Aoi's struggle between being Nue and himself is beginning to reach a climax. As this series continues, I realize how bland Himari is.

3.5

Unlike the first book, this one's fast-paced with a lot of fun and some stakes. STEM kids are sure to love this one.

+ great cover
+ broke the status quo with [

Alice’s mom finding out. I enjoy when the parents find out about their kids’ secret identities

]
+ Alice got to wield some cool blades!
+ Dragons!
+ spoiler:

I enjoyed the moment of truth with her dad; discovering who Reflection-Alice really was.

- cringy dialogue at times (Nana K, Courtney, Alice at times)
- Alice gets nauseated way too many times. It could be a drinking game. You’d think there would be something for her Wondaland-motion sickness by now, but, nah, just get ready for Alice to throw up anything she eats on the next page.
~ the insta-love from book 1 is spread out a bit better. Just because Alice arguably has a harem (Hatta, Chess, Humphrey (?), Haruka) , I mean uh a kissing-buddy now doesn’t mean that’s her soulmate or anything. This sequel didn’t focus heavily on any romance, and, instead, concentrated on the action and the world-building. Still, no relationships have been really labeled yet. That kiss scene felt a bit random to be honest
~ the predicament with Chess was interesting.
~ the story was fast-paced but felt long at the same time

Bravo! I love how these new authors incorporate African-American history in their stories. We have a rich history that a lot of the younger kids aren't being taught these days.

Concerning the story, I thought it had a very slow start until that plot-twist. That was worth the price admission right there haha.

I was thinking Jada was dealing with grief and just imagining her mother in random places but SIKE! SHE'S ALIVE, BABY! The bittersweetness of mama-Umi realizing her husband, Ben, has moved on was way sadder to me than it will be to most kids. :/ sigh, the life of a spy.

Overall, this will definitely be a fun book for kids, and they might learn something new.

I'm game for another book in this series. :D

Very cute book! These stories are completely from the perspectives of the owners, Taku and his mom. I was a bit bored with that since I enjoy animal-centric stories when you get to see what the animals are thinking like Hamtaro or Chi's Home. Still, for cat lovers, this is a great manga.

I really enjoyed this one because of the subject matter.

3.5

The best part is when Vhalla

gets pushed off the roof/window

. I know that's supposed to be terrible, but I hadn't expected it so it kept my interest. I was like no he didn't! Of course, the explanation for that was utterly laughable.

The majority of what followed after that event was just routine YA fantasy story tropes. Vhalla's pretty basic overall, but the writing in this story is very easy to digest. I was surprised at how much I read in one sitting. There are some side-eye worthy moments (the roof controversy, how Vhalla wishes everyone was light-skinned including her (but she's already pale so...), how Vhalla wastes the magic council's time doing nothing, etc), but it is an okay read for the average reader.