I can’t believe another month has passed. It’s quite frightening to imagine 2023 is right around the corner. Sometimes I feel I’m still stuck in March 2020.
I’m currently working on Chapter 1 from Fields of Higanbana, which is still not in good shape, but I’m getting there.
Building Yomi is a wild ride. I started so many books on the mythology of the dead this month that I lost track of them. I was searching for something particular, although I did not know what it was exactly. Then two weeks ago, it hit me. I was looking for a story written from the perspective of someone who had a near death experience.
When I realized that, I knew exactly what book could help me: “Between Death and Life” by Dolores Cannon. It’s based on hypnosis interviews with people who either had a near death experience or who…. well.. it’s complicated. I found the book on Scribd and I’m forever thankful for my subscription. Link here.
Here’s my reading wrap-up as well: 2 books and 3 webtoons.
I’ve finally read “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by T. J. Klune and I enjoyed it very much. But you people lied to me. You said it was a happy go lucky warm and cozy fantasy. Excuse me? This was La Vita E Bella, or 1984 with a happy end. Yes, the characters were adorable. Yes, there were no major events, and most of the time it was very funny. But haven’t you felt the impending dread generated by the controlled society the magical creatures lived in? Or maybe it’s just me who had a family that lived during communism and sensed some dark and familiar undertones.
The 2nd book was “A Dowry of Blood” by S. T. Gibson. Not bad, not great. I had a couple of issues with the lack of research about my country, but overall a read I don’t regret. I posted a review on Goodreads about it.
I’ll close today’s post with 3 mini reviews I wrote for the webtoons I had on my TBR.
Be kind to each other and take care!
Xia
ENNEAD by Mojito
Genre: BL
Cost: 36000 tappytoon coins for 120 episodes aka ~ 80$ (1 episode is 300 coins)
Trigger warnings: love-hate relationship; sensitive content; crime; toxic relationship; violence
Description: The once peaceful land of Egypt has been stained with blood under the tyrannical rule of Seth, the god of war. Horus, son of the god Isis but not yet one himself, rises to challenge the throne and put an end to the chaos and destruction. Although the confrontation between Seth and Horus began with hatred, in time it becomes blurred by obsession and desire… The ancient mythology of Egypt comes to life as you’ve never seen it before in this compelling fantasy BL.The once peaceful land of Egypt has been stained with blood under the tyrannical rule of Seth, the god of war. Horus, son of the god Isis but not yet one himself, rises to challenge the throne and put an end to the chaos and destruction. Although the confrontation between Seth and Horus began with hatred, in time it becomes blurred by obsession and desire… The ancient mythology of Egypt comes to life as you’ve never seen it before in this compelling fantasy BL.
Review: Review it’s a big word. I’ve only managed to read 36 chapters because this thing is too darn expensive. I can only say I like the drawing style. I’m not that deep into the story to have an opinion, although some parts were a bit confusing. I’ll keep on reading. I made a plan and I think I can afford per month about 20 chapters. I’ll finish by end of summer 2023, lol.
LORE OLYMPUS by Rachel Smythe
Genre: Hades and Persephone Romance
Cost: Free (so far)
Trigger warnings: SA, toxic relationship, domestic abuse (not between Hades and Persephone, but affecting them)
Description: Lore Olympus is a retelling of Greek myths, particularly the myth of Persephone’s abduction by Hades, king of the underworld.
Review: I loved this story. The drawings style seemed weird at first, but it soon became endearing and beautiful. It touched respectfully on the trigger warnings topics, as the storyline was very well written. Hades was wonderful and Persephone felt like the adorable little sister that I wanted pull in a bear hug whenever she appeared. They’re supported by a cast of characters you can’t help not fall in love with (or hate).
And the most important thing, it’s really really funny. Out of context examples:
1. A nymph after a bad date with a god
2. Hades barely containing himself around Persephone
3. And my personal favorite – Artemis, every time without fail.
I really recommend it, Read it while it’s still free on Webtoon.
Im|mortal by koriandr
Genre: BL
Cost: Free (so far)
Trigger warnings: Sexual content, strong language, violence. Rating: R
Description: Im|mortal is a webcomic inspired by Russian folk tales about Koschey the Immortal and Ivan Tsarevich.
Review: I’m a big fan of Im|mortal. I first started reading it in 2020. It has the most stunning art from all the three webtoons I’ve read in November. Every image is exquisite, from the details to the lights, to the emotions and colors. It’s still too early to comment on the story, but I’ll be following this one closely.
Xia Xia Lake 