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ブナの森のアリア #3
Aria of the Beech Forest, Vol. 3
After quietly residing in the beech forest her entire life, Aria always assumed things would stay the same. However, following an awful dispute with her closest friend, Gwyn, she finally learns a truth that will change everything! Now, whether she chooses to muster up the courage to embrace her future with both arms or continue cowering beneath the trees in her secluded world is a question only she can answer…
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 21, 2025
It’s the swan song for Aria and that means we’re sending off another three volume series, along with all that entails, so hold on to your pointy hats.
Most of this volume is concerned with wrapping up the massive fight between Gwyn and Aria that closed the last volume, as Gwyn left in a huff after Aria lashed out over his opposition to her moving to London.
This involves lots of regret and soul searching and regular searching and, finally, we get to see Gwyn’s backstory, which is reasonably good and makes sense. Everything comes together and it’s off to adventure and learning magic in London!
Except we’ll never see it. And that’s a real problem, as this story leaves its loose ends in tatters, flapping in the breeze. As a coming of age story it’s decent, but as a complete piece of fiction it lacks a little.
Is Aria special? Who the heck knows! Can she use magic? Definitely no idea. What was the big corporation up to? We get sort of told, but not really. After the way the modern world got dropped into things at the end of volume one, it’s criminal how little they do with it in the end.
There’s also a weird amount of inappropriate age stuff in this volume. I’m sure you’re not supposed to think about it, but Aria has been sharing her home and bed with a wolf who also happens to be a 21-year-old guy on occasion (at least there’s no hint of anything untoward, but still).
On top of that, the much older cait sith character basically sneaks into her bed AND flirts with her. And, to top it all off, Aria essentially gets engaged to somebody who’s all of eight at the end. Lack of cringe is not this manga’s strong suit.
Divested of this, which is kind of hard to achieve, you have an okay story about a girl learning to believe in herself and go out to find a dream to pursue. It’s too bad very little of the story treats this like an ending until it’s revealed there won’t be any more.
The details really are a nice touch - I loved the look at Halloween traditions (best section of the manga) and the various soups and stews coming back. I do wish more of Ireland’s folklore had made it into the story; sometimes it feels like trappings rather than woven tightly into the narrative (supernatural beings aside).
But that’s the lingering feeling I’ll take away from this in a nutshell - it’s incomplete. The big dilemma just before the very ending is so low-key that it’s part and parcel of why this doesn’t feel like it’s wrapping up until the mangaka explicitly states there won’t be any more. There was a core here that was good, but it needed more than it got to truly develop.
3 stars - an okay ending that disappoints as an ending, but gives enough closure of a sort that it isn’t a total waste. It was charming in parts, but I don’t think I’ll ever come back to it.
Most of this volume is concerned with wrapping up the massive fight between Gwyn and Aria that closed the last volume, as Gwyn left in a huff after Aria lashed out over his opposition to her moving to London.
This involves lots of regret and soul searching and regular searching and, finally, we get to see Gwyn’s backstory, which is reasonably good and makes sense. Everything comes together and it’s off to adventure and learning magic in London!
Except we’ll never see it. And that’s a real problem, as this story leaves its loose ends in tatters, flapping in the breeze. As a coming of age story it’s decent, but as a complete piece of fiction it lacks a little.
Is Aria special? Who the heck knows! Can she use magic? Definitely no idea. What was the big corporation up to? We get sort of told, but not really. After the way the modern world got dropped into things at the end of volume one, it’s criminal how little they do with it in the end.
There’s also a weird amount of inappropriate age stuff in this volume. I’m sure you’re not supposed to think about it, but Aria has been sharing her home and bed with a wolf who also happens to be a 21-year-old guy on occasion (at least there’s no hint of anything untoward, but still).
On top of that, the much older cait sith character basically sneaks into her bed AND flirts with her. And, to top it all off, Aria essentially gets engaged to somebody who’s all of eight at the end. Lack of cringe is not this manga’s strong suit.
Divested of this, which is kind of hard to achieve, you have an okay story about a girl learning to believe in herself and go out to find a dream to pursue. It’s too bad very little of the story treats this like an ending until it’s revealed there won’t be any more.
The details really are a nice touch - I loved the look at Halloween traditions (best section of the manga) and the various soups and stews coming back. I do wish more of Ireland’s folklore had made it into the story; sometimes it feels like trappings rather than woven tightly into the narrative (supernatural beings aside).
But that’s the lingering feeling I’ll take away from this in a nutshell - it’s incomplete. The big dilemma just before the very ending is so low-key that it’s part and parcel of why this doesn’t feel like it’s wrapping up until the mangaka explicitly states there won’t be any more. There was a core here that was good, but it needed more than it got to truly develop.
3 stars - an okay ending that disappoints as an ending, but gives enough closure of a sort that it isn’t a total waste. It was charming in parts, but I don’t think I’ll ever come back to it.
July 30, 2025
This series ended incredibly abruptly. I wish it had gone on a little longer :( I adore the art and I wish the characters had more time to develop properly but the last volume felt like it rushed through like 3 more books worth of material and a timeskip to jump over all of it. Still a good read and you can really tell it was a passion project from the author.
July 31, 2025
This is a librarian review. I try to leave notes on books I’m considering for a middle school library for others in the school library profession because manga is hardly ever professionally reviewed for us to properly vet before buying. I mainly just look for troublesome issues for younger ages, such as sexual content, language, or extreme violence. I make final mentions and thoughts as well.
Language:
The book is rated for teens with a warning for language. The language in this volume is tamer than the last volume, more akin to the first.
Sexual Content / Grey Areas:
This is where the book got really weird for me. I've been trying to digest it since reading it, but it's still probably an odd sort of grey area when considering this series for preteens. There was also a scene that made me uncomfortable, considering Aria is only 11 years old. More on that later.
First, in this volume, we find out that the wolf, Gwyn, is essentially a unique form of werewolf. In his family, they are born human but were cursed generations ago to turn into wolves by at least their 15th birthday. The only time the revert to human form is when a super moon happens, and only for a few days at most. He turns at age 14, in which we learn he then approached Aria's grandmother, Ganeida, in hopes that she could lift the curse. She could only help him maintain human form until she died, which gave him 10 years as a human as he searched in vain for a more permanent cure. So by the time Ganeida passes away and Gwyn returns on his end of the deal that he would come back to watch over Aria, he's around 24/25 years old. So this entire time, Gwyn has been an adult living with an 11 year old girl (in wolf form) without her knowledge. (He sleeps with her in her bed throughout the series as a wolf, which, ok, cute if he were an actual wolf... But given he's a werewolf adult male, that's a little more... eugh. Even if he's a meant to be a guardian-which is also a secret.) This also seems to weigh on him in this novel; he turns back into a human and hides for several days because he doesn't know how to confess to Aria about what he truly is and is afraid she would feel differently about him if she knew. At least another character lectures him about not telling her. He eventually does tell her when he returns home as a wolf, she considers him family, and they resume life like nothing has happened. Which I suppose is fine, but ONLY because this time she's aware of the truth and also realizing her grandmother asked him to act as a guardian.
The second thing that really made me cringe also had me going back through the first volume to verify if a character was considered a brother to her. After sending a message to her quasi-adopted brother to ask for help to look for Gwyn, he shows up the next morning...in her bed when she wakes up. She thinks it's Gwyn at first, but then he responds, "Don't call me some other guy's name". She only then realizes someone else is right next to her and pushes him out in a panic. (He's also an adult man / cat spirit with a human form). Apparently the first volume does explain he sees Aria as his adoptive sister or daughter figure since Ganeida rose them both before he left while Aria was still a child. Which was a relief that they're basically family, but that whole scene just... Really put me off. The low star rating is because of these 2 issues. For some, this might be a more mild thing, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
Alcohol:
The author talks a bit about alcohol in the final notes as it's used in cooking or in Irish culture in general, such as Bailey's Liqueur.
Other Mentions:
There is LGBTQ rep in this series that is more leaned into for this volume. In an earlier volume, one of the little girl characters jokes that because of Aria's good cooking, she should marry into the family and offers to marry Aria herself. This is repeated in this final volume, in which the girl character mentions her neighbors are also girls who got married when Aria expresses confusion. At the end of the book when the two are saying goodbye (Aria is going to London to learn magic and is 13 by this point), Aria gives her a ring from a Irish Halloween cake, which has different luck tokens in the slices, and says "It's supposed to bring good fortune. I want you to have it," and puts it on the other girl's finger before final farewells.
Overall, this was a somewhat simple but cute slice of life and coming of age story that wrapped up in 3 volumes. The cursing was very mild, Aria was never drawn in a sexual or revealing manner, and it had some good messages. It was just oddly uncomfortable in its grey areas as mentioned in this review. The series is probably better for older teens at least by the 3rd and final volume.
Language:
The book is rated for teens with a warning for language. The language in this volume is tamer than the last volume, more akin to the first.
Sexual Content / Grey Areas:
This is where the book got really weird for me. I've been trying to digest it since reading it, but it's still probably an odd sort of grey area when considering this series for preteens. There was also a scene that made me uncomfortable, considering Aria is only 11 years old. More on that later.
First, in this volume, we find out that the wolf, Gwyn, is essentially a unique form of werewolf. In his family, they are born human but were cursed generations ago to turn into wolves by at least their 15th birthday. The only time the revert to human form is when a super moon happens, and only for a few days at most. He turns at age 14, in which we learn he then approached Aria's grandmother, Ganeida, in hopes that she could lift the curse. She could only help him maintain human form until she died, which gave him 10 years as a human as he searched in vain for a more permanent cure. So by the time Ganeida passes away and Gwyn returns on his end of the deal that he would come back to watch over Aria, he's around 24/25 years old. So this entire time, Gwyn has been an adult living with an 11 year old girl (in wolf form) without her knowledge. (He sleeps with her in her bed throughout the series as a wolf, which, ok, cute if he were an actual wolf... But given he's a werewolf adult male, that's a little more... eugh. Even if he's a meant to be a guardian-which is also a secret.) This also seems to weigh on him in this novel; he turns back into a human and hides for several days because he doesn't know how to confess to Aria about what he truly is and is afraid she would feel differently about him if she knew. At least another character lectures him about not telling her. He eventually does tell her when he returns home as a wolf, she considers him family, and they resume life like nothing has happened. Which I suppose is fine, but ONLY because this time she's aware of the truth and also realizing her grandmother asked him to act as a guardian.
The second thing that really made me cringe also had me going back through the first volume to verify if a character was considered a brother to her. After sending a message to her quasi-adopted brother to ask for help to look for Gwyn, he shows up the next morning...in her bed when she wakes up. She thinks it's Gwyn at first, but then he responds, "Don't call me some other guy's name". She only then realizes someone else is right next to her and pushes him out in a panic. (He's also an adult man / cat spirit with a human form). Apparently the first volume does explain he sees Aria as his adoptive sister or daughter figure since Ganeida rose them both before he left while Aria was still a child. Which was a relief that they're basically family, but that whole scene just... Really put me off. The low star rating is because of these 2 issues. For some, this might be a more mild thing, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
Alcohol:
The author talks a bit about alcohol in the final notes as it's used in cooking or in Irish culture in general, such as Bailey's Liqueur.
Other Mentions:
There is LGBTQ rep in this series that is more leaned into for this volume. In an earlier volume, one of the little girl characters jokes that because of Aria's good cooking, she should marry into the family and offers to marry Aria herself. This is repeated in this final volume, in which the girl character mentions her neighbors are also girls who got married when Aria expresses confusion. At the end of the book when the two are saying goodbye (Aria is going to London to learn magic and is 13 by this point), Aria gives her a ring from a Irish Halloween cake, which has different luck tokens in the slices, and says "It's supposed to bring good fortune. I want you to have it," and puts it on the other girl's finger before final farewells.
Overall, this was a somewhat simple but cute slice of life and coming of age story that wrapped up in 3 volumes. The cursing was very mild, Aria was never drawn in a sexual or revealing manner, and it had some good messages. It was just oddly uncomfortable in its grey areas as mentioned in this review. The series is probably better for older teens at least by the 3rd and final volume.
July 4, 2025
So this series had promise, the first two volumes felt like the story was building up to something more, then it turns out there is only 3 volumes in total and the ending of the story fall kinda short.
Volume 3 sadly also gets slightly weird with the Caith sith Theodore as well as Gwyn the wolf. And I'm not entirely sure if I enjoyed Gwyn's backstory as much as I was meant to. Interesting idea, but put into context with a minor MC it all just ends up weird. Nothing happens but it does leave you with a feeling was this really necessary for the story to make it weird in the final volume?
Also if you believe you get to see what happens to Aria in London, if she has magic or not etc. then you'll never get any real answers.
I saw another reviewer comment on the ring thing in the end with Colleen. To me personally it can be viewed in multiple ways. Not just marriage to an 8 year old or whatever. I personally think of it more as a promise of meeting again rather than them getting married. The GL crush was non existent in my world compared to the "lovey-dovey" awkwardness of Theodore and the awkwardness of Gwyn's situation in this final volume.
It's not icky icky by my personal standards, just a very odd and awkward choice to make for what is a final volume of an otherwise genuinely cozy and somewhat wholesome story. Basically this series needed a volume or two more to wrap it up in a better way, instead of ljust eaving behind too many unanswered questions. I don't mind open endings but if you throw in a lot of plot ideas/concepts and pretty much all of them end up unaswered then I personally am left with the feeling of having read something comepletely redundant and having wasted my time. I wouldn't say this is a complete waste of time, but it is a series I would say borrow it from the library because in my eyes it's not worth buying sadly.
Volume 3 sadly also gets slightly weird with the Caith sith Theodore as well as Gwyn the wolf. And I'm not entirely sure if I enjoyed Gwyn's backstory as much as I was meant to. Interesting idea, but put into context with a minor MC it all just ends up weird. Nothing happens but it does leave you with a feeling was this really necessary for the story to make it weird in the final volume?
Also if you believe you get to see what happens to Aria in London, if she has magic or not etc. then you'll never get any real answers.
I saw another reviewer comment on the ring thing in the end with Colleen. To me personally it can be viewed in multiple ways. Not just marriage to an 8 year old or whatever. I personally think of it more as a promise of meeting again rather than them getting married. The GL crush was non existent in my world compared to the "lovey-dovey" awkwardness of Theodore and the awkwardness of Gwyn's situation in this final volume.
It's not icky icky by my personal standards, just a very odd and awkward choice to make for what is a final volume of an otherwise genuinely cozy and somewhat wholesome story. Basically this series needed a volume or two more to wrap it up in a better way, instead of ljust eaving behind too many unanswered questions. I don't mind open endings but if you throw in a lot of plot ideas/concepts and pretty much all of them end up unaswered then I personally am left with the feeling of having read something comepletely redundant and having wasted my time. I wouldn't say this is a complete waste of time, but it is a series I would say borrow it from the library because in my eyes it's not worth buying sadly.
November 23, 2025
Synopsis: Aria is a gentle, shy witch with a knack for cooking, knitting, and growing herbs, but magic? That’s not her strong suit. Living a quiet life in the forests of Ireland, she’s never had a true friend, until the day she meets a talking wolf. Their unlikely bond blossoms into a heartwarming partnership as they navigate cozy days and mysterious happenings in the woods. With a touch of magic, plenty of comfort, and a sprinkle of intrigue, this enchanting tale will charm anyone looking for a story full of friendship and warmth.”
I picked up Aria of the Beech Forest Vol. 3 as part of my 31-in-31 reading push, and I’d been saving it especially for October because the cover gives such gorgeous autumn/Halloween vibes. So finding out it was the final volume was already bittersweet… but finishing it left me feeling genuinely disappointed, which makes me sad to admit.
I adored the first two volumes, I loved the storyline, the atmosphere, and especially the growth we saw in Aria. But this last instalment felt incredibly rushed. For a series with so many threads quietly building in the background, every single one of them was tied up far too fast. And apart from one Halloween party near the end, there was very little of the cosy autumn / Halloween feel the cover promised.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but several plot points that could’ve easily carried a five-volume series were wrapped up in a handful of pages. It left me with a lot of unanswered questions, especially since Aria’s ending hints at the start of something new. Which almost begs for a spin-off. I really hope we get one.
Volumes 1 and 2 were such solid 4.5 and 4 star reads for me, which makes giving this one 3 stars feel extra sad. I’ll miss the series, but I wish it had been given more room to breathe.
I picked up Aria of the Beech Forest Vol. 3 as part of my 31-in-31 reading push, and I’d been saving it especially for October because the cover gives such gorgeous autumn/Halloween vibes. So finding out it was the final volume was already bittersweet… but finishing it left me feeling genuinely disappointed, which makes me sad to admit.
I adored the first two volumes, I loved the storyline, the atmosphere, and especially the growth we saw in Aria. But this last instalment felt incredibly rushed. For a series with so many threads quietly building in the background, every single one of them was tied up far too fast. And apart from one Halloween party near the end, there was very little of the cosy autumn / Halloween feel the cover promised.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but several plot points that could’ve easily carried a five-volume series were wrapped up in a handful of pages. It left me with a lot of unanswered questions, especially since Aria’s ending hints at the start of something new. Which almost begs for a spin-off. I really hope we get one.
Volumes 1 and 2 were such solid 4.5 and 4 star reads for me, which makes giving this one 3 stars feel extra sad. I’ll miss the series, but I wish it had been given more room to breathe.
November 2, 2025
There’s no way this is over??? 😭💔 This was such a sweet, cozy, wholesome, and lovable story. Sooo much potential! I am genuinely shocked that this ended in just 3 volumes. I was fully expecting at least 6, maybe 10!
So many unanswered questions. And this volume especially confused me, because it almost seemed like there were 3 potential romantic interests? Not that there needed to be a romantic interest at all - but so many suggestive moments.
I feel almost robbed at the time skip! That immediately solidified for me that this was rushed. There was so much that could have happened in Aria preparing for her trip. Apparently she made all of these friends? I would’ve loved to see that 🥲 For a series that started off SO strong because of its beautifully slow, deliberate pacing - the author really dropped the ball on this last volume.
I still gave it 4 stars because I genuinely feel attached to this story and these characters. The author really made me care about everyone. I loved the recipes sprinkled throughout, the beautiful illustrations, and everyone’s backstories had so much potential.
I won’t hope for it - but the way the last line was written may suggest a continuation at some point? 🤞🏼🤞🏼
Bottom line, I don’t regret reading this series. It was lovely through and through 🤎
So many unanswered questions. And this volume especially confused me, because it almost seemed like there were 3 potential romantic interests? Not that there needed to be a romantic interest at all - but so many suggestive moments.
I feel almost robbed at the time skip! That immediately solidified for me that this was rushed. There was so much that could have happened in Aria preparing for her trip. Apparently she made all of these friends? I would’ve loved to see that 🥲 For a series that started off SO strong because of its beautifully slow, deliberate pacing - the author really dropped the ball on this last volume.
I still gave it 4 stars because I genuinely feel attached to this story and these characters. The author really made me care about everyone. I loved the recipes sprinkled throughout, the beautiful illustrations, and everyone’s backstories had so much potential.
I won’t hope for it - but the way the last line was written may suggest a continuation at some point? 🤞🏼🤞🏼
Bottom line, I don’t regret reading this series. It was lovely through and through 🤎
March 11, 2026
The final volume to the series. I'm glad that it was a relatively short. The story is wrapped up nicely with Aria coming to terms with the fact that she wants to go out and explore and see more of the great big world. However, her friend Colleen is struggling with that, as she doesn't want to lose her friend. I completely get that, and understand that this is a child, so her reaction is a bit self-centered. But she eventually comes to terms with the fact that Aria is doing the best thing for herself. It's a good coming of age story. The art throughout is also some of the most adorable and wholesome that I have seen in a long time. I literally feel the warmth of the tea and food emanate from the pages.
July 19, 2025
The end of a sweet, light, cute and cottage core story. I really liked all the characters and art in this story, but I feel like there could have been more to it? For example; what about Gwyn interacting with Aria in his human form. More about Theodore, his cat form and his job. Maybe a reunion between Alvin, Coleen and their dad. And what will become of Aria in London? So while I'm left with lots of questions and what-ifs, it still was very cute and relaxing to read.
February 4, 2026
One of the most wholesome stories 🥹🥹😭 I loved following Aria and Gwyn and seeing them grow and matur 🥹🥹 I also loved their adventures with Theodore, Alvin and Colleen where they made new friends and had small adventures further from comforts of the tree home. It was also interesting to learn more about our favorite characters, some of which have a mysterious past.
September 22, 2025
3,5/5 ⭐
Less coziness, more explaining here. Not that it's a bad thing, but it felt too fast and too rushed. Looking for Gwyn felt kinda unnecessary too.
Shame there's no more, would love to read it.
PS. Yuri fans should be happy 😂
PPS. Loved the Halloween vibe and the cover 🎃
Less coziness, more explaining here. Not that it's a bad thing, but it felt too fast and too rushed. Looking for Gwyn felt kinda unnecessary too.
Shame there's no more, would love to read it.
PS. Yuri fans should be happy 😂
PPS. Loved the Halloween vibe and the cover 🎃
December 7, 2025
12/25 A sweet if simple and brief magical story that would've made a good prequel to an interesting "sheltered witch moves to the big city to learn magic" story. Wish we'd gotten at least a single shot of an epilogue, but no luck. Hopefully the author will do the sequel one day? I'd read it.
January 2, 2026
I somehow missed this series was only three volumes and felt bittersweet over the ending. It was good but I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters. I hope in the future the author picks up the story again.
July 9, 2025
I liked Gwyn's reveal but the ending felt rushed and unfinished.
July 9, 2025
What do you mean that was the last volume!? 😭
July 12, 2025
the ending works. I feel like there’s threads from volume 1 that were abandoned, but series decently tackles coming of age?
July 26, 2025
3.5 rounded up!!
July 29, 2025
4.25 stars
August 12, 2025
I liked the ending, but wish there was more to the story. These three volumes felt like a long prequel.
September 10, 2025
So, so sweet, wish it was longer, but had a nice ending.
October 6, 2025
I am actually so sad that I am done with this series. The ending came way too fast and I wish there was more story. I love the characters and art, it’s so cute and cozy. 🥹
November 8, 2025
I wish this wasn't the last volume. There's still much to explore with Aria!
December 1, 2025
cute cozy fantasy series. didn't do much for me in terms of emotional investment, but i liked the overall story, the food, and the art.
December 27, 2025
The series ends abruptly when Aria decides to go to London. It just seemed odd that Aria is going on her own when she is just 11 years old.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2025
got a little weird for me… idk
January 2, 2026
A very cozy read. I enjoyed it and the recipes featured in this.
January 31, 2026
I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING I WAS PERFECTLY FINE UNTIL I WASN'T
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