Review: Batman: Heart of Hush

 

144 pages

Genre: Graphic Novel, YA, Action

Publisher: DC Comics

Rating: 4 stars

 

Book Description: The villain named Hush, created by comic superstars Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, make a dramatic return to the life of Batman. What will this mean for Bruce Wayne? Secrets shared years ago between Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliot begin to have dangerous repercussions in the present. Why is this mystery driving Hush to destroy Batman's life? What part does Catwoman play in Hush's plans?

 

Collects Detective Comics #846-850.

 

My Review: This is the first Batman comic I've read.  I really liked it. The storyline was easy to follow despite my lack of knowledge of other issues. This is centered around the villain Hush, his story and how it connects to Batman. Maybe a bit of reasearch prior to reading this will help introduce anything or anyone unknown. I don't want to give anything away, but my favorite thing in Batman: Heart of Hush were the use of quotes.

 

 



Review: Songs of Willow Frost

Pages: 319
Genre: Adult, Historical, Realistic
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Rating: 3 stars

Book Description: On an outing to Seattle's Moore Theatre, William Eng, a Chinese-American orphan, sees a movie featuring an actress who goes by the name of Willow Frost. William is convinced that Willow is his mother, Liu Song, whom he has not seen since a doctor carried her nearly unconscious body out of their apartment years ago. Determined to find Willow. William searches throughout Depression-era Seattle, where he must confront the mysteries of his past. The story of Willow, however, is far more complicated then the Hollywood fantasy William sees on screen.

My Review: Received this book from goodreads' First Reads.

Sad book overall with a glimmer of hope. In Songs of Willow Frost the reader gets to know Willow's story. It begins with William Eng who believes that Willow Frost is his mother. He eventually goes in search of her along with his friend Charlotte. I was a lot more interested in William and Charlotte than I was in getting to know Willow.

Willow's character was well-developed as was her story. She has a hard life and William is the one good constant in her life. She is very much a loving, sacrificing mother. The story alternates in time. The time fram goes from 1921 to 1934 (not in chronological order). Life was tough for everyone, but maybe tougher for minorities because of tradition, societal standards and laws of the time. I didn't like the sad, unfair, unjust experiences Willow had to endure. However, I did come to like her, want to know her so I read on. I wanted her to succeed, be happy.

The same goes for William and Charlotte. They had some happiness and freedom away from Sacred Heart. William is a good hearted person, so he was likable. I really liked Charlotte though. She is wise and sees more than most despite her blindness. The author really broke my heart when it came to her and William's.

Jamie Ford wrote in his author's note of this book "...I realized that beautiful melancholy will always be my writing partner, and that I will make a living by breaking my own heart on a regular basis." If you like this kind of writing in a book then Songs of Willow Frost is for you.

Review: Rasetsu vol. 3

Pages: 208
Genre: Manga, Supernatural, Romance
Publisher: Viz Media LLC
Weblink: http://www.viz.com/manga/print/rasetsu-volume-3/8151
Rating: 3 stars

Book description: Being haunted by spirits seems to run in the family--this time, it's Rasetsu's mother who needs help! Can Rasetsu dispel the spirit successfully with her own personal family issues weighing her down?

My Review: There was some development. At least for Rasetsu. My thoughts about Kuryu were confirmed. I like how the story is moving along; as in romantic development. There was some backstory on Aoi, which was nice because I was not really appreciating his role. Not as much humor in this one.

Review: Rasetsu vol. 2

 

Pages: 192
Genre: Manga, YA, Humor, Supernatural
Publisher: Viz Media LLC
Website: http://www.viz.com/manga/print/rasetsu-volume-2/8150
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads description: Not knowing it's the solution to her curse, Yako thinks that Rasetsu's quest for a boyfriend seems frivolous. Nothing's trivial about Rasetsu's next exorcism, however, especially when she's suddenly overpowered by the emotions of the spirit!

My Review: I think one of the elements I will continue to like in later volumes of this series are the humorous situations. The first volume had it and now this one too. I'm referring to the chapter in which Kuryu uses his kotodama experimentally. Also got to see some much coveted backstory. It makes me wonder about Kuryu. I really liked this volume.

Review: Rasetsu vol. 1

Pages: 192
Genre: Manga, Young Adult, Supernatural
Publisher: Viz Media LLC
Website: http://www.viz.com/manga/print/rasetsu-volume-1/8149
Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads Description: Rasetsu Hyga works for an exorcist agency where she uses her special powers to banish evil spirits. There's a story behind the red flower mark on her chest though--it's a memento left by a powerful spirit who vowed to claim her on her 20th birthday. Unless Rasetsu can find true love by then, she is fated to become his.

Yako Hoshino, a young man with spiritual powers of his own, comes to the agency seeking help with a possessed book. He's seen a lot of strange phenomena in his day, but the last thing he expects to see is Rasetsu bearing a striking resemblance to his old love Yurara!

My Review: I took my sweet time getting to set aside time to read this one. Would have been my loss if I had not. Rasetsu is an interesting character. She can be serious about her work and also silly, funny with her co-workers. It balances out. I liked her, but her sweet tooth. My teeth hurt just at the thought of it. Yako was my favorite in Yurara, so I'm glad to see him in this series. Rasetsu's colleague Kuryu and her boss are interesting characters too. Aoi, another colleague, didn't quite impress me as much yet. Yako's facial reactions to all of them is funny. Volume one introduced them and Rasetsu's history a little. I have to know more about them, see how the story continues. Chapter three was my favorite. That's as much as I will say.