Books I Fully Intended to Review but Completely Forgot

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl literally calls me out because I have so many books I absolutely intended to review, but it all fell by the wayside. I think one of them I still have sitting in my Kindle Unlimited because my library copy had to be returned and got it from KU so I could look up notes while writing the review, but did I write the review? No. Whoops.

So cozy up with your favorite blanket (because it’s freezing cold outside here) and let’s talk about some of those books, shall we? And maybe I’ll finally return whatever that KU book was, because knowing me, I’ll just turn this post into an opportunity for a long mini review session where I normally do 3 in a post.

Spoiler: there are a lot of mangas. Like with my review for Little Witch Academia, for multiple volumes only the synopsis and cover for the first will be provided.

Cat + Gamer Vol. 1-6 by Wataru Nadatani (translated by Zack Davisson)

Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1 by Wataru Nadatani
Cat + Gamer #1
Published by Dark Horse Manga on May 11, 2022
Age Group & Genres: Comics/Graphic Novels
Format: eBook
Source: Library

Riko, a twenty-nine-year-old office worker with an obsession for video games, finds her quiet life upended when she takes in a stray cat!

Her coworkers can’t quite figure her out—she never talks about her personal life, she never works overtime, and she never joins them for happy hour. Is she antisocial? Nope, she’s rushing home to play video games! One day, a stray cat is found in the office parking lot, and before Riko knows it, the cat has moved in with her! Having no experience with pets, Riko uses lessons drawn from video games to guide her in cat care, while her cute companion tries to understand her behavior through a cat's worldview.

Cat + Gamer is single-handedly responsible for me trying to find all the cat manga, because this series is the most wholesome series I’ve ever had the pleasure of coming across and reading. Slice of life novels and manga isn’t up my alley usually, but somehow Cat + Gamer worked out fantastic for me (it could just very well be the timing of when I picked this series up, though). If this were as long as One Piece, I’d happily read it — but maybe that’s the power of cats.

My Happy Marriage Vol. 1-4 by Akumi Agitogi (translated by Jasmine Bernhardt)

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Content and Trigger Warning: This book contains content that may be triggering to some, which we will try our best to provide below the synopsis.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 1 by Akumi Agitogi
Illustrator: Rito Kohsaka
My Happy Marriage #1
Published by Square Enix Manga on September 13, 2022
Age Group & Genres: Comics/Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Romance
Format: Physical
Source: Library

A "Cinderella"-inspired slow-burn historical romance with a paranormal twist set in Meiji-era Japan!

A browbeaten and mistreated daughter is cast out of her family home and sent to audition as a bridal candidate for the heir to one of the most powerful families in the land…

Considered nigh worthless for having failed to inherit the superhuman powers of the bloodlines into which she was born, Miyo Saimori lives her days unwanted and unloved.

She is treated as a servant by her half-sister who, unlike Miyo, is blessed with unusual powers, while her step-mother and very own father have little time or love for their eldest daughter.

Ultimately seen as nothing more than a nuisance and a drain on the family wealth, Miyo is packed off to the Kudo house as a bridal candidate for its heir, Kyoka Kudo.But whispers abound about the Kudo clan, the most powerful in all the land. Still, will the allegedly cold and cruel house into which Miyo aims to marry prove much warmer than the family she left behind?

Trigger & Content Warnings: emotional and physical abuse

I came across the My Happy Marriage anime back when it first released on Netflix, but I held off on watching it even though some of my friends were highly recommending it and finally caved into binging the whole first season before I found out there was a manga and a light novel. My Happy Marriage has so much emotional depth to the story packed with historical and paranormal elements and a slow-burn romance that’s so delightful to read.

Also, Miyo, STAND BEHIND ME I swear I’ll protect this girl with my life I can’t even protect myself, who am I kidding.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles Vol. 1-16 by Hajime Komoto (translated by Nova Skipper)

Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vol. 1 by Hajime Komoto
Mashle #1
Published by VIZ Media on June 4, 2020
Age Group & Genres: Comics/Graphic Novels, Fantasy
Format: Physical
Source: Library

Can muscles crush magic?!

In the magic realm, magic is everything—everyone can use it, and one’s skill determines their social status. Deep in the forest, oblivious to the ways of the world, lives Mash. Thanks to his daily training, he’s become a fitness god. When Mash is discovered, he has no choice but to enroll in magic school, where he must beat the competition without revealing his secret—he can’t use magic!

Mash just wants to live in peace with his father in the forest. But the only way he’ll ever be accepted in the magic realm is by attending magic school and becoming a Divine Visionary—an exceptional student revered as one the chosen. But without an ounce of magic to his name, Mash will have to punch his way to the top spot.

Trigger & Content Warnings: fantasy violence, classism, blood and gore, death

It’s obvious from reading the first volume Mashle takes quite a bit of inspiration from a very particular series, except it has a completely unserious protagonist with no magic (but he’ll absolutely punch anything in his way) and obsession with cream puffs that really just wants to go home (but everyone keeps wanting to fight him). Oh, and make it 10x more funny.

I feel like Mashle gets a little more unhinged as we get closer to the end, but Hajime Komoto somehow strikes that perfect balance between weirdly cringe unhinged and comedic unhinged. I’m still waiting on the final two volumes to come in for pickup at work, so I have no clue how it ends and I’m stuck at a massive cliffhanger.

The Evil Secret Society of Cats Vol. 1 by Pandania (translated by Alethea and Athena Nibley)

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The Evil Secret Society of Cats, Vol. 1 by Pandania
The Evil Secret Society of Cats #1
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment on July 17, 2020
Age Group & Genres: Comics/Graphic Novels
Format: Physical
Source: Library

THERE'S A MEW VILLAIN IN TOWN

“We will teach humans to fear the feline race!” They may seem cute and cuddly, but these kitties are up to no good! Under the direction of the purple-caped Feline Commander, the Evil Secret Society of Cats schemes against humanity in a series of humorous stories as adorable as they are diabolical. After all, the complex nature of cats is part of their charm.

The Evil Secret Society of Cats was cute to read, but it’s one of those mangas that didn’t work out for me. The story is told in a 1-4 panel strip and each of them is short and sweet, showing the various ways cats are tricking humans into adoring them. There’s not an overarching plot throughout the entire series; it’s like a series of art you’d find on social media compiled into multiple collections (there are 3 volumes; I only read the first and noped out). This one definitely boils down to my personal tastes and preferences and not necessarily the manga itself, so you might enjoy this more than me.

The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen

The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
The Crucible #1
Published by Entangled: Red Tower Books on September 3, 2024
Age Group & Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, New Adult, Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited

The gods love to toy with us mere mortals. And every hundred years, we let them…

I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus.

Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won’t notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus’ patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god.

The worst god. Hades.

For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible—the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus. But instead of fighting their own battles, the gods name mortals to compete in their stead.

So why in the Underworld did Hades choose me—a sarcastic nobody with a curse on her shoulders—as his champion? And why does my heart trip every time he says I’m his?

I don’t know if I’m a pawn, bait, or something else entirely to this dangerously tempting god. How can I, when he has more secrets than stars in the sky?

Because Hades is playing by his own rules…and Death will win at any cost.

Trigger & Content Warnings: blood, gore, violence, hospitalization, illness, injury, vomiting, abuse, bullying, theft, isolation, death, grief, use of alcohol, common phobias (heights, burning, drowning, bugs, darkness)

The Games Gods Play was such a fun and refreshing take that has elements of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games; it definitely has its issues but the fun of the novel won me over in the end. I loved reading about the various Labors Owens puts the characters through especially — honestly, I think this was the best and most well-written part of the book because I was absolutely invested. Lyra’s such a snarky character and I enjoyed her banter with Hades, though I do think she’s so selfless that sometimes I want to reach through the page and shake some selfishness into her.

The chapters are short and quick to read, but sometimes I feel they stop at a weird place that takes away from the story. I also can’t pinpoint exactly what it is (and maybe it’s the time that has passed since I read this), but sometimes the pacing feels a bit off — I do think the action of the Labors balances this out a little, though you can still notice it.

Heaven Official’s Blessings: Tiān Guān Cì Fú Vol. 1 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù (translated by Suika)

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Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
Heaven Official’s Blessings: Tiān Guān Cì Fú #1
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment on December 14, 2021
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Format: Physical
Source: Library

A god fallen...
a ghost risen

Born the crown prince of a prosperous kingdom, Xie Lian was renowned for his beauty, strength, and purity. His years of dedicated study and noble deeds allowed him to ascend to godhood. But those who rise may also fall, and fall he does--cast from the heavens and banished to the world below.

Eight hundred years after his mortal life, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for the third time, angering most of the gods in the process. To repay his debts, he is sent to the Mortal Realm to hunt down violent ghosts and troublemaking spirits who prey on the living. Along his travels, he meets the fascinating and brilliant San Lang, a young man with whom he feels an instant connection. Yet San Lang is clearly more than he appears... What mysteries lie behind that carefree smile?

This Chinese xianxia fantasy novel series built around the romanticized love between two men (danmei) is the newest work from author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, and has spawned an ongoing multimedia franchise that's beloved across the world--including the animated series (donghua) that amassed 100+ million views in just its first month. The Seven Seas English-language edition will include covers from 日出的小太陽 (tai3_3), and exclusive, all-new interior illustrations from ZeldaCW.

It took me a lot longer than I liked to read Heaven Official’s Blessings — some of them because of personal issues affecting my mood, which affect my reading, and some of them because of the book itself. I loved watching the first season of the animated series (Xie Lian is so dense and clueless sometimes, but it’s endearing), but I feel my love for the animated series didn’t carry over to the light novel. I think a huge part of it was the translation itself: the writing sometimes feels like commentary that took away from the story and felt weird to have, and I’ve not read MXTX’s other works to chalk it up to their writing style.