I read the first 3 Shatter Me books but was hesitant to continue the series because I heard mixed reviews after book 3. I see why.

This undoes Warner's cool and mystique though we've known bits of his twisted upbringing. We've to acknowledge that he's human and has visceral emotions. The story forces him to strip down his walls. He breaks down, has panic attacks, and has self-doubt. He also gets heartbroken.
 
It also piles on as a “telenovela meets major EDGEFEST” too. I'm talking Shadow the Hedgehog levels of edge. Reactions to Nazeera's character may vary, but she was fine to me. Also, I know Warner's head over heels for her, but I just thought it would take Juliette longer to really fall for him. She's real lovesick for someone previously giving sociopathic tendencies. The last book teased her undeniable draw to him, but this just amps it up x10. These two were in heat.
 
Mafi generally does a good job with Warner and Juliette. She's like if you want enemies to lovers, fine, but here's how it would play out realistically after all those lies and secrets. This is one of those frustrating "play keep away with communication" stories, but it has stakes and makes sense. 

Most of my enjoyment comes from the characters. Kenji is gold, and I love his relationship with Juliette. Straight facts no chaser. There's a hinted love interest for him that was ultimately underdeveloped, outside of attraction, but it's dropped as quickly as it came. In addition, I still enjoy Juliette's poetic, dramatic narrative. She felt like a real teenager. She feels x10 after stifling her emotions for so long.

I don't know what has happened to Kent. Dude's been phoning it in these couple of books. The last book was a character assassination, but this one is major whiplash. First, he's depressed but showing more drug withdrawal systems (I'm sorry, but I really thought he was on crack), then he's SpongeBob and everything's funny and lighthearted??? Honestly, he's barely there.

One thing these books are always entertaining though the ending of this book was so… Disheartening? It’s like one step forward, 400 steps back.

 For an older manga, it was still pretty charming. 

I thought this was charming. It's seriously quirky and a lot of things are nonsensical. Somehow all of these odd characters have appeared but they're connected to Kip in some way. 

I’ll acknowledge Itsuomi’s blandness right now despite his love of traveling, language-learning, and his cute little girlfriend. So is Yuki for that matter. But the moments between Itsuomi and Yuki are sweeter than ever, and he arranges a trip for the friends to brush up and learn sign language. Love his thoughtfulness.

I love shoujo because it has more of the Female Gaze. I don’t know why but men reversing cars has always been attractive and Yuki agrees lol. The mangaka really knows how to convey an intimate scene masterfully.

Also, love triangle is heating up! That ending seems like it’s going in a fun direction or

Itsuomi knows Oushi ain’t no threat and can’t be bothered to care haha

 While I haven’t actually read the classic, The Secret Garden, I’m at least familiar with the story. Without a working knowledge of the story, you will miss some significance and plot elements. Here, the racist tones, like, the backstory of Mary’s time in India, have been omitted while everything else stayed the same. I found the artwork very charming. On the other hand, and what else can you do with the source material, these kids are complete and utter brats. 

This is legit dumb but in a good way. I could see this as a cartoon on KaBlam! or during the era of Chowder and Flapjack. It’s just full of quirky-weirdness, man-child adults, and funny, meme-like reactions. 

3.5

How old is Dolphin Girl if Cheese Louise calls her a millennial?

First, the art style here is super adorable. I think this book tackled middle school (friendship) drama well and how being a bystander to bullying is just as bad. Now, for the story about being Kyle’s sister, there isn’t a true resolution on that, but that also sort of works. Y’know in real life, she wouldn’t magically be out of her bro’s shadow in the first few weeks of school. It takes time for people to learn you. Overall, worth a read.

I love how Demon Slayer Kimetsu Yaiba mixes darkness with emotion. We get some spotlight on Giyuu and Shinobu and some much-needed backstory to how Rengoku became a hashira. I wasn’t aware he was Kanroji’s teacher, so there’s a fun tidbit. That righteous flame is one of my favorite characters. His indignation for justice and passion to protect the weak is heartwarming. If you haven’t seen Mugen Train yet, there are spoilers in Rengoku’s story. 

There’s a demon in this manga that’s downright disturbing. Its mental state is fractured and to calm itself down, it shoots itself through the head to blow out its brains.  

Overall, I enjoyed the stories, and I thought the artwork was lovely. 

 An overall fitting ending. It’s fluffy and heartwarming with a dash of realism. Thank God. It acknowledges the fact you shouldn’t hinge life-altering decisions on a boyfriend/girlfriend, but … You can make it work if you want to.