Manga Review – The Earl and the Fairy Vol 4 by Ayuko (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Manga/Historical Fantasy
Length: 184 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Release Date: December 4, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1421541716
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Earl and the Fairy series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Lydia Carlton is a fairy doctor,one of the few people with the ability to see the magical creatures who share our world. During one of her rare trips to London to visit her father, Lydia’s quiet life is suddenly transformed when she is rescued from kidnappers by a mysterious young man!
Lydia has been trapped in a warehouse by Rosalie, a dangerous young woman who commands a bogey-beast and wants Edgar all to herself. What’s more, Lydia has realized that she is in the storehouse where Edgar was first enslaved as a child. Can she discover the secret of his dark past, or will she fall prey to the bogey-beast’s true master?”
This is the fourth (and final) volume in the Earl and the Fairy series by Ayuko. This volume tied up things nicely. Illustration and story quality were in keeping with the previous books; well done but not spectacular.
I continue to enjoy this simple and sweet Victorian fantasy story. This book picks up where the third left off. Lydia has been trapped in a warehouse by Rosalie and is trying to escape. Much of the story continues to be focused on the mysterious Fogman.
We learn a lot about Edgar’s history in this book. Lydia and Edgar continue with light banter throughout.
The ending of the book is more realistic than fairy tale like and the story is tied up nicely. I had been hoping for a bit more romance between Lydia and Edgar, but after reading the ending I kind of like how it ended. It was very realistic and left the future open to the reader’s own imagination.
Overall this was a good ending to a engaging and sweet shoujo manga series. I enjoyed the characters, story and illustration. While this manga didn’t blow me away with it’s high quality and uniqueness; it was well done and fun diversion. I would recommend to those who enjoy historical fantasy manga with a Victorian feel to it.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
– YA Reading Challenge