Wow, how quickly a manga can go from dirt to gold. This is such a fun finale. It’s adorable and loving. <3

so many proposals!

Now, I wish we had more moments with Shigen and the boarding house owner. They are mad cute. 

 This series started off dry and crusty but ended beautifully. It’s not how you start but how you end. 

I just loved it. I could tell from early on how things were going to end, but the journey to getting there was great. There's a hidden dual perspective here, you definitely see from the kids' perspective, Caleb in particular, but also from the parents' when they realize Styx needs love but guidance. I thought the boys trying to sell their sister to the neighborhood used-to-be bully was super funny too. The foreshadowing is well-thought out here, and it cooks until the bread of the finale is fully-baked.

Also, I enjoyed the whole cast of characters, especially Caleb. He wants to be more, to be special and cool. His dad is fine with constricting to their little town and not letting them explore. When he meets Styx, the older boy immediately becomes like his idol.

My only nitpick is the slang. Fo shizzle, off the hook, etc are used, and it left me thinking what time period is this? But the book references Steven Universe which is fairly recent. I know the boys are country and Styx favors old-timey talk, but the slang was too dated.

I loved the Mr. Pike and Styx revelation. Styx is hardheaded, but he secretly cared about Mr. Pike and even remembered how much he loved to collect lunchboxes. Mr. Pike loved Styx too but thought when he ran away that CPS had took him.

;__;

 This was very cute. Imagine a meet-cute with a fan falling for Roman Reigns, if he wasn’t already married. There’s an age gap that feels steep---MC is 18, but he’s 29 (11 years). Uhh… I do like that Momoka chose to be honest and not lie about her age. >.>

I’ve said it before but shoujo loves an age gap for no reason. Surprisingly the manga actually handles this well. Kuga’s wrestling friend legit tells him something like “Leave her alone. Don’t contact her again.” Kuga realizes any romantic connection is inappropriate due to their age/maturity difference despite mutual attraction but still appreciates and wants to acknowledge her as a loyal fan. Momoka is realistically disappointed. Kuga does the right thing for at least 3-4 pages before it goes out the window… because this manga has to guarantee another volume.

While I really like the adorable artwork and think it’s cute Kuga feels noticed for the first time, I wish the age wasn’t the central conflict. As I get older, I get more uncomfortable with these “I’ll wait until you mature before we take things seriously, but let’s date on the low” stories. Also, there’s super insta-love. 

I don’t really know what this was, man. Light-hearted horror? First love? Horny teens having sex underwater? All telling and no showing? The premise sounded interesting, and the further the couple goes into the house the more they “supposedly” fall in love. So, what’s the connection to the house and their feelings? This felt more mysterious than scary. 

Also, the dialogue is so DRY and STALE. Is the writing style old tortilla chips??? A wise woman once said: “I need passion I'm tired of this bland toast.” In all seriousness, I didn’t mesh well with the style though I do think it was effective in building tension. The last fourth of the book finally picked up steam with the way James and Amelia felt soggy, still under water, movements slower, always smelling the lake. I can’t get over the two acting like war veterans though.

Unfortunately, overall, this story wasn’t for me, but I did read it relatively quick.

I’ll leave you with this gem: 

It was nice to go back to the olden days of YA before it was expected for Black leads to explain what racism or microaggressions are. I kid, I kid, but here we just have black characters and they’re not teaching anything. You could say this was written for the Black Gaze.

 Twists in Turns is set in the projects of New York. Since this book came out in 2003, it shows with its references, the slang, and the slight ignorance of the time. Unfortunately, the writing feels choppy, and the characters are too flat. I mean there are some genuine tries to add nuance and backstory to some of the characters, but it wasn’t very effective to me.

The story opens with a party. We meet the main characters before being bombarded with the party-goers. All those characters in a span of a few pages without really establishing the main characters, the Washington sisters, was super disorienting. Even as the story continues, the pov might go to a random character at any time. While the dialogue is authentic (it’s filled with AAVE and early 2000’s and/or NY slang), with it being on paper as opposed to video, it could appear stereotypical. 

Maybe it’s because I’m looking at this from 2021 eyes, but the dialogue and story felt very tired and messy a la reality show though I did snicker when that girl was about to get the beatdown for dumping the Kool-Aid down the sink. I liked the music references from Missy Elliot to Ashanti to Usher. In addition, I liked how Skye, the librarian, tried to encourage the neighborhood young adults, the focus on gentrification, the salon, and the overall community aspect. For what the story tries to do, it’s okay but definitely not a must-read.

 This is very slow-moving, so it’s definitely for patient readers who prefer a relaxed pace. I couldn’t place Dima and Azad at an age at first. Azad’s pranks seemed so childish for him to be around 19, and, although I don’t mind mischievous characters, with the way he was introduced it felt like Azad took advantage of Dima’s affection for him. For that reason, I was never rooting for him. 

But I liked the attention to detail with the history, the way people dress, the role of scholars, and different cultures and names. The brunt of the story takes place when Dima lives with the Viking-type/Norse people. There’s less or a subtle fantasy element (though there is a magic crystal) and more “found family” vibes. The minor romance that is present here is rather wholesome and in the background. Overall, I wanted more adventure, but I didn’t think this was bad at all. 

 I loved this! Each story is like a self-contained minisode with callbacks to other stories. Everything ( the art, the characters, the stories) is dumb, adorable, and precious. Red Panda and Moon Bear are a great sibling duo who get along without a lot of fighting. I definitely want more of their adventures. 

 Not sure about this one. Edy and Fillamena’s connection is cute though her being mentally 30-years-old is always just going to be uncomfortable. I liked the backstory behind the two’s friendship and later courtship, but he’s dragging her along. Overall, very meh. Don’t know if I’ll be continuing. 

Dang, this is really good. There are some emotional, climatic points that just hit. I think this is set a few years after the first book. Here, Sola is questioning her identity since she as looked upon as this great savior, Alef want to colonize the world (read: sea), Hunder misses the sea and voyages again but wonders if he’s going down the wrong path. 

I loved all the characters and coloring. The Ghosts were an excellent part of the story. They really carried things.  I can’t wait for the next book.