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ravensandpages's Reviews (598)
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Kodansha!
This beautiful manga follows the titular character Nina, a starving ophan who speedruns her rags to riches arc when she's sold off to become the dead princess's double. Recruited by the princess's half-brother Azure, Nina is now Alisha, the country's priestess-princess, soon to be married to a different country... but this disguise is in name only, as her strong-willed personality keeps shining through in a way only Prince Azure can keep up with.
I found the art style beautiful, but I had a hard time becoming invested in the characters and overall the plot felt contrived. I don't think the tropes (though I love them) were enough to carry me this time, especially given how childish Nina was compared to how mature and controlled Azure seems. I can tell they've got budding feelings, but I don't feel excited about them as a romance given this imbalance. I think I liked the pieces of this story, but found it difficult to love them when put together how they were.
Overall, if you enjoy the sound of the plot, I'd still recommend giving it a try! Disguise tropes are still some of my favorite, and I love the scenes with Nina and the Queen, and the younger prince. I just don't think I'll be continuing beyond this first volume.
❧ 3 ★
This beautiful manga follows the titular character Nina, a starving ophan who speedruns her rags to riches arc when she's sold off to become the dead princess's double. Recruited by the princess's half-brother Azure, Nina is now Alisha, the country's priestess-princess, soon to be married to a different country... but this disguise is in name only, as her strong-willed personality keeps shining through in a way only Prince Azure can keep up with.
I found the art style beautiful, but I had a hard time becoming invested in the characters and overall the plot felt contrived. I don't think the tropes (though I love them) were enough to carry me this time, especially given how childish Nina was compared to how mature and controlled Azure seems. I can tell they've got budding feelings, but I don't feel excited about them as a romance given this imbalance. I think I liked the pieces of this story, but found it difficult to love them when put together how they were.
Overall, if you enjoy the sound of the plot, I'd still recommend giving it a try! Disguise tropes are still some of my favorite, and I love the scenes with Nina and the Queen, and the younger prince. I just don't think I'll be continuing beyond this first volume.
❧ 3 ★
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Kodansha!
I was truly surprised by this manga! I was worried that the storyline would be completely focused on sexual fantasies for the sole purpose of seeing a teen girl in sexual situations, but I was honestly really pleased to see something so heartfelt and hilarious. This story follows Ogami, a lonely girl who isolates herself because she thinks her puberty-fueled fantasies are abnormal, who ends up becoming friends with Yaginuma, a shy boy who has a strange quirk: anyone who touches him will blurt out their innermost thoughts, with zero filter.
I genuinely loved watching the characters grow and change over just one volume, and I especially loved how much of the plot was centered around the reality that Ogami's experience is actually completely normal for girls, and there's an unfair imbalance in what boys are allowed to get away with discussing. The way Ogami deflected with humor in the past and the way she overcorrects at her current school hit incredibly close to home, and I am truly glad to see a group of friends that is so accepting! The scene with Nezu warmed my heart and I adore how Nezu and Ogami bond over dirty magazines while Yaginuma and Matsukuma bond over crafting little stuffed animals. This story turns expectations on their heads in a lighthearted but sincere way, and while I can see how this may not be for everyone, I thought it was a lot of fun and I'm definitely looking forward to the next volume.
I was truly surprised by this manga! I was worried that the storyline would be completely focused on sexual fantasies for the sole purpose of seeing a teen girl in sexual situations, but I was honestly really pleased to see something so heartfelt and hilarious. This story follows Ogami, a lonely girl who isolates herself because she thinks her puberty-fueled fantasies are abnormal, who ends up becoming friends with Yaginuma, a shy boy who has a strange quirk: anyone who touches him will blurt out their innermost thoughts, with zero filter.
I genuinely loved watching the characters grow and change over just one volume, and I especially loved how much of the plot was centered around the reality that Ogami's experience is actually completely normal for girls, and there's an unfair imbalance in what boys are allowed to get away with discussing. The way Ogami deflected with humor in the past and the way she overcorrects at her current school hit incredibly close to home, and I am truly glad to see a group of friends that is so accepting! The scene with Nezu warmed my heart and I adore how Nezu and Ogami bond over dirty magazines while Yaginuma and Matsukuma bond over crafting little stuffed animals. This story turns expectations on their heads in a lighthearted but sincere way, and while I can see how this may not be for everyone, I thought it was a lot of fun and I'm definitely looking forward to the next volume.
This was absolutely wonderful and chilling. Cemented T. Kingfisher as one of my favorite authors. Beautiful! Has a The Crow reference! Roses and birds!!
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Fish-Boy is a wonderfully crafted telling of an Inuit folk tale that I had a delightful time reading. I unfortunately can't give a full five stars because I had a world of trouble opening my review copy and the pages kept glitching out. However, what I was able to read was absolutely five-star material, and I'm sure any parent or educator who has their eye on this title will be completely satisfied introducing it to the children in their care. The art style is gorgeous and engaging and the lovely writing lends itself very well to the tale of Fish-Boy.
Fish-Boy is a wonderfully crafted telling of an Inuit folk tale that I had a delightful time reading. I unfortunately can't give a full five stars because I had a world of trouble opening my review copy and the pages kept glitching out. However, what I was able to read was absolutely five-star material, and I'm sure any parent or educator who has their eye on this title will be completely satisfied introducing it to the children in their care. The art style is gorgeous and engaging and the lovely writing lends itself very well to the tale of Fish-Boy.
