I was ecstatic to get to read this, so much so I binged both "Teen Titans: Raven" and "Teen Titans: Beast Boy" to get to reading this edition, and I was not at all disappointed by this book. If anything, this was the book that I most enjoyed in this series; in comparison, the first two books feel slow and almost uneventful, especially in the case of "Teen Titans: Beast Boy."

This book exists very much as the actual kicking-off point for the series; we see the series starting to kick into gear as we get introduced more thoroughly to the Villains we will see in this series while also slowly growing the team and raising them to one another.

I enjoyed how Garcia slowly brought the characters together, and we got to see them grow close and support each other throughout the story.

If you like Teen Titans, you will enjoy this. If you ship Beast Boy/Raven, you will love this.

Solo Leveling or "I Alone Level Up" as it is titled in Korea. So when approaching Solo Leveling, the real question is WebNovel or WebComic? Which is the better experience, and does an audiobook version bring anything to the table?
Pricing-wise, published web novel and audiobook end up costing roughly the same price. However, pricing gets weird when it comes to the WebComic; while it is available by volume, it is also free to read legally through Tappy Toon—allowing it to be viewed for free(ish). So it, in reality, comes down to how you want to consume your content and understanding there are variances in the work as the WebComic is an adaptation.

I enjoyed the novel because Sung Jin Woo actually feels human and has a somewhat more human response to the situations he finds himself in. This could be because, for the novel, we exist in his head but rather than a third-party observer.

The webcomic makes him feel more like a generic Isekai protagonist, who honestly seems a lot more willing to kill than his novel counterpart. He also lacks a lot of the compassion we are shown in the novel.

What the webcomic did great instead was the story. Some points honestly spooked me while reading the webcomic that just didn't shine through the same or it at all in the book. In addition, the images and backgrounds allow for a level of worldbuilding that isn't as easy to present in written form.

If I were to narrow it down to one factor on how to pick, I'd say if you are more interested in character development, read or listen to the book. On the other hand, if you care more about the story of Jin Woo and this world, pick up the comic.

A weird note about the novel, and subsequently this audiobook, is that instead of describing something, you WILL get an onomatopoeia instead, just like if you were reading a comic. Which is odd at some points and hilarious at others; one specifically caused me to burst out laughing at work.
But this way of writing is so different that it is easy to understand that it could be more challenging to listen to this book instead of reading it.
I'd say it took me around an hour to acclimate.

Also, if you go looking for more info on this series, be careful. I felt like everywhere I turned held more spoilers for me.

Anime Death Eyes but make it a super power.

I at first thought I'd be super interested in where this series could be going by the dialogue. (I mean a world where the towers of babel never fell, so cool)
Disappointingly it quickly fell into the ruts that every other "modern" Isekai trudges along in and honestly it got worse when the "tag" system was implemented. Especially because there is no logic as to how this Heads Up Display happens in this medieval-isk world.

While I honestly loved Loulier and didn't mind Tsuguto. I don't think I will be continuing with this series specifically because it is just one more isekai in the trash trap that is the market right now.

My first nitpick is the lack of consistency in the currency. The choice of only describing the denominations as Copper Piece, Large Copper Coin, Silver Piece, Large Silver Coins. Which are all part of the currency called "Rahks" (the breakdown being further highlighted in this section.)
But the very next page we already see these four denominations being used inappropriately as the shop keep says a night at the inn would cost Five Silver Coins (5000 Rahks). but in the very next panel the protagonist breaks this down to 500 Rahks telling us that this merchant should have said Silver Pieces.

The logical choice would be to ask for payment in the form of "2000 Rahks" rather then Two Large Silver Coins
My second problem is with the fact that sheep people don't have kinky hair, more similar to the wool of sheep. hair that is wool is unlikely to look like Loulier's runway curls.
Since we are talking about Loulier, we should talk about her change in elocution from in the cave to after waking up at the apothecary.

I can't say I found any enjoyment in reading these to be honest. Logically because I was never their demographic.

I ended up wanting to read them for some historical context but also because of the line "But this man is no Nazi - he avoids taking life wherever possible...!" from the summary.

I feel like that line and the entirety of this comic really represents an attempt in its own right of reframing. Rather then focusing on the Nazi ideology that was enforced with violence and death, this felt like it was acting like this ideology wasn't something bad or worth noting in any significant way.

Do I think it is good to some extent for keeping this around for seeing societal shifts. Totally.
Would I buy this for someone in my life? Probably not.

TW: Mentions of Self Harm and Suicidal Ideation. Depictions of Substance Use/Abuse, Abusive Relationships, suicide, sexual assault.
This is by no means a complete list as a lot of what is going on in this book is absolutely Toxic.

But I loved every moment of this book, Walters does a wonderful job weaving us into the claustrophobic town of Wolf Ridge. This is one of the few books where I feel that the depiction of a Small Town mirrors what I've experience in real life. The reality where everyone knows of everyone else in someway and the weariness that often comes with outsiders.
Along with how much work is gone into maintaining the "status-quo" even if that means not confronting what is happening right in frond of them.

This is fast paced and will keep you tied to your seat from beginning to end and the twist at the end somehow surpassed my expectations so spectacular that I had to go back and listen to it a second time to make sure I hadn't imagined it.

The art in this book was gorgeous, and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately went back and reread it.

I want to buy this book for every person in my life because this is the kind of thing that would be great to pick up when you're having a bad day or when you doubt yourself.

I really did enjoy this book. It was fun, funny and interesting. Even while being a bite more about specifically Campbell's reasons for being drawn into the genre of True Crime.
But it does show a nice history of how True Crime isn't a new phenomenon.

I don't see this book aging well though, when reading this it feels similar to scrolling through TikTok just in the language that is used.