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聖女に嘘は通じない [Seijo ni Uso wa Tsuujinai] #3
You Can't Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister 3
「二年前の聖女候補殺人事件の犯人は誰なのか――」
成金聖騎士エラルドに見出された少女・クロエは事件を探るべく聖女選抜試験に潜り込む。しかし、聖女候補の誰かが神秘の力『祝福(ルビ:ギフト)』でクロエに攻撃を仕掛けようとしたことが判明する‥‥! そんな危険な状況下で、候補者の一人である傾国の美女・サロメと接触することになり‥‥!?
【大重版止まらぬ話題作! 『薬屋のひとりごと』日向夏&『終わりのセラフ 一瀬グレン、16歳の破滅』浅見ようのタッグでおくる緊迫のファンタジー×ミステリ!!】
成金聖騎士エラルドに見出された少女・クロエは事件を探るべく聖女選抜試験に潜り込む。しかし、聖女候補の誰かが神秘の力『祝福(ルビ:ギフト)』でクロエに攻撃を仕掛けようとしたことが判明する‥‥! そんな危険な状況下で、候補者の一人である傾国の美女・サロメと接触することになり‥‥!?
【大重版止まらぬ話題作! 『薬屋のひとりごと』日向夏&『終わりのセラフ 一瀬グレン、16歳の破滅』浅見ようのタッグでおくる緊迫のファンタジー×ミステリ!!】
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 17, 2026
In what will become my basic refrain for my basic review of this series, I will reiterate: mysteries that involve magic do not work. They just don’t. You can have your reveals, sure, and there are some decent ones here, but you can’t make a satisfying mystery from it.
Ergo, you’ll be better off treating this as more of a suspense story than a whodunnit. I mean, yes, it has basic mystery things in it, but when magical apparatus and whatnot are just being pulled out of nowhere, whole cloth, it’s harder to get invested.
Which is too bad, because there are some decent ideas swirling around this that could be a lot more interesting with more focus on them. Salome, for example, is dealing with a curse that makes her candidacy and life more perilous than it first appears.
It ties back into the murder investigation, but parts of this feel disconnected or like they’re going in too many directions at once. I just feel like this is a jumble rather than a grand tapestry being woven.
And there’s the whole possibility of mind control coming into the whole thing, which is again fine if you want a fantasy mystery (and it does add a little suspense), less so if you want something that hums along in reality. I’m not expecting Brother Cadfael here, but I like clearly defined rules.
Otherwise, it has some decent jokes and all that. Erald and Chloe make a good double-act and I like that Chloe’s reason for finding him intriguing is that she can’t read his expressions. I wish the story played up her abilities and her avarice more - her trying to strong arm more money is a nice touch.
It just feels very surface-level at times. Even somebody like Salome, who we spend a goodly amount of time with this volume, doesn’t feel like a real character. There’s a detachment from the story that I don’t feel in similar books.
It’s probably just because of how my tastes run, but I also really liked the addition of Lady Zoe’s knight, who happens to be a short-haired female. I am not expecting anything here, but there’s a yuri in that premise.
There are several little moments that do make this worth continuing with. When the candidates are helping at a bazaar, there’s a pretty clever plot over helping the poor and trying to recycle plates that was well thought out.
And I do want to read the next volume, just because I saw something in passing that made me suspicious and, gripes about the story aside, part of me wants to be proven right no matter the instance.
3 stars - this is a good idea, but also kind of ramshackle. There’s probably a better way to present this, but I’m not sure what it is, and it’s admittedly okay even with its faults.
Ergo, you’ll be better off treating this as more of a suspense story than a whodunnit. I mean, yes, it has basic mystery things in it, but when magical apparatus and whatnot are just being pulled out of nowhere, whole cloth, it’s harder to get invested.
Which is too bad, because there are some decent ideas swirling around this that could be a lot more interesting with more focus on them. Salome, for example, is dealing with a curse that makes her candidacy and life more perilous than it first appears.
It ties back into the murder investigation, but parts of this feel disconnected or like they’re going in too many directions at once. I just feel like this is a jumble rather than a grand tapestry being woven.
And there’s the whole possibility of mind control coming into the whole thing, which is again fine if you want a fantasy mystery (and it does add a little suspense), less so if you want something that hums along in reality. I’m not expecting Brother Cadfael here, but I like clearly defined rules.
Otherwise, it has some decent jokes and all that. Erald and Chloe make a good double-act and I like that Chloe’s reason for finding him intriguing is that she can’t read his expressions. I wish the story played up her abilities and her avarice more - her trying to strong arm more money is a nice touch.
It just feels very surface-level at times. Even somebody like Salome, who we spend a goodly amount of time with this volume, doesn’t feel like a real character. There’s a detachment from the story that I don’t feel in similar books.
It’s probably just because of how my tastes run, but I also really liked the addition of Lady Zoe’s knight, who happens to be a short-haired female. I am not expecting anything here, but there’s a yuri in that premise.
There are several little moments that do make this worth continuing with. When the candidates are helping at a bazaar, there’s a pretty clever plot over helping the poor and trying to recycle plates that was well thought out.
And I do want to read the next volume, just because I saw something in passing that made me suspicious and, gripes about the story aside, part of me wants to be proven right no matter the instance.
3 stars - this is a good idea, but also kind of ramshackle. There’s probably a better way to present this, but I’m not sure what it is, and it’s admittedly okay even with its faults.
April 10, 2026
This third volume feels very similar to the previous ones, and not necessarily in a good way. I keep waiting for the story to gain momentum, but instead it continues to linger between world-building and character development without fully committing to either.
The world still feels underdeveloped. Aside from the central murder mystery, there is very little sense of real stakes. Conflicts appear, but they are often resolved quickly and conveniently, usually through magic or money, which makes them feel almost inconsequential. Because of this, the narrative starts to feel episodic, with the protagonist moving from one situation to the next, each one neatly resolved without much lasting tension.
The same issue applies to the characters. They come across as rather shallow, largely because they do not seem to have much at stake either. Most of them are defined by family roles and expectations, which they follow without much resistance. While there is a sense of personal loss, it rarely leads to meaningful action or emotional expression.
The main character, in particular, struggles to gain depth. She is described as cunning and money-driven, yet in practice she feels selfless and somewhat naive, motivated almost entirely by helping others. She rarely feels like someone with her own desires or internal conflicts, which makes it difficult to fully connect with her.
Erald, the male lead, faces a similar issue. Beyond his status and his reliance on wealth to solve problems, we learn very little about who he is as a person. If not for his involvement in solving Ciro’s murder, his motivations, preferences, and emotional world remain largely unexplored.
Ironically, the presence of magic, instead of enhancing the story, often weakens it by removing tension from conflicts. However, the larger issue remains the characters themselves, who never quite move beyond surface-level portrayals.
That said, the story is not without its merits. There are moments of intrigue, and some of the mystery elements and resolutions are engaging enough to keep things mildly interesting. Still, this is not a volume that leaves a lasting impression. It is readable, but ultimately forgettable.
The world still feels underdeveloped. Aside from the central murder mystery, there is very little sense of real stakes. Conflicts appear, but they are often resolved quickly and conveniently, usually through magic or money, which makes them feel almost inconsequential. Because of this, the narrative starts to feel episodic, with the protagonist moving from one situation to the next, each one neatly resolved without much lasting tension.
The same issue applies to the characters. They come across as rather shallow, largely because they do not seem to have much at stake either. Most of them are defined by family roles and expectations, which they follow without much resistance. While there is a sense of personal loss, it rarely leads to meaningful action or emotional expression.
The main character, in particular, struggles to gain depth. She is described as cunning and money-driven, yet in practice she feels selfless and somewhat naive, motivated almost entirely by helping others. She rarely feels like someone with her own desires or internal conflicts, which makes it difficult to fully connect with her.
Erald, the male lead, faces a similar issue. Beyond his status and his reliance on wealth to solve problems, we learn very little about who he is as a person. If not for his involvement in solving Ciro’s murder, his motivations, preferences, and emotional world remain largely unexplored.
Ironically, the presence of magic, instead of enhancing the story, often weakens it by removing tension from conflicts. However, the larger issue remains the characters themselves, who never quite move beyond surface-level portrayals.
That said, the story is not without its merits. There are moments of intrigue, and some of the mystery elements and resolutions are engaging enough to keep things mildly interesting. Still, this is not a volume that leaves a lasting impression. It is readable, but ultimately forgettable.
April 17, 2026
You can really tell this is written by the Apothecary Diaries mangaka the way the story is unfolding and the way information is shown-but thankfully it’s easier to digest here lll. I like seeing Chloe become closer to the other candidates, maybe she’ll be able to help each of them with their issues.
March 21, 2026
this isn’t a bad story—but the pacing is SO slow
March 2, 2026
Beautifully drawn, intriguing characters
Natsu Hyuuga is a talented storyteller, plumbing the nuances of personalities, motivations, and relationships. The artist does exquisite work. Part of the fun is just enjoying the art.
Natsu Hyuuga is a talented storyteller, plumbing the nuances of personalities, motivations, and relationships. The artist does exquisite work. Part of the fun is just enjoying the art.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews