I started this blog earlier this year. There’s so much that has changed (besides the blog name), such as my writing style and the kinds of stories that I’d read… I’ve also complained so often about how slowly the year was progressing, but now that there are only a few days left in the year, I’m surprised by how quickly time moves.
Anyway, now that 2023 is coming to a close, I took some time to look back at the stuff I’ve read and written. In this post, I’ll talk about my favorite and least favorite books and graphic novels.
Books
The book I liked the most:
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
While the first novel of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series was wonderful and sucked me back into the fantasy genre, I can’t help but think that the second book was slightly better. Martin has a knack for storytelling; A Clash of Kings, like A Game of Thrones, is full of hefty descriptions of Westeros and the land across the Narrow Sea. I also think that this book had a lot of character-defining moments for both the protagonists and antagonists.
You can read my review for Martin’s book [here].
The book I liked the least:
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The writing was mostly okay, but because of the main character’s constant self-righteous commentary on another woman’s life, the novel read like an awkward self-insert story with a terrible and unneeded plot twist at the end of the story.
And I’d like to point out that I truly don’t think that self-insert novels are bad. But Hoover wrote the main character’s (Lowen) thoughts in a way that seemed to teach the readers about morals despite thinking and doing terrible things. When I read a book, I don’t want to be told how to feel.
One could argue that Lowen’s narrative was purposely done this way to elicit this kind of response from the reader, but she’s written to be the titular character’s opposite. But even then, I’m grasping at straws when it comes to Lowen’s characterization because she’s difficult to root for and even more difficult to find true value from. She never has any real development; she’s a character whose only job is to tell a story. If Hoover were to remove Lowen from the story and had instead made Verity’s husband Jeremy the main character, the story wouldn’t be as bad as I think it still is.
You can read my review for Hoover’s book [here].
The most shocking:
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
This was a book I randomly chose to read one day and I couldn’t put it down because of how morbid it was. It’s definitely not a story for everyone… It’s full of disturbing imagery that includes murder, cannibalism, sexual assault, among other gruesome things. Moshfegh also touches on religious symbolism and explores religious abuse and trauma.
Lapvona is a slowly-paced story that’s told through multiple perspectives, though written in third-person. And because of the contents of the book, to this day, I still don’t know if I liked Moshfegh’s book. But I do know that this won’t be the last novel I read of hers!
You can read my review of Moshfegh’s book [here].
Graphic Novels
The manga I liked the most:
Memoirs of Amorous Men by Moyoco Anno
Anno’s manga included thought-provoking concepts about life and the roles people choose to play to adapt in the world. It’s not a typical slice-of-life manga as it’s geared towards older readers. The series depicts the complex lives of sex workers as they navigate eccentricities, romances, and domestic violence.
You can read my short review of Anno’s manga [here].
The manga I liked the least:
Princess Ai by Courtney Love and DJ “Milky”
This short-lived series was an interesting find. While it has a lot of potential, the plot also kind of seems to lose its course halfway through. It reads like Love’s self-insert fanfiction where she’s called Ai, who’s an otherworldly being, finds love in a human man (who is unsurprisingly similar to Kurt Cobain), and expresses herself through music. Although I didn’t like Love’s manga, I did find it interesting that she included themes like femininity and motherhood (though abruptly).
You can read my review on Love’s manga [here].
The most shocking:
The Painter of the Night by Byeonduck
This is a manhwa series that completely took me by surprise. The art is beautiful and incredibly detailed. And although the author’s art style is aesthetically pleasing, certain explicit scenes are hard to get through. This series is an erotica series that’s often categorized under the Japanese subgenre of Boys Love yaoi. And while the story synopses and summaries seem to flash promises of a passionate romance between two men, it’s anything but.
This series doesn’t shy away from rape and other heavy topics like domestic abuse, abuse of power, and abductions. It’s considered a romance manhwa, but everything that the love interest Seungho does to the main character Nakyum makes me believe that it’s not…
You can read my first impressions of the series [here], or you can wait for my complete thoughts on Byeonduck’s manhwa in a future post.
The longest series:
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
It wasn’t the first time I read Kishimoto’s series. With 72 volumes, or 700 chapters, Naruto is the longest series I read this year. Naruto is a good story and often listed as a part of the shōnen anime/manga “starter pack.” In other words, those who are interested in getting into anime or manga might find Kishimoto’s series an enjoyable first watch and/or read. It explores intricate themes about the human experience as well as other philosophical elements.
You can read my thoughts on the first arc of the series [here].
I guess this is it for the year! If you’ve made it this far in my post, I’d like to thank you for sticking around. And I also hope you stick around for next year.
Happy holidays and I hope you have a great new year!
Until my next post,
Cassandra D.🌙
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