Nightschool: The Weirn Books - Volume 1 by Svetlana ChmakovaCompletion Date: January 21, 2011
Reason for Reading: I really liked Dramacon, her previous manga series.
Schools may lock up for the night, but class is in session for an entirely different set of students. In the Nightschool, vampires, werewolves, and weirns (a particular breed of witches) learn the fundamentals of everything from calculus to spell casting. Alex is a young weirn whose education has always been handled through homeschooling, but circumstances seem to be drawing her closer to the Nightschool. Will Alex manage to weather the dark forces gathering?
Fiction. Paranormal Manga.
What led you to pick up this book?
Nicola read the first two over at Back to Books. I also really liked her other manga series, Dramacon, so would have planned to read this anyway.
Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending!
This book talks place after hours at a school. The 'regular' kids have no idea what happens when they leave for the day. After 6, though, werewolves, vampires, and weirns begin a very different education. There is action and adventure, but mainly this is to introduce you to the characters.
What did you like most about the book?
The art. For some reason I really love Svetlana's art. It's fun, but it can also capture the mood very well. Then, there was a section that was in colour and it was amazingly well-done! I also enjoyed how she managed to take something that is maybe, possibly starting to get a bit overdone and make it her own. She has an original story here that I am looking forward to reading more of.
What did you like least?
With any manga I hate that it is essentially one book broken up into many books. You just get captivated with the story and is over. Plus, I am reading this through the library and have to wait each time for the book to come in. I wound up buying the collected edition of Dramacon because the library did not have book three and in this case, they don't have book four!
Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books?
Yes, I read Dramacon back in 2009. It was a fun trilogy and I never reviewed it... I should reread it this year so I can remedy that. Anyway, this series is very different than her previous one. The other one was set in modern day at a comic convention. This is a paranormal world. She pulls off the differences really well.
What did you think of the main character?
You only just barely get to meet the main character. Her name is Alex and there is obviously a lot more to her than meets the eye. She is weirn, but not even she knows entirely what she is capable of. The first scene is very comical. Svetlana does humour rather well, even if this book is supposed to be a bit on the dark side. She may not have a lot of pages for you to get to know her characters, but they still made an impression on me and I am looking forward to getting to know them better in the future.
What about the ending?
As far as I am concerned, the ending for mangas is generally the last book. That being said, there is a nice cliffhanger to this book that makes me really want to know what happens next.
What do you think of the cover?
I love it! So pretty and mood-setting and pretty and, uh, I think I am becoming a bit of a fangirl for this author. I will probably wind up buying the series...
This book counts for the 2011 Manga Challenge.
I did posts like this in 2009. Since I don't really have a lot to say about mangas and graphic novels because they are often one large book and I hate spoilers, I decided to bring it back once in a while for some variety.
Series:
Nightschool: The Weirn Books - Volume 1
Nightschool: The Weirn Books - Volume 2
Nightschool: The Weirn Books - Volume 3
Nightschool: The Weirn Books - Voume 4
Hey Kelly,
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by my blog. I've missed you and I'm pretty serious about only visiting people who comment at my blog, this year. It seems to help me feel a little less overwhelmed. I forgot to comment on what you said about it being harder to enjoy a book when it's scheduled. I feel that way, too. In fact, I'm planning to stop accepting ARCs *except* for children's and YA because I love those so much. I don't get much YA offered to me, so I should end up with next to nothing, ARC-wise, and that's fine with me. I'm ready to take some time off from the obligation attached to them.
Hope you're doing well. I noticed a pic of you (face covered) with the boyfriend and he is really good-looking! What a great smile. I wish you hadn't covered your face (but I do that, too). :)
Annie absolutely LOVES this series!!! Glad to hear you enjoyed this one--think I need to go raid Annie's shelves. :D
ReplyDeleteHey Nancy! I really must reply to your email I received yesterday!
ReplyDeleteDebi: Have you read Dramacon yet? You know you have to!
I finally read this! My library didn't own it, so I picked up a copy for my Nook (don't fall over or anything, but I actually bought it). Definitely worth reading - and I know I'll be shelling out the money for the rest of the series. I know it just sort of sets things up, but I'm already hooked. :-)
ReplyDelete