Manga Review: Spell of Desire, Volume 1, by Tomu Ohmi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Volumes: 5

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kaoruko Mochizuki runs an herb shop in a small seaside town. One day, a mysterious man dressed in black named Kaname Hibiki enters her shop and reveals that Kaoruko is actually a witch. And what’s more, Kaoruko needs Kaname to help control her awakening power!

Among the shocking news that Kaname imparts is that Kaoruko’s mother is still alive and has entrusted Kaoruko with the immense power of the Witch Queen. As long as Kaoruko has that power, she will be the target of humans and demonic spirits alike. Kaname claims to be a “knight” that protects witches, but then he steals a kiss from Kaoruko…!

Review:

I think I was expecting something different with this book, but I still enjoyed it.

Kaoruko runs an herb shop, her grandmother has passed away and she hasn’t seen or heard of her mother since she was little. But then Kaname shows up, claiming to be a knight from her mother’s witch clan, here to protect her. Turns out her mother is a Witch Queen, of dark magic, and she’s pushed her powers onto her daughter while she hides away.

Kaoruko handles this with surprising ease, even if she doesn’t know how to handle the magic now inside her, or how it drags creatures and people to her, or how Kaname has to kiss her in order for it to go back under control.

I don’t feel too close to either of the characters yet, but I like what I’ve seen so far. Their attraction is obviously there, even if Kaname is feeling it more than her at the moment. I like how Kaoruko is slowly starting to depend on him, too.

Also, there are three pet companions, a dog (or dragon) and cat (or unicorn). I like the dog more, but they’re both adorable, and I like how they transform to protect Kaoruko.  Then there’s a kitten that Kaoruko takes in, who’s even cuter. (I honestly think that alone would have made me want to pick up this book.)

This series has a lot of potential, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes next. I want to see more steamy stuff, but I also just want the two to develop more closely.

The similarities to Midnight Secretary aren’t too bad, which is good. I’ve been enjoying that series for the most part, although I do think I was looking for something completely different in this. Kaname is similarly brooding to Kyohei, but he also tends to hide his real looks behind a professional layer. These aren’t complaints, mind you, just things I noticed.