Sparrowhawk by Delilah S. Dawson, Rebecca Nalty (Primary Contributor), Matias Basla (Illustrator) – 3 stars
The illegitimate daughter of a naval captain, Artemisia has always been out of place in her family and English high society alike. But when she’s yanked through a mirror into a dark realm, she will have to fight for a way back home if she means to save everyone.
With the explosion of fae in popular literature in the last decade or so, I feel like they’ve generally lost their essential dark and uncanny nature just how vampires were defanged by the Twilight books. Not so with Sparrowhawk though – in the strange Wonderland-like world that Art falls into, she shouldn’t trust anyone or anything, and all the power she gains comes at the expense of losing herself. With the sky-high stakes for both Art and the world, I found myself fascinated.
However, I did think the story galloped by – with a fairly short page count, we don’t get to go deeper into the motivations and backgrounds of pretty much all the supporting characters. I would have liked to learn more about Crispin and Warren, for example. And the art style was definitely a let down – often vague and blotchy, though there’s a few striking full-page panels.
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A Vampire in the Bathhouse by Niko Izuki – 2.75 stars
Vampire Luca, seeking rest and respite, decides to visit a Japanese bathhouse in the human world, where he is an immediate convert to the benefits of hot springs. Sakura, the eldest son of the family that owns the bathhouse, is more stressed about being short-staffed than anything else. Luca decides to get a job. Hijinks ensue
That’s the premise, and that’s what you get – nothing more, nothing less. Despite being shelved as a LGBT manga, the romance is minimal and the sexual content kept far off the page. Instead it’s more family feels you get, between Sakura and his brother and Luca and his minions. Mostly it’s just a cute read. I thought the art was lovely, and conveyed the relaxing atmosphere and the little town quite well.
However, the scenarios the characters get into are trope-y enough to tip toward cliche, and Sakura becomes overshadowed by all the magical antics and his adorable little brother. I was also surprised that the cliffhanger at the end of the volume was resolved with a hand-wave away in the bonus chapter – what was the point of it? I guess the next volume might show some of the time covered between the cliffhanger and that bonus strip, but I’m not really compelled to read on.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.