Rolling Star - Yui

Katana
Katana, Book 1

Author: Cole Gibsen
Pages: 377
ARC Acquired from: Flux Books via NetGalley

Brief Summary:
For most people, the side effects of an attempted mugging might be loss of money, fear of public places and perhaps shame at not having been able to defend oneself. Rileigh Martin worries afterwards, but her problem is that she beat up three muggers. Ever since, she's been having dreams set in feudal Japan. Either she's crazy or she has the spirit of a samurai warrior. Complicating life further, she's being stalked by an (admittedly hot) Asian guy named Kim and the boy she's been crushing on for months finally asked her out. What's a girl to do?

Review:
I love books about people with powers. This is probably obvious based on what I read; this is why I continue to be interested in every paranormal book, even though they are ten a penny these days. Honestly, I still fantasize about attending Hogwarts or humanity devoloping X-Men like powers. That would be the best.

I also happen to be fascinated with Japanese culture. Even more so, I love me some hot Asian boys. All of these things equaled me being totally excited about this book. Actually, it turns out that I wasn't a huge fan of Kim, the hot Asian guy; he's too mysterious, protective and melodramatic for my tastes. Still, I want there to be a movie version of this, and I suggest Harry Shum Jr. to play Kim. Just think about it.

He can be my soulmate any time.

Okay...focus. Although there were some awesome things, like my mental movie starring Harry Shum Jr., there were some things did really get my goat about this book, though. Mostly, they had to do with Rileigh making the worst possible decision at all times, like when she'll think someone's trying to trap her into coming to them, so she'll go there to give them a message about how she's not going to have anything do with him/her.

Or, more frustratingly, when she decides to test her fighting powers by going to a biker bar and starting a fight. It works and she successfully injures one person in a big crowd. Then, she decides to jump in the car and run away, only she hasn't incapacitated anyone in this crowd. So, of course, they begin to destroy her car with her inside it, because she can't turn it on. Even if she did manage to turn the car on, her best case would be running some people over and probably getting in trouble for it, since she went to the bar spoiling for a fight. She should have either a) not decided to test her powers this way or b) kept fighting, because her samurai mojo totally could take care of her out of the car.

My favorite character was probably Quentin; I only wish there could have been more done with him. Whatever. If anyone needs a sassy gay friend to ask "what, what, what are you doing?" it's Rileigh. Actually, why didn't he ask her that? If Gibsen had included that, I would have laughed forever.

So yeah, this book was not particularly well-constructed plot-wise. I pretty much knew everything that was going to happen within the first couple of chapters. There weren't any surprises, because it was all standard plot devices. However, I did really enjoy reading this, because, well, it was super fun.

Rating: 3/5

Spellbound - Doves

Spellbound
Spellbound, Book 1

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Pages: 324
ARC Acquired from: Harlequin Teen via NetGalley

Brief Summary:
After her mother's death, Emma was left with only her drunken step-father to take care of her. She put up with him, until the day he drove the car into a tree, leaving her with a nasty scar on her arm and even the vestiges of trust in him, and humanity, gone. Luckily, her wealthy Aunt Christine in New York was able to get her into the local coed private academy, so that she can finish her last two years of high school in style. All Emma wants is to avoid notice, but, of course, that's not likely given her strange connection to the hottest guy in school and that she has immediately attracted the hatred of the two most popular students. Add in some magical curses and she's in for a hell of a time.


Review:
Honestly, I really was not expecting much from Spellbound. I imagined it would be a simple teenage romance novel, complete with instalove and completely disgusting couple scenes. Thus, I was incredibly surprised to find that I was wrong (rare though that occurrence may be) and that Spellbound definitely stands above the average teen fare.

While the whole plot of Spellbound does involve what I have termed instalove, it is much better done than in a lot of YA. I don't want to spoiler anything, so I can't be too detailed as to why it makes sense in this case. Generally, though, despite the great attraction the two main characters feel to one another, they do try to fight it, in ways that are rather familiar to anyone who has gone through high school. So, while their romance is unrealistic, that's because this is fantasy and, accepting the fantastical plot, I think it has been well done.

What really made Spellbound an utter pleasure for me to read, though, was not the romance or the sexily disheveled hero of the piece. Shultz clearly loves pop culture and references it constantly. At pretty much every reference, I really just wanted to give her a high five for her sense of humor and her good choices. While I did not love everything she referenced, I think the references were well-woven and fit with the personality of the narrator.

I definitely ended up being quite impressed with this novel. Spellbound is ultimately just a flight of fancy, not a great literary work, but I highly recommend it to anyone looking for fun, romance and magic. There is also a pretty dang convincing horror scene in there, too. Recommended to people who liked The Eternal Ones (or who liked the idea and thought it could have been waaaay better).

"She keeps me here so spellbound
Her love pulls me near to stranger ground
I've lost my mind there
This dark magic mirror, spellbound"

Past in Present - Feist

NG Life

Author: Mizuho Kusanagi
Volumes: 9
Publisher: Tokyopop

Brief Summary:
Keidai Saeki is not your average high schooler. He's attractive, athletic, klutzy and popular. Oh yeah, and he remembers his past life. When he was a gladiator in Pompeii during the period before the explosion of the volcano. He's not the only one from then to be reborn in Japan. His little sister and arch rival are his parents. His best friend, Loleus, is still his best friend, although she's now a girl, Serizawa. He has been looking his whole life for his love, Serena, who he knows must have been reborn here as well. He finally finds her, only to learn that she is now a boy named Yuuma. Will he go gay for his past life love?

Review:
NG Life is one of the more original and weird mangas I have read, which is saying something, as anyone who reads manga knows. Certainly, I have read stranger things, but generally only online, the things that would never get published here because they are off the wall batty and creepy. Anywho, I was skeptical and still am about some of the aspects of the past lives thing (particularly that they were all reborn together in Japan), but I do find the idea of past lives fascinating, so I was willing to overlook it.

My favorite thing about this series, the thing that frequently made me chuckle, was the gender-benderness of it. There is a love triangle between Yuuma (who likes Serizawa), Serizawa (who likes Saeki) and Saeki (who likes Yuuma/Serena). No matter which of them Saeki ends up with, he'll be going gay a little bit, which I think is hilarious. Serizawa was a dude with his past self and his love from before is a dude now. I just love that. I also really loved Smyrna/Shinogu, who was totally a lesbian when living back in Pompeii (although that side story at the end of volume 9 was not okay at all...Serena needs to let Smyrna be).

If you read this be prepared for over the top ridiculousness (although that's the case with a lot of manga). Also, be ready for a lot of slapstick humor. The series often made me chuckle, although it did sometimes me make me angry, too. If you're into past lives, gender bending and comedy, this is definitely a series worth checking out.

"Feeling it from dark to bright
When a wrong becomes a right
When a mountain fills with light
It's a volcano, it's a volcano
It's a volcano, it's a volcano

So much present, inside my present
Inside my present
So, so much past

Inside my present, inside my present
Inside my present
So, so much past"

Karma - Alicia Keys

The Eternal Ones
Eternal Ones, Book 1

Author: Kirsten Miller
Genre: young adult, fantasy
Pages: 416
ARC Acquired From: Penguin booth at ALA 2010
Release Date: August 10, 2010

Brief Summary:
Haven Moore is an outcast in her small hometown in the Bible belt Tennessee. Everyone, including her grandmother, believes her to be possessed by a demon, because of her visions of her past life. Her mother has been distant and a bit crazy, since Haven’s father died in an accident with his mistress. Haven has only one person she can truly depend on: her best friend, and designing partner, Beau. For a long time, Haven questions whether her visions are truly real or whether she is just crazy. She discovers notes of her father’s and learns that she has had the same visions since she was a child. Not only that, but she accurately knows buildings in New York, a city she has never visited. When she has another vision after seeing a scandal-ridden playboy, she becomes convinced that he is her lover from her past life. She runs away to New York to investigate her past life, the mysterious Ouroboros Society and perhaps find her true love.

Review:
I have a bit of trouble trying to determine exactly how I feel about this book. Perhaps the best way to describe my reaction is this: the idea is an exceedingly interesting one, but the execution could have been better. The characters never truly sprang alive for me. The bad guys were even more weakly drawn, never making me feel truly worried for the protagonists. The love story never sold me either; Haven and Iain, the playboy, never really seem to have any real chemistry and their relationship lacks any foundation or trust. The ending was predictable, poorly explained and rather cheesy. What worries me perhaps the most are the strange religious themes, which point to Pentecostal Christianity. Not the staid version either, but the rattlesnake in a box ones. I really cannot figure out what that whole element was doing in there or what the reader was supposed to make of it.

Nonetheless, the book progressed at a decent pace and is perhaps worth a read, if only for its relatively unique ideas. This is not a great book, but if it intrigues you despite the review, check it out.

"It's called Karma baby and it goes around"