Venco was a great book. I really enjoyed it. With the exception of one part towards the end that I really couldn’t grasp, I was all in.  I love the theme of women empowerment and like the idea of placing “exceptional women in exceptional roles.” I am all for it. I don’t like how much the synopsis of the book gave away. It could have been more vague. However, it was easy to read, just enough magic to not get too lost in the sauce, had diversity (sexuality and race), and lots of comedy.  There were tons of characters so I didn’t even try to commit to memory. This was a great story. Ladies need to stick together.  That said, I reviewed it on Youtube if you want to check it out. Same username.

 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a long tale where I was bored much of the time. Suspenseful in that I kept asking myself if what the girls were experiencing was real. Not much really happened. Just lots of reveals, definitely a slow burn. Some magicalness I guess, but I was not enjoying it that much. Atmospheric flowery classical language/wording. Lots of mythology discussed. The cover is beautiful though.  Check out my review on YouTube.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a unique story.  It is Clue, meets Sherlock Holmes, meets Freaky Friday.  Lots of twists and turns and many different characters.  I enjoyed how you get into the mind of body of such diverse personalities.  It really makes you think about how idiotic or miserable other people may truely be.  There was comedy at times and I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the story, but was confused at times on who and what was going on.  I had the book also on audio and think it was entirely too long on 1x speed because audio is so slow.  Definitely speed that bad boy up.  Check out my review on youtube, same name.

Tyler Cross Black Rock was so good. It was comedic, cut throat violent, action packed, raw, yet still elegant and emotional at the same time.  Lots of man on woman domestic violence. I was shocked at one scene where the man did something so defiling to the woman that I was angry for her. There was a lot of narration in this book compared to the dialogue.  It worked though.  Images are crisp and not busy.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this in one sitting.

Temper was not for me and I did not finish (got to page 80). Too many immature characters and abstract concepts, rich/poor people talking mess to each other, ghosts/hearing things, just too much going on. Not what I thought it was and wasn’t invested in Auder’s plight of proximity. Interesting concept of the lesser and higher twin though.

Symbiosis is a great followup to Escaping Exodus.  It has more humor, more sexual situations with sexual fluidity (not explicit), challenging of traditions (gender roles, marriage, procreation, conservation, environmental protection, and ethics). Lot of political intrigue. I think the main characters are a bit immature and set themselves up for drama. I think the book was paced well for the most part, then the ending was rushed a bit. Book is a great depiction of how we as a people need to take care of and live in harmony with our environment. Our inherent selfishness will always get in the way. Great story, told in a unique way.

Escaping Exodus was a great book. It reads YA, but has violence so definitely adult. Not too gorey though, although I would expect more blood living in an animal. The unique living environment drew me in immediately and the imagery is fun. It can be a lot to absorb, but still interesting. The love story is kinda secondary, and the sexual fluid society was also a unique touch. Book has a lot of serious themes of oppression, racism, disregard for life, honoring ancestors, and how to make amends for atrocities inflicted upon people. I enjoyed this story, but not sure I will pick up book 2. I am happy with this story as is. No cliff hangers, but story is not over.

This is my first time reading about Swamp Thing.  Much more intricate and deep a story than I thought. Can't say I grasped everything because the book jumped around a lot and there are different plots going on within the book. This book states there is a bigger plan, yet I was confused about this one. I do like man's connection with nature though.  I liked the diversity and age range of the characters, and the different locations (although I did get confused on where they were at at times).  Images are bold, for the most part easy to understand, colorful, and easy to read.  Overall, a great story if you are into this sort of thing, but not me.  I was bored towards the end and ready to be done. 

Superman is the story of another Clark Kent, who also has super powers starting from being a teen til old age. It was very reflective on loneliness, finding one self, aging, and moral responsibility to help others.  I was disappointed that as much as the real Superman was referenced that he did not make an appearance.  I mean where is he? I was also disappointed to not get a definitive answer about the origins of Clark's power.  Some parts of this book were dip in and out too quickly that I was not satisfied, like the lab (that's all you get).  It was decently paced for each part, but I did feel the ending dragged.  Just lots of contemplation of getting older and letting kids make their own choices.  Sad and it brought the mood down.  Lots of action and good graphics allowed me to really get into this story.  Beautiful story of a life fully lived, superhero style. 

Black River is an odd dystopian book that is really graphic and gory.  This group of travelers, mostly ladies, have to make some tough choices for survival.  And sanity if definitely a luxury they don't have.  The wierd sex scene was funny also.  The black and white illustrations are perfect to depict the harshness of their reality.  This book has minimal dialogue, which I appreciated.  I mean, not much to say when your world has been destroyed and you are just surviving day by day.  I enjoyed this book even if I didn't get what really was meant by the ending.