The Map Shop

I feel like I've been run over by a semi. How I managed to read as much  as I did this month is beyond me and I doubt I'll ever be able to do it again. In the month of April, I managed to read 15 books, DNF'ing only two. This month I read;  Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan  Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Posten (DNF'ed after 107 pages because I disliked both of the main characters) Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen Descendant of the Crane by Joan He We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan Four Souls by Louise Erdrich The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 1 by Kieron Gillen Animal Jack by Kid Toussaint Otaku Blue by Richard Marazano Green Class by Hamon Jerome Living Simply: A Teenage Guide to Minimalism by Sally McGraw Rolled & Told Vol. 1 by E.L. Thomas Scarlet Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis (DNF'ed because I couldn't get into it) Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator by Leighton Gray Most of th...

 Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See the bottom of this post for more information. Wicked Saints is the first in the Something Dark and Holy series by Emily Duncan. She has her worked published in Crows on Heartstrings: An Anthology of Doomed Love Stories but Wicked Saints is her first novel. Published by Wednesday Books, it was released on April 2nd. Wicked Saints follows Nadya, a girl who can speak to the gods and use their power, as she teams up with two refugees and a boy who everyone calls a monster in order to end a three centuries-long holy war by assassinating the enemy king. Meanwhile, the High Prince Serefine is called home from the war to choose a wife and possibly die. This book is marketed as an instant New York Times bestseller, and is often described as a Six of Crows type story. This book . . . frustrated me. I liked most of the characters, the concept was good, and the idea of the blood magic an...

  Special thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a copy. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. For more information, see the link at the bottom of the page. Tokyo Underground, the first in the Otaku Blue series, is written by Richard Marazano and published by Europe Comics. It will become available in the US on April 17th. Marazano is a French author of graphic novels, titles including The Chimpanzee Complex series, the Dream of The Butterfly series, the S.A.M. series, and Milo's World, among others.  Otaku Blue follows Asami, a Japanese sociology student who is studying the otaku culture for her thesis. As she tries to understand the phenomena and reasoning behind this subculture, with the help of cosplayer Maiko who suggest she looks for Buntaro, the elusive otaku expert. Meanwhile, Asami's boyfriend Kotaro is working on a J-horror flick with the hopes of starting his film career, yet he is frustrated by Asami's insistence of pursuing Maiko's le...

  Special thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comic for a copy.  I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. If you're interested in reading the works of emerging writers, see the link at the bottom of this post. Animal Jack is a comic written by Kid Toussaint and illustrated by Miss Prickly. Toussaint is french comic writer with a variety of comics including the Magic 7 series and Holly Ann series. Miss Prickly is a french comic artist whose work includes the Mortelle Adele series. Animal Jack was originally published under the title Le coeur de la foret by Dupuis publishing in February 2019 and will be published in English by Europe Comics on April 17th, 2019. Animal Jack is a cute story about Jack, a kid who doesn't speak and has the ability to turn into any animal that he chooses. He has trouble making friends because of his abilities, though no one is outright mean to him. Even if they were, however, he is more than capable of standing up to bullies, as seen when h...

  Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. If you're interested in reading the works of emerging writers, see the link at the bottom of the post. Descendant of the Crane by Joan He was published by Albert Whitman Company and will be available on the shelves on April 9th, 2019. This is He's debut novel. This novel starts with the princess, Hesina, committing treason in order to find her father's murderer. The sooth, a magic user who can predict the future, instructs her to find a convict with a rod who will help her in her task. Thus begins Hesina's journey of lies and crimes in order to unveil the truth, but the further she digs, the more she discovers the horrors of her kingdom and everything her father left to her. From family squabbles to threats of war, to sooths being hunted in the streets, to games of power with political officials, this book does a great job in lulling you into a sense of calm. You think yo...