Eat or Be Eaten (Review)

Eat Or Be Eaten by Yamimaru Enjin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


First read: June 4-6, 2010



*"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." At least that's the case with Masaki Ashizawa. On a search for the perfect chef, he falls in love with the delicious cuisine that Individu's chef-Shuichiro Tsubaki prepares. Elated that he has gotten to the end of his search, he finds himself disappointed when Tsubaki turns his offer down.



Not one to give up, and knowing in his heart that Tsubaki has to be the one-he offers to work as a waiter for one month in order to gain Tsubaki's trust. But even if he convinces Tsubaki to give him a chance; a secret may tear his dream to pieces.



There's a nice 'flavor' to this novel. I felt the author's love of fine cuisine imbued in her descriptive details of each dish; the tiny details and background she tells of what it takes to make a restaurant work, and what makes the grande maison so different from your average restaraunts where fine touches that enhanced the story very well.



The Individu's characters had their own personality and each of their skills meshed flawlessly and warmly it gave me this 'I wish I were there' feeling.



*quote by Fanny Fern



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The Aristocrat and the Desert Prince (review)

The Aristocrat and the Desert Prince by Haruhi Tono

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was an okay read. Although well written, it felt almost distanced or dispassionate to me. There was no connection with the characters, and even the characters' feelings for each other feel superficial. Takeyuki's personality was a little annoying at times-Zayid said it best, 'impetuous airhead'. As the youngest son he was spoiled by all of his family, so his attitude is sort of understandable-he made me want to smack him upside the head every now and then though.



Zayid is definitely an intriguing character, but I didn't get to know him well since the story is in Takeyuki's POV. In his interactions with Takeyuki though I got the sense that Zayid would be a nice influence on him. He was firm and didn't tolerate Takeyuki's bratty tantrums; he didn't accede to Takeyuki's every whim and so it gave me the feeling he could grow into a mature and unselfish man with Zayid. The illustrations are gorgeous and beautifully done, adding that little oomph that I felt the story lacked.



I'm a huge fan of Sheikhs and romance in the desert so that made it worth the read for me.



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I Want to Bite (Review)

I Want To Bite by Isaya Takamori

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm a fan of Kawai-sensei's; so knowing that she had done the illustrations for this novel was what drove me to buy this. I'm not familiar with Takamori-sensei's work, so I didn't know what to expect.



I can now say that I hope to read more of her works in the future. This was a nice read; well written and with great characters. I liked the vampire world she created, the idea of how werewolves and ghouls came about or are created, and the whole vampire society/hierarchy.



The illustrations were gorgeous, adding an extra spark to a story of grief and loss, of revenge and betrayal, but also of redemption and love. Overall a very satisfying read.







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Love Water (Review)

** spoiler alert ** **might contain spoilers**




This is a sweet and tender romance novel set in a historical time. The writing and illustrations evoked a very gentle emotion in me as I read and it was only enhanced by the innocence of Misao's and Towa's feelings for each other.



Misao works in a brothel, due to circumstances-he has no choice but to work off a debt in order to gain his freedom. Because of his upbringing he has learned to hide his true self and finds ways to earn a little extra m ...more **might contain spoilers**



This is a sweet and tender romance novel set in a historical time. The writing and illustrations evoked a very gentle emotion in me as I read and it was only enhanced by the innocence of Misao's and Towa's feelings for each other.



Misao works in a brothel, due to circumstances-he has no choice but to work off a debt in order to gain his freedom. Because of his upbringing he has learned to hide his true self and finds ways to earn a little extra money by flirting mildly with patrons without using his body. There's this feeling of dispassion in him until he meets Towa.



Without realizing why Misao opens up to Towa, who is there for someone else and has a certain naivete about the inner workings of a brothel. Towa, a businessman, is honest and straightforward; because of Misao's initial approach and assistance in understanding the rules and culture of the Tea House seeks his companionship.



This story was a delight to read. The basic history of the brothels was detailed enough to understand but doesn't cloud over the plot-it brought to mind Memoirs of a Geisha. The characters are well written and likeable-even the annoying Katsuragi. I was happy to read in the postscript that there might be another story linked to this one in the future.