EVERY HEART A DOORWAY -- POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE #6

image from Goodreads

What would you do if you found a door that didn't belong? Would you go through it? What if you came back but were irreparably changed?

I chose this book for the Popsugar Reading Challenge number 6: A book with a plant in the title or on the cover.  The cover has a forest of trees on it.

This is the premise behind Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire.  Kids are pulled through doorways to different worlds. Many don't return, but sometimes they come back.  These kids are given a chance to acclimatize back to our world with the help of Eleanor West and her school.

Nancy is the main character in this book, but she has changed since her experience in one of the Underworlds. Her parents send her to Eleanor's school to get 'better'. Here she finds she can be her new self but always hoping she can find the door back to her new home.

She is surrounded by a plethora of other characters that have had similar experiences like hers just in different worlds. Each have their problems.

It also becomes a bit of a murder mystery. It's not a super duper complicated, but it does give a bit of extra spice to the story line.

I read this book in two hours. I recommend it for those that like magical realism and fantasy as well as a bit of darkness.

I would love to see Nancy's world.  If you could go anywhere through a doorway, what kind of world you would wand to find?

THE LITTLE PRINCE -- POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE #22

image from Goodreads

This was one of the harder ones so far to fill for me.

Number 22 on the Popsugar Reading Challenge is: a book recommended by a celebrity you admire.

I'm not really into admiring celebrities much. Maybe a shallow glance at Facebook and People magazine blurbs about them. So it was hard to find one that I truly admire.

I ended up choosing Emma Watson. She is an advocate for many things. She also took her education seriously despite becoming a star as the bookworm witch, Hermione Granger.

She recommended The Little Prince.

I look back on the book and I still have no idea what I read. It was an amalgamation of children's story, philosophy, fantasy, life lessons, and I don't know what else.

It's the sort of book that takes two or three readings to get the deeper meanings of the work.  It's worth another read.

What does The Little Prince mean to you? Let me know in the comments below.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Zechs Merquise, Killua Zoldyck #atozchallenge

Zechs Merquise is the mysterious and gentlemanly OZ Gundam pilot. His past is hidden like his face behind a mask. He is one of the leaders of Oz in Gundam Wing.

He faces one of the five young Gundam pilots from the spaces colonies in combat, dueling him in the Arctic because their battle was interrupted.

He was once the crown prince of the Sanc Kingdom (say-nkt) whose family and kingdom was destroyed by the United Earth Sphere Alliance. Millardo Peacecraft died and Zechs was born.

He turns back on OZ when his sister Relana becomes a player in politics to end OZ's tyranny.

☇☇☇☇☇☇

Killua Zoldyck is Gon's best friend in the Anime Hunter X Hunter.  He is also the shining star of the Zoldyck family of assassins. Seeing him for the first time, one wouldn't think so since he acts just like a normal teen. He calmly rides his skateboard as he initiates a conversation with Gon during the first test of the Hunter's Exam. Although there are a few subtle hints that he is more than he appears before the exam.

His parents have high hopes for him to become the next leader despite having older siblings.

This is a family that is beyond dysfunctional.  Torture as punishment (I mean whips and chains and other various devices) is like grounding for them. His father finally lets him return to his friends, knowing that letting him go would return him to the fold eventually.

Killua has no qualms about ripping hearts out of people when he's in a bad mood.

He changes when he meets Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio. He becomes stronger and softens at the same time. His loyalty to them puts him in harms way more than once.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Tomoe, Takigawa Houshou #atozchallenge

Who wouldn't want a beautiful fox demon as your servant? A handsome and powerful fox that caters to your every whim.  In Kamisama Kiss, Tomoe was once a wild fox that became a familiar to Mikage, the Land God.

But that is not where the story begins. It begins with a homeless girl receiving the powers from Mikage (mee-kah-jay) and the chaos that ensues from a mortal becoming a land God.  Tomoe (toe-moe-ay) hates the thought of a human at the shrine but Nanami (nah-nah-mee) takes no bull and forced him back into servitude with a kiss.

The rest of the series has a bit of a reverse haremish group of gorgeous and handsome demons with a back story of hundreds of years and a complex timeline I will not even try to explain. There are misadventures with gods, sea creatures, tengu, and other various immortal beings.

Tomoe has the ability to come off as hateful and cold, arrogant, prideful, and elegant, but he has his moments of childish jealousy and other moments where you can see the hurt, vulnerability, and soft heart he hides away from prying eyes.

🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

Takigawa Houshou is the guitar-wielding monk of Ghost Hunt. He left his temple home to be a bassist in a band before going back to become a full time monk.  He uses his spiritual powers as a side gig to help people.

Characterwise, he is laid back but can be serious when needed.

We first meet him as he was hired by Mai's school to exorcise the spirits along with Naru, Lin, Ayako, Masako, Father John Brown. He becomes one of the regulars of SPR (Shibuya Pyschic Research.

As a monk, he is strong and can lead the group when Naru is incapacitated. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Abel Nightroad, Nanami Momozono #atozchallenge

Abel Nightroad is the bumbling main character in the Anime Trinity Blood.  It takes place in a  post-apocalyptic world where humans and Methuselah (vampires) are at odds. He is a caring priest in the Church, but he can become serious when the situation calls for it.

He may appear to be incompetent at his job  holds a dark secret inside him.

He is a Krusnik. A creature that is not man nor vampire. He has sentient nanomacines within him that turn him into a vampire that drinks from vampires.  In this form he has wings and a scythe made of his own blood.

He could destroy a city in this powerful form.

💮💮💮💮💮💮

The long suffering Nanami Momozono was kicked out her apartment when her father ran away leaving tons of debt behind in the first episode of the Anime Kamisama Kiss.

She finds a home in the shrine of Mikage, the land god, but with a price. She ends up becoming the land god herself.

On top of that, yokai and spirits are trying to eat her because of her new found powers and her vulnerability as a mortal.

And yet, it gets even more complicated when Tomoe, the familiar of the shrine hates the very thought of having a human land god.

Her determination and perky attitude to help others causes her to get into mischief, which has Tomoe coming to the rescue.

And then the real fun begins.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Lin Koujo, L, Light Yagami, Loke #atozchallenge

What can I say about my first L listing? He is an onmyōji with five shiki (spirits or demons that are linked to him by magic and are his servants). He works for a seventeen-year-old as both guardian and assistant. He is Chinese.  His name is Lin Koujo from the Anime Ghost Hunt.

Quiet and taciturn, he is the one who stays up at night to monitor the computers and cameras when out on a ghost hunting case.  He doesn't like the Japanese because of personal reasons.

He is a powerful Onmyōdō practitioner who can summon a spirit to answer questions or protect using his shiki.

🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

Loke is a member of Fairy Tail. He is the ladies man, but he has a problem with Lucy at first, which is strange to the other members since she is beautiful. His past is mysterious and he's an enigma.

  He suddenly leaves the guild and says goodbye to Lucy, she at first thinks it's a line, but then realizes that he was telling the truth.  When she finds out what he is and his punishment for it, her determination saves his life.

  Loke is Leo one of the Zodiac Celestial Beings.  He stopped his wizard from summoning her other celestial beings because she mistreated them.  She died as a result. He forms a contract with Lucy.

🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖

Light Yagami and L are the Yin and Yang of Death Note.  Light becomes Kira, one who brings justice to the world with his Death Note. L is the genius detective wanting to stop him.

Light and L dance around each other in this dark death match. One a high school student the other an eccentric who eats sweets and constantly looks like he's been on a three day bender.

This duel between them goes on back and forth for much of the show and manga. It ends as one could expect, one dies and the other continues on with his mission.

(And y'all were thinking I was going to actually say who wins. Nope. For those who have seen it know, and for those who haven't, well, I left that as a surprise.)

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Kirito, Kurama, Koro-sensei #atozchallenge

The Black Swordsman. Beater. Kirigaya Kazuto. These are all the names of the Sword Art Online's main character, Kirito. He is a loner and computer nerd who isolated himself from his family.

He enters the game on that fateful day with only playing the game again on his mind.
He was one of the lucky beta testers before the release of the game.

When they find the first boss, he is accused of being a beta tester and a cheater. He takes on the accusation with a snide comment of he was better than a beta tester. Thus, the epithet beater was established. He took on the role with a mind to protect the other beta testers stuck in the game.

He becomes one of the only solo players to be on the Assault Team, which are the elite players that take on the dungeons and boss rooms.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Yoko Kurama, a fox thief who hid in the human world by merging with a human baby became the character of Kurama in the Anime series Yu Yu Hakusho.

We first meet Kurama (kuh-rah-mah) as an antagonist in the show who steals artifacts from Spirit World with two other demons, Goki and Hiei (he-ay) (He's another freaking amazing character that didn't make my awesome character list cut but he was close!). Yusuke is sent after them. to get the objects back and to send them back to Spirit World.

Later, Kurama and Hiei become friends with Yusuke and Kuwabara after fighting in the Dark Tournament as teammates. He is the tactician of the group with the quick wit and cunning of his demon spirit.

🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙

Koro-sensei is the quintessential over-the-top character. He can go Mach 20, he loves junk food, he has a weakness for naughty magazines, and, oh of course, how could I almost forget to mention that he wants his classroom students to kill him before he destroys the world at the end of the school year.

This is the basis of the story for Assassination Classroom.  It is a highly comedic and dramatic story that will rip your heart to shreds at the end (trust me, I was ugly crying at the end of second season. And I do mean UGLY CRYING).

This non-alien creature (Yep, you read that right. He is not from outer space.) wants to teach the class of misfits. The government agrees because that way they know where he is at most times.  He is a brilliant and caring character. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Izumi Curtis, Itami Yoji #atozchallenge

Izumi Curtis is the 'simple housewife' of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.  She is anything but. Izumi is one of the toughest characters on FMA and FMA:B. She is the one who teaches Edward and Alphonse Elric alchemy and martial arts.

They are terrified of angering her. They are respectful to her and her abilities as an alchemist. She taught them the true meaning of Equivalent Exchange when she left them on an island to fend for themselves.

Just like the Elric brothers, she too performed the taboo alchemy of Human Transformation. This is trying to bring back a human from the dead.

Her price was similar to the the brothers. Alphonse lost his body, Edward his leg and gave up his arm to keep his brother's soul, and Izumi lost her ability to bear children and will spew blood if she overexerts herself.

The gain is that she can use alchemy without a Transmutation Circle.

🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖

Itami Yoji is the slacker of the JSDF who just wanted to go to the doujinshi convention but was thwarted by the appearance of a ginormous gate in the middle of Tokyo. From this gate a force of soldiers appears with dragons and horses and medieval weapons. Itami (ee-tah-mee) saves lives and instructs the police as the threat is taken care other military personnel in the Anime Gate.

He becomes one of the soldiers in the newly formed Recon Division that entered the gate and one of the driving forces behind the JSDF's (Japanese Self Defense Force) positive reception from the citizens of the Special Region.  Of course, he just wants to slack off and procrastinate.

In this haremish dramedy, he rescues an Elf from the wreckage of her village, becomes friends with demigod (who flirts with him) and a wizard, and has a dark elf given to him by the the elf's tribe.  There is even a warrior princess that comes to respect him.

They all face the rage of an idiot prince as the empire crumbles around them.

And Itami still only wants to get to go to the doujinshi convention at the end. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Hisoka, Hatori Sohma, Hades #atozchallenge

In Kamigami no Asobi, Yui gets transported to a a school where she is forced to help Gods become more sympathetic to humans and to learn from her.

The Gods (also forced to be there) have their powers imprisoned so they are near human weak. Hades shackle is a pewter necklace with a skull and a ruby hanging from it.

 One of those Gods is Hades Aidoneus.  He is the most aloof and antisocial of the the Gods. He fears the curse that causes misfortune to those close to him. He warms to Yui when she shows him that she doesn't care about the curse.

He loves gazing at the stars through a telescope, and more than one scene in the anime has Yui finding him atop a hill by himself.

🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏

One of my most favorite sociopaths of the anime worlds comes from the Hunter X Hunter.
He is, of course, Hisoka Morow. You first meet him at the Hunter's Exam. Right off the bat, you find out that he killed an instructor during the last exam and was disqualified.

He has an insatiable need to find the strongest people to fight and gets aroused by it. He takes a liking to Gon (for his potential) and wants him as his prey.

He has no qualms about getting hurt and has literally had his arms cut off during a fight, but his use of his Nen powers Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise hid this fact from his opponent.

He is amoral, unpredictable, and an murdrous bloodlust that wants victims he deems 'unworthy'.

🀄🀄🀄🀄🀄🀄🀄

Hatori Sohma, the cursed doctor of Fruits Basket. This is a comedic reverse harem (one girl all guys) with serious moments. He is the dragon of the Chinese Zodiac cursed Sohmas. He turns into a sea horse whenever the opposite sex touches them.

He is blind in one eye from when their 'God' Akito attacked him when he asked for permission to marry. Finally, the horror of the memory became too much for Kana, and he used his powers to take the memory from her.

He comes off as cold and unfeeling, but he is very reserved even with closest friends/cousins Ayame and Shigore.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Grell Sutcliff, Giroro, Gowther #atozchallenge

Grell Sutcliff is an all and all freaky character.  He is a Grim Reaper and part of the Retrieval Division.  His Death Scythe is in the form of a chain saw.  Yes, I said chainsaw.  He is from the from the demon  filled, Victorian horror Anime Black Butler.

We first meet this character as a bumbling butler of Ciel (see-ell) Phantomhive's aunt, Angelina Dalles.

When Ciel and Sebastian investigate the Ripper murders, they find out that Grell isn't a human at all and in league with the aunt, who is behind the murders

He is completely off his rocker when it comes to blood and Sebastian. He makes sexually veiled comments about wanting to be with Sebastian.  He is somewhat effeminate and very flamboyant.

He is the gif playing in my theme reveal.

🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

Giroro is the gun-toting, action-wanting, but in love with a Pekoponian girl, Corporal of Sgt. Frog.  He has a short temper when it comes to Keroro's inanity and stupidity. When he realizes he is stuck on Earth, he plants a tent in the Hinata's backyard.

When he first appears, he is very aggressive when it came to taking over the planet and of everything, but he calms as the show progresses.

The belt across his chest contains a picture of Natsumi (naht-sue-mee), which is revealed during one of the episodes.  He was defeated in combat by her during their first meeting and loves her soon after. Without the belt, he becomes a useless wreck.

😐😐😐😐😐😐

Gowther is the one of the strangest of the Seven Deadly Sins.  He is the Goat Sin of Lust, which is strange because he has no idea about emotions nor does he comprehend them. He is fun to watch as he interacts with the others.  He asks the strangest questions and is very contemplative.  He has a cruel streak at times.

We first see him disguised and wondering around with a suit of armor. Later we learn that it was his armor and he was protecting the creature inside from turning into a demon completely.

In one battle, his head was severed from his body but he still lived.  This even surprised his comrades. Only one of the Sins knows Gowther's true origins.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Fakir, Folken Fanel #atozchallenge

Fakir is one of the students of the Golden Crown Academy. He is one of the best dancers there. He is starts off as cold, possessive, and basically has a bad attitude. Duck gets the brunt of it a lot.

 He comes from the very ballet influenced Anime Princess Tutu.  The music and dancing play a huge role in this anime.

He is protective of Mythos to the point of obsession, but as he slowly learns the truth, he realizes that he needs to fix what his grandfather royally messed up.

He finds out Duck's many secrets and his heart turns toward her because of her courage and determination.

With Duck's help, he finds the strength in himself to do what has to be done despite the odds being against him and Duck.

🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

Folken Fanel is from Escaflowne Anime.  He is the older brother of the main character, Van. He appears cold and calculating, but he loves his brother.

When the their father died, Folken went on the requisite dragon hunt, but never came back.  He was thought dead or a coward by those of Fanelia (fah-nay-lee-ah).

He was found by Zaibach (zeye-bahk) forces after being left for dead by the dragon.  He awoke to a cybernetic arm courtesy of Dornkirk and his scientists. He joined them and became Dornkirk's top man.

He used every tactic to get Van to join Zaibach, but Van would not budge.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Elias Ainsworth, Ezra Scarlet, Elaine, Elizabeth #atozchallenge

Elias Ainsworth is from the Anime prequel and the anime forthcoming in October, The Ancient Magus's Bride.    He is both fae and human. He has no concept of human emotion but tries to learn from his bought-at-auction apprentice, Chise.

Chise gave herself over to being sold after the horrors of her childhood. Her self esteem was nonexistent until Elias gave her a reason to live again.

He wants her as his bride.  She wants to learn to magic.  They are both wounded individuals that find solace in each other as they learn from each other.

His past is a mystery, but there are hints in the manga that he was once a man-eater before he was found by his master.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Ezra Scarlet the Anime  Fairy Tail. She is one of the most powerful wizards in the Fairy Tail Guild.  She has a tendency to be a disciplinarian while being over-the-top herself.

Her abilities include Requip, which means she has the ability to requip her armor and weaponry with a flash of magic.

Along with Natsu, Grey, and Lucy, they travel Fiore, one of the many kingdoms of Earth Land, which is the setting of Fairy Tail.

⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔

We can't have an E catagory without the characters of Elaine and Elizabeth from Seven Deadly Sins.  They are both strong women.

 Elaine is the sister of Harlequin, King of fairies.  He left the Fairy King's Forest to go after his friend.  Elaine was left to protect the Forest and the Fountain of Youth from invaders and thieves.

She falls in love with Ban when he comes to take the Fountain of Youth. He too falls for her and promises to find her brother so that they could travel lands together.  But it was not meant to be. A demon comes and she sacrifices her life to save Ban by giving him the waters from the Fountain.

When the Sins visit the Capitol of the Dead, Ban finds the spirit of Elaine and reunites with her.  King, the Grizzly's Sin of Sloth, is also her brother Harlequin, who thinks Ban killed her for the Fountain. Elaine admonishes him for leaving the forest and hurting Ban.

❧❧❧

Elizabeth Liones is the kindhearted third daughter of the King of Liones.
 Although not bloodkin, she is treated as such.  When her kingdome is threatened by the Holy Knights sworn to protect it, she has no choice but to find those that can stop it.

She travels the land searching for the Seven Deadly Sins, former Holy Knights said to have committed treason by killing the leader of the Holy Knights. When she comes to the Boar Hat, she discovers that the tavern keeper is the the captain of the Sins, Meliodas.

Frankly, I don't know how she puts up with Meliodas' harrassment without slugging him in the face with a morning star, but she does.

Despite her coming across as a weak coward, she has more guts than meets the eye and more fight than many of of the 'strong' characters.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Chief, Canary #atozchallenge

Nyanta, or Chief, is one of the members of Log Horizon, which is both the name of the anime and the guild he joins.

This Anime is similar yet different to Sword Art Online in story.  The gamers of Elder Tales are trapped in the game, but instead of VR as in SAO, they are trapped in the actual world of Elder Tales.


He harbors a guild member from Akihabara (ah-key-hah-bar-ah) in the city of Susukino (sue-sue-key-no) until she can be rescued by them. When he realizes that a member of his old guild is one of the rescuers, he leaves with them.

He is older than many of the players and is of the Demi-Human race of Werecat. He is cool under pressure and is very gentlemanly.  He hates those that bully.

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Canary is a minor character from the Anime Hunter X Hunter (2011). She is one of the assistant butlers for the Zoldyck (Zaol-dyeck) family.  She is ultra-tough but softhearted too.

She has been known to bend rules in loyalty to Killua. When Gon refuses to leave despite being beaten half to death by her, she realizes that he is a true friend to Killua. She allows Gon to pass and is punished for it by Killua's mother.

She is an adept fighter. Her weapon is a rod that she carries with her.  Her job is to protect the assassin family from intrusions from unwelcome guests.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Ban, Merill "Benten" Yanagara #atozchallenge

Locked in the prison at Baste Dungeon,Ban  is my first character in the B category.  Ban (bahn), the Fox Sin of Greed, comes from the Anime Seven Deadly Sins. It is a fantasy genre anime that pulls in Arthurian characters, which has over-the-top action and is just a riot especially when the main male character, Melodias, is a perv.

Ban is an enigmatic character.  He fell in love with a fairy princess, Elaine, but lost her in a battle with a demon.  He can heal unscathed from most wounds, which makes him wreckless in battle nevermind who is the enemy. The scar is the only wound that never healed and was given to him by Meliodias.

He is emotional and appears laid back most of the time, but his motivations are deeper than at face value.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜


Merill "Benten" Yanagara is from the early 90s anime Cyber City Oedo 808.  The foul-mouthed anime has a multitude of crude jokes and cursing, but the three stories are interesting despite that.

Benten, as he is called, is a multi-life sentence criminal who works for Police Chief Hasegawa as a cyber policeman to reduce his sentence. The chief controls the mini-bomb collar around Benten's neck as well as the other criminals working for him.

Effeminate looking with his albino appearce and painted nails, he is anything but a pansy. He prefers silent weapons and has great acrobatic skills. He wields a monowire in his ring that can cut through steel or flesh.