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Bookshelf Briefs 10/30/23

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A Bride’s Story, Vol. 14 | By Kaoru Mori | Yen Press – Actual main couple at last! And Karluk is thirteen, so is presumably getting closer to being able to consummate his marriage, though I fear for now cuddling naked against the cold is the best the two can do. The highlight of this book is trying to unite the village tribes and nomad tribes so they can both fight the Russians, which will (of course) involve marriages. But to get those, we need a giant, near deadly horse race in order to make sure that the men are good enough for their brides. The brides themselves come in three varieties: proud and stoic, divorced and scarred, and “bundle of fun,” but all three seem quite happy with their husbands… one of whom is Amir’s brother. Probably another year till volume fifteen, and I hope the series does not end with everyone being killed. – Sean Gaffney

It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too, Vol. 1 | By Suzuyuki | One Peace Books – Yuya and Rio move in together after dating for a little over a year, It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too beginning soon after this significant evolution in their relationship. As one might expect, it takes a bit of time to get used to sharing a home with someone else. There are certainly misunderstandings and makeups, but instead of presenting opportunities for melodrama, Suzuyuki portrays their lives in realistic, natural ways. Rio and Yuya are a wonderful couple, the care and consideration they show for each other is heartwarming and refreshing. The supporting cast is likewise endearing, whether it be their coworkers, friends, or family. It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too is a genuinely sweet and funny series, never becoming overly saccharine or relying on meanness as a source of humor. It’s the sort of series that soothes the soul and sometimes that’s just what one needs; I look forward to reading more. – Ash Brown

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 9 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – I enjoy the Kubo manga, but it is not exactly the most original title in the world, nor is it trying to be. It’s in the “teasing the boy she likes” genre, but it’s also a fairly standard school not-yet-romance. As such we get a lot of beats that seem familiar, like going out for her birthday/agonizing over a gift, or the summer festival and getting separated right before the fireworks. The good thing about this title is it can tie things into Shiraishi’s past, as getting lost for him was super traumatic as no one ever sees him. The moment in this volume, then, when Kubo does find him after all, is so triumphant you can almost hear the swelling music behind the panel. These are cute kids, I hope they confess soon. – Sean Gaffney

Medalist, Vol. 8 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – There are other skaters in this volume aside from Inori and Hikaru, and they get some very good artwork showing off their stellar skating. So it feels bad to talk about how Hikaru completely blew all of them away with her routine, reminding everyone that she is the only rival worth paying attention to, and getting a score so high no one could possibly beat it. Inori had originally been sent off and told not to watch the other routines, as she was looking anxious. But she came back to see Hikaru’s skating as it means that much to her, and it did not depress her or make her feel like it was an insurmountable performance. It fired her up. The book ends with Inori about to go out on the ice, and I cannot wait to see it. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 14 | By Sorata Akiduki | Yen Press – I did ask in my last review of Nozaki-kun… from August 2022… (this series being caught up with Japan hurts my soul) for a couple to hook up, and I… almost get my wish? One person communicates his feelings, and the other party actually understands them. Now, a) it’s not clear if this will lead to anything just yet, and b) given it’s Ryousuke and Miyako, I worry that this will end in tanukis somehow. But it’s a start! And honestly, Hori and Kashima are getting there as well, as we are slowly trying to get the both of them to think… which is tough. Especially Hori, as he’s not a traditional baka like Kashima can be. As for Chiyo… she’s terrifying. Her love is pure, but it’s pure like a stalker’s love kind of pure. Hilarious as always. – Sean Gaffney

The Moon on a Rainy Night, Vol. 1 | By Kuzushiro | Kodansha Manga – There have been quite a few stellar manga series—A Sign of Affection, A Silent Voice—featuring characters who are deaf. This is along those lines, but Kanon is not deaf, just hard-of-hearing. This gives her a very different vibe from the other heroines that we’ve seen with hearing issues, and in a way makes her harder to approach—she has not bothered to learn sign language, for instance. That said, this is also a yuri manga, so we’re also going to meet the bright, somewhat pushy girl who worms her way into her heart via the power of Kanon’s mother’s brutal piano lessons. We even get the standard older girl “first yuri crush” who announces that she’s getting married to a guy. The combination of these elements is well handled, and I want to read more. – Sean Gaffney

Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court, Vol. 5

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By Satsuki Nakamura and Kana Yuki. Released in Japan as “Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga: Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den” by Ichijinsha Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Tara Quinn.

In the last volume we saw that discovering the wonders of living inside a healthy and hale body broke down Reirin’s emotional reserve, to the point that when she was confronted with a horrible tragedy she broke down in tears. In this volume we see that the experience of having a friend who doesn’t spoil her and treat her like she’s made of fragile glass has broken her reserves even more without her knowing it. Unfortunately, this friend is also the sort of person to have every single emotion, no matter what it is, come out as “anger”. And this is very unfortunate, because for once in her life, Reirin is completely unable to cope. As for said friend, Keigetsu, well, she’s throwing wild tantrums and raving that she’ll never, ever apologize, but that’s far less surprising. Unfortunately, the timing on this is really awful, as the maidens are having a competition for the Top Spot, and the knives are coming out.

Three months have passed since the events of the last book, and it’s now time for Rite of Reverence, where the five maidens all compete to see who can show the most devotion to the Emperor. This is a hotly contested battle, with the respective house fortunes rising and falling depending on the placement of said maidens. As such, Keigetsu is even more stressed out than usual. And she’s not the only one, as we get a good look at the other three maidens in the series. Seika is trying to do this in an honorable way, but is cowed by her consort’s power and threats. Houshun is discovering that her cutely incompetent act is starting to show its cracks, and her own consort can see them. And Kasui is on a detective mission, desperately trying to find out what happened years ago that led to the death of her sister and the mere mention of her name being forbidden in the inner court. As for Reirin? She’s fiiiiiiiiine.

This is an amazing book in an amazing series, frankly, and I am desperate to read the next one because, of course, it ends on a cliffhanger. Reirin and Keigetsu get into a huge fight, and you can absolutely sympathize with both of them. After four books of finding Keigetsu’s tantrums cute and funny, Reirin is finally hurt by them, and finds her powers of observation and judgment severely curtailed. Of course, that may also be the fact that she’s getting progressively more ill after getting her foot burned in a murder attempt and diving into an icy lake to try to save Keigetsu’s poetry. I think everyone else in the cast was too stunned at seeing the supposedly deathly ill Reirin doing these things to bother to be angry at her. Keigetsu, though, expresses all her emotions through rage. Including worry, and concern, and guilt. Not great. Especially when Reirin genuinely screws up in a conversation with Kasui and ends up beaten up and dying at the bottom of a well.

That said, the cliffhanger is not “will Reirin be found before she dies?”, because the author is aware we know she will. Also, this is a book where the main premise is bodyswapping. So the cliffhanger is, instead, how are we going to stop Reirin’s Roaring Rampage of Revenge this time? Everyone, I beg you, read this.

The Holy Grail of Eris, Vol. 4

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By Kujira Tokiwa and Yu-nagi. Released in Japan as “Eris no Seihai” by GA Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Winifred Bird.

A few days ago I reviewed the 4th volume of The Sorcerer’s Receptionist, a series that ended naturally at three volumes and got a fourth anyway, and lamented the fact that sometimes authors and publishers just can’t let something end naturally. That said… there are exceptions. Because here I am reading The Holy Grail of Eris, a series that ended naturally at three volumes and got a fourth anyway, and am absolutely delighted that I got to spend more time seeing these characters get into wacky hijinks again. I guess it simply comes down to the main character. TSR has a tsundere who is constantly in denial, and the fourth book, despite a love epiphany, doubles down on that. Connie, by contrast, is very confident in the love she and Randolph have for each other, and instead struggles with the fact that he’s married to his job rather than her, even when they go on vacation. That said, Connie can’t seem to go on vacation without thrilling adventure following behind her, so she’s not one to talk.

The Kingdom of Adelbide is asked to check in on Ulysses, the young Faris royal with a tendency towards being in peril. He also wants to see his “dear friend” Lucia, who he bonded with in the last book when they were in mortal peril together. So a contingent, including Connie, Randolph, and Scarlett, is sent to the island of El Sol – and Connie has another errand from Adolphus – take Scarlett’s mother’s ashes back to where she grew up. Of course, once they get there chaos begins to unfold. The local noble, Antonio, dislikes Connie on sight; Connie ends up getting dragged into a series of petty lawsuits that need an arbiter who can insult everyone till they surrender (fortunately, she can get possessed and let Scarlett do it for her), and most importantly, the terrorists form the first three books are still around, and they’re after a shipment of fireworks that were being sent for the Summer Carnival festival. Is Connie going to have any time at all for a vacation with her fiance?

Well, no, of course not. That’s not why we read Holy Grail of Eris. We read it for the intrigue, and for the thrills, and for the still hilarious otome game biographies that come after every chapter. Connie may still need Scarlett to possess her when a debate is needed, but she’s perfectly fine on her own when it comes to things like high-speed boat chases… well, it’s a rowboat, so medium-speed boat chases. There’s also a sense that she’s going to end up being one of the many Women In Power in this series, whether she likes it or not, and I honestly think that it will be good for her. Meanwhile Antonio is feeling like a third wheel in the relationship between Lucia and Ulysses (who gets kidnapped, again, but has gotten much better at handling it) and, well, he is, but it’s a toy ship, so we don’t need to worry about breaking anyone’s heart till they get older.

This genuinely seems like the end of the series, a bonus book for fans who wanted more. It was a delight.

A Tale of the Secret Saint, Vol. 5

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By Touya and chibi. Released in Japan as “Tensei Sita Daiseijyo ha, Seijyo Dearuko Towohitakakusu” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka. Adapted by Matthew Birkenhauer.

I have to be honest, I should not enjoy this series as much as I do. It really does a lot of things wrong. At its core is broad humor involving a heroine who misunderstands almost everything everyone says to her, and that’s fine. In fact, it’s almost a genre in itself. And she’s really, really good at not getting it. But it also manages to bring up her very real PTSD that comes from her actual death and everything leading up to her death, to the point where she’s actively repressing the worst memories of it. This is also quite well written and handled with care, but the two plotlines really should not co-exist next to each other as well as they do. In addition, this volume once again is 2/3 of an actual book, followed by endless extra side stories that either tell other character’s POV of what Fia narrated for us, or Fia’s wacky adventures as Serafina in the past. Where we find she was also a giant ditz.

After the events of the previous two books, Fia is now officially a knight, but before she can get down to the business of protecting the royal family, she’s given some time off. She uses this to go north to visit her older sister, aka the one sibling that did not treat her like hot garbage growing up, and also check in with Zavilia, who is no longer a tiny little dragon familiar but has become King of the Mountain – literally. He even has his own dragon cult, though there’s some implication that this is mostly due to pure terrifying force of will. Unfortunately, when she gets back to her home, she’s also met by Guy Osbern, who used to “tease” her as a kid by calling himself a legendary demon. Sadly, he had no real way of knowing the very real trauma that she had in the past from demons, and seeing him again brings it all back.

Again, for the most part this is hilarious. Before she sets off on her journey she runs into “Green” and “Blue”, the royals from the neighboring kingdom who are still just random adventurers to her, and she takes them with her on her journey. Literally everyone except Fia can see they’re Very Important People, but she does not care. She also has a nice dose of accidentally using her saint powers and having to pretend that it’s for some random reason, though fortunately she doesn’t have to restore any severed arms here. Amidst all this, we do get actual plot, if only a bit. The past history of the kingdoms does not quite match up with Fia’s memory of her past from 300 years ago, and Kurtis knows why but does not want to upset Mia too much. What’s more, it turns out that they may not have defeated the real demon lord – and “the demon lord’s underling” is the one part of Fia’s memories that she’s still running away from in terror.

So: this is hilarious You will laugh. But there’s an odd current of deep tragedy also rolling through it, and the resulting taste should not work but does.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Vol. 4

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By Sunsunsun and Momoco. Released in Japan as “Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Matthew Rutsohn.

There’s a short story volume due out next, but quite honestly, this one also feels a bit like a short story volume, detailing the wacky adventures of the cast on their summer break. There’s no real through line of plot except Masachika’s crippling self-hatred, and the cliffhanger is one I had sort of guessed, so for the most part this feels a bit disconnected. It is also the horniest book in the series, and this comes from a series that is already pretty horny. That said, it does have one of my least favorite things about light novels, which is the idea, held by both boys and girls, that a man having sexual thoughts is the same as the man doing sexual deeds. There are a whole lot of wacky harem manga situations in this book, and a lot of them lead to Masachika having an erection he’s trying to hide. And that’s OK. He’s a teenage boy. But it’s not OK for him, and he continues to consider himself the worst person in the world. It’s annoying.

The student council is going on a summer vacation to a beach house, but before that we have a few plots involving Masachika and Yuki being themselves. This involves a great deal of sex talk, a fair bit of sibling violence, and an amusement park visit where their secret identities end up getting exposed to Sayaka (who is shocked) and Nonoa (who’d already guessed). Oh yes, and Alya keeps coming over to Masachika’s house when everyone out to do homework, and so far… they’ve done homework. Which annoys her. At the beach house, we get bikinis, swimming, bathing, room switching, and a festival with fireworks, all of which are reasonably cute. Unfortunately, Masachika keeps assuming that he’s screwing everything up, and overcompensates to try to fix it, and ends up hating himself even more by the end of it. He ends up going back to the playground where he played with the foreign kid… who turns out to be someone he knows.

As is pretty typical in the genre, the reader ends up sympathizing with Alya heavily here, despite her accidentally getting groped when Masachika tries to save her from falling onto jagged rocks. (She even trots out the “take responsibility and marry me” chestnut, which I haven’t seen in quite some time.) There’s a whole lot of muttered Russian in this book, which Masachika understands but has to pretend he can’t, but really, she could not be more obvious. Even he gets it at the end of the book. But, as with so many other books in this genre, only one thing is stopping the two from being a couple, and it’s the man’s idea that he’s not good enough for her. To be fair, he has the trauma to back it up, and the scenes we get from his childhood in this book are as depressing as you’d expect. But it’s like eating a marshmallow sandwich where the bread is misery.

Next volume… won’t resolve this cliffhanger. Short story volume. Till then, if you like self-loathing and boobs, this is the perfect title for you.

Manga the Week of 11/1/23

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SEAN: This is that odd “is it October or November?” part of the manga calendar, so expect weirdness.

ASH: I always do.

SEAN: To start, Airship has no early digital releases announced… so far… and the only print title is Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 5.

EDIT: Surprise, they put them up at the very last moment! Early digital for Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 16 and There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 3.

Cross Infinite World debuts three Volume 1s in their light novel line. I Guess This Dragon Who Lost Her Egg to Disaster Is My Mom Now (Saigai de Tamago o Ushinatta Dragon ga Nazeka Ore o Sodate Hajimeta) is a rather bizarre not-quite-reincarnation story, where an adventurer on the verge of death after (sigh) being betrayed by his own party ends up in the nest of a dragon who lost her egg… and suddenly he turns into a young girl to be her new daughter.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Making Jam in the Woods: My Relaxing Life Starts in Another World (Mori no Hotori de Jam wo Niru: Isekai de Hajimeru Slow Life) is a slow life isekai, as the Japanese title suggests. Margaret dies and is reincarnated in a new world, where she’s rescued by an elderly noblewoman. Sure, she has a destiny… but she’d much rather just eat.

ANNA: I’m not usually into isekai but I find the idea of a manga devoted to making jam in the woods amusing.

ASH: Same!

SEAN: Third Loop: The Nameless Princess and the Cruel Emperor (Nanashi no Ōjo to Reikoku Kōtei: Shītagerareta Yōjo, Konse de wa Ryū to Mofumofu ni Dekiai Sarete Imasu) stars a girl so abused she doesn’t even has a name – she’s “Princess That”. She also loops back in time and suffers the same abuse again. But this time… suddenly people seem to love her!

Ghost Ship debuts Inside the Tentacle Cave (Inbi na Doukutsu no Sono Oku de). This runs in Comic Vamp, and is about an evolving monster that develops a taste for sexual assault. Whee.

MICHELLE: Um.

ANNA: No thank you.

ASH: Oh, my!

SEAN: They also have the 12th and final volume of SUPER HXEROS and the third and final volume of World’s End Harem: Fantasia Academy.

It’s a very quiet week for J-Novel Club, who have Record of Wortenia War 21 and The Troubles of Miss Nicola the Exorcist 2.

ASH: For a moment there, I inexplicably conflated The Troubles of Miss Nicola the Exorcist with Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World, but I’m pretty sure the two are unrelated.

SEAN: Kodansha Books gives us As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 3.

Kodansha Manga has the print version of Ogami-san Can’t Keep It In, meaning once again I assumed something was a digital exclusive and was wrong. These lists, man, I dunno, I’m getting depressed. Anyway, see last week for details.

ASH: Boo, for bad metadata! Hooray, for print! (At least in general, I don’t actually know much about this particular series.)

SEAN: Also debuting in print is Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen (Tongari Boushi no Kitchen), a Morning Two series for everyone who wanted the hot guys in WHA to cook things.

ANNA: Really???? This sounds amazing.

ASH: Aaah!! I had somehow totally forgotten about this!

SEAN: Also in print: As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 7, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 8, Quality Assurance in Another World 4, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 3, and The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 7.

Digitally (at least, it looks exclusively digital), we debut Rocopon. Running in Young Magazine Web, this comedy tells the story of an alien hired by Earth as an assassin who’s getting a bit too blase and half-assed, so he’s getting a partner.

Also digital: Having an Idol-Loving Boyfriend is the Best! 4, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 16, SHAMAN KING: THE SUPER STAR 7, and Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence 12.

Seven Seas says it’s been at least 3 or 4 weeks since they last debuted a cat book, so we get My Cat is Such a Weirdo (Uchi no Neko ga Mata Hen na Koto Shiteru). This biographical series runs in Comic Essay Gekijou, so is technically josei, but, I mean, it’s ‘cat’. The genre is ‘cat’. It’s in full color, and is about how cats are weird.

MICHELLE: Looks cute!

ASH: Gotta love a good cat manga.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue 7, Bite Maker: The King’s Omega 9, CANDY AND CIGARETTES 6, Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 6, The Great Snake’s Bride 2, His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper 5, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 7, Re:Monster 7, Sheeply Horned Witch Romi 2, and Yokai Cats 6.

ASH: Speaking of cats. And yokai! (At least I’m always speaking of yokai.)

SEAN: Square Enix has the 10th volume of My Dress-Up Darling.

ASH: I really need to catch up with this series; I greatly enjoyed the earlier volumes I read.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment theoretically has Robotics;Notes debuting, though don’t be surprised if, like Denpa titles, the release date on Amazon is wrong. This is from the creators of Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, and other punctuational franchises. It ran in Mag Garden, and is about a girl who loves robots and a boy who loves video games.

Viz Media has one release: Fullmetal Alchemist 20th Anniversary Book. This hardcover contains the author’s companion manga she drew as she did the series, and the thoughts of everyone involved in the franchise.

ASH: Oh! It’ll be nice for the companion manga to be collected in one place.

SEAN: Yen On has a light novel debut: A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans (Jingai Kyoushitsu no Ningengirai Kyoushi). A young man traumatized by his past just wants a quiet life teaching in the mountains… but his students are all mermaids, werewolf, and rabbit girls. The copy goes out of the way to say this is NOT a fantasy or an isekai. I’m hoping it’s a bit like Interviews with Monster Girls.

ASH: I’m impressed that it’s become important enough to explicitly note something isn’t isekai.

SEAN: Yen Press debuts I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time (Guild no Uketsukejou desu ga, Zangyou wa Iya na node Boss wo Solo Tobatsu shiyou to Omoimasu). The light novel came out from Yen last month, and proved too difficult for Amazon’s algorithms. Guild girl wants to avoid overtime, so clears all the dungeons herself. The manga runs in Dengeki Daioh.

And they’ve also got Me and My Beast Boss 2 and The Villainess Stans the Heroes: Playing the Antagonist to Support Her Faves! 2.

For a 5th week of the month this was a lot. Anything for you?

Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade, Vol. 6

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By Maito Ayamine and Cierra. Released in Japan as “Shinigami ni Sodaterareta Shoujo wa Shikkoku no Tsurugi wo Mune ni Idaku” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sylvia Gallagher.

Generally speaking, if you’re trying not to spoil yourself when reading a light novel, there are several things you need to do. Avoiding covers is almost impossible, but you can certainly avoid the color inserts, which tend to spoil. Don’t read the author’s afterword till you’ve finished the book, of course, as it often asks readers what they thought of the plot twist. And, of course, try not to read the table of contents, because chapter titles frequently spoil. And so (spoiling here, sorry), when I saw that the last chapter before the epilogue in this book was called “The Girl Defeated”, I knew what was going to happen. It wasn’t a big surprise, the series ends with the next book, so there had to be SOME point where Olivia loses a fight, just so she’s not all-powerful. That said, I was surprised anyway. The Girl Defeated is an accurate chapter title, but the chapter itself ends very happily. It’s the Epilogue that kills you.

We’re finally at the big battle between Olivia and Felix… well, OK, there are a few other big battles before that that don’t involve our heroes, but honestly, most of them feel like they’re padding out the book, and resolving a romance by having a superior officer say “hey, clueless guy, get married to the girl who has an obvious crush on you” is possibly the most pathetic thing I’ve seen in this series. The important bit, though, is that Olivia’s army is finally losing badly, mostly as the other side are simply better, more experienced soldiers. So she decides to gamble it all on a one-on-one fight with Felix, sending Ashton back to base and taking Claudia and a few others to forge a path to Felix. Their battle is cool, well-balanced, and a fair fight. Alas, this world is currently being taken over by an evil Dark God, and he interrupts things to gloat at Felix and generally be evil.

I have grown used to the fact that this series is very good at writing instant gratification, with scenes that work well as you read them but fall apart the moment you try to think more deeply about the subject. This is not a bad thing – popcorn entertainment is perfectly valid. But it can be hard to review. I did appreciate that (spoilers again, sorry) after spending the entire series searching for him, Olivia is finally reunited with Z right as she’s about to die – I get the sense that he wanted to let her grow at her own pace till he had to intervene. The whole “now I will teach you the ultimate final move” ending is pure shonen, but honestly it’s a delight seeing Olivia’s face as she’s finally reunited with her “father”. Less delightful is that pesky epilogue – I don’t expect a permanent death, as this series is not that dark despite its title, but it certainly ends the book on a sour note.

So great stuff, provided you don’t look too deeply, and provided you let your eyes glaze over whenever a male captain and his female adjutant have a conversation with each other. Tune in next time for the final book.

The Sorcerer’s Receptionist, Vol. 4

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By Mako and Maro. Released in Japan as “Mahousekai no Uketsukejou ni Naritaidesu” by ArianRose. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Adam.

It’s been a while. Indeed, it’s been over two years. Long enough for me to forget 90% of the cast and 50% of the plot. Long enough for the book to need a new translator. Long enough for about 100 other romance-focused fantasy series for women to come out over here. But throughout all that, some things never change, so you can rest assured that Nanalie’s every waking moment is taken up with being grumpy about Rockmann 100% of the time. Yes, she realized she’s in love with him last volume, but that’s not going to stop her – if anything, the love has to struggle harder to get out from under the layers and layers of competitive tsundere she’s got draped over her. This is exactly the same as the previous books, which is a shame as it was one of the more annoying parts of the series. That said, the series seemed to wrap up perfectly well with the third book. Is this sequel necessary? Hrm…

Nanalie wished for all the revelations about her in the third volume to be left a state secret, and so they are, thanks to some memory altering, so she’s back to the regular everyday life as a guild receptionist. Or rather, she would be were it not for a rumored time traveling thingummajig that everyone seems to be looking for. Naturally, it exists. Somewhat less naturally, it’s in the form of a garden gnome, like the ones you see on lawns. And it turns out that a noblewoman has used the time travel thing to go back in time so that Rockmann can fall in love with HER and not Nanalie! So now everyone has to pile back in time, disguise themselves as teachers, and try to stop the noblewoman before history is changed forev… wait, the gnome says history can’t really be changed. OK, so we’re all good, then.

Gonna be honest, a lot of this book is a slog. The main reason being what I just told you. Before everyone goes back in time, they’re told that no matter what they do, nothing can really be affected. And that turns out to be true, even when the *real* reason for going back in time is revealed. There’s a threat to Nanalie’s past self… that is kind of pointless, because, again, time travel can’t be used to do that. You’d think that this might be used to get Nanalie to admit her feelings more readily, and they sort of try to burble up at times, but she’s just SO tsundere about everything that it’s not satisfying from a romance novel standpoint. Oh, yes, and we get a sort of cliffhanger ending, so I guess we’re getting a Book 5… which, judging by the ending, promises to immediately break all the stuff they had to fix at the end of Book 3. Good times.

If you really loved this series, you’ll want to read this. If you just liked it, feel free to have Vol. 3 be the end.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 5

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By Akumi Agitogi and Tsukiho Tsukioka. Released in Japan as “Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon” by Fujimi L Bunko. Released in North America Yen On. Translated by David Musto.

Well, now I just feel bad. One of my go-to jokes about this series is the hideous irony of the title, after all. And in the Afterword the author says they worry about it as well, and asks readers not to constantly harp on it. So that’s half this review needing to be totally rewritten, then. That said, there are signs in this book that we are working our way there, if painfully slowly. Miyo still hates herself so much it’s almost suffocating, but is starting to realize (or be told point blank) that keeping everything to herself can actually be more painful than a possible rejection. She and Kiyoka have a scene where they share a bed (engineered, of course), and it’s as sweet as you’d expect, even though nothing happens, of course. And at the end of the book, we even get an explicit confession of love! Which, um, is actually tragically awful given… (waves vaguely at the cliffhanger)

We pick up where we left off, as the Emperor has been abducted. The Powers that Be make a decision to keep this quiet, which is not that hard given the Emperor is mostly a figurehead now anyway. That said, they really need to protect the prince from the bad guys now. They also need to protect Miyo, so make the decision to do both at the same time and have her staying at the palace, along with Kiyoka, Hazuki, and Yurie. Oh yes, and Arata, her faithful bodyguard. It should be a lot easier now, but there are still ominous rumblings. Miyo’s dreams about her mother and Usui turn out to be something he can talk back to her in, and he doubles down on destroying the world in order to teach it a lesson. Meanwhile, it turns out that the government and military is positively filled with traitors, and that’s bad news for Kiyoka in particular…

All of the My Happy Marriage books have rolled along on a sense of dread, and this one is no exception. We already know from the fourth book that Arata is working for the enemy, so the only question is whether he’s going to be a double agent or a triple agent. Usui is a wonderfully terrible villain, and the thing that pleased me most about the entire book was hearing that his arc should wrap up in Book 6, because I want to be nowhere near him again. The Education Minister’s secretary ends up being like something straight out of a horror movie, and in fact there is a fake climax to the book that reads like the end of a horror film. That said, this is the first book where The Bad Guys Win, and all seems lost. Thankfully, all seeming lost is what finally galvanizes Miyo to get off her ass and be proactive. I’m not sure I approve of her “I will do this by myself so as not to put anyone else in danger” attitude, but it’s otherwise nice to see, and terrific character development.

Still riveting, still fantastically written, still leaves you depressed. Great stuff.

Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster, Vol. 3

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By Saki and Haduki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Albert-ke no Reijō wa Botsuraku o Goshomō Desu” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Ray Krycki.

Theoretically a short story volume, this reads more like an interquel between the series as originally conceived by the author and the “this was stupid popular, write more” sequel that we will no doubt get in the next volume. It’s meant to wrap up all the loose ends that weren’t wrapped up in the second book, which is an awful lot of loose ends. It’s also meant to show how this is a series driven by its women, and they are all awesome in different ways. Now, the men are awesome too… well, some of the men. Patrick and Adi, pretty much. And Gainas once he’s let out of the doghouse. But frankly, this is a comedy, and the comedy comes from seeing the women in the book not only be awesome, but be awesome in ways that are funny. Mary Albert is best at that, of course, but everyone gets a look in as we go along.

As Mary plots something secret in the background, which everyone except Adi believes is going to be her announcing that she will be the next head of the family, the other cast members all have their own short stories. Margaret has abandoned her old boyfriend and is trying to get a hottie by hook or by crook… even if that hottie may not quite be old enough yet. Parfette is still reluctant to forgive the penitent Gainas, so sets him a task, that will hopefully go well given it’s meant to take an entire year. Carina is still finding new ways to beat up and torture her old boyfriend, and is (unconsciously, perhaps) really starting to get into it. Alicia and Adi go around to deliver invitations to her wedding with Patrick to all her friends, which neatly connects the other stories in the book we’ve had to date. Finally, Mary unveils her grand idea to the public, though she has to destroy an evil noble family first to do so.

A lot of this book relies on the reader being OK with the cliches of “noble society set in the sort-of Victorian age” novels, so if the idea of Margaret trying to entice a ten-year-old to be her future husband is icky, be warned. That said, she pretty much knows how far is too far, so it doesn’t get too weird. I also really enjoy the running gags of Alicia greeting Mary with a flying tackle every time they meet each other (which is every day, so Mary is understandably annoyed by it. Alicia is one of those rare otome game heroines who’s enthusiastic and brash rather than meek and polite, and it’s nice to see. As for Carina… look, anytime her and her ex are on the screen, the book becomes a treatise on the joys of BDSM, and discovering you have a new kink. Like the other parts of this book, it doesn’t go too far (the only sex in the book is between Mary and Adi, and it’s really sweet) but let the buyer beware.

I’m not sure what the fourth book will bring… perhaps the opening of Mary’s Chicken Palace… but I’m definitely going to read more. This is fun.

Fiancée No More: The Forsaken Lady, the Prince, and Their Make-Believe Love, Vol. 1

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By Mari Morikawa and Bodax. Released in Japan as “Konyaku Haki no Sono Saki ni: Suterare Reijō, Ōji-sama ni Dekiai (Engi) Sareru” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Adam.

Just as we’ve had so many isekai and “game stat world” light novels that it’s super refreshing to get a normal fantasy book, we’ve had some many novels where the protagonist is a “villainess” trying to change her fate, redeem herself, or otherwise fight against her narrative that it’s nice to see a book that straight up *is* that narrative. Yes, technically the book begins with a broken engagement. But Estelle, our heroine, really is a heroine for once. She’s well known for being a nice, if somewhat plain, young noble lady. She helps to care for her people after they’re wounded fighting dragons, and she also helps fight the dragons herself if need be. Oh yes, and she has a secret: she’s got magic powers, a rarity in this country, and can see the mana within people, and tell what their emotional state is. Sadly, this has left her mostly a bundle of introversion, so the broken engagement is not a good thing.

So yes, we open with Estelle having her engagement broken. Not because Lyle, her fiance, hates her now. It’s just that his family is on hard times, and they can get financial assistance if he marries Diana Pautrier – who does hate Estelle, but that’s neither here nor there. Now Estelle needs to find another engagement – which is hard, given her parents are dead, she’s only an Earl’s daughter, and the valuable magic powers she has she’s kept a secret from most everyone. Worse still, it means they have to give up their neutrality and pick a side in the upcoming throne war between the first and second prince. She and her brother attend a ball held by the first prince, and since she’s actually choosing to ally with him, he gives her the second dance of the night after his fiancee. Then she’s shot trying o prevent him being killed by an assassin, and everything goes off the rails.

So yeah, the title is the spoiler now she’s engaged to the first prince. He knows about her powers, and regards her as a “walking alarm”, so is content to dump his current fiancee (who does not take it well) and get engaged to Estelle, saying that it’s true love. Which it isn’t, but the main reason to read this book is to see these two people, both dealing with their engagement out of need and not true love, slowly falling for each other. Estelle is cognizant of it almost immediately, but feels guilty as she can see Arcrayne is being manipulative and teasing and also she feels bad for giving up on Lyle so soon. As for Arcrayne, he’s not intending this to be anything but “she is useful”, but rapidly realizes she really is a terrific fiancee for him. There’s even a realistic depiction of both “we are pretending I just had my first time” and, later on, “we have to pretend I didn’t just have my first time”, which is sweet.

The antagonist of the book is dealt with here, but there’s clearly more antagonists waiting for future volumes, including Arcrayne’s ex-fiancee, as well as the Queen, who I have a sneaking suspicion has a past with Estelle’s family. In any case, if you want a straightforward romance plot with heroines and villainesses who stay in their lane, this is very good.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time: No One Told Me There Would Be Monsters!, Vol. 2

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By KAYA and Naru. Released in Japan as “Tensei Shōjo wa Mazu Ippo kara Hajimetai: Mamono ga Iru toka Kiitenai!” by MF Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Amy Osteraas.

This series continues to interest me far more than I expected, possibly as, while it is doing a lot of the usual fantasy tropeland stuff (mana, guilds, etc.) it at least manages to avoid game stats and power levels. Our heroine and her too-young-to-be-a-boyfriend are both quite powerful, but in his case, this has mostly completely ruined his life, and in her case, she’s hiding most of her true strength to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention. Honestly, in the first half of this book, everyone is sort of prickly, including the heroine. You’d expect this to be a warm, fuzzy series where the townspeople take in this plucky orphan and make sure she has everything she needs, but no, she’s still living in tents or watchtowers – albeit because she wants to, she can afford better – and they’re still content to use her skills on a regular basis. It’s slow life, but until the end of this volume it lacks the sweetness.

Sara is still selling meals at the adventurer’s guild and collecting healing herbs, all while trying to avoid the attention of Ted from the Apothecary Guild, who continues to dislike Allen and Sara intensely (though, as the book goes on, the reader sees he’s more a tsundere than anything else). Unfortunately, Nelly is *still* not back yet. What’s worse, she’ attracted the attention of a knight from the capital, who sees these two extremely powerful orphans sleeping outside the city and gets several ideas in his head. First he says they should come with him to the capital and be his maid and butler – rejected. Then he leans on the town to make things much harder for adventurers sleeping outside the city, in order to clear them off – and, it’s hinted, drive Sara and Allen to him. Fortunately, Nelly is finally able to return, and a whole lot of misunderstandings are cleared up.

I will admit the big flaw with this volume is that a lot of it depends on everyone being somewhat thick. Nelly and Sara’s descriptions of each other do not match the reality of who they really are, so no one recognizes they’re connected. Hell, they don’t even realize Sara is a girl till the other women of the town (who do know right away, of course) tell them outright. No one connects a missing 12-year-old kid desperately being searched for to the powerful 12-year-old kid who showed up in town at exactly the same time. You start to understand why Sara’s general reaction to most of the adults around her is disappointment and irritation. That said, the friendship between her and Allen is a definite highlight of the book, and I do wonder how things will go for them in the third book, especially now that Sara has revealed to all she’s from another world. I suspect she won’t be allowed to live a quiet life in the woods with her wolves for long.

This isn’t terrific, but definitely falls under “better than I expected”, and I’d like to read more. I miss the first book’s running gag, though, and hope it returns.

My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex: “Time to Get Serious”

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By Kyosuke Kamishiro and TakayaKi. Released in Japan as “Mamahaha no Tsurego ga Motokano datta” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Gierrlon Dunn.

The subtitle of this volume serves as an accurate description of what’s inside. Of course, that’s not to say there still isn’t a great deal of broad humor in the book. I mean, Isana exists, for one. There’s also Yume deciding that the best way to seduce Mizuto is by wearing a miniskirt and cat ears, and (ça va sans dire) endless discussions of breasts, with much groping of the larger girls happening from the other girls. (Isana even notes this is the sort of thing she though only happened in light novels, implying that she’s read her own series.) That said, this is about a trip that all the main and supporting cast take, and the girls decide to use it to confess, seduce, or otherwise make things clearer to the object of their affection. Does it work out? Well, sort of. Some of the pairings are actually becoming pairings. It won’t surprise you,l though, that the main pairing remains up in the air.

The student council are planning a getaway trip to a hot springs town (given that their president’s family is loaded, this isn’t as hard as it sounds), and Yume is asked to fill out the numbers a bit, so Mizuto, Isana, Minami and Kawanami end up coming along as well. Aiba has decided that this is the trip where she stops being the teasing flirt and seriously confesses to her senpai, and so the other girls also decide to make an effort. Well, apart from Isana, who is supposedly here for art study. Kurenai ramps up her attempted seductions of Joji, wanting to lose her virginity without really thinking trough what that actually means. Minami has finally accepted the fact that she’s still in love with Kawanami, and her own attempt to be serious baffles and annoys him. As for Mizuto and Yume… LEWD HAND HOLDING.

The main couple are still hamstrung by Mizuto’s own reluctance and Isana’s presence in their life (going poly would solve most of these problems, but I can’t see the author or publisher OKing that), so it’s the other couples that carry the book. This is easily the best volume for Minami, who, once she decides to stop being an annoying bitch around her ex all the time and genuinely try to help him, turns out to be pretty awesome. Both Kawanami and Hoshibe (the senpai) are dealing with past traumas that have left them either unable to move forward or literally ill, and this book is about getting past that with the help of others. It’s also about being yourself, to a degree – Kurenai fails here because she was just trying far too hard. She’d be much better off trying to raise Joji’s bottomless well of self-hatred first. Basically, at the end of this book we have one definite couple, two “give it a book or two” couples, and Mizuto, Yume and Isana. Who remain in stasis.

The 9th book may change that, as we are reminded that where there are stepparents there are also parents, and one of them is still alive. Till then, this is a good volume in a romcom that’s enjoyable provided you can wade past the wall of breast jokes.

Manga the Week of 10/25/23

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SEAN: We’re close to Halloween, so I’ve declared manga to be candy.

ASH: Oh! Maybe I should try giving out manga this year… but that could be dangerous.

SEAN: Yen divided its October pretty evenly this time around, so there’s a lot this week as well. This includes three light novel debuts. From Yen On we see Days with My Stepsister (Gimai Seikatsu), another light novel series from the creator of My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! and Looks Are All You Need. As you can imagine, this is a “I’m now living with the hottest girl in school” title, but apparently trauma from their parents’ respective divorces and remarriages has them both being very distant with each other.

Only I Know the Ghoul Saved the World (Ghoul ga Sekai o Sukutta Koto o Watashi Dake ga Shitteiru) is also by a known quantity, the creator of The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody. The world’s most famous ghoul hunter… is also a ghoul, so everyone hates him. But one girl sees past the ghoul in him and wants to be his disciple.

And from the JNC imprint comes a print release for Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire, released digitally by J-Novel Club.

Other light novels from Yen On: Combatants Will Be Dispatched! 7, Date A Live 10, The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 2, The Holy Grail of Eris 4, I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 6, and Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 23.

Some Yen Press debuts as well. 7FATES: CHAKHO is listed as ‘comic’ rather than manga, so I assume it’s a Korean webtoon. An amnesiac young man wakes to find he’s suddenly the center of a bunch of murders, a bunch of monsters, and 7 people with the same fate.

ASH: I had to look this one up and, indeed, it is a Korean webtoon. With a BTS connection, too.

SEAN: Cheerful Amnesia (Bright and Cheery Amnesia) is a yuri series from Comic Cune. When her girlfriend loses all her memories of the last three years – including their relationship – Mari assumes they’re through. Little does she know that now Arisa can fall in love with her all over again!

ASH: That does sound cheerful.

SEAN: Honey Trap Shared House is… oh God… from Dragon Age, so we know what we’re getting. A spy starts a shared house to seduce enemy agents. Little does he know his first target is his former childhood friend!

ASH: Uh-oh!

SEAN: Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord (Maitsuki Niwa Tsuki Ooya Tsuki) is from Comic Newtype, and is also a yuri manga. A manga editor, trying to get over her ex-girlfriend, finds the perfect new place to live! One problem… she’ll need to live with the landlord.

ASH: I still love that were getting more yuri featuring adults these days.

SEAN: Overgeared is also a Korean webtoon series. Um… VR game… legendary class… strongest skill… yeah, OK, anyway, there’s this.

Also from Yen Press: The Boxer 4, The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 8, The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious 6, Higurashi When They Cry: GOU 2, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II 4, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 16, My Gently Raised Beast 4, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 7, Plunderer 11 (the final volume), and Uncle from Another World 8.

Viz Media debuts another Junji Ito collection, Mimi’s Tales of Terror (Mimi no Kaidan). This collection of urban legends ran in Comic Flapper.

ANNA: Good for spooky season!

ASH: It is!

SEAN: They’ve also got My Hero Academia: The Official Easy Illustration Guide, a guide to drawing your favorite characters.

And we also get The Promised Neverland Complete Box Set. If you want a great example of how an incredible shonen manga can leap off a cliff in its last few volumes, definitely check this out.

ANNA: Oh, I’m glad I only read the first couple volumes and never tried to get caught up then!

ASH: There was a lot to like in those early volumes.

MICHELLE: I never managed to finish this. I didn’t know it was as bad as leaping off a cliff!

SEAN: Two debuts from Tokyopop. Sating the Wolf (Boku de Mitashite) manages to combine BL, alpha/omega stuff, and beast men in one package. It ran in from RED, and is complete in one volume.

UNDEAD: Finding Love in the Zombie Apocalypse is also BL, and comes from the magazine Cab. Two childhood friends try to find love in a deadly post-apocalyptic world.

From Square Enix we get Otherside Picnic 7 and Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition 12.

No debuts from Seven Seas, but we do see Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 11, I’m in Love with the Villainess 5, Kemono Jihen 8, My Lovey-Dovey Wife is a Stone Cold Killer 5, Skeleton Knight in Another World 11, Skip and Loafer 8, and Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii 5.

ASH: Still behind with Skip and Loafer; I need to change that!

SEAN: Kodansha’s print debut is one they’ve been putting out digitally again, as we see print for Nina the Starry Bride.

ANNA: This is one of the few series that I read digitally, and I’m happy it is also coming out in print. Great if you are longing for some fantasy shoujo.

ASH: Oh! I may need to check it out then.

SEAN: Also in print: Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 7, L♥DK 21-22, Rent-A-Girlfriend 21, Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen 2, Something’s Wrong With Us 17, Tsugumi Project 3, and Twilight Out of Focus 3.

The digital debut is Ogami-san Can’t Keep It In (Ogami-san, Dadamore desu), an Afternoon series about a young girl who has perverse fantasies that she tries to keep to herself… till she meets the man of her dreams!

Also digital: As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 7, Blade Girl 3 (the final volume), Boss Bride Days 10, Drops of God: Mariage 2, Fungus and Iron 4, Gamaran: Shura 13, My Home Hero 9, and The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 7.

No debuts for J-Novel Club, but plenty of stuff. The 13th Black Summoner manga volume, Demon Lord, Retry! R 7, The Game Master Has Logged In to Another World 4, Gushing over Magical Girls 8, In Another World With My Smartphone 28, The Invincible Little Lady 4, La Ragazza: Living with Francesca 2, Monster and Parent 2, My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer 10, Only the Villainous Lord Wields the Power to Level Up 3, Seventh 5, and Stuck in a Time Loop: When All Else Fails, Be a Villainess 2.

Ghost Ship gives us a 15th volume of Parallel Paradise.

Airship has one print release, the 13th and final volume of Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest.

And in early digital we get Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 25 and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 5.

Did you get huge candy bar manga? Or did you get circus peanuts?

If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love ~ She Was All But Disowned for Her Spirit Contract, But She’s Still Competing with Her Rival ~, Vol. 1

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By Harunadon and Yomi Sarachi. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō to Akuyaku Reisoku ga, Deatte Koi ni Ochitanara: Nanashi no Seirei to Keiyaku Shite Oidasareta Reijō wa, Kyō mo Reisoku to Kisoiatte Iru Yō Desu” by GA Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Judy Jordan.

I didn’t really have too many hopes for this one. The villainess market is, frankly, glutted, and the description of this series combined the villainess tropes with a magical academy *and* “I have this weak power that everyone hates me for, but it’s really the strongest”, as seen in endless isekais. On the bright side, this is NOT an isekai – our villainess is home grown. So yeah, book full of cliches. And I can’t deny that they’re there. But this is also a book that took me by surprise a number of times, and it did that by taking a big swing towards being dark. Brigitte’s life until the start of the book has been a tale of hideous abuse, the “heroine” in this story is not only arrogant but also sociopathic, and we may have a winner for the worst fiance in a villainess book – despite the fact that he barely appears.

We begin as so many of these books tend to begin: with Brigitte, the “villainess”, having her engagement broken and getting publicly humiliated by her fiance, who claims she was bullying the girl he is with now, Lisa. Brigitte’s world collapses around her, frankly. We learn that she was judged to have very little spirit power as a child, despite coming from a famous family of fire spirit users. Her father reacted to this news in a sensible, staid manner: he took his 5-year-old child’s hand and stuck it in the fire till it burned horribly. Needing to wear gloves all the time, she’s a shy, reserved child… till she meets the third prince, Joseph. Joseph tells her to her face that he likes stupid girls, and that she should dress in pink, gaudy clothes, wear thick makeup, and act arrogant. So, desperate for anyone to like her, she does. And then we get to page 1.

I apologize for summarizing the book using only the first 10 pages or so, but the first 10 pages are dynamite. My jaw dropped. After that, things turn a bit more typical, as she meets Yuri, a cool young man who has contracts with two major spirits, but gives everyone the cold shoulder. But honestly, the main reason to read this is the aura of toxic misogyny that permeates it. Not from the author, I hasten to add – this was deliberately baked into the world itself. More to the point, it’s coming from Joseph. He’s very unusual for a “fiance who breaks things off” character, remaining cool and collected even when attempting to do to Yuri what he did to Brigitte. But there’s an air of petty sadism around everything he does – he’s done it with Brigitte her whole life, and now that she’s gone he starts to do it to Lisa, who responds by… well, the other time in the book where I screamed “Holy shit!” was her response.

Given the cliffhanger to the book shows Joseph asking Brigitte to get engaged to him again, I think we’ll see more development of this in the second book. Till then, apologies to Yuri, and maybe next time I can get into the adorable romance that he and Brigitte develop.