Pulau dalam Genangan Air 1

Island in a Puddle #1

by Kei Sanbe, Milka Ivana (Translator)

Minato dan Nagisa Myojin, sepasang kakak-beradik yang masih kecil, menjalani keseharian sambil menunggu sang ibu yang sudah lama tidak pulang. Sepulang sekolah pada suatu hari, sang ibu akhirnya muncul lagi setelah sekian lama dan mengajak mereka pergi ke taman bermain. Minato lega ibunya pulang, tapi rasa cemas segera kembali menyergapnya akibat gelagat aneh sang ibu serta usulnya yang mencurigakan. Ketika dia menaiki bianglala bersama Nagisa tanpa sang ibu, petir mendadak menyambar dan menghadirkan pemandangan yang membuat Minato bingung. Yang ada di hadapannya bukanlah nagisa, melainkan mayat seorang wanita asing. Lalu, sosoknya yang terpantul di kaca jendela adalah “seseorang” yang tidak dikenalnya.

Genres: Manga, Mystery, Seinen, Comics, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Crime

200 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2020

About the author

三部けい.

Reviews

[Joyous · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume only left me wanting more. More of these characters, of the story, of the relationship and connections between the protagonists.
I one-clicked this because of one and one thing only. KEI SANBE. I didn't read the synopsis or search for reviews. Didn't need to. I mean this is the guy behind 'Erased'. I had some high expectations and he delivered.
I inhaled it in 15 minutes and left for wanting more. The story's just getting started. I can't wait to get my hands on the second volume. Vol.1 only whet my appetite. I am also biased with any work on sibling bonds and relationship.
If you're familiar with Sanbe's previous works, it is similar to his art and plot style. Yet 'Island in a Puddle' stands on its own two feet.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kei Sanbe certainly has a way with stories about tormented little boys, doesn't he? But it's hard to complain that the protagonists of Erased, For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams, and now this series are too young for the horrors they go through when Sanbe is also making a point about how life can force you to grow up too fast while exploring the psychological implications of that, which can make you feel like your internal age doesn't match your chronological age. How Minato will cope with the lightening strike that switched his soul into an adult criminal's body - or how that adult will deal with suddenly having to take charge of Minato's little sister, who is entirely dependent upon him - should be an interesting journey to follow, and at this point Sanbe knows enough to spend time establishing the story before the plot takes off. As of this volume, this series looks like a keeper.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minato and Nagisa are a young brother and sister who basically are left to fend for themselves, with occasional appearances by their mother. One night, a make-good trip to a theme park leads to a bizarre Ferris wheel accident that leaves Minato trapped in the body of a wanted thief and murderer…

Hand-waving the premise away, honestly there are dozens of 60’s era Disney movies based on equally insane notions, this story starts out sad and depressing and then just keeps getting worse.

But in a good way; the suspense level in this is off the charts, as what starts as a heavy domestic drama about two kids trying to survive and seem like they’re living regular lives quickly turns into a horror story mixed with a crime caper.

At first it seems like the villain of the piece isn’t so bad, adhering to a certain code of ethics. Then that turns out to be a total lie and this guy is fully prepared to do anything to get his money, including murder, while lying through his teeth.

So when a ten-year-old winds up in this streetwise guy’s body, well, he starts making a lot of ten-year-old mistakes. Minato gets some things right, he’s not stupid, he just doesn’t have the life experience or any memory of how many people this adult body might have wronged.

Conversely, our murderous gangster is quite happy with the arrangement, as he just figures he can lie low for a few years and just start over as a teenager with a completely blank slate. Of course, he’s an adult in a kid’s body, which makes for some awkward lusting after the neighbour, along with some physical limitations that mean he is forced to outthink Minato rather than get what he wants by force.

Thus you have the ‘how will they reverse this’ plus ‘how can Minato stay ahead of the police and gangs after him’ plus ‘how much of his life is getting messed up’ plus ‘how is he going to live’ plus ‘how can he clean up messes that aren’t even his’. It’s strong work, doubly so since the premise is so out there that convincing anybody promises to be a losing proposition (although I think I see how he’ll win over his little sister).

It took me a little time to warm to the art, but it certainly gets better as it goes on. The change to our leads once they body swap is noticeable - you can definitely believe that this is an adult with an overly emotional pre-teen at the helm and Minato’s body begins to perfect the art of the sinister look.

This book is not for you if you don’t like grim, gritty crime and, for now, the utter lack of hope. The cliffhanger at the end of the book has Minato in dire straights that he’s just made even worse on himself without his knowledge. And it’s not like he was in good shape when he was in his own body. It’s a delicious ending.

4.5 stars - rounding up because once this kicked into high gear it was really great. It was a blast to read and I was flying through the pages as I went. That’s the sign of a good book for me.

[MargReadsManga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will definitely be picking up the next volume!

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the publishing company, Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providing me with a copy!!!

I’m always thankful to Kodansha Comics for accepting my request for new mangas. I always manage to find some great reads. And this was definitely one of them!

I did not expect to like this one so much. This was just so gripping. Had me on the edge of my seat.

Definitely recommend if you are into the “Freaky Friday” premise…(and emphasis on the word Freaky)

I did not expect the dark and eerie turn it took.

So many things left unanswered. AND I NOW AM EAGER TO PICK UP THE NEXT ONE.

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✮

Minato is a young boy who has to hide the fact that him and his younger sister are kinda neglected by their mother. I thought this would be a story focusing more on that and what they have to do to survive but then there’s a twist that i was not expecting…

a strike of lighting forces Minato to switch bodies with a criminal who’s currently hiding from the cops.

the concept is interesting and even though I’m not too connected to the characters yet I wanna know what’s gonna happen next.

[Lissa Hawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This kid has the worst luck.
So there was a lot of plot set up in this volume, so not a lot of time for character development. Again, male protagonist, so no immediate connection for me.

The story is intriguing though, so it might be worth continuing, although you have to be in the mood for a dark story.

[IvyInThePages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.38 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 3/5
Story: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Genre: Seinen/Crime
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yeah

First want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review! When I saw that it was from the creator of Erased I just had to put in a request. I never read the manga but I did watch the anime and absolutely loved it (except for maybe a few things at the end.) Either when I got accepted for this I was beyond happy.

Needless to say as I began to read it some of that excitement went away. I would like to say first that if this was to turn into an anime I would 100% watch it. Given that the manga, at least the first volume, is okay. I am not the biggest fan of the art style but it isn't horrid. It is something I get over once I am in into the story. As for the story itself Kei takes on elements from Erased in a way and I enjoy that. It is a completely new spin though so I was shocked.

Even with being shocked though I found that I was kind of dreading going back into reading it but once I got into the story again I was okay. The story went by quicker than I thought it would which is why I am so mixed on this. Lol. I liked reading it but once I stopped and stepped away it took a good chunk of energy to talk myself into reading more. It isn't a bad story at all. It's pretty darn good. Maybe I just didn't read it in a fast enough pace.

Either way the manga is worth the read. Would I pick up volume 2? Probably, lol.

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Island in a Puddle is another tempting mystery from Kei Sambe. Minato and his sister live in a small apartment and their mother hardly ever comes home. Minato is in elementary school, but already at that age he has to take care of his sister. Their mother ends up coming back home only to take the siblings to an amusement park and the Ferris wheel. She leaves them there and says her goodbyes. Due to the storm a lightning strikes the car and suddenly Minato changes bodies with a criminal. The setting is surely something else and the body exchange is exciting. What bothers me though is that Minato seems to think like an adult all the time and his reasoning is not that of a child. This kind of eats credibility, but only to some extent.

The art looks Sanbe-like, it's very recognizable and works with its angular style. This series is only five books long, so the rhythm is quite fast-paced. The structure is otherwise good and easy to follow, so this is a fast read in every way. A good and steady series for those who enjoy Sanbe's style and shadily dark once again!

[Bella Azam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Coming from mangaka who wrote Erased, a favourite of mine, i looked forward to the new series and Im amazed how much this one really delivered the message. I always love the focus on siblings and family relationship in the mangaka's stories. Mostly they are about children and how irresponsible parents acted that caused them to be abandoned and unloved. This manga centred on a pair of siblings, an older brother and younger sister. They are left by their mom to fend for themselves and its heartbreaking but this was common in the society.

The series highlighted this topic. Combined with slight fantasy where the older brother changed souls with another bad guy who now inside the boy's body. So now it become a sort of a game of cat and mouse where the brother tried to save his sister from the man who is now inside his little body. Im invested and cannot wait to read more

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not as good as Erased, I did enjoy this more than That Boy From My Dream.

So in this one a brother and sister who have a mother who basically is barely there for them are trying to make ends meet and survive. When they go to an amusement park they take a Farris wheel that gets hit by lightning, making the brother of the siblings switch bodies with someone, but that person is a murderer.

It's basically a cat and mouse game, to prove who can outsmart who, while trying to rescue his sister in a killer's body. It's a intense storyline, with lots of "almost" moments that you have to get used to by a thriller story. The dialogue is solid, great art, and good pacing. I'll be checking out more of this for sure.

[Scientist's Reading World | Hugo Lapa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what to say at the start i was hoping to be a story about a big brother taking care of his younger sister while his mother is absent and it starts like that but then you put some gang thing over and change bodies. I am really without words, the art is not the one i love the most but it is not bad i feel conflicted because i think it clashes a lot of things while it could focus in one specific theme

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely different from what I expected but so happy it was, it looked like it was going to be a sad story following the siblings, but then it took such a twist and such an interesting turn. I was completely hooked and
I’m very interested in where this series is going looking forward to the next

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kaiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

really compelling premise! a little predictable but that doesn’t take away the fun! def picking up vol 2.

[Tori Tecken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing premise and endearing characters. Instant tension, and definitely hooked me enough to continue with the series!

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me, unfortunately. The first chapter, which concentrates on siblings Minato and Nagisa, had me very interested. They live in a state of pretty extreme neglect, with a mother who leaves them alone for weeks at a time. They are heartbreakingly used to her coming and going, and I wanted to follow their story. And then there's a very sudden shift to a bodyswitching story, and Minato switches bodies with a criminal. My interest plummeted at this point. It's not that the writing or art decline at this point, or that I don't think there could be some merit to the concept. I'm just not terribly interested in bodyswaps in general.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this manga to review!

Erased is one of my favorite works by Kei Sanbe, so you can imagine how excited I was when I saw I was accepted to review Island in a Puddle. Just like Erased, despite being somewhat confusing since it is the beginning of the story, I am already hooked and want to know what happens next.

Island in a Puddle is about two children, Minato and Nagisa, a young brother and his little sister, who are essentially victims of child neglect. Minato cares for his little sister with the help of a neighbor who occasionally comes by and brings food, as their mother disappears for weeks at a time, but nobody knows this. Minato does his best to take care of Nagisa so they are not caught and separated by CPS. One day, their mother visits for the first time in two weeks and takes them to an amusement park. She spends part of the day with them, sends them to go ride the Ferris wheel, and disappears again while they are on the ride.

The story then shifts to the POV of a criminal, who's real name is not shown, and who is wanted for stealing money a large sum of money. Another person in his gang had stolen the money, so he persuades her to meet with him over dinner and a Ferris wheel ride, where he murders her to take to the money back. Seconds after the murder, lighting strikes both his car and the one with Minato and Nagisa in it, causing the criminal and Minato to somehow change bodies. The remainder of the story relates to Minato trying to find a way to protect Nagisa from this criminal deceiving her, while being on the run from police.

I found this story to be quite intriguing. It did not grip me quite as much as Erased did initially, but it is still great and I am excited to see how the story unfolds next. Kei Sanbe has quite the talent for writing suspenseful stories.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

(note: re-read after collecting the whole series)

I really like Sanbe's other work, The Town Where Only I Do Not Exist, so naturally I gravitated toward what I hoped was more of the same.

It... is really weird.

The problem is it's a Freaky Friday deal, but the characters who switch are a fifth-grader and a cold-blooded murderer. That in and of itself isn't the problem; the problem is that the fifth-grader still manages to hold his own against OTHER MURDERERS, with LITTLE TO NO HELP doing so.

I remember being in fifth grade and being considered to be somewhat smart. I don't recall being smart enough to outsmart grown-ups literally out for blood. It just feels so hard to suspend my disbelief, especially since the (initially child) main character, Minato, isn't portrayed as particularly smart or resourceful—just disillusioned, due to his and his sister Nagisa's mother's recurring and extended absences.

Four stars specifically for this volume, where my disbelief is still almost suspended (other than the thing that causes the "Freaky Friday" switcheroo in the first place). Later on, it's much harder to do, but at least at this stage, the story is only just bizarre enough that I was still interested in seeing how it plays out. The art is consistently competent, and it's the main thing that kept me going after the plot went too far sideways.

Recommended if you like Freaky Friday kinds of stories (the more unbelievable, the better).

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging, fast-paced and smart suspense story with plenty of twists: a middle schooler is looking after his little sister, because their mom regularly disappears for days at a time and he's afraid that child services might separate them. One day the kids go ride a ferris wheel, lightning strikes, and the brother wakes up in the body of a man in a different compartment...with a dead body! He quickly figures out he has switched bodies with a murderer, and now his little sister is unknowingly in the killer's grasp! A cat-and-mouse game begins, with the POV alternating between the boy trying to figure out how to protect his sister when he now looks like a creepy stranger, and the murderer trying to blindly adapt to his new child-identity that would grant him a clean record and perfect cover to continue his criminal ways, if he can just keep the kid in his own body from messing this up. Neither knows the background of the other, so both walk a minefield of unknown background and life-history that gets increasingly dangerous for everyone around them.
I ripped through the first two volumes in a couple of hours and headed right out to get vol.3 - excited to see how this story goes!

Recommended for readers aged teen to adult who enjoy a fast-paced thriller and are able to handle themes of child neglect, professional crime, and premeditated murder

Content concerns: parental neglect, occasional swearing, premeditated murder, flashbacks of child abuse (non-sexual), precarious/dangerous situations (poverty, unwitting peril), corrupt police

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minato and his sister Nagisa seem to be pretty much on their own for the most part. It is clear that their mother leaves for long stretches of time unexplained. This makes complete sense because the book follows the point of view of Minato and how he must care for his sweet little sister. Mom makes a return and takes the kid to the amusement park. It is during a ride on the Ferris wheel during the storm that lightning strikes and Minato finds himself in another's body and in a terrible situation involving a group of criminals.

This book is marked by great characters and suspense. Who doesn't love a fish out of water story when there is a body swap involved! I loved how the author paced and set up this story. The questions were presented and little answers were meted out in such a perfect way. It motivated me to tear through this story. I cannot wait for the next volume to be published so I can see how all the conflict introduced in this volume works out.

This volume is rated Teen Plus. I reckon this was because of the violence. Take care as there are a few death scenes on page. I did not feel like these deaths were gratuitous. They served to help with important character development and to set up key tension. The juxtaposition of the children's world with the violence of the criminal world is key to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy of this book to read.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a few months since I read some manga that had more of a crime element mixed in, so I decided to give Island in a Puddle Volume 1 by Kei Sanbe a try. However, the cover may throw you off here – as it looks super sweet.

Minato and her sister, Nagisa, may only be children, but they're pretty good at being on their own. Their mother is out a lot. Sometimes she doesn't come home for weeks at a time. But so far, she has always come home eventually.

On the most recent return of their mother, she took them to the local amusement park for some fun. Only to abandon them shortly after. This is the tragic backstory for what is about to happen – and Minato's life is about to change with the strike of lightning.

Wow. I feel like Island in a Puddle Volume 1 is two stories in one. There's a whole plot before the lightning strikes and then an entirely different one after that point. Each one is a pretty solid story, the sort of thing I would have been happy to read as a standalone.

But together? They had me reeling. The transition was admittedly a little jarring, but I think that's the point. It raised so many questions, alongside my anxiety. Once again, readers will find themselves rooting for Mintao, but with whole new stakes on the line this time.

Thanks to Kodansha and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Comics

[Leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Kodansha for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Island in a Puddle, Volume 1 by Kei Sanbe is an action-packed adventure manga that will appeal to fans of Detective Conan. The story revolves around two main characters who end up switching bodies. Minato is a boy in elementary school who has to take care of his younger sister in place of his absentee mother. One day, the pair go to the local amusement park. While on the ferris wheel, lightning strikes, and Minato ends up switching bodies with a gangster who has just killed a woman. Now, he's on the run from the police while trying to handle life as an adult. And a murderer is with his sister!

Overall, Island in a Puddle, Volume 1 is a shonen manga that will keep you turning the pages! One highlight of this book is the original premise. Other than Detective Conan, I haven't read any other manga that involves an elementary school kid switching bodies with an older man. Another highlight of this book is how thrilling it is. The story jumps from action to action, and I was never bored while reading. I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next. The story ends on a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to read Volume 2. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of action manga, I highly recommend that you check out this book , which is available now!

[Madame Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm previously acquainted with Sanbe's work on Erased so I was excited to receive this copy of volume one of his new manga and I was not disappointed at what I received! I can't go into much detail about the story without revealing much because there is a rather sudden plot twist that occurs. But I will say that the mood and visuals are very much on par with Sanbe's typical story telling. If you aren't much of a reader of mystery or intrigue it might come off as boring at first, but I urge you to stick around because the story takes a sudden turn in a way that makes me want to wait until many more volumes are out to find what happens. At this point. there's just too many questions! But that is a good thing!

Sanbe writes Minato and Nagisa in a similar way to the main children from Erased, with a depth and nuance that we don't really see children characterized as in much of Western writing. Their story does not start off as a happy one and it's quite obvious that they have been dealing with issues no child their ages should have to. But that is again, one of the questions that comes to mind and how does this play into the plot twist of the story.

A nice change of pace of the usual stories I read that got me flipping back pages to look for any clues. I'm both excited and nervous about where the story is going.

[Iza · Rating 4 out of 5]

arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I have to say, I do love opening a book, getting really into it, and then checking the author to see it's someone I've read before! I requested Island in a Puddle without realizing it'd been created by Kei Sanbe, the brain behind Erased, which is one of my favorite series. Island in a Puddle follows a young boy named Minato who cares for his younger sister Nagisa in the face of their neglectful mother. Often leaving for weeks before sweeping back in with cash and food and leaving again, Minato tries his best to keep Nagisa in high spirits and keep her fed. But when lightning strikes at an amusement park, he finds his entire world turned upside down.

I enjoyed this first volume and really wanted more by the end! I liked the ruthlessness of Kuromatsu's character as well as the pacing and setting, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more. The cliffhanger made my heart jump, and I'm really interested to see what kind of character Minato will become under huge pressure! I think this will be great for fans of Erased, since it has similar elements (a boy protecting his family, supernatural-fueled mystery, misunderstandings and struggle) while standing on its own as something new.

[Ems · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new manga from the author of Erased I'm intrigued. This new story is about two siblings that are neglected by their mother but one night their mother came back and took them to an amusement park, only to leave them again, but something unexpected happened that changed their lives.

Kuromatsu, a criminal that stole from a building worth 170 million gets set up by his own members and plans to hunt them down and kill the traitors but as he met another member he got into unexpected event that gives him a chance to start fresh away from the eyes of the police and the gang he was hiding from.

How will these events change the lives of our characters and those around them?

I can't wait for the other volume to come out! I need to know what happens to Minato and Nagisa. Though at first I was confused by the change of characters and got bored, but understood the importance of it along the way. I love the suspense and thrill of this manga.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this amazing ARC.

[Despina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cool concept which was executed very well. Neglected children Minato and Nagisa are met by a brief appearance of their mother who takes them to an amusement park. After they go onto a ferris wheel, it is struck by lightning and Minato wakes up in another part of the ferris wheel as an adult, near the body of a recently killed woman. Having swapped body with a known criminal, Minato has to get himself out of the situation and save his sister from the hands of the murderer who now wears his face.

This was unexpectedly dark and brilliant - the art work is really cool and the topic of this manga is dark. I can sense a stroyline building really well and we already have two very distinctively different main characters with different motivations and personalities which will likely drive a very interesting plot forward.

Can't wait for the next volume, which I will be picking up.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the ARC of this volume in exchange for an honest review

[Tiphaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review! ||

I don't know why but I wasn't expecting that kind of a story! I was way more interested in Minato's story with his little sister and child neglect, and I wasn't expecting some kind of paranormal stuff going on. So I'm a bit sad we didn't got much of the childs' story with their mom and more about it, but I hope we'd get them later on the next manga in the series. I do like the body switch tho and it's interesting to see both sides of thinking!

It was really short but still a few things happened and we didn't wait too much to get into it. But as it's short, I'm still frustrated of not getting far enough, but that's understandable!

I'm not sure if I like the illustration style, sometimes I like it and sometimes I don't. However I do like the fact that the mother didn't even have eyes on her, to show off how erased and transparent she is.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this one kind of out of nowhere, and I'm pleasantly surprised. Island in a Puddle tells the story of Minato, a young boy who's trying to hide the fact that he and his sister, Nagisa, are neglected by their mother, and Takita, a thief who's murdered one of his former partners after a heist went wrong. The hook (and the hardest part to swallow), is that a bolt of lightning causes the two of them to switch bodies. If you can get past that setup though, the rest of the story is a surprisingly compelling mix of Indigo Prophecy and Freaky Friday, where Minato is suddenly on the run from the law, and Takita is trying to figure out how to spin his sudden youthfulness to his advantage. It works a lot better than it should, and I'm invested in seeing how these two very different people go about trying to sort this all out--even if I can see this going to some very dark places.

[Iqra M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW/CW: child abandonment, strong language, violence, murder, theft


This is from the same mangaka as Erased, which I thoroughly enjoy. I do not expect less from Kei Sanbe. Instead of time traveling, it’s a body swap this time.

It follows a pair of siblings who were left behind by their single mother. Minato, the older of the two, has been parenting his own little sister. He bears the burden and responsibility of being the sole caretaker. Adults can be so irresponsible. Negligent parents are the worst. I feel bad for them. The sad part is that his body got swapped with that of a wanted criminal. This boy can’t catch a break.

I love the premise, and the plot seems promising. It’s quite an enjoyable mystery thriller so far. It definitely took me by surprise! I can't wait to see how the story unfolds.

[Amélie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this story, but I found it so good! A boy and a criminal exchange bodies à la Freaky Friday and they're both dealing with the aftermath of the switch. I think I really enjoyed the story because it had a fantastical element to it.

It's a quick read, which is always nice, and the story had a good flow that kept me interested throughout the volume. It wasn't like some stories where it's slow paced and you're left wondering if something will actually happen at some point.

It takes place in the real world, but that fantastical element that was added to the story brought it to a whole other level! I'm not into 'real world' stories as much, but this had the extra little something it needed to make it appealing enough for me to read it. A colleague recommended it and I'm so happy to have read volume one! I can't wait to read the other volumes in the series!