The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up, Vol. 3 by Rino Mayumi

The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up, Vol. 3 by Rino Mayumi

My Rating: ★★★★★

Seren is flying toward her goals at full speed. Literally. Now that she knows she will qualify for the High Mage exam for sure, she’s faced with a new task: figuring out how to tell her family. Seren has also been carefully planting the seeds for her absence once she’s broken her engagement to the prince. As her sister struggles with her new role at the salon, and it becomes clear that things are not what they seemed to her, it’s become clear that Seren is not as replaceable as she thought. Is Seren ready to put her plan into play, especially now that she wants to become a High Mage for herself and not for anyone else’s benefit?

After the last book, I was surprised at how fast the story picked up this time around! Honestly, it blew me away. This volume has everything: action, romance, character growth, and world building. I guess the second book was just a dip in the story because this one came out swinging! There’s also a nice balance between the rotating perspectives. While we still mainly follow Seren while occasionally switching over to seeing things from Viol’s eyes, we hopped over to a few others and it was extremely effective storytelling.

While I wish we learned more about Seren’s parents before this volume, I really enjoyed finally getting to see them. I just wish we knew more about how they were as parents so that I could compare that to their response to learning that Seren was going to be taking the High Mage exam. However, I really did like her parents and I’m excited to see how they pop up in the story again later.

All in all, this was an excellent read. I think this could actually pass as the final book because the story feels complete, but I know there’s four volumes in total since I got the last two books at the same time. I’m interested in seeing where the story goes from here and if we’re going to see things shake up since things run pretty smoothly in this volume.

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride, Vol. 1 by Mamenosuke Fujimaru; Midori Yuma

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride, Vol. 1 by Mamenosuke Fujimaru; Midori Yuma

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Kodansha Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nanao was set to eventually marry into the Byakurenji family when some careful scheming on her cousin’s part changed her life forever. Unfortunately, trusting in her jealous and deceitful cousin led to an attack from an ayakashi, which has left her with the scar and scent of their attack. Nanao doesn’t remember anything from the attack, but her entire future was snatched away and given to her cousin while she’s forced to wear a monkey mask to hide her face, scar, and scent. She has lived her life as an outcast, abandoned by her family, and constantly abused because everyone views her as tainted. Everything changes when the new lord of the Benitsubaki family discovers her and decides that they should marry!

I was interested in this story because this is an adaptation of a light novel from the same creator of Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, and I love the manga adaptation of that series. However, I was still not expecting to love the story as much as I did! We follow Nanao, a young woman who is viewed as tainted by the orangutan ayakashi that attacked her. She’s constantly verbally and physically abused, and she’s forced to secretly work for the same cousin who set her up for life as an outcast. Her entire clan views her as tainted and fears being contaminated by her touch, scent, blood, and even the sound of her voice because they have an obsession with their version of purity.

If you’re a fan of My Happy Marriage, this series is going to be right up your alley. Nanao has been verbally and physically abused for so long that she doesn’t have any self-esteem left, let alone any hope of ever finding happiness. However, thanks to finally getting away from the life she thought she was sentenced to until the end of her days, she’s slowly coming out on the other side. Plus, there’s a lot of interesting characters that come into the picture once she escapes the hell that was once her life. It’s a well-written story that sucks you in right away and blows you away with the stunning artwork. I can’t wait for the second volume!

The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up, Vol. 2 by Rino Mayumi

The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up, Vol. 2 by Rino Mayumi

My Rating: ★★★

After working hard to study magic at lightning speed, Seren is finally ready to test her abilities against magical beasts! It also means that she and Vi are going to have to sneak out without being seen. Seren has a lot on her plate, but she’s determined to become a High Mage and spend her life devoted to magic and everything that comes with it. Unfortunately for her, Prince Helios has finally started paying attention to her as his future wife. Will her old feelings throw a wrench in her plans?

I loved the first book, but I’m a little iffy about the second installment. While a few important things did occur, there was also a whole lot of nothing in between each of the important events. I wouldn’t have minded so much filler if there was some good character development, but that simply wasn’t the case. If anything, I kept thinking about how so much could be solved through simple communication, but then it wouldn’t make the story as fun as it is!

While much of the book covers studying and practicing magic, I did like seeing Seren sneak out and be able to test her magic skills outside of her secret training sessions. It was great to see what everyone was up to and what they were planning in the present. It was also great to see some world building with new characters getting introduced and seeing the characters out on the town. I think the filler would’ve worked out better if it wasn’t constant details on studying and practicing magic. It just gets dull after a while and makes the story feel like it’s at a standstill, especially because there wasn’t much character development happening during the sessions. Honestly, the highlight of the book was the side story at the end.

I swear I’m not full of complaints, though. There was some progress on the romance front with Seren and Viol and it was really cute. We did get to see the super curious side of Seren at some point, and it’ll be fun to see her finally get some character growth in the next book. I kept thinking about how it seems like she doesn’t have any friends, so I’m hoping we’ll see her make a friend once her High Mage plans are out in the open.

The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up, Vol. 1 by Rino Mayumi

 

The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up Vol. 1 by Rino Mayumi

My Rating: ★★★★

Seren has been engaged to her fiancé, Prince Helios, ever since she could remember. She’s spent her life in consort training to prepare for her future as a princess and eventually queen consort. Everything changes when she overhears Prince Helios and his friends talking about how her younger sister, Marietta, would make a much better fiancé. It’s even worse because they all call her Princess Drab! Even her sister believes she should be the real future queen! Brokenhearted, Seren hatches a plan to free Prince Helios from their arranged marriage: she’s going to become a high mage. Now she just needs a magic tutor willing to teach her how to wield her magic in secret!

I’ve gotten into light novels this year and this series is the latest one that I’ve started. We follow Seren and Lord Viol through their rotating perspectives with the occasional glimpse into the story from a supporting character’s view. Our main protagonist is Seren, who is an extremely sweet, thoughtful, and smart person. She has extremely low self-esteem to the point that she isn’t even mad for herself when she overhears the hurtful comments being made about her. Meanwhile, Viol isn’t exactly a people person, but he’s not a bad person. He’s just rough around the edges and people think he’s scary based on the vibes he puts out to keep people from approaching him.

While I do think that some of the characters, especially Seren, needed more character development, I really loved the story. It’s sweet, funny, and just a nice feel good story where we know that Seren will eventually come out extremely happy. I’m excited to see her begin to develop some self-esteem as her story progresses, and I’m feeling hopeful about her future character development. Viol and his shenanigans pretending to be his own Familiar are funny, but it’s fun to see him realize he cares about more than magic.

All in all, it’s an excellent read and I had a hard time putting this book down. The only drawback is that I don’t already have the second book in my hands! It’s easy to identify with Seren, so I’m excited to see the story expand on her as a character. It’s also fun to see the story through various supporting character’s perspectives. Plus, I love learning about the rules of magic in this universe so it’ll be interesting to see how exactly becoming a high mage voids an arranged marriage!

Making Pottery without a Kiln: Happy Little Projects to Make for Your Home by Daniela Schmidt-Kohl

Making Pottery without a Kiln: Happy Little Projects to Make for Your Home by Daniela Schmidt-Kohl

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Fox Chapel Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book caught my eye because it’s a great way to introduce people to different types of clay since most people think of ceramic clay first! This book covers using modeling and air-hardening clay to make household items, and explains the differences between both before diving into the tools and many projects this book covers. I like the nice range of projects they show us because it shows off how versatile these clays can be! I particularly liked the idea of using leaves because I never thought about using them outside of Raku for some reason. I’m excited to use some leaves with my future projects again!

All in all, this is a great book to get readers started with using non-ceramic types of clay. I think it’s a fun way for people to get started in pottery without having to think about kilns or baking their projects in an oven or toaster oven. I think it’s a fun book to check out if you’ve ever been interested in pottery!

Kawaii Café Ramen: Classic, Fun, and Delicious Ramen Meals to Make at Home by Amy Kimoto-Kahn

Kawaii Café Ramen: Classic, Fun, and Delicious Ramen Meals to Make at Home by Amy Kimoto-Kahn

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Rock Point through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a simple to follow and tasty cookbook on ramen, then this book might be for you! Inside, you will find 60+ recipes ranging from soup bases to ramen toppings and side dishes. Of course, you will find a nice range of ramen recipes separated into four categories: pork, chicken, and beef ramen, seafood ramen, vegetable ramen, and spicy and cold ramen. The recipes are clear and easy to follow in addition to sounding absolutely delicious. Plus, there are quite a few illustrated pictures of the dishes rather than photographs. While that may not be for everyone, I thought it was really fun! All in all, I’m excited to make some of the dishes found in this book.

Cute Fantasy Art Class: Mystical Anime Besties by Naomi Lord

Cute Fantasy Art Class: Mystical Anime Besties by Naomi Lord

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Rock Point through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you like to draw and are looking to move to drawing human or fantasy characters, this might be the book for you! Inside you will find tips and tricks to drawing faces, limbs, clothing, and some fantasy elements. I really like that it’s a step-by-step guide because I’m not the best at drawing people, and they break it down in a way that’s not overwhelming. While I picked up the book because I’ve been a fan of Naomi’s artwork for years, learning new things about drawing people and fantasy elements was a nice bonus.