From the back cover: Eleven-year-old David is about to meet his new stepsister, Amanda, who is only one year older than he is. Amanda arrives at their big old house wearing a huge tattered shawl and carrying a sharp-eyed crow in a cage. She is hardly what David expects. Before long, she introduces David to a strange world of witchcraft and the occult. At first, spells and … [Read more...] about The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder: B
Tokyo Zombie by Yusaku Hanakuma: B+
From the back cover: Tokyo Zombie is a horror-comedy manga about two blue-collar factory workers, Mitsuo and Fujio, whose plans for martial arts fame are sidelined when zombies take over Tokyo. In this gory and hilarious tale, the survivors of the zombie apocalypse have been enslaved by the wealthy ruling class, and must cater to their every depraved whim... or be thrown … [Read more...] about Tokyo Zombie by Yusaku Hanakuma: B+
Nightschool: The Weirn Books 2 by Svetlana Chmakova: B
Home-schooled weirn (witch) Alex Treveney had no interest in attending the nightschool that caters to her kind until her older sister went missing while on the job there. Several thwarted attempts to gain unauthorized entry leave Alex with no alternative but to enroll, and she spends her orientation tour scoping out the place and her first class proving just how ahead of the … [Read more...] about Nightschool: The Weirn Books 2 by Svetlana Chmakova: B
Halloween Week!
Welcome to Soliloquy in Blue's first annual Halloween Week! Beginning on Sunday, October 25th and continuing through the big day, I'll be posting daily (at least!) reviews of some spooky titles that I've been stockpiling for the occasion. Zombies, witches, vampires, and ghosts will reign all week in comics and novels alike! Overall, the tone will be a fairly lighthearted … [Read more...] about Halloween Week!
Nightschool: The Weirn Books 1 by Svetlana Chmakova: B+
From the back cover: Schools may lock up for the night, but class is in session for an entirely different set of students. In the nightschool, vampires, werewolves, and weirns (a particular breed of witches) learn the fundamentals of everything from calculus to spell casting. Alex is a young weirn whose education has always been handled through homeschooling, but circumstances … [Read more...] about Nightschool: The Weirn Books 1 by Svetlana Chmakova: B+