Tag: 3 Star Reviews

All 3 Stars Reviews In One Place

“Oz: The Manga #1” By David Hutchison & L. Frank Baum Review

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From the mind of Dragon Arms and Junction 17 creator David Hutchison comes this remarkable re-imagining of L. Frank Baum’s timeless classic. Dorothy longs for something more than the gray plains of Kansas, but when her wish is granted, she gets both her fondest dreams and her worst nightmares! With stunning art by fan-favorite David Hutchison, this fantasy adventure of Harry Potter caliber is sure to amaze readers of all ages!

This comic book offers us a pretty fresh visual take on the beloved Oz universe, blending classic storytelling with manga-inspired artwork.

The story in this comic book follows well-trodden paths, with little in the way of surprises or new twists, which have left me personally feeling déjà vu because I read the first book in the L. Frank Baum Oz series not so long ago.

The pacing in this comic book is pretty uneven, with some scenes feeling rushed while others drag, affecting overall engagement. Which I say a lot about the comic books I have read recently.

This comic book has a manga-inspired art style adds a dynamic, modern flair to the Oz characters and settings, making it visually appealing. Which I enjoyed a lot even thou I’m not a fan of manga. Which can be very controversial to say in 2025 because it seems that every reader is a big fan of manga.

The character development in this comic book is very minimal, and the narrative doesn’t go beyond basic adventure tropes, making it feel somewhat shallow.

I gotta admit that this comic book is enjoyable to read this comic book that captures the magic of the original stories, it falls into some familiar pitfalls—being somewhat derivative and lacking in originality.

I personally think that the fans of Baum’s original works will appreciate the familiar characters and motifs, presented in a new artistic format.

As a first issue, this comic book introduces the world and characters clearly, setting the stage for future adventures.

The artwork in this comic book is vibrant and expressive, capturing the whimsical yet adventurous tone of Oz. However, at times, the panel layouts can be cluttered, making it hard to follow fast-paced action.

The design of the characters and settings in this comic book for the most part stays true to the classic aesthetic while adding a manga flair, which is a plus for fans of both styles.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Marvel Previews August 2023” By Various Review

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Check out all the amazing new releases for August 2023!

I gotta admit that this comic book gives us a very solid snapshot of upcoming Marvel titles, giving fans a glimpse into the exciting stories on the horizon.

This comic book can be used as a useful guide for readers and collectors. But if you want me to say something more about the stories themselves in this comic book then I gotta admit that those stories are a mixed bag. Because some pages spark anticipation, while others feel rushed or underwhelming.

This comic book showcases a variety of titles across different genres and characters, appealing to a broad Marvel audience.

The artwork snippets and cover designs this comic book offers us are vibrant and capture the tone of each upcoming series, generating excitement.

Overall this comic book gives us a brief synopses and creative team info. Which at least helped me to decide what to keep an eye on when it comes down to the comic book realized in August 2023 which I still haven’t read any of even 2 years later.

This comic book is mostly visual and lacks detailed story descriptions, leaving some titles feeling vague or generic.

Some of the previews this comic book has are compelling artwork and intriguing concepts, while others seem rushed or less polished, reducing overall impact.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“How to Fake It in Hollywood” By Ava Wilder Review

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Grey Brooks is on a mission to keep her career afloat now that the end of her long-running teen soap has her (unsuccessfully) pounding the pavement again. With a life-changing role on the line, she’s finally desperate enough to agree to her publicist’s scheme… faking a love affair with a disgraced Hollywood heartthrob who needs the publicity, but for very different reasons. Ethan Atkins just wants to be left alone. Between his high-profile divorce, his struggles with drinking, and his grief over the death of his longtime creative partner and best friend, he’s slowly let himself fade into the background. But if he ever wants to produce the last movie he and his partner wrote together, Ethan needs to clean up his reputation and step back into the spotlight. A gossip-inducing affair with a gorgeous actress might be just the ticket, even if it’s the last thing he wants to do.

I gotta admit that I was very skeptical about this book before reading it. But now that I have read it I gotta admit that it had surprised me in a positive way. But let me explain everything in this review so if you are interested in hearing my thoughts about this book then keep reading my dear reader. 

The plot of this book is very drama like because there is a lot of drama happening in this book. And the overall plot of this book is a roller coaster of emotions which the characters in this book go through.

The plot of this book is on the heavier side even though I was expecting the plot of this book to be light and sweet but this book was everything but what I have expected.

The plot of this book involves a lot of dark sides of fame and being a actor / actress in Hollywood. This involves a lot of addiction, anger issues, imposter syndrome, child actors and what abuse they face and overall what people don’t think about when it comes to the actors / actresses in Hollywood.

But I gotta admit here that the plot was uninteresting at times for me personally. I found it hard to say interested and engaged in the plot of this book. And the closer I got tot the end of this book the more I was thinking about DNF-ing this book. Which in the end I didn’t do because I wanted to read this book to the end to see if reading this entire book was worth it. 

There are times where the book drags for way too long and makes the entire book feel like the author was paid by the word count for this book. 

The characters in this book were okay for the most part. I personally found them to be okay characters. But I couldn’t bring myself to care about them and their journeys in this book. 

I personally feel like the characters in this book didn’t have a lot of depth to them. It could be something about me not being fan of following journeys to actors and actresses which the 2 main characters of this book are.

We don’t learn much about the characters backstories even though we see glimpses of their past. We still remain in the dark about why exactly did Ethan divorce his ex-wife or why Gray’s relationship with her mother is so tense and hostile as it is. 

The writing style of this book was pretty generic to a YA-mixed-with-Romance novel type. Which really didn’t impress me. 

The writing style felt like the narrator of this story didn’t care either about the plot to tell it in a good way. Which in a way affected me because it gave me another thing to dislike about this book.

At times the writing style was confusing to me. Because it times the writing style would say something like “she stood behind him as he turned” and I wouldn’t know who “she” was until the next paragraph where the book decided to explain who “she” was.

Even thou I said plenty of negative things about this book. I still had a lot of fun with this book because it was a easygoing book where we as readers don’t have to use a lot of brain power to get through the book.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“THE LAST TRAIN I MISSED” By Udhaya nidhi Review

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In a bustling train station on a sunny morning, a chance encounter between a red-shirted individual and a mysterious stranger sets the stage for an extraordinary journey. As the stranger shares tales of their life’s adventures—ranging from rocket science to crime writing to teaching—the red-shirted figure is drawn into a world of intrigue and possibility. With each revelation, the stranger’s diverse experiences offer a glimpse into the boundless potential of human existence. Yet, as the encounter unfolds, the true significance of their connection remains shrouded in mystery, leaving the red-shirted figure to ponder the profound insights gained from this unexpected meeting.

I gotta admit that this book is a decent read that offers a mix of nostalgia, reflection, and emotional moments. But if you want me to be very honest about this one then I gotta say that this one doesn’t quite stand out as extraordinary, it managed to interest me with its relatable themes and straightforward storytelling.

The story in this book touches on universal feelings of missed opportunities, regrets, and the passage of time.

The horse of this book is accessible and easy to follow, making it an ideal read for those looking for a light, reflective story.

There are a lot of genuine moments in this book of introspection that evoke empathy and thoughtfulness.

The story in this book follows familiar beats and doesn’t introduce many surprises, which have lefty me at times wanting more depth or originality.

The characters in this book are flat and one-dimensional because they have very limited backstory and almost no personalities to them which made it hard for me to like them or care about their journeys

The narrative of this book moves at a steady pace but sometimes feels a bit slow, especially in parts that could benefit from more tension or insight.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Notebooks” By Leonardo da Vinci Review

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Most of what we know about Leonardo da Vinci, we know because of his notebooks. Some 6,000 sheets of notes and drawings survive, perhaps one-fifth of what he actually produced. With an artist’s eye and a scientist’s curiosity, he recorded in these pages his observations on the movement of water and the formation of rocks, the nature of flight and optics, anatomy, architecture, sculpture, and painting. He jotted down fables, epigrams, and letters and developed his belief in the sublime unity of nature and man. Through his notebooks we can get an insight into Leonardo’s thoughts, and his approach to work and life. This selection, organized in seven themed sections, offers a fascinating and informative sample of his writings. Fully updated, this new edition includes some 70 line drawings and a Preface by Martin Kemp, one of the world’s leading authorities on Leonardo, who explores the artist’s genius and the contents and legacy of his manuscripts. The book also features new notes and a chronology of Leonardo’s life.

I need to admit that this book have taken me a very long time to finish reading. But also this book had been laying on my shelf waiting to be read even longer than it took me to finish this book. But without making this into longer than it already is lets jump into the review of this book. 

First of all I gotta admit that the topics which this books talks about comes straight from Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebooks which he himself have written a very long time ago. I was very surprised to read about the topics which Leonardo Da Vinci has written about back in the Renaissance era.

This book have taken me a very long time to read as I’ve said above, because this book talks about a lot of advanced topics which I needed a lot of time to process and understand because I’m not that smart as Leonardo Da Vinci clearly was.

But I need to admit here that a lot of parts of this book doesn’t seem to have been meant to be read by other people than by Leonardo Da Vinci himself. They seemed like a lot of parts of this book where meant for Leonardo Da Vinci himself as notes to himself if he wanted to look back at some of his notes. Which is the main issue that I had about this book. Because there are a lot of moments of this book where I would get bored because a lot of parts of this book seemed like I was reading school textbook. 

This book involves a lot of drawings that Leonardo Da Vinci himself have made during his time, which made me give this book some extra points for doing. Because the drawings really helped me to understand what Leonardo Da Vinci was talking about in the notes which this book has.

The writing style of this book is very flat and almost school textbook like. But once again this book wasn’t exactly meant for readers as it was meant more like Leonardo Da Vinci making notes for himself for later use if needed.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Cyber Force (2012) #1” By Marc Silvestri & Matt Hawkins Review

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TOP COW’S TOP-SELLING SERIES RETURNS IN A GROUND-BREAKING WAY! Top Cow celebrates its 20th anniversary with the return of the series that started it all: CYBER FORCE! Top Cow founder MARC SILVESTRI (THE DARKNESS, Incredible Hulk) returns to his first Image series as co-writer, art director and cover artist! Co-writer MATT HAWKINS (THINK TANK, LADY PENDRAGON) and artist KHOI PHAM (Mighty Avengers, Daredevil) join SILVESTRI to bring you a contemporary re-imagining rooted in cutting edge, real world technology. Carin Taylor, codenamed Velocity, has escaped from the CDI controlled Millennium City and is desperately trying to find the one man she believes can help her prevent the end of the world. When she runs a group of other CDI escapees, will they help her… or turn their backs?

I need to admit here that this comic book gives us a pretty solid sci-fi action and an on-ramp to the franchise’s transhuman corporate-conspiracy roots, without fully distinguishing itself from other cyberpunk-adjacent team books.

I need to admit that the plot in this comic book is very interesting because it talks about corporate surveillance, predictive algorithms, and bio-augmentation which I personally found to be very fun and enjoyable.

However when it comes to the characters in this comic book I had a very hard time telling the characters apart. Because all of the characters in this comic book felt like the same person because they had very similar personalities to each other. 

The world building aspect of this comic book sometimes leans on tell over show, slowing momentum between action beats. Which hasn’t worked for me personally which is the reason why I haven’t given this comic book a higher rating.

The artwork in this comic book are very polished which was easily my favorite aspect of this comic book. The tech designs and cybernetic detail are standout because of how good they were. 

Cool palettes and neon which this comic book has accents sell the cyberpunk vibe without tipping into visual noise.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“The Alchemist” By Paulo Coelho Review

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Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago’s journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, most importantly, following our dreams.

I need to admit that I wanted to read this book for a few years now, so when I saw this book at a second hand book store at a 90% discount of the price for a new copy of this book I knew that it was finally my time to grab this book, buy it and read it. And so I did so do that. If you are interested in hearing my thoughts and opinions about this book then keep reading.

I need to say that I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and the middle part of this book. But I was very disappointed in the ending of this book. Because this book builds up the main character to be wiser and wiser which each thing that happens to him. And the ending feels exactly like the beginning of this book because in my opinion the main character seems to forget everything he had learned throughout the plot line of this book. 

The overall plot line of this book is very fairy-tale like which has moment of magical realism in it. Which I appreciated in this book but it could be something about me being 23 years old soon and not being so much into fairy-tales to like or love the fairy-tale aspect of this book.

The plot in this book talked a lot about the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life especially in the second part of this book. And all of this talk about philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life doesn’t lead anywhere which really confused me because if you gonna bring things up multiple times in the plot and not have it in the plot then whats the point of talking so much about those things. Of course it can be just be being way too harsh in my book reviews, but thats at least my opinion when it comes to this topic of philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life in this book.

Overall this book is a very quick read, because it is around 170 pages long which I could have easily read in one day if I didn’t have to go to work. 

The themes of dreams and following your dreams in this book were very well created. Which made me give this book a few extra points for because it shows us that if we follow our dreams we will find a lot about ourselves and what the definition of a “good life” or “perfect life” is for each of us. 

The characters in this book are very few, but the once we do get in this book are very well made and fell like real human beings in a way. Which is probably my number one rule for books I love and rated 5 out of 5 or even 4 out of 5 on this website.

I liked a lot the characters we do got in this book, because they are very likable and relatable. At the same time the characters in this book felt like I would have no problems becoming friends with them. Which really made me like those characters so much more.

The writing style here is simple and easy going. Which makes this book suitable for all ages to read no matter if you are 10 years old and 90 years old. 

The easy going writing style in this book makes this book for quick to read, at the same time the writing style in this book goes very well with the easy going plot line in this book.

Overall this book isn’t as good as I thought it would be, but Im still glad that I have read this book because it is a very decent book even though in my opinion it is very far from being one of the books which I truly love with all of my heart. 

In my opinion reading this book will make you think about somethings this book talked about, or at the very least it made me think about some of the things this book talked about. Which for me made this book very memorable and it made this book to a book I will easily recommend to other people to read if they haven’t read this book yet.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Kade: Red Sun: Preview” By Sean Patrick O’Reilly Review

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Ivan the Terrible grew Moscow from a medieval nation state to an empire, but he had help. The machinations he used were terrible to behold, as he made a deal with Beelzebub. Kade has been working both sides of this nightmare, except instead of these two being at odds, they are in theory both allies, with each is trying to get the upper hand on the other. Beelzebub hasn’t recognized Kade as the Demon Hunter, but when he begins to realize that Kade will rise to a higher level of power, he plots Kade’s assassination.

Let me start this review by saying that this one is just a preview for the entire comic book. And I read it because I wanted to see if the full comic book was worth the money and time I would spend on it. And I’m gonna give you the answer for that at the end of this review.

This preview offers us as readers kind of intriguing glimpse into a supernatural world with potential, but ultimately feels like a somewhat uneven introduction to the comic book series of Kade.

This preview presents a story that blends mystery and action, though it struggles to fully develop its characters or plot within the limited preview format. 

The narrative which this preview has, has some moments of promise, with hints at a deeper mythology and personal stakes for the protagonist, but the pacing feels rushed, leaving little room for emotional connection or world-building.

While the setup of this preview is interesting at times, it doesn’t quite hook me at the very least as strongly as it could have if the preview was more improved and added something to the plot or setup of this preview.

The artwork in this preview is clean and serviceable, effectively conveying the mood and action, but it lacks the distinctive flair that might elevate the story visually.

So will buy and read the full version of this comic book ? Yes I will. It might take some time for me to actually read the full version of this comic book because I have been way too optimistic when creating my TBR list for this year and I don’t know if I get the time to read the full version of this comic book this year. But I will read the full version of this comic book at some point in time.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“The Cinnamon Bun Book Store” By Laurie Gilmore Review

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When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can’t understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues… she just need someone to help her out. Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he’s been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!

This book is the second book in the “Dream Harbor” book series which so far I’m really liking. I reviewed the first book in the series a few days ago, so if you are interested in hearing my thoughts about the first book in the series you can read that review too. 

I gotta admit that this second book is a little bit weaker and worse than the first book in this series. But I still liked this book even thou it isn’t the best book in this series so far. But I’m only 2 books into a soon 6 books series (the 6th book in this series is expected to be published sometime before summer 2026).

The plot in this book was pretty generic plot line for a small town romance book. But this book does have a same cozy and sweet mood to it which the first book in this series has. This book has the same fall cozy read in front of a fireplace vibe which I love when books have and that instantly makes me like the book if a book has this vibe to it.

I need to admit here, that the love aspect of this book, was very generic and basic which really didn’t make me like this book as much as I wanted to. Because it feels like one of the dozens of romance books where 2 friends fall in love with each other over summer which this book is all about.

The characters are just the same as they were in the first book. In a way I liked them more in this book because I spend 2 full books getting to know the characters in this series. But at the same time I wish we could see more of Jeanie (the main character from the first book in this series). We get very little of Jeanie in this book because the main character in this book Hazel.

Hazel is a bookstore manager and once again, the main character in this series has my dream job of being a manager at a bookstore. I personally think that every book-lover has at least once in their lives dreamed about being a bookstore manager, or at least I have dreamed about that multiple times in my life.

The writing style in this book is very easy going and straightforward. Which doesn’t require a lot of brain power to enjoy this book and find this book interesting. 

The writing style in this book goes very well with the easy going plot in this book which really makes this book fun and easy to read.

I gotta admit there that I was less interested in this second book of the series than I was in the first book. But I still had fun time reading this book. I was very clued to this book as I was reading it and when I wasn’t reading it I was constantly thinking about what would happen next in this book. Which really shows how engaged I was with the plot of this book.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Urbex History. Wchodzimy tam, gdzie nie wolno” By Łukasz Dąbrowski & Konrad Niedziułka & Jakub Stankowski Review

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Wszystko zaczęło się od pomysłu wyprawy do Czarnobyla. Wtedy – zafascynowani jego historią i tajemnicami – rozpoczęli przygodę z urban exploration. Odwiedzają obiekty zbudowane przez człowieka, ale już opuszczone i trudno dostępne. Wchodzą tam, gdzie inni boją się postawić stopę.

Before we start this review I need to say that at the time of writing this review this book is only available in polish. 

This book is about polish urban exploration YouTube channels which is hosted by 3 friends. I used to watch every video upload from their channel for a few years which was the reason I bought this book when it first came out back in 2019. 

If I remember correctly I began reading this book back in early 2024, and then I just stoped reading it after reading 8 or 9 chapters of it because I became very bored of this book. At the same time I stoped reading this book I also stoped watching their YouTube channel since I was becoming tired of watching urban exploration videos and started spending most of my free time reading books. But we are side tracking here and its time to get back to the review of this book.

This book had taken me a long time to read, and I need to be honest here and admit that I DNF-ed it when I was half way through this book. Because I had no interested in continue reading this book.

This book is very slow at the beginning and not very interesting. At least it wasn’t interesting enough for me to finish this book which is the main reason why I didn’t finish reading this book

Each chapter in this book was written by one of the 3 guys who run the YouTube channel. And I found the the chapters very confusing because I was having very hard time tracking who’s point of view the current chapter I was reading was from.

The writing style in this book is all over the place here because it was written by 3 different people. So you know that there will be 3 different writing style in this book which I’m not a big fan of when it happens in a book. I prefer the books I’m reading to have one writing style instead of multiple so that I can get used to it and try to like it.

I Give This Book 3 / 5