Vol 8: Inferno, illustrated by Sana Takeda
Maika is in a coma following the events of volume 7, and we enter a potential dream-state with consequences. As Maika deals with the reality of her mother’s death, she and her friends become sucked into the prison world of the Old Gods. Zinn and Maika’s rolls are reversed on this planet and Zinn is confronted with many of the beings he helped the Shaman-Empress banish. Maika’s spiritual self is lured by some of the beings here, particularly one called The Smith, who is harboring a coveted shard of the Shaman-Empress’ mask.
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 Carina and Ana attend a high stakes dance school in Bucharest, Romania, where if you aren’t good enough, if your body is taking up too much space, if you were hurt too long, if you don’t do better, you will lose all you ever wanted. Carina puts all she is into dance. Ana puts all she is into Carina. Ana's roommate, Sara, is possibly the best dancer the school has ever had, but she's infatuated with her teacher. Each practice or missed practice exposes the flaws of the unrequited relationships. Perhaps the next dance will be the one that gets them to understand who they are, their potential, and their dreams.
 Booklist starred review
Sara's Rating: 10/10 Suitability Level: Grades 7-12 Publisher: Yen Press Publication Date: October 22, 2024 ISBN: 9781975399689 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Romance, LGBTQ+, Friendship, Music, Mental Health, School Life, Yen Press  Booklist review
Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 10-12 Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1* Publisher: Square Enix Publication Date: September 24, 2024 ISBN: 9781646092833 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Humor, LGBTQ+, Romance, Square Enix  Booklist review
Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 10-12 Publisher: Square Enix Publication Date: May 7, 2024 ISBN: 9781646092826 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Humor, LGBTQ+, Romance, Square Enix 
Kiyo has spent his entire life studying, and he is finally on his way to a prestigious university in Tokyo. But, he's lost. As he sits for a moment trying to compose himself, a dashing man exits and inquires why he has been pacing around his house. Rather than be mad or make fun of his predicament, Ozaki offers Kiyo room and board if he will help take care of his enormous house! It doesn't take long for Kiyo to figure out something is up with his strange new master, other than offering young men a place to stay. Ozaki is actually a fox spirit, and he supposedly hates all humans, except for Kiyo's grandfather, who he had a connection with and offered Kiyo this arrangement as a means to repay the family debt.
High school student Chika thinks there might be something wrong with her. She doesn’t feel romantic attraction like everyone else does, but when a boy asks her out, she decides to try it after everyone says this is how she’ll fall in love. A terrifying rush into intimacy leaves Chika feeling like there’s definitely something wrong, but she moves to Tokyo to attend college and study Psychology under a professor who writes about gender identity and sexual attractions. In her first semester, Chika rents a room from that same professor, meets other psychology students, and does a lot of self-discovery that leads her to believe she may be asexual.
Osuke suddenly finds himself without a place to live. But, his luck turns around when he is mysteriously recruited by a dashing realtor into a living situation that seems too good to be true. It turns out that he’ll have to share a space with a hot guy named Nijio, and that he’ll not know a good night’s sleep thanks to the strange otherworldly presence that keeps visiting him. When it’s finally revealed, Osuke turns out to be a spirit magnet, while Nijio has special powers to help negotiate or even evict those spirits unwilling to relocate -- making them a perfect duo for the Divine Inspiration Real Estate company!
Hashimoto is an innocent, rather oblivious office worker who doesn’t particularly get alone with his boss. Every proposal he turns in is ripped to shreds and has to be redone. Hashimoto’s only reprieve is an online game where his best partner, U.M.A., helps him take down tons of beasts and tackle tough quests. The two befriend another play, Salted Salmon. U.M.A. suggests they all meet in person and try to be friends in real life since they get along so well online. At first, Hashimoto is hesitant and concerned the transition won’t be smooth. But meeting his online friend reveals it’s actually his boss! Cue many misconceptions and misunderstandings, and Salted Salmon even gets tangled into the comedy of errors as they try to work everything out, including their feelings for one another.
One summer, Hikaru went up into the mountain, but what returned might not be Hikaru. Yoshiki doesn’t want to believe his best friend is dead, but he has a suspicion that whatever this thing is, isn’t his friend Hikaru. This creature might have all of Hikaru’s mannerisms and memories, but it’s not his best friend. However, is being around this thing better than not having Hikaru at all? Yoshiki receives several warnings from the townsfolk that what he’s with is evil, that he shouldn’t get too close, but the conflict in him only grows.
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