I had to read Ocean of Secrets Volume 1 prior to starting Volume 2 and before going any further, full disclosure-this is my first Manga experience. That said, I enjoyed the differences in the mechanics of reading this genre and I adore Ms. Chan's artwork- it is gorgeous.

I don't want to unfairly compare this type of story to the books that I typically read in other genres, which are mainly Fantasy & Science Fiction within the Young Adult category. The plot in Ocean of Secrets moves very quickly. There is not the same layered and complex world-building that I find in my favorite YA books. The character development is a bit better. I've already expressed my reluctance to make apples-to-oranges comparisons, so until I delve into some more Manga to see if this is typical, I'll end by saying that I enjoyed getting to know Lia, Moria, and Albert. Rai was a bit less interesting to me, but it's possible that this could be remedied in the next volume.

All in all, I love Sophie Chan's enthusiasm for this world and its characters. Her synopses tell me that they are very close to her heart and that goes a long, long way!

An interesting story overall. I definitely think this volume is a bit better than the first. I'm definitely going to read more of this series.

Any manga that starts off set in Canada, of all places, should top my LOVE list!
Alas.... this was not the case.

The illustration style was nice and clean, but the dialog and story? Yikes...
Apparently, someone's friend dying two days ago is NOT a valid reason to interrupt a Geology lecture, just in case you were wondering!

All of the dialog was very wooden, and although I did not read the first instalment of this series, I didn't feel that I missed so much as to be pandered to and talked at like a child. (Notice I say talked AT and not talked TO)

This manga just generally a little flat.

I did enjoy this volume more than the first one as it had a better flow of story nor was it as rushed. I still feel the overall plot could be fleshed out a little more, but the added tension really heightened my interest. When the "new" main character comes in, he adds an interesting twist to the whole story that does make me want to see what he will do. (That ending was VERY unexpected.)

Al is one of my favorite characters because I love how he's drawn and was so excited we see more of him. Some of the parts he's in are my favorite since you see some of the magical abilities come into play.

The villain was…strange. I'm not quite sure what I feel towards him, but I am a little concerned that things might get very dark as the manga progresses. Not unexpected I don't think for a fantasy, but will there be dark arts that come into play? Hopefully not, but I feel the story might have hinted at the possibility. The reader already knows that a certain character is most likely cursed from a mage(?).

As an added note, having the first two pages colored was super cool! I also appreciate the author showing all the characters in the beginning as well as a minor recap.

Overall, I was much more impressed with this volume, though I wish it was slightly longer. I felt when I was really into the story it ended, but at the same time it left me wondering when book three will release.

*(I received an e-copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)*

The pictures in this book were fantastic and I enjoyed the images much more than the story. I would recommend to people into graphic art, not so sure if you'd enjoy if manga isn't your thing, not a book I'd use to introduce you to the medium

Ocean of Secrets Volume 2 published by TokyoPop, Mangaka is Sophie-chan. The book contains 176 pages.

I really like the drawing of the characters and all. But I think the story could be better or is for younger peolpe than me. But never the less I would recommend it because it was nice but nothing really special.

It had been a while since I read the first volume of Ocean of Secrets but the story came back to me rather quickly once I started the second volume. The art is quite nice, but some of the characters really look alike which makes it difficult to tell them apart.

The story however, goes so fast that many details are lost. Characters don't get the time to develop because they have to jump from event to event. The premise is very interesting, but the story would benefit from slowing down and taking the time to be told. I understand this might be difficult in the scope of a manga volume, but this should be taken in consideration when developing a story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This story sounded interesting and I love the artwork on the cover. That said, I haven't read the first, but really don't think it would have helped. I was confused while reading this, and am unsure how the blurb relates to the story. The artwork was pretty, but not enough to make sense of the story.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

Note that I have not read volume one of this series. This is volume two and starts at chapter five. And no, I really don't think my view would of this volume would have improved had I read volume one first. I'm quite sure I would never have read this had that happened!

This sounded like an interesting story from the blurb, but then don't they all? (Not really!). The problem was that the blurb didn't remotely match the story. I have to wonder if it matched volume one, because it bore no relationship whatsoever to volume two, so I felt like I was drawn into this under false pretenses.

The blurb claims that "Lia, a 17-year old orphan living by the Atlantic is swept away by the ocean currents during a ruthless storm. She is then saved by Moria and Albert, a duo of illegal runaways on their magical ship!" No! Instead, try a guy flying home from a trip who espies a landmass floating in the sky very reminiscent of Asgard from the original Marvel Thor movie. That's what happened in this novel. No orphan. No storm. No sweeping away. No magical ship.

When he lands, the guy who is evidently a geology student, reports this experience to his professor who, instead of calling in a psychiatrist, inexplicably allows the guy to take a solo flight in a light aircraft to go find this floating island. He does, and non-adventure ensues.

I'm sorry but this story was awful and the black and white line-drawing artwork indifferent. I was sorely disappointed. It was so juvenile and the plot so thin and childish that it honestly felt like I was reading something a child had written. I wish the author all the best, but I cannot recommend it at all.

I am not a fan of the manga format. I get why it is the way it is, I do, but when this is translated to the west, just as the language is translated, so too could the pages be reversed, especially in an ebook. It's just laziness and hide-bound, blinkered obstinacy that prevents it.

For some stories which are worth my time to read, I can put up with this even as I do not like it, but it was just another irritant in this case. It's 2018. No, publishers, it really is! Less than two years from now we shall all require 2020 vision. You read it here first. We do not have to follow method X because that's the way it's always been done, y' know?

This is volume 2 in the manga series.

Volume 2 was a very quick read and fast paced. A couple of times I got confused with what was going on. There were things I didn't expect as well.

My problems with this volume were pretty the same as my problems with the first one: not enough detail, plot moves WAY too quickly, two-dimensional characters, awkward dialogue. The art is pretty good, but I feel like the character designs are not distinctive enough and I often had trouble telling characters apart. This would maybe be enjoyable for a very young teen reader, but to me the whole thing just feels too undeveloped for me to continue with it after this volume. There's definitely a cool story in here, I just wish the author would slow down long enough to tell it.

I really enjoyed reading this. The illustration was well done and the story line was really unique. However, I felt as though there were some awkward jumps from one scene to the next. There wasn't a great transition.

refreshing with good story - derring do by sprightly and sometimes ornery characters - the drawing are real delight ... I will search out others in this series and by this illustrator .. this is new to me, and a gamble, and I truly am glad to have looked it through ..

3.25 stars.

This manga was definitely a bit more enjoyable than the first manga in this series. I really liked the suspense and the tension that the narrative provided (e.g. the oncoming war between the three Kingdoms and the pirates). But yet again, I felt like the plot was just either incredibly choppy (suddenly cutting from one scene to the next with barely any dialogue) or that it progressed way too fast. I really like Lia as a main character, but I feel as though she doesn't get that much "screen time" as some of the other characters, which is a bit of a shame.

Rai is definitely an interesting new addition as a character and I really wished that they would have expanded upon him discovering the three magical islands a bit more. Like I said, the plot in this series progresses incredibly fast. This is a real shame, because the way that the world is laid out definitely brings enormous potential in exploring more elements of the story, as well as expanding upon some of the characters and their personalities or backstories.

The dialogue also felt quite standard. The showdown between the good vs. bad guys was quite cliche and most of the other conversations between the characters also read quite dry.

The art is gorgeous though - the artist is incredibly talented, especially for a self-taught manga artist. Hats off!

Overall, this was a solid read. I definitely enjoyed myself reading it, but it also didn't bring that much originality to the table (especially comparing this manga to many other mangas out in the market). I hope that the author expands upon more personal struggles the characters experience in the upcoming mangas and delves more into the relationships between the characters. I will definitely pick up the third manga when it comes out.

This is volume 2 of a graphic fantasy. I love the illustrations and the how to draw them in the beginning (or end?). The storyline was a little confusing for me as I have not read the first volume, but I did enjoy it. There was a lot of extra material included that was somewhat confusing.