Early Book Review: Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 by Monika Kaname

Sunbeams in the Sky, Volume 1, by Monika Kaname is a manga style graphic novel that is currently scheduled for release on April 18 2023. Himari Akeno can’t wait to start high school! Even though she’s parting ways with her twin sister, Mio, Himari’s enthusiasm to start this new chapter of her life is palpable—that is, until a traumatic incident sends her home to hide in her room. Watching Himari’s dreams shatter is more than Mio can bear, especially when her sister still longs for an ordinary student life. Determined to see her twin get back out into the world, Mio “catches a cold” and convinces her sister to fill in until she “recovers.” As long as the shy, introverted Himari can pull off impersonating the bubbly, energetic Mio, nothing could go wrong…right?

The first volume of Sunbeams in the Sky did exactly what it was supposed to. It made me care about the characters and become heavily invested in them and their relationships. I liked the story, and thought the characters were well written and introduced. I would have liked to see more development with a couple of the characters, I fully suspect that will be coming as the story unfolds in later installments. While much of the story is fairly typical family and high school drama style there is certainly more going on here. I do have to admit that I keep thinking the characters are more than they appear, and am waiting for some of my suspicions to be proven wrong or right in future volumes. 

Book Review: Sarah's Dream (Grémillet Sisters) Script by Giovanni Di Gregorio & Art by Alessandro Barbucci

 Sarah's Dream is the first book in the Grémillet Sisters graphic novel series, the script is by Giovanni Di Gregorio and art by Alessandro Barbucci. Being sisters is never easy. But when you’re as different as Sarah, Cassiopeia, and Lucille, it’s even harder! The first is haunted by recurring dreams, the second lives with her head in the clouds, and the last spends most of her time with her cat. Then one day they discover a mysterious photo of their mother pregnant. Where was it taken, and who is the baby? And most importantly, why was this photo hidden away in the depths of the attic? To find out, they’ll have to venture into the tangled forest of the Grémillet family secrets!

Sarah's Dream is a story about family, siblings in particular. I liked the mysterious elements of the dreams of jellyfish. I think the pages really had an ethereal feel and made the story otherworldly.  The color work and art style greatly appealed to me, and I enjoyed the art as much as the story. The emotion and mood of each page was well captured, with details that I did not always catch at first glance. The dynamic between the sisters was very real to me, as siblings often have that struggle of love and annoyance going at all times. I will say that the story was not quite what I was expecting. I was really expecting more magic, mythical, or paranormal twist to rise up in the story. The story is well written and drawn, it was just not the story that I expected. That's not always a bad thing, especially when it is well done, as it is here. I was just really in the mood for magical mayhem, and did not get that. 

Sarah's Dream is a beautiful graphic novel, both emotionally and artistically.

Book Review: The Duplicate Bride by Ginny Baird

The Duplicate Bride by Ginny Baird is a contemporary romance novel . Hope Webb can’t believe her twin sister, Jackie, is begging her to swap places and play fiancée at Jackie’s pre-wedding festivities. Sure, it’s only a business-deal sort of marriage, but Hope is a carb-loving teacher who enjoys curling up with a good book. Jackie is a workaholic whose idea of a good time is a brisk five-mile run at the crack of dawn. The two sisters couldn’t be more opposite. Now Hope is stuck in the middle of a warm, tight-knit family she can’t help but adore and a groom who turns out to be entirely wonderful, for her. Hotel magnate Brent Albright knows something is off about his fiancée, but he doesn’t care. Gone is the driven woman with similar career goals, and in her place is someone warm and funny who not only charms his family but him as well. She’s doing everything she can to avoid him, but that’s probably just nerves. Two people about to wed couldn’t know each other less. Now Brent is determined to woo his fiancée, for real this time, because the more he gets to know her, the more his sweet fiancée turns out to be entirely wonderful, for him. And that’s when things start to get really complicated.

The Duplicate Bride is a romance that hooked me early but then had me dreading going back to the story because I knew the big reveal of the deception could happen at any moment. I liked Hope's character, even if a good number of her choices. I understood why she made some oft hose choices, but that did not always make it easier to deal with. She got sucked into an impossible situation, and it kept snowballing, and I could sympathize. Her mother and Brent's family were all great characters, but I did feel like I never got to know or understand Jackie- the reason this whole story happened. I liked getting to know the families and seeing the relationship between Brent and Hope grow, but I spent too much of the book anxious and waiting for the other shoe to drop to really enjoy the sweet or silly moments. It was all very well done, and had me on pins and needles, but I was not really ready for the stress this read inspired in me. I think I will definitely give the author another read, maybe a less tense read and hopefully with some of the characters I met in this one.

The Duplicate Bride is a solid romance with plenty of feels and solid characters. I think I will be reading more from the author in the near future.