Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris

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*No Major Spoilers*

In the tradition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a captivating mystery about a boy with synesthesia — a condition that causes him to see colors when he hears sounds — who tries to uncover what happened to his beautiful neighbor, and if he was ultimately responsible.

Thirteen-year-old Jasper Wishart lives in a world of dazzling color that no one else can see, least of all his dad. Words, numbers, days of the week, people’s voices—everything has its own unique shade. But recently Jasper has been haunted by a color he doesn’t like or understand: the color of murder.

Convinced he’s done something terrible to his new neighbor, Bee Larkham, Jasper revisits the events of the last few months to paint the story of their relationship from the very beginning. As he struggles to untangle the knot of untrustworthy memories and colors that will lead him to the truth, it seems that there’s someone else out there determined to stop him — at any cost.

I didn’t bother to ask what people would think. I’d given up trying to guess the answer to that particular puzzle long ago – The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder

This novel is beautifully written, vivid colors, and real raw emotions portrayed from Jasper throughout the entire story. I felt in awe of Jasper’s gift to see the colors others cannot. The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder helped me experience what people with synesthesia see every day.

I thought the mystery was intriguing. This novel doesn’t necessarily have a “bad guy” even the antagonist of the story is relatable and you end up feeling sorry for what they did. Jasper was just trying to do what was right, and to tell the truth about what happened to Bee.

I love how the neighborhood parakeets played a major role in the story. They grew and changed just like Jasper did throughout the story. They weren’t just a bad plot device, they actually portrayed Jasper’s growth as he solves the case.

I wanted so badly to see Jasper’s paintings for myself, to see why Bee was fascinated with the ones Jasper had painted while she had her music lessons. Was it just as abstract as Jasper claims it to be? I’m not sure, but I wish they were real.

The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder was a heartwarming and colorful read. I wish this novel was more mainstream, but it was a wonderful find all the same. This novel will have you laughing out loud and reaching for the tissues by the end. This book will stay with me for a while after I finished the last chapter.

I would highly recommend this novel for lovers of unique mysteries, stories about children with learning disabilities, and of course, colors and parakeets. I think if you enjoy reading about any of those kinds of things, you’ll love this novel as much as I do.

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Posted in Book Reviews, Graphic Novels, Manga

REVIEW: Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui

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*No Major Spoilers*

When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions…and a member! They’re eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they’re sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: “Let’s eat the monsters!” Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons…none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!

This manga caught my eye by the odd-sounding title. The theme of eating the monsters that are found in the dungeon is a unique idea. Most dungeon-crawlers are dependant on “standard” foods. Eating the monsters is unorthodox to most dungeon-crawler type scenarios.

My favorite character is Senshi, the dwarf. He joins the team at the beginning and teaches the group how to cook the monsters and how their diets affect their abilities to fight and travel. His unique perspective on the adventure is admirable and humorous.

My least favorite character is Marcille, the mage. She is against the whole idea of eating monsters and complains every step of the way. Even after Senshi proved to her time, and time again that eating monsters wasn’t a bad thing, she continued to complain throughout.

A unique touch I found in the story was whenever they cooked a dish, they would show the recipe and nutrition facts. I thought that was funny and added a nice touch to the story overall.

I would recommend this manga to lovers of dungeon-crawlers, monster lovers, and aspiring cooks alike. This is a unique take on the rehashed story of “going through the dungeon to save/do x,y, and z.

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