A review by novelbloglover
The Crimson Spell, Vol. 1 by Ayano Yamane

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 

Book Review 

Title: Crimson Spell Vol. 1 by Ayano Yamane 

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT 

Rating: 4 Stars 

Crimson Spell is a manga that I read while it was publishing but I never finished the series and I am now. We are introduced to Prince Vald of the kingdom of Alsvieth and in order to protect his Kingdom from monsters he takes up a cursed sword that has been in his family and sealed for generations. Now cursed, Vald can’t stay in his kingdom and he has to travel to find a sorcerer who can break the curse thus he ends up meeting, Halvir Hroptr. Halvir or Havi is willing to help Vald in exchange for a gift equal to the power of the curse but it isn’t going to be easy. Vald can’t give him the sword but he offers to help Havi on any endeavours he has which Havi accepts. 

That night Havi learns the true nature of the curse when he removed Vald’s curse suppression cuffs while he is sleeping and he awakes as a beast. In this form, Vald gives off a lot of negative energy which manifests as anger and aggression within the beast. In order to protect himself in the future, Havi decides to harness that energy but he needs to sleep with Vald in order to complete the ritual which he does. However, the next morning Vald has no memory of the time he spent in the beast form and what took place between him and Havi. The set off for a famous shrine which Havi wants to raid but it is guarded by monsters, Vald kills the dragon outside which frees a spirit named Ruruka who was the attendant of the shrine’s former master. While Havi is exploring he triggers a trap that will kill him unless medicine can be crafted but Vald sucks at it so Ruruka assumes a human form in order to help him before returning to his original rabbit form. During this process Vald seems to notice that Havi’s body feels familiar to him but he can’t figure out why. 

Afterwards, they decide to seek help from the city of sorcerers but the second they enter they are arrested, Vald because he is cursed and Havi because he was banished. We learn that as a young child studying at the academy, Havi was tricked into unleashing the time insect which froze the academy in time and everyone within it as well. Havi now 10 years older and wiser breaks the hold of the time insect but the academy have been treating Vald poorly. After transforming in order to protect himself, Vald develops a raging fever, Ruruka does his best to help but ends up exhausting himself. When the sorcerers find Vald he is a poor state so one of them places Vald in time suspension so they can get him back to the city before healing him. That night Havi takes Vald and flees the city fearing what the sorcerers might do to Vald and they continue on their journey.