The Map Shop

  Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do receive a small commission for items purchased through this link (http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in anthologies of emerging writers. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is the first in the six of crows duology published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. Bardugo has previously published The GrishaVerse including The Language of Thorns, Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising. Six of Crows and its sequel, Crooked Kingdom , takes place in the same world as the others. This is a dark fantasy series in an urban setting. I imagined it as a gritty, Victorian-era setting, though I could be wrong about this. Bardugo said in an interview the inspiration for this book came from the Oceans 11 movies and it shows.  Kaz Brekker is the second in command of a slum gang, called the Dregs. He is considered a criminal prodigy, known for taking on any...

  Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do receive a small commission for items purchased through this link (http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in anthologies of emerging writers. Black Cat is written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, author of Yamato Gensoki, and published in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2000.   This series is rated   T+ for older teens for some suggestive material and language. This was one of the first manga I read. I remember thinking it was a great series and I was so disappointed that the library didn’t have the full series. Rereading it now though, I find the manga a bit disappointing. Spoiler alert! Volume 1 introduces all of the main characters, the backstory of the main character, and the two elements of conflict. Train is an ex-assassin, known as the Black Cat or the Number Thirteen.   He’s working with Sven, an ex-cop, as a sweeper. They hunt down c...

  Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do receive a small commission for items purchased through this link (http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in anthologies of emerging writers. Tokyo Ghoul volume 3 was written and illustrated by   Sui Ishida in 2011 and published by Shueisha. This story is a dark fantasy rated OT for older teens for gore and serious psychological elements. Trigger warnings ranging from abuse to depression to torture—be careful going into this series. Spoilers alert Picking up where volume 2 left off, Kaneki and Touka are training to fight. Touka then convinces him to accompany her to the Commission of Counter Ghoul’s office to give false statements regarding Hidami’s whereabouts while also learning what they know about her. This is also where some of the physical differences between ghouls and humans is explained, specifically a protein in ghouls called RC which c...

  Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do receive a small commission for items purchased through this link (http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in anthologies of emerging writers. Tokyo Ghoul volume 2 was written and illustrated by   Sui Ishida in 2011 and published by Shueisha. This story is a dark fantasy rated OT for older teens for gore and serious psychological elements. Trigger warnings ranging from abuse to depression to torture—be careful going into this series. Spoilers ahead. Volume 2 picks up with Kaneki starting his new job as a barista at the Anteiku, a coffee shop that doubles as a safe place for ghouls. Touka and the shop owner, Mr. Yoshimura, are teaching him tricks to blend in with human society, such as pretending to eat without having to actually taste the food. We are also introduced to Hinami—a young ghoul—and her mother who are unable to hunt humans on their own. Th...