DNF 30%
Was I excited about a book about the werewolf fighting sisters? Yes. Along with the search for where you really belong and the effects of childhood trauma? Quite a Bit

But honestly, as I listened to it I continued to find myself uninterested in the lives of these people.

I both tried to read and listen to this book. Because the premise intrigued me. But in the end I had to give up and just DNF it.
The lack of characters and monologue structure left me wanting.
I am left wondering about this world that she resides in and even to some extent her history. The monologue structure meant that we couldn't really learn about this world further we were entirely trapped in this very narrow view of it. In the perspective of someone who didn't really seek out more information to even benefit herself at any point in the first third of the book.
In the end it ended up feeling very dull and progressed really slow.

This book brought me so much happiness, it was an incredibly sweet story through and through.
Cerys growth through this book as her world grows is incredibly intriguing, along with the relationship that they build along the way.

My only complaint is that I wanted to know so much more about this world than what was shown, instead of digging into the nitty gritty, it gets brushed into the void of "oh this has been lost to history" which left me wanting so much more.

Did I go in expecting a Beauty and The Beast retelling? Yes.
Am I pretty certain I missed the mark? Yes.

Pros:
I am very interested in this world, and especially The Order. The Idea of a "group that works by magic, for magic, and of magic" really intrigues me, and I want to know more about it. As well as magic in general.

The two separate storylines depicted in these books were both fascinating. I found them enjoyable overall.

The depictions of this world are gorgeous. It makes for an exciting backdrop.

Cons:
The characters, specifically Guideau:, all feel very flat, like nothing exists deeper than the surface level for them.

I also worry that Guideau's story will end up being something along the lines of oh the witch trapped them in a girl's body to cause them to be weak or something like that which is far from appealing.

The storylines feel rushed, not at all fleshed out, leaving you wanting more but not in a good way.

Conclusions:
I could very well not be the demographic for this manga. When giving opinions on anime and manga, I always try to make that clear since it is a place where things are very much written for a specific demographic.

If you are looking for some awesome fight scenes and some beautiful art, I would definitely recommend this manga. I do think it has room to be an amazing manga series. But at least the first volume feels a bit flat.

I was excited about this manga because honestly, I'm a sucker for overly romantic anime and manga. The kind that even border on cringeworthy.

But I'm also a fluff+story type of person. Which to my disappointment was sorely lacking in this manga. Which is made only worse give that this book is LITTERALLY called "Shikimori's not just a cutie." you'd think that would mean there is a story like something is happening. But no that's not the case.

Instead, it is mostly episodic, and follows the same path of "oh my girlfriend is so cute", *something happens*, "oh wait my girlfriend is also cool".
It quickly felt repetitive and dull.

Read it if:
You're going to slowly consume it, to ensure you don't get sick of the repetitively.
You really need some fluff in your life.

This book brought me so much happiness that it's honestly hard to put into words.
The first part being plus-sized merfolk, I have always loved the idea that much like other marine mammals such as whales, they'd need a layer of insulating fat and to see that depicted was heartwarming.

The representation of people from a variety of the LGBT+ community, as well as talking about body dysmorphia was really cool. I think the way it is both shown and explained in this book is fantastic.

There is so much I loved about this book that I can't talk about because it does feel like spoilers. But if you like books about queer folk and mermaids you will definitely enjoy this.

I work hard to follow intuitive eating practices, typically. And when I saw this book, I thought it would give me more information on how to better doing that. And expanding that knowledge. Especially coming from a background where I have a less than healthy relationship with food.

But the further I read into this book, I felt like the author was pressing me to feel bad for not following this way of thought perfectly. I ended up skimming the last chunk before the recipes to find caveats of information I might find useful, and there are some great pointers for people new to mindful eating. But as someone who has an unhealthy relationship with food, instead of promoting a good relationship between my body and food. I was left feeling that the mechanisms that I use to ensure I make it thru periods of my life are wrong.

This book may be good for people without a history of disordered eating, but I wouldn't recommend it for people who do.

This book has been calling to me since I brought it home from the library and once I began consuming it it was near impossible to put down.

Am I a sucker for fairy tale retellings? Most definitely, but I must say this book stretches far beyond what we typically think of as fairy tale retellings into something that I don't really have the words for. This book feels like it takes the archetypes we've come to know and takes them and turns it on it's head showing us that under the pretty wrapping those stories are dark and there are things such as trauma and abuse, we leave untouched because it can't be tied up into a cute little bow at The End.

It was nice to see this story look into the repercussions of the stories we cherish, but also being able to see older queer women depicted in fiction. Seeing them get to raise families and have lives and deal with the struggles their lives have left them with.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes, it's short, compelling, and a story you won't regret.

Women Supporting Women!

Honestly when I read that this was a "feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale" I took it with a grain of salt. Even having read Bashardoust's other work "Girl, Serpent, Thorn". I wasn't sure I'd be in love with this book but I fell head over heels in with this book. I will in the future be purchasing this book for my collection to ensure that my little sister has the opportunity to read it.

I feel like even as an adult, I still live in a world where all to often supportive female companionships are not depicted often, if at all. So watching the companionship between Mina and Lynet, ebb and flow as it develops was amazing.

The found the parallels between characters incredibly interesting. Along with the development of characters, both main characters and side characters.

The underplayed theme that meant so much to me was that Family is who you make it. Mena was Lynet's mother was because she cared for and nurtured her rather then trying to stuff her into the place left by a dead woman.

Spoiler

Lynet's thoughts on whether the mother that her father depicted and tried to mold her into was the way her mother really was. That all she ever heard her mother described as was, Beautiful and Delicate. When in reality no one is just those two things, people are much more complicated than that.

In retrospect, Amelia feels like a reference to how demur Snow White from the Disney version feels.

I feel like how fed up Mena was with The King's treatment of her daughter was really underplayed. And that the boiling point was shown in her asking "Don't tell you mean to marry her?" in regards to Lynet taking her mothers place. Like this was a deep cut just generally. But especially given the context of this conversation, with her father pushing her to become more like her mother.

As someone who identifies as queer this book resonated with me so much. It very much feels like a book that needs to be read, because while it has a happy ending. I know so many people don't have the same opportunities to escape and happiness.