioned before, he has a no bs attitude, so it's truly amazing, as well as ridiculously funny, how he solves each problem without the use of magic and how he beats the living shit out of his opponents using rather ingenious/reasonable tactics.

I'm hooked, what can I say.

The author does something interesting with Rand, as we as readers don't follow his perspective for 95% of the book but instead we see how the world reacts towards Rand and the ramifications that it entails. It's a pretty bold decision by the author, but he superbly pulled it off.

It's my favorite of the series so far because it handles the different perspectives and interwoven narratives so well that it allows you to have a clear picture of everything that goes on in the story; our protagonists are once again separated, but they inevitably converge once again by the climax of the story (following the established formula), yet I find it way more compelling this time around due to how the author manages to balance the perspective of each character and how it plays out in the world. For instance, we can have one of our parties encounter something that halts their journey, while another party encounters that same thing along the way, but they go about it differently; it allows each “cause & effect” (a recurring theme) to make the world seem more “alive”.

Mat became my favorite character and I can't wait to see more of him as well as the disadventures he may end up in; He brings something completely different to the table, as he doesn't necessarily aspire to be a hero, accomplish something grandiose or help save the world, but rather acts through self-interest and whether there is money involved...or does he? He might appear to act selfishly, but we learn throughout his journey that he truly has a heart of gold. Also, he not only brought us the best fight of the series so far but also almost every moment/interaction/dialogue coming from him is either hilarious, cool, or charming. To bad that almost everyone doesn't give him the time of day (and most often than not, it works for his advantage).

I really liked the ending, not because of the sheer epicness of it all, but because it served as the “closure” to the lingering feelings of the previous book, while also allowing Rand to overcome his fear and truly accept his destiny without being pushed to do so.

Honestly, this was not for me.

Personally, I didn't like the way the book was structured or the writing. That's not to say that all chapters were “bad”, as there were a few that I honestly thought to be great, filled with personal/emotional moments. Nevertheless, I couldn't stand the protagonist for 90% of this. Call me however you want as well as tell me that I couldn't possibly understand her, but from my perspective, she didn't have personal growth until literally the last part, and that's because it's forced on her.

Just take the fact that she put off her engagement for four and a half years and then wanted to marry in a rush just because she finally met the guy she was supposed to hook up with. She went to therapy once, then again after the time skip, and she admits to withholding information about her dream, to then complain that even the therapist didn't help. Then, she doesn't have the courage to break off her engagement, having her boyfriend do so for them; when he said “I can't believe I'm the one that has to do this”, took the words out of my mouth. That's right, you don't have to do this, she's the one whose supposed to. Furthermore, she's rather controlling, but many times not in a positive way, not even when characters try to pass it as a joke.

I think the only thing I liked about her was her taste in wine and how good of a friend she was.

Then, her friend (whom I genuinely liked) becomes cancer-positive literally halfway through the story, and although I didn't like the protagonist, their interactions were actually very touching. Greg is an amazing guy, and I felt the most for him. I found it rather irritating the times when the protagonist constantly antagonized him even during her friend's treatment because...I guess she believes the worst in people?

Overall, as a book that's marketed as the “most heartbreaking novel of the year”, I was rather underwhelmed. Even the time travel aspect feels underwhelming because, even though it makes for a great parallel which I actually enjoyed reading in the penultimate chapter, I didn't understand how it was supposed to affect the overall story. Like, if you take away the time travel, the story plays out exactly as it never happened.

P.D. I didn't even touch on the blatant clichés (dancing to Frank Sinatra when an old couple was already dancing, etc.)

Something that's becoming more and more apparent is the authors' writing ability to make you truly care and root for a character via its personality and its history as depicted by them. Taking this into account, I absolutely adored Kojiro. He's the second-best character of the series so far and another GOD.

This has definitely been said before about the series, but each battle has a clash of ideals or opposing views that enrich the fight as a whole. So, when it comes to this one, I love that the approach they took was that of perfection vs evolution; Poseidon is deemed as the most “perfect” of the gods, that is, he who represents the ideals that make them “superior” to everyone else, meanwhile, Kojiro is deemed as the most powerful loser of all time, because he never won a battle in his life. Yet, what makes Kojiro such an incredible character is not only his undeniable optimism and charisma, but his desire to continuously evolve/improve himself after each one of his defeats. It's his desire to keep pushing despite what people think of him that is truly worth praising.

So, when these two collide in the battle, it paves the way to what I believe is the amalgamation of what the previous fights were all about. The gods, perfect and powerful, vs the humans, flawed but constantly improving. Yep, another epic fight.

In my review of vol. 3-4, I said that the fight of Adam vs Zeus is one the best and most epic that I've ever read, but now I must add the one of Poseidon vs Kojiro to that list, as well as saying that Kojiro is the other GOD of this manga.

I mean, the amount of intensity, emotion and meaning of the fight is just incredible. Not only this fight closes the narrative arc that started with the first one, but it's basically the amalgamation of all of the motifs and themes established in the previous fights. Towards the climax of this fight, much like in the previous, it just reaches those levels of epicness as well as surprise that just evoke excitement from the reader. Without spoilers, it's basically like the moment between The Night King and Arya Stark but multiplied by 3.

Then, the volume perfectly and smoothly sets up the next fight, which was something I was greatly surprised by. I don't know how these authors are able to deliver one extremely well-constructed and greatly developed fight one after the other.

This is not a “love story” and I don't understand why it is held in that regard by word-of-mouth. Or at least from my perspective.

The prose was incredible, which I didn't expect; it had an excellent way of incorporating modern and “classical” eloquence that I found enthralling and kept me hooked. The way the author handled each character's introduction was great as well because by meeting them for the first time we had a general idea of their personality as well as how our expectations about them would be “distorted” or “emphasized” as the story continued. I loved the way Gatsby, in particular, was [formally] introduced because it defied my expectations about him: instead of presenting him with an almost regal light or with an imposing introduction that completely defined him (like the author did with Tom a.k.a Toxic #1), he simply appeared as a guy having a good time conversing with the protagonist in the most casual way possible. When he said “I'm Gatsby” I literally jumped and had to go back and read when he came into the scene (as by this point we were introduced to a bunch of characters in said party that we weren't going to see again, so I thought he was one of them).

One of the aspects I like about Nick, our narrator, is that he really didn't care for whatever lavish things Gatsby did or tried to impress him with: he simply looked and interacted with him just like when he first met him at that party. Thus, their friendship seemed palpable and probably the only honest thing devoid of any hypocrisy to come out of this story. Just the fact that he stayed with Gatsby on that long night until morning and said those words about him, about how he's actually worth more than what they made him out to be, was probably my favorite part of the book.

Having said this, Gatsby is an idiot. A lovable idiot (sometimes, especially towards the end) but an idiot at that. Meanwhile, I personally think Daisy is our Toxic #2, and no wonder she stayed with Tom: they belong with each other as they are, in fact, the same (minus the White Supremacy thing, as far as I know). I don't know if that's an unpopular opinion, but three people died in this book and even Nick pointed out their nature TWICE in the novel.

Oh, and I liked Jordan. She was very “grounded” and had a no bs air to her that made her such a compelling character in a way that I didn't understand how she became friends with Daisy in the first place. She and Nick are probably the best couple in the book and they are not given enough credit or attention by the author.

In the end, I really loved this book and story, and well, it's an “American masterpiece” that's deserving of said acknowledgment. Although, I'm picky about something that didn't come to be: when Nick met Tom for the last time before he left NY for good (and after he parted ways with Jordan, which made me mad because I wanted those two to be together but I guess I was asking for a lot), it was revealed that he pointed Wilson in the direction of Gatsby, and said that he got what he deserved for killing Myrtle. Now, I don't know what this says about me, but I wanted Nick (as he shook his hand saying his goodbyes) to pull him closer and say to his ear “Daisy was driving” and just walk away. It would've been satisfying AF.

This volume has, by far, the best moment of Yuji as a protagonist.

If you've made it so far thinking that Yuji often falls behind in terms of characterization compared to other more notable characters (Sukuna, Gojo, and even Megumi) you wouldn't be wrong. BUT, in this volume, Yuji has what I consider a “monstrous” development as a character and as a protagonist. This is due to the circumstances that he's faced with, that of fighting against his new friend while at the same time attempting to maintain his previously established beliefs intact.

That gives way to, so far, the most brilliant moment of the series that also leads to the best fight of the series (again, until this point) because of all the narrative construction until that point as well as the riveting action.

If you were semi-convinced of the series in the first volume, then this one (especially if you are a fan of fights) will definitely sell you the series.

Literally, the hype and anticipation levels were through the roof in this volume. Not only because of the conclusion to the fight between Thor and Lübu but also due to the construction of the fight between Zeus and Adam. Seriously, I don't remember yelling/squealing as much as I did here with other manga. Quite honestly, this could be one of the best fights I've ever read due to each combatant's background, motivation, and personality. Well, and the fight itself, which is the pinnacle of epic.

I hope it's not a recurring theme to leave you hanging because this left me wanting to immediately go and buy the next volume.

I was intrigued by this “prequel” and how it would play out storywise considering we have a different protagonist and circumstances.

Some may see Yuta as the precursor for Yuji, basically the mold for this one; yet I believe this is partially correct in many ways, but he becomes a character on his own with contrasting goals and personalities to Yuji. For instance, while Yuji aspires to find a way to “die a proper death” while remaining charismatic and positive in his journey, Yuta, on the other hand, aspires to “live his life to the fullest” while dealing with his own insecurities and overcoming both his literal and personal demons.

Keeping in mind this was supposed to be a one-shot, I can otherwise overlook how it jumped from different events towards a huge, full-on war between sorcerers that we hardly experience save for the climactic one. We also get the backgrounds of key characters in Jujutsu Kaisen as well as how their lives were affected by Yuta, but the final fight scene not only incredibly wraps up the entire volume, but also paves way for the events that we already familiar with. Not only that but it has, in my opinion, the second-best fight in the series (so far), coming close to Yuji's fight in Vol. 4. Both of these have several themes, motifs, and development in common, but the key point is how even in these fights, both protagonists are again beautifully juxtaposed, making Yuji's better for having more build-up as well as being a turning point in the character.

Nevertheless, it's a great volume that honestly deserves the praise. Hopefully, the author will use Yuta in the future because it's such a great character that'll be a waste to misuse him.

Not gonna lie, I struggled a lot getting through this book as its pace became dreadfully pedantic at certain points of the story.

I found the protagonist to be rather bland and one-dimensional throughout most of the story, as it's made clear he is “The Chosen One” on top of the fact that he has an ability that almost strips him from being in peril. On the other hand, the construction of the antagonists and the way they executed their plans was enthralling, which gave you insight to what the protagonist would face in the future as well as providing the reader with worldbuilding (which is splendid, but at the same time challenging).

Yet (after pushing myself to continue reading), at around 78% into the book the protagonist does a complete 180 and surprised the shit out of me. All this build up, all the thoughts of people telling you he was incredible, all the people praising him, truly paid off. I say this because I couldn't believe he was the same character, as he suddenly delivers killer dialogues, takes smart and intelligent decisions, and completely destroys (verbally, spiritually, and physically) every single antagonist, person who tried to manipulate him, and those who underestimated or took him for granted; I mean, holy shit, it was EPIC, not because characters were telling you, but because you could see it; Suddenly, I could see just why the protagonist and novel are praised.

It turns out that many readers and critics also acknowledged that the book is hard to get through, mainly due to the surplus of themes that are delivered. So, after multiple readings, the novel improves. The prose itself was also quite challenging, as I found myself revisiting paragraphs many times to figure out what exactly happened, the more so whenever action “scenes” took place; it takes time to get used to. Nevertheless, I must say that Frank Herbert did create a phenomenal epic that definitely deserves the praise, but it's not one I would recommend to a casual reader unfamiliarized with the genre.

At first (and I mean after the “supposed” introduction to the protagonist), you feel that this doesn't bring anything new and that the protagonist is as simple as it gets. Yet, I was incredibly surprised how my entire perception of the character changed 180º. Suddenly, we know his motivations, his drive to give his all in the mission assigned to him, as well as his philosophy and values.

Basically, everyone has a perception of who the protagonist “is”, so we as the readers go along with it, but then during the fight at the beginning, it's revealed his true intentions, and immediately we have an incredibly complex character. This in addition to his personality made me enjoy his incredible fights. In addition, the other co-protagonist is also really compelling in how she must struggle to gain the respect of her clan (you know, women's roles in any period setting don't always have a great relationship), and you feel her frustrations. You care, and you can't wait to see more of her.

Few stories managed to captivate me as much as this one has, even less in the first volume.

The title of this manga paints homage to Picasso's “Blue Period”, a time in the artist's life where he painted utilizing blue and somber colors that may be perceived as melancholic by some. Apparently, during this period, he had trouble selling his paintings because, like many (many) artists like him, were not appreciated at the time.

In the actual story, we find ourselves with a protagonist that by all means is the “perfect” student or the “ideal” person an average teenager his age would like to be: he's popular, kind, parties/drinks with his friends until 6 a.m., has near-perfect grades (often appearing in the top 10 of his class), as well as great charisma. Yet, he feels rather empty; he doesn't know what to do with his life, to the point where he says he simply will go to college and pick whichever career will offer him a stable future instead of pursuing an inexistent aspiration, but all of this changes when he walks into the art classroom and sees a painting made by one of his classmates.

What I love so much about this story is that it resonates with the reader one way or the other, to the point that it discusses both points of pursuing a career in arts, which is something I've experienced first-hand and through several friends who were placed in the same situation. Furthermore, where this story shines the brightest is when Yatora finds his passion and works himself to pursue it, as we get to see his effort firsthand, how he learns to improve his technique, the hurdles he needs to overcome, as well as the goal he pursues; we feel his frustrations, contempt, happiness, and even his sense of inferiority when it comes to those around him that we can't help to grow attached to him more and more as we turn the pages, which by the way are filled with incredible art.

In the end, “Blue Period” is a story that not only I'm incredibly excited to continue, but also is one I believe will impact me in the long run. I still can't believe this is just the first volume, as it's packed with so much narrative content in the form of themes, motifs, and characters that if I were to mention it, this review would be waaay longer than it already is. Just do yourself a favor and go buy it right now.

This was an interesting read.

Can't say I've read something like this before, but also I'm not sure it's for everyone. Needless to say, I kept thinking about this weeks after finishing it.

You follow this woman as she “lives” her mundane life without any sort of excitement. She sleeps, goes to work, eats this energy-protein-mix to sustain herself, and repeats. It's only after she orders delivery from two brothers that everything changes for her. She starts a new hobby, she makes friends with them, she starts to think about new career choices, and she stopped drinking that f*ing sht.

Somehow, we find ourselves rooting for her, but then the story takes some “liberties” that could be interpreted as “magical realism”. Cutting it short, there's a point in the novel that (well, actually it was foreshadowed in the emails exchanged between the protagonist and the eldest of the brothers) catches you by surprise a little, but you just roll with it. Then something else happens, and you're like, “what?” in the surreal kind of way. Yet, I personally also rolled with it, even if I still can't accept certain characters disgustingly got away with somethings.

In the end, there's a lesson to be learned here (like with every book), but I feel this one only displays to the one who reads it; I feel the author quoted Rick Sanchez on this one: “There's a lesson here and I'm not going to be the one to figure it out”.

I was not mentally prepared to how dark and disturbing (more the latter than the former) this was. Before you think, “Oh, this looks like an action-packed superhero shounen manga with great art, I'm buying it”, please take a step back. Like, this is some “Berserk” level of disturbing. Made me nauseous several times.

Needless to say, I actually liked it. Right now, it doesn't bring anything new to the table, but I feel that there's more to it (I mean, it's just the first volume), and I also feel compelled to keep reading. The art is brutal and awesome, and the few action sequences are greatly drawn.

I truly relished how the protagonist, Prince Jorg Ancrath, was presented, constructed and how you can root for him throughout his journey despite that he's a horrific individual. This all critics can agree on, but I focused more on the fact that he is a monster; he's a character of the most sinister nature that you will be appalled by his behavior as well as be constantly on edge to what he will do next.

The story and its conclusion remind me of «A Clockwork Orange» in the way that the reader follows a despicable teenager as he commits heinous acts to then at some point reflect on his actions. Yet, don't expect regret or absolution from his part this time around; I liked the way the author incorporates fantasy elements; it's not like he establishes a clear magic system but I like the “casualness” of it all, as it doesn't attempt to overwhelm the reader with aspects that are difficult to understand nor does it give power beyond reach to those who exert it (and the bases are well established, so things don't just “happen” without reason).

It's definitely a great read, to the point it could be called “simple” or straightforward once you start reading, but the author plays with your expectations just like the antagonists play with Jorg's. Without giving anything away, there are instances towards the second part of the novel that recontextualizes everything you understood about the character as well as his desire for revenge, which enriches the narrative in retrospect. Then, when the story began to reach its climax and the protagonist began his retaliation, I simply couldn't stop reading.

The story is dark and rather graphic (murder, rape, torture, acts of genocide, etc.), so read at your discretion. But, if you want to experience an engaging story with a protagonist to be amazed at, as well as be shocked at his atrocious actions, then I can assure you're going to have a good(?) time.

If you've read/watched «Berserk» (Rest in Power, Miura Sensei), then this should be a Tuesday Tea Party.