This is Literally About Clothes: 'Kill la Kill' Review

Kill la Kill

Studio: Trigger
Producer: Aniplex, Dentsu,Kadokawa Shoten, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Movic, Ultra Super Pictures, Lucent Pictures Entertainment
Genre: Action, Comedy, School, Superpower
Episodes: 24
Episode Length: 24 minutes per episode

After the murder of her father, Ryuuko Matoi has been wandering the land in search of his killer. Following her only lead—the missing half of his invention, the Scissor Blade—she arrives at the prestigious Honnouji Academy, a high school unlike any other. The academy is ruled by the imposing and cold-hearted student council president Satsuki Kiryuuin alongside her powerful underlings, the Elite Four. In the school's brutally competitive hierarchy, Satsuki bestows upon those at the top special clothes called "Goku Uniforms," which grant the wearer unique superhuman abilities. 

Thoroughly beaten in a fight against one of the students in uniform, Ryuuko retreats to her razed home where she stumbles across Senketsu, a rare and sentient "Kamui," or God Clothes. After coming into contact with Ryuuko's blood, Senketsu awakens, latching onto her and providing her with immense power. Now, armed with Senketsu and the Scissor Blade, Ryuuko makes a stand against the Elite Four, hoping to reach Satsuki and uncover the culprit behind her father's murder once and for all. 

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I've wondered why I haven't watched many animes. 'Magi: Labyrinth of Magic' and 'Your Lie in April'. After watching this anime, I want to buy all the 'Kill la Kill' merch. Including the Ryuuko Nendoroid (Who is ADORABLE.) And maybe the Mako one. Hm...

Trigger is such a fantastic studio. They did 'Kiznaiver' from the spring 2016 season. Their art style is amazing. I love it. The characters look dynamic. Everything about them is important. (Ehem, remember the ball-in-mouth on Gamagoori's original uniform? Yeah, that. There's a reason for it. You'll find out later.) The animation is fast-paced but amazing. I completely adore it.

The OPs for this anime kill my heart. Get it? Get it? But they're amazing. I truly love them. The second one starts out slow, but it speeds up. I hum it often. The first one is great too! The images in the background truly do suit the anime and what happens within that part of the anime. It works.
Check out the first OP here.

Every second of this anime is dedicated to action. We're thrown into fights and yelling and slashing immediately. There is no time for stopping. I love this. We have no beach scenes or lulls in the story. (It's not the long 8 episode randomness of 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'. THAT was useless after episode 2 or so.) Everything IS action. This is how a story should be. No lulls. No stops. Nothing of that sort. Just story.
Because of this, though, the pacing is insane(ly amazing.) You don't get time to breathe or process what you're seeing. It's mostly positives, but because of this fact, I'm happy I didn't binge watch it all the way through. I'd be breathless if I did.

The characters are fabulous. Ryuuko is the badass I love. Mako is the energetic best friend. And Senketsu is a GARMENT, but he has more personality than some other anime characters (Insert any otome game turned anime character ever. I'm looking at you 'Brothers Conflict'. YOU.)
Ryuuko is desperate. And badass. She loves with her entire heart. Seeing her defend her friends is amazing. She's someone to admire. She's dedicated and fierce. Definitely in competition for best girl (Watch out, Rem.)
Mako is so cute. I love her randomness. And when she gets her spotlight? Adorable. (In case you're wondering, though, her hand motions match up to the Japanese, not the English.) She's lovable and crazy loyal. I love it. Plus, her Two-Star Uniform is BADASS.

You know that I hate ecchi? Well, I hate ecchi. I might never have said it before, but I do. But this anime does it well. (Much like 'Food Wars'. Which does ecchi pretty well.) We're not overloaded with boobs and butts. Instead, the uniforms are skimpy but for a reason. (It takes some time to understand why. They'll explain it, though.) We aren't forced to see ecchi. Rather, the ecchi is part of the story. It's part of the world. And that makes it tolerable, if not amazing, on its own.

There is only one problem about this anime.
It is literally about clothes.
You have to wrap your mind around that. It's a super amazing anime...about clothes. That's something that doesn't make much sense to me, but once you remind me of Senketsu and Ryuuko's relationship, I forgive you. Because those two are OTP. (Well...Gamagoori and Mako are OTP. Senketsu and Ryuuko are second OTP.)

Guts and Glory: 'Stalking Jack the Ripper' Review

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Murder
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Page Number: 336

Goodreads / Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world. 

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I got an ARC of this book from BFest

Many have heard of the Jack the Ripper case. A horrible person committed these grizzly crimes and was never caught. It's something of a fascination to many. I'm not a huge fan of Jack the Ripper, but I've heard of his murders. It's interesting to see someone's take on the story. After all, he's never been found. 

This is, most definitely, a murder mystery book. How do I know that? Well, other than the obvious 'Jack the Ripper' premise, there's Audrey Rose investigating the murders with the assistance of medical science. It might seem like she's just along for the ride until she starts looking into her family members and even her fellow mentee. With the murder mystery elements, there was tension. It was amazing tension. I was constantly waiting for the next twist. Nothing was truly expected. You were led down many wrong paths with Audrey Rose, and that only strengthened the book's qualities. Masterfully done. 

Mysteries are always fun to read. You continuously go through the process of whodunit. Questions arise and are solved or go unanswered. Jack the Ripper's story is a mystery completely unanswered. No one knows who did it, but this book offered up an interesting explanation. I started guessing the killer only a few pages in. (My suspects were: Thomas because he's sneaky and shy, the father because of opium addiction, and the brother because Nathaniels are always bad thanks to Nathaniel Grey from 'The Infernal Devices'.) I did guess the right person, though. But the tension in the book prevented me from knowing for sure. A+

I haven't read many books with visual elements. Most books are limited to the text and, maybe just maybe, something artsy on the end pages. But this book gives you anatomically correct (Or so I think) drawings of dissections and photographs of important pieces of information. I really liked seeing this. It's unique and truly does make the book stand out. Plus, it gave us visuals to refer to. There was a reason for each image we saw. Whether it was a drawing of a body part or a picture of a sick guy (I won't reveal what he's sick with; it's mildly relevant later on in the book.) My only qualm is that, at times, these pictures appear in awkward places. For example, the sick guy picture isn't relevant to many chapters later. I know this is an ARC, but the pictures could have been spaced out better and/or put closer to relevancy.

The characters didn't really interest me. Both Audrey Rose and Thomas were boring for the most part. For some reason, they just didn't scream 'Look at me'. Audrey Rose isn't really a rebel, even though the author makes her out that way. She's quite a stick in the mud honestly. I felt like she could have been more daring, but she spends a lot of this book quietly doing things. I expected more from her. And Thomas? Sure, he could get cocky at times, but he too was mostly bland if not completely emotionless. He switches between cocky and emotionless, but I felt like it wasn't truly a part of him. In short, I didn't think his constant change of personality was truly representative of his character. He didn't seem like the type of guy to be cocky one moment and shy the next. It didn't work out the way the author wanted it to be. 

While this is a murder mystery book, the mystery didn't feel present. Most times, the story focused on freeing the Uncle instead of following the mystery. I wanted more mystery, more clues. I like solving mysteries. Even though I'm not very good at it. Mysteries are good things. Forces you to use your brains.

Hot and Bothered: 'A Court of Mist and Fury' Review

A Court of Mist and Fury

Author: Sarah J Maas
Genre: Fantasy, New Adult, Young Adult, Romance
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Page Number: 640

Goodreads / Amazon

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

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There are three types of people who have read both 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' and 'A Court of Mist and Fury'. 
1) People who liked ACOTAR and liked ACOMAF.
2) People who didn't like ACOTAR but read ACOMAF and liked it.
3) People who didn't like either book.
Guess which one I'm in?
(If you guess option 3, you're correct!) 

Honestly, I didn't really like the world of the fae in this series. Something about the courts or whatnots. I wasn't a huge fan. Like most people who didn't like ACOTAR, I was peer pressured into reading this book. (Not by any one person in particular. Just ACOTAR fans as a whole.) There were aspects of the book I did like, though. (As there are with most books.)

I really liked the romance. Strange as it sounds. The two of them were very complicated together. Their relationship was strange. It was tense at first, but it changed completely by the end. Their banter was funny. I didn't expect to like it so much. Since I knew what would happen in the end (Or some part of it), I was surprised by the changes in their romance. It was cute seeing them come together and get close. I don't necessarily ship it, but I approve. 
The chemistry, though, was insane. My heart was racing whenever they had intimate scenes. 
I do want to acknowledge the sex scenes, though. They ARE there. And there are maybe...three or four of them. And they are pretty descriptive. They don't have vulgar language or anything, but they have words like 'cock' and stuff. A lot of it is implied. It's not straight up erotica. So if you don't know what sex is before this book, you'll definitely find out. (Also, was anyone else more 'hot and bothered' about Tamlin's sex scene and not Chapter 55's? Because...that's me. Strange...)

Rhysand was a broken character. My heart went out to him. Antiheroes are amazing, and I was completely caught off guard about his reasons for his actions Under the Mountain (Still wondering why we have to use capital letters for the U and M.) Feyre's acceptance of that is amazing. She felt for him. She understood him. Honestly, we need people who are like Feyre. She isn't the nicest person in the bunch, but she is caring. And that's a breath of fresh air.

On the other hand, I felt like I couldn't connect to the story. There was something about it that made me not connect. Maybe the characters or the more adult nature of the book...I'm not sure. But I didn't feel like Feyre was someone I could truly relate to or open up to. 

The plot was fine, but I felt like it could have been better. It was interesting to see Feyre come into her powers and seeing her argue with Rhysand, but I wanted more action. We had action scenes mostly at the end and scattered throughout the middle, but these weren't like the action scenes from the last book. Plus, who wouldn't want to see Feyre unleash her powers on someone?

At the end, we're given a completely random Rhysand chapter. The entire book is in Feyre's point of view, yet we get this ONE Rhysand chapter. Sure, it revealed some important information, but Feyre could have explained it on her own. Seems a tad redundant to me.

Aesthetic Addict: 'Illuminae'

Today's BBCP is about...Illuminae.

A bit about the book first.

Illuminae

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.
This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

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This is a freaking amazing book. It's gorgeous and heart-wrenchingly amazing. You gotta read it. Here's a snippet of my Goodreads review.

"The way the pages looked was definitely different. It was a truly unique way of telling a story. Reports and chats and drawings. It wasn't just written word. It was art. How serious, I know. All the artwork was great. The artwork used words to form pictures. That's called concrete poems, if I recall correctly. They were beautiful and captivating. Made me want to try. Probably wouldn't make something distinguishable if I tried.
"I seriously can't think of any problems with this book. There aren't any questions left. I have no qualms about the romance. I even like the romance. All I want is the second book."

And here's my aesthetic! 

And time to explain the six photos! 

This beauty is my image of Kady. She's mentioned as having beautiful pink hair. And this girl is gorgeous. Also, just saying, this picture is gorgeous.

This is a section of code. (Yeah, I can't read it either.) But Kady is a GREAT hacker. That skill helps her survive in the latter part of the book. And I liked how this code looked.

This is a popular quote from the book. Not to spoil things for people who haven't read this book, but Bay 4 is a very important place. And it starts a whole bunch of shit

Of course, this book is set in space. Gorgeous, gorgeous space. (How many times have I mentioned gorgeous? Actually, don't tell me. I don't want to know.) And space is a feast for the eyes. It's sublmine (Membean word!) So yeah.

Ezra (Which I read as Erza sometimes because Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet. Haha.) is a space pilot fighter. Without any knowledge about space fighting. YAY.

And this boy is...you guessed it Ezra. Brown haired and lovesick and pretty badass. Simple and easy.

(PS: Sorry for the weird formatting. I don't even know...)

Check out everyone else's posts!

Jamie from Books and Ladders

Mariam from Flying Through Fiction

Charley from A Writer Named Charley

Sabrina from Beyond the Book Reviews

Nori from ReadWriteLove28

Have you read Illuminae? What did you think?

Lost in the Adventure: 'Let's Get Lost' Review

Let's Get Lost

Author: Adi Alsaid
Goodreads / Amazon

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost. 

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named Leila. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most. 

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth—sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

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I've always wanted to go on a huge adventure. I have terrible wanderlust. My dream is to travel the world and speak all the languages. It's far-fetched, but it's something I would love to do. And books like this help me travel. Even if I'm not physically moving (Okay, I moved from the couch downstairs to the bathroom upstairs. But still.)

The main theme of this book was 'finding yourself'. All five characters were lost (As implied by the title.) They were lost in the confusion of life. I felt connected to each of them in their lost-ness. I, too, am lost. (But in a more mental sense than physical.) 

I really liked how the author portrayed this lost-ness. It felt...real. It felt as if I could be Hudson (Not that I'm some mechanic prodigy. I'm a laziness prodigy, though) or Bree (I don't have a sister) or Elliot (I'm not crushing on anyone right now, thank you very much) or Sonia (But I doubt I'd get ONE guy much less TWO.) And Leila's lost-ness was more lost than anyone else's. She was lost in her memories. And, man, did I feel for all of them. 

I'm happy that Leila was there. I'd quite like a Leila in my life to help me get un-lost. (I'm truly a wordsmith. Un-lost. Nice one.)

One of the main selling points for this book is its unique storytelling. It isn't told by Leila throughout but has chapters told by different people during different points of Leila's journey. And it rounds things out by giving you Leila's perspective at the end. 

You got a chapter to really connect with the characters. And I felt like this succeeded. I felt for all the characters. We saw them at their worst, and they kept fighting. It's amazing that this happened in such a short time period.

Leila was truly an intriguing character. She was lost, in almost every way imaginable. Physically and mentally and emotionally. I felt so bad for her. Even before I knew what happened to her. She was such a great character. I didn't share any personal traits with her, but I truly do want to be her friend. Or her to be my friend. Either way, I want us to be friends. She was a candle of hope in the dark. And who wouldn't want a candle to be their friend? (Oh wait...) 

I only really didn't like the ending. Sure, happily ever afters are great, but it fell flat for me. With this whole adventure, I expected fireworks and cannons and cheerleaders in a pyramid. I expected a lot more from the ending. It felt so...un-Leila. She went back, and love interest appeared. It's cute, I guess, but not shocking enough.

Verdict:

Lost in the adventure

There is Always Hope: 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Review

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Magical Girl Madoka Magica)

Studio: Shaft
Producer: Aniplex, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Movic, Nitroplus,Madoka Partners, Houbunsha
Genre: Drama, Magic, Psychological, Thriller
Episodes: 12
Episode Length: 24 minutes per episode

Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki are regular middle school girls with regular lives, but all that changes when they encounter Kyuubey, a cat-like magical familiar, and Homura Akemi, the new transfer student.

Kyuubey offers them a proposition: he will grant one of their wishes and in exchange, they will each become a magical girl, gaining enough power to fulfill their dreams. However Homura, a magical girl herself, urges them not to accept the offer since everything is not what it seems.

A story of hope, despair, and friendship, Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica deals with the difficulties of being a magical girl and the price one has to pay to make a dream come true.

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Magical girls are typically seen as moe characters who flounce around and say things like 'Bippity boppity boo'. 

That's what I expected when I started this anime, but I was completely wrong.

This anime is decidedly dark. There is no hiding it. I was stunned by  how dark it was. From the figures and the hints I had seen, this was a cute show. Here's the truth: it's not. 

Sayaka hates her human body after becoming a magical girl. Mami is lost and alone. Kyoko is greedy. They suffer from pain and loss. When I first saw hints of that darkness, I was shocked. These girls suffer more than most. Additionally, they take on others' suffering. All because they're magical girls.
Despair and hope are common ideas in this anime. Without despair, there is no hope. And vice versa. It's a sad fact of life. When one gains, another loses. It's different to see this played out in an anime. Even more so since this is a 'cute' anime. This yin-yang conflict is played out well, though. You root for their hope and feel defeated when they despair.

Hope and despair clash in the battles against the witches. The barriers the girls and witches fight in are of a completely different art style. 

Think scrapbooking (Cutouts against backgrounds) and you'll be sorta-near what the barriers look like. The witches themselves look garish. They move jerkily. Everything seems so surreal when inside a barrier. It gives you the feeling of wrongness and juxtaposition. It made my skin crawl when we first entered a barrier. I thought we had accidentally entered a person on acid's mind. It's jarring.
But the jarring effect of the barriers works. It shows the magical girls are beacons of hope (And reasonable art designs) in a world of despair (And sketchy-looking characters.) The art style of the barriers conflicts with the conventional idea of 'anime art' and makes for a truly unique experience.

All these girls have hidden depths. They aren't two-dimensional. Madoka even more so. She's one of the most real characters in anime. She didn't immediately say yes to Kyubey. Much like Naho in Orange (Another character I praise for her realism), Madoka is scared. She's downright frightened. And I can't judge her for that. I probably wouldn't say yes. I'd be too scared to lose my life. And that's what makes her and the other magical girls strong. They do risk their lives to protect others. And her decision in the end...it was powerful. She chose to do something that no one else would, that other people might be afraid of. Madoka is strong. Unbelievably so. And I enjoyed watching her actions the entire show. Even if she was a bit weepy.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica surprised me. In every way possible. It's dark but intriguing. The art style is pretty amazing, but it gets better in the barriers. Madoka and Sayaka and Mami and all the girls are real. I'd love to be Madoka's friend.

You're Losing Me, Kid: 'Phantom Limbs' Blog Tour

Phantom Limbs

Author: Paula Garner
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Death, Realistic Fiction, Disability, Romance, LGBT, Coming of Age, Family
Publisher: Candlewick
Page Number: 368 Pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

How do you move on from an irreplaceable loss? In a poignant debut, a sixteen-year-old boy must learn to swim against an undercurrent of grief—or be swept away by it.

Otis and Meg were inseparable until her family abruptly moved away after the terrible accident that left Otis’s little brother dead and both of their families changed forever. Since then, it’s been three years of radio silence, during which time Otis has become the unlikely protégé of eighteen-year-old Dara—part drill sergeant, part friend—who’s hell-bent on transforming Otis into the Olympic swimmer she can no longer be. But when Otis learns that Meg is coming back to town, he must face some difficult truths about the girl he’s never forgotten and the brother he’s never stopped grieving. As it becomes achingly clear that he and Meg are not the same people they were, Otis must decide what to hold on to and what to leave behind. Quietly affecting, this compulsively readable debut novel captures all the confusion, heartbreak, and fragile hope of three teens struggling to accept profound absences in their lives.

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Loss. It's something that we all experience. But do some people feel it even more than others? Does losing your best friend/crush feel worse than losing your limbs? This book explores the complex pain of loss in a unique fashion by following a horny teenage boy and his long lost crush now found.

Dara was the best. She was the only character I truly liked in this entire book. She was sassy and snarky. I'm a sucker for sassy and snarky. But she was too harsh on everybody for me to love her. But she was cool. I wouldn't ever hang out with her; she's probably hit me a lot and verbally abuse me. But I wouldn't mind watching her from a mile away. Like watching a tiger in the zoo. Because Dara is a tiger.

The emotions that Meg had were so...painful. It hurt to read it. I felt so sorry for her. And I know that people who've gone through loss aren't strangers to pity. She would hate the pity, but I still pity her. She had such a strong connection to Mason's death. It was so awful for her to go through that. I can't even imagine. The author wrote this pain so well. I feel, though, if this was Meg's story, I'd like it more.

But, I couldn't stand Otis. He is a horny teenage boy. There is no way to censor that. He thought about sex constantly and stared at every girl's ass. Even Dara's. I know that this is probably true with horny teenage boys all across the world, but we could have had less of this. It was a slap in the face. I'm used to people being perverted, but this is way too far. There is no reason for me to read this. I could talk to my Florida friends and get much funnier, perverted stuff.

I typically don't encourage people to chase after someone who doesn't want them. Not that I typically give relationship advice. But if this girl is gone, she's gone. Don't get hung up on her. Honestly, if I was Otis's friend, I'd give him some crazy good advice. For example, "Dude, she's gone. Leave it be" or "She has a boyfriend. Quit it." Stuff like that. But Otis's stalking is too far.

ABOUT PAULA GARNER:

Paula Garner spends most of her time making food, drinks, and narratives, despite being surrounded by an alarming TBR pile and a very bad cat. Her debut YA novel, Phantom Limbs, comes out from Candlewick in 2016. Paula is represented by Molly Jaffa of Folio Lit, and lives in the Chicago area with her family.

LINKS: Website | Twitter

Tour Schedule:

Week 1:

9/5: Such A Novel Idea - Guest Post

9/6: The Litaku - Review

9/7: The Irish Banana Review - Top 10

9/8: Pretty Deadly Reviews - Review

9/9: Resch Reads and Reviews - Guest Post

Week 2:

9/12: The Plot Bunny - Review

9/13: Go Read A Book - Q&A

9/14: Buried Under Books - Review

9/15: Novel Novice - Playlist

9/16: The Young Folks - Review

Giveaway:

3 Finished Copies of PHANTOM LIMBS (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What Went Down: August 2016

I Do Not Watch Too Much Anime (And Other Lies I Tell Myself)

I started and finished two animes this month! (Excluding all the airing animes I'm watching.)

Kamisama Kiss. Huh. I'm surprised by this. It's cute. The romance is cute. The plot is fine (Not the  best.) And Nanami is AWESOME. 3/5 (PS: Check out my review here.)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica. This was a moving anime. It was sad. And happy. And meaningful. I'm surprised. I liked this more than I thought I would. 5/5

I'm watching WAY MORE than these two. 9 airing anime in total. But these are the finished animes I've finished. (Wow. Sounds great, Wren.)

And because of school, I haven't finished the third anime I started. Which is Kill la Kill. But I still have some way to go!

Recommendations

If you want a cute, emotional anime, check out Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
If you want a fast-paced, adrenaline anime, check out Kill la Kill.
If you want a very moe anime about game design, check out New Game.
If you want a maybe-sci-fi anime with a freaking amazing romance, check out Orange.
If you want a surprisingly dark and artistically amazing anime, check out Mob Psycho 100.

Eternal Book Devourer

For once, I read! Haha! I have NO TIME anymore for anything. Except on the bus. So I read on the bus. (I gotta be in WiFi to watch anime.) Might try to pick up anime over the weekends, but it's tough when you constantly have assignments. OH WELLS. 

But I finished a WHOPPING NINE BOOKS this month. 

Also, ignore my ugly carpet.

This Ordinary Life. (Thanks, Brianna from Otaku Twins for giving me this as part of my birthday present! And, in case you're wondering, my birthday was back in April.) This was an interesting book. A quick read definitely. I didn't love it or hate it. It was interesting to see the family dynamic, but that was drowned out by the romance. 3/5

Tell Me Something Real. (An eARC for a book tour!) This was a different book. It had an interesting family dynamic, much like This Ordinary Life, but the story was more riveting and tense. Still, the romance was annoying. 3/5 (PS: Check out my review of it HERE!)

Phantom Limbs. (An eARC for a book tour!) The story of loss always seems to hit my feels. Hard. This book does make me feel for Otis. But still. 3/5 

The Girl Who Fell. Abuse is rough. Books typically don't show abusive relationships. But this one did. And it hurt my heart. But...I still couldn't fall in love with it. 3/5 (PS: Check my review out HERE!)

Let's Get Lost. Wow. I'm surprised by this book. It's pretty freaking amazing. It's cute and funny and meaningful. Not the best book. But pretty amazing nonetheless. 4/5 (PS: I totally took a lot of photos of this book when I was on a plane to FL and one the way back. Also, I was in first class. With the food photos to prove it.)

My Lady Jane. Wow. I liked this one. It's strange...but I do. It's cute and funny and witty. Plus, it's creative. Definitely a new take on the historical fiction genre. 4/5 (PS: Check out my review here!)

The Cruelty. I really had to suspend my disbelief about this book. It's action-filled and pretty cool. But the book wouldn't happen if Gwendolyn wasn't STUPID. 3/5 (Review to come)

Ask the Passengers. This is a cute book. But, per usual, with AS King books, I couldn't really get into it. It's strange. The story was hard to believe. And this is a contemporary book? I'm confused. 3/5

A Court of Mist and Fury. Unlike most people, I'm not a fan of this book. Or ACOTAR. The romance was fine, but I expected much more. Hype at its best. 3/5 (PS: Review to come!) 

I Am A Boss Blogger (And This Is Proof)

My Posts

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is considered a copycat of Attack on Titan, but I don't think so. See why here.

I read my first S Usher Evans book. The main character was whiny, but the magical history was pretty awesome. Check out my review here.

This season's anime hit its mid-season. What do I think so far? Check out my recap here.

There are problems with summer 2016's Orange. And I discuss on of them here.

Have you seen KonoSuba? Did you like it? I didn't. Why? Well...many reasons. See why here.

I participated in ReadThemAllThon. Which was super funn. 

Aesthetic Addict time again! I made a book aesthetic for...A Darker Shade of Magic. Wanna see? Look no further! It's HERE 

Blogosphere Posts

Books:

Ashley from NoseGraze guest posts on Chasing Faerytales to talk about coding and blogs!

Jackie @ No Bent Spines discusses sex in YA

Ardelia @ Ardelia Lee discusses Twitter!

Pages Unbound shows us astounding facts about blogger stats

Claire @ Cover to Cover explains her bookstagram skills

Mary @ Mary Had a Little Book Blog explains how she moderates panels

CW @ Read Think Ponder talks about diversity and her problems with the word

Anime:

Arria Cross @ Fujinseii tells us the story of her reviewing journey

Justin @ HoneyFeed talks about being a seiyuu

Isaac @ Crunchyroll talks about sports anime and what we look for in them

The Otaku Lady discusses her thoughts on why we watch anime

Hara @ Tokyo Otaku Mode explains how he takes photos for TOM

Zataku @ UnimeTV talks about balancing school and anime

Daily Lives of High School Peoples (aka Wren)

• Dual credit is done! And has been for some time. And I was FREE. For like...10 days.
• I went to FL for a quick trip. (As stated in my quick recap of Let's Get Lost.) And have FOOD PHOTOS.

• School started. I'm in week two/three of school. APUSH is DEATH (I mean that almost-literally.) And I'm wondering how the rest of the school year will be.
• There was also a lovely Asian festival at a local grocery store. And I got FREEE stuff.

• And I've decided to start a personal Tumblr! I haven't actually opened it yet. But it'll have photos with witty captions and vignettes and fun! So yeah. You should go check it out. When I make it. 

What did you do this month? And what's to come?