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kkimlyreads's review
3.0
Interesting premise…but by the time I finished this volume I had no idea what it was about. We’ll see in the next volume.
jay99brooke's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
_ashton_reads_'s review
3.0
Beautiful artwork and reminds me of Diabolik Lovers. Just a bit too fast paced, which makes the story seem cheesy rather than fleshed out.
kayladbruns's review
4.0
I've been intrigued since I saw it was coming out a few months back. This has a gothic setting, even the mansion and clothes. It was easy to get swept away in the story and the artwork. It kind of reminds me of [b:Kiss of the Rose Princess, Vol. 1|23502257|Kiss of the Rose Princess, Vol. 1|Aya Shouoto|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438247115l/23502257._SY75_.jpg|15458839]. Just the harem aspect and the vibe. Speaking of harems, those are my favorites to read about. However, Levi better be endgame. After the big reveal at the end of the book, I sure am ready for volume two.
ladyfives's review against another edition
This art's got me starry-eyed. I forgot how much I like the unapologetic shoujo art style with sparkly rose petals and hair flying all over the place and beautiful elaborate outfits. The lovely Gothic vibes are just what I wanted, and I like the premise we're going into book 2 with: it's borderline dating sim-esque and y'know what, today I love it.
The main girl is a drag (I don't understand why she insists she needs to work? Like, is she getting paid? What's she gonna do with the money? Is it just weird service repayment?) and while she ostensibly makes all the decisions re. what happens to her, they're all decisions that serve other people and don't do much to characterize her, so they don't feel like they count. I can appreciate the effort put in to essentially having your cake and eating it too--Stella is these boys' servant, but she also decides to be their servant, so she's technically not a ragdoll shoved around by the whims of the plot and nasty dudes. and ok fine i'm here for it give me the sparkly blood-drinking
That said it's got some unique elements that I'm eager to see them use (such as Gilbert and the crystals). And I want to see more outfits!!!
The main girl is a drag (I don't understand why she insists she needs to work? Like, is she getting paid? What's she gonna do with the money? Is it just weird service repayment?) and while she ostensibly makes all the decisions re. what happens to her, they're all decisions that serve other people and don't do much to characterize her, so they don't feel like they count. I can appreciate the effort put in to essentially having your cake and eating it too--Stella is these boys' servant, but she also decides to be their servant, so she's technically not a ragdoll shoved around by the whims of the plot and nasty dudes. and ok fine i'm here for it give me the sparkly blood-drinking
That said it's got some unique elements that I'm eager to see them use (such as Gilbert and the crystals). And I want to see more outfits!!!
boopointeshoes's review
The men were creepy and sexually assaulted the female lead.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
tashatarae's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
saramarie08's review
3.0
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
Stella wakes up from a beautiful dream, and finds herself in a strange bedroom in a luxurious manor. Watching over her is Levi, a dashingly handsome young man, who explains her carriage crashed and he saved her, but the driver met his unfortunate demise. Stella was on the way to be a live-in maid at another manor, so she pleads with Levi to employ her as a maid, and he accepts. He introduces Stella to the other residents, one whom attacks her. Stella starts to notice strange things about the manor’s residents, and she’s disturbed that they won’t let her leave to go to the village. Despite their strangeness, Stella finds herself falling for Levi, and the two grow extremely close. When her attacker breaks loose and starts being vicious again, the residents must let Stella in on their secret: they are vampires, and they must do something terrible to keep themselves sane and non-violent.
This is a pretty typical vampire romance with a young lady who is inexplicably alluring, and several young, handsome men vying for her attention. All four of them make comments in quick succession about how wonderful Stella smells, and they're all attracted to her despite Levi being her obvious choice. This story also uses the vampire trope of fatal attraction: even though Stella keeps finding out terrible things, she is still unable to stop herself from falling in love. There is discussion about the vampires doing even more evil to damn their souls, so there's a dash of Buffy and Twilight in there as well. There is a slightly different spin on vampirism introduced right at the end, so hopefully there's something new that can keep readers interested.
Ishizue's illustrations are the typical of shōjo: very detailed characters and scenes but lots of blurred backgrounds that draws the emphasis on the characters and their expressions. The character outfits were, for the most part, beautifully designed and drawn.
VIZ rates this for Teen Plus, which is probably for some of the violent elements (when Stella is attacked) in this volume. There might be more later on in between Levi and Stella that would make this series a little less appropriate for younger audiences.
Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.
Stella wakes up from a beautiful dream, and finds herself in a strange bedroom in a luxurious manor. Watching over her is Levi, a dashingly handsome young man, who explains her carriage crashed and he saved her, but the driver met his unfortunate demise. Stella was on the way to be a live-in maid at another manor, so she pleads with Levi to employ her as a maid, and he accepts. He introduces Stella to the other residents, one whom attacks her. Stella starts to notice strange things about the manor’s residents, and she’s disturbed that they won’t let her leave to go to the village. Despite their strangeness, Stella finds herself falling for Levi, and the two grow extremely close. When her attacker breaks loose and starts being vicious again, the residents must let Stella in on their secret: they are vampires, and they must do something terrible to keep themselves sane and non-violent.
This is a pretty typical vampire romance with a young lady who is inexplicably alluring, and several young, handsome men vying for her attention. All four of them make comments in quick succession about how wonderful Stella smells, and they're all attracted to her despite Levi being her obvious choice. This story also uses the vampire trope of fatal attraction: even though Stella keeps finding out terrible things, she is still unable to stop herself from falling in love. There is discussion about the vampires doing even more evil to damn their souls, so there's a dash of Buffy and Twilight in there as well. There is a slightly different spin on vampirism introduced right at the end, so hopefully there's something new that can keep readers interested.
Ishizue's illustrations are the typical of shōjo: very detailed characters and scenes but lots of blurred backgrounds that draws the emphasis on the characters and their expressions. The character outfits were, for the most part, beautifully designed and drawn.
VIZ rates this for Teen Plus, which is probably for some of the violent elements (when Stella is attacked) in this volume. There might be more later on in between Levi and Stella that would make this series a little less appropriate for younger audiences.
Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.