Bloody Sweet, Vol. 1

Bloody Sweet #1

by NaRae Lee, Ernest Woo (Translator)

When the daughter of a shaman gets "strung up" with a centuries-old vampire, is it love or something more sinister that binds them?

1-20

Genres: Manga, Manhwa, Fantasy, Vampires, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics

604 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Discovered by Yen Press Senior Editor JuYoun Lee, NaRae was able to make her U.S. debut working on a series that already had legions of devoted fans. It's a lot to live up to, but NaRae proved to be up to the challenge by delivering artwork that looks remarkably polished for a relative newbie to the world of international manga publishing.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: suicide ideation, bullying

3.5 rounded up.

What I was expecting: a fluffy rom-com about a girl and the vampire she accidentally gets attached to.

What I got: a story about a bullied high school girl whose bullies are smart enough to evade all of the checks and balances the school has put in place who accidentally awakens a 500+ year old vampire who becomes her emotional support system. There's also a surprising amount of church stuff, but it isn't preachy, especially because heroine Naerim's mom is a traditional Korean shaman. The story tries to balance its darkness with humor, but it doesn't always work as well as the author would like it to. I enjoyed it, and it certainly understands what it means to be bullied and blamed for it, but be warned - this is not fluffy or silly and it has an edge that cuts.

[~maheen~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*drools*

*stares at book*

*looks up*

This was incredible

*pauses*

*sighs*

Fetechou come'ere

;)

[Hilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story needs some strong trigger warnings. The whole premise surrounds bullying. Bullying, isolation, and self harm sadly move the story along. If it wasn’t for the bullying Naerim would never had found Fetechou and become his master. Yes, master. And this sweet vampire acts like her pet. He waits for her to get home from school and hugs her when she’s sad. It was weirdly cute. Like this vampire who wants to drink all her blood (because he does) is also her pet. There are other characters that move the story along, Jina (the main bully) and Hyo-Yelp (the other love interest). It was a perfect way to recharge and read something fun and different between books. I really liked the Korean feel to it and all the history and culture it had. I also really liked the main character. This was her story of survival and triumph after all that suffering. Thanks to an adorable vampire.

Now the second part will be Fetechou’s turn. His maker just showed up with his biggest regret in life. Things are going to be interesting.

[Delirious Disquisitions · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW:Bullying, isolation, self harm.

[Oriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and weird and cool. It's about an ostracized and bullied teenage girl who winds up with a vampire as her slave. I loved how deeply Korean it was, both visually and thematically; there was a lot of Korean mythology and lore and culture, which was neat to learn about. I also loved that the NaRae Lee had (at least) two very distinct cartooning styles, neither of which I have the visual language to describe well, but both of which were highly stylized and must have taken incredible skill to execute.

A fun and pleasant and fast diversionary read.

[Curious Madra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing story, honestly thought this is one of the best manhwas I've ever ever read this year like seriously!!!!!

[Milo (if lost, return to hot fictional character) · Rating 5 out of 5]

please be aware of trigger warnings when picking up this graphic novel. it might look sweet and cute but it deals with suicidal ideation, severe bullying and nobody doing anything about it, neglect


GUYSSSSS

sometimes i randomly pick up graphic novels or mangas at my local comic book store because i like the look or feel of it. sometimes they suck, it happens when you blindly pick up shit lol (it's still one of my favourite things to do, as i am not too familiar with the manga industry other than the very popular ones. I'm way more at home in the book world where I'm often not as surprised anymore and thus can't really go into things blindly)
but this was for sure a win!!!

Naerim was such a lovely main character. she struggled a lot and i feel so much for her. I'm glad she found a friend in the sweet little golden retriever type of vampire with whom she accidentally formed a master-servant bond. can't wait to see their romance!

if you like graphic novels with a bit of a darker tone and supernatural things in them, i highly recommend this one!

[kels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strangely sweet, and not at all what I anticipated - I liked the art style quite a lot, and was pleasantly surprised to find a story that was less vampire kissy face and more a journey to adulthood and self-confidence. The characterizations felt a bit stock sometimes, and the comeuppance finale was a bit pat, but I liked it all the same.

[Cienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love me some vampire romance haha help me

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot going on under the surface of this cute and cheerful cover, and I wasn't expecting it. The amount of bullying the lead endures is really hard to read. A revelation about a her destiny makes those scenes necessary, but it is still quite painful, especially when you learn about how the bullying has affected her self-worth, to the extent of even self harm. I'm interested in seeing how this all plays out. The vampire who she inadvertently bonds with is adorable, though he too has his hidden depths. I'm not sure whether he is the true love interest or if her childhood friend is, but I genuinely like both characters. I'll read the next volume, but I just have to set my expectations accordingly.

[jada ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I was expecting was a light fluffy comic w cute art and characters. what i got was a depiction of bullying and how that leads to self isolation amongst other sad things
:( this was also so wholesome and made me smile and also cry?

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

[Mersi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew and still wasn't prepared. iykyk

[torpidowl · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) Volume 1: ★★★★★
2) Volume 2: ★★★★.5


5 BRILLIANT STARS FOR PURE ENJOYMENT


volume 1: chapters 1 - 44


hellooo?! if you regularly read manhwa and you haven't read this, what the heck have you been doing? 🤔

all aggressiveness aside, i VERY, VERY much enjoyed the first volume of this story. in Bloody Sweet (or Honey Blood), we follow Shin Naerim, an unconfident and excessively bullied high school girl, on her journey to self-love and adulthood... with a touch of magic and the supernatural. on one particular evening at a school trip, her bullies force her to go into a haunted house, where she meets a (~surprise, surprise~) vampire. things are, of course, never as they seem, and Naerim is about to learn just how much her life will change.

as you can tell already, i am crazy about this manhwa. the romance is so, so sweet; the characters are all extremely endearing, and each of them have distinct personalities and styles. the male lead is puppy-like, affectionate, adorable, compassionate, emotionally open, and caring. Naerim, our MC, is very likable, relatable, and representational to how a regular person would act, with her struggles of self-hate and timidity towards certain aspects in life.

speaking of self-hate, something to note is that a lot of the story will revolve around potential triggers such as depression, self-harm, bullying, self-hate, and similar subjects. these themes are very realistically portrayed and thus can be quite hard to see for some people, so proceed with caution.

another thing to note is that the story does not solely focus on the characters' growths. even though it isn't as character-driven as i thought it'd be, i still tremendously enjoyed it. i was screaming my butt off or jumping up and down in my seat for every scene, and honestly, that's what should matter in a story - its enjoyment levels, not how "good" it was in this development or how "terrible" it was in that arc.

so sure, this manhwa's got some flaws, but it was extremely entertaining and fantastic overall. though there was that tiny love triangle (and i usually HATE them), it was executed very well, and i didn't mind it much. i even got second lead syndrome for a few chapters! i'm happy i got to turn off my critical-reader brain and just enjoyed the story for what it was.

well, what can i say? i'm a sucker for vampire romances ;)

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comic I would have liked to read when I was younger and still in school. I was bullied and made fun of up until highschool and its left a sour taste in my mouth that I didn't try to speak up for myself more. I hope this comic helps other youths that are struggling with bullying in school to learn to speak up and stand up for themselves. That they aren't useless and worth nothing.
You don't know the ending until you keep on going.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really sweet and really powerful. Well beyond the depth and quality I expected for a romance manga.

[nekko · Rating 4 out of 5]

i just want the best for naerim & fetechou but i already know roxanna gonna mess it all up

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when you have the daughter of a shaman, a Western vampire, a young monk, and the son of a pastor all come together?

You get the manhwa Bloody Sweet, of course!

The last time I stayed up past 1 AM to read a book was when I binge read this series digitally. I fell head over heels for these characters and loved seeing them grow and heal as individuals! Because of that, I knew after seeing the physical license announcement that I HAD to get a copy physically!

This story is just as amazing, heartfelt, and crushing as the first time I read it! The blending of cultures is definitely my favorite part of this series because I've never read another book that has done it, but it's written SO well! I enjoy seeing the friendship between them and that despite that they all may have different beliefs, they are still coming together as friends and working together.

Naerim's beginning story is SO hard to read because the bullying in this story is the strongest and most angering I have ever read. It is devastating to see the heartache as well as the physical and verbal pain she goes through and think if you're not in a good mindset, it can be really triggering and deeply upsetting. (I know there were a few places I had to stop reading and take a deep breath because her bullies are awful awful people, *especially* Jina.)

However, it makes you all the more thankful for Fetechou! Despite that, it was pretty crazy how he enters her life and their new relationship beings, I'm SO grateful for how he is genuinely there for Naerim and cares for her. The way he tries to make her smile and how cute he is (the majority of the time anyway LOL) really lightens the heavier topics that are a large part of this first volume.

I think my all-time favorite character though is Hyoyeol!! HE IS SO ADORABLE!! I absolutely love how he does not fit the role of "perfect pastor's son" and has found his own identity as Hyoyeol. Plus, the way he acts around Naerim is SO cute! I have really really loved seeing him on page and can't wait to see more of him!

Overall, I loved this volume once more! It's one I'm eagerly anticipating the next volume of because I know good things are in store for Naerim and can't wait to see them unfold! <3

[nonoreo_bookine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naerim fille de chamane est une jeune fille victime de harcèlement de la part de ses camarades de lycées tentant de survivre jour après jour en silence, elle est devenue le souffre-douleur des autres élèves de sa classe. Repliée sur elle-même et solitaire, elle passe ses loisirs à écrire des romans en secret.

Mais une sortie scolaire impromptue va faire basculer sa vie. Une nuit, elle fait la connaissance d'un jeune vampire, sans le vouloir, ils vont passer un pacte de servitude Petesch va lui devenir totalement dévoué, mais ce dévouement n’est pas sans intéressement 👀
Au fil des pages on découvre que quelques chose se cache dans son passé et je me pose mille question, j’ai hâte d’en savoir plus sur petit vampire intrépide c’est un personnage que j’ai beaucoup aimé !

Ce manhwa parle d’un sujet très important qui est l’harcèlement et tout ce qui en incombe, les répercussions que celles ci peuvent avoir sur la vie de la victime (autodestruction, solitude, dépression..) l’autrice a su en parler avec brio
Je ne m’attendais pas à autant apprécier ce manhwa mais je me suis beaucoup identifié au personnage de Naerim l’harcèlement n’est pas un mythe il existe partout et sous toutes les formes il suffit de ne pas correspondre au normes ou simplement que la jalousie s’installe mais ce qui est le plus effrayant là dedans c’est que l’effet de groupe est réel c’est à peine si les gens ont leur propre façon de penser…
- Fin de la petite aparté 😅

Petesch offre un rayon de soleil dans la vie de Naerim la légèreté apportée par notre vampire décalée et loufoque nous redonne du baume au coeur et dans la vie bien morose de notre jeune protagoniste !

J’ai hâte de voir ce que va nous réserver la suite et de voir certain aspect de l’univers se développer tel la mère de Naerim la chamane mais aussi Hyoyeol l’ami de Naerim je l’adore il est trop kiki !!

[Janina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tolles Konzept mit dem Vampir und seiner Herrin, sehr süß. Ich musste am Anfang erst in die Geschichte finden und das groß thematisierte Mobbing hier drin hat mich ganz schön wütend gemacht. Nach und nach, als weitere Charaktere vorgestellt worden sind, hat es mir mehr gefallen, weil wir nicht mehr nur von 'Mean Girls' umgeben waren. Zum Ende hin wurde ein Plotpunkt begonnen, der leider nicht zu meinen liebsten Tropes gehört. Fetechou hat Albträume, in denen eine Frau aus seiner Vergangenheit verletzt wird. Er bemerkt, dass Naerim (Hauptcharakter) und sie sich ähnlich sehen. Ich denke mal, dass das in die Reinkarnation-Schiene gehen wird und leider ist das nicht mein Fall.

tw/cw: Mobbing, Blut, leichte Gewalt

[☽｡⋆ Shells (jlreads_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: Bullying & Child Neglect


First things first. I think I was clickbaited by the cover, which obviously has a pleasing or distinctly manga art style. However, in the actual story, it didn’t look like that. This is one of the reasons that threw me off.

Other than that, the bullying here was too much? And it was something I had time reading. I was expecting it to develop, and more like the bullying would slowly be resolved, and the FMC would have gotten better, but I think it just started to be worse.

Furthermore, the mother. I have mixed feelings regarding the mother. In my opinion, she obviously is neglecting her child and thar FRUSTRATES ME SO MUCH.

I'm not sure if I'm gonna continue this one tbh.

Thank you, Yen Press, for the review copy.

[Amanda Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this at a convention and thought I would start reading spooky stuff; though despite the vampires and mysticism the only scary topic is bullying in this story. I can relate to being picked on and how it effects your self-esteem, which is why not only did I feel so bad for the main lead, I couldn’t stand the bully character at all. While the bond between the lead and the vampire is intriguing, it is ultimately the human factor that kept me in the story. This was an interesting surprise for sure.

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I was expecting: cute, fluffy, romance book.
What I got: book with lots of bullying, mentions of self harm, depression, suicide ideation

This one felt like a punch to the stomach. It hit to close to home. I cried.

[Darian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand why we’re focusing on the bullying so much but I do feel like it slowed things down a bit and was too much of our page time. If that’s the case with the rest of the series I may have a hard time pushing forward. (Definitely one to check CWs for)

[Reibekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the art in this. Fetechou is adorable. I didn't like how much and how intense the bullying of Naerim was but I am interested to see how the series develops.

[Si[i]ri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t judge me, okay? I need to heal my inner child somehow.

[Natasha M. Nurse, Esq. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Looked good but story left little to desire...

[kuromiLoves · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute :)