PERFECT OPENER! 

This was so much fun! I enjoyed the subversion of fairytales in this case being Snow White’s. The humor was wonderful, and I liked the constant twists and turns. Anything mentioned has a purpose. 😉 

I look forward to reading more in this series. 

 The sense of terror portrayed in this series is still good. 

Note: There are color-coded bubbles for when each character morphs, but it would help to have a designator for their name because I lose track of whose talking. 

Charming take on ghosts and being a medium. I love that we are shown a character who wishes she could see ghosts/is a ghost enthusiast, one who hates ghosts, and one who is neutral, our title character.

There's a plot involving gentrification that is a little unrealistic and cheesy, but it's a good time nonetheless.

Won in a giveaway!

The story continues from the last volume with Cast and Philomena trying to save Klaus, and the introduction of the big bad, the King. We also see what may be glimpses of Philomena’s past.

This volume explains a little more of the worldbuilding concerning Nextkin and Old Kin and the inciting war that set things into place. Now, the languages German and Spanish exist here but so do Zodiac animals and fire wolves, a good mix of fantasy and real-world elements. The animal mutation coding power was super cool though it came with a peeing/marking territory gene for some reason. 

Cast is still a spunky, bright-eyed engineer. Not much seems to get her down. I did think it was a little ‘not like other girls’ how she thought dolls, dresses, and flowers were inferior to engineering tools, but it was in response to a sexist, condescending comment. And she’s also like what 10-11 years old, so I won’t read too deeply into that.

Philomena is still mysterious and overpowered, but I enjoyed how the story balanced her strength. She’s extremely lethal but

as a half–machine (android?), there are weaknesses to exploit. She was thwarted by fighting a 100% human who was just as strong as her, so her usual code-hacking was null and void.

A great example of you can have an overpowered character and still keep the tension and readers on their toes.

Anyway, for a B&W manga, I was pleasantly surprised by the extended colored flashback. I think the pop of color helped dramatize everything more, indicating a clear contrast from the present narrative. The artwork is excellent and shines in fight scenes or with Cast’s different hairstyles.

The ending was intriguing, so I’d read volume 3.

3.5

not for me

Like, a final hurrah road trip after high school! At no point, was this book not weird, but it kept my attention.

I love how the post-apocalyptic world that’s recovering is just in the background. Mutant zombie squirrels roam, and it’s a thing but not the main thing. Young adults woes like applying to college and leaving your hometown and best friend behind take the center stage instead. Some things never change no matter how destroyed planet Earth becomes.

The dialogue is really quirky in a way I don’t like. Very frat boy meets iCarly with a sprinkle of ‘how do you do fellow, kids?’ But it added a unique personality to the story though I couldn’t get into any of the character’s speech. 

But at the heart, the story shows human’s preservation for survival. Also, I loved the coloring in this book. It made things feel atmospheric, and I felt like I was listening to music with them every time they turned on a song. 

Davis gets middle school situations and drama so right. It's rewarding to see Rylee grow from being so close-minded. I also enjoyed the scientific facts and different perspectives on "friendship."

I wasn't sure why DeNia liked Rylee as she was never really welcoming. But things don't always need a rhyme or reason.

Unlike the dragging pace of book two, this one keeps the momentum as the stakes get higher and higher! It kept me fully engaged.

Amari’s been brought down low as public enemy #1 with no magic, and Dylan Van Helsing is on the rampage. Despite being thirteen years old, the author effectively makes Dylan a scary final boss and the tension with wanting Amari to figure out how to take him down.

Much like My Hero Academia’s final arc, another series I enjoy, it just feels like the heroes are at an overwhelming deficit. I wanted Amari to be more evenly matched, but she’s always been the underdog. 

The safehouse Amari and her friends have to go for an extended period was really fun. We get a little more magical worldbuilding.

I was happy to finally get Amari and her brother teaming up and butting heads, Amari wants to help and Quinton understandably is concerned for her safety. I understood and felt for both of them, but I thought Quinton's presence was a little understated. Jayden's too who just feels like he's there to fill in the role of a crush; hope to see more of his character fleshed out. 

The Van Helsing siblings are tiresome. The friendship between Amari and Lara was very rushed in book two, and it still doesn’t feel earned here. I don’t believe these two are friends. Also, Amari was more torn up about this girl, her former bully, than her own mama

being memory-wiped

. I guess.

ANYWAY, I had a good time reading the third book. It wraps up many things here as the original finale to a trilogy, but more books are on the way. I’m excited to read them. Ending spoiler:

I’m so glad. Amari didn’t have to sacrifice herself. Because, no. And absolutely not.