Manga Review – A Bride’s Story Vol 1 by Kaoru Mori (4.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Manga/Historical Fiction
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: April 15, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0316180993
Stand Alone or Series: 1st volume in A Bride’s Story series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori (Emma, Shirley) brings the nineteenth-century Silk Road to lavish life, chronicling the story of Amir Halgal, a young woman from a nomadic tribe betrothed to a twelve-year-old boy eight years her junior. Coping with cultural differences, blossoming feelings for her new husband, and expectations from both her adoptive and birth families, Amir strives to find her role as she settles into a new life and a new home in a society quick to define that role for her.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in “A Bride’s Story” manga series. Right now there are twelve books published in this series, with the thirteenth book scheduled for release later in 2020. This is a seinen historical fiction manga series.
Story (4/5): Amir is a twenty year old young woman from Northern (Mongol) China sent to marry a twelve year old boy, Karluk, in order to forge an alliance between the two people. Amir works to fit in with her new family and introduces them to new customs while also learning the customs of her new home. Meanwhile her and Karluk slowly learn to enjoy each other’s company, while Amir’s family starts making plans that would go against Amir’s marriage.
I enjoyed the story a lot and loved learning some of the history of this time and era. At times there isn’t a lot to propel the story forward and this ends up being very “day in the life of” but I still enjoyed it. I also loved the positive tone to the story.
Characters (5/5): I loved the characters in this story. Amir is trying hard to be a good wife but is a very self sufficient huntress at heart. Karluk is very thoughtful and kind but is still a child. The two end up forming more of a sibling type of relationship and grow to care for each other quite a bit. Karluk’s family is also amazing, they are so accepting of Amir and eager to both teach her of their culture and learn from her. The majority of characters in here are just so kind and caring, it was a joy to read.
Setting (5/5): The historical Chinese setting was very well done and I loved learning about it. The whole thing is beautifully portrayed and really impressive.
Writing/Drawing Style (5/5): This is an incredibly beautifully drawn manga. The clothing, characters, and backgrounds are intricately detailed and just amazing. The writing was well done and easy to follow. I never found myself getting confused or confusing characters with each other. This is really incredibly done.
My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I really really loved this manga. It’s very high quality and beautifully done. The historical setting is intriguing and the characters are engaging. I think my only small quibble is that there wasn’t a real deep story here to pull me in, hopefully there is a stronger storyline in future books. I definitely plan to continue reading this manga series.
