H. Cat
I was ensnared by the vines of this story from the first word to the last. Even when I realized what was happening, even when I got a little impatient, it had its thorns sunk deep. Even now they still cling.
I think this book will stay with me for a long time. It's already on my favorites shelf in my room, and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
I liked the story in this book, the concept of it, and even the execution. The similarities and influence of Howl's Moving Castle is strongly evident, but didn't take away from the story overall, and I'm glad I read the book.
Reading the book, though, was a struggle, and this is for two reasons:
First, what is with the overabundant use of similes??? Yes similes can be a useful tool in descriptions, but they shouldn't be the main tool in descriptions, and there were SO MANY OF THEM. Half the time they detracted from the perfectly good description the author already had going. Sometimes they didn't even make sense, but the overall annoyance was the fact that they were EVERYWHERE. The repetition of simile usage pulled me out of the book so many times. :-(
Second was the main character. Foss's character is mainly built around the fact that she considers herself terribly ugly and has experienced trauma because of that fact. She is insecure and feels unworthy of the things she would like to pursue in life (love, marriage, kids, etc) and has resigned herself to being alone and unloved. Understandably, this perception and experience has colored her view not only of herself, but the world around her. It doesn't help that in this universe there are sorceresses who are magicked to look otherworldly beautiful, which only heightens the contrast between them and herself, leading her to see everything through a superficial and negative lens. All of this makes sense, fits the character and the story, but the way it is handled made me not like the character at all.
For one thing, the fact that Foss is ugly is told to us, REPEATEDLY, throughout the book. Yes, I can understand that that fact is constantly on her mind, especially when we are surrounded by beautiful sorceresses and a sorcerer, but do we need to hear it EVERY TIME? How about you SHOW it to us instead of telling? And when you do tell us, please do so in different ways. I felt like I was being beaten over the head with the repetition.
Add to that Foss's casual negativity. Excluding her father, everyone in the world is a POS. She immediately assumes the worst in everyone she meets at all times. I get that this is a defense mechanism and a result of her experiences (and I love a good unreliable narrator), but she clings to these assumptions so adamantly that we get tunnel vision, and she never considers anything else about a person. This is a problem because we then get no character development for her. No little breadcrumbs that sow the seeds of change so that when it actually happens or starts to happen it isn't coming completely out of left field. Or happening through the magic of sex.
I will admit, that although her change was sudden, it was incredibly well done, especially with the aftermath feelings. I loved that scene. For the character it was my favorite (and shockingly didn't have similes!)
Overall, I really liked the story of this book, but it was a frustrating read, so although I'm glad I read it, I'm never putting myself through that again.
I definitely want to read more of this series. I picked it up for the MC seeing people as monsters. That detail gave me a sliver of a xxxHolic vibe, and I wanted to see where this story would go. It's an interesting setup, especially with the detective that is introduced in the second story and Shiroshi's nonchalance about the competition. I'm curious and I look forward to seeing what happens next.
OMG to think I almost passed this story up!
I've read/watched many stories where the MC gets tossed back into their own past to change the future. I thought this would be a sweet romance of a story, second chances and all that. Would probably be interesting to see how the MC goes about changing things. Can he change things and win the boy in the end? I was assuming yes, but the journey is what matters.
But then they added the mystery and things got interesting. I can see where our ML is coming from. How can you believe some kid in school is from the future? But if it comes to protecting your dearest sister then how can you not take the chance?
What makes this manga so good is the end. The potential fall out, the stakes, and the turns this story can take! I can't wait to see how it goes and I really hope they don't pull any punches.
Status as of 7/24/24: Pg 207 / Ch 21
I'm debating on if I should DNF this book, which is really disappointing since I was looking forward to it when I first heard about it. I mean, a god of mischief and a gumiho pitted against each other?? How can that not be awesome???
Unfortunately, the gumiho is my least favorite part of this book.
The world we are dropped in is fantastic. I love how it's steeped in Korean mythology without any hand-holding or excuses. A lot of books with more widely familiar mythologies make assumptions that the reader knows who the book is talking about. (At this point who doesn't know who Loki is? Or certain Greek gods? Or hell, how about Christian mythology?) It's high time other cultures were able to do that as well. In this book we get brief descriptions with details that are pertinent to the story, but anything beyond that will have to be researched separately.
One thing I do know - if not specifically from Korean culture - is that gumiho, or fox spirits, are mischievous creatures. They are also cunning and can live for a very long time. The impression I have also gotten from other stories is that their scheming gets more skilled as they get older.
So why does the older fox spirit in this book act like a 16-year-old brat? Her attempts to annoy Seokga are childish, and I cannot put faith in her thwarting him when her thinking is along the lines of a high schooler assuming they can outwit a seasoned veteran in his field. There is a particular scene with a younger gumiho involving food that I really did love. Her instincts there were alien to a human's POV and she disregarded consequences b/c in her mind she should be above them. That attitude totally made sense to me for her character, especially for someone who has lived a long time, but then why does all of that history disappear when faced with Seokga and the rest of the book's plot?
I was also annoyed with the portrayal of Seokga at first, but I've gotten over that one. Granted, I know nothing about the trickster god in Korean mythology, but the fact that he's a trickster god gives me some clue as to what to expect. Except my expectations are nowhere to be seen. In this book he's more of a grumpy old man in a hot young body than a trickster. Though, given he is fallen and really wants to go home, I realize he has priorities to focus on, so the lack of mischief isn't so off for him. It would be cool to see his nature come through somewhere, perhaps even to the (brief or permanent) detriment of his goals b/c he can't help himself, but I don't think this is that kind of book, and that's OK. I totally get the “I just want to go home” feeling. The man has my sympathy, and I wish him success.
From the looks of it, the romance is about to start. Given how much Hani (the gumiho) annoys me, this doesn't bode well for my enjoying it, but we'll see.
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EDIT: 7/25/24
Skimmed the rest of the book last night. There were definitely points I liked with the mystery, and I loved the solution and negotiations of the ending. I really loved the author's choices with the ending. If I had been more emotionally invested in the main characters and their relationship it would have been even better, but even without that, I can appreciated the way the book went. Good choices.
Other points only added to my frustration with the book. Little things here and there, but in particular the scene with the fairy.
I did pick up on the fact that certain scenes were supposed to be amusing and were structured well for that, but overall I'm sad I couldn't enjoy this book more. I really wanted to.
This continues the sweet story from the previous volumes. We get to see how their relationship is progressing and the little moments as they move forward in it. I especially loved the much needed addressing of an unresolved issue. It was something that could have been left alone, but instead the author decided to have the characters work through that moment, and it was lovely.
4.5 rounded up
I can't remember the last time a book made me cry actual tears. This one did. Twice.
The story is more atmospheric than action, and there was a point where I started to feel like it might be bordering on too much atmosphere and not enough action, but it never tipped fully over the line.
I loved this book. I really did. Especially by the end.
And I can't believe I didn't see that twist coming when it was not at all subtly foreshadowed the whole time. I guess I was too wrapped up in the story to notice, but that's a good thing.
I'm not sure how to rate this book.
At first it threw me off, because it wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I am glad I continued reading because the story I found instead was really interesting. As a lover of Danmei (Guardian in particular) I wanted to see where the plot would go and how the reincarnation and longing across ages would play out.
I also enjoyed playing “who was who in the past?” and was pleasantly surprised to be wrong on certain accounts. The book has some nice twists that I did not see coming.
Overall this was a good story. It was threaded together to reveal only what the author wanted at the time it should be. It utilized the idea of love being a feeling from past lives well, and offered us a love story that spanned ages. There was longing and pain, jealousy and passion. Love is messy, and that is true in this book.
Perhaps that is why it left me with such mixed emotions that I can't say if I liked it or not.