Before he died, the king of a vaguely European country called Castaliae drafted a will to reign in his son’s profligate tendencies. This will calls for the next would-be king to marry a woman of faultless virtue before he can ascend to the throne. Alas, that son is now dead too, and the new heir, Alastair, must also abide by the bizarre terms set forth by his predecessor. … [Read more...] about A Royal Proposition by Marion Lennox and Harumo Sanazaki: C-
Manga
Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You 4 by Karuho Shiina: A-
When Sawako Kuronuma was ostracised by her class due to her gloomy disposition and resemblance to a character from a horror movie, she never would have guessed that there are so many nuances to interactions with other people. Because of her inexperience in this area, she hasn’t learned to be distrustful, and so accepts as genuine the friendly advances of Kurumi, a girl who … [Read more...] about Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You 4 by Karuho Shiina: A-
Flower in a Storm 1 by Shigeyoshi Takagi: B
After being rejected by her first love because of her superhuman strength, Riko is trying to live as unremarkable a life as possible. She believes that the only way she’s going to fall in love is to be “normal,” but this point of view is challenged by the dramatic arrival (with gun and menacing retinue) of rich boy Ran Tachibana, who barges into her classroom one day and … [Read more...] about Flower in a Storm 1 by Shigeyoshi Takagi: B
Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You 3 by Karuho Shiina: A
From the back cover: Sadako finally becomes friends with her classmates, instead of scaring them off. Even Kurumi, the cutest girl in school, wants to be her friend. But will this new friendship make Sadako realize that her feelings for Kazehaya might be more than just friendly? Review: I was bowled over by the surfeit of cute in this volume of Kimi ni Todoke. Let us count the … [Read more...] about Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You 3 by Karuho Shiina: A
Neko Ramen 1 by Kenji Sonishi: A-
Book description: Taisho was a former kitten model who ran away from home and had a hard life on the streets until the day he was saved by a kind ramen shop owner who later served as his mentor. Now Taisho takes pride in his noodles... and is easily angered when customers are dissatisfied! So step aside, Soup Nazi—there's a new cat in town! Review: I readily admit that I … [Read more...] about Neko Ramen 1 by Kenji Sonishi: A-