Manga Review – Black Butler Vol 22 by Yana Toboso (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Older Teen
Genre: Paranormal/Manga
Length: 176 pages
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: May 24, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-0316272261
Stand Alone or Series: 22nd book in the Black Butler series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Revealing themselves to be wolves in sheep’s clothing, the villagers of Wolfsschlucht nip ferociously at the heels of Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his entire household–indomitable butler Sebastian included. With aid coming from surprising corners, the company makes a quick getaway with the Emerald Witch in tow. But even as preparations are made and wounds rested for the passage to England and the inevitable meeting with the queen, word of the Undertaker stubbornly hangs over the proceedings…”

This was a transition novel for this series. Mostly this wraps up (or at least starts a new chapter in) the Emerald Witch storyline. Some of the story is serious but there is also a lot of humor as the Emerald Witch prepares for her presentation to the Queen.

We get quite a bit of backstory on the Emerald Queen’s butler as well; this makes him much more engaging as a character and gives the reader more perspective on the father/daughter type of relationship he has with the Emerald Queen.

The illustration remains beautiful and I really enjoy looking at these. This wasn’t one of the stronger books in this series but it was still an entertaining read and I enjoyed it.

Overall a good addition to the Black Butler series. I would recommend this series to manga fans who enjoy historical fantasy/paranormal reads. I can’t wait to see what the next volume holds.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– New Release Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge