Rikachi

I won't lie, I picked this book up because of the beauty of it's cover. Yeah, yeah, I've heard the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" but sometimes you just have to read the pretty books. That's the law... well, in my mind.

Nina the Starry Bride is a beautiful story with drama and intrigue littered throughout. It's not a series I'll be continuing with, but I did really enjoy traversing through Nina's world. The illustrations alone are worth the read.

Our female lead is strong, kind and beautiful. The story was very predictable though. Some of the characters are down right annoying though...

Overall, a great manga read if you want to dive into a new manga story.

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (mer)

A Wish

If you are looking for a classic shojo manga, Nina the Starry Bride has all the great qualities of the genre. Nina has only known life on the streets, and her small family is everything to her. Betrayed and sold to Prince Azure, she must now pretend to be princess-priestess Alisha. Rikachi and her team have created a fun fantasy setting with a lot of potential. Nina is cute and spunky, who instinctively wants to help others. Azure is cold and aloof, with a mixture of motivations for his deceptions. The art itself is fun to read. Rikachi shows great creativity by designing a unique fantasy culture. The character’s outfits are charming with many details.

The story itself is a bit problematic in both pacing and character consistency. From the beginning Nina’s identity is lost to the charade of being the princess-priestess. Nina herself, becomes committed to the deception due to her kind heart. Also, despite Azure kidnapping her, Nina feels a deep empathy toward him and his family. All of this seem to happen very fast, leaving Nina a bit weak willed. Being both a princess and priestess seems over complicated in many parts of the story. Parts that hopefully will be addressed in future books.

Nina the Starry Bride is a charming light read, with some fun potential relationship drama.… (mer)