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MANGA: Sore wa Haru no Owari ni
Sore wa Haru no Owari ni – Nojiri Guri
Haru Amakawa, after working for two years, met Seoji Nakahara, a senior employee, on his first day at a new company. Until then, Amakawa, who had never been particularly moved by anything, learned the meaning of love for the first time. “Just looking at him makes me feel like I’m in pain…” Nakahara asks a mazed Amakawa to kiss him and offers to play. Amakawa is chasing and Nakahara is treating. What is the outcome of the battle between the two?
It Is At The End of Spring tackles an interesting theme. It is about a young salaryman, Amakawa, who is mostly apathetic about things. He’s not angsting about it. He even feels peaceful.
That peace was shaken when he felt attraction towards an older coworker, Nakahara, who in turn, recognized a kindred apathetic soul. Nakahara doesn’t know what to do with it, but being a tease, decides to play with the younger man.
I really liked the artwork. The characters are drawn softly, almost like unfinished sketches, giving the manga a warm fluffy vibe. But only visually because the execution left me cold.
Maybe I don’t entirely understand what the mangaka is trying to convey, but I felt their issue was a non-issue. I don’t see why there should be a problem with the relationship since both are consenting adults. There is some angsting over the age gap by Nakahara, but their age difference is not that big. He’s in his mid-30s, and Amakawa is in his early 20s.
There’s hot/cold treatment from Nakahara, but the dork was also quick to jump in bed with Amakawa. All in all, the conflict was only added so there would be drama. Otherwise, this would have been a hell of a lot short and sweet
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SERIES REVIEW: The Vampire’s Club Books 6-7 by X. Aratare
The Vampire’s Club 6 – X. Aratare
Lucas Daniels knows that witches and vampires are real.
Lucas has discovered that witch blood flows through his veins and he can perform magic, but it is hardly within his control. And the more he delves into his gifts, the more dangerous they appear.
Count Konstantin “the Wolf” Volk must keep Lucas’ parentage a secret from the Nomad while searching for a way to free himself and Lucas from Gaia’s plot. But how can he succeed when the Nomad sees and hears all?
NOTE: THIS NOVELLA SERIES HAS CLIFFHANGERS! EVERY BOOK WILL END ON ONE. THAT’S MY NATURAL WRITING STYLE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE CLIFFHANGERS, WAIT UNTIL THE WHOLE SERIES IS PUBLISHED TO READ. THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Bloodstream
Artist: Stateless
Album: Stateless
The Vampire’s Club 7 – X. Aratare
Lucas Daniels is a vampire… and a witch.
Can he use his newfound powers to help Konstantin “the Wolf” Volk, the dangerous and mysterious Nomad, and the witch, Gaia, to stop the destruction of all vampires by the coven leader Rachel?
If Lucas does, he’ll have to convince the Nomad that he is not a threat to Konstantin. While Konstantin wants only to protect his very new and special fledgling from the dangers that Lucas wants to help him face.
The end of The Vampire’s Club Series!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Sore wa Matta Betsu no Ohanashi
Artist: Amazarashi
Album: Yuuhi shinkou higashizumu
When it was first released in 2019, I was ridiculously obsessed with The Vampire’s Club. The books had such intense level of USTs and squee-tastic moments I was reduced to incoherent gushing emojis. However, the start of Book 6 wasn’t working for me, so the series was stuck in TBR limbo.
Recently, I had a sudden urge for vampire romance and decided to pick up where I left off. This time, Book 6 had me completely engaged.
Admittedly, the emotional distance created by time reduced the impact the books had on me. I wasn’t a gushy stan anymore. I was more aware of how cringey some of the scenes were. Cringey like having Lucas’s mother speaking inside Konstantine’s head while the boys were having sex.
Having read the author’s other works, The Fall and The Bodyguard, I’ve recognized certain themes and tropes they like to employ. The stories are dark and sensual, conjuring images of luxurious, dimly lit rooms heavy with musk.
The stories feature relationships that are vaguely incestuous involving father figures. For instance, here we have Lucas’s stepdad attempting to molest him. The vampires use terms such as Childe, Sire, and Grandpere when referring to their creators and fledglings who are usually also their lovers.
The heroes tend to be barely legal, naive, or innocent young men paired with a much older, worldly love interest. The series underscores that by having centuries-old Konstantine fondly calling college-age Lucas “nevinovnyy”, the Russian word for innocent.
By Book 6, Lucas is not so innocent anymore, fully aware of what he can do, who his real mother is and what Konstantine is. Meanwhile, Konstantine agonizes over the fact that Lucas is the key to lifting his curse, but then his boy would have to pay the prize should the vampire turn him to save himself. The witches are also making their power move to destroy the vampires.
Where the first five books were merely dark and gothic, Books 6 and 7 nearly crossed over to horror because now there’s blood, gore, rape and torture (the latter two were off page). Lucas unleashed was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before, a powerful killing machine who can go toe to toe with eldritch monsters from other worlds. And our boy hasn’t even showed 100% of his powers yet!
Konstantine unlocks magical abilities like his Sire, The Nomad, is known for. Then realizes The Nomad’s secret identity. This part I cheered the most because Konstantine was abandoned by his Sire for centuries. Little did he know, The Nomad had always watched over him. The little tidbit I found really endearing was The Nomad was secretly Club Dyavol’s first customer!
Much of the series was spent building tension, both the sexual and the deadly kind, so the big showdown when it exploded sent shockwaves that swept everyone. The fight scenes were thrilling and spectacularly gruesome!
Some of the casualties were especially tragic, like Lucas’s foster mom. This part could have been written differently, less tragically, but I guess it was the way it was to completely cut off Lucas’s ties to the mundane world.
Another gripe is that there were too much dialogue on what should have been a time for action. It happened when Lucas and his real mother teamed up. They received texts that Konstantine and The Nomad were in grave danger and needed to be rescued ASAP. Mother and son then proceeded to have pages of dialogue, all the while mentioning the urgency of the situation. It was like those scenes where a character is dying, but still managed to have a lengthy monologue. Meh!
The Vampire’s Club 6 and 7 wasn’t quite what the first books were, but this finale pulled out all the stops! Lucas reclaimed his heritage and became so much more than anyone could have predicted. Konstantine reclaimed his Sire and his best friend, his beloved nevinovnyy, and his home Club Dyavol. A fairy tale ending for the vampire romance of my dreams!
Overall, The Vampire’s Club is a heady mix of fluff and steam, dark and sweet. It’s pure escapism, seductive, enthralling, dangerous. Yes, exactly like our favorite undead creature.
P.S.
The Vampire’s Club is a serial. The books are meant to be read in order because seriously, that dream sequence and the elevator scene are two of the most unforgettable scenes of my entire reading life!
Incoherent squees a.k.a. reviews:
The Vampire’s Club
The Vampire’s Club 2
The Vampire’s Club 3
The Vampire’s Club 4
The Vampire’s Club 5
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The Vampire’s Club: US
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SOUNDTRACK: Bloodstream by Stateless & Sore wa Matta Betsu no Ohanashi by Amazarashi
Soundtrack to The Vampire’s Club 6 by X. Aratare
Bloodstream by Stateless for a book about the much-awaited turning of the innocent boy into a vampire.
The spaces in between
Two minds and all the places they have been
The spaces in between
I try to put my finger on it
I try to put my finger on itI think I might’ve inhaled you
I can feel you behind my eyes
You’ve gotten into my bloodstream
I can feel you flowing in meSoundtrack to The Vampire’s Club 7 by X. Aratare
Tomorrow, Well That’s Another Story by Amazarashi for a book about vampires, witches, a war ending and eternity beginning for a boy and his Wolf.
Two of one, and they call out to each other as one
Two people sharing a walk, one step at a time
In a world without grief, sleep, sleep
Tomorrow, well that’s another story
The painful things, crying, and laughing
Turn red
And as sunset falls
We all become red
Good people, bad people, and angry people
Turn red
And as sunset falls -
Wake up and look me in the eyes again
I need to feel your hands upon my face
Words can be like knives
They can cut you open
And then the silence surrounds you
And haunts youI think I might’ve inhaled you
I can feel you behind my eyes
You’ve gotten into my bloodstream
I can feel you flowing in meWords can be like knives
They can cut you open
And then the silence surrounds you
And haunts youI think I might’ve inhaled you
I can feel you behind my eyes
You’ve gotten into my bloodstream
I can feel you flowing in meThe spaces in between
Two minds and all the places they have been
The spaces in between
I try to put my finger on it
I try to put my finger on itI think I might’ve inhaled you
I can feel you behind my eyes
You’ve gotten into my bloodstream
I can feel you flowing in meI think I might’ve inhaled you
I can feel you behind my eyes
You’ve gotten into my bloodstream
I can feel you flowing in meあれから僕ら幾星霜
始まりが遠くに霞む
国道の朝焼け
浅虫の黄昏
辛い事 泣いた事 笑った事
一つが二つあって 手を結んだら一つで
二人が分かち合って 一つずつの夢
悲しみのない世界で 眠って 眠って
明日の事とか それはまた別のお話
冷たい雪の粒が
思い出を積み上げる夜
君は優しく笑う
春を待つ想望
ストーブがしんと鳴る部屋の中
一つが二つあって 名を呼び合えば一つで
二人が分かち合って 一歩ずつの歩み
悲しみのない世界で 眠って 眠って
明日の事とか それはまた別のお話
辛い事も 泣いた事も 笑った事も
赤くなる
夕焼けがやってくる頃に
僕らは皆赤くなる
いい人も 悪い人も 怒った人も
赤くなる
夕焼けがやってくる頃に
等しく皆赤くなる
一つが二つあって 笑い合えたら一つで
二人が分かち合って たった一つの願い
悲しみのない世界で 眠って 眠って
明日の事とか それはまた別のお話
It’s been so much time for us since then
The beginning looms in the distance
Morning glow of the highway
Asamushi in the twilight
Painful things, crying, and laughing
Two of one, holding hands they become one
Two people sharing their dreams one by one
In a world without grief, sleep, sleep
Tomorrow, well that’s another story
Flakes of cold snow
The night that piles up old memories
You smile gently
Yearning, waiting for spring
The stove within that room of silence
Two of one, and they call out to each other as one
Two people sharing a walk, one step at a time
In a world without grief, sleep, sleep
Tomorrow, well that’s another story
The painful things, crying, and laughing
Turn red
And as sunset falls
We all become red
Good people, bad people, and angry people
Turn red
And as sunset falls
All equally become red
Two of one, and they smile together
Two people sharing just a single wish
In a world without grief, sleep, sleep
Tomorrow, well that’s another story
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MOVIE FEATURE: Blue Jean
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COVER REVEAL: Abandoned But Not Alone by Nicole Dykes
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Gods of Inthya by Effie Calvin (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BLOG TOUR: His EliXXir by L.J. Harris (Excerpt & Giveaway)
