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skittyrreads's Reviews (339)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 1—Phantom Blood, Vol. 1

Hirohiko Araki

3.25

adventurous lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

And thus starts my entire reread of JoJo's and man, did I forget how boring Part 1 is 😭😭. I kid but you can tell that this is the beginning of a long, vast saga that absolutely does not start the way it continues. Phantom Blood is very much influenced by its time, and it's really nice to see how Araki grows and develops both as an artist and a writer.

The plot is basic but it still has a unique JoJoness about it- Jonathan is iconic because he's the first Joestar we see and he's a model for all the rest of them. And Dio is maybe one of if not the most iconic villain of all time- it's him who starts the plot and for him to be so good in a series with amazing villains? Just shows how good Araki was from the beginning.

Phantom Blood is very unique as its short and has a very different plot/artstyle, but it's still worth it even if I find it a tad formulaic or boring (although that might be because i've read Phantom Blood 4 times now.)

Jade Legacy

Fonda Lee

4.5

adventurous dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What the hell. Fonda Lee you're sick and i'm billing you for my emotional damages. Genuinely insane book- the time skips where crazy I won't lie but also 😲. No words. Also i'm gonna end my shit.

Jade War

Fonda Lee

4.5

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is such a marked improvement over Jade City it's almost unreal- I kinda don't have much to say it was THAT good! Really liked the plot here more, loved the characters as per. Wen, Shae and Anden my beloveds 🫶. I will say that ending? CRAZY!!!!!! I feel like Fonda Lee was dragged down by all the set up required for the world/characters/plot in Jade City, whereas there's little to no set up required here and it for sure pays off- I suppose it's worth it for Jade City to be the way it is for Jade War in order to be this good. Also can't believe Kehn died and BERO DIDN'T I HATE THAT FUCK SO MUCH PLEASE FONDA LEE KILL HIM JUST KILL HIM I HATE HIM SO MUCH PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE-

Jade City

Fonda Lee

3.75

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was hella entertaining- I ❤️ mafia stories and anything mixed with urban fantasy is always a win to me. Excellent worldbuilding and the Jade magic system is super easy to understand and adapt too. Shae is my number 1 however and if anything bad happens to her i'm emailing Ms. Lee all my therapy bills. Also badass female villain? Yes please! And a side note, FUCK. BERO.

Scorched Earth

Nibo89

dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Lady Iris's Lover

Kelsey Painter

4.25

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

READ AS AN ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR A REVIEW

Safe to say this ATE DOWN. The second book in the Maid and Mistress duet, this follows Lady Iris, a pivot main character in Ship of Dreams as she tries to open a woman's home and not fall in love with gangster Rowland, who is desperately trying to be with her.

This was really sweet! Iris was my favourite in book 1 and i'm glad she's still her same self- really strong but funny and assured. I loved Rowland a lot here, i'm usually not into the "Criminal boss empire alpha dickhead" archetype but he's really funny and sweet, and you can tell he really likes Iris outside of her looks.

I also really liked how non traditional this was, with Iris both not wanting children or to be married- and i'm glad she didn't change her mind, it's far too often that "the power of love" magically cures women of this but it doesn't take away from the happy ending at all!

Great side characters, fun plot, good sex scenes, just overall a banger all around.

The Sanguine Sorceress

Camilla Andrew

4.0

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was really good for how short it is! Reading this to prepare for the main series that was very generously given to me by the author. Dark, twisted and with some brilliant revenge. Love Serafina, love women getting their strength on their terms. World was super interesting too, can't wait to give into the religion and Occasi/Lupari. Reminded me a lot of "Witch Crag" by Katie Cann (give that a go if you like the vibes of this) and Dragon Age's Chantry. Can't wait for more!