Book Review: In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 4

Review:  #940
Title:  In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 4
Series:  In Another World With My Smartphone – 4th volume
Author:  Patoru Fuyuhara
Comments:  Touya continues on his journey to gain more influence and power in this world.  The pacing has increased somewhat significantly compared to past volumes and he achieves a lot.  The volume starts off by exploring more into the various pieces of Babylon sub-arc and this is probably one of the series’ most interesting arc.  It helps that it teases a mysterious character and reveals quite a bit more about the strange powerful crystal monsters that had been appearing.  Then it moves on to a slice-of-life theme as Touya opens up a business before upping the pacing once again with a ton of action.  As Touya goes ahead and saves another country, naturally he gains even more followers.  Touya is too powerful for his own good.  While one of the highlights is to see how he combines his various powers in clever ways to defeat enemies, at the same time, there’s a limit to how much goodwill you give as a viewer for a character how has it just so good.  Nevertheless, Touya is still likeable, if a bit too modest and humble.  The dynamic between the various heroines are always fun to watch, it gives the whole series a fun adventurous tone.  The most important aspect is though, it is an enjoyable read and makes you eager for more.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 3

Review:  #939
Title:  In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 3
Series:  In Another World With My Smartphone – 3rd volume
Author:  Patora Fuyuhara
Comments:  Touya’s perfect life just keeps on getting more perfect, and while that may be annoying at times, in the end, it’s more positive than negative.  You might expect the series to do nothing about Touya’s relationships with the heroines, allowing to be constantly teased without advancing it at all.  Well, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you find out that this is not the case and volume 3 solidified their positions.  It’s interesting and refreshing for once to have the protagonist sort out his romance with multiple love interests during the middle of a series.  The side effect is that most of the volume is spent on covering Touya’s interactions with each of the heroines, and while this may be sweet, on the other hand you want to something extraordinary to happen.  There’s no real road for the plot to follow since it just goes wherever it wants to.  It does lend to a few interesting scenarios but as per always, Touya’s extreme overpowered nature makes all his problems trivial.  He really is a wish fulfillment character that you can’t help but be jealous of.  There’s a tiny bit of obvious foreshadowing but other than that, Touya increases his power, his status and his party and there’s nothing wrong with this.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 2

Review:  #938
Title:  In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 2
Series:  In Another World With My Smartphone – 2nd volume
Author:  Patora Fuyuhara
Comments:  If you thought Touya had it great in the first volume then be prepared for that to triple.  Touya not only gains a few more party members as well as wealth and status, thanks to his unfair advantage, he gains a ton of useful spells.  The only iffy part is how he is bringing and creating objects from his world into this fantasy world, which can feel somewhat at odds.  While there are a few important events, the volume mostly covers day to day life, and what a life it is.  Touya’s new life in this world is a fun one.  He is ever popular; whatever he creates is likened by everyone.  Thanks to his good luck at meeting important people that also favors him, he has it extremely easy.  The only negative to all this is how oblivious he is to his party members’ feelings towards him, and yet he is quite sharp when it happens to others.  Thus, his life is a little bit too perfect and can border on annoying.  Despite the slice of life aspect, the author spends some time in developing a richer world, allowing us to understand how it functions.  From being tasked to be the envoy to form an alliance to the neighboring country to taking on quests and eliminate some slimes.  In the end, there’s still plenty to like about the volume.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 1

Review:  #936
Title:  In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 1
Series:  In Another World With My Smartphone – 1st volume
Author:  Patora Fuyuhara
Comments:  In Another World With My Smartphone is yet another isekai light novel.  Starring Mochizuki Touya who is accidentally killed by God, God sends him to another world.  To make up for his mistake God gives his stats a massive boost as well as allowing Touya to retain and use his smartphone.  What results is the ultimate wish fulfillment character and adventure.  Touya is unbelievably powerful and in no time at all, has gathered around him a close knit group of friends.  Everything goes his way.  The people he saves turns out to be nobility.  Accidents happen that turn out to help improve Touya’s abilities.  What might infuriate you is how “innocent” Touya is.  He is modest and oblivious to a lot of things.  He plays the nice guy routine… except that it is genuine, so it can be a bit too sugary sweet at times.  Despite that, multiple events happen in quick succession.  It is awesome to watch Touya overpower his enemies so easily.  It’s fun to see things work out so smoothly.  All in all, if you are sick of darker, grittier or unconventional isekai fantasy stories, then you’ll have a lot of enjoyment with In Another World With My Smartphone with its straightforward yet charming story that’ll set a smile on your face.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar & Six More

Review:  #935
Title:  The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar & Six More
Series:  N/A
Author:  Roald Dahl
Comments:  This is a short story collection by Roald Dahl and it is somewhat more mature and darker than his more well known books for children.  The titular story of Henry Sugar is definitely one of the most interesting of the lot.  In it, the character learns how to see through cards and makes a killing from casinos.  What makes it unique is how to approaches the storytelling.  It tells it in such a way that it pulls you out of the moment, from the character, until around midway where it puts the character back into focus again.  The other story that pops out is based on real events which retell how Roald Dahl came to be an author.  It’s inspiring and you can’t help but feel he is too humble.  He wraps his experiences as a child, suffering the cruelty from boarding schools that was the norm in those days, to his army days, it’s engrossing.  He emphasizes that you would have never thought he’ll have a knack for writing from his grades, but thanks to certain coincidences, here he is now.  The other five stories each has their charms, but perhaps most surprising is how not all of them have happy endings.  There are some pretty twisted scenes and concepts that were written to elicit disgust and disappointment.  It never crosses the line but will make you feel uncomfortable.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One

Review:  #934
Title:  Goblin Slayer Side Story:  Year One
Series:  Goblin Slayer Side Story – 1st book
Author:  Kumo Kagyu
Comments:  Year One is set as a prequel to the series in which it covers the first year of Goblin Slayer when he became an adventure.  If you were hoping for some insight into his training with his master, then that might be for another time.  Instead, the novel starts with him registering to become an adventurer, meeting Cow Girl again, and his first few forays into goblin slaying.  As he lacks experience in this time, he is just like any other newbie adventurer, making errors in judgment but is lucky enough to survive.  Through these grueling quests, he starts to pick up the habits and fighting style that we are familiar with (and that we probably just took for granted).  Goblin Slayer isn’t as invincible against goblins in this side story as we’re used to and so it can be a bit tense at times, and painful in others when he makes the same mistakes that he would eventually chide Priestess over.  Small portions here and there are used to cover the viewpoint of other adventurers on their first quests.  The best part is how naturally the events of this novel bring together the experiences that form the current Goblin Slayer.  Unfortunately, since he is fighting solo, we miss the bantering and interactions of a party, and you don’t realize that you miss it until it becomes painfully obvious here.
Rating:  6.5/10

Book Review: Goblin Slayer Vol. 7

Review:  #933
Title:  Goblin Slayer Vol. 7
Series:  Goblin Slayer – 7th volume
Author:  Kumo Kagyu
Comments:  A different scenarios occurs in this volume, which is always what makes the series so interesting.  So where does Goblin Slayer slay goblins this time around?  Well, he, along with his party, are invited to High Elf Archer’s hometown, which is naturally populated by elves.  However, their journey there is perilous and once they arrive, they find out that goblins are just living nearby.  Thus, with his most hated goblins so close by, Goblin Hunter doesn’t hesitate before he goes and slays them.  While the party is competent, we’re shown more of Priestess’s insecurities.  She is, after all, the lowest ranked there and is also mainly a support, never attacking on the frontline.  Perhaps one of the greatest moments is when Priestess uses her spells in an unintended way, and she gets an unintended response as a result.  It really hammers home that the beliefs of all the characters in this world are real.  The action is tight and seeing the party work so well as a team is wonderful.  While they slay numerous goblins, the author still manages to highlight that you cannot let your guard down.  Goblins are dangerous and they will kill if you if your attention wavers for just one moment.  While the fate of the goblin nest felt a bit rushed, the ending of the volume is perfect.  It highlights how the characters feel after all they’ve been through, and their adventurer spirits clearly shines through.
Rating:  7/10

Book Review: Goblin Slayer Vol. 6

Review:  #932
Title:  Goblin Slayer Vol. 6
Series:  Goblin Slayer – 6th volume
Author:  Kuma Kagyu
Comments:  Who knew that so many different things can happen to a guy who slays only goblins?  Yet here we are with another volume of interesting events and further character development of Goblin Slayer.  It dives a little bit into the guild system again, with Priestess worrying about her rank.  Being a year since she started, a batch of new adventurers arrives, and with their lack of experience comes arrogant.  It just so happen that the one with the most arrogance gets the attention of Goblin Slayer.  It’s a bit tough in the beginning because the new character is too rash and you can see all his mistakes before he makes them.  The amount of danger he puts the party in cannot be understated.  This reinforces the fact how a strong team has trust, working well with each other and knowing what to do to complement each other.  After the various goblin encounters (all of which Goblin Slayer continues to surprise you with never using the same strategy twice), it seemed the pacing slows down.  While Goblin Slayer is viewed unfavorably by the newbies, all the veterans appreciate what he does, odds quirks and all.  Goblin Slayer himself starts to show more emotions, confusing even himself.  It then proceeds to start expanding on the training of the new adventurers and this leads into the climax where as expected, things are never so peaceful.  The final battle, while still fantastic, never quite elevates to the same heights as previous volumes.  Just when you feel it is about to enter its height, that was the peak and it ends.
Rating:  7/10

Book Review: Goblin Slayer Vol. 5

Review:  #931
Title:  Goblin Slayer Vol. 5
Series:  Goblin Slayer – 5th volume
Author:  Kumo Kagyu
Comments:  Volume 5 is a return to form if you’re looking for a meaty, classic, goblin slaying quest.  Unless previous volumes, all the pages, from start to finish, deals with the one quest.  Goblin Slayer and his party take on a special quest that takes place on a snowy mountain.  The objective?  To slay goblins of course.  While the characters’ personalities are predictable, such as High Elf Archer bantering with Dwarf Shaman, or Goblin Slayer’s stoic responses to everyone, it never gets old.  To keep things interesting, we find that this group of goblins is yet again different to what we have previously seen.  While Goblin Slayer is suspicious, he never lets down his guard and prepares various contingency plans in order to succeed.  This time, even he admits that it would have been difficult to clear out such a huge and powerful nest of goblins.  The various types of strategies employed, and not seeing the big picture until it fully plays out by the end of the novel keeps you sucked in.  The cruel and disgusting nature of goblins is emphasized again and again.  This is a dark fantasy so there’s your fair share of misfortunes and it makes all the events that much more personal and grounded.  The action is relentless and well planned, once you get to the halfway point, the pacing does not slow down at all.  The ending is a reflection on the growth of the characters.  Goblin Slayer realizes more and more how much he enjoys his new comrades, friends even, and this is a great sight to see.  Although the fact that he has various romantic interests (though one-sided it may be) that doesn’t go anywhere can be a bit misleading and frustrating.  All in all, this is a fantastic piece of writing.
Rating:  7/10

Book Review: Goblin Slayer Vol. 4

Review:  #930
Title:  Goblin Slayer Vol. 4
Series:  Goblin Slayer – 4th volume
Author:  Kumo Kagyu
Comments:  Volume 4 is a collection of short stories that takes place in the periods between the first few volumes.  There’s not central theme or anything, and as a result, it ends up being a relaxing volume.  While there are still some goblin slaying and adventuring by the characters, it is nowhere near as tense as what we have read so far.  The best thing about the volume is that it doesn’t only tell stories involving the main party members; it focuses on other supporting characters that we have only seen in one or two scenes.  The other neat aspect is how these stories tie back to certain scenes in earlier volumes.  Those scenes at the time only seemed like flavor text, but ends up being quite iconic and recognizable here, giving context to their dialogue.  What was a little bit confusing though was how it jumps from time period to time period, so you can never be too sure when it is taking place in relation to all the other events until you’re some way into the story.  There is a trend of telling stories when the party members have their days off.  Due to all the eventful things that happen during an adventure, the mundane stuff feels like another world and as a result, quite engrossing.
Rating:  6.5/10

Book Review: Goblin Slayer Vol. 3

Review:  #929
Title:  Goblin Slayer Vol. 3
Series:  Goblin Slayer – 3rd volume
Author:  Kumo Kagyu
Comments:  While still a strong volume, there’s less action to be had.  Most of the volume focuses upon Goblin Slayer’s relationship, more specifically, potentially romantic relationships.  Despite his stoic attitude and fixation on slaying goblins (and only goblins), he sure attracts a lot of women.  Taking place during a festival that the town is hosting, Goblin Slayer goes out on a date with various women.  This short period of respite gives us an insight to the thinking behind Goblin Slayer, as well as the other characters that were only in the background thus far.  Despite the relatively mundane activities, you keep reading because Goblin Slayer’s responses and reactions are funny.  However, if it is goblin slaying that you crave, then the final section will satisfy that urge.  Once again, we see the how ingenious Goblin Slayer is when he devises unorthodox methods of slaying goblins, especially when it overcomes the advantage that the goblins have with the overwhelming numbers.  While it never gets to the point of the epic feel that was the climax of the first volume, it’s great to see how the team has grown so much, working so well together to overcome a powerful enemy.
Rating:  6.5/10

Book Review: Goblin Slayer Vol. 2

Review:  #928
Title:  Goblin Slayer Vol. 2
Series:  Goblin Slayer – 2nd volume
Author:  Kumo Kagyu
Comments:  The second outing of Goblin Slayer is every bit as good as the first.  Whereas the first volume was a compilation of multiple smaller standalone stories, volume 2 is a single arc that is more like a typical novel.  The party that had formed in the last volume has well and truly settled.  The members has a fantastic sense of comradeship, each characters’ personalities plays off well against each other.  Their abilities complement well and allow the party to face off a variety of situations.  Perhaps the most interesting part is how well Goblin Slayer adapts to his predicaments.  His ingenuity and plans that makes unorthodox use of items in order to slay all his enemies is unparalleled.  The party has learned to trust each other implicitly and able to anticipate the other’s moves.  Being Goblin Slayer, we can expect goblin slaying to be the main focus.  That isn’t to say that the author hasn’t included additional things.  We learn just a little bit more about the world, about Goblin Slayer himself, and also how dangerous goblins could be, despite being weak and cowardly when individually faced.  The fact that other monsters make an appearance keeps things fresh.  While there are times where it draws slightly lewd attention to the females, it’s subdued enough to not ruin the moment.
Rating:  7/10

Book Review: Goblin Slayer Vol. 1

Review:  #927
Title:  Goblin Slayer Vol. 1
Series:  Goblin Slayer – 1st volume
Author:  Kumo Kagyu
Comments:  Set in a fantasy world, there are adventurers who make their living taking on and clearing quests.  The book immediately sets the tone with its opening act, whereby a group of newbie adventurers take on a quest to clear a nest of goblins.  Goblins are supposedly the weakest of monsters that anyone can defeat.  What people underestimate about goblins the most is their cunning and their numbers.  The newbies take on way more than they can and thus we are introduced to Goblin Slayer, an experienced adventurer who only deals with goblins.  It eventually follows the pair of Goblin Slayer and Priestess, and the lack of names adds a nice touch of flair in this dark and gritty story, yet still contains touches of lighthearted humor.  Initially, the volume feels like a collection of separate events but they flow on from each other so well.  Over the course of the various stories, we glean a deep understanding of Goblin Slayer, and also how the world functions.  Thus when the final story comes, which is suitably a big event, the significance of what happens is clear.  It would have been preferred if the final event could have been fleshed out more with a focus on the preparations and the strategies used, but this is a really strong first volume.  Goblin Slayer’s stoic personality and one track mind on only caring about slaying goblins is so charming.
Rating:  7/10

Book Review: Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World Vol. 9

Review:  #924
Title:  Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World Vol. 9
Series:  Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World – 9th volume
Author:  Tappei Nagatsuki
Comments:  Volume 9 marks the end of the current arc that involves one of the Archbishops, Sloth.  Having Subaru start over again can be painful to watch but thanks to his ability, he is able to anticipate and present countermeasures to everything that Sloth throws his way.  Considering the horrific things that Subaru has to endure previously, it is quite satisfying to have the tables turn and Sloth being the one that is cornered.  While it may seem to be a staple of the author’s, it is nonetheless surprising when you just about think the major event has ended, that more just keeps on coming.  This is the case here and it doesn’t end.  One problem after another keeps popping up, each one more significant harder to deal with than the last.  It is impressive that Subaru has managed to overcome these unexpected problems on the fly.  The arc’s ending is really sweet and made everything that Subaru has experienced worthwhile.  It instantly ups this by presenting a what-if scenario involving Subaru and Rem.  It’s hard to pick who you like more, Emilia or Rem.  This is cruel considering what happens afterwards with further interludes and epilogues, which doubles up as setting up the next arc.  It feels like a massive downer after the happy ending, and a situation that is even more despairing and helpless if that is possible.  The final scenes are the highlight of the volume due to the sensitive situation that Subaru has been put in, and makes you eager to find out how Subaru will be even able to try to defuse it.
Rating:  6.5/10

Book Review: The Eye of Minds

Review:  #922
Title:  The Eye of Minds
Series:  The Mortality Doctrine – 1st book
Author:  James Dashner
Comments:  The Eye of Minds is set in a world where virtual reality has advanced to the point if being indistinguishable from reality.  People go into “coffins” where a series of connections allow the user to experience physical sensations.  Following Michael, who is your typical teen with an attitude, he is recruited to try and find the latest menace in the virtual world.  He is joined by two friends and throughout the whole adventure; you can’t help but feel this is extremely familiar to other stories before it.  Everything feels predictable and well trodden, leaving you with no surprises.  The author tends to saturate the text with pointless descriptions.  The journey is supposed to be one of intelligence but none is shown by the characters.  It constantly uses jargon and references techniques which are made up but never once is it explained what they actually mean by it.  This means that whenever the characters “look at the code”, you don’t know what they are actually doing.  The virtual world is too realistic to feel virtual and everything feels contrived.  The saving grace is the end which was what all the mystery was leading up to.  It manages to hide a neat twist (but not the most original) that allows you to see the characters’ actions in a new light.  Despite its flows, the ending was worth the lead up.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: The Fever Code

Review:  #921
Title:  The Fever Code
Series:  The Maze Runner – 5th book
Author:  James Dashner
Comments:  The Fever Code is a prequel to The Maze Runner, taking place right before it.  Following Thomas and Teresa when they were young, we see how they were brought up.  We see the relative beginnings of WICKED, their plans for the Maze Trials and most importantly, it fully fleshes out Thomas and Teresa’s role in the trials.  The pair was always the brightest amongst the group that was immune to the virus and received special treatment.  They created bonds with all the other characters, most of whom we are already familiar with.  Thomas starts off believing in the good of WICKED but over the course of the story, this attitude slowly changes as he learns what they are doing.  Pacing is quite slow at times since it likes to focus on Thomas’s ramblings and mundane moments in meeting up with other characters.  Knowing what Teresa does in the later novels, you can’t help but see her in a cynical light.  That is justified given that she isn’t presented in the best light here either.  The story finishes right at the beginning of the events of The Maze Runner, so when it was coming up until that point, it felt like it was rushing things.  In the end, this is a good prequel story which feels like it was better written than when compared to the previous novels.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: Sword Art Online: Progressive Vol. 6

Review:  #919
Title:  Sword Art Online:  Progressive Vol. 6
Series:  Sword Art Online:  Progressive – 6th volume
Author:  Reki Kawahara
Comments:  The second part that finishes the story of the sixth floor.  While the author claims in the afterword that he was forced to split it into two parts due to its length, after finishing this volume, you’ll come to realize that it could have fitted into one volume after all.  This is because of the author’s extreme tendency to find every opportunity to regurgitate the characters’ current predicament as well as summarizing everything that has happened up until now.  You’ll find blocks of paragraphs that do this and it gets tiring.  Ignoring that, there is also the theme of all the NPCs not acting like your typical game AI but rather more like humans.  Considering that this game was the first of its kind and very far from when the Underworld arc and its “true” AI would have happened, it’s hard to believe and breaks the immersion.  The player killing gang remains a major antagonist but sits more in the background.  Rather, Kirito and Asuna focus on spending time with Kizmel, befriending a new group and then continue on solving that floor’s story quest so that they can challenge the floor boss.  There is a lot of filler content that ultimately becomes inconsequential, from the excessive detailing of food to the same tired angle of NPCs being individuals as well, and that they have histories spanning to before the game started.  All this combines into a slightly above average story but nowhere near as good as the early volumes.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: Sword Art Online: Progressive Vol. 5

Review:  #918
Title:  Sword Art Online:  Progressive Vol. 5
Series:  Sword Art Online:  Progressive – 5th volume
Author:  Reki Kawahara
Comments:  The fifth volume takes place on the sixth floor and the floor has a weird theme to it:  puzzles.  That is, so many things cannot be done before you solve the puzzle that it feels way too impractical.  The author has also put in details about the game that is sheer impossible, or plainly stated, no developer would waste all those resources for something with such low priority.  With the characters able to pull out any book to read, to multiple facets of certain rules, it feels like the author is just trying to impress… without actually knowing the limitations on what this would be the case.  While that breaks the immersion a bit, Kirito and Asuna keeps getting sidetracked.  They are constantly attacked by the same characters, which is starting to become tiring by this point.  However, the story told is interesting enough that it manages to hold together.  Unfortunately, a lot of time was spent on specific events, so much that when the end of the novel is approaching and you realize that the characters will not clear the floor in this volume, it’s disappointing to say the least.  So all in all, we have Kirito and Asuna start the main questline for the floor, break up the tension between the two leading guilds, fight off against other characters who was wanting to kill them, and then finishing off with a long running quest that spanned over multiple floors.  While that sounds like a lot, it still doesn’t feel like much once you’ve finished the novel.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown

Review:  #917
Title:  Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  The Meltdown
Series:  Diary of a Wimpy Kid – 13th volume
Author:  Jeff Kinney
Comments:  While The Meltdown isn’t as funny as The Getaway, it still carries the same charming humor and casual ridiculousness that the series is known for.  Taking place during winter, Greg’s neighborhood is an all-out warzone between kids of different factions, roughly divided on which street that they lived on.  While the first half has various random events strung together, the second half is one long battle spanning the course of a day with heavy snowfall.  The illustrations are great and complement the text well.  It manages to twist mundane moments into exciting affairs.  While it does exaggerate, it feels natural and isn’t too out of whack.  The final battle was a natural conclusion to the build up that had been happening up until then and helps book end the events of the book.
Rating:  6/10

Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway

Review:  #916
Title:  Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  The Getaway
Series:  Diary of a Wimpy Kid – 12th volume
Author:  Jeff Kinney
Comments:  The Getaway has the Heffley family take a vacation at a topical island resort.  Naturally, things do not go to plan but none of the characters are annoying here at all.  There’s no pettiness and the humor is genuinely funny.  Greg hasn’t had any experience travelling on a plane but the best parts come when the family arrives at the vacation spot.  It is hilarious in the trouble that the family gets up to.  While Greg has some legitimate concerns, most of the time, there is some naivety and exaggerated at play.  The frequent illustrations help supplement the text and there are one or two instances which it makes the whole situation really funny.  The plot has a natural flow to it, instead of being a collection of random events; it has a clear beginning, middle and end which help with the pacing and makes it an enjoyable read.
Rating:  7/10