Hey all, Dani here.
It is time for me to introduce a new series into my Manga Monday posts, because I have no more volumes of One Punch Man to review (until I read more, that is), and this particular series is one that I have started and really enjoyed. Of course, that being said, there are only like 8 volumes out in English right now, so that’s a little bit of a bummer. Oh well. The characters and the story are really interesting, and I’m glad that I decided to give it a try.
Summary
Enter the Magician’s Apprentice
Her name is Chise Hatori, a penniless orphan troubled by visions. Sold as a slave to an inhuman mage, she is about to begin a strange new life, filled with magic, fairies, and other beings of a fantastical nature.
My Thoughts
Rating: 5 stars
Wow, that book summary gives you very little to go on, but I promise that this series actually is full of magic and beings of a fantastical nature. Plus Chise is a pretty interesting character, as is the inhuman mage who buys her to become his apprentice and his wife. I’m sure a lot more will be revealed about this arrangement in time, but for now it is just something that makes you want to keep reading so you can hopefully get all the answers.
Oh here, the Goodreads summary might not be the greatest, but the Book Depository summary is better. I’ll toss that in here:
Chise Hatori has lived a life full of neglect and abuse, devoid of anything resembling love. Far from the warmth of family, she has had her share of troubles and pitfalls. Just when all hope seems lost, a fateful encounter awaits her. When a man with the head of a beast, wielding strange powers, obtains her through a slave auction, Chise’s life will never be the same again. The man is a “magus,” a sorcerer of great power, who decides to free Chise from the bonds of captivity. The magus then makes a bold statement. Chise will become his apprentice – and his bride!
I first learned of this series because my fiance was watching the anime. That seems to happen quite frequently with my manga reads, if I’m being completely honest. I’m totally fine with that. It is how I found My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, Blue Exorcist, and The Ancient Magus’ Bride.
Of course, I also wasn’t really paying that close attention to when he was watching the show, so I have no clue what is going to happen. I will say that so much happened in this first volume. It left me wondering how in the world so much could be put into such a small number of pages without it feeling too rushed.
Much like Chise, we are completely thrown into this world, with the magic system and the magical beings being introduced to us as the story progresses. But I was just so fascinated by it all, and so hooked by the story. It made me really glad that I originally decided to buy the first two volumes during one book trip, and then I bought the next two the trip after that. (And I’m buying Vol 5-8 very soon).
I think this also means that I’ll probably need to watch the anime as well. I really enjoyed this first volume, and I flew through it because I just wanted to learn more, and I really didn’t want to put it down.
Where to Buy
You can pick up this first volume of The Ancient Magus’ Bride from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local indie bookstore.
Free State of Geek 