After School Nightmare: Review

Synopsis: You have just awakened to find your darkest, ugliest secret revealed to classmates who would do anything to destroy you. This is what's happened to Ichijou Mashiro, whose elite school education turns into the most horrifying experience of his life when he's enlisted by a mysterious school nurse to take an after-hours class. Only those who pass the class will graduate, and the only way for Mashiro to pass is to enter into a nightmare world... where his body and soul will be at the mercy of his worst enemies. Can Mashiro keep his life-long secret - that he is not truly a "he" nor entirely a "she" - or will he finally be "outted" in the most humiliating way possible? 

Details: After School Nightmare by Setona Mizushiro, 10 volumes, Manga

My Thoughts: This synopsis does not do this series justice at all. Every summary I've found on the Internet doesn't either. It makes the manga series sound like LGBTQ fiction - not that there's anything wrong with that (I've read some wonderful LGBTQ books), but this isn't like that. The main character may be half-boy, half-girl, but he (I'll just call Mashiro that for convenience's sake) is more than that. I can't reveal what it is without revealing Spoilers of Epic Proportions, however, but know that the story is way deeper and symbolic than it seems.

I really didn't expect much of After School Nightmare. I thought it might be an interesting read, a nice journey into manga (I typically watch anime instead), something to relax with. But trust me, this is definitely not the kind of thing you'd bring to the beach. After School Nightmare is riveting, emotional, complex, stark, chilling - practically everything except relaxing. When I got a volume from the library, I pounced on it right away, regardless of what I was reading (I dropped Mockingjay to read the ninth volume), and each one ends with a cliffhanger that leaves me in abject misery for the next few days. 

But what wonderful abject misery! I was thrilled whenever the next volume came, and reserved the one after that as soon as possible because I knew there would be a cliffhanger. The plot is full of incredible twists. Just when you're sure of something, or you think something is obvious, everything changes and you realize you're completely wrong. The subplots are rich and detailed, and come in nicely at the end, tying up all loose ends.

Oh, yeah, the ending? It. Was. Amazing. I tore through the tenth volume faster than any of the others, and the ending of the ending of the ending sent me into hysteria because I couldn't believe it ended like that and there'd be no other volume to tell me what would happen next. Somehow, the author managed to give us a cliffhanger ending to the series that wasn't even really a cliffhanger because everything was resolved but it's still enough to drive you completely INSANE.

So the premise might sound sort of weird or off-putting or uninteresting, but trust me when I say the manga isn't, at all. Well, it is kind of weird but in a unique, wonderful way, and even if you've never read manga or watched anime before in your life, you have to read this. Even if you despise graphic novels, you have to read this. Amazing writing is amazing writing no matter what shape or form it's in, and besides, the drawings and layouts are perfect for the beginning manga reader.

And if you're still not sure if you want to read this or not... there is an extremely swoon-worthy male in here. He defies all YA stereotypes in a million different ways, but oh my god, he is amazing. ;)

Plot - 5/5

Characters - 4.5/5 

Writing - 5/5

Impact - 4/5

Inability to put it down - 5/5

Overall - 94% = A+

Book Blogger Hop (7)

This week, the question is: How do you spread the word about your blog?

I'm still a pretty new blogger (I'll be reaching four months soon), so I don't have the best experience when it comes to spreading the word. Also, I don't really have the time to social network on Facebook (I barely have enough time to write and blog without my brain exploding), so for me, it basically comes down to commenting on other people's blogs and participating in things like Book Blogger Hop, The Sunday Blues, and other memes that involved uploading posts in linkies.

So what about you? How do you get your blog out there? And if you're new, welcome and please leave a comment with a link to your blog!

Thursday Wrap-Up

I've decided to do a thing where I say all the books I've read and reviewed since the past Thursday. Mostly to help me stay organized with all the reading I'm doing.

So, here we go.

BOOKS I READ
13 to Life by Shannon Delany
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
What's Hot by Caitlyn Davis

BOOK I'M READING
And Then Everything Unraveled

UPCOMING BOOKS
Marked: House of Night
City of Glass
Flawless

BOOKS I REVIEWED
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
One Night that Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
Psych Major Syndrome  by Alicia Thompson

UPCOMING REVIEWS
After School Nightmare

Psych Major Syndrome: Review

Synopsis: Age: 18 years

Presenting Concerns:

Leigh Nolan has just started her first year at Stiles College.  She has decided to major in psychology (even though her parents would rather she study Tarot cards than Rorschach blots), despite reporting that she thinks, "Psychology is a load of crap."

Patient has always been very good at helping her friends with their problems, but when it comes to solving her own...not so much. 

Patient has a tendency to overanalyze things, particularly when the opposite sex is involved.  Like why doesn't Andrew, her boyfriend of over a year, ever invite her to spend the night?  Or why can't she commit to taking the next step in their relationship?  And why does his roommate Nathan dislike her so much?  More importantly, why did Nathan have a starring role in a much-more-than-friendly dream? 

Aggravating factors include hyper-competitive fellow psych majors, a professor who's badly in need of her own psychoanalysis, and mentoring a middle-school-aged girl who thinks Patient is, in a word, nave.

Preliminary treatment will include Introduction to Psychology, but may require more if she's going to answer these questions and make it through her freshman year.

Diagnosis:

Psych Major Syndrome

Details: Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson, 336 pages, 3.7 stars on Goodreads

My Thoughts: This was a nice, easy read with a lot of fluff. I didn't like Leigh too much in the beginning because she was just kind of irritating, and she was one of those characters who are incredibly oblivious. However, I soon came to like her and the story, which was jam-packed with just the sweetest moments. Not a lot of young adult books are set in college, so it was an interesting change from high school drama.


I didn't like everything about this book. The ending came too fast and was way too perfect and happy. I'd also have liked to learn more about Nathan because I didn't exactly feel like I quite got to know him. Also, it felt just a bit too preachy when it came to sex. I dislike it when books try to lecture you about something although it wasn't that bad.


However, there were definitely good points. I liked the originality of Leigh's New-Age-y parents, with their fake Romanian accents and eye patches, and there were moments where I just had to laugh. If you liked Meg Cabot's books but have gotten too old for them, then this might be right up your alley.


Plot - 3/5
Characters - 3/5
Writing - 3/5
Impact - 2/5
Inability to put it down - 2.5/5

Overall - 54% = C+