Kingdom Hearts II Volume 1    by Shiro Amano Order:  USA  Can TOKYOPOP, 2007 (2007) Softcover    Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto The manga series adapted by Shiro Amano, Kingdom Hearts II, is based on the video game of the same name by Disney and Square Enix, and is the follow up to Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, both previously released in manga form by Tokyopop. Roxas has been having strange dreams all summer about a boy named Sora. When the dreams start happening during his waking life, he senses trouble. Soon, characters from his dreams are popping up everywhere and bad guys begin chasing him - but for what reason, Roxas does not know. From scenes involving other characters, we learn that Roxas might be Sora, although Roxas cannot recall a life as Sora. All of this comes to a head when the witch Naminé captures Roxas and tells him the truth about his connection to Sora. The story in Kingdom Hearts II is rather confusing. Reading it, I felt like I was missing something and wished I new more about the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Amano's story and art is well done, but nothing makes it stand out. Also, while this volume ended in a cliffhanger, it was not strong enough to entice me to pick up the next one. I had a hard time getting into it, though fans of the video games or those who have read the first two series might like it better. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews