Reviews

I want to start this by saying that Pepperco draws the prettiest books throughout this manga. I love the old editions of popular (and more discrete) books that are sprinkled throughout volume two especially.

Volume two really did feel like a bit of a filler story. Outside forces (AKA Alice's mother and fiancee, Edward) start working against Hanako and Alice by separating them for the mass majority of this volume. Most of this one is filled with Alice and Hanako each in their own little bubbles trying to figure out why the other one no longer wants them around, while in reality, they are deeper in love with each other than ever before. This got to be a bit tedious at times, especially because not much else happened in this one. I am glad that some secrets about Eliza and Victor came out during this one, otherwise the plot wouldn't have progressed at all.

I did enjoy the introduction of some random side characters in this volume. Susie, one of Edward's maids, has a tragic backstory and some wonderful advice for Hanako. And the bookseller, Marie, was quite eccentric and above all else, adorable. The side story that these two shared at the end is so wholesome and I'm interested to see if anything else happens between these two.

Overall, this middle volume is very meh. It leaves me curious to see if Alice and Hanako could possibly end up with a happy ending despite their families and the time period that they are in. Unfortunately, my library doesn't currently own the third one, so these questions will stand unanswered for quite some time. I'm not terribly attached to these characters though, so I'll be fine.

suerte_encantada's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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