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4.58 AVERAGE
4.58 AVERAGE
galaxcr's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
offservicebookrecs's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
MaoMao would love nothing more than to bury herself in her herbs and experiments forever, but being social is an important part of belonging to the Inner Court. After a night at a spooky soiree takes a mysterious and nearly deadly turn, MaoMao is asked to attend Jinshi on a hunting trip with the enigmatic father of the newest Inner Court concubine. MaoMao can't help but notice that everything is not as it seems at this gathering however, and when a break during the hunt goes sideways, she finds herself stuck between a rock and a hard place with her master in more ways than one.
After this volume I will never look at frogs the same way again. MaoMao's spooky seance will definitely come back to haunt her later, for starters, and I am somewhat surprised that she didn't dig her heels in more at the conclusion of the night, but I know all will be revealed in good time. The conditions under which MaoMao, Jinshi, and the gang find themselves at the hunting party are also incredibly suspicious - throughout, you can see many different threads are being woven into a web from which there will be a very difficult escape in the volumes to come. And finally, a dire need for escape places our favorite couple into forced proximity, with a frog giving the perfect, wrong timing for an encounter which MaoMao is not prepared to have. I am cackling for both of them and incredibly grateful that the will-they-won't they in this stories keeps drawing itself in delicious little circles. I hope the historical romance girlies give this series a chance because this is some of the best tension I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Ribbit.
After this volume I will never look at frogs the same way again. MaoMao's spooky seance will definitely come back to haunt her later, for starters, and I am somewhat surprised that she didn't dig her heels in more at the conclusion of the night, but I know all will be revealed in good time. The conditions under which MaoMao, Jinshi, and the gang find themselves at the hunting party are also incredibly suspicious - throughout, you can see many different threads are being woven into a web from which there will be a very difficult escape in the volumes to come. And finally, a dire need for escape places our favorite couple into forced proximity, with a frog giving the perfect, wrong timing for an encounter which MaoMao is not prepared to have. I am cackling for both of them and incredibly grateful that the will-they-won't they in this stories keeps drawing itself in delicious little circles. I hope the historical romance girlies give this series a chance because this is some of the best tension I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Ribbit.
silverfoxhole's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my god. I can't believe I'm finally caught up with the anime and I also can't believe that parts of this volume are being animated and airing this week.
Okay, first things first... Maomao, girl. Ignorance is bliss, I know, but at what point do you stop lying to yourself? Is it now? Please let it be now.
Second, Lihaku my beloved. I'm so glad to see not only him but also Basen getting more page time. I find them both very endearing and I'm glad to see both of their friendships (-ish) developing with Maomao.
Okay, first things first... Maomao, girl. Ignorance is bliss, I know, but at what point do you stop lying to yourself? Is it now? Please let it be now.
Second, Lihaku my beloved. I'm so glad to see not only him but also Basen getting more page time. I find them both very endearing and I'm glad to see both of their friendships (-ish) developing with Maomao.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
varistea's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
techigeekchic's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
5.0
zibbi_is_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Such a lordly man with confidence in his looks… must possess an equally fine frog.”
Ah yes, a volume that arrived precisely when I needed it, like a perfectly brewed medicinal tea after a week of chewing on moral philosophy and social trauma. I’d just finished a slew of novels heavy enough to make both the bookshelf and my brain groan.
This one is neatly sliced into two parts: a ghost story and a hunting trip that manages to be simultaneously deadly, ridiculous, and oddly romantic.
The ghost story is, frankly, gorgeous. The art alone deserves its own imperial commendation. Shadows slink, expressions shift, and the whole thing has that delightful eerie old-school horror quality art.
Maomao, of course, applies her usual cocktail of science, deduction, and disdain for melodrama, and yet… something about this one felt unfinished. The arc ends so abruptly, it’s as if someone blew out the storytelling candle mid-sentence.
And I must say, it felt most unlike Maomao to simply let things slide. I mean, we’re talking about a woman who would investigate suspicious tea leaves if they looked at her funny, and yet here she is, turning a blind eye to a highly suspect lady-in-waiting who could’ve murdered everyone with incense and folklore.
Honestly, I find it hard to believe she’s being so lenient with Shisui too. I’ve got this wild theory that she’s actually Consort Loulan in disguise. Either Maomao is playing a much deeper game than we realize or she’s finally learned the art of plausible deniability.
We also meet Ba Sen in this volume, son of the famously gruff but gentle Gao Shun. He’s as straight-laced as a military scroll and twice as rigid, but somehow ends up being accidentally hilarious, especially in the way he tries (and fails) to process Maomao’s entire existence.
Then comes the hunt, which is equal parts life-threatening and emotionally confusing. Maomao and Jinshi, together in the wilderness, facing danger, and that most terrifying beast of all: attraction. It’s a comedy of near-misses and veiled gazes, all wrapped up in layers of polite avoidance and inner monologue. If slow burn were a spice, this arc would be marinated in it. The tension! The subtext! Glorious awkwardness! I had to physically restrain myself from squealing out loud and kicking the air like a giddy child while reading the last two chapters.
And that’s the beauty of it, really. My friends, this is what happens when you let a slow burn simmer properly over eleven volumes. This is why we love slow burn romance… because when something finally almost happens, it feels like an earthquake in a teacup.
gjerne_leser's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
marie244631's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Abadakor. C'est que tout s'est accéléré d'un coup.
Après la révélation de la grenouille n'est probablement une surprise que pour Mao Mao et pas pour nous lecteur. Mais enfin, on commence a avoir un peu plus de réponse sur son identité (parce que c'est bien beau de savoir qu'il est haut placé, je suis perdue avec tous ces liens potentiels avec l'empereur.
En tout cas Mao Mao ne cessera jamais de me faire rire.