Re-Read Review (January 26th, 2023):
Shouoto is able to expand a bit more of Himari's world by the end of this volume. By touching on her going back to school, it gives urgency to the protagonist's end goal of the series. Shouoto also foreshadows one of my favorite arcs of the series and is even able to stress the bond between Himari and Aoi. Their insta-connection is starting to form genuine sparks. It'll be fun to see them come to life all over again.
As Himari continues to discover the magic and potential dangers of Momochi House, the more the shikigami come to trust her. I can tell Ise and Yukari view her as less of a nuisance (even if the former still doesn't completely trust her; that'll change), and Zushi's introduction reinforces that. The bonus story also has enough charm with a slight sinister edge to leave readers wondering what Shouoto will reveal next. There was some art that didn't look as polished as the last volume, yet I love seeing Shouoto's growth and how that'll continue to build in a longer series (as I mentioned in my last review).
First Read Review (October 16th, 2016):
It's been a long time coming that I read the next volume in this series, and I didn't even know my local library ordered Volumes 2-5 until fairly recently (it also slipped my mind to request interlibrary loans for this series, but whatever).
There was less recap this time and more plot. The end of the volume promises really exciting things to come, so I'm interested to see where this series goes next. I'm also really liking Himari, though I wouldn't say she's as memorable as Anise was from Kiss of the Rose Princess (also by Aya Shouoto).
But my favorite character is definitely Aoi, because I like the balance between his mature and childish sides. Plus, his Nue form is still incredibly gorgeous and makes me swoon every single time it shows up.
Aya Shouoto also continues to basically give us all artgasms too, so that's appreciated! Hopefully I'm able to get caught up on this series as soon as I can.