chloe_reyes's reviews
9 reviews

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 8 by Nanako Tsujimura

adventurous emotional informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Seigi & Catherine's conversation in the garden. That's it. Send tweet.

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 7 by Nanako Tsujimura

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

It's honestly refreshing how this series is so transparent about it's views on social issues. It doesn't shy away from discussing them, making it very sincere. I like how the beliefs and ideals present are so ingrained in the characters that it doesn't feel at all disingenuous. I mean, it just commits so much. Again, so refreshing. I also really appreciate the effort Seigi is making. His development is so obvious, and his previous trauma with his father wasn't brushed aside either. It was shown how it still affected him and his choices. It's the same with Richard—he's so much more open now with Seigi. Their relationship is so sincere; I really don't mind if it continues to be undefined because I can tell either way that they both care deeply about each other.

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 6 by Nanako Tsujimura

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

IDGAF if it's objectively not the best book ever. I love the development between Richard's and Seigi's relationship. Like, genuinely, I appreciate how the author just explicitly discusses topics that wouldn't normally be brought up. It can be a bit heavy-handed, but it worked for me. I can't wait for the next instalment.

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 5 by Nanako Tsujimura

adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

More of Richard's backstory!! Honestly, how can Seigi say that he isn't in love with Richard at this point 😭😭

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 4 by Nanako Tsujimura

adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Felt many things during the course of this read, damn.

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 3 by Nanako Tsujimura

emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT


Backstory crumbs from Richard in this one! Richard was projecting so hard man, like, I know you're hiding something from Seigi!! Mr. Homura was also saying something about it, too. I don't think I was as satisfied with this volume, but I like the direction it's going in.

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 2 by Nanako Tsujimura

emotional hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Man, I really learn a lot about gems through this series. The development of their relationship!!! Damn. I like more human Richard is becoming, and how the story shows that sometimes, stories don't end happily.

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 1 by Nanako Tsujimura

emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed this a lot! It's very light and relaxing, with lots of funny moments sprinkled throughout. Seigi and Richard's dynamic got me hook, line, and sinker. Richard was "icier" than his introduction led me to think, but this only makes his conversations with Seigi all the more interesting. I laughed at all the instances Seigi ran his mouth off to Richard's embarrassment. Their differences in jewelry experience sell the whole concept, with Richard teaching us new information about gems and Seigi learning alongside us. I look forward to reading the rest of the novels and seeing how their relationship will progress.

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Going into it, I knew I was going to be biased bc Nico's my favorite character, so take this with a grain of salt.

It's an okay book. Nothing really noteworthy, but I didn't find it boring enough to be abandoned. I think Nico's and Will's voices could be developed further and more distinctively. It falls into the Percy Jackson humor more than I'd want it to. Speaking of character voices, Mr. D reads OOC to me. Wdym he's nice now??? He willingly admits that Nico and Will are his favorites—what?? It feels wrong.

I wasn't too immersed in the writing or the plot. It was,,, fine. The writing veered into the tell not show territory every now and then. The metaphors used can be too heavy-handed for my taste.

It was kinda anticlimactic, ngl. Nyx, who is a primordial that was explicitly stated to be stronger than Gaea, wasn't that much of a threat to Nico and the gang. Okay, I get that this is just a standalone, but it could've been better. They were in Tartarus where they were weaker, but the situation didn't read as anything heart-stopping. I wasn't at the edge of my seat like I was reading PJO or HoO, or heck, even ToA. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't like I hated anything. It could just be better. I also don't really get why Nyx's children just went all rebellious, like huh? I don't think it was established solidly enough for them to just. go against their literal mother.

I liked the scene with Hades. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. It was very touching and because it was already set up that Hades does care, it wasn't jarring to me. I also really appreciated the scene with Piper. I don't know when they got close, but I'll ignore that because we finally got closure with Jason's death. I was always bothered with how quickly Piper seemed to move on. Like, wdym she got a girlfriend right after Jason died?? It got explained, more or less, so I'm grateful we got this moment with both Nico and Piper addressing how they felt about the situation.

Nico and Will. I'm still miffed about how quickly their relationship developed. I still want to read about it. I just don't understand how Nico, this kid who couldn't get over Percy for YEARS, moves on just like that. Then gets himself a boyfriend, what, several months later? Yeah, right. Their dynamic was pretty cute but also kinda annoying. I didn't really feel it too much. Maybe because we weren't there with them from the start like with Percy and Annabeth (the Percabeth name drop was stupid)? I liked how they both actively communicated with each other, even if it was very in-your-face. They're good for each other, but idk, I just wasn't feeling them too much.

Overall, the rating is only this high because Nico's my favorite character which is probably why I didn't find the book to be boring. In retrospect, there really wasn't much action going on. The pace was pretty slow and there wasn't much tension. Still, at least we got a book in his POV. Hopefully, the next Nico book doesn't have a co-author because I think it's that fact that made the writing kinda jarring to read.

I wrote most of this right before going to bed, so this is me mostly word vomiting everything out.

my rating system:
5: life-changing
4: love it
3: it's okay
2: ehhhh
1: trash