Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice Review

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen Adapted by Stacy King

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Manga/Romance

Release Date: August 11, 2014

Series: None

Series Volume:N/A

Profanity: none

Violence: None

Sexual Content:Very Mild

Age Recommendation: 14+

Author Website: http://www.udonentertainment.com/blog/tag/manga-classics/

Summary:


Beloved by millions the world over, Pride & Prejudice is delightfully transformed in this bold new manga adaptation. All of the joy, heartache, and romance of Jane Austen’s original, perfectly illuminated by the sumptuous art of manga-ka Po Tse, and faithfully adapted by Stacy E. King.


Review:

I was so excited to get to read this manga adaptation of one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice. This adaptation turned out to be very well done. I loved the art and really enjoyed the way the story was told. As with all adaptations the entire story didn't make it in, but all of the important parts did and there were very few things changed from the original story. 

Stacy King did a great job of keeping true to what Jane Austin wanted to say in Pride and Prejudice. The entire feel of the manga version was much the same as the feel of the book and I really appreciated that. I hate it when a great book is adapted and the main theme is left out to focus on humor or something of the sort. So I was very pleased to find the same themes from Pride and Prejudice woven into this adaptation. 

I was a little disappointed not to see a few of my favorite scenes from the book but overall Stacy King did a good job of hitting on the one's that did make it in. The art was amazing, though there were a few times that character's expressions were a little over the top. I felt like I'd stepped into a comical horror story when two characters (mostly Elizabeth and Darcy) would run into each other and look shocked. Although this could just be my perception from reading it on a smaller screen. Those few moments may flow better on a physical page rather than on a tiny i-phone screen. 

Overall I was very pleased with this adaptation and would recommend it to any Jane Austin fan or anyone interested in seeing what Pride and Prejudice is all about.

Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for my fair and honest opinion as I have stated above. 

~Dawn 

In the Bag Review

In the Bag

Kate Klise

Rating (out of 5): 3.5

Genre:Chick-lit

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Series: None

Series Volume:N/A

Profanity: Mild

Violence: None

Sexual Content:Very Mild

Age Recommendation: 17 +

Author Website:http://www.kateandsarahklise.com/





Summary:

Bestselling YA author Kate Klise flies high with her first novel for grown-ups. In the Bag is You’ve Got Mail meets The Parent Trap in the 21st century—an absolutely enthralling story of globe-hopping, lost luggage, found opportunities…and the old-fashioned art of flirtation in a modern world. Told from the alternating perspectives of two single parents and their two teenage children, In the Bag is warm and witty, surprising, stylish, and smart contemporary women’s fiction for fans of Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green, and Megan McCafferty. Kate Klise’s sparkling career as a novelist for adults has taken glorious flight!

Review:

I stumbled upon this book while I was looking for information on a different series Kate Klise had worked on, her delightful 43 Old Cemetery Road books for children. I like her children’s books so much that I jumped at the chance to read a book by her that was geared for an older audience. Kate once again managed to tell me a story from a completely unique perspective. In the Bag follows the lives of four different people, two adults and two teens, as they bumble their way through an airport and into three different cities.  

Kate Klise’s unique style in telling this story was really what drew me to read the book, the story itself is a light easy read that I would normally pick up only if I knew I had a long period of waiting before me, like a plane ride for instance. But the fact that she wrote a story geared towards both adults and young adults intrigued me. Half of the time I was reading it I felt like I was making my way through a YA and the other half of the time I was enjoying those rare moments where I delve into adult geared books. I loved it. Kate Klise did an excellent job blending the two styles together to deliver a fun easy read. 

Like I said earlier the story was a light chick-lit styled tale of four people trying to find love. But it also deals with some heavier tones in the realm of parents trying to connect with their kids and vice versa. It also dabbles in the area of deciding what one really wants out of life and learning to relax a little and let things happen. Kate Klise did a great job with each of these areas and really made this light story something both believable and relatable. 

I found myself immediately attached to Coco and surprisingly to Andrew. Daisy, Coco’s mother and Andrew’s son Webb took a little longer to grow on me but by the end of the book I had fallen in love with them all. The characters each have their own quirks and distinct personalities and you can defiantly tell the difference between the parents and their children while reading through this book. But like I said earlier, the distinct style is what drew me into the book and kept me reading until the end. 

There were however a few problems I had with the book.  I didn’t like the surprising amount of swear words used at the very beginning of the book. The rest of the story is very light language wise and so having so many at the opening made it feel off balance. Having read Kate’s children’s stories and the fact that this book could easily be picked up not only by an adult audience but also by a YA once as well I expected it to be a little cleaner than it first appeared. There were a few other minor things that bothered me as well about this book, but overall it was a good read.

This was a light fun read for older teens and adults but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under 17. There aren’t any sex scenes but there is some talk of sex and I already mentioned the language in the beginning. Other than that this was a fun easy read.

~Dawn

Half a King Book Review

Half a King 

Joe Abercrombie

Rating (out of 5): 4

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy 

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Series: Half A King Trilogy/Shattered Sea

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: Mild

Violence: Mild-graphic but more on the mild side

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 16+

Author Website: http://www.joeabercrombie.com/

 

Summary (author's website) :

“I swore an oath to avenge the death of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath.” Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand.

The deceived will become the deceiver.

Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.

The betrayed will become the betrayer.

Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.

Will the usurped become the usurper?

But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds his path may end as it began—in twists, and traps, and tragedy.

Review:

Half a King was my first book by Joe Abercrombie and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I'm not sure if this book is suppose to be YA or Adult but it reads more like a YA with traces of an adult story. I found it as more of a book for guys but I'm sure some girls will enjoy it (I did after all). It isn't normally the style of book I would pick up, gritty and revenge driven, but it got better as I got into the book.

This story follows Yarvi the youngest son of the king of Gettland. Yarvi has no hopes of ever becoming king, not simply because of his older brother, but because of his crippled arm. After all who would want only half a man as their king? Imagine his surprise when he finds out that not only his father but also his brother have been killed and he is now the king. In his young folly the new king swears and oath to avenge his fallen family, an oath that will take him on a journey far harsher than he could ever imagine. 

I had a hard time getting into this book for the first few chapters, it moved like any revenge tale dragging along a half-hearted hero. But from the moment Yarvi was betrayed until the end I could not stop reading. This revenge tale had taken one of many surprising turns. The story is fairly straightforward and the plot is fast paced keeping readers turning pages in anticipation of what will happen next. Yarvi's transformation from a cowardly beat down boy into a bold and cunning man pulled me along easily.

The characters really kept the story moving for me and I found myself attached to more than one of them by the end of the book. Because of the book's fast paced nature there didn't feel like a lot of time to really flesh out the characters but I expect them to show up in the next two books and be more fleshed out there. Aside from that their personalities and the hints of their back stories intrigued me and helped me to invest not only in Yarvi but also in the ragtag bunch of friends he collected on his adventure. 

This book was full of surprises and I loved every one of them, and I hope to see more of them in the series's future installments. The shockers were another thing I really enjoyed about this book, seeing the whole story come together at the end was a delight and I'm eager to see where it goes from here. 

Abercrombie's world building was also a great addition to the story. I felt easily pulled into the the world he built without having to know too much information about what it was really all about. I've found that the best world-building happens when the author doesn't have to explain themselves but allows the story and world to tell itself and this is one of my favorite things about Half a King.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an action packed story, or a good filler read between series or books.

Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for my fair and honest opinion as I have stated above.

~Dawn