Novel Review | Beast Blood by Sato Fumino

Title: Beast Blood



Euphemia Ashencourt is a pretty girl… and that's all anyone sees in her, which only puts her that much deeper in her half-sister's shadow. Her elder sister is none other than the mayor of Gothic City – a corrupt city overrun with Nightz addicts, gangs, and Beast Blood-hating groups murdering them whenever possible. But Euphemia's sister is slowly working on turning things around. Naturally, Euphemia wants nothing more than to help her sister make the city better and prove that she is more than just a pretty face. So, using her sister's connections, Euphemia gets a job at a research facility to find a way to naturally destroy the Night Bloom – the flower used to create Nightz.

Euphemia never thought that trying to help her sister destroy some flowers would ever lead her to danger. However, one evening, after seeing the Night Blooms bloom, she is captured by some gang members on her way home. They take her out to the Wilds with the intent to assault her before feeding her to a Muta – a monstrous and blood-thirsty creature. Before the men can touch her, she resolves to take her own life and control her death. But in the middle of her attempt, a man with glowing silver eyes appears.

His name is Zelaide, and he isn't just any man. He is Beast Blood, a species that looks human but is much more than that. He's stronger, he's faster, and he's more beast than man, and he's a Hunter – a contractor that does all the violent, dirty work that most humans can't or won't. He takes out the men, defeats the Muta, and saves Euphemia. That would typically be the end of Zelaide's involvement with a human woman, but the moment Euphemia laid eyes on him, she wanted him and wasn't going to let this beast of a man get away.

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Manga Review | Dekoboko Sugar Days, Dekoboko Bittersweet Days, and Dekoboko Sugar Days – Extra: Boys, Enjoy Your Youth! by Atsuko Yusen

Title: Dekoboko Sugar Days | Dekoboko Bittersweet Days | Dekoboko Sugar Days - Extra: Boys, Enjoy Your Youth!



Yuujirou Matsukaze and Rui Hanamine's lifelong friendship began when they were small children. Rui fell into a drain, and Yuujirou was there to rescue him. From that day on, Yuujirou was always there to help defend and protect his soft-hearted friend Rui. However, protecting him has become a lot more complicated since Rui now towers over Yuujirou, and he's no longer that cute little bundle of joy always trailing behind Yuujirou. Regardless, Yuujirou still hangs out with Rui every chance he gets…

Until Yuujirou realizes that he still thinks Rui is cute – way cuter than any girl or any guy he has ever seen. Does Yuujirou actually like Rui? Faced with this realization, Yuujirou is no longer sure how strong the foundation of their friendship is. Could it withstand him confessing to Rui? Could Rui even like him back? While Yuujirou is grappling with his own feelings, his friendship with Rui grows tenuous. Can Yuujirou come to terms with himself before losing Rui's friendship altogether?

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Manhwa Review | Alien in My Wardrobe by BINGO

Title: Alien in My Wardrobe



Haesung Park is your average corporate professional. He goes to work, works hard, goes home, and goes to sleep, a regular routine for an average guy… at least, it would be if Haesung didn't also spend his days fantasizing about his sunbae at work, Shiwon. Shiwon is kind and reliable and one of the reasons Haesung can do his best at work. However, in Haesung's fantasies, Shiwon is dominant and cruel, which is exactly what Haesung wants. Haesung is secretly into , so he tries not to get close to anyone. Who could ever accept someone with such weird tastes?

Never fear. The heavens answer him with a man who conveniently crashes onto Haesung's balcony. He's tall, dark, and handsome, not to mention a jerk, which aligns perfectly with Haesung's BDSM fantasies. However, he isn't just any man. He is an alien from a species whose ultimate goal is to overtake humanity and eventually the Earth because their planet is dying. While Lotus, the alien, doesn't intend to make Haesung his main research subject, Haesung mistakenly links up to Lotus's research.

Beggars can't be choosers, though, so Lotus is just fine with using Haesung as his research subject. Haesung, however, is not as gungho with the situation. So, Haesung strikes a deal: Lotus can stay with him and research to his heart's content… if Lotus will help him fulfill his BDSM fantasies. Much to Haesung's surprise, Lotus accepts. So begins the odd partnership between an alien and a human. What could go wrong?

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Manhwa Review | Angel Buddy by MasterGin

Title: Angel Buddy



Sooho can see ghosts. Unfortunately, he's one of the few who can, and as a result, all manner of creatures that go bump in the night show up to bug him. Since he is the only one who can see them, he is a social pariah among his classmates. However, it becomes even harder to look normal when an angel named Taker appears before him. can see souls, and Sooho happens to have an extremely powerful soul. Naturally, Taker would love to harvest Sooho's soul, but Taker's days of soul-harvesting are over, and now he wants nothing more than to sate his curiosities and live among humans.

Unwilling to let anyone have Sooho's soul, Taker makes him an offer: let me be your bodyguard. Taker will help keep the ghosts at bay, and in exchange, Taker gets to hang around Sooho. While this is all fine and dandy at first, Sooho's soul begins to attract more than just ghosts. Angels and demigods alike are drawn to Sooho, so it's more important than ever for Taker to stick around. Over time, though, Taker's curiosity grows into something much stronger, and even Sooho finds himself drawn to Taker. What could grow between an angel and a human?

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Novel Review | Lip and Sword by Jin Shisi Chai

Title: Lip and Sword


Xing Ming is the host of Pearl Line, a news analysis show for the station Pearl TV Station News Center. He's attractive, talented, and truly cares about the news he puts out. As a result, during the end-of-the-year banquet for the station, Xing Ming is awarded the Top Ten News Centers of the Year award. However, not everyone feels he is deserving of it. Director Chen Linan, who actually recruited Xing Ming initially and put him in the position of hosting Pearl Line, now no longer feels he is worthy of his accolades or role on the show. This is all because Zhuang Lei, rumored to be Chen Linan's niece or lover, was the host of Pearl Line before she went on maternity leave, which allowed Xing Ming to be her replacement. Even though she has recovered and is ready to return, Xing Ming refuses to give up his spot.

Due to his frustration and drunkness, Chen Linan confronts Xing Ming at the party. At first, Xing Ming isn't worried over the drunken Chen Linan's pestering… until Chen Linan brings up Xing Ming's dead father, a convicted rapist. In a blind rage, Xing Ming beats Chen Linan over the head with a wine bottle in front of everyone at the party. In a panic, knowing his job is on the line, Xing Ming reaches out to the station chairman, Yu Zhongye, and offers himself up in exchange for leniency regarding his punishment. While Yu Zhongye does take him up on his offer, and they spend a night together, the director and chairman are set to fire him the following day. Once more, in a fit of rage, Xing Ming fights off the security guards and poses an offer to the chairman: let me create my own show with my own team from scratch. If he doesn't get decent ratings during a six-month period, he will leave on his own.

Yu Zhongye agrees, but as Xing Ming faces setback after setback, he constantly has to return to Yu Zhongye for favors. As he gives himself over to the chairman repeatedly, Xing Ming begins to question if this is all worth it and what his sexuality is. However, more than anything, Xing Ming wonders if what he feels for Yu Zhongye is truly admiration or if it is something deeper? And is Yu Zhongye capable of loving anyone for more than their body?

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Manhwa Review | You Jin by Fujoking

Title: You Jin



You Jin isn't the brightest bulb in the box, but even he finds it a bit weird when his female childhood friend Lee Sejin turns up on his doorstep, claiming to have contracted a potentially fatal disease with the convenient side effect of switching his gender. Sejin has been living his life as a man since the change but has run into some trouble with his gaggle of girlfriends. So he begs Jin to take him in until he can figure out what to do with his life moving forward. Of course, Jin is suspicious but lets Sejin stay with him all the same.

Once Sejin establishes himself in Jin's life, he asks him for one more favor: help him grant his last wish. Naturally, Jin isn't unwilling to help until Sejin tries to kiss him. As it turns out, Sejin's last wish is a bit more than Jin realized. How far is Jin willing to go to help a childhood friend, if that even is who this person actually is?

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Manga Review | Pink Heart Jam by Shikke

Title: Pink Heart Jam



Haiga is experiencing many firsts. It is his first time in , it is his first time living in the city away from his rural home, and it is his first time faced with his sexuality. While touring his campus for the first time, Haiga sees Kanae, a beautiful man and Haiga's upperclassman. Haiga is immediately attracted to him, but he isn't sure if he simply admires Kanae or if he really is attracted to him as a man. Without any real reason to find out, Haiga is left on his own to wonder.

That is until his peers give him money to visit a box spa after a night of drinking. However, this particular box spa is located in the gay district, which Haiga uses to his advantage to help answer the question: does he like men or not? Of course, Haiga doesn't expect that the person servicing him is none other than Kanae. So, this is a chance for Haiga to discover his sexuality and determine if his feelings for Kanae are more than simple admiration for his upperclassman. While he is figuring that out, another question lingers in the back of Haiga's mind: how does Kanae feel about him?

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Manhwa Review | Sign by Ker

Title: Sign



Kang Soohwa's life isn't all that great right now. He has almost no money left in his bank account, his laptop is broken, and he doesn't have a job. So, to better his situation, he goes out on the hunt for a job, trying to find someone with free WiFi so he can apply to jobs on his phone. The moment he does find a connection, though, he is hosed down by a strange man on the balcony of a cafe. Absolutely shocked by his terrible luck, he passes out.

When he wakes up, he's in the cafe, and the strange man is looking over him with an equally odd little man beside him. It turns out they are workers at Cafe Goyo – Yohan is the owner who sprayed Soohwa down, and Gyoon is an employee helping out. As retribution for being assaulted with a water hose, Soohwa begs for a part-time job at the cafe. At first, Gyoon refuses, but after some desperate persuasion from Soohwa and some pitying tears from Yohan, Gyoon relents.

On his first day, Soohwa tries to communicate with Yohan only to discover that Yohan is deaf. However, that isn't the only thing Soohwa learns. It turns out that Soohwa is attracted to Yohan's voice, which, of course, makes working together incredibly awkward. So, to avoid more embarrassing scenarios, Soohwa makes it a point to learn sign language, but he has to learn from Yohan. So Soohwa must do his best to learn sign language from Yohan without ever hearing his voice. Easier said than done. What would Yohan think if he found out about Soohwa's weird fetish?

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Manhwa Review | The Devil’s Temptation by Youn

Title: The Devil's Temptation



All Hyun of the owl tribe wants out of life is yummy food, comfy furniture, and never having to leave the house. But unfortunately, he has to work to survive. To keep up with his corporate job, he has to attend the holiday party at the end of the year. What makes it worse is his archnemesis from the snake tribe, Ivan, is there and makes it a point to tease Hyun as much as he can. To survive the night, Hyun drinks himself into a tizzy, only to embarrass himself in front of the director of the company and his crush from the snake tribe, Alek. Thankfully, Hyun doesn't have to suffer the party for too long as he passes out.

When he wakes up, not only is he in bed with Ivan, but he has a weird mark on his neck. This is an imprint specific to the snake tribe that binds the marker to the marked so that the marked craves physical intimacy with their marker. It's okay, though, because there is a cure, but it could take months to develop, and in the meantime, Hyun could experience flu-like symptoms… or possibly go blind if he doesn't get enough pheromones from Ivan. The worst part, though, is that the mark also attracts other members of the snake tribe and him to them, so he has to juggle intimacy with his enemy Ivan and try to keep from pouncing on his crush and boss Alek, too.

Can an owl like Hyun survive in the snake pit? And even if Hyun does survive, what does this new level of intimacy mean for his relationship with Ivan and Alek? Do they only like him for the mark, or is there something more?

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Manhwa Review | Make Me Bark by Sagold

Title: Make Me Bark



Sungjoon's life is finally coming together. After toiling away and saving every penny, he finally has enough for a deposit on a new apartment. “New” is a generous word to describe the rundown facilities, but Sungjoon worked hard for it, so it's good enough for him. However, all his luck soon turns for the worst when he finds that his apartment caught fire on his way home from work. With no money to his name and no home to go to, Sungjoon is at the end of his rope. Out of desperation, he goes through his phone to see if there is anyone who could possibly help him.

As much as he doesn't want to, he calls Hyo-in, a classmate from and now in . He doesn't know him well, but he does know one thing: this guy is filthy rich. Surely he can help Sungjoon. As expected, Hyo-in has no problem helping out, but he does have one request. In exchange for a place to stay and for pay, Hyo-in wants Sunjoon to be his puppy. It is an odd request, but all Sungjoon has to do is wear a collar, go on walks, and greet Hyo-in when he gets home. Surely Sungjoon can handle that. Right?

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