Book Review-The Savages by Matt Whyman

Title: The Savages

 Author: Matt Whyman

Series:  N/A

Published:  6 June 2013 by Hot Key Books

Length: 288 pages

Warnings: bulimia, possible suicide attempt, cannibalism, comical gory violence

Source: publishers

Other info: Matt Whyman has written  quite a few other books such as Boy Kills  Man and Goldstrike.

Summary : They'd love to have you for dinner . . .
Sasha Savage is in love with Jack - a handsome, charming ... vegetarian. Which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that Sasha's family are very much 'carnivorous'. Behind the family facade all is not as it seems. Sasha's father rules his clan with an iron fist and her mother's culinary skills are getting more adventurous by the day. When a too-curious private detective starts to dig for truths, the tight-knit family starts to unravel - as does their sinister taste in human beings . . .

Review: The Savages are a fairly happy family. There’s Titus and Angelica, a loving couple, grandfather Oleg, teenagers Sasha and Ivan and new baby Katya. They deal with normal troubles-money, schools, brother sister pranks, and the fact they’re cannibals. Yeah. Sasha then brings home a boyfriend, who happens to be vegetarian. While Sasha’s having a bit of an eating identity crisis, the Savages have another problem. An accidental death of an actress at their house leads to a body that can’t be disposed of in the normal way, a detective starts digging, and maybe they can’t go on like this...

The concept of this, I loved. Cannibals in a wholly modern setting, with relatability and school and things, I was really excited to get started on this.

It’s a LOT deeper than it sounds. It may be because I read it on a history trip where it’s all analyse things, but I saw half the events as metaphor. Jack’s devotion and the whole extreme veganism is funny, but could also be taken as a symbol for other  extremist groups. There’s other elements as well such as figuring out where you belong in this world, and rebelling against family values, adding a bit of seriousness.

Sasha was the most relatable for me, with the age and the working out who she is. It’s nice meeting a character like that.  My favourite character was probably Ivan, because his sense of humour is really in-line with mine jack was ok to start with, but then started getting really really irritating.

There’s lots of plots fitting together nicely. The detective one adds a bit of serious tension. The Amanda/Beyond Vegetarianism  one  furthers Sasha’s character development and conflict. It all comes to a climax as the Savages prepare a feast for Katya’s first time eating human flesh.

The ending (as in the climax) was really good. It all gets wrapped up really nicely and in the style befitting the rest of the book (amusing, ironic, gory). The ending (as in the epilogue) was really unsatisfactory. I think some people might like the ambiguity, but I would have preferred a more definitive end.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a family/identity book that is a beautiful example of dark comedy.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

IN HONOUR OF TOMORROW'S APOCALPYSE. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THE WORLD ACTUALLY ENDS WITHIN A CLOSE TIME PERIOD, IT WAS NICE KNOWING YOU. 

IN THE MEANTIME, ENJOY THIS REVIEW.

Title: Good Omens

 Authors: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Published:  First published 1990.

Length:  398 pages

Source: bought

Summary : According to "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter," "Witch" (the world's only "completely" accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon--both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle--are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

Review:  The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter tells us that the world will end. Next Saturday. As foretold in Revelation, the Four Horsemen (or now, Bikers) will ride, Heaven and Hell will fight and the world will end. Crowley and Aziraphale are the only demon and angel that don’t want this to happen. And to make sure that it doesn’t, they have a lot to do. For example, deal with the Antichrist-an 11 year old named Adam who is a generally nice boy. Other things happen too. Lots of other things.

I’ve not read much of Pratchett’s work (I think Nation and Maurice and that’s it) and only a little bit of Gaiman’s. But what I have read of both was generally awesome, and Good Omens is no exception!

The dramatis personae really sets the scene for this. Quote:

Satan (a Fallen Angel, the Adversary). Beelezebub (a Likewise Fallen Angel, and A Prince of Hell), *other Fallen Angels* Crowley (an Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards).

 Also generally descriptive of this book are the explanation for the M25 being such a hellhole, the Angel’s conversation with the Snake, and the Satanic nunnery in which the nuns are meant to keep talking. If you  laughed, liked, or weren’t morally offended by these things, then you’ll enjoy the rest of this.

There’s a lot of plots that intertwine with each other eventually. Crowley and Azireaphale running around, Anathema dechipering Agnes’ prophecies, the Four Horsepersons getting together, the witchfinders running  around, and Adam and his friendship group. There’s also a lot of shorter plots featuring characters for one block of text and then moving on. For some reason, this works in Good Omens (cameo characters in this volume don’t work in other books).

The main characters are all one of a kind. Crowley and Aziraphale aren’t your typical angels/demons, and most of this defys your stereotypical views of heaven and hell. I loved the Four and the way they’re presented-both darkly funny and a little creepy (especially when their disguises drop) at the same time.

The thing that really makes Good Omens is the writing. The “Who wrote what bit”  of the Q&A proves you can’t say exactly which is Neil’s and which is Terry’s, but I’d say they’re both equally good. The footnotes! There’s more of them at the start, but they crop up throughout in amusing and appropriate places. The writing style of the whole thing contains many pus and is full of sarcasm and dry wit.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a comedy of apocalyptic proportions you just have to read again and again.

Links: | Goodreads | Neil’s website | Terry’s Website

Book Review- Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L Howard

Title: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

 Author: Jonathan L Howard

Series:  Johannes Cabal #1

Published:  7 July 2009

Length:304 pages

Warnings: profanity, violence, the devil, hell, vampires

Source: Library

Other info: There are many more in this series.

Summary : A charmingly gothic, fiendishly funny Faustian tale about a brilliant scientist who makes a deal with the Devil, twice.
Johannes Cabal sold his soul a year ago in order to learn the laws of necromancy. Now he wants it back. Amused and slightly bored. Satan proposes a little wager: Johannes has to persuade one hundred people to sign over their souls or he will be damned forever. This time for real. Accepting the bargain, Johannes is given one calendar year and  a travelling carnival to complete his task. With little time to waste, Johannes raises a motley crew from the dead and enlists his brother Horst, a charismatic vampire, to help him run his nefarious sideshow, resulting in mayhem at every term.

Review: Johannes Cabal sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the secrets of necromancy. A little later, he decides he wants his soul back. So he goes to Hell and asks. Satan tells him that if he can get 100 people to sign their souls over to him, Cabal gets his soul back. Cabal sets up a travelling carnival, gets the help of his older vampire brother Horst, conjures up some things as attractions and staff, and sets out/

The book is basically all of that happening. I like the idea behind it. It’s not often we see people who have entered into a Faustian contract, decide they want out, skip the queues and the paperwork to get into hell, and makes a bet with the devil. A fun and original concept.

I like the little sidestories that document what happens at each stop on the way. It doesn’t document the whole year, as that would take too long, but it gives you a very good idea of what happens at every stage.

I liked the characters. I think Horst Cabal was my favourite because of the way he handled his brother and the fact that said brother is trying to get 100 people to sign forms agreeing to eternal damnation. They were all well characterised and easy to distinguish. However, there were a few characters that appeared for about three pages, then were never heard of again. All right, these three pages described who they were and how they died, but still it would have been nice if they’d have been cleverly worked in somewhere along the line.

The humour in this seemed to come and go. It had a extremely funny opening, where Cabal summons a demon and has an arguement with it about how he should have correctly summoned it, with Cabal saying that the demon was there now and therefore it didn’t matter, but then the humour died down, came back, and went and came back throughout. The writing was third person, kept the book going, but kept you slightly distanced from the characters.

With the ending there was, I’m not entirely sure how a sequel could be produced. However, there’s a whole series, and I’ll read book two some day.

Overall:  strength 3 tea to an original and somewhat funny book.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Vampire Doll Guilt Na Zan vol 1 by Erika Kari

Title: Vampire Doll Guilt-Na-Zan vol 1

 Author: Erika Kari

Series:  Vampire Doll #1

Published: 12 September 2006 by Tokyopop

Length: 200 pages

Warnings: vampires, violence, fanservice,

Source:  Library

Other info: There are six volumes  in the series. 

Summary : Guilt-Na-Zan is a vampire aristocrat who was sealed into a cross by Kyouji's ancestor more than 100 years ago. Now Kyouji has revived him - although he was resurrected as a doll and can only transform into his real figure when he sucks blood from Kyouji's sister Tonae..

Review:  Parajunkee's Vampire Challenge #11 
100 years ago, an exorcist locked vampire lord Guilt-Na-Zan into a cross. Today, exorcist Kyoji, a descendent of the first one, releases Guilt-na. And puts him into a female wax doll, with the intention of using Guilt-na as a maid. It is possible for Guilt-na to attain his original form; if he drinks the blood of Kyoji's sister Tonae, he becomes the lord of the night once more. Add in a bat/human, a stupid younger brother,  a little action and a lot of laughs, and there you have Vampire Doll.

This has suprisingly, a lot of plot, for 200 pages of first volume. There's a fight between Kyoji and his idiotic younger brother Kyoichi, we meet batman Vincent who turns out to be the friend of Guilt-Na-Zan, we meet a creature who sucks the evilness from others and leaves them civil and nice to others, and we get the insanity of life in Kyoji's house.

The storyline isn't your normal vampire story. There's elements of one, such as something to defeat them (the original exorcist) and requiring  human blood for something (Guilt-na an Tonae), but there's also some original stuff too.

It's rare to have character intros in a first volume. This book does. And they're pretty fun too: the name, one of their characteristics and then a plea to read this book to find out x. Funny from the first page.

The actual manga starts with a flashback to when Guilt-na-zan was first trapped. It then goes to his resurrection, his discovery he is in a female body and then his realisation his magical powers now only stretch to flowers and cakes. And then the aforementioned things happen and so does some more stuff until we reach a fitting conclusion that can still make you want to read volume 2.

Tokyopop classed this as a horror and comedy. The horror part wasn't that accurate-just because it has vampires and other dark creatures, it doesn't necessarily make it a horror story. The comedy on the other hand is a very large part of this. From the first page it was funny, and this continued throughout the entire book. In addition to the humour throughout the main story, we also get bonus strip at the end of each chapter and about 12 more at the back.

The characters were different to your normal stock cast  of a vampire tale. They're all very likeable,  but there's very little in the way of character development.

The art is detailed and realistic. The costumes are drawn well, as are all the little things. However in a couple of places it's hard making out what's happening because the lines blend so much into the shadows.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a vampire story that will make you laugh if not much else.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | 

Book Review- Nekropolis by Tim Waggoner

Title: Nekropolis

 Author:  Tim Waggoner

Series:   Matt Richter

Published:   2004, republished 2009

Length: 416 pages

Warnings:  vampires, zombies, lycanthropes, witchcraft. Just like you'd expect from a book set in the city of the dead. A LOT of profanity. Sex and drug references. 

Source: Library

Other info: There are two more in the series, Dead Streets and Dark War

Summary : My name is Matt Ritcher. Private eye. Zombie. The vampire lords have been running the city are planning to blow up the city. Over my dead body.

Review:  Parajunkee’s Vampire Challenge  Half vampires count. This follows Matt Richter, one of Nekropolis’ (ie City of the Dead) best private eyes. And he’s also a zombie. After walking into a bar and putting a girl’s soul into the body of the lycanthrope that killed her, he is followed out by Devona. Who is half human and half vampire, because her father is the ruler of the vampire’s part of Nekropolis. She wants Matt to help her find the Dawnstone, something fairly important to the ceremony that should be happening soon in order to renew Nekropolis’ equivalent of a sun. It has probably been taken so that whoever took it can rule Nekropolis, which probably wouldn’t be too bad. In addition to this, the restorative spells on Matt that
keep him in one piece are starting to fade. So theoretically, this will be his last case before he falls to pieces.
I love the world building in this. It took a while as each part of the world was introduced one at a time, which helped you remember. As I imagine it, there is the centre bit where the equivalent of the sun is renewed and surrounding it completely are five areas, around it in a circle. One for vampires, one for witches, one for demons, one for lycanthropes and one for the dead, ie zombies and spirits. This is very original, easy to understand and very fun.
Matt, for a zombie who has been dead and reanimated for a couple of years, is an incredibly nice guy. He doesn’t hesitate to help out with anything people ask him, and is always willing to pay cab fares, which is very nice considering said fares include his fingers. Which get eaten.  Devona I didn’t really have an opinion on. She compliments Matt well, but isn’t the most amazing character, although it wouldn’t be the same book without her sass. The rulers of each area of Nekropolis are well thought out with distinctive personalities. 
Waggoner put a lot of work into imagining all the characters. It’s not just your standard zombie and vampire and such and such. This is a zombie with a personality, even if it is one that is incredibly kind and not in any way "I want to eat your brains out". 
It's entirely from the perspective of Matt. It's filled with little sarcastic one liners that you are really funny, well at least for someone with my sense of humour. It's in all in the little things that don't make any sense to the story at  all, but upon reading you'll understand and laugh. 

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to this insanely funny series that the majority of you won't like or appreciate the humour, but I do and therefore this is one of my new favourite series.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Black Butler vol 3 by Yana Toboso

 Title: Black Butler vol 3

 Author: Yana Toboso

Series: Black Butler #3

 Published: 26 October 2010 by Yen Press. Originally published 2007

 Length: 177 pages

Warnings: violence, profanity, gore, minor fanservice

Other info: There’s currently ten volumes out. Four in English. Volume five should be coming out this month.

Summary from Amazon: Terrorizing its populace, Jack the Ripper has shaken London to its very core. But when Sebastian Michaelis, singular butler of the Phantomhive house, lays bare the madman's true identity, all that is left for him to do is eliminate the perpetrator in the name of the Queen and Phantomhive. But inhumanly efficient skills don't guarantee victory when the opponent is just as supernaturally gifted! And though Sebastian may be able to save Ciel from physical harm in the battle that ensues, will the young earl ever recover from the emotional scars it will leave on his heart?

Review: SPOILERS FOR VOL.S 1 AND 2 BUT NOT FOR 3. IF YOU'VE NOT READ THESE TWO, SEE MY REVIEW FOR THEM HERE.

First up, love the cover. Sebastian + cutlery = awesome (but possibly not so if you're on the receiving end of said cutlery)  

This volume continues the fight between Grell, the red death loving Death God/Grim reaper, and Sebastian, the butler from hell who serves a twelve year old boy. The first chapter is half full of action and half flashback of Madame Red's life. The second chapter is more flashback and more action. My favourite part of this chapter is Grell comparing his and Sebastian's relationship to that of Romeo and Juliet- i.e. a complete failure, and Grell quoting Shakespeare, even though it’s pretty obvious that "Wherefore art thou, Sebastian darling" does not work as well as with Romeo.

In the third chapter we get flashbacks of the Phantomhive servants failing at their jobs, even more chainsaw vs. Sebastian action and the introduction of a new death god, William T Spears. Really, half of this volume seems to be made up of speed lines. So much happens.

The fourth chapter is a fitting conclusion to the Jack the Ripper arc, which I can't tell you about without spoilers. The art is especially pretty in this, though some parts are completely random and unexplained, like the flowers that appear out of nowhere.

The final chapter is a filler one, which simply moves us on to the next story arc. It begins with Ciel (the twelve years old with the demon butler) waking up from a nightmare, because he read Edgar Allan Poe before sleeping (random side note: I read Poe when I was twelve before bed and I did not get nightmares). We then meet Lady Middleford, Lizzie's (Ciel's fiancée) mother, who takes a tour of the house, demonstrating the Phantomhive servants' skills at ruining things. She then challenges Ciel to a hunting match. He then protects Lizzie from a bear, which proves to Lady Middleford that he will be a worthy son in law (side note- if he lives long enough. What with being kidnapped and dragged into murder investigations, it’s not really certain as to whether or not Ciel will live to a marriage-able age. Just saying.) And it turns out Sebastian kills the bear with his silverware trick. I must say how much I love Sebastian's silverware trick. Everyone returns to the manner and Lady Middleford wishes Ciel a happy thirteenth birthday. It ends with snow, and the quick introductions of two Indians, leading onto the next story arc/volume.

The story is a good mix of serious scenes, action, and comic relief. The action scenes are well drawn (much better than I could do), but some parts are so busy that it’s hard to work out where to look first.

Another problem I had is with the translation. Take Sebastian's catchphrase, 'aku made shitsuji desu'. I get that they're translating it literally to 'I am merely a butler', but nobody would actually say that. It’s much more fun, more suggestive of his true nature and would simply flow much better if he said 'I am one hell of a butler'. Or maybe it’s just me being too used to the anime subs. But really, manga translators should always think about colloquialism when translating.

Aside from that, I really enjoyed this volume. It packs a lot into it, the art, the story, and the dialogue. It’s mostly serious, but gets interspersed with enough comic relief to stop it being boring. Also, it gets an extra half strength(not that they actually exist) because it features all the coolest characters-Grell, Undertaker, William, Lau, Madame Red, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Overall:  Strength 4.5 tea because of everything I said above. (The picture shows 5 because that’s how you rounding to the nearest whole number works).

Book Review- Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

 Title: Infinity

 Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

 Series: Chronicles of Nick #1

 Published: 25 May 2010 by St. Martin's Griffin

 Length:  306 pages

 Warnings:  Profanity, gore, kissing

 Other info: Reviewing today because the sequel, Invincible, is out tomorrow (22 Mar 2011). Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series has also been made into a manga (review coming one day).

 Summary from Goodreads: At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.
But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.
As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

 Review: The book starts with a speech from Nick Gautier, discussing free will: an interesting opening that sort of sets the tone. It then switches to an account of Nick's teenage years. He's the guy from a poor background who the bullies pick on eternally and is decidedly average. We are introduced to Nick's sarcastic nature within a few pages which, while not for everyone, certainly made me laugh.

Nick is saved after his friends desert him, by Kyrian, a tall blond man with comebacks as sharp as Nick’s: who is looking for an employee. Nick takes the job: running around, doing odd jobs, for a thousand dollars a week. Nice pay. Nick is then sucked further into the world of the dark hunters, demons and was hunters. Plus, there’s a load of zombies to fight. Anyone else think this makes for good reading? I did. The Chronicles of Nick was designed as a spin off to Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, and those of you familiar with it will recognise a lot of familiar faces. If you haven't read it, no worries. The Chronicles of Nick works perfectly as a stand-alone series too. The action was fast paced; something always seemed to be happening, from   an attempted mugging to a zombie attack to chasing down said zombies.

We meet a lot of Dark hunter characters: a young Tabitha, into vampire slaying even then, Acheron, the all-powerful Atlantean god, and Simi, his Goth demon who will eat anything with a good serving of barbecue sauce. There's also original characters, my favourite being Bubba, the techie with a fair amount of guns and also services weapons.

You will probably find this shelved alongside paranormal romance. This is wrong. Although there is a little romance in it, to me it seems to have been added in as an afterthought, not dominating the story. That’s left to the action, sarcasm and humour, the latter two being highlights for me. One of my favourite scenes in the whole book is when Nick wakes up, on the street after a fight. Simi, being extremely sweet and funny, asks "excuse me, Mr Human. Are you homeless? Can I eat you?" cue a lot of laughing, no matter your taste in humour.

Overall: I give this strength 5 tea because it’s a quick, funny easy read that won’t take too long to read but will leave you talking about it forever. It won’t suit everyone though.

Book Review- The Radleys by Matt Haig

Title: The Radleys
Author: Matt Haig
Series: n/a
Published by: Walker (YA), Canongate (Adult), July 2010
Length:352 pages
Warnings: Non graphic sex scenes, references to adultery. 14 upwards.
Other facts: Matt Haig has also written things like the Dead Father's Club and The Last Family in Englan. This has been longlisted for the Carnegie Award 2011
Summary(from Amazon): Meet the Radleys - Peter, Helen and their teenage children, Clara and Rowan, live in a typical suburban English town. They are an everyday family, averagely dysfunctional, averagely content. But, as their children have yet to find out, the Radleys have a devastating secret. In this moving, thrilling and extraordinary portrait of one unusual family, The Radleys asks what we grow into when we grow up, and explores what we gain - and lose - when we deny our appetites.

Review:On a completely unrelated note, this is book 1 of my Parajunkee Challenge. On with the review...
For some reason, the first time I saw this, it was shelved alongside YA paranormal romance. The subtle cover caught my eye, as it was completely different. I really enjoyed this book. The characters were easy to connect with, mostly likeable and believable. I like the originality, as Haig portrays the vampire in a completely different light to what we are used to. The writing was descriptive and well written, interspersed with black humour, my absolute favourite being when discussing what to do about Clara's killing, Helen says "I've brought the spade". The clever subplots underneath the main story all intertwine neatly with eachother and the general plot,which I really like. What the Radleys does fal down on is not being aimed at a certain audience. I know it was published in two seperate editions, but the opening read as a YA novel, whilst some content was, at some points, unsuitable for younger readers. And while I enjoy all the subplots, they slightly detract from the stories of Rowan and Clara, which I think were intended to be the main characters.

Overall: I give this strength 4 tea, as i like all the twists and turns, the ironic look at vampires and the blood by the bottleful.

Nina xxx

Book Review-Black Butler vols 1&2 by Yana Toboso

Title:Black Butler
Author: Yana Toboso
Series: Black Butler #1&2
Published by: Yen Press 2009/10
Length; 192 and 194 pages

Warnings: Guns, violence, profanity, m/m fanservice, 14+
Other facts: It is also known as Kuroshitsuji. It was published in a shonen, or teen boy's, magazine in Japan in 2006. Yen Press translated  and published it in English. Yana Tosobo has also written Rust Blaster.An anime series and two musicals have been created. The 5th volume comes out in english in may. there are at least 10 volumes in Japan.
Summary from Goodreads: When a terrible fire claims his parents, Ciel Phantomhive must step up as the head of his father's company and as Earl Phantomhive. It would be a lot for the young boy to handle were it not for his faithful butler, Sebastian. Ever at Ciel's side, it seems there's little Sebastian can't do, whether it's saving a dinner party gone awry or probing the dark secrets of London's underbelly. He's almost too good to be true...or at least, too good to be human...
Review: I won’t normally review two books in one review, but seeing as not much really happens in volume one , I m going to so you get the full idea of this manga. The first half of volume 1 is simply introductions, showing the servants being useless and Sebastian being forced to sort them out. The action doesn’t really get going properly until half way through, but when it does, it is rendered perfectly. Volume 2 follows Ciel and Sebastian investigating the jack the ripper killings, ending in the beginning of a fight between jack the ripper and Sebastian that is continued in volume 3. I really like the characters. Sebastian is the butler from hell - literally, he's a demon who's catchphrase is "I am one hell of a butler"- who will make you cake, show off amazing tea pouring skills and kill any enemies in amusing and ironic ways. Ceil is really sweet, although you don't really find out much about his back-story- you find out in the anime though. The rest of the characters are very clichéd, the useless gardener, stupid maid and creepy undertaker, but with distinctive personalities and are very likeable. Some of these characters are pure comedy relief, which is amusing although it can be hard to believe they belong in the same world as the serious things they accompany. I like its setting, Victorian England, and the vague historical accuracy, even though some aspects are questionable: fake eyelashes and chainsaws, anyone? It’s been well translated, even though a lot of the puns require you to read the translation notes as you go along, or you may feel a little lost. Be warned though, there is a fair bit of undertones of  Sebastian and Ciel in...erm, questionable clothes, positions and situations- this  and a certain scene involving a corset and cross dressing springs to mind. The fanservice mentioned above , whilst being awesome as fanservice in anymanga is, detracts a lot from the point of the story.However, the artwork is beautiful and the action scenes are so awesome. The whole series is a mix of history, supernatural, horror,fan service, a little gallows humour, and a lot of crack.


Overall:I give this strength 5 tea because while the subtle SebastianxCiel undertones slightly distract a lot from the main story, in a good way, overall this is one hell of a manga.

Nina xxx