Book Review – Bleach Vol.4 by Tite Kubo

Bleach, Vol. 4: Quincy Archer Hates You by Tite Kubo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bleach Vol 4 brings us a spiritualist come TV show host who thinks he knows what he’s doing, we take a twist at the end when Quincy Archer enters the story to shake things up.

The Bad Stuff: Again, I have nothing of value to say here, Bleach isn’t the world’s most popular Manga for nothing.

The Good Stuff: In most cases it’s the characters that make a story, and the characters in bleach shine. I love the way Tite adds humour to this tale through their different personalities.

Another 4 out of 5 Golden bookmarks for this enjoyable series.

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Book Review – Bleach Vol.3 by Tite Kubo

Bleach, Vol. 3: Memories in the Rain by Tite Kubo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bleach Vol 3 takes Ichigo to the cemetery for the anniversary of his mothers death. If he’s gonna find a hollow anywhere, my guess is it will be at the cemetery!

The Bad Stuff: I really struggle with finding the bad stuff in this series, so I’m just gonna skip this bit.

The Good Stuff: More Manga, how good is that! Tite does it again, but the plot thickens in this volume as Ichigo meets the Hollow that could have killed his mother. Another hilarious instalment, the teddy bear cracks me up.

Vol 3 moves the series forward revealing more about Ichigo and his abilities, 2 down and 18 volumes to go. Another 4 out of 5 Golden bookmarks for this installment.

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Book Review – Bleach, Vol.2 by Tite Kubo

Bleach, Vol. 2: Goodbye Parakeet, Good Night My Sister by Tite Kubo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bleach Vol 2 continues the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a Soul Reaper, hunting evil spirits called ‘Hollows’ that eat the souls of humans who have psychic energy.

The Bad Stuff: Hmmm… I think there was a crease in one of the pages.

The Good Stuff: Manga, Manga, Manga, what’s not to like? And Tite Kubo gives us some of the best Manga you can read. As with volume 1, I loved the illustration and the wit, the characters provide some good banter that makes you laugh. Everything you would expect from a Manga title.

Vol 2 builds on the series, only 19 left to go. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 Golden bookmarks.

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Book Review – Emotion Amplifiers by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi

Emotion Amplifiers by Angela Ackerman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emotion Amplifiers by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi is really a reference book for authors to assist them with their writing. It is a companion to The Emotional Thesaurus which I have not read at this time, but based on this companion, I am interested in getting myself a copy.

The Bad Stuff: I know this is only a companion, but the book is very short and there are only about 14 pages of narrative to guide the reader on the use of the contents. The remainder of the book is reference material and I feel the book could have been fleshed out with both more narrative from the author and more reference material.

The good stuff: This book is a great idea and could be very useful to a writer who wants to develop their characters and/or their story in the spectrum of the emotional amplifiers explored. If it just had more reference material on a broader range of emotions, it would be a worthy addition to any writer’s toolbox. My guess is that the content I would like to see in this companion book has already been captured in the authors other work, The Emotional Thesaurus. I hope to find out soon enough.

In my opinion, this book will be a good guide to assist with writing, if only it had more content it could have been an amazing reference tool. I’m giving it 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

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Book Review – Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

Before They Are Hanged is the continuation of The First Law series and follows the stories of the First of the Magi, Logen Ninefingers, Ferro, and many more of the host of characters within the book.

The Bad Stuff: As with the other novels I’ve read by Joe, the only bad thing is that the book comes to an end and you want more.

The good stuff: This book has a full cast of characters and Mr Abercrombie moves easily from one to another allowing the story to flow. I love the relationship between Logen Ninefingers and Ferro, The sudden shifts in temperament of Bayaz, the character arc Jezal Dan Luthar moves through as his character grows and there is so much more to love within the pages of this book. The characters paths are woven seamlessly together in a dangerous and intriguing world. I have come to expect great things from Joe Abercrombie and he did not disappoint me with this novel.

In my opinion, this is a superbly written fantasy novel with a well established society, governments, clans, etc… The action, twists and political scheming keeps coming and holds the readers interest until the end. There are some richly described places, well defined characters and interesting fantasy elements. I have come to expect great things from Joe Abercrombie and he has not let me down with this fantastic novel. Call me biased if you will, but JA is without doubt my favourite author and I’m giving this one 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

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