Not for the Faint of Heart - Sleeping Moon Vol 1 Review
So we came across this in the book store the other day and it stood out from the other options mainly because it has something of a speculative element in the quasi-time travel and supernatural aspects in the story. And for that it is interesting, and does present something of a mystery as Akihiko must figure out a family curse that threatens to kill him young. At the same time, though, this book seems a bit light in the romance department, as there is only a bit of kissing and little else in this volume. Still, I think that it's worth reading and am hoping that there's more to come to keep this moving along.
Again, though, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of steam in this volume. There is something of a love triangle going on between Akihito and both his cousin and his relative from the past. Both look identical except the hair and it does make for some interesting drama as the two characters sort-of vying for Akihiko's affections are very different. There is nothing really naughty about this volume, though, and certainly nothing worthy of it being wrapped in plastic. So, again, disappointing.
But the story is interesting and a bit strange. There is a sort of mystery horror aspect here as demons and curses mingle with time travel. It's a little odd that Akihiko is apparently unaware of his attraction to men, and professes to be straight. I don't like the whole "converted" model some of the yaoi take, though, so I'm not really all that sure about this. Still, at least he isn't raped others that have been in that situation. It does make his relationship with both his cousin and ancestor rather odd, because his cousin is so outward with his affection and the ancestor also seems to be quite closeted.
Still, the volume shows some promise and enough mystery to keep my interest, and there's really nothing about the volume that was objectionable. It's a bit slow to start, but I do hope that the steam increases considerably in later volumes. It's enough that I do want to read the next book, though, so that seems praise enough, and enough for a 6.5/10.