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Beasts of Abigaile #1
薔薇監獄の獣たち
欧州の小国・ルベリアに移住した月城ニナは伝説上の存在のはずの獣人一族の少年・ロイに噛みつかれたことで自らも獣人<ルーガ>になってしまい、脱出不可能の獣人学園監獄島「アビゲイル」へと堕されてしまう。ニナを待ち受ける、激しすぎる運命とは……! ?
186 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
April 18, 2018
Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
Nina immigrated to the small country of Ruberia in Europe where there are legends of werewolves and roses. There she realizes everyone lives an extremely rich lifestyle... and when she is bit by a wolfboy called Roy she learns their secret... With her own symptoms of the wolf she must hide she used to be human as she navigates the wolf school/prison Abigaile!
I didn't pick this title to read but was sent it and so I wasn't sure what to expect... From first glance the art appeared to be old and to be frank I would probably have avoided the series totally... AND WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN!!
Shoujo are manga deliberately aimed at the female sex and I have to say that while I also love me some male aimed manga I have a soft spot for shoujo as long as the story is compelling... And I was frankly shocked how much I LOVED THIS MANGA! The setup is super quick... like super, super quick. In a book we would say this is some really shallow back history and world building. But with a manga where the ART supplies a ton of the REAL world building the setup was just right.
The mangaka is super smart with the story though... get the basic premise over as quick as possible moving us from Ruberia in general to the prison of Abignaile where the world building REALLY starts in earnest. I can hazard to say that every chapter revealed a portion of the prison back story and it was some fascinating stuff! Yes we're talking about your common variety werewolf but the school society that has been developed around that basic stereotype is quite compelling especially for newcomer Nina!
I love Nina type of characters where they get into random and extreme trouble helping underdogs. They can't help themselves but rush in where most fear to tread and they seem to have some kind of charisma in that they never feel the true brunt of punishment. The thing is that Nina pulls it off. She is genuinely hurt when someone who was kind snubs her and she is genuinely flying in the face of someone who tries to dominate her. There is such heart here and I'll be damned if I can figure out just what made her able to win my heart so swiftly.
This is definitely a love triangle and I'm fine with that. The YA community hates on it but its a shoujo staple and its normally pretty obvious who the heroine likes... though here I'm still up in the air about just who yet. I do LOVE the way the relationships were laid out so strongly. Giles pretty much has no choice and Roy is so angry he can't see straight. BEST of all though are the little secondary characters like Poe who I can't wait to learn more about! And Dario who takes her into his home. There are a bunch more secondary henchmen besides the student body president who has Giles acting against his will!
The tension is really good... I was just as hurt as Nina when she is snubbed and was also humbly thankful when Dario stepped up. I think one of the reasons characters like Nina are able to crawl into your heart is your ability to imagine how it would be if you were in the same situation!! So I felt like I was right there in the trenches and I couldn't help but cheer when she rebelled against those trying to dominate her!!
Okay, Okay... normally I start out the gate raving about the art... I have to say the art DID NOT capture me at first. AT FIRST... It has this old timey feel to it that I am normally turned off by. BUT this style is used SO WELL by this mangaka that I found myself switching sides and totally falling for the ART!! Expert screens, expert use of closeups and character focuses. There were some unique frames where I hadn't seen the technique used before... (like the white on black frame of Nina shocked near the end!) All of these moments contrasted the old style and actually modernized it. Life does feel like a comedy of errors at times so to have these other beats the art just feels fleshed out and COMPLETE!!
For now I am really happy with where the development took us... In future volumes I want to delve into the world further and see what her aunt and uncle think about her disappearing as well as know more about where each group will go from here. But for now... I'm wondering when I can get my hands on volume 2!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leads
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Others
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Development
BOTTOM LINE: A spunky Nina makes the werewolf story sparkle!
Thanks to Seven Seas for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinion.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...
October 11, 2022
I had to do a reread of volume one because I read this back in March and forgot a lot of details. I'm so glad that I did because I'm now so hype to read the rest of the series!
I loved all of the characters we were introduced to. Especially our main character Nina! She's feisty and I love that she sticks up for people who can't protect themselves. I can't wait to see how she survives her time on Abigaile Island.
Oh yeah! I almost forgot to mention that the artwork here is so stunning. I love it! 💕
I loved all of the characters we were introduced to. Especially our main character Nina! She's feisty and I love that she sticks up for people who can't protect themselves. I can't wait to see how she survives her time on Abigaile Island.
Oh yeah! I almost forgot to mention that the artwork here is so stunning. I love it! 💕
August 16, 2018
This was so cute and addicting!
January 28, 2018
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...
As part of my New Year’s resolution, I’m reading whatever books I want when I want to, and not paying too much attention to numbers or setting exact goals. I’m currently in the middle of The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, and I’ve barely made a dent in it, because the book is a whopping 1100+ pages. So. In between reading my giant doorstop of a fantasy novel, I’ve been reading a bunch of light fluffy manga that I’ve been impulse-buying because I’m a book addict and I have problems.
One of those series is Beasts of Abigaile. A teenage girl named Nina has just moved to the tiny but prosperous nation of Ruberia. She’s thinking about settling in to a new school in a new country, which gives her a fresh start in life. Ruberia is beautiful, and seems like something out of a fairy tale. But Nina doesn’t quite get the same kind of fresh start that she expected. She is attacked by a werewolf, only to discover that she is now one of them. And it’s at that moment that the secret of Ruberia’s prosperity becomes apparent–the humans have enslaved the luga (werewolf) race. And even though she used to be human (and sort of still is, but now with cute ears and a tail), she’s carted off to the island prison school of Abigail, where luga children are oppressed and taught to serve the humans.
Abigaile resembles a typical Japanese high school. There’s a student council that wields power within the school, and everyone wears a uniform and goes to classes. Instead of cliques, there are packs known as “homes,” and everyone is organized into an alpha-omega wolf pack hierarchy. Nina is strong-willed and always stands up for what is right, even when she’s in an unfamiliar and terrifying environment. And in the process, she catches the eye of two handsome young werewolves. Roy is the alpha werewolf who attacked Nina in the first place, and Gilles is a member of the student council who takes Nina under his wing and tries to protect her as she eases into life at Abigaile. I’m looking forward to seeing each of them develop more and seeing which one Nina ends up with.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...
As part of my New Year’s resolution, I’m reading whatever books I want when I want to, and not paying too much attention to numbers or setting exact goals. I’m currently in the middle of The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, and I’ve barely made a dent in it, because the book is a whopping 1100+ pages. So. In between reading my giant doorstop of a fantasy novel, I’ve been reading a bunch of light fluffy manga that I’ve been impulse-buying because I’m a book addict and I have problems.
One of those series is Beasts of Abigaile. A teenage girl named Nina has just moved to the tiny but prosperous nation of Ruberia. She’s thinking about settling in to a new school in a new country, which gives her a fresh start in life. Ruberia is beautiful, and seems like something out of a fairy tale. But Nina doesn’t quite get the same kind of fresh start that she expected. She is attacked by a werewolf, only to discover that she is now one of them. And it’s at that moment that the secret of Ruberia’s prosperity becomes apparent–the humans have enslaved the luga (werewolf) race. And even though she used to be human (and sort of still is, but now with cute ears and a tail), she’s carted off to the island prison school of Abigail, where luga children are oppressed and taught to serve the humans.
Abigaile resembles a typical Japanese high school. There’s a student council that wields power within the school, and everyone wears a uniform and goes to classes. Instead of cliques, there are packs known as “homes,” and everyone is organized into an alpha-omega wolf pack hierarchy. Nina is strong-willed and always stands up for what is right, even when she’s in an unfamiliar and terrifying environment. And in the process, she catches the eye of two handsome young werewolves. Roy is the alpha werewolf who attacked Nina in the first place, and Gilles is a member of the student council who takes Nina under his wing and tries to protect her as she eases into life at Abigaile. I’m looking forward to seeing each of them develop more and seeing which one Nina ends up with.
January 8, 2020
Content/Trigger Warnings: Bullying, violence, physical abuse, scene of child abuse, slavery, talk of torture
“I never could’ve imagined…the unthinkable trails that awaited me…here on Abigaile.”
Dearest readers, this book completely took me by surprise. Actually, I shouldn’t be that surprised because my dearest friend Kayla from Books and Blends recommended this series to me and we have very similar taste in books. And I ate this first book alive! I devoured it and now I’m waiting for my order of the rest of this series to arrive. There are werewolves, there’s a character named Darrio who is just a flamboyant precious bean, and I have so many questions that I need answers to. I just fell in love with this a whole ton and I’m so excited!
Our story follows Nina who recently relocated to the beautiful country Ruberia. Even though this country is very beautiful, this country has many dark secrets lurking underneath it’s surface and Nina quickly realizes the darkest secret of them all. Once bitten by a wolf-like luga, Nina soon transforms and dragged off to the penitentiary academy know as Abigaile, where the luga of Ruberia learn how to serve humans. With her strong-willed personality, Nina will make extraordinary friends, gain a lover or two, plenty of enemies, and disrupting the alpha-omega hierarchy from it’s core!
I love Nina as our main character. She has so much life to her and the way she stands up to right the wrong being done just fill my heart with so many warm feelings. I will always be a sucker for strong willed characters who voice their words, stand up for those who don’t know how to, and still have the compassion when the situation would harden most. She easily became a character I was invested in and saw myself in. She just has one of those personalities that you can’t resist even if you really wanted to.
We also get introduced to a bunch of other characters that are probably going to make plenty of other appearances. For starters, you have Gilles who’s on the student council at the academy and I’m not going to lie, he’s a bit of a dream boat! We also have Roy who’s not only an alpha of one of the groups at the academy, he’s also the wolf who bit Nina and seems to have it out for her. Then we have one of my favorite and most exciting characters, Darrio. He’s the alpha who takes Nina in and offers her protection. He also has an incredible taste in fashion and is very flamboyant. I love him to pieces and I will protect him with my whole heart and soul! There are many side characters, but these are the main characters who stick out the most in this book and I have no doubt that we’re going to see so much more from them in upcoming volumes.
The thing that blew me away the most with this volume was the ending. I love a good series or book that ends on a really great cliffhanger that encourages the readers to keep reading. And this cliffhanger, it was so juicy and good. I wanted so much more when I read those final pages because those few pages offer so much, but it leaves you craving more, having so many questions, and wondering what this all means. I’ll be honest, I took some series notes and predicting what will happen in the next volume because my curiosity is eager to know.
Overall, I know this wasn’t a super long review, but I don’t want to say too much that might reveal twists or major events that happen in this first volume. What I will say is how good this first volume was and how fast paced everything is. As I said, I’m eagerly awaiting the arrive of the rest of the series because my drive to power read through this series is on a high right now. If you’re anything like me who loves a fast paced read that involves werewolves and dark secrets then this is going to be a manga series you want to pick up. Also, this series is super short! Aside from one other series that I know of, this series only has four books in total. If you’re a fast reader, you can easily breeze through this series super quickly! I highly recommend checking it out and giving it a chance!
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September 1, 2020
4.75 - I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this! It has the cutest and funny moments but it’s quite dark.
The art is my favorite. It’s so aesthetically pleasing. Almost everyone is drawn so well! The only exception to this are side characters (less detail) and the guards (we’re supposed to hate them so they’re freaky looking).
Flipping through the book again, it reminds me of an updated Sailor Moon art style. It takes everything I like from Sailor Moon’s art and improves upon that base.
The story and characters have an issue because of one overlying thing; The wolf caste system is in play. This does not exclude aggressive “alpha male” behavior in one of the male leads. I don’t like this part of it.
The world building is gorgeous. Information about the world slowly gets released as the story picks up. A lot of information is purposely excluded in a tasteful way that makes you wonder about the story. It’s lovely.
Nina wasn’t my favorite character. She was fun a lot but was also determined (in a way) that too many shojo manga female leads do not have. I was glad they didn’t make her into a total airhead but she still fell in shojo cliches. She wasn’t very fleshed out but her emotions for each scene were fairly reasonable.
For some reason I didn’t mind the love triangle??? It was actually done in an enjoyable way?? Most of the time it’s annoying because it’s always used in every romance. Maybe it’s just because this is a Neku manga.... I’m not totally sure lol.
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Side note: Why do all the Nekus have two ears? They have wolf ears and human ears. Please just stick to one.
The art is my favorite. It’s so aesthetically pleasing. Almost everyone is drawn so well! The only exception to this are side characters (less detail) and the guards (we’re supposed to hate them so they’re freaky looking).
Flipping through the book again, it reminds me of an updated Sailor Moon art style. It takes everything I like from Sailor Moon’s art and improves upon that base.
The story and characters have an issue because of one overlying thing; The wolf caste system is in play. This does not exclude aggressive “alpha male” behavior in one of the male leads. I don’t like this part of it.
The world building is gorgeous. Information about the world slowly gets released as the story picks up. A lot of information is purposely excluded in a tasteful way that makes you wonder about the story. It’s lovely.
Nina wasn’t my favorite character. She was fun a lot but was also determined (in a way) that too many shojo manga female leads do not have. I was glad they didn’t make her into a total airhead but she still fell in shojo cliches. She wasn’t very fleshed out but her emotions for each scene were fairly reasonable.
For some reason I didn’t mind the love triangle??? It was actually done in an enjoyable way?? Most of the time it’s annoying because it’s always used in every romance. Maybe it’s just because this is a Neku manga.... I’m not totally sure lol.
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Side note: Why do all the Nekus have two ears? They have wolf ears and human ears. Please just stick to one.
October 28, 2022
VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/NV0p0HDAWvM
Gah, SO good!!
The worldbuilding in this first volume is so incredibly rich and cannot get enough of it! While that's probably a weird way to point something out first in a review, its the first thing that comes to mind beside Nina being an AMAZING heroine to root for!
For real though, I feel there are so many deep layers to Abigaile that I am very much wanting to learn more about it, despite that it really is like a prison. My heart aches SO much for the lugas, especially when we first meet the young ones near the beginning. While I already really liked Nina from the get-go, I definitely LOVED her character in that moment and following scenes. My admiration for her character honestly continues until the very final page because YOU PUT THAT LUGA IN HIS PLACE NINA!!! 😤😤😤
That luga can be the alpha that he is all he wants, but I am SO glad that Nina is standing her ground against him and not letting him boss her around. It was bad enough he ! So I DEEPLY enjoyed her besting him at the end because it was rightfully deserved in my opinion!
One thing that I think is being set up really early on is that this is going to be a very interesting love triangle. I feel conflicted because who I WANT to win compared to who I THINK will win is definitely at odds, especially since I'm not fond of one of them at all.
I LOVED Dario!!! He is an AMAZING alpha to Nina and very much respected the things he voices to her! While he may not want her to talk to a character named Poe (who is SOOOO adorable!), I did really like how he says more than once to his housemates to not indulge in that "ugly talk" of slandering other people. That was so fantastic!
I'm definitely eager to continue reading this series! It has been such a wonderful shojo manga to read this spooky season, especially since "werewolves" seem very underrated in manga!
Gah, SO good!!
The worldbuilding in this first volume is so incredibly rich and cannot get enough of it! While that's probably a weird way to point something out first in a review, its the first thing that comes to mind beside Nina being an AMAZING heroine to root for!
For real though, I feel there are so many deep layers to Abigaile that I am very much wanting to learn more about it, despite that it really is like a prison. My heart aches SO much for the lugas, especially when we first meet the young ones near the beginning. While I already really liked Nina from the get-go, I definitely LOVED her character in that moment and following scenes. My admiration for her character honestly continues until the very final page because YOU PUT THAT LUGA IN HIS PLACE NINA!!! 😤😤😤
That luga can be the alpha that he is all he wants, but I am SO glad that Nina is standing her ground against him and not letting him boss her around. It was bad enough he ! So I DEEPLY enjoyed her besting him at the end because it was rightfully deserved in my opinion!
One thing that I think is being set up really early on is that this is going to be a very interesting love triangle. I feel conflicted because who I WANT to win compared to who I THINK will win is definitely at odds, especially since I'm not fond of one of them at all.
I LOVED Dario!!! He is an AMAZING alpha to Nina and very much respected the things he voices to her! While he may not want her to talk to a character named Poe (who is SOOOO adorable!), I did really like how he says more than once to his housemates to not indulge in that "ugly talk" of slandering other people. That was so fantastic!
I'm definitely eager to continue reading this series! It has been such a wonderful shojo manga to read this spooky season, especially since "werewolves" seem very underrated in manga!
November 18, 2021
Beasts of Abigaile follows Nina who after immgrating to a new country is very quickly captured and sent to mysterious boarding school/prison. There she discovers that she has ears and a tail and that she and all the other students are werewolves!
This book is a fun read. It's got all the elements of a typical paranormal romance, but reading it made me absolutely giddy. I liked Nina. She's not shy and not afraid to defend herself or others. This series has an interesting cast of characters and a bit of a confusing storyline, but it's a quick fun read. It made me laugh out loud multiple times. I definitely recommend it. :)
- Julie A.
Click here to find the book at Prince William Public Libraries.
This book is a fun read. It's got all the elements of a typical paranormal romance, but reading it made me absolutely giddy. I liked Nina. She's not shy and not afraid to defend herself or others. This series has an interesting cast of characters and a bit of a confusing storyline, but it's a quick fun read. It made me laugh out loud multiple times. I definitely recommend it. :)
- Julie A.
Click here to find the book at Prince William Public Libraries.
December 30, 2017
"But I won't let you control me."
This is a fantastic start to a fantasy shojo series! Our heroine, Nina, was bullied in Japan. She goes with her uncle to Ruberia, the smallest country in the world, where legends tell of wolf-beasts who were defeated through poisoned roses. Before she gets to start her new school, a criminal from the island Abigaile (think Alcatraz) escapes and bites her. She is turned into a Lugas, a cross between humans and wolves.
She is shipped off to Abigaile where Lugas are trained to serve humans as slaves after they graduate. If they graduate. To Nina's shock, Lugas can't turn humans into Lugas through a bite, so what the hell happened? Why is she a Lugas? How will she survive such a cruel place where everywhere she looks, people are waiting for her to trip up?
Nina is a very compelling heroine. She sticks up for herself, for others, and calls out people on their shit. She gets into very bad situations because she does this, but it only helps her grow as a character. Throw in two potential love interests, and I'm so down for this.
We have Roy, the guy who bit her. He's an asshole. He wants to leave Abigaile and is a trouble maker. He's also sexually aggressive and violent towards Nina, who takes none of his shit. She doesn't romanticize anything he does to her. She calls it what it is and she lets him know she's not having it.
BLESS.
Then we have Gilles, the prince trope with a very dark secret. He's my favorite of the two, of course. He's sweet, he's respectful, he cares about others, and he frankly is dealing with some mad shit because some panels get really dark with him. I'm glad that Nina likes him and I hope to the shojo gods above that for once my favorite love interest wins. He even has the winning formual: dark hair, kind of quiet, brooding, sweet, gentle. LIKE PLEASE HAPPEN.
The art pays homage to Sailor Moon and Arina Tanemura, but in such a lovely way. I adore it. I love the heroine, the story, I want to know more, and this reminds me a LOT of the Japanese otome game, Black Wolves Saga, but nowhere near that level of dark thank goodness.
Definitely pick this one up!
June 14, 2018
Standard shoujo tropes with werewolves instead of vampires.
Main girl who's simultaneously a skilled fighter and a blubbering mess? Check.
Sneering bad boy with weird fixation on her? Check
Noble good guy with protective nature? Check
All the other females are jealous of her? Check
At very least the art is good, the pacing is fast, and there's obviously some lore planned out.
Main girl who's simultaneously a skilled fighter and a blubbering mess? Check.
Sneering bad boy with weird fixation on her? Check
Noble good guy with protective nature? Check
All the other females are jealous of her? Check
At very least the art is good, the pacing is fast, and there's obviously some lore planned out.
March 21, 2022
4.5 stars. Great set-up
February 10, 2024
Nina is, somewhat surprisingly, a very likable protagonist considering her role. Very often, I see protagonists placed into a similar role as Nina wherein their entire life is turned upside down without them having done hardly anything to constitute such a change. They typically react in very relatable ways. Nina, however, reacts in a very admirable way. She’s scared, confused, miserable, and just desperately trying to get by and help herself; but at the same time, if she sees something that feels entirely morally wrong, all things be damned, she stands up for what she feels is right. She is extremely strong and courageous not just for that but also for consistently getting up again every time she’s pushed down.
Nina aside, I quite like Dario as well; I love him, in fact. Gilles and Roy be damned, I’m highly appreciative of a potentially deep friendship with Dario. He’s a mature alpha with an eccentric and brave personality and I adore him.
Lastly, there’s quite a lot of plot here. And what is Nina, actually? Could she have something to do with the legend that Dario spoke of in the cell..?
P.S. I feel that as 2024 progresses, I gain far more appreciation for deeper friendships depicted in media and otherwise, instead of romance or sexual relationships.
Nina aside, I quite like Dario as well; I love him, in fact. Gilles and Roy be damned, I’m highly appreciative of a potentially deep friendship with Dario. He’s a mature alpha with an eccentric and brave personality and I adore him.
Lastly, there’s quite a lot of plot here. And what is Nina, actually? Could she have something to do with the legend that Dario spoke of in the cell..?
P.S. I feel that as 2024 progresses, I gain far more appreciation for deeper friendships depicted in media and otherwise, instead of romance or sexual relationships.
November 30, 2020
Poe is so freaking cute I'm going to CRY. What an ANGEL.
Oh my god. I've been giggling this whole time. It's such a typical paranormal romance with the rude bad boy, the not like other girls main character, the nice boy who has a secret, but I had a great time reading it. Honestly loved it. There's drag queens, hot werewolf boys, a lot of neck biting, and I like the main character. She's not a shy girl and she's not afraid to be defiant and kick people in the face. I hope they expand more on the bullying she endured at her old school, cause right now it doesn't really make sense with her character imo. But seriously this is great.
Oh my god. I've been giggling this whole time. It's such a typical paranormal romance with the rude bad boy, the not like other girls main character, the nice boy who has a secret, but I had a great time reading it. Honestly loved it. There's drag queens, hot werewolf boys, a lot of neck biting, and I like the main character. She's not a shy girl and she's not afraid to be defiant and kick people in the face. I hope they expand more on the bullying she endured at her old school, cause right now it doesn't really make sense with her character imo. But seriously this is great.
February 4, 2019
Putting the same review for the first three volumes since I read them back to back. I couldn't put this down. It's a typical paranormal romance manga and I loved it. The characters are just so incredible! Each one has a unique personality and amazing character growth in some way. It's just so adorable to watch these characters live their lives and build friendships and maybe romantic relationships.
January 15, 2021
I'm curious to see where the story goes
June 27, 2021
to be honest this book didn’t pleasured me that much, it’s kinda boring and i wil totally not buy the volume 2, kinda disappointed.
February 21, 2022
Paranormal romance is not really my bag, but I read this book to see if it was appropriate for a middle school collection. There is no overt sexuality or nudity and only one major swear word. But there are issues of sexual harassment/ assault and slavery that make this one an uncomfortable fit in my opinion. I only read the first volume, so I'm not sure if the series gets more YA than this, but it is on the border right now and I don't think I'll be adding it.
August 19, 2017
Typical shoujo but it was really fun
January 28, 2018
A hottie emerges
I know, I know, he's a terrible guy. But I feel like he has *reasons* why he acts like he does. Also, he's only kidding himself that he doesn't like Nina. In other words, I love this series, it's barely early into the story but it's already great, it makes me blush.
I know, I know, he's a terrible guy. But I feel like he has *reasons* why he acts like he does. Also, he's only kidding himself that he doesn't like Nina. In other words, I love this series, it's barely early into the story but it's already great, it makes me blush.
October 21, 2018
REVIEW OF SERIES (Books 1-3)
I was a little disturbed by some of the scenes in this otherwise typical shojo series. The main character gets frequently sexually harassed by both male and female characters The worst scene, however, comes in book three as its shown that a female character slept with a man she afterwards names as her father. Whether this is actually her father or not (the story hasn't said yet), it was unnerving. These scenes seem exceptionally out of place when you compare them to the tone of the story which otherwise seems like it caters to the middle-school age.
Lead characters and plot are typical of the genre, overly passionate leading lady who takes risks and says what's on her mind, a "prince"-type love interest and a "bad boy" love interest, as well as typical female antagonists who are spiteful and jealous. The dynamic of the three main characters is the same as mainstream shojo such as Fruits Basket, Shugo Chara, Arina Tanemura's books, etc. Dialogue is very middle school and plots are often predictable. Pacing isn't the best in Book 1 but improves in Book 2 and 3. Additionally, world-building is interesting but fails to tie up loose ends around Nina's uncle and her departure from Ruberia.
That being said, some positives of the series is that the art and character design is excellent. Some side characters are very original such as the members of the White Maiden home and Poe. The overall concept of the series is good but could be improved.
This series is readable but I strongly dislike that it features occasional scenes of sexual abuse or other oddly inappropriate scenes for the target audience. I also find the dialogue and the main characters to be trite and too typical of the genre.
I'd only recommend this series if you're really searching for a werewolf shojo and all you care about is the art and character design. Otherwise if you're looking for a typical shojo with a magical twist there are many series that are better than this one. Some off the top of my head are FullMoon, Kiss of the Rose Princess, and Shugo Chara.
I was a little disturbed by some of the scenes in this otherwise typical shojo series. The main character gets frequently sexually harassed by both male and female characters The worst scene, however, comes in book three as its shown that a female character slept with a man she afterwards names as her father. Whether this is actually her father or not (the story hasn't said yet), it was unnerving. These scenes seem exceptionally out of place when you compare them to the tone of the story which otherwise seems like it caters to the middle-school age.
Lead characters and plot are typical of the genre, overly passionate leading lady who takes risks and says what's on her mind, a "prince"-type love interest and a "bad boy" love interest, as well as typical female antagonists who are spiteful and jealous. The dynamic of the three main characters is the same as mainstream shojo such as Fruits Basket, Shugo Chara, Arina Tanemura's books, etc. Dialogue is very middle school and plots are often predictable. Pacing isn't the best in Book 1 but improves in Book 2 and 3. Additionally, world-building is interesting but fails to tie up loose ends around Nina's uncle and her departure from Ruberia.
That being said, some positives of the series is that the art and character design is excellent. Some side characters are very original such as the members of the White Maiden home and Poe. The overall concept of the series is good but could be improved.
This series is readable but I strongly dislike that it features occasional scenes of sexual abuse or other oddly inappropriate scenes for the target audience. I also find the dialogue and the main characters to be trite and too typical of the genre.
I'd only recommend this series if you're really searching for a werewolf shojo and all you care about is the art and character design. Otherwise if you're looking for a typical shojo with a magical twist there are many series that are better than this one. Some off the top of my head are FullMoon, Kiss of the Rose Princess, and Shugo Chara.
August 20, 2020
I've been enjoying Spica Aoki's Kaiju Girl Carmelise, which puts an interesting monster spin on shoujo manga, so I thought I'd try one of her earlier works. Unfortunately, Beasts of Abigaile is riddled not only with boring shoujo cliches, but also sexual harassment, nonconsensual kissing, and one character trying to make the female lead his property (which she for some reason just vaguely puts up with). The school/prison in the story operates based on 'homes' lead by an alpha that controls its members by intimidation and domination. With this setup, the author not only manages to denigrate both women and men, but also even wolves, which are actually family animals who don't act anything like that. And there's also slavery, just in case the manga needed to be even worse.
I had picked up all four volumes from the library, but just this one was bad enough to convince me to return them without reading the rest. It's even more concerning that the target demographic for this is middle grade girls. It is baffling that something clearly problematic like this would even be licensed for English distribution, and it's unfortunately going to force me to take a closer look at Kaiju Girl the next time I read it.
I had picked up all four volumes from the library, but just this one was bad enough to convince me to return them without reading the rest. It's even more concerning that the target demographic for this is middle grade girls. It is baffling that something clearly problematic like this would even be licensed for English distribution, and it's unfortunately going to force me to take a closer look at Kaiju Girl the next time I read it.
August 13, 2019
I mentioned this manga when reviewing Spica's newest manga, Kaiju Girl Caramelise, so this is a reread for me. For the most part, this is just as enjoyable as I remember it being (I read this about two years ago). I love love love the character designs! Spica's artwork is absolutely beautiful, it reminds me a lot of Sailor Moon. The expressions are funny as hell and there were some that had me laughing out loud. Nina is a great character and I love her resolve to stand up for her ideals and others, whether it be their ideals or to protect them physically. But as much as I loved this volume as much as I remembered, they're two major issue that I had with it that I have to address: Roy and his aggressive behavior.
Maybe it's because I've matured in the two years that I've read this (doubt it) or maybe it's because I've become more sensitive to aggressive male leads, but Roy really rubs me the wrong way. Here's a small list of reasons why I dislike him:
1. He forces a kiss on Nina and says that he "marked her". And no, the fact that they are wolf-human hybrids DOES NOT excuse this behavior. Dario welcomes her into his home and does not mark her to do so, thus Roy's actions were unnecessary and uncalled for.
2. He pushes her to end up begging him not to out her in front of the other Luga and gets perverse pleasure over "a human begging for him". Yes, Luga's have been tormented and tortured by humans, BUT AGAIN, Dario, his housemates, Gilles, and other secondary characters don't act like this to her. Only Roy and Range, his housemate. I'm going to make this clear, because apparently very few people grasp this despite it being 2019, but HAVING A SAD, TRAGIC BACKSTORY DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BE AN ASSHOLE TO SOMEBODY ELSE, ESPECIALLY YOUR LOVE INTEREST. Going off of that...
3. It's clear from the beginning that Roy is meant to be Nina's love interest and this makes me just the tiniest bit UNFATHOMABLY ENRAGED. I am SO DONE with romance love interests being assholes with tragic backstories (looking at you Christian Grey and Hardin) who are meant to be redeemed at the end so that we can root for the couple. Yeah, here's a fun fact-YOU CAN HAVE A ROMANCE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE WHERE ONE OF THEM ISN'T AN ASSHOLE WITH A SAD, TRAGIC BACKSTORY. Examples: Shirogane and Shinomiya from Kaguya-sama Love is War, Hori and Miyamura from Horimiya, Kase and Yamada from the Kase san series (a yuri manga, but the principle still applies), and who can forget one of the most romantic couples in anime, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. Obviously it's possible, so stop making asshole characters for the main girl to fall in love with and make him nice, I swear it won't kill you.
That's my bit on my issues with this series. As someone who has already read it obviously I know how it ends, but I do still love this series and still recommend it to anyone looking for a beautifully drawn and fun manga.
Maybe it's because I've matured in the two years that I've read this (doubt it) or maybe it's because I've become more sensitive to aggressive male leads, but Roy really rubs me the wrong way. Here's a small list of reasons why I dislike him:
1. He forces a kiss on Nina and says that he "marked her". And no, the fact that they are wolf-human hybrids DOES NOT excuse this behavior. Dario welcomes her into his home and does not mark her to do so, thus Roy's actions were unnecessary and uncalled for.
2. He pushes her to end up begging him not to out her in front of the other Luga and gets perverse pleasure over "a human begging for him". Yes, Luga's have been tormented and tortured by humans, BUT AGAIN, Dario, his housemates, Gilles, and other secondary characters don't act like this to her. Only Roy and Range, his housemate. I'm going to make this clear, because apparently very few people grasp this despite it being 2019, but HAVING A SAD, TRAGIC BACKSTORY DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BE AN ASSHOLE TO SOMEBODY ELSE, ESPECIALLY YOUR LOVE INTEREST. Going off of that...
3. It's clear from the beginning that Roy is meant to be Nina's love interest and this makes me just the tiniest bit UNFATHOMABLY ENRAGED. I am SO DONE with romance love interests being assholes with tragic backstories (looking at you Christian Grey and Hardin) who are meant to be redeemed at the end so that we can root for the couple. Yeah, here's a fun fact-YOU CAN HAVE A ROMANCE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE WHERE ONE OF THEM ISN'T AN ASSHOLE WITH A SAD, TRAGIC BACKSTORY. Examples: Shirogane and Shinomiya from Kaguya-sama Love is War, Hori and Miyamura from Horimiya, Kase and Yamada from the Kase san series (a yuri manga, but the principle still applies), and who can forget one of the most romantic couples in anime, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. Obviously it's possible, so stop making asshole characters for the main girl to fall in love with and make him nice, I swear it won't kill you.
That's my bit on my issues with this series. As someone who has already read it obviously I know how it ends, but I do still love this series and still recommend it to anyone looking for a beautifully drawn and fun manga.
May 19, 2024
(CW prison, abuse, homophobia)
Nina Tsukishiro's moved to the tiny but prosperous European nation of Ruberia, wanting a fresh start after an unhappy life in Japan. Everyone seems wealthy and glamorous here. Most notable of all are the impossibly beautiful and fragrant roses grown in Ruberia. The place is full of unsettling stories about werewolves though, and there's a mysterious and imposing building on an island off the coast, Abigaile, said to be a prison to fearsome beasts. Nina learns how true it all is when someone escapes from Abigaile and makes it to the mainland, biting her when she attempts to subdue him. The police respond by knocking him and her out. When Nina wakes up, she's headed to Abigaile as a prisoner and she has fuzzy wolf ears and a bushy tail. She's now a luga, the truth behind the werewolf legends of Ruberia. They're also the secret behind Ruberia's prosperity; luga are enslaved to uses their acute senses to pick out the finest roses and Abigaile is where they're conditioned for eternal servitude. Ruberia is the luga homeland but humans colonized it. Now Nina's trapped in a nightmarish cross between a prison and a school, sadistic human guards on one side and enraged, territorial luga "students" that will tear her apart if they learn she's really human on the other. Worst of all is Roy Balfour, the luga who bit Nina and leader of a powerful gang. He now sees her as his property and he knows her secret, putting him in position to play twisted games with her.
Spica Aoki's art is beautiful, lush and detailed. It's perfect for the dark atmosphere while also being cute and appealing. Characters are easy to tell apart even in crowd scenes. Nina's a likable protagonist; she doesn't have much agency but it's hard to when you've been thrown in prison and your world turned upside down by the intrusion of the supernatural. She still manages to stand up for herself and others when she needs to, even at great personal risk. I love the angle of Ruberia being prosperous only for its colonized underclass, locked away where the colonizers don't have to see them; there's a lot that can be done with this backstory. If it's setting up Roy as Nina's love interest though, then it's not doing a great job so far; he hasn't shown much more to him than being a violent abuser who wants to own Mina and keeps dangling her secret over her head. There's not much to redeem him with here other than he's not as bad as he could be. There's also a group of gay caricature luga that, aside from their leader Dario, are treated as jokes, shallow and bitchy. Dario's genuinely heroic for the most part by sheltering Nina and it's fun having a gay werewolf gang leader, but he's still a walking mass of stereotypes (vain, eccentric, fashion-conscious). There's much I enjoy but there's room for improvement too.
Nina Tsukishiro's moved to the tiny but prosperous European nation of Ruberia, wanting a fresh start after an unhappy life in Japan. Everyone seems wealthy and glamorous here. Most notable of all are the impossibly beautiful and fragrant roses grown in Ruberia. The place is full of unsettling stories about werewolves though, and there's a mysterious and imposing building on an island off the coast, Abigaile, said to be a prison to fearsome beasts. Nina learns how true it all is when someone escapes from Abigaile and makes it to the mainland, biting her when she attempts to subdue him. The police respond by knocking him and her out. When Nina wakes up, she's headed to Abigaile as a prisoner and she has fuzzy wolf ears and a bushy tail. She's now a luga, the truth behind the werewolf legends of Ruberia. They're also the secret behind Ruberia's prosperity; luga are enslaved to uses their acute senses to pick out the finest roses and Abigaile is where they're conditioned for eternal servitude. Ruberia is the luga homeland but humans colonized it. Now Nina's trapped in a nightmarish cross between a prison and a school, sadistic human guards on one side and enraged, territorial luga "students" that will tear her apart if they learn she's really human on the other. Worst of all is Roy Balfour, the luga who bit Nina and leader of a powerful gang. He now sees her as his property and he knows her secret, putting him in position to play twisted games with her.
Spica Aoki's art is beautiful, lush and detailed. It's perfect for the dark atmosphere while also being cute and appealing. Characters are easy to tell apart even in crowd scenes. Nina's a likable protagonist; she doesn't have much agency but it's hard to when you've been thrown in prison and your world turned upside down by the intrusion of the supernatural. She still manages to stand up for herself and others when she needs to, even at great personal risk. I love the angle of Ruberia being prosperous only for its colonized underclass, locked away where the colonizers don't have to see them; there's a lot that can be done with this backstory. If it's setting up Roy as Nina's love interest though, then it's not doing a great job so far; he hasn't shown much more to him than being a violent abuser who wants to own Mina and keeps dangling her secret over her head. There's not much to redeem him with here other than he's not as bad as he could be. There's also a group of gay caricature luga that, aside from their leader Dario, are treated as jokes, shallow and bitchy. Dario's genuinely heroic for the most part by sheltering Nina and it's fun having a gay werewolf gang leader, but he's still a walking mass of stereotypes (vain, eccentric, fashion-conscious). There's much I enjoy but there's room for improvement too.
July 20, 2025
Après avoir bien aimé Kaijû Girl Caramelizer, je voulais lire que ce que Spica Aoki avait dessiné avant, et j'ai acheté les quatre tomes de cette série.
Nina rejoint son oncle dans une ville-pays comme Singapour, mais de style européen, comme Monaco par exemple. C'est un territoire très riche, magnifique, où on parle beaucoup de la légende des loup-garous, ce qui enthousiasme Nina. Jusqu'à sa rencontre avec un garçon qui a des traits de loups, et qu'elle se retrouve elle-même à avoir des traits... Elle est envoyée sur l'île-prison où on garde les jeunes lugas, les élevant pour servir les humains...
C'est une histoire magnifiquement dessinée: les garçons sont vraiment très "hot", Nina est une héroïne fonceuse qui a beaucoup de volonté et utilise son karaté, les autres personnages sont aussi tout aussi attachants/détestables. J'ai vraiment beaucoup apprécié cette histoire bien construite, où on a créé un arrière-monde crédible pour expliquer comment les loups-garous ont pu se retrouver ainsi enfermés, ce qu'est vraiment cette cité-état, etc.
La mangaka se base sur ce qu'on connaît des troupes de loups: loup alpha, loup solitaire, etc. Mais elle prend des libertés bienvenues: il peut y avoir une louve alpha qui mène les différentes "meutes" aussi, par exemple. Et être dans un monde luga permet aussi plus de proximité (morsures, baisers), ce qui est très bien!
Les dessins de Spica Aoki sont l'une de ses forces absolues. Même si Beasts of Abigaile est une série publiée avant Kaijû Girl, sa maîtrise des traits, des combats, des poils et autres griffes, est déjà exceptionnelle. Elle est capable de créer des dessins forts, très cinématographiques, qui véhiculent tout de suite l'émotion, comme celui où Nina est acclamée en entrant dans la salle, ou quand Roy sort de la mer.
Contrairement à Kaijû Girl, on n'est pas dans la comédie. C'est plutôt une romance dramatique: on sous-entend de nombreux abus, ce qui est arrivé aux lugas est aussi très violent.
La finale du tome 4 est trop rapide: on sent que la mangaka aurait eu beaucoup plus à dire sur ce qui advient des différents personnages, on les quitte trop rapidement. On aurait aimé aussi en apprendre plus sur le côté politique. C'est pourquoi j'ai retiré une étoile à mon évaluation, même si j'ai vraiment apprécié cette série.
Bref, Beasts of Abigaile mériterait certainement une traduction française!
Nina rejoint son oncle dans une ville-pays comme Singapour, mais de style européen, comme Monaco par exemple. C'est un territoire très riche, magnifique, où on parle beaucoup de la légende des loup-garous, ce qui enthousiasme Nina. Jusqu'à sa rencontre avec un garçon qui a des traits de loups, et qu'elle se retrouve elle-même à avoir des traits... Elle est envoyée sur l'île-prison où on garde les jeunes lugas, les élevant pour servir les humains...
C'est une histoire magnifiquement dessinée: les garçons sont vraiment très "hot", Nina est une héroïne fonceuse qui a beaucoup de volonté et utilise son karaté, les autres personnages sont aussi tout aussi attachants/détestables. J'ai vraiment beaucoup apprécié cette histoire bien construite, où on a créé un arrière-monde crédible pour expliquer comment les loups-garous ont pu se retrouver ainsi enfermés, ce qu'est vraiment cette cité-état, etc.
La mangaka se base sur ce qu'on connaît des troupes de loups: loup alpha, loup solitaire, etc. Mais elle prend des libertés bienvenues: il peut y avoir une louve alpha qui mène les différentes "meutes" aussi, par exemple. Et être dans un monde luga permet aussi plus de proximité (morsures, baisers), ce qui est très bien!
Les dessins de Spica Aoki sont l'une de ses forces absolues. Même si Beasts of Abigaile est une série publiée avant Kaijû Girl, sa maîtrise des traits, des combats, des poils et autres griffes, est déjà exceptionnelle. Elle est capable de créer des dessins forts, très cinématographiques, qui véhiculent tout de suite l'émotion, comme celui où Nina est acclamée en entrant dans la salle, ou quand Roy sort de la mer.
Contrairement à Kaijû Girl, on n'est pas dans la comédie. C'est plutôt une romance dramatique: on sous-entend de nombreux abus, ce qui est arrivé aux lugas est aussi très violent.
La finale du tome 4 est trop rapide: on sent que la mangaka aurait eu beaucoup plus à dire sur ce qui advient des différents personnages, on les quitte trop rapidement. On aurait aimé aussi en apprendre plus sur le côté politique. C'est pourquoi j'ai retiré une étoile à mon évaluation, même si j'ai vraiment apprécié cette série.
Bref, Beasts of Abigaile mériterait certainement une traduction française!
October 6, 2021
Cuando leí la sinopsis pensé que no me iba a gustar, ya que el tema de los hombres lobos no es uno de mis favoritos y se me hacen muy repetitivos. Menos mal que le di una oportunidad porque me atrapó desde el primer momento. Cuando empecé no pude parar.
La trama gira en torno a Nina, una chica de Japón que se muda a Ruberia. Ruberia, a simple vista, parece una ciudad preciosa llena de rosas, pero en realidad esconde un gran secreto. La aventura de Nina comienza cuando se cruza con un chico misterioso y este la muerde, convirtiéndola en un lobo. Así se verá arrastrada a Abigaile, una prisión donde encierran a los lobos porque los humanos piensan que son peligrosos. Allí experimentará la crueldad y la injusticia con la que los humanos tratan a los que no consideran de su especie.
La historia me ha gustado muchísimo más de lo que creía. No se sabe qué es lo siguiente que pasará, a la vez que se va descubriendo los distintos personajes, todos con personalidades muy distintas, y cómo se relacionan entre ellos. Durante todo el manga iremos descubriendo el pasado de distintos lobos y como la protagonista se ha convertido en una de ellos.
Nina es increíble. A pesar de que tiene miedo por las circunstancias en las que se ha visto envuelta, no se deja pisotear por nadie y da la cara cuando ve una situación que le parece injusta. Intenta proteger a todos los lobos y ayudarles a ser libres. Tiene un corazón tan puro que hace que sea imposible que no te caiga bien.
Poe es otro personaje que me ha parecido adorable. Me ha dado mucha pena como lo tratan todos, siendo un marginado e incomprendido. Además que soporta muchas cosas en silencio, como ser un espectáculo para los humanos. Espero que Nina sea capaz de ayudarlo.
Mi personaje favorito es sin duda Roy, espero que sea el próximo Rey Lobo. Se enfrenta a los humanos con todo lo que tiene por su propia libertad. Aunque parece un chico frío y sin sentimientos, creo que es solo un muro para no verse débil delante del resto y así que todos lo respeten. Tengo la sensación de que esconde mucho más de lo que se ve en la superficie.
Por último tengo que decir que el dibujo me ha parecido precioso, atrae y hace que tengas más ganas de seguir la historia. Todos los personajes son hermosos y tienen muchos detalles distintos para poder identificarlos fácilmente.
La trama gira en torno a Nina, una chica de Japón que se muda a Ruberia. Ruberia, a simple vista, parece una ciudad preciosa llena de rosas, pero en realidad esconde un gran secreto. La aventura de Nina comienza cuando se cruza con un chico misterioso y este la muerde, convirtiéndola en un lobo. Así se verá arrastrada a Abigaile, una prisión donde encierran a los lobos porque los humanos piensan que son peligrosos. Allí experimentará la crueldad y la injusticia con la que los humanos tratan a los que no consideran de su especie.
La historia me ha gustado muchísimo más de lo que creía. No se sabe qué es lo siguiente que pasará, a la vez que se va descubriendo los distintos personajes, todos con personalidades muy distintas, y cómo se relacionan entre ellos. Durante todo el manga iremos descubriendo el pasado de distintos lobos y como la protagonista se ha convertido en una de ellos.
Nina es increíble. A pesar de que tiene miedo por las circunstancias en las que se ha visto envuelta, no se deja pisotear por nadie y da la cara cuando ve una situación que le parece injusta. Intenta proteger a todos los lobos y ayudarles a ser libres. Tiene un corazón tan puro que hace que sea imposible que no te caiga bien.
Poe es otro personaje que me ha parecido adorable. Me ha dado mucha pena como lo tratan todos, siendo un marginado e incomprendido. Además que soporta muchas cosas en silencio, como ser un espectáculo para los humanos. Espero que Nina sea capaz de ayudarlo.
Mi personaje favorito es sin duda Roy, espero que sea el próximo Rey Lobo. Se enfrenta a los humanos con todo lo que tiene por su propia libertad. Aunque parece un chico frío y sin sentimientos, creo que es solo un muro para no verse débil delante del resto y así que todos lo respeten. Tengo la sensación de que esconde mucho más de lo que se ve en la superficie.
Por último tengo que decir que el dibujo me ha parecido precioso, atrae y hace que tengas más ganas de seguir la historia. Todos los personajes son hermosos y tienen muchos detalles distintos para poder identificarlos fácilmente.
October 16, 2020
This review is for all 4 volumes.
Nina has just arrived to Ruberia, a small country with an economy based on roses, and hears about legends of werewolves. She dismisses them, until she is bit by a werewolf, turns into one herself, and is interned against her will in a prison-school. Quite an odd setup, but it manages to allow the supernatural elements to play in a school setting. Being shojo, Nina quickly is surrounded by gorgeous male werewolves, and is antagonized by most of them from the start.
The story moves very quickly (a little too quickly by the end), and it was enjoyable to unearth bit by bit all of the secrets in Ruberia. Nina is very kind, and risks her safety more than once to protect others, however, she does have a background in martial arts so she can fend for herself ... sometimes. There are still more damsel in distress moments than I would like, but she does stand up against the overwpowering male cliche, so there is that.
The art is quite interesting - the style is a little old fashioned, with hair styles and faces reminiscent of 80's manga, but fits the story well (although I still don't know what is going on with the moon hair ornament Nina wears that seems like a nod to Sailor Moon). And there are roses, lots of roses.
The design of the werewolves is strange - they get an extra set of ornamental dog ears that can be retracted, but they keep the human ears for hearing, yet they have better hearing than humans. And even though the faces are human too, they are described as having a wider field of vision than humans, closer to that of dogs (which makes no sense with the eyes placed where they are for humans). Yeah, that is what bothered me when reading a fantasy story about enslaved wolves as the basis of the economy of a fictional European country.
Unfortunately, the story is very rushed towards the end, the last volume has a torrent of revelations one after the other, and it is hard to process them, they just happen too quickly. It would definitely have benefitted from another volume or 2, although I understand it getting cut short was not the mangaka's fault.
Nina has just arrived to Ruberia, a small country with an economy based on roses, and hears about legends of werewolves. She dismisses them, until she is bit by a werewolf, turns into one herself, and is interned against her will in a prison-school. Quite an odd setup, but it manages to allow the supernatural elements to play in a school setting. Being shojo, Nina quickly is surrounded by gorgeous male werewolves, and is antagonized by most of them from the start.
The story moves very quickly (a little too quickly by the end), and it was enjoyable to unearth bit by bit all of the secrets in Ruberia. Nina is very kind, and risks her safety more than once to protect others, however, she does have a background in martial arts so she can fend for herself ... sometimes. There are still more damsel in distress moments than I would like, but she does stand up against the overwpowering male cliche, so there is that.
The art is quite interesting - the style is a little old fashioned, with hair styles and faces reminiscent of 80's manga, but fits the story well (although I still don't know what is going on with the moon hair ornament Nina wears that seems like a nod to Sailor Moon). And there are roses, lots of roses.
The design of the werewolves is strange - they get an extra set of ornamental dog ears that can be retracted, but they keep the human ears for hearing, yet they have better hearing than humans. And even though the faces are human too, they are described as having a wider field of vision than humans, closer to that of dogs (which makes no sense with the eyes placed where they are for humans). Yeah, that is what bothered me when reading a fantasy story about enslaved wolves as the basis of the economy of a fictional European country.
Unfortunately, the story is very rushed towards the end, the last volume has a torrent of revelations one after the other, and it is hard to process them, they just happen too quickly. It would definitely have benefitted from another volume or 2, although I understand it getting cut short was not the mangaka's fault.
November 4, 2021
Nina thought moving to Ruberia would give her the chance at a clean slate, but when she's bitten by a Luga she's stuck between the two. Human and Luga. Now her clean slate includes being at the prison island of Abigail where as a Luga she's supposed to learn how to be subservient to people. The problem is, she's still human and that could put her life in danger. Two know her secret, one wants to protect her and the other wants to own her. Will she ever escape or is she trapped as a Luga forever?
This was my first manga from the author and it will not be my last. I already ordered the rest of the series and I have her new series on my wishlist. This is everything you could ever want in a paranormal romance manga. I'm still new to the whole medium, but this might be considered shoujo/shonen because of the paranormal aspect. Don't quote me on that though.
Nina is your typical girl, carefree until she's bitten by a luga and tossed in a van to be returned to Abigail a prison island where all the luga are kept until they can be released as slaves. We have the two potential love interests, Roy, the luga who bit her and turned her and Gilles the Class President. (It's kind of a prison/school type). So we got a soft boy and a bad boy. I like both of them to be honest. Heck, I love all of the characters.
Luga honestly reminds me of loup garou, a term for werewolves that sounds like luga when you say it. I blame the Blood and Chocolate movie adaptation for this, but I think if anything it's potentially a root word? I know the other word for wolf is lupine so maybe that comes into play as well.
Ok, I'm going off on too much of a tangent. This is a lovely angsty manga with a race of wolf beings. If that's your jam, I highly recommend it. If you like soft boys, alphas (but not the nasty adult romance alphas) and a school environment with a cast of zany characters. You might like this. So excited for this series.
This was my first manga from the author and it will not be my last. I already ordered the rest of the series and I have her new series on my wishlist. This is everything you could ever want in a paranormal romance manga. I'm still new to the whole medium, but this might be considered shoujo/shonen because of the paranormal aspect. Don't quote me on that though.
Nina is your typical girl, carefree until she's bitten by a luga and tossed in a van to be returned to Abigail a prison island where all the luga are kept until they can be released as slaves. We have the two potential love interests, Roy, the luga who bit her and turned her and Gilles the Class President. (It's kind of a prison/school type). So we got a soft boy and a bad boy. I like both of them to be honest. Heck, I love all of the characters.
Luga honestly reminds me of loup garou, a term for werewolves that sounds like luga when you say it. I blame the Blood and Chocolate movie adaptation for this, but I think if anything it's potentially a root word? I know the other word for wolf is lupine so maybe that comes into play as well.
Ok, I'm going off on too much of a tangent. This is a lovely angsty manga with a race of wolf beings. If that's your jam, I highly recommend it. If you like soft boys, alphas (but not the nasty adult romance alphas) and a school environment with a cast of zany characters. You might like this. So excited for this series.
May 24, 2018
My new addiction!
Nina is our heroine of this shojo manga. She goes to visit her uncle in the wealthy Ruberia from her home in Japan. But she is somehow transformed into a luga, the secret race of wolfpeople who are slaves for Ruberia. Nina is taken to live on the island where luga are kept until they are old enough (or subdued enough) to join the rest of the luga as slaves. Upon arriving on the island, which functions as both a prison and a school, she sees how the luga are mistreated, and uses her karate skills to assault a guard who tries to hit a pup. Accustomed to her freedom as a human, she can’t tolerate the injustice of Ruberia’s treatment of luga and takes on a role as advocate for the underdogs (pun!). She gains an ally in Gilles, the mysterious prince-like character who recognizes her smell as human and provides her a special perfume to hide her scent. And an enemy in Roy. The rebellious and dangerous alpha who also knows her true identity, and has marked her (don’t yet know what that means, but as his prey maybe?). Roy hasn’t given away her secret, but he has so much resentment towards the humans that he’s not willing to believe she’s any different. They are both possible love interests for Nina. Personally, Roy is my favorite!
This manga is a must-read! There are only three volumes out so far. I wish I’d found this later so I’d have more to devour! I think people who like this will also like The Water God’s Bride. Similar heroines, both thrown into new worlds, with two possible love interests and beautiful illustration.
Nina is our heroine of this shojo manga. She goes to visit her uncle in the wealthy Ruberia from her home in Japan. But she is somehow transformed into a luga, the secret race of wolfpeople who are slaves for Ruberia. Nina is taken to live on the island where luga are kept until they are old enough (or subdued enough) to join the rest of the luga as slaves. Upon arriving on the island, which functions as both a prison and a school, she sees how the luga are mistreated, and uses her karate skills to assault a guard who tries to hit a pup. Accustomed to her freedom as a human, she can’t tolerate the injustice of Ruberia’s treatment of luga and takes on a role as advocate for the underdogs (pun!). She gains an ally in Gilles, the mysterious prince-like character who recognizes her smell as human and provides her a special perfume to hide her scent. And an enemy in Roy. The rebellious and dangerous alpha who also knows her true identity, and has marked her (don’t yet know what that means, but as his prey maybe?). Roy hasn’t given away her secret, but he has so much resentment towards the humans that he’s not willing to believe she’s any different. They are both possible love interests for Nina. Personally, Roy is my favorite!
This manga is a must-read! There are only three volumes out so far. I wish I’d found this later so I’d have more to devour! I think people who like this will also like The Water God’s Bride. Similar heroines, both thrown into new worlds, with two possible love interests and beautiful illustration.
February 5, 2019
My cup runneth over with love for this series. This reads like a dark fairy tale, down to the rose petals fluttering across the pages. We're thrown straight into the action, which I adore, but can see where others find it lackluster- while we don't get too much info on Nina's human family/characteristics before she's turned by the red hot Roy (can you tell what team I'm on?), it's admittedly not the reason we're reading- we want that Luga life! I'm always impressed with a good manga writer's ability to make me feel subtle emotion in just a few frames. I felt Nina's panic when she's thrust into the Reflection room, attempting to sleep off fear/hunger. And I felt the flutters in my heart when Roy came 'round. Also, did anyone else view his turning her/ownership over her new state as one akin to losing your virginity? Reading too much into it? Perhaps.. Giles is sweet and all (until he ices Nina for madame president), but I'm a sucker for the dangerous dreamboat. Too keyed up for the next three!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2018
Eigentlich passiert hier gar nicht viel, aber trotzdem hat es mich gut unterhalten.
Es geht hier um Wesen, die halb Mensch halb Wolf (Loup Ga)sind. Die Prota wird plötzlich zu so einem Wesen und ist von heute auf morgen dann eine unterdrückte, gehasste Figur. Die Menschen sperren die Lou Ga ein und behandeln sie wie den letzten Dreck. Deklarieren tun sie das ganze allen Ernstes als Schule. Die Art wie die Loup Ga dort ihr Leben organisiert haben, fand ich interessant. Trotz der teilweise sehr bedrückenden Szenen, nimmt der Manga sich auch nicht zu ernst. Das Home (die Gruppe), die unsere Prota aufnimmt, sind zum Beispiel ganz besondere Typen. Am interessantesten scheint die ganze Dynamik unter den Loup Ga zu sein und wie die einzelnen Personen ihre Stellung erlangen. Dieser erste Band gibt bereits einen kleinen Einblick in das alles. Ich bin gespannt wie es weiter geht.
Der Zeichenstil ist sehr gut. Niedlich, tolle Kleidung und aussagekräftige Gestik und Mimik.
Es geht hier um Wesen, die halb Mensch halb Wolf (Loup Ga)sind. Die Prota wird plötzlich zu so einem Wesen und ist von heute auf morgen dann eine unterdrückte, gehasste Figur. Die Menschen sperren die Lou Ga ein und behandeln sie wie den letzten Dreck. Deklarieren tun sie das ganze allen Ernstes als Schule. Die Art wie die Loup Ga dort ihr Leben organisiert haben, fand ich interessant. Trotz der teilweise sehr bedrückenden Szenen, nimmt der Manga sich auch nicht zu ernst. Das Home (die Gruppe), die unsere Prota aufnimmt, sind zum Beispiel ganz besondere Typen. Am interessantesten scheint die ganze Dynamik unter den Loup Ga zu sein und wie die einzelnen Personen ihre Stellung erlangen. Dieser erste Band gibt bereits einen kleinen Einblick in das alles. Ich bin gespannt wie es weiter geht.
Der Zeichenstil ist sehr gut. Niedlich, tolle Kleidung und aussagekräftige Gestik und Mimik.
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