Riri
Actual rating: 3.5⭐
Scheduled Suicide Day gives off similar vibes with The Dead Returns, maybe because they are both centered around a teenager. The main character for this book is a high school girl, and the story takes place in a small village during summer. It also features a cute little romance with a ghost, which may sound weird but works surprisingly well.
It's a little too sweet for my withered crone heart, and more than anything else I just feel bad for Reiko... but it's still a nice, engaging read nonetheless.
I keep hearing that The Dead Returns isn't as dark and engaging as Akiyoshi Rikako's other works, but I have to disagree. While it's definitely on the lighter side, the mystery is still properly done and the twists also flow smoothly. As it follows the perspective of a high school student, you can expect the main character to behave like the teenager he is. He makes a lot of mistakes and may seem careless, but that's what makes it realistic. He's not an adult after all, and his character growth itself is a major part of the book.
This one also contains an unexpected spiritual element, and when the realization hit, I had to go back to pick up all the hints I missed.
If I were to rate this fairly, it'd be 3.5 ⭐ because everything is happening at breakneck speed and the book barely gives you any time to digest it. The thing is, I love schadenfreude and it's impossible to give a fair rating because the schadenfreude in this book is just that good. It's SO good. The Akiyoshi Rikako kind of good.
The blurb says everything that needs to be said. Sakura, Kota, and Kaori all just want to be happy. It's just a matter of how they'd accomplish that, and at what cost. The book does a great job describing what each character is going through, as well as showing their growth (?) before they all descend into absolute madness in the end.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much since this is the novelization of a movie, but I enjoyed this a lot more than expected. Probably also a lot more than I should.
Actual rating: 2.5★
Yeah, this was a somewhat interesting read that didn't quite grab me. After saving a beautiful stranger from a group of drunks, Nakata Seigi is hired as a part-time worker at Jewelry Étranger. His boss is the titular Jeweler Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, who is so beautiful he would put any top-ranking host to shame. From there, they encounter various cases related to all sorts of gemstones.
Clearly, I picked this up because of the mystery aspect. Each chapter features a different jewel, as well as people with different stories and backgrounds related to the gemstone. Sadly, the cases are often laid out in a flat tone and lack any depth, so reading about them brings no joy or satisfaction. It's really unfortunate, because some of these cases deal with realistic and modern issues in society, and yet it feels like it failed to reach its maximum potential. Like it could've been so much better.
Anyway, if you like chill, cozy mysteries that are rather light and on the smaller scale, you might like this book. But it's not for me, and not even an absurdly beautiful Englishman would change that.
Under different circumstances, this would've made a nice romance novel. Alas, this is Akiyoshi Rikako so no such thing would happen. :')
The majority of the book is spent on flashbacks and what seems to be a blissful married life, tinged with blatant hatred under the surface. The build-up is subtle but sure, until it inevitably escalates in the last three chapters and turns what could've been a nice story about redemption and forgiveness into a magnificent tragedy. Bravo.
Actual rating: 4.5★
Written from the perspectives of someone who suffers from dementia, as well as someone who's taking care of a parent who also has dementia. Very realistic and well-researched, and as usual, the misdirection is brilliantly done. The story itself is leaning more towards the anti-climactic side if you're looking for shocking plot twists, especially because the cast is smaller with only two suspicious characters, but the best thing about this book is the social issues highlighted in it.
Seriously, men. Make yourselves useful.
The ending is absolutely heartbreaking. I love it. Probably one of my favorites, along with Holy Mother and Girls in the Dark. I hope both Mayuko and Mitsuharu are free now.
Actual rating: 4.5★
A bit different from Akiyoshi Rikako's other books, in a good way. The ballet aspect is amazingly written, with lots of detailed explanation about the life of a professional ballerina. The mystery is leaning more towards a classic investigation with a hint of horror, but still has a twist and surprisingly ends on a heartwarming note.
The story is full of sentimental vibes, maybe because the theme is ballet. It may not be for everyone (especially those who aren't interested in ballet and don't even want to learn about it) and it may not be perfect, but personally I love it.
The parts about the “happiness battle” are a lot more interesting than the rest. It deals with interesting themes, especially since the characters have different traumas, but the execution and especially the climax are way too dramatic. It takes the spotlight away from what should've been the main focus of the book. A pretty nice read for schadenfreude, though.
Actual rating: 3.5★
Rounded up because it has the potential to be really good, and because I've been a fan of Ichige Yoru's art for almost a decade now.
This is a pretty standard reincarnation story. The main character, Lyse, remembers her past life as a knight of the Razanate Empire. She misses the empire greatly now that she's living in a vassal state, but decides that she cannot go back because she's learned the Light of Origin's secret when she died. She's now working at the palace, surrounded by people who are constantly side-eyeing her for being unladylike, until she meets Sidis and gets chosen as the emperor's lady-in-waiting. From there, she somehow gets roped into a temporary engagement with Sidis.
But of course we all know it won't stay temporary forever. Not with Sidis being super affectionate and protective of Lyse, despite her attempts to convince herself that there's nothing going on between them.
Aside from introducing us to the characters, the first volume also deals with the emperor's visit to the Kingdom of Olwen, where Lyse lives. The emperor has been slowly transforming into a dog since the moment he stepped into the kingdom, and the majority of the book is spent dealing with that issue while also linking it to another problem that might lead to something bigger: the Donan cult. The main reason why I can't rate this higher is because it has the potential to be really good, but it never quite reached that point. The writing feels rather flat for the most part, and even the Light of Origin's secret revelation feels so... bland. There's also a pretty bad case of telling instead of showing during the book's climax, and it's really unfortunate because it could've been done so much better.
Still, the characters are lovable and the romance is cute. In a true shoujo fashion, it has a frustrating moment caused by a misunderstanding, but it gets solved nicely in the end. To put it nicely, this is a classic shoujo fantasy story with all the familiar tropes. To put it not so nicely, it's nothing new and rather predictable. That being said, I like it enough to want to read all four volumes of this, so I hope the next books will be better and more engaging.
I've been looking forward to read this book for quite a while, especially since I really liked the web novel version. It doesn't disappoint. It has everything I like, including a smart main character and a shady male lead who knows her worth. Despite what the title says, however, this isn't a villainess story. Rishe is the daughter of a duke and the story does start with her getting dumped by her fiancé, who happens to be the crown prince, but she's never done anything that would brand her as a villainess. She is shrewd, though.
As the title suggests, this is Rishe's seventh loop. It began with her getting her engagement broken at the age of 15. From there, she would walk on various branches of her life and gain various skills before she inevitably died at the age of 20. Then she'd get thrown back to where it started, at the party when her fiancé dumped her for another woman. She's been doing this for six times, and now her seventh attempt at life leads her to meet Arnold, the crown prince of a military nation and the very person who always caused her death in her previous six lives. Since Arnold seems to be interested enough in her to propose, Rishe decides to make the most out of it by marrying him so she can enjoy a laid-back palace life without having to do any work.
If only it was that easy LOL.
Rishe is a smart main character. Maybe it's due to all the experience from her previous lives, but she's quick-witted and catches onto things really fast. Despite her initial objective to have an easy (and hopefully long) life, she quickly figures out that stopping Arnold from waging war might be the key to her survival. This leads to all sorts of royal family politics, which we only get a glimpse of in this first volume. Arnold hasn't revealed his hand yet, but he has a lot of faith in Rishe's capabilities. The romance progresses naturally, with both parties still keeping secrets from one another.
I liked this one a lot. The writing and characterization are great, the story is compelling, and the female side characters are handled well. Even the one who stole Rishe's ex-fiancé from her. It's far more common to see female side characters getting punished and then tossed aside for being bitchy, but that is not the case here. Instead, they are given depth and I find that commendable.
Now to wait for the next volume in November.
If you ever want to know how it feels to be courted by Jade Leech from Twisted Wonderland, but in the form of a dragon descendant instead of a 4 meter long moray eel, definitely read this book.
Nah, I'm only half joking. Maybe.
This makes quite an interesting read. It starts out with a classic engagement break-up scene, but this isn't a villainess story. Instead, the main character Agnes has suffered gaslighting for six long years in the hands of her stupid fiancé who ends up cheating on her. She's been brainwashed to believe that her appearance is vile, and that her ability to communicate with spirits is creepy. The fact that she sprouts mushroom on people (mostly men) really isn't helping, so her self esteem is at rock bottom. Well... except she soon receives a marriage proposal from Claude, her ex's cousin and a prince with a massive mushroom fetish.
See? Jade Leech.
I love this series. It's obviously not the greatest piece of literature ever written or anything, but it's a lot of fun. In a sadistic way, yes, but still fun. Rachel is a hilarious main character who keeps me entertained the entire time, and so I flew through the majority of this book in one sitting.
The second volume sees the conclusion of Rachel's story. I was expecting her stupid fiancé and his cronies to harass her again only to get counterattacked, but the book does more than that. It delves into Margaret's background, and why she wants to snatch the prince from Rachel so badly. I feel like it could be a quite compelling story on its own, but this book isn't about her. We also get a glimpse into Rachel's past towards the end, to see what exactly happened between her and the prince when they were small. Unlike Margaret, however, little explanation is needed for Rachel's behavior aside from the fact that she is 100% a psychopath. There are also a few new characters introduced here, and all of them are horrible. That's why this is such a fun read. My favorite is Sykes' lovely fiancée, Martina the incarnation of love and death.
Oh, and Haley. Haley is cute.
In any case, the series has a pleasant ending. Pleasant for me, that is. And for Rachel, who gets Margaret as her new toy. Maybe not so much for the prince, but again... this isn't about him. All's well that ends well!
Not something I'd usually enjoy, but it's quite an interesting read. This is a collection of short stories involving women and the varying kind of relationships they happen to be in, including affairs, incest, marriage, or even divorce. Each story is told in a realistic and introspective way, so we get to see more inner thoughts than action. Some stories are nicely told while others start and end abruptly, so overall I'm rather neutral towards this anthology.
Weirdly enough, Josee's story might be my least favorite.
Oh, this is a really cute read.
Despite the title, it's not a retelling of Rapunzel and the only similarity Lille has with Rapunzel is that she was trapped in a tower for ten years. Lille is then rescued and moves in with the sorcerer Charles, his apprentice Leo, and Ark the bird familiar—her new family. Charles owns a magic item shop with barely any customers, and business only starts improving after Lille decides to help. That being said, there are actually not many scenes involving the magic items or the customers either. The main focus lies on the theme of family, and then shifts to romance. For that reason, the book reads more like a shoujo story with magical elements.
This story is actually one of the cases in which it could've benefited from more books. The plot is well-thought, but due to the length of the book, sometimes it feels like things are moving too fast. Including the romance. The story does a nice job at covering Leo's and Charles' past, but the romance actually developed before it even gets to that point. It starts really early, though to be fair, it is love at the first sight so in the end I don't mind it that much. Aside from this pacing issue, I enjoyed the book a lot. It's cute and wholesome, the characters are so warm, and it also ends nicely with a happy ending. I do have to say, though... if you're not into teacher-student romance, then it might not be for you because Charles is technically Lille's magic teacher.
I also took a peek at the web novel version, and Kurisu Hiyoko described this as a story where Lille experiences all sorts of things for the first time. Each sub-chapter's title also starts with the word “first”, such as “first guest”, “first cooking”, and of course “first love”. It sums up the story pretty well. I like the writing style a lot, actually. I hope they'll pick up more of Kurisu's works, preferably the ones that are centered around food.
Actual rating: 2.5★
Rounded up because the art is pretty.
I honestly don't know how to feel about this book.
The premise itself sounds really interesting. It's isekai where beauty standards are seemingly reversed from the world we know, so our main character Yura, who is deemed as plain and uninteresting in the real world, becomes an unparalleled beauty in the land of Tolkinia. In contrast, a handsome knight named Sei is bullied and ridiculed for being the “ugliest” man in the nation. Life sucks for Yura anyway, with her getting accused of theft she didn't commit and her best friend being fed up with her inability to stand up for herself. A trip to another world that worships her for her beauty seems fun and different, right?
Right.
If the book stays with that concept, that is.
It doesn't.
My biggest problem with this book is that the blurb is pretty much half of the book. It moves at a pace so slow it's rather maddening, with prettily written sentences that barely contribute anything to the plot. By the time I reached the last chapter, I realized that the story hasn't made much progress because it has so much padding. It felt like reading pages and pages of... nothing. Yura spends so much time panicking, running around, and crying, only to end up at the exact same spot anyway. Maybe it's because of the flat writing or the overall sombre tone of the book, but whenever it tries to insert funny, lighthearted moments, it just falls flat.
Speaking of Yura, I have a problem with her too. Her personality is so inconsistent. Yura is supposed to be shy and timid, but as soon as she lands in Tolkinia, she does things that aren't exactly shy and timid. She talks back to people. She barges into places she shouldn't be. She charges into things without thinking. She even laughs at the emperor, and considering they're not close or anything, behaves inappropriately towards him. It would've been fine if she gradually opens up to the people around her, but there's nothing gradual about this. To make it even worse, she plays her “coward” card randomly. It's either she just remembered that she's supposed to be one, or it's necessary for plot reasons. There's no such thing as a smooth transition in this book, everything comes and goes abruptly, leaving me unsure about what just happened.
That being said, I do find the plot interesting, thin as it may be at this point. For that reason alone, I will give the next volume a try even if I can't shake off the feeling that the writing isn't really for me.
Actual rating: 4.5★
The Holy Grail of Eris puts a twist on the usual villainess story, turning it into something completely different. It starts with the main character catching her fiancé cheating on her, followed by her getting falsely accused of bullying and then getting her engagement dissolved... but not in the usual way. From there, the story just shoots off into an entirely different direction and honestly? I'm here for it.
Constance Grail aka Connie, our main character, isn't even a villainess. She's not blessed with good looks, remarkable intelligence, or outstanding athletic abilities. Connie is a normal, plain girl you could find pretty much anywhere, and even though she is a noble, her family is burdened by a large debt. The beautiful and smart villainess of this story is Scarlett Castiel, who is... dead. She got executed in public ten years ago, after she got accused of attempting to poison the crown princess, and now she needs Connie's help to find out who framed her.
Being the first volume, this book is laying down the basis of all the mysteries and political intrigues which may or may not be related to Scarlett's death. There's a lot of things going on, and there's also quite a long list of side characters. It may be difficult to remember who is who at first, but the story pulled me in pretty quickly. They also have a character sheet that's updated after each chapter, which can provide interesting commentaries.
Personally, I really like Connie's relationship dynamics with Scarlett. Scarlett is smart with a photographic memory, and while Connie seems to pale in comparison in every single aspect, she does have her own set of good traits. Mainly sincerity and kindness, which Scarlett is pretty much unfamiliar with. I also like Connie with Randolph, so I'm hoping the characters will be developed nicely as they try to solve all these unanswered questions.
Oh, and as for what the titular “Holy Grail of Eris” is? For now, your guess is as good as mine. Or Connie's. And Scarlett's. We know nothing about it LOL.
This is honestly so dumb, but the best kind of dumb.
As one could expect from a main character who believes cross-dressing could save her from impending doom, Cecilia continues to be wild and unpredictable in the second volume. Which, unfortunately for Gilbert and Oscar, leads to a lot of problems caused by raging teenage hormones. There's a smaller focus on character introductions compared to the previous book, since Cecilia is now familiar with most people who have made appearance so far. Only two of the otome game's love interests remain unknown for now, and Cecilia doesn't seem interested in them either so we learn nothing about them except for their names.
This book focuses on a new love interest, Mordred, and the potential disaster waiting to happen in his otome game route. Cecilia spends the majority of the book getting to know him and his comatose sister in the hope of avoiding the Holy Maiden role, only to find out that the truth isn't even close to what she expected. She does, however, gain a new transmigrated friend who's basically just a different species of Lean. If Lean is into writing BL, this one is really into voice actors... thus adding to the many categories of otome game fandom.
Compared to the previous volume, this one also gives Gilbert a little bit more spotlight than Oscar. It may also give him a little bit of hope. Just a little bit. Because Cecilia is Cecilia. Lean is hinting that Cecilia, in her previous life, does have a favorite character in the game, but since she's... like that... I honestly can't predict where they're going with this LOL.
Looking forward to the next one!
What's amazing about this series is that Mia's growth as a character is undeniable, and yet the fact that she's petty, cowardly, and gluttonous never changes no matter how much she's grown. Mia is still the same old Mia in vol. 7, but we get to see different sides of her as she deals with various issues. The book starts by wrapping up the plot involving the Chaos Serpents and children of the four dukes, with Mia returning home for her birthday celebration festival. This part of the story is a bit heavy on the politics than usual. It's definitely not what Mia intended, but it seems like her path towards becoming Tearmoon's first ever empress is starting to be laid out.
After that, the story shifts to a problem in Perujin involving Shalloak Cornrouge, the Merchant King who refused Mia's request for help and also humiliated her in the previous timeline. This leads to Mia visiting Perujin in person, which is nice since we've known Rania and Arshia for quite a while now, and we can finally see their home country in this book. In her attempt to solve the conflict, we also get to see how impeccable Mia's etiquette is. She is a princess after all. She's grown quite diplomatic and compassionate, showing massive improvements to how she used to be in vol. 1, even if the reason behind her actions are usually as simple as... food. The way she solves the main problem, however, does nothing to clear people's misconceptions of her. So her reputation as the Great Sage of the Empire continues to soar, and the Mia cult is ever-expanding.
As a side note, Mia has also become pretty sharp when it comes to sensing danger. She knows by instinct which course of action would lead her straight back to the guillotine, and she does everything she could to avoid that outcome. Regardless of her true intentions, she's actually doing an amazing job at being a princess and potential empress LOL. However, the book also points out Mia's habit of overeating and what kind of future it could lead her to. As the result, there's quite a lot of fat jokes again in this volume, so do keep that in mind if you're sensitive to that.
Looks like the next book will be focusing on Sion, who seems to have developed some feelings for Mia by now. Exciting. What's not exciting, however, is the fact that I have to wait two more months for it to come out. Cries.
Following Aileen's successful quest of conquering Claude, the demon king, and becoming his fiancée, the story moves on to the game's sequel in this book. In a true otome game series standard, the second game has its own heroine and last boss, and it also takes place in a different place. This allows us to see a popular genre in otome games that we didn't have the chance to see in the previous book: school life. Due to certain circumstances, Aileen decides to disguise herself as a male student and sneak into Misha Academy in the hope of preventing destruction.
As far as the story goes, this second volume is a little weaker than the first for me simply because I find school settings rather restrictive. It limits Aileen's activities to only things she can do inside an academy, even though she's still a brilliant main character. She also gets a whole new batch of pawns allies, and considering the game has a fandisk and even more sequels, this will probably be a reoccurring thing. The story does a pretty good job distinguishing all the new side-characters though, so no complaints from me.
Again, the only reason I'm rating this 4★ is the translation. It's still stiff with weird wording choices, and at times it really diminishes my enjoyment because the lines don't flow naturally. There's still a lot of usage for “to begin with” as a sentence opener, and also plenty of lines which were obviously translated literally without any paraphrasing. Not sure if they're going to maintain this quality for the rest of the series, but for this book the translation is still subpar. It really doesn't do the original justice.
Please, be thorough with the editing and proofreading for future volumes. I will not stop saying this until it gets better, because it's really such a shame.
Taking place immediately after the previous book, volume 5 is set in spring as Rimi prepares for her enthronement ceremony. The ceremony itself is split into three parts, and in this book she has to deal with the first one: the Executive Audience. Rimi has come a long way from the rather unremarkable girl she was at the beginning. She has made a difficult decision, and she's also found the inner strength to see it through until the end even if it's hurting her.
Except it won't go that smoothly, of course, since we're only halfway through the series. :')
At first, the book focuses on the trouble brewing up among some of the ministers who clearly have no respect for Shohi as the emperor. Add some anti-Wakoku racism into it, and before long Rimi finds herself backed into a corner by these people. While she manages to deals with this gracefully, it only leads to a more blatant assassination attempt that throws her into a sticky situation... with Jotetsu. Up until now, Jotetsu has been a complete mystery who is hard to read. No one knows where his loyalty truly lies, but we finally get to learn his background and motivations here. It's a lot more sincere than I expected, and the book does a nice job in getting him out of the complicated situation he was placed in.
The problem is, the same can't be said for Shusei. If anything, Shusei just went further into the other direction. His issue stays on the sidelines at the beginning, and he even assists Rimi in her lessons for the Executive Audience, only for the entire thing to come back in full force towards the end. This marks a major shift in the series, and Rimi can probably say goodbye to the peaceful days she spent cooking with Shusei. Even this particular volume is heavily political, though Rimi still finds the time to cook a tasty noodle dish to save Jotetsu's life. Oh, and Rimi still brings up her sister in times of crisis. It feels especially out of place in this volume because she's been surviving just fine without memories of her sister, but clearly she plans to do this forever so I give up questioning this particular part.
If volume 4 sets the overarching plot into motion, volume 5 accelerates it at an alarming speed. I might have picked up this series for the food, but I love court politics just as much. I honestly don't care about what's right or wrong in fiction, and I also like Shusei a lot more than Shohi so I'm really excited to see the chaos that's about to unravel LOL.
So, last time I sure whined about how this series starts with a really long set-up, resulting in a rather slow pace until we get to the action scenes. Well, volume 3 is different. It's the last book of the first year arc, so while it feels like an extension of the previous two books, this is where all the action takes place. It starts with an urgent situation right off the bat and has the single goal of solving this problem, so it's fast-paced with relentless combat scenes.
Volume 3 focuses solely on the horrible life of Ophelia Salvadori and the chaotic mess it plunged her into. As a descendant of the succubi bloodline, she can't help but spread a certain scent that causes male arousal. Obviously, that led to all sorts of trouble when she started going to Kimberly. And if you add love to the equation, the end result can't possibly be anything good. Her story is tragic, but seeing that this series is selling the whole mad and dark side of magic, it's handled pretty nicely. The ending is especially fitting, and for once the flashbacks actually enhance the story without feeling like they're just extra attachments.
As far as the main cast goes, Katie and Guy aren't a part of the adventures this time. By adventure I mean labyrinth exploration, really, because 90% of the book is set in the second and third layers of the labyrinth. In exchange, Miligan joins Oliver's party as a mentor and guide. There's a lot of relationships developing between the side characters, but unfortunately the majority of them are left hanging at the end of the book. It ends rather abruptly without any follow-ups on what happened to some of the characters. Some are kidnapped, others got injured in battle, and I guess it's up to volume 4 to show if they survived at all.
Despite this being an enjoyable fantasy read, I feel like it would've been nicer if we get to see more character personality instead of magic and combat techniques. It's not like the characters are bland without notable personality traits or anything, but it doesn't seem to be enough. They come off as a little weak and not fleshed out enough, especially when compared to the richness of the battle scenes. It feels like we know a lot about the characters' magic prowess and combat capabilities, but them as people? Not as much. The more I read from this series, however, I wonder if it's just the author's way of doing things.
Oliver and friends are entering the second year arc next, but I'm going to take a break until volume 6 comes out to avoid any possible cliffhangers. With Ophelia's issue taken care of, it seems like he's finally going back to his revenge plan soon. Exciting.