This was fun, quick, and quirky!

I liked the fantasy adventure, romance, and the humor more than the romance, but it’s all a good time. Cin’s close-knit seasoning family was so endearing. 

Cin had a personality and a mouth to go with it. She just wanted a simple life. Fallon is a man (demon) that knows what he wants. His banter with Cin was mostly good. Rabbit is a pretty cute pet name, but I’ll never stop cringing at “good girl” and that ugly rooster in all the love scenes. I liked those parts the least of the story and one of them was a little dicey. 

 This will definitely appeal to kids who feel like no one listens to them. K is a character who can’t seem to do anything right in the eyes of others and has terrible luck.

All the adults here are cranky and always yelling, so it’s no wonder K meshes with the animal characters so much better.

Also, there is a nice selection of words here that will build a child’s vocabulary – say hello to incorrigible, intransigent, and caterwauling. 

This was mostly charming. I thought the cartoony art style worked well.

Timid touches on the question: “Why don’t they have Black friends?” 

The story tries to present the scenario where overthinking and shyness prevent a Black person from connecting to their community/peers rather than anti-blackness or being stuck-up. In addition, the character still has to deal with racial microaggressions from others.

It would’ve been nice if Cecil took a more active role instead of having an incident “the wake-up call” with his white friends being the catalyst of reaching out to Sean, but it happens.

also, what was that last line? It was awkward. "I did have something in common with Sean. Something more than just being Black."

Things like this are a very nuanced subject. It can fall into “the Black kids never liked me because I’m different, and they’re all the same” or won’t acknowledge “some people have a narrow view of how they expect you to act or what your interests can be and purposely alienate you.” 

Fortunately, the story acknowledges you can certainly find your brand of people who get you in your race (if you’re alternative or “don’t fit the norm”) and in other races. Ultimately, anyone can jump to conclusions or have preconceived notions, but kids (we) should zero in on their actions, character, and behavior. Is this person exhibiting the qualities of a true friend? Are they treating me well?

Cecil the main character is also an artist, and while his family is supportive his dad has well-meaning but different expectations for him concerning his future career and masculinity. From an adult’s eyes, you can see his dad wants him to stand up for himself, be financially stable, and have better opportunities than he had.

And the “Happy Birthday May the Dear Lord Bless You” song? I was today years old that this is an actual song and not something one of my older relatives created.

 Listen. This isn’t an enjoyable read. You'll be well-acquainted with pain and suffering on every page! You go through hell with this story, but it’s a very fitting end. We are who we choose to be.

I hated how much Iris (and Jinn) got sidelined in this story. I wanted more time with these two (one of my favorite book couples!), but we were given crumbs. Book 3 is the Max and Rin show, which isn't bad but the self-loathing, killing, and iciness got old.

Overall, I enjoyed this series so much and want to read more from Raughley. The first book is still my favorite of all of them. Lulu is so adorable. The author just has a way where you want to pick that little girl up and hug her. She was so precious. I also liked the sisterhood development between

Berta and Rin and Lulu. My girls!

. Adam is ever the sadistic crackhead as before but his shenanigans are still fun to read.

The philosophy and biblical themes are present more than ever here. The book makes us ask ourselves - Why is it so crazy to imagine a world without pain, greed, and people hurting each other?

yay, we finally got Jinn's real name. 

loose ends - did everyone lose their powers at the end? is Chadwick back alive? I'm confused about how much of their old memories did everyone obtain. i wanted to see Jinn fire breath one more time.

I was expecting Iris to give up her death powers to become a human and have her friends returned to life, so this was a different spin. she still kept being a god.

 

Last read episode 156 [rating may change]

I enjoyed the tension and lore of the blood king. You’ll second-guess everything until that’s slowly revealed. Mei was mostly competent until the plot called for otherwise.

Ryusaki was fine except when he flirted with Mei. Their banter could be fun, but, at times, it was just too much. Like, take a hint! If he wasn’t in-universe handsome, he’d been the gross guy hitting on every woman at the gas station.

There’s an instance where Mei narrowly escapes being raped by her former childhood lover. Not even days after, Ryu has cornered Mei and laments about how he should have his way with her, thinking she loves another man. Just no.

This type of thing is no stranger in shoujo manga, and My Dear Coldblooded King is by no means the worst offender. I’ve seen this type of possessive “no man can touch you but me," especially after the female lead has almost been/has been sexually assaulted or harassed. But as I get older, I look at these things more critically now.

When Ryusaki and Mei are good, it’s great. But he basically wore her down until she returned his affection/gave him a chance.

Also, a recurring plot element is Mei’s sexual attraction to the male lead. Mei crying about how she’s such a monster of lust got old quick! It’s been about 7 times you’ve lamented about this either stop putting yourself in those situations to have sex before marriage or sleep with him! Binge reading this repetitiveness was painful but in a weekly webtoon format it’s understandable, not annoying.

Although there are many times when Mei wants to give up on her original decision, Ryusaki honors it with his whole heart, and they only have sex on their wedding night.

I liked the standoffish Katsu though he was hardheaded in his brooding. I thought Mei and he had great chemistry!

Overall, I didn’t lose interest once throughout

 Unfortunately, this wasn’t a good read for me. I wanted to like this much more than I did. The cover, West African setting, and the title really drew me to this.

The pacing wasn’t slow, but I didn’t mesh well with the writing style. So much of it felt like unnecessary details or sterile. We have a fox spirit, kidnapping, and trying to unite two kingdoms! Narborhi is educated and can fight hand-to-hand combat. Nothing about that sounds boring but the execution was.

One of the main conflicts/themes is that Narborhi has seen the horrors of marriage going wrong and leaving women destitute or shells of themselves. Her mother's experience really shaped her worldview.

I like that the book acknowledges that marriage (at least certainly at her age - 16 years old) isn't for everyone. Despite that, many of the characters (one of the male leads even) desired marriage but didn't gaslight or belittle Narborhi's feelings. There's a balance of good and terrible marriage(s) here, but the power imbalances with the majority of the young brides are made very clear.

I liked the Red Tapestry once it was introduced, a haven for women to showcase their skills and talents.