Welcome to another week of Bite Size Reviews! Fair warning, next week is going to be a pretty review heavy week on the blog because I have a lot of books to get in before March. Like a lot. I think I have something like 15 books to review for March on NetGalley? So be prepared for that in February. Maybe you’ll find something to add to your March TBR! But anyway, for the Week of 1/22, I read a total of 18 books!
You’re probably like, oh my god Amanda, that’s so many books! And you’re right. It is. But most of them are comics and/or manga, so I did a lot of that kind of reading this week. Which has almost put me at 50 books for the year already. At this rate, I’m going to go way over the books I read in 2021. But anyway, to save a bit of time and repetition, I’m going to combine some of the comic series reviews, because I feel like otherwise, I’ll just say the same thing over and over again.
Bite Size Reviews: Week of 1/22
Saga Volumes 1-4 by Brian K. Vaughan (1/22)
Re-reading the Saga comics series because there are finally new issues coming out! Saga follows the story of two people on opposite sides of a war who fall in love and have a baby. Essentially. There’s a lot of other stuff going on too, but that’s the gist of it. What I love about this series is that they’re not afraid to deal with difficult topics and it has great art. Like, fantastic art. I know a lot of people who read this as their first foray into comics, and I would highly recommend it for that! (5 stars)
Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds (1/23)
This book is a collaborative effort between Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin. Basically, Reynolds wrote a poem and Griffin illustrated his words. It’s about COVID, it’s about race, it’s about a lot of things. Even if this might be a quick read, I guarantee that it’s one that you won’t stop thinking about. Reynolds absolutely knows how to write powerful emotions in a way that hits right at the heart (5 stars).
This Is Our Rainbow edited by Katherine Locke (1/23)
A collection of middle grade short stories about characters who all fall somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. There’s a little of something for everyone in this, from historical fiction to fantasy to comics. While I loved most of the stories in here, I’m still questioning whether or not kids and teens are reading these short story collections. Or if mostly adults are reading them. I think it’s the latter, but I could be wrong! (4 stars).
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco (1/23)
The second book in the Kingdom of the Wicked series, this book picks up right where the first one left off: Emilia now finds herself in the court of the Wicked. Will she be able to navigate the politics in order to save her sister? I know a lot of people love this series, I’m just kind of on the fence about it. There were some cringey moments in this book, and I’m not a huge fan of Emilia as a narrator. Will I read the last book? Probably, because there was kind of a big cliffhanger at the end of this one and part of me wants to know how it ends (3 stars).
Spy x Family Volumes 3-5 by Tatsuya Endo (1/24)
I started this manga series a few weeks ago, and now I’m almost caught up! Each volume is pretty much as entertaining as the one before it, and now we’ve added a future seeing dog, which is perfect. I have also since learned that this will be an anime this coming spring, so I’m super excited about that. It’s just such a great, entertaining series, I highly recommend it! (4.5, 5, 4 stars).
Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Browne (1/26)
After an incident in California with her ex-boyfriend, Angel’s mom moves her to Brooklyn to live with her uncle. In Brooklyn, Angel works through her trauma, with new friends, new books, and music. Told in vignettes and verse, this book shows how words can help work through pain. It’s a real testament to the fact that books that teens relate to are so important to have in schools and libraries. Plus, the audiobook narrator is fantastic (4 stars).
Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez (1/26)
I’m going to have a full review for this coming up next week, so I’ll keep this one short and sweet. English major graduate Ben Cook is having difficulty finding a job. So, he takes a job at a restaurant until something else comes up. This is such an adorable graphic novel, and I related to Ben’s journey so much (4 stars).
Gallant by VE Schwab (1/26)
Another one I will be reviewing this week! This one is like a creepier version of The Secret Garden, which seems like a weird fit for the spring, but here we are! If you like VE Schwab, you’ll probably fall in love with this one, especially since it’s so atmospheric. Plus, it’s YA fantasy with no romance! (4 stars).
Saga Volumes 5-9 by Brian K. Vaughan (1/28)
And finished out the week with the rest of my Saga re-read! I forgot how emotional this second half of the series gets. However, I did not forget about how emotional the ending of volume 9 is! I am anxiously awaiting my copy of the newest issue in the mail because I absolutely need to know where they go after that ending. I mean, I have been waiting 3 years for it! (5 stars).