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薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] (Light Novel) #14
The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 14
No sooner is Maomao settled back in the royal capital than she’s dragged off to a meeting of the named clans, and despite the posh surroundings, intrigue is the order of the day. Old grudges come to the surface, new ones threaten to break out into fights, and...is that a hint of love in the air? Maomao will have to navigate the twisting politics and conflicting priorities of the different clans—including hers—if she wants to survive one of the liveliest meetings around!
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First published September 29, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
August 18, 2025
I FINISHED IT ALREADY 😭
May 9, 2025
The fact that this book jumped from Clan politics to courtesan ways, to medical knowledge, to forbidden and long lost treasures, to finally Maomao teasing jinshi - well AMAZING. I loved the play and full of political fiction here.
December 23, 2023
Too lazy to add all the editions but binged all the light novels as a treat after studying and now i have a terrible urge to get the mangas rip
July 22, 2025
Oh nooo, a new translated volume of apothecary diaries fell in my lap, whatever will I do haha
June 4, 2025
The ending was worth it!
“You’re not going to touch me, sir?” Maomao asked, and he looked awkward.
“I want to. More than that. I want to hold you close, as tight as I can.”
“And yet you don’t,” she said teasingly.
“I’m holding back. Otherwise I fear I won’t be able to control myself. No. It won’t stop at holding you close—I’d bite you, I’d lick you.”
“You’re not going to touch me, sir?” Maomao asked, and he looked awkward.
“I want to. More than that. I want to hold you close, as tight as I can.”
“And yet you don’t,” she said teasingly.
“I’m holding back. Otherwise I fear I won’t be able to control myself. No. It won’t stop at holding you close—I’d bite you, I’d lick you.”
June 12, 2025
this one has got to be my favorite of the novels. there were a lot of plot points left hanging from previous books that this book caught and brought into light, including the jade tablet, kada’s book, and more. i’m impressed. i also really enjoyed how this one ended - not the epilogue (chue has aura) but between jinshi and maomao. their relationship has developed so much, from maomao thinking about him with disdain to thinking about his admirable attributes. i’m so excited to read the next one.
June 12, 2025
One of the strongest elements of this volume is the way Maomao's two worlds bump up against each other. They aren't colliding per se, but the differences between Joka and Tianyu is striking, and Maomao herself doesn't seem entirely comfortable with the fact that she's stuck between her upbringing and her genetics.
May 31, 2025
“Don’t worry, sir. There’s no one in this world more beautiful than the moon.”
Out of the three Princesses of Verdigris House, we’ve wrapped up Meimei’s story, Pairin is going strong with Lihaku (I truly appreciated their flirting this volume, as one of their biggest fans), but we had yet to have anything on Joka. I enjoyed her earlier characterisation as Maomao’s sobered elder sister who balanced between Pairin’s vivacity and Meimei’s sweetness. This volume gave us just a little more on Joka after the chapters from the previous volume, leading her to retiring as a courtesan. As Maomao stated, it’s sort of the end of an era for the three princesses, which is both sad and also exciting. I also have to praise the beautiful illustration of Joka—she’s so elegant and I love the detail of the red spider lilies.
Volume 14 was packed full of mysteries and court quarrels, something that originally enticed me about this series, so I was certainly glad for the abundance of these tales. I liked how the chapters danced between the fighting factions of the inner court and the mystery surrounding Joka’s jade tablet, until the two seemingly separate storylines were brought together, setting the story up perfectly for what will come in volumes 15 and 16. Not to mention the foreshadowing of small pox and Kokuyou’s story..!
I was feeling rather starved for JinMao, but the final handful of chapters really made up for that. I loved the carriage scene between Maomao and Zuigetsu. I adore this pair so much.
More than ever, I’m looking forward to what will come of this series. Once again, Natsu Hyuuga has outdone herself with interesting and complex characters and storylines that leave the reader desperate for more. September will only come soon enough!
Out of the three Princesses of Verdigris House, we’ve wrapped up Meimei’s story, Pairin is going strong with Lihaku (I truly appreciated their flirting this volume, as one of their biggest fans), but we had yet to have anything on Joka. I enjoyed her earlier characterisation as Maomao’s sobered elder sister who balanced between Pairin’s vivacity and Meimei’s sweetness. This volume gave us just a little more on Joka after the chapters from the previous volume, leading her to retiring as a courtesan. As Maomao stated, it’s sort of the end of an era for the three princesses, which is both sad and also exciting. I also have to praise the beautiful illustration of Joka—she’s so elegant and I love the detail of the red spider lilies.
Volume 14 was packed full of mysteries and court quarrels, something that originally enticed me about this series, so I was certainly glad for the abundance of these tales. I liked how the chapters danced between the fighting factions of the inner court and the mystery surrounding Joka’s jade tablet, until the two seemingly separate storylines were brought together, setting the story up perfectly for what will come in volumes 15 and 16. Not to mention the foreshadowing of small pox and Kokuyou’s story..!
I was feeling rather starved for JinMao, but the final handful of chapters really made up for that. I loved the carriage scene between Maomao and Zuigetsu. I adore this pair so much.
More than ever, I’m looking forward to what will come of this series. Once again, Natsu Hyuuga has outdone herself with interesting and complex characters and storylines that leave the reader desperate for more. September will only come soon enough!
June 8, 2025
Otro tomo en que partimos con peuqeños casos que parecieran no tener nada en común, para luego terminar en un plot más grande donde todo se une. Muy entretenido.
Me da un poco de nostalgia ver como Jinshi y Maomao han cambiado con el paso de los años, y obviamente han madurado y mejorado, pero igual extraño cuando eran más brat jajajaja
Me da un poco de nostalgia ver como Jinshi y Maomao han cambiado con el paso de los años, y obviamente han madurado y mejorado, pero igual extraño cuando eran más brat jajajaja
June 13, 2025
This series feels crazy long at this point. This was my fav book in a while. I was interested in the stories and I do think it’s interesting how the stories seem to interweave but I am still not sure where this story ends. I do like that prostitutes are not treated or thought of as lowly people in the story telling. They are doing a job and people that took care and showed love to Maomao.
July 2, 2025
4.25
A very fun addition to the series though nothing super important happens. It certainly felt more cohesive than the previous installment, which lacked a sense of direction and felt very much like a filler. The crumbs we get of Maomao and Jinshi were particularly scrumptious in this one, or maybe it's the violent withdrawal symptoms that made every scene that much more enjoyable.
One major downside to the book is how often the translation gets in the way of my enjoyment. Some word choices are definitely choices that no one in their right mind would make, but whatever that's a well known issue in this series at this point (although I'd make the case to never use the term "fingering" ever again in that context I BEG.)
A very fun addition to the series though nothing super important happens. It certainly felt more cohesive than the previous installment, which lacked a sense of direction and felt very much like a filler. The crumbs we get of Maomao and Jinshi were particularly scrumptious in this one, or maybe it's the violent withdrawal symptoms that made every scene that much more enjoyable.
One major downside to the book is how often the translation gets in the way of my enjoyment. Some word choices are definitely choices that no one in their right mind would make, but whatever that's a well known issue in this series at this point (although I'd make the case to never use the term "fingering" ever again in that context I BEG.)
November 30, 2025
love to read about Maomao’s sweet friendship with Enen and Yao but at the same time so sad it takes away all the potential encounterings she could’ve had with Jinshi…. I love my smart ass cat but girl take the action into your hands go after Jinshi you have Suiren, Taomei and Chue on your side!
Also adore how invested the Ma clan is into Basen getting his true love story with Lady Lishu
Also adore how invested the Ma clan is into Basen getting his true love story with Lady Lishu
June 22, 2025
Jinshi found somebody to match his freak.
October 16, 2025
estuvo tranqui este volumen
December 21, 2025
banger
December 6, 2025
naah these two get FREAKY and I LOVE it 🤭 but Jinshi, saying to your girl that she would make a great courtesan is not a nice compliment 🫣 need to work on that 😌
the way Maomao is teasing him and complains that he's not touching her as much as before 🤭 my my, look who's missing Jinshi's attention
the way Maomao is teasing him and complains that he's not touching her as much as before 🤭 my my, look who's missing Jinshi's attention
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2025
I love court politics!
April 12, 2025
My first book review in 5 years and I am dedicating it on the Apothecary Diaries, a Japanese light novel series with elements of detective work, court drama, and, of course, romance. I am very into the series and the characters. It is not that deep. It is not meant to be that serious. But it is so so fun.
The series is set in a reimagined Tang/Song Dynasty Chinese imperial court. The lead character Maomao is a "pharmacist" trained in herbal medicine. Calm, smart, she is obsessed with medicine and absurdly good at what she does. Throw any mystery at her, and she will solve it. I am loving the trend of highly capable female lead in Japanese stories. Frieren from manga series "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" - another recent favorite - is a similar character.
Most of the story takes place in the women section of the royal court, and there is an abundance of female characters. From queens, concubines, servants old and young to spies and sex workers, they are all written with love and care and it is just lovely spending time with these characters.
The series is also quite well-researched. The details of everyday life such as administering medicine, communicating and traveling, handling a locust crisis were fascinating.
Jinshi is the male lead and I totally have a crush on him too but there is not much to say. I appreciate how he fell in love with Maomao because of her passion for medicine and he totally supports this passion of hers. A warning: the Maomao and Jinshi love line is a very slow burn.
It seems that the books are published in one-year intervals, and it takes another year for the Chinese version to be released. I might be 40 years old before I can witness Maomao and Jinshi's happily-ever-after. Sigh.
The anime is currently on Netflix and it is a huge hit. Each episode is 24 minutes, the perfect length for modern life. I don’t know if this is a hot take or what, but Japanese pop culture, especially the manga and anime scene, is so ALIVE and anyone not watching any anime is majorly missing out.
The series is set in a reimagined Tang/Song Dynasty Chinese imperial court. The lead character Maomao is a "pharmacist" trained in herbal medicine. Calm, smart, she is obsessed with medicine and absurdly good at what she does. Throw any mystery at her, and she will solve it. I am loving the trend of highly capable female lead in Japanese stories. Frieren from manga series "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" - another recent favorite - is a similar character.
Most of the story takes place in the women section of the royal court, and there is an abundance of female characters. From queens, concubines, servants old and young to spies and sex workers, they are all written with love and care and it is just lovely spending time with these characters.
The series is also quite well-researched. The details of everyday life such as administering medicine, communicating and traveling, handling a locust crisis were fascinating.
Jinshi is the male lead and I totally have a crush on him too but there is not much to say. I appreciate how he fell in love with Maomao because of her passion for medicine and he totally supports this passion of hers. A warning: the Maomao and Jinshi love line is a very slow burn.
It seems that the books are published in one-year intervals, and it takes another year for the Chinese version to be released. I might be 40 years old before I can witness Maomao and Jinshi's happily-ever-after. Sigh.
The anime is currently on Netflix and it is a huge hit. Each episode is 24 minutes, the perfect length for modern life. I don’t know if this is a hot take or what, but Japanese pop culture, especially the manga and anime scene, is so ALIVE and anyone not watching any anime is majorly missing out.
September 3, 2025
I chose the best volume to binge all in one day. The politics, the politics!
September 24, 2024
面白いラノベのシリーズも、やはりここまで長編の作品になると、惰性としか感じないストーリーになってくる。
今までの物語で登場した新キャラ達が色々な面で右往左往して水面下で動いてる様は、興味深いけれど、ちょっと飽きてくる。
（13巻を読んだのが結構前という事もあって、正確な人間関係を思い出せないせいもあるかも...でも、他のラノベシリーズだとほぼ覚えてられないのに、このシリーズだと、大体の筋やキャラの立ち位置は覚えてる。それが、このシリーズが面白いと私が無意識に認識してる証拠かも。）
あと、正直主人公猫猫と壬氏の絡みが少なすぎて、ちょっと寂しい。
それと、ウェブ上で公開されてたのを、ほぼ編集無しで本にしてるのかな、と思うくらい、たまに文章がおかしい時があるのが気になる。
が、他のラノベと違って、ミステリの側面に関しては信頼できるシリーズなので、次も読む予定。
紫水晶が加熱されると黄色っぽくなる、とか、面白い豆知識も知れてよかった。
この小さいネタが、将来の謎解きにどういう風にかかわってくるのか、Find outするのが楽しみ。
（今までのこの作者の物語構成だと、次の巻にまたがる形で登場しそう、ミステリが。）
今までの物語で登場した新キャラ達が色々な面で右往左往して水面下で動いてる様は、興味深いけれど、ちょっと飽きてくる。
（13巻を読んだのが結構前という事もあって、正確な人間関係を思い出せないせいもあるかも...でも、他のラノベシリーズだとほぼ覚えてられないのに、このシリーズだと、大体の筋やキャラの立ち位置は覚えてる。それが、このシリーズが面白いと私が無意識に認識してる証拠かも。）
あと、正直主人公猫猫と壬氏の絡みが少なすぎて、ちょっと寂しい。
それと、ウェブ上で公開されてたのを、ほぼ編集無しで本にしてるのかな、と思うくらい、たまに文章がおかしい時があるのが気になる。
が、他のラノベと違って、ミステリの側面に関しては信頼できるシリーズなので、次も読む予定。
紫水晶が加熱されると黄色っぽくなる、とか、面白い豆知識も知れてよかった。
この小さいネタが、将来の謎解きにどういう風にかかわってくるのか、Find outするのが楽しみ。
（今までのこの作者の物語構成だと、次の巻にまたがる形で登場しそう、ミステリが。）
May 22, 2025
Their romance is going too slow even the side characters are annoyed🥹
September 12, 2025
نمیدونم نویسنده چطور میتونه با سادهترین داستانها من رو پای کتاب میخکوب نگه داره. اول این جلد یکم حس فیلر بودن داشت ولی بعد بهتر شد. و مائومائو درحال اذیت کردن جینشی؟ نمیدونستم ولی بهش نیاز داشتم.
این جلد یکم خوندنش طول کشید چون خورد به امتحانهام ولی خوشحالم که اینطور شد چون دقیقا فردا ترجمهی انگلیسی جلد بعدیش میاد :*)) (البته که طبیعتا یکم طول میکشه تا برای دانلود بیاد) خیلی ناراحتم که آنگو شدم. یعنی چی که باید برای هرجلد یک سال صبر کنم؟ اون هم با این حجم از اسلوبرن بودن کتاب؟ سکته میکنم. (توی هر ۳۰۰ صفحه کلا ۲۰ صفحه جینشی و مائومائو داریم که ۱۹ صفحهش به بحثهای کاری و سیاسی میگذره. *خنج کشیدن*)
این جلد یکم خوندنش طول کشید چون خورد به امتحانهام ولی خوشحالم که اینطور شد چون دقیقا فردا ترجمهی انگلیسی جلد بعدیش میاد :*)) (البته که طبیعتا یکم طول میکشه تا برای دانلود بیاد) خیلی ناراحتم که آنگو شدم. یعنی چی که باید برای هرجلد یک سال صبر کنم؟ اون هم با این حجم از اسلوبرن بودن کتاب؟ سکته میکنم. (توی هر ۳۰۰ صفحه کلا ۲۰ صفحه جینشی و مائومائو داریم که ۱۹ صفحهش به بحثهای کاری و سیاسی میگذره. *خنج کشیدن*)
May 30, 2025
This Volume is as amazing as I predicted but...
I believe now that Maomao and Jinchi have accepted the feelings the romance should be a bit more than a simple touch.
Through the entire book I found Jinchi avoiding Maomao, which was a bit annoying if you asked me.
Otherwise the plot, the comedy, the screenplay and the characters were amazing.
The clan thing was amazing which was focused on the history and then there was the late prodigy of the imperial family and how it was linked with Taniyu and joka.
I really can't wait for the next volume.. I really hope the romance is more.
I believe now that Maomao and Jinchi have accepted the feelings the romance should be a bit more than a simple touch.
Through the entire book I found Jinchi avoiding Maomao, which was a bit annoying if you asked me.
Otherwise the plot, the comedy, the screenplay and the characters were amazing.
The clan thing was amazing which was focused on the history and then there was the late prodigy of the imperial family and how it was linked with Taniyu and joka.
I really can't wait for the next volume.. I really hope the romance is more.
September 9, 2025
Me gusta que sigamos descubriendo relaciones y conociendo mas a los distintos personajes. Pero sobre todo las interacciones entre Maomao y Jinshi, se nota mucho mas su conexión, y lo tranquila que está Maomao al hablar con él. También el hecho de que va y le pide ayuda con el tema de Joka habla mucho de la evolución de Maomao. Espero que en el volumen 15 tengamos mas y mas interacciones entre ellos ❤️🩹
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2025
Another great entry in the series, I feel like I've said this a million times by now but Hyuuga is really good at placing characters in new situations and shaking up the status quo in a way that's super propelling to the narrative and really fun to read because of the way she can really make character interactions shine. The way the plot moves and twists oozes confidence and it's just a joy to read.
June 24, 2025
I'm wondering about Kada. What kind of person was he?
June 2, 2025
Nothing is happening between Jinshi and Maomao?!? I want some progress! There are 14 books and still nothing! 😭
October 1, 2025
¡WOW! En este libro me parece que Maomao está asumiendo más su rol de ser la princesa de clan La y no puedo estar más emocionada. También me emocionan todos los shippeos que me generó, como lo son el del hermano de Lahan con la amiga de Maomao o el de el hijo de Goushun con Lishu.
Si bien este tomo fue bastante político, muchas alianzas, muchas rupturas y otros lazos creados, y que Jinshi casi ni aparece, me gustó y lo disfruté muchísimo. Siento que todo va a cobrar más fuerza acercándose al final de la historia, en especial si Maomao necesita contactos por el bien del imperio.
Si bien este tomo fue bastante político, muchas alianzas, muchas rupturas y otros lazos creados, y que Jinshi casi ni aparece, me gustó y lo disfruté muchísimo. Siento que todo va a cobrar más fuerza acercándose al final de la historia, en especial si Maomao necesita contactos por el bien del imperio.
July 24, 2025
As delightful as The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 13 but with more classic Apothecary Diaries mystery, politics, intrigue, and connectivity.
Maomao and Jinshi are settling into their new normal/their positions, together and separately, and the cast of characters continue to add so much to the world and the fun. Like 13, the volume overall is like a return to form (not that I don't love the Western Capital arc) but wow, these characters have grown a lot and it's beautiful to track.
My only complaint would really be the ending was a little anticlimactic or didn't feel as complete and satisfying as it should have been, but I am holding off on judging it too harshly in case it carries over into the next installment. I do think lots of seeds have been planted for this current arc, and I am curious to see where they all go!
Maomao and Jinshi are settling into their new normal/their positions, together and separately, and the cast of characters continue to add so much to the world and the fun. Like 13, the volume overall is like a return to form (not that I don't love the Western Capital arc) but wow, these characters have grown a lot and it's beautiful to track.
My only complaint would really be the ending was a little anticlimactic or didn't feel as complete and satisfying as it should have been, but I am holding off on judging it too harshly in case it carries over into the next installment. I do think lots of seeds have been planted for this current arc, and I am curious to see where they all go!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews