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My Contract With the Apothecary Monster (Manga) #1
My Contract With the Apothecary Monster, Volume 1
In this world, monsters consume a person's lifespan in exchange for granting their every wish. However, Nea's mysterious "apothecary" monster seems uninterested in consuming hers.
After wandering into the land of Weem, Nea is offered the illustrious position of Songbearer, and forms a contract with Dino — a monster as beautiful as he is powerful. While Nea adjusts to her role (and Dino's peculiar brand of companionship) she is tasked with the search for the Grimmdoll an artifact in possession of the elusive Masked Monster. If not her lifespan, what will Dino require of her in exchange for her wishes...?
After wandering into the land of Weem, Nea is offered the illustrious position of Songbearer, and forms a contract with Dino — a monster as beautiful as he is powerful. While Nea adjusts to her role (and Dino's peculiar brand of companionship) she is tasked with the search for the Grimmdoll an artifact in possession of the elusive Masked Monster. If not her lifespan, what will Dino require of her in exchange for her wishes...?
160 pages, Paperback
Published February 4, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 14, 2025
FIRST IMPRESSION VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/Ix55OLtsWDw
3.5 stars
This was an interesting first volume and I'm not actually sure how to rate it? (Though I finally decided after I wrote out all my thoughts!)
I sort of feel that I need to read volume two first and then rate them together because some of this book was VERY text heavy, which made sense so that we could understand how this new world works, but it was overwhelming(?) at times.
I'm not sure if that's the right word and hesitant to use the phrase "bogged down," but I really feel if the world-building/info-dumping wasn't quite as heavy as it was in some places, I would have enjoyed this a lot more!
Honestly, my favorite parts were the interactions between all the characters because the humor was perfect in many moments that I couldn't help but laugh! However, those moments often felt short-lived because we would be back to pages of information in how this world works. Again, I don't think that's a bad thing exactly, but I know there are parts that went over my head and would have definitely loved a map!
But it's because of the characters that I really do want to keep reading the series. I'm hoping that they are the focus since the groundwork has been established and (I think) should feel more "smooth sailing" where we don't have double pages of information being tossed at us moving forward (even if it is nicely written in a way that seems easy to understand, it's just hard to remember/keep track of everything).
Nea is an interesting heroine and was pretty shocked by her backstory. It definitely made a lot of her actions make sense, even though I feel bad for her when her monster is more or less like "please step on me" at all times. LOL! Can't say I would feel comfortable having to do the same in her shoes because I'm not the kind of person to do that! LOL!
Speaking of her monster, I REALLY like Dino a lot! I'm not one to like masochist characters, but there is so much mystery surrounding his character that I can't help but be very intrigued as to why he acts the way he does! What is it about Nea that he is drawn to? Why does he want her to treat him "roughly"? Who exactly is he? And maybe the biggest one because of the ending, just how deadly can he be? *cue nervous laughter*
Overall, I definitely liked reading this story! It was an enjoyable time even if some parts were not my favorite, but I think if you don't mind a little bit of info-dumping at times and want something with occasional humor and a whole lot of uncertainty and mystery, this could be a good one to try!
I'm pretty sure I'll try the second volume as I really want to know what's going to happen next!
3.5 stars
This was an interesting first volume and I'm not actually sure how to rate it? (Though I finally decided after I wrote out all my thoughts!)
I sort of feel that I need to read volume two first and then rate them together because some of this book was VERY text heavy, which made sense so that we could understand how this new world works, but it was overwhelming(?) at times.
I'm not sure if that's the right word and hesitant to use the phrase "bogged down," but I really feel if the world-building/info-dumping wasn't quite as heavy as it was in some places, I would have enjoyed this a lot more!
Honestly, my favorite parts were the interactions between all the characters because the humor was perfect in many moments that I couldn't help but laugh! However, those moments often felt short-lived because we would be back to pages of information in how this world works. Again, I don't think that's a bad thing exactly, but I know there are parts that went over my head and would have definitely loved a map!
But it's because of the characters that I really do want to keep reading the series. I'm hoping that they are the focus since the groundwork has been established and (I think) should feel more "smooth sailing" where we don't have double pages of information being tossed at us moving forward (even if it is nicely written in a way that seems easy to understand, it's just hard to remember/keep track of everything).
Nea is an interesting heroine and was pretty shocked by her backstory. It definitely made a lot of her actions make sense, even though I feel bad for her when her monster is more or less like "please step on me" at all times. LOL! Can't say I would feel comfortable having to do the same in her shoes because I'm not the kind of person to do that! LOL!
Speaking of her monster, I REALLY like Dino a lot! I'm not one to like masochist characters, but there is so much mystery surrounding his character that I can't help but be very intrigued as to why he acts the way he does! What is it about Nea that he is drawn to? Why does he want her to treat him "roughly"? Who exactly is he? And maybe the biggest one because of the ending, just how deadly can he be? *cue nervous laughter*
Overall, I definitely liked reading this story! It was an enjoyable time even if some parts were not my favorite, but I think if you don't mind a little bit of info-dumping at times and want something with occasional humor and a whole lot of uncertainty and mystery, this could be a good one to try!
I'm pretty sure I'll try the second volume as I really want to know what's going to happen next!
July 31, 2025
Beautiful artwork but confusing plot.
February 18, 2025
This book was equally entertaining and confusing. The world created here with all of its rules, magic, and "monsters" is complex in a way that is unique and fascinating. But the way this information was conveyed was very much an "info-dump." There were pages and pages of exposition inserted at odd times throughout.
However, I still liked this a lot, in large part due to Dino, our beautiful, possessive, kinky, and adorable monster. He's exactly the kind of character I love, and his complete devotion to Nea is wonderful. He also has a mysterious layer of danger under the surface, and I'm eager to learn more about him. For her part, Nea is likeable and practical, though some of her decisions don't always make sense.
Nevertheless, I'm still very intrigued and excited for more.
However, I still liked this a lot, in large part due to Dino, our beautiful, possessive, kinky, and adorable monster. He's exactly the kind of character I love, and his complete devotion to Nea is wonderful. He also has a mysterious layer of danger under the surface, and I'm eager to learn more about him. For her part, Nea is likeable and practical, though some of her decisions don't always make sense.
Nevertheless, I'm still very intrigued and excited for more.
February 23, 2025
This volume was so confusing also wish there was more interaction with the main two characters so i hope next volume is gonna be better this volume.
March 11, 2025
Not gonna lie, the storytelling was a little jagged and chaotic and I didn’t know if I was going to continue the series but then the author made two Sailor Moon jokes at the end for the basic recap of the next volume, so now I’m sold😭😂
November 19, 2025
Oooh I love Dino’s clingy-ness 🥰🥰🥰
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2025
A good manga, but boy did I tune out at times with the amount of info dumping and dialogue. It was just too much. You should spread that stuff over the series or make it simpler so that people can follow along. Not have so much that it read more like an instruction manual. I didn't even know she was in summoned until it was mentioned, I thought the world she lived in and this one were the same. I don't mind dialogue, but this was just too much. It did get a bit smoother near the end, thankfully. And why I kept reading is because Dino is hot as heck (though I would love to see more of his M side), the art is pretty, Nea knows what she wants and will get it, I am shipping Nea x Dino so HARD, and also a faint curiosity to this world.
Also, oh Dino doesn't like it when another monster toys with his girl. Oh my.
Also, oh Dino doesn't like it when another monster toys with his girl. Oh my.
April 21, 2025
pretty good! it's starts off dark and depressing and with the MC Nea being the last of her family to survive a horrible list of tragedies. somehow she travels to this other place where she becomes a song bearer and forms a contract with a powerful monster named Dino, who is very mysterious and very attractive. it's very interesting and the magic system is interesting. it has some funny parts too. I want to read more considering how it ended.
June 8, 2025
3.5 stars! I'm intrigued to see where the story goes but the volume has some rough patches. I found the first part of chapter one difficult to get through because it's extremely info dense, and a lot of the info is confusing. But once the story gets past it's initial set-up it becomes quite compelling.
I'm interested to see where the plot goes and learn more about the main cast. A lot of the characters are pretty fun and quirky, and the artwork is GORGEOUS. I'm planning on picking up volume 2! I hope it sheds some more clarity on the world and how it functions.
I'm interested to see where the plot goes and learn more about the main cast. A lot of the characters are pretty fun and quirky, and the artwork is GORGEOUS. I'm planning on picking up volume 2! I hope it sheds some more clarity on the world and how it functions.
February 7, 2025
I. Don’t. Know…… ugh! I WANT to love this book and it has some really fun parts! BUT idk if it was the copy I was reading or what but it felt like there were missing pages and texts. I had to force myself to finish this volume and I got irrationally upset because it was so difficult to follow what was going on. I think by the end I understand the jest of it, but man that was….. ugh….. I will switch this to a 5 star if I find out the volume I was reading was messed up in some way.
***Edit*** ok so I reread it the beginning again and it made a LOT more since now…. Maybe it’s just one of those books that need to be reread or maybe I was just out of it yesterday…
***Edit*** ok so I reread it the beginning again and it made a LOT more since now…. Maybe it’s just one of those books that need to be reread or maybe I was just out of it yesterday…
March 2, 2025
I wanted to like this more than I ended up, so I don't know how much of this is the disappointment speaking, but whatever. Here we go.
The biggest problem is the pacing. This whole volume is a massive info-dump (as a lot of other reviews have said as well). The prologue feels disjointed and unattached to the rest of the story, Nea's back story feels shoe-horned in and I guess will be delved into later but not really here, and the magic system is just so big and involved that it's explained via lecture to the main character. Unfortunately, that means that it's a lecture for the reader as well, and it ends up giving a very choppy flow to the narrative. And for a story that's a romance, there's surprisingly little interaction with the leads, which when it was there, provided some humor. Unfortunately, since it wasn't there much, we were left with the dry (as described) info-dump. And the most frustrating thing was that the info could have been dribbled out a little more spaced through the series. Like, did we really need to know ALL the details right from the get-go?
And a less frustrating but still disappointing point was the lead, Nea. She kept describing herself as one way, but her actions didn't seem to match it. I mean, I get why some things were done, because as mentioned we got a lot of her backstory right at the beginning, but at the same time, the flow of it wasn't the best? Or the logic didn't fit? Something, not quite sure how to explain, but she just didn't mesh with me as a favorite character.
On the plus side:
I like the art work. Very pretty and dreamy and a solid aspect in the building of the fantasy world. Best part of volume 1, honestly.
While I didn't like Nea much, Dino promised to be one of the types of characters that I love - super powerful and destructive, but sweet and protective and silly around The Right People. Think Hakkai in Saiyuki or Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen - charming and smiles and a bit silly and a badass who could level a town when pushed. Favorite trope (despite the tragic storylines that often accompany), and it looks like Dino could fall in the same category, except we just don't see it much here. And there's a touch of mystery too - why does he want to be treated roughly? Why does he act the way he does? Loops back to the tragic storylines (possibly), but part of the appeal of this sort of character.
Would I read more? I don't know. I might give it another volume just to see. Since most of the info has been dumped, we should get more into the actual plot now, right? If volume 2 is more of the same pacing issues and lack of character development, then I might just write this one off as a pretty series, but not for me.
The biggest problem is the pacing. This whole volume is a massive info-dump (as a lot of other reviews have said as well). The prologue feels disjointed and unattached to the rest of the story, Nea's back story feels shoe-horned in and I guess will be delved into later but not really here, and the magic system is just so big and involved that it's explained via lecture to the main character. Unfortunately, that means that it's a lecture for the reader as well, and it ends up giving a very choppy flow to the narrative. And for a story that's a romance, there's surprisingly little interaction with the leads, which when it was there, provided some humor. Unfortunately, since it wasn't there much, we were left with the dry (as described) info-dump. And the most frustrating thing was that the info could have been dribbled out a little more spaced through the series. Like, did we really need to know ALL the details right from the get-go?
And a less frustrating but still disappointing point was the lead, Nea. She kept describing herself as one way, but her actions didn't seem to match it. I mean, I get why some things were done, because as mentioned we got a lot of her backstory right at the beginning, but at the same time, the flow of it wasn't the best? Or the logic didn't fit? Something, not quite sure how to explain, but she just didn't mesh with me as a favorite character.
On the plus side:
I like the art work. Very pretty and dreamy and a solid aspect in the building of the fantasy world. Best part of volume 1, honestly.
While I didn't like Nea much, Dino promised to be one of the types of characters that I love - super powerful and destructive, but sweet and protective and silly around The Right People. Think Hakkai in Saiyuki or Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen - charming and smiles and a bit silly and a badass who could level a town when pushed. Favorite trope (despite the tragic storylines that often accompany), and it looks like Dino could fall in the same category, except we just don't see it much here. And there's a touch of mystery too - why does he want to be treated roughly? Why does he act the way he does? Loops back to the tragic storylines (possibly), but part of the appeal of this sort of character.
Would I read more? I don't know. I might give it another volume just to see. Since most of the info has been dumped, we should get more into the actual plot now, right? If volume 2 is more of the same pacing issues and lack of character development, then I might just write this one off as a pretty series, but not for me.
March 31, 2025
It’s ok, but all over the place logically. It’s another isekai where you have to ignore how dumb the FL is, in order to further the story.
Despite her name being Nea Harleigh, I think at one point it says she’s the last of the Jonesboroughs. It went through a rather convenient and unlikely revenge back story for her, and then she was transported to a new world where she promptly lied about being from another world, which since she doesn’t have the usual looks and magic of a “lost one” was accepted easily. Then she’s given a strange choice-not-choice to have a crappy job that’s going to kill her. It jumps around from her making semi-sharp observations to suddenly fixating on overtime pay. This world has a lot of stupid rules about magic - for example, apparently when magically burning up a whole family, an innocent soul must be spared IF ITS THE LAST OF ITS LINE. Uh…so I guess the magic just knows the family tree and spares…the youngest, if they happen to just be born and unnamed?
Anyway she contracts with a super powerful monster and thinks she’s convinced everyone it’s harmless. She hasn’t fooled anyone, but she’s dumb and doesn’t realize. She’s also strangely decided the lord is in love with her monster and she can foster a relationship between them (nope). Despite earlier saying that monsters can’t form a contract with another person in their life, it seems to forget that as that’s her whole plan. I’m not sure why she thinks she can change jobs and monsters when she was told pretty clearly that she can’t, but that doesn’t seem important. Guessing she’s going to turn out more powerful than it seems. Though it casually tosses in there that her monster altered her “vessel” (body) to fix problems she might have (implied she’d die soon).
It’s mediocre, but ok.
Despite her name being Nea Harleigh, I think at one point it says she’s the last of the Jonesboroughs. It went through a rather convenient and unlikely revenge back story for her, and then she was transported to a new world where she promptly lied about being from another world, which since she doesn’t have the usual looks and magic of a “lost one” was accepted easily. Then she’s given a strange choice-not-choice to have a crappy job that’s going to kill her. It jumps around from her making semi-sharp observations to suddenly fixating on overtime pay. This world has a lot of stupid rules about magic - for example, apparently when magically burning up a whole family, an innocent soul must be spared IF ITS THE LAST OF ITS LINE. Uh…so I guess the magic just knows the family tree and spares…the youngest, if they happen to just be born and unnamed?
Anyway she contracts with a super powerful monster and thinks she’s convinced everyone it’s harmless. She hasn’t fooled anyone, but she’s dumb and doesn’t realize. She’s also strangely decided the lord is in love with her monster and she can foster a relationship between them (nope). Despite earlier saying that monsters can’t form a contract with another person in their life, it seems to forget that as that’s her whole plan. I’m not sure why she thinks she can change jobs and monsters when she was told pretty clearly that she can’t, but that doesn’t seem important. Guessing she’s going to turn out more powerful than it seems. Though it casually tosses in there that her monster altered her “vessel” (body) to fix problems she might have (implied she’d die soon).
It’s mediocre, but ok.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2025
A ton of info dumping but in such a cursory and out of order way that it was difficult to follow. This left me with a story that I couldn’t invest in emotionally. I honestly am more interested in getting answers about her life prior to ending up in the new world than the actual main plot line, possibly because I quickly started losing interest after that.
Did he really kill her parents? How was she so sure? Surely there is more than one person who has reason to attack a diplomatic family. What was the appointment ceremony for? And why was she left so impoverished? His death seems strangely like her parents’… did she never wonder?
I might be willing to stick it out a bit longer if I thought those things would come back to play, but I don’t think the author meant for us to spend to much time on the back story. They did even bother to give names to any of her family members or her enemy.
Did he really kill her parents? How was she so sure? Surely there is more than one person who has reason to attack a diplomatic family. What was the appointment ceremony for? And why was she left so impoverished? His death seems strangely like her parents’… did she never wonder?
I might be willing to stick it out a bit longer if I thought those things would come back to play, but I don’t think the author meant for us to spend to much time on the back story. They did even bother to give names to any of her family members or her enemy.
February 22, 2025
The artwork in this manga is absolutely stunning—every page is beautifully detailed, with an ethereal and elegant aesthetic that immediately drew me in. The character designs, especially the ghostly male lead, are mesmerizing.
However, I struggled to understand the plot. Whether it was the storytelling, the pacing, or something lost in translation, I just couldn’t follow what was happening. I found myself flipping back and forth, hoping things would click, but unfortunately, they never did.
As much as I wanted to love this, I had to DNF it. Maybe it just wasn’t for me, but I can definitely appreciate the artistry!
3 🌟 for the beautiful artwork though...
However, I struggled to understand the plot. Whether it was the storytelling, the pacing, or something lost in translation, I just couldn’t follow what was happening. I found myself flipping back and forth, hoping things would click, but unfortunately, they never did.
As much as I wanted to love this, I had to DNF it. Maybe it just wasn’t for me, but I can definitely appreciate the artistry!
3 🌟 for the beautiful artwork though...
December 23, 2024
After the first however many pages I double checked that this was indeed volume 1. The entire prologue and chapter 1 should be separate books, probably more than one. It was just infodumping. Why is she dumped in the forest? How did her family die? How did she get revenge? What happened to his brother? What's this whole thing about poison? Then she just tells us that she was rescued from the forest. It just went on from there.
September 10, 2025
A bit rough for a starting volume. The world building involves a lot of heavy text dumps. Additionally our protagonist has an odd approach to events. She seems to be blown along by other people and just accept whatever they say but also not attach any real meaning to it. It has more dream logic than real rationale. Some of the art is nice and there are clearly worthwhile ideas buried here but the execution is strange so far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2024
This was OK. I kind of wish there was more interaction with the main two characters. Also, I felt like there was a lot of history and lower info dumping and I found myself skipping over some of the parts
May 4, 2025
So cuuuute! The art is superb, and I really like it. I just find the world-building exposition dumps quite overwhelming and not done in a good way. Some things are not explained that well. But again, the art is so good and cute I'm willing to overlook the other issues.
May 28, 2025
Had some info dumps that made things confusing at times, but somehow that didn’t stop my enjoyment whatsoever. By the time it ended, I wanted more! I’m super interested to see this world and its characters fill out a bit more.
May 29, 2025
I'm not sure if it's a translation issue or what, but the world building and story jumped around a lot and often contradicted itself. I ended up stopping halfway through because of how much the logic, if you could call it that, was leaping.
August 4, 2025
Interesting setting and world, beautiful art. While there was a little too much info-dump at the start, especially with information that was not necessary, I really liked the concepts. I will follow this.
Read
October 7, 2024Why is this girl so stupid
February 8, 2025
It was a bit messy, but I'm very excited about world building and future events!
July 7, 2025
Too much world-building crammed in there.
August 3, 2025
4.5 Stars 🌟.
August 14, 2025
super unique and beautiful art. it was funny and interesting
dnf
September 11, 2025Eh, this one just didn't grab me.
September 18, 2025
I'm so confused
Read
December 18, 2025Masochistic service top falls in love with a weirdly uninterested human.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews