MANGA REVIEW: GALAXIAS Vol. 1

GALAXIAS Volume 1
by Ao Hatesaka
Available Now

Geo dreams of adventure, but her father is intent on keeping her exactly where she is. The tales of Yuri Holst, the world's most legendary explorer, keep Geo dreaming. And her dreams get bigger and stranger when she meets an amnesiac who's also on the hunt for the legend.

In the world of GALAXIAS, some humans have draconic genes. These are usually indicated by a big ol' tail and a superpower. Nereid (as Geo names him) is one of these dragonfolk as well, which is fortunate when someone comes to town hunting Geo. Why? Because it turns out there are a few things her dad didn't tell her about why he didn't want her to travel.

As chapter 1 of GALAXIAS closes, the two new friends set off on their joint mission to find Yuri Holst. This first volume contains the first five chapters, meaning we get a very small amount of setup: a conflict, a location or two outside Geo's hometown, and some characterization. But even in that small space, you get a good feel for what this series will be. It's already an exciting ride, with lots of promise as the world around Geo slowly builds itself out.

I'm not familiar with Ao Hatesaka beyond this work, but I love the art. The characters are unique and expressive, with a wide variety of designs and little to no Same-Face Syndrome. The landscapes are also gorgeous, so I'm excited to see different geographies explored in later volumes.

Fans of One Piece and Gachiakuta in particular will warm to this story for its mix of action and exploration. These early chapters tease a lot of lore and worldbuilding to come, and I'm excited to see if (and how) it pays off.

TEA PAIRING: Strawberry Farms
I adore Geo for her childlike wonder and desire to explore, and this bright berry and hibiscus blend feels like the perfect fit for her. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: Humans from Earth!!

HUMANS FROM EARTH!!
edited by Chuck McKenzie
Available Now

A popular thought experiment has been the idea that humans are the true monsters of the science fiction world. The concept has spilled out into flash fiction online, in both humorous and surprisingly dire ways. A new anthology goes all the way with this concept, collecting sci-fi and horror stories in which humans are the bad guys.

All told, there are 18 stand-alone stories in Humans from Earth!!, covering a range of themes — and a range of quality. Nothing in this volume is outright a Bad Read; every author has strong prose and characterization and creates something technically better than average. The variation arises in how each writer approaches the theme set forth. There is, as one might expect, a lot of sameyness across many stories: straightforward sci-fi that leans on humanity's predisposition for colonization or ripped-from-the-headlines metaphor. Isolated, these stories would be strong; together between the same covers, they begin to feel less effective.

It's the stories that take the time to flip the brief on its head that really shine through. Stories that interrogate humanity's darker corners and angles rather than simply depicting it, that think beyond the obvious inverted invasion narrative suggested by the title. While initially seeming to fall into the same trap outlined above, Liam Hogan's "The Fallen God" is almost darkly comical, casting a spacewrecked human as the oblivious instigator of an alien holy war. Martin Livings's "The Boy in the Box" is a sort of subverted cosmic horror, pitting a race of brilliant thoughtforms against a seven-year-old boy. John Peel's "The Vorpal Blade" trades in hard sci-fi for an Alice in Wonderland reimagining in which Alice and the Queen go on a grisly Jabberwock hunt. And in Zac Ashford's "The Kids Are (Not) All Right," a teacher must choose between saving the life of a young alien and rescuing his marriage and career.

These four aren't the only good stories in the volume (again, there isn't a truly bad story in the bunch), but they are the ones that get the most imaginative with the theme. Again, all of these would be strong stories on their own, and editor Chuck McKenzie has done a good job keeping the more similar stories spread out from each other. But I would love to have seen a higher concentration of the more inventive concepts, perhaps saving the best two of the more standard approaches as an opener and finisher. It's not an uplifting anthology by any means: the clue is in the title. But the best of the bunch opt out of being dire for direness's sake, instead exploring why we are the way we are and how these traits turn sour when we encounter the unknown.

TEA PAIRING: Spice Chai Mélange
This sci-fi-inspired rooibos chai pairs well with the far-flung worlds of this anthology, from abandoned experimental spaceships to worlds inhabited by fuzzy crab creatures. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and more teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

MANGA REVIEW: Love at First Memory, Vol. 1

LOVE AT FIRST MEMORY, Vol. 1
by Narumi Hasegaki
Available now

There was an era of absolutely unhinged shoujo manga, and I'm sad to say we're largely past it — save perhaps for adaptations of older titles, like this season's Hana-Kimi. As unrealistic and off the wall as they are, and as much as it changes your brain chemistry just to get in the right mode to watch or read, it's kind of delightful in a weird way.

Well, Love at First Memory came out in the last handful of years, and it's bordering on that level of unhinged. In other words, we are so back.

The heroine of the piece is Mia Takanashi, an heiress who had just decided who to marry when she got hit by a car in a freak accident and lost her memory. Now there are four handsome men all claiming that she chose them, and she doesn't know who any of them is! They all have their charms, merits, and flaws. Unfortunately, this is the world of the upper class and big business, so Mia is missing all the context she needed to pick her perfect match.

Oh, and one of these suitors might be a con artist taking advantage of the situation... but he also might be the most interesting of the four.

This first volume of Love at First Memory harkens back to the shoujo manga of the 90s and 00s, with over-the-top circumstances and wild stakes. Hasegaki's art is adorable, with each of Mia's four suitors stylistically different enough to evoke their own brand of charm. If you need grounded, realistic shoujo, this isn't for you. If you like your love stories absolutely unhinged, you must start reading.

TEA PAIRING: A Date with Mr. Darcy
My absolute favorite blend from the Chapters catalog, originally released as a limited-edition Valentine's Day tea. It's a sweet and strong floral Earl Grey that goes perfectly with stories of fictional crushes... whichever one happens to be yours. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and more teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: Maysoon Zayid, the Girl Who Can Can

 

MAYSOON ZAYID, THE GIRL WHO CAN CAN
by Dr. Seema Yasmin
Available February 10

I'm going to be honest — two things I know next to nothing about are cerebral palsy (CP) and General Hospital. But they are two of the most influential things in comedian Maysoon Zayid's life... one whether she likes it or not. And I got a lot more insight into this condition, and into Maysoon's dreams of stardom, in this nonfiction chapter book for young readers.

The book is a quick read, covering the high (and low points) of Zayid's childhood as she dreamed of becoming a multitalented star. CP didn't stand in her way, at least not directly. But indirectly, it led to many people around her deciding for her what she could and couldn't do. This book does a great job of explaining, in terms young people can understand, that disability is not a monolith, even for people with the same disability.

Better still is the fact that this book addresses the other extreme of living with a disability: being deemed "inspirational" and having everything you do viewed through the lens of what you live with. It's something I've encountered both in my own life and while working with medical school applicants, and it's reassuring to see it addressed so plainly for young people. 

While I personally am unfamiliar with Zayid's work, I did enjoy this couching of her childhood and first major role as a story that's inspirational for the right reasons. It's a reminder that, while we can't necessarily have everything we want at all times, we can still push to accomplish our dreams. And for every person who decides for us what we can and can't do, there's someone else out there with actual helpful advice.

TEA PAIRING: At the Waterfront
Inspired by Little Women, about a loving and supportive family, this herbal tea feels like a good fit for the story of another woman whose family was equally supportive. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: City Spies: Europa

 

CITY SPIES: EUROPA
by James Ponti
Available February 10

My first encounter with James Ponti's City Spies series was two installments ago, and I was hooked from the very beginning. I'm a huge fan of books for young people that are accessible without being condescending, and that are educational without being dry. This series blends the learning value of Carmen Sandiego with a crash course in both spycraft and how to appreciate spy fiction, all while actually telling a great story. And Europa continues this trend.

The City Spies are Paris, Sydney, Brooklyn, Rio, Kat(hmandu), and Cairo: six youngsters with skill sets ranging from codebreaking to hacking to explosives. They operate as a unique branch of MI6, working in scenarios where adult spies would stand out too much. They're also the adopted children of their overseer, a man codenamed "Mother," with the exception of his biological son Cairo. Everything seems to be going well, with a new home base nearly completed and their archenemy Le Fantôme in prison. But things turn dangerous when the organization known as Umbra threatens to bomb several high-profile locations across Europe. Which ones? The spies will have to figure that out themselves!

The mission will require the team to flex their mental muscles in art history, sports trivia, and more to find where and when these attacks will take place. But the bigger question is why, and discovering that could lead to problems that hit very close to home for both Mother and Cairo.

Europa, like the rest of the City Spies series, gives its young readers credit for their intelligence. The puzzles are laid out in a way that allows readers to solve them alongside the characters. Spy fiction fans of all ages will love all the real-world and movie trivia mixed in, too; I stopped more than once to look up a location or historical figure mentioned in the story.

While I recommend starting from the beginning, Europa offers enough context for new readers to jump in. That said, the ending of this book shows that the team as we know it may be changing... and not just because they're getting older! If you love spy fiction, and you want the kids in your life to love it too, this is a must-read.

TEA PAIRING: Poet's Study
I feel like Tru, the MI6 operative giving the City Spies their crash course in high-end spycraft, would approve of this bold Earl Grey. It's one I love to recommend whenever I can. Use my code KARA15 to get 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

COMIC REVIEW: Huge Detective

HUGE DETECTIVE
by Adam Rose; illustrated by Magenta King
Available now

There's nothing quite like an odd couple solving crimes, and I will always be here for it. I could go into the deeper symbolism of these two at-odds personalities joining forces and finding understanding to solve a crime, but that's a dissertation for another day. Right now, we have Huge Detective: a comic that takes place in an alternate world where giants live in Australia and there are huge fossils on the moon.

Human detective Tamaki and huge detective Gyant have an odd case on their hands: a human ("doll" in huge slang) who believes he's one of the big people. But his point of view and unconventional background might be just what this team needs to get to the bottom of their current case. As they dig deeper, though, they discover a scheme that could shake the very foundations the human/huge truce is built on.

The worldbuilding of Huge Detective is fantastic, with each chapter including a file offering more background into the world of the comic. This feels like a world that exists and is lived in, not just a concept created to support a conceit. Best of all, it explores concerns that could arise in such a society: industry, societal norms, even the shape that microaggressions take in both directions. The story is great; the art equally so. But it matters that it lives in a world that feels alive.

TEA PAIRING: Picnic at Pemberley
I like to think our detectives would have better luck with this jasmine green tea blend than the tea they're served later in the book. It's one of my favorite blends, perfect for unwinding after a rainy day spent solving crimes. Use my code KARA15 to save 15% on this and other tea blends from Chapters Tea & Co.!