Radio Storm 1

Radio Storm #1

by 팀S&S, Alexandra Dickmann (Translator)

In einer Welt, die von Krieg und einer tödlichen Seuche heimgesucht wird, sind übernatürliche Fähigkeiten nicht mehr bloß Fantasie.
Sak leidet jeden Tag, wenn er die »Schule« besucht – eine Forschungseinrichtung, in der »Besitzer des Kerns«, also Personen mit außergewöhnlichen Begabungen, untersucht werden. Der Grund für Saks Qualen ist sein minderwertiger Kern. Eines Tages bricht außerhalb der »Schule« eine Seuche aus, welche die Infizierten dazu bringt, ihr Umfeld gnadenlos anzugreifen. Wenn Sak überleben möchte, muss er seinen »Caller« finden, denn nur dieser kann Saks Kräfte verstärken. Und so beginnt Sak seine Suche, die mehr als nur eine überraschende Wendung für ihn bereithalten wird...

Genres: Manhwa, Manga, LGBT, Dystopia, M M Romance, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2024

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ 5 stars ⭐️

« From the moment I met you…
I wanted to give you my everything. »

Wow, this is how you start a series!
An apocalyptic setting, fantasy elements, forced proximity — I’m absolutely here for this.
I loved the action, the hate vs obsession between Lima and Sak, and that tension had me giggling and kicking my feet.

I’m very intrigued by the sort of telepathic bond/fated mates situation they’ve got going on, and I can’t wait to find out more about our characters and see how their romance unfolds.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

Ein BL, der in einer apokalyptischen Kriegswelt spielt, bei der es Zombies gibt und psychische Fähigkeiten? Klingt erstmal echt spannend. Ist es auch, vorallem da die Story viel mit "Ich erwähn mal was, was keinen Sinn macht, weil es offenbar eine Verschwörung gibt" rumspielt, sodass man am Ende von über 200 SEiten immer noch nicht wirklich weiß, was die große HIntergrundstory ist - das wäre auch der Grund, wieso ich weiter lesen will.

Die Chars sind nämlich eher sooooo haarscharf an dub/con vorbei, und generell ist das Buch/Story/Pairing extrem düster. Es gibt Kindersoldaten, Kindersklaven, Krieg, Mobbing ohne Ende, etc.

Dazu kommt das knappe dub/con Ding, da Sak als Core-User bei seinem Caller Liam fast völlig hörig ist, aufgrund von ... DIngen, die noch nicht erklärt wurden, i guess? Jedenfalls ist sein Caller ein .... brutaler Dude, von dem man fast nichts weiß, außer Kindersoldat, und Sak rennt ihm hörig hinterher, ist nicht sauer, wenn er ihn grob anfasst etc. Es hat fast n wenig was von Omegaverse, weil Saks Herz auch immer schneller schlägt, sobald er im Callernähe ist.

Es gibt daher am Ende auch Sex, der .... mhhhh fragwürdigen Consent hat, meiner Meinung nach :/ also ja, aufpassen hier. Wie genau da eine Beziehung raus entstehen soll.... keine Ahnung.

Die düstere Story ist aber wirklich extrem spannend, daher erstmal ne gute 3,5.
Der Zeichenstil ist übrigens auch sehr schön - monochrom mit Farbtupfern hier und da, was das alles extrem hübsch anzusehen macht, z.B. rotes Blut, grüner Geruch, farbige Augen etc.
Allerdings führt das bei mir auch dazu, das ich die hellen, kurzhaarigen Charakter hier und da verwechsel, weil die sich alle sehr ähneln.

Allerdings ist der Druck auch nicht so gut :/ man sieht, das offenbar die SEiten zwischendrin nicht komplett getrocknet sind (farbig auf Hochglanzpapier), sodass es vorallem später im Buch extrem schlechte Druckqualität hat und es fehlt hier und da auch etwas oder ist verschmiert.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting start to a series. A world of endless war where few people have something and most live in misery. Some people have a core that gives them special abilities that could be useful in the war. They’re gathered to an academy with the knowledge that they could be called to war at any time—though I got a notion they never are.

Sak has a useless ability, but he’s been accepted to the academy anyway. The process pitted him against a more useful student, Turner, who has bullied him relentlessly for years as a result. And then Turner catches a mystery illness even though those with core never fall ill. Turns out, people with cores have counterparts, callers, who can fall ill and affect the cores too.

To prevent Sak’s caller falling ill, his only supporter sends him to outside world to locate them. Why him and only him isn’t answered, but it appears to be some sort of experiment.

Sak isn’t prepared for the harsh reality of the outside world, but he locates his caller fairly easily. The other guy turns out to be a (former?) soldier who’d rather kill Sak than team up with him. But for some reason he agrees to follow Sak to the academy if Sak helps him with his mission first.

This was a gloomy story with a narrator who seems to imply things will get worse for Sak or his caller. There’s bullying and brutal death, and even the people Sak trusts aren’t really on his side. It makes a fairly heavy read with nothing to lighten things. There’s no romance in the first volume, but there’s a sex scene with questionable consent. The volume ends with a small twist that makes me want to find out what happens next.

This is a webtoon, so the art is large and good, but it’s mostly black and white with some drops of colour here and there. The direction of the dialogue has been turned from right to left, which took some getting used to.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Nia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5: The dark atmosphere and plot are quite intriguing but the pacing/structure was soo confusing?
also not really a fan of their current dynamic (yet)

[Dana | Rainbow Romance Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story got off to a great start in volume 1, introducing us to a dystopian world which is constantly at war, and the threat of a new disease looming large.

I think the concept of cores/callers adds an interesting element to the plot, and especially to Lima and Sak’s relationship dynamic. It gives off fated mates/soulmate vibes, although with the added difficulty of callers being repulsed by their cores, while their cores are helplessly devoted to them. This causes a fair amount of tension between the main characters, so I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship will progress across the series!

I enjoyed the hints of backstories and flashbacks that we got for the characters in this instalment, but at times it was hard to discern what was going on and to follow the timeline, as not all are clearly marked. I also found that the English translation wasn’t great in some areas, with several parts not making any sense.

As for the plot, there’s hints of scheming and more twists to come, and I’m excited to find out more about The Academy and what their deal is with Sak in the next volume. The art style was great and I found the story engaging overall, particularly the way that it’s narrated by the main characters, which I think gives it a more intimate feel.

Overall, this was a promising start and I’m looking forward to reading more!

*I received a free review copy from NetGalley, but I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

[Juliette Jahm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Au début j’ai vu flou avec leur relation qui commençait sur les CHAPEAUX DE ROUES
Mais très vite c’est allé mieux ET HEUREUSEMENT

Bref, toujours aussi happée par les dystopies où sous couvert de vouloir sauver l’humanité, on continue d’instrumentalisée des êtres humains pour protéger les intérêts des plus forts, le tome 2 confirme une toile de fond beaucoup plus précise et profonde à ce sujet

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is certainly a unique take on a zombie apocalypse/war story. I also think its bleakness may mean that I don't really solidify my feelings on it until I've read the whole series. I love the pops of color in the art, though.

CW: sexual assault

[WeirdoElla · Rating 3 out of 5]

{3.5/5}

Obviously des scènes de smut bizarre et border mais on se sait avec les boyslove
Par contre l’univers a BEAUCOUP de potentiel !!

[~maheen~]

Probably one of the more decent ones out there.

I didn't mind the suspense at all, or the overarching theme of two people destined for one another. I liked that it was post-apocalyptic-esq, that was definitely a nice touch.

I'll be back once season 2 is completely published.

See you then!

[Mireya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for the ARC copy of the first volume of Radio Storm. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

How to preface this? Because it is a curious case: I got approved for an ARC for Radio Storm around the time I saw that a Spanish publisher was getting it on the market at the end of this year 2025, so it has definitely been the best opportunity to see if I would like it or not before getting it in either English or Spanish. Just a fun fact/coincidence I guess😂

Anyway, Radio Storm poses an interesting question: are love and salvation possible at the end of the world? I say that it depends, moreover when it is a world like the one where our characters live and where some people develop "powers" that could be world-saving, world-ending, or mediocre at best. Enter Sak, a student at a war academy, bullied by his peers due to his seemingly useless powers, but still in a far safer living condition than others. Until a deadly plague compromises said haven, forcing Sak to take a drastic decision for his safety: find his 'Caller', a person able to amplify his abilities and who he’ll feel an innate sense of affection for. Yet, when they meet, said Caller thinks Sak's insane and pretends to abandon him, except, if they want to guarantee both their survivals, they'll need to partner up.

So...this one ended up being a no for me😅 Mainly, because of the romance between Sak and his Caller and the main attraction of this story/series. I'm always picky with romances, y'all might know from some of my other reviews. Really, when having a series like Radio Storm, I will never understand the necessity of having romances develop so fast. I've read manga with better romances contained in one volume better than some romances depicted in series.

Sak and his Caller meet, and this last one isn't much interested, which, fair, given the context. Yet, they either survive together out there, or not at all, which always makes for interesting situations and gets relationship to develop in unusual contexts. yet, the so called "romance" between these two men feels a bit forced the more they get to know each other, in my opinion, moreover when there are 4 volumes for them to develop such romantic relationship. Yet, the way this first volume finishes made me not want to continue the series. Spoiler, I guess, so feel free to skip the next couple lines: they basically talk about possible romantic feelings and even get physical with each other and, for me, nothing wrong per se with these, but i didn't feel a natural progression through the story for it to happen so soon. That all. End of the spoiler.

And this is unfortunate, because I've heard good things about the series and I was looking forward to it, but I just can't deal with romances like this one. Everything else, though? Really good. Sak is a rich character, a protagonist that invites to be follow in this world he inhabits, of which he knows little more than us, so we go discovering it almost at the same time. A world that is ridden by plague and people with strange abilities that are being trained to be use as weapons, to be soldiers in a war that, at first, we seem as distant, until Sak leaves school and ventures outside. In fact, is the promise of this interesting world that caught my attention when the series appeared on my radar. And, at least, it didn't disappoint, which is a point in favor of the story.

Anyway, I can see radio Storm finding its readers among the romance genre, and even the dystopian genre, or just newcomers that want to try something like this one. Because it has potential, is a good premise and an interesting world, I just didn't click with the romance, and that's too personal to say the story is a bad one, because, looking at the general, picture, it is not, and I can even recommend it. So, go read it if it's your thing. I hope y'all enjoy the review and I'll see you on the next one ;)

[Lanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world has been at war since before Sak was born, however, thanks to being a core user Sak has lived a relatively safe and even spoiled life at the Academy, a school designed to train core users to eventually assist in the war effort. While Sak's core ability is rather useless it has given him a heightened sense of smell, thanks to this Sak is able to detect a new virus wreaking havoc on the world while still in it's still in the incubation period. After smelling the virus in one of his classmates Sak is finally told the truth by his mentor; core users have a "caller" a person from whom the core user draws energy from to power their abilities and whole core users may be immune to the virus callers are not. Sak sets forth immediately to find his caller before the virus claims them both.

This was much better than I expected it to be! We've got a rampaging virus that creates zombies, weird abilities that don't seem to have any rhyme or reason for existing, what looks like a government cover-up, and a romance!

I really loved both characters in this. While this is an enemies-to-lovers thing it's an interesting take on it, Sak and Lima are complete strangers and while Lima completely distrusts Sak as soon as they meet it's completely understandable. Thanks to whatever this core thing is for Sak it's essentially love at first sight for Lima its random stranger starts stalking me in a world where I was a child soldier. Lima's distrust is 100% reasonable. Sak is also incredibly immature for his age and while part of this is due to being sheltered he just kinda seems to live in his own world. Even without the very weird way they end up meeting, I can totally see Lima disliking Sak almost immediately regardless.

What I really loved about this though is the Academy or the government clearly knows more about the Core Users and the Callers than they are letting on so we've got a good old-fashioned conspiracy. That alone makes it worth the read in my book.

The art is absolutely gorgeous as well. I loved the way that colors are used in this as well, only certain scenes are fully colored with the vast majority of the panels having just color added to certain parts of the characters. This emphasizes what is important in that scene.

I am definitely going to be continuing this series!

As always thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for the eArc!

[Ester · Rating 4 out of 5]

El mundo de Sak siempre ha estado en guerra; es lo único que recuerda, es el mundo en el que se ha criado y en el que sigue respirando día tras día. Con la humanidad masacrándose en distintos bandos, el joven de veinte años vive en la Escuela gracias a que es portador de núcleo, un extraño poder que solamente se manifiesta en adolescentes y que son distintos en cada persona con esta particularidad. Dichos poderes, o habilidades, no solamente se estudian en la Escuela por parte de científicos, sino que se busca un fin bélico en ellos. Pero los poderes de Sak no es que sean muy útiles en una ofensiva. Teniendo un olfato más desarrollado que la media, su núcleo solamente hace que él huela a hierba. Esto no solamente le acarrea burlas y maltratos en la Escuela, sino que hay otro sentimiento en su interior que hace que siempre lo inunde la melancolía y la mayor de las tristezas. Su solaz es un sunbae de la Escuela, Grainger, el único que lo trata bien y al cual Sak siempre quiere agradar.

La vida de Sak da un giro cuando Grainger le confiesa que se está dando una virulenta y mortal epidemia fuera de los muros seguros de la Escuela, una enfermedad que no parece tener cura una vez la persona ha sido infectada. Cuando la enfermedad afecta a uno de los portadores de núcleo, Grainger le cuenta a Sak una verdad que han tenido oculta a los portadores de núcleo: la existencia de sus transmisores. Y es que los núcleos pueden usar esas habilidades misteriosas gracias a unas personas que, a través de su energía mental, les otorgan a los núcleos el manifestar poderes. Para evitar que Sak pueda sufrir el mismo destino que el transmisor del portador de núcleo, y el mismo portador, este debe hallar a su transmisor para evitar que se infecte con la enfermedad y que, a través de su vínculo, lo infecte a él y ambos mueran.

Saliendo por primera vez de la Escuela desde que llegó a ella, y siguiendo las directrices que le dan, sin cuestionarse nada, sintiendo que algo empieza a encajar dentro de él ahora que sabe que le falta algo, Sak sale en busca de esa persona, de su transmisor. Y ese será el detonante de todo y el mayor cambió que el joven tendrá en su vida.

Situados en un lugar desconocido en un mundo en guerra, Radio Storm es una obra de ciencia ficción postapocaliptica en la que la humanidad debe enfrentarse no solamente a la extinción a través de la guerra, sino también a una extraña enfermedad mortal que no parece querer dejar a nadie vivo. Y, en medio de este escenario que se derrumba, un joven desesperado por ser aceptado por su transmisor.

Leer la reseña completa en mi blog:

https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...

[Ranne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley and Yen Press, for the digital ARC of this manhwa.

Radio Storm is set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with war, plague, and people who have special abilities called “Cores.” The story follows Sak, a young ability-user searching for his “Caller,” the person who completes his power and gives meaning to his survival.

The relationship between Sak and his Caller goes beyond simple attraction. It’s tied to trust, survival, and the need for connection in a cruel world.

This manhwa is dark and emotional but also has moments of tenderness. If you enjoy BL/yaoi graphic novel with depth and a mix of action, mystery, and emotion, Radio Storm is worth reading.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the digital copy of this book.

It took me a bit to get into this graphic novel. You are thrown in to a developed world with a lot of history. The flashbacks being thrown in also confused me a bit.

I will say after continuing to read I started to enjoy it more and understand the circumstances and world a little better.

I think that the premise is very interesting and I’m excited to get to know the characters more in further volumes.

A solid first volume!

[Leila ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nunca en mi vida desee tanto que un manwha tuviera un final feliz tanto como lo hice con este. 82 capítulos donde me la pasé chivando a pleno por los nervios. IDK how I fell aboout the ending though como que sé que me gustó pero no me dejó totalmente satisfecha... anyways el arte es exquisito y la historia es muy atrapante. Primer manwha apocalíptico que me gustó tanto ;)) me dio ganas de leer incluso más de este género... veremos si sucede.

3.5 de 5 estrellas.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twist on fated mates and dystopian, I really like this more than I thought I would when I first started.
I really like the dynamic between Lima and Sak.

I haven't read manhwa in a while but this has reignited my interest in it and I want more of it.

I did have an issue with the pacing where I did get initially confused but it wasn't enough to stop my enjoyment of it. I can't wait to see where this goes!!

I really want the second volume already

I got an ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion and review

[Kate♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5stars

I've been using Story Graph to track my manhwa reading, but I'm realizing I can put the ones that have official physical books here on Goodreads!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE MANHWA AHHH it's so underrated for how perfect and incredible it is and the writing UG this is a manhwa that makes me upset that some people won't read comic books because they're "for kids" - this is one of the best written stories I've read in a long time

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A queer and dystopian manwa? Yes, please! Radio Storm had quite a few instances of feeling like a bully romance, which is NOT my thing, so my stomach turned at those spots. Also, you grow fond of a character that is killed soon after, which was a little off putting, but besides that, this was actually really good.

[⋆Aree⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Es una historia interesante, me recuerda un poco al guideverse.
me da lastima Sak, espero que tenga desarrollo de personaje y agarre caracter, pero me gusta, y sobre el otro prota, pues aun no me convence del todo jaja ya veré mas adelante que tal, pero todo esto de Zombies me gusta mucho🙂‍↕️


Thanks Izepress for the arc

[Ash Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the art style and overall premise of the book, but some things just fell flat or were a little too unbelievable. There were also a couple of scenes at the beginning that seemed out of order. I will be continuing the series when the second book comes out in print, though.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The name and the cover instantly drew me in, and the story more than delivered. This universe feels genuinely fresh. I’ve read so much sci-fi and manhwa at this point that I often feel like I’ve seen every variation of the same tropes. But Radio Storm introduces something new.

The world of “cores” and “callers” is fascinating, especially because the reader starts with zero prior knowledge of how it all works. Unlike other series where you can rely on familiar concepts like espers, guides, or hunters, here you’re thrown into something entirely different, and it makes the discovery process exciting.

I really enjoyed the two main characters. There’s still a lot we don’t know about them (and about the larger world), but that sense of mystery is part of the charm. As a first volume, it does exactly what it should: hook the reader, introduce a unique setting, and leave you eager for more.

I, for one, can’t wait to see where the story goes next. This was a fantastic start, and I’m already looking forward to the next volume!

[Cecilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this story!!

While I was intrigued by the cores and the plague I was also a little confused because of the lay out of the story. I liked the art as well and always love an attractive grumpy man but couldn't take him seriously after they said his name was Lima since my head felt the need to add bean after it everytime I read it. And while I like grumpy men I don't really care for assholes and that's what he was. Lima bean and Sak have a toxic relationship and due to the circumstances I tried to understand it but the ending just made me really not lima. I don't think the romantic aspect if we are even calling it romantic was built up right. from my perspective Lima doesn't have any reason to be interested in Sak that way and with Saks body just being submissive to his caller it all comes off as SA

[Tippy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. I didn't and it's my own fault. I really need to read the description of things and not base my decisions off the fact that it's BL and I liked the cover. This is way more sci-fi than I was anticipating. But that's not even really the issue. They story kind of makes no sense and is a little hard to follow. There is a lot going on and very little explanation. The translation is terrible and obviously wasn't edited before converting the webcomic to print. Also, I just don't really care for the art. I have very little interest in the characters or what happens to them. Sak is a wet blanket with zero personality and his Caller is an ass. Everyone is just kind of terrible, which is pretty typical for dystopias so I guess that's fair. I just don't think there is anything that makes mw want to continue reading the series. Very disappointing.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The coloring choices are so interesting in this. It's not a full color manhwa, but it's not black and white, either...it's almost greyscale but has splashes of color, like for blood, or Ginger's hair on his first appearance, or eyes a good amount of the time. I'm not entirely sure what the intention is behind that, but it does make some scenes stand out more, or adds a foreboding aura to things like the green creep of the "stench" that signals for Sak that someone is ill.

The worldbuilding feels...a tiny bit lazy, honestly, with Sak saying that the world has been at war for ages, for reasons that were discussed in school but that he forgot. He's 19 years old...how do you forget something as central as the reason behind the entire state of your country/the world?

I'm not sure if that's going to be any sort of plot point later on, or if it's just a way to set up a bleak society where pretty much everyone is scrambling for scraps. The only people who get a comfortable, decent life are those who are diagnosed with a "core" - which is essentially a superpower. A certain percentage of them get picked up and taken to an academy, where...they don't seem to be trained in their powers? But they are being studied by the scientists there, although I'm not sure the students know the full extent of that.

There's no discussion at all of what the other students' powers were, including the one who was most actively bullying Sak. But his is considered to be particularly useless. All he does is...smell like a plant. Literally, his superpower is to emit a scent that's kind of bitter and plantlike.

The other students resent him for having such a pointless power and yet being let into their ranks anyway - particularly when, like his bully, this directly meant that their family members had to stay in dangerous combat zones rather than being admitted to the academy.

Turns out, though, that there's some sort of elaborate long game going on with Sak. For some reason, they decided to pit him against another student during his final admissions interview, which left him essentially friendless during his two (?) years there. The only person who was nice to him was Ginger, who does seem to genuinely care about him but also has a secret agenda that's shared by the higher ups.

Sak's superhuman sense of smell, including his ability to detect this horrific illness before it's actually manifested, is the key to something. Hard to tell what so far. Does his body hold the cure, too? Is the "scent" he gives off actually a power of its own that he hasn't learned how to wield yet? But what's the point of sending him off on his own while knowing absolutely nothing?

They've "prepared" him, the academy/laboratory leaders say, by making him tough and immune to others' hatred, which comes in handy when he goes to find his "Caller" - the person everyone with a "core" has, who amplifies their powers and becomes the focus of their utter adoration. Except the "Caller" doesn't have powers of their own and has no innate emotional connection.

In fact, when Sak does track down his, a brutal former child soldier named Lima, he's almost immediately murdered like five times.

Eventually Lima recognizes Sak's usefulness and also, to his extreme irritation, starts to develop some level of attraction to him, too. I'm not the biggest fan of how this is playing out physically so far - there's not a lot that can truly be considered "consent" when Sak's core-and-caller devotion means he'll literally accept anything Lima does to him - but he does at least seem to cut himself off short the two times he tries to start things up with Sak. We'll see how that scene concludes at the start of the next volume.

For now, it seems to be a pretty complicated plotline with some major hidden agendas by those in the know. It reminds me a bit of No.6, which I do like despite its extremely depressing nature, so I'll ride this one out and see how it goes.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the apocalyptic setting and additional fantasy elements. In this world some people have a core which gives them special abilities that could be useful in the war. These users are then gathered at the academy which is designed to train them. They're offered privilege's others are not such as food, water, and shelter but it comes with the knowledge that they made be used at anytime for the war effort.

Sak, our first MMC is a core with a useless ability yet he is accepted into the academy under unusual circumstances which leads to a more useful core holding a grudge against him for getting into the academy over his younger brother which leads to him relentlessly bullying Sak for years. The core who bullies, Sak ends up with a mysterious virus that was never supposed to infect people like him in the first place. But you soon find out that every core has a caller who can fall ill and infect the core they're tethered too.

Sak's only ally/support system sends him to the outside world to find his caller to prevent the virus from claiming both Sak and his unknown caller. Sak is very sheltered and unprepared for the harsh reality of the outside world, but he is able to locate his caller easily. Interestingly, the closer a core gets to their caller their heartrate increases drastically. Their meeting begins with a rocky start. As it was love at first sight for Sak thanks to the phenomena of their bond, but to Lima, the second MMC, it was just a random stranger who may have ulterior motives. As they interact Lima recognizes Sak's ability and overall usefulness so he decides to team up with him. Lima agrees to follow Sak back to the academy where it is safe if Sak helps him with his mission first. On top of this budding relationship, there is a government conspiracy at play. They know more about this virus and about Sak himself than they are letting on. They also pitted him against the other students starting from his admissions process. It seems that they're doing some sort of experiment with Sak, and due to the circumstances also Lima.

The art style is stunning, its mostly greyscale, but utilizes drops of color on certain parts of a character, or items in the scene to emphasize what's important. It really fits the tone of the story and post apocalyptic setting.

**A minor thing I wanted to point out is that a few of the scenes in the beginning were out of order. But you're able to piece it together. So hopefully that got fixed before being printed.**

I will for sure be continuing this series! I can't wait to not only unravel this conspiracy at play, but also for more world-building elements and for the relationship between Sak and Lima to grow. Thank you to Netgalley, Ize Press, Team S&S, and Yen Press for the eArc!

[Mystic DreamClouds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to the author(s), publisher, Goodreads and/or NetGalley for the review copy. All views and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Everyone said this was a good series and recommended it. So if this series has a sad ending, I’m never listening to recommendations again.

This is a very somber story. It’s set in an apocalyptic-type world, where humans are at war, death is imminent, hunger is common and core users have somehow manifested. The core users have random abilities making them useful for war and many end up at the war academy for training. This world building was done well because it was easy to understand and simple. I liked how it didn’t gloss over or hide the brutality of war and unknown diseases. Instead it depicted the emotions well within the confines of the world the characters are living in, which makes their somewhat strange behavior self-explanatory.

The story follows Sak, who is a core user. He’s had a relatively good upbringing thanks to this, however his core seems useless as it provides him a heightened sense of smell and makes him smell like a plant. Sak primarily wants to survive another day until his classmate gets infected and killed right before his eyes. At his mentor’s behest, Sak leaves the academy to search for his “Caller” and shortly after crosses paths with Liam.

Sak is an interesting character. He takes abuse quite readily without complaint but is also somewhat innocent. It stirs my curiosity especially because his mentor seems to have had a hand in “creating” Sak’s personality like this. This is a dark world so I wouldn’t be surprised, but I am interested to know the reasoning. That said, Sak has many other hidden qualities, so I’m looking forward to seeing his character unfold in future volumes.

Liam, Sak’s “Caller” comes off as quite a rude character from the beginning. He’s had a horrible past as a “rental” child who was sent to war very young, but I don’t think that fully justifies his behavior towards Sak. At the end of this volume, it seems like something in Liam broke and he’s becoming a bit more emotional but things can change. Regardless, Liam seems to be more perspective as he readily realized something was wrong with how Sak’s admission was carried out. I’m also interested to see how their relationship develops and if they will be involved in the war effort.

The concept is interesting and I enjoyed the mystery undertone. I liked how we’re not getting everything at once but we are getting enough to understand the story and make some deductions. This story doesn’t shy away from death, murder, violence and assault so please read the trigger warnings before you pick this up.

The art style is very unique. It’s a predominantly greyscale manhwa with very rare splotches of colors. The characters are uniquely designed so there’s never any confusion and they stand out from backgrounds. The facial expressions are also very clear and help carry the story forward.

That said, I found the execution sometimes confusing. It makes sense as a whole but if I was reading individual chapters, then I would be thoroughly confused. It has a unique approach, so I think it’s best to read this volume in one sitting. Also, the sudden switch in perspective and wording between Sak and Liam threw me off a couple of times.

Overall I thought this was an interesting and unique read. Drawbacks aside, I think the mystery element has me hooked, as well as seeing how Sak and Liam’s relationship changes over time. I look forward to reading the next volume but someone please spoil it for me and tell me if it has a happy ending.

Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf

[akira · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was unexpectedly good. radio storm is set in a world that has been at war for a long time. we're not really given much details about how this war started or what its about, just that, like all other wars, it has had dovestating effects on the population. many years ago a new type of power was discovered. young teens were found to have "cores" that could manifest into powerful abilities. and as expected of the powers that be, they've done everything they can to weaponise this power.

sak is a core user at the military academy. though his core isn't very strong - some vague ability of smelling like a plant and having a very good sense of smell - and he's often bullied for it. sak is a very interesting character; kind of naieve and innocent and completely guileless. however, through the course of the novel we kind of get the feeling that he was almost groomed to be this way. even his entrance to the academy was orchestrated in such a way that sak would be ostracised from he's peers and suspectible to manipulation.

can't remember the last time i felt so strongly for a character this quickly. the machinations of those around him are so obvious to the reader but couldn't be less so for sak. even the person he trusts the most, named "ginger", manipulates sak into leaving the academy to find his "caller".

in this world a caller is one person who can amplify the powers of a core user. we're told the core users have a naturally strong affection for their callers. and their callers, who are just normal people, are obviously mistrustful of someone who's so devoted to them at first meeting, not to mention the world this is in where people just use and use those weaker than them. despite this, the academy pushes sak into the arms of his caller and as expected their relationship in this volume is quite disastrous. it's like watching a puppy being kicked over and over again. this poor guy.

this was a very intriguing start to the story for me and the hint of relationship development present at the end makes me so eager for the next volume. genuinely wish lima, sak's caller, becomes the preson that protects sak because something tells me that everyone else is planning on using him.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yen Press/Ize Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

[E (manga_runner) · Rating 5 out of 5]

-BL, dark, fantasy
-weakwilled & obsessive MC and red flag ML ?
-its a verse all its own, but probably closest to something like a guideverse (ex: omegaverse, guideverse, cakeverse)
-Netgalley and Ize Press ARC read

I really enjoyed volume one, both the first time I read the ARC and after. Yes, I like to read them more than once before making my final review. The concept is interesting as the setting is a world that is experiencing a never ending war, some individuals have special abilities, and now there is also a virus outbreak that turns people into zombies basically. On top of that, we learn that those who have a "core" are influenced by the proximity of their "caller"- who either avoid/despise them. It is interesting too that the callers feelings/thought can be felt by the other.
It is a darker story and there may be some trigger warnings (violence, sexual content), although compared to a good amount of BL the spicy scenes were not as graphic. There is also hints of color in some panels.

I am curious on what the grand plan is that they have for Sak, because it is hinted that everything they have done thus far to keep him ostracized from his peers was premeditated. I'm hoping the callers flashbacks are setting things up for a reveal of some sort later on- even if it was why he decided the decisions he did. Also, why do the callers avoid or despise their other half? Is it because they feel like they have no privacy since the other may be able to sense their feelings and thoughts?


Quick summary:
Sak, who is looked down in the academy for having a useless core-gives of a plant smell, is the only one who can smell those effected by the virus before symptoms appear due to his hidden second ability of heightened sense of smell. With the plague looking over the academy, Sak is told how those with special abilities are getting it, which is through their caller. Now Sak goes back outside the academy to find his caller. However once he finds his caller with no name, Sak may appear crazy to him. Sak ends up learning more about the outside world and what those in the combat zones have to face, which may lead him down an unknown path. Will these two meeting be the best or lead to more turmoil?

[hanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

★3,5 | I only knew this was a story set in an apocalyptic world when I started reading and went into it blindly, but this was actually a pretty interesting first volume that intrigued me to continue the series.

I do love me a good apocalyptic/dystopian setting and the art and dialogues do a great job at portraying the bleak and empty world the story is set in. The setup was a bit confusing at first, especially because the storytelling kept switching timelines/scenes but about halfway through, I got a rough idea of the world and characters and was really into the story when Sak started his journey.

While I feel conflicted about the lowkey-highkey-dubcon due to the nature of Sak and Lima's relationship and the typical violent-love-interest-figure, I am curious (and desperately hopeful) how their relationship and feelings for each other will evolve as the story continues. The characterization was pretty clear with Sak, so I hope we will learn more about Lima as well and how they might work together as a couple apart from their connection as core-user and caller.

Despite the rather dark setting, the art is on the softer side and goes well with the story; I just wish the author would have used colour more often - I feel like there was a pattern (eyes, blood, smell), and I liked the intentionality of it, but then again it felt pretty random and inconsistent?

All in all, a solid start to the series and an interesting story. The lack of information is honestly both the reason I’d want to keep reading and why I cannot give this volume a higher rating - I feel like at this point, I have too many questions about the story and the characters to properly form an opinion yet. I do hope that everything they touched upon will play a role and make sense eventually, especially on the Academy side of the story.

Thank you to Ize Press and NetGalley for providing me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[EJ Washington · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Basics:

Art: 5/5

The art is soo good. I love that it’s primarily black and white with selective color—like in the eyes—which really adds to the dark, dystopian vibe.

Characters: 4/5

While the characters aren’t exactly lovable, they’re complex, each with a difficult and layered past. I think we’ll get some solid character development as the story progresses—but for now, everyone feels a little sketchy.

Story/Plot: 4/5

Honestly I loved the unique plotline. Certain people develop cores that give them a unique ability and they can then be used as weapons of war. Sak’s ‘core’ is that his body smells like plants and he has a strong sense of smell which is seemingly useless.

A major plotline involves a deadly plague that definitely gives off zombie vibes. There’s a lot going on, but it never feels overwhelming.

The pacing feels fast—though honestly, it’s always hard for me to tell with webtoons. Was it actually fast-paced, or did I just binge it in 10 minutes?

This is not a light or fluffy manhwa—it leans much darker in tone. That being said, this is a rare sci-fi dystopian BL manhwa that is overall well done and deserves a spot on your tbr.

Writing/Dialogue: 5/5

Nothing felt awkward, and the localization was well done. I’ve read this in Korean before, and while it’s been a while, the English version read smoothly and felt consistent with what I remember.

Extras:
Spice: 2/5

There’s one sex scene, but it’s brief, mostly censored, and not exactly romantic—both characters are clearly mentally unwell, and the consent is questionable. It leans into insta-lust, tied into the whole core/caller dynamic.

Second-hand Embarrassment: 0/5

thank god
[I was provided an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review~]