Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 14

暁のヨナ [Akatsuki no Yona] #14

by Mizuho Kusanagi

Yona’s travels take her to the Water Tribe’s territory, which is said to be the most beautiful area in the Kingdom of Kohka. But despite this region’s reputation, a drug known as “nadai” has spread throughout the land. When one of Yona’s friends becomes affected by nadai, how far will Yona go to help him?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Shojo, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Adventure

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2014

About the author

KUSANAGI Mizuho (草凪みずほ) used to work as an assistant for Yoko Matsushita.

Circle(s): JAKE

Loves: drawing and considers herself to have a 'super fetish' for voices. As such, she loves seiyuu (voice actors) but also actors with good voices.

Favorite Food: Ramen. Prefers vegetables to meat.

Favorite Movies: Anything by Miyazaki, whom she loves! Also, The Sound of Music and Lord of the Rings.

Reviews

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...


Princess Yona is the pampered daughter of her kingdom's king. Isolated and doted on she has two childhood friends, Hak, a general who also protects her and her cousin, Soo-won who helped her mourn her mother's passing and who she is crushing on big time. On her 16th birthday her entire world implodes to to a crippling betrayal... She must decide if she will fall in line or rise up and take back her kingdom.

With Yona of the Dawn vol 14 we head into a new area of the empire... the water tribe lands. I really loved all the new backgrounds that really made the water tribe feel like the different location that it is through the art. We meet new characters, Lady Riri, a naive chief's daughter and her two female guards. She wants to do something about what is happening in their city, but for some reason her father is not acting, only wanting her to stay inside and protected. Their character designs were strong and I enjoyed how Lady's Riri's lifestyle came through in that design.

As the setup for this next arc, I was a little underwhelmed. Probably more a half star off of tension and plot, I simply chose plot because i thought Jaeha's actions were just plain odd. He sort of starts us into the trouble that Lady Riri is trying to solve and it creates these misunderstandings that made me roll my eyes more than laugh or wonder what would happen next. Still I did appreciate that there is some game playing happening with the Kai kingdom that Yona and company are going to get embroiled in.

I did TOTALLY DIG the continuing female empowerment we got with Yona and her part of the action and events. She made a big to do about being trained with a sword and stumbles on trouble that allows her to use it! WOW! I just love how naturally it happened and it really helped recover the tension that had been leached out of the story with Lady Riri initially. And I just believe in this Yona. That she would do what she did and take that on herself. And not blindly. It was her choice and what a leader should be willing to do!

Yona of the Dawn vol 13-14 are great transitional volumes where we exit one arc for a new one... It's done smoothly and I am excited to continue in the water tribe with vol 15!! Lady Riri wants to be empowered and I think its time Yona take on a female who can look up to her and all the growth that she has made through trying to do the right thing... Exactly what the naive Lady Riri is trying to do too.


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art

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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...

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but maybe a little less than other installments in the series. We're beginning a new plot arc and I'm waiting to see where it goes.

[Δανάη Ιμπραχήμ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how badass Yona can be while remaining a cinnamon roll.

[Dann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go Yona!

[vin .ᐟ (hiatus)]

THE JUMP KICK??!?!?!??

[Fai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aww yeah! It's official: Yona is now one of my favorite fictional heroines! I mean, check out that flying kick...



Awesome.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/iT5HciwzgJw

I still think its surreal that a SHOJO manga can have such in-depth arcs that are centering around issues such as human trafficking and drug addiction/abuse. I'm glad to see things like this being addressed (because despite it being a fantasy world, I think its important to address there issues in the real world too) even if this volume was hard to stomach due to having personally seen family members struggle with drug addiction and seeing its results.

With that said though, its pretty amazing to see how much Yona as a character shined! Lots of pretty and fierce panels reflecting her not being the same young woman just a few volumes ago (and definitely not who she was in the beginning). Throw in a new female character (which HUGE yay!!) and the difference is night and day! That's not to say I'm trying to bash this new young woman, its just I think it really makes me realize just how far Yona has come.

I appreciated seeing Jaeha shine in a dark situation once again. While I'm sure any of the dragons could, there is something specifically about Jaeha where he handles this with a different kind of maturity. I guess one could argue his actions weren't (LOL), but I have a lot of respect for him and also appreciated how he wanted to stop Yona from being part of the dangerous acts going on. He's still not my favorite favorite dragon, but I really love his character a lot.

That ending though!! Quite the plot twist and was not ready (or bracing myself) for that kind of action. Ha! I suppose I should though because I have a strong feeling that while there are still moments of humor (Sinha standing guard over Jaeha and then seeing the inside scoop of their game of "hide-and-seek" *cries happy tears*), this series will continue to get more intense and most likely tackle more tough topics.

After reading so many volumes thus far, I would say this series is gradually becoming quite a masterpiece in the shojo genre and redefining the lines of that shojo manga can be more then just a romance. Do not get me wrong though because I LOVE my fluffy romance and will take that any day! LOL! I just think its extremely fascinating how this series does not focus on the romance (at least currently), but is still indeed a manga geared towards girls.

While I wouldn't call this a new favorite series for me, I am grateful for the chance to be a reader of such a series that I think rightfully deserves to be considered iconic in latest shojo manga releases.

[libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yona is the reason i exist.

[Mary Emma Sivils · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh, this was such a good volume!!

I'll make my complaints first so I can get them out of the way:

1. Jaeha has grown on me a lot since his introduction, but ugh, his eagerness to go to the "red-light district" doesn't sit well with me at all.
2. More bathing scenes? Really? 😳

The drug storyline is kind of dark, but interesting. I really enjoyed the addition of Riri's character! She was quirky and not what I expected (in a good way), and her interactions with her servants were amusing. I hope we get to see more of her!
Yona got some chances to shine, too! I just love her strength and determination, but I might love even more how her weakness is shown, too. It makes her seem more real than the cliche, "kick-butt" heroine.

That little snippet at the end. 😆 Sinha is too adorable.

[Lucía Cafeína · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Comienza el arco argumental del clan del agua y no podría resultar más emocionante! Me daba mucha curiosidad lo de este clan, porque había pasado bastante desapercibido, y va a tener tela... Además, Yona haciendo amigas <3 Y Lili tiene un potencial brutal.
La emoción <333333

[Fiebre Lectora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yona, princesa del amanecer mejora a cada tomo, estoy enamorada de todos los personajes y no puedo parar de leerla.
Reseña completa: https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

“Hak, tell me. A weak person like me, what can I do to defeat a person stronger than me? What should I do to protect someone else? Someday, To get the strength to be able to fight by your side, what should I do?”

After the ride that was the previous arc of the story, I was pretty certain that I wouldn't be able to get hyped about the new one right away; well, it seems I was mistaken because I did nothing if not get even more in love with this story between the first couple pages.

It continues to impress me, and baffle me, how this romance story, this shojo can get so incredibly dark and epic. And this volume gets dark, all right. I was downright disturbed by more than one of the happenings already.

Lady Lily is an interesting new character, alongside her two aides, Tetora and Ayura, and an interesting foil and parallel for Yona's character. I want to see where she will go and how meeting Yona and the boys affect her.

More than anything else, what I love about this volume was seeing Yona's growth and how far she has come. Her strength, her determination, her humbleness it all is a mosaic of incredible growth that makes my heart ache with pride, awe, and fondness. Plus, seeing the subtle hints of how intrinsic her relationship with Hak is just makes me incredibly happy.

This is only the beginning of what seems to be a dark, complicated, and messy arc that already has me worried, and I cannot fathom how it'll be solved.

“Self-sacrificing? Me? I fight so I can survive. I have no desire to bow down to unjust power.”

[Emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yona y compañía han cambiado de escenario, ahora están en el territorio del Clan del Agua. Supuestamente el más bello y tranquilo del país, pero lo encuentran invadido por los estragos de una droga. La trama sigue enganchando.

[Nur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yine kitap okuyamadığım bir sürece girince hemen mangamı okuyup bir bölüm okuyayım da açılayım dedim, iyi de geldi. Bu bölüm Yona'nın biraz daha yükseldiği bir bölüm. Karakter gelişimi ha-ri-ka!

[Brooke (Books are my Favorite!!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters 77-82
77. A Town Drenched in Drizzle
78. The Nadai Eroding Shisen
79. Just Looking
80. Vortex
81. Bottomless Whirpool
82. Swearing Resolution Upon That Blade

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is just so amazing !!

[Elaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3.5 stars~

This was a nice volume! Loved Yona in it. And Riri was an interesting character that I'm looking forward to learning more about! Have seen the next few covers and I love her blue hair <33 Her blue gown is lovely too! I want one :0 Just am excited to see where this story is headed :)

*Took a half star off because of the bathing scene with Yona and a few other girls...like why does there always have to be something like that o_o lol It's mostly covered, but still....is just super annoying to me. It's on pages 136-141 if you want to just skip it

[haven ⋄ f (hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty epic. I have a feeling that these little battles and conflicts are going to amount for something much bigger. I have no idea what it could be though.

Jaeha is actually super sweet! But SUCH a charmer. Yona keeps charming the guys and I have mixed feelings about that. I'm glad she is making more friends. She also got a huge part in the last few chapters of the book and I'm so proud of her! She is pretty epic.

[Selma O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more we explore the tribes and locations of this world, the more I'm falling in love with this series

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparing Miss Lily(what Yona could've been) and Yona (who she is right now) is soooo good!!! It really shows how far she's come from the beginning

[Booksinvasion · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really enjoying this arc! The storyline and drama surrounding the addictive drug Nadai is very compelling and fast-paced.

I think Lady Riri is a good addition to this arc and a great contrast to Yona’s character. I love seeing the way Yona’s tenacity and courage uplifts others around her, and I love seeing her try to do her best to protect everyone though she knows her own limitations.

In general, I absolutely love Yona’s character and she’s becoming one of my favorite female protagonists. The way her strength has grown has been such a natural progression based on the challenges she’s faced and the way her determination has grown. She allows the men in her group to protect her and follow her lead, but feels the desire to train and learn new skills to be able to fight if the need arises. I love the way she embraces her femininity, and steps up to act as “bait,” with the knowledge and confidence that her friends will protect her, despite her vulnerable position. She’s sensitive, not afraid to be emotional, but also head-strong and willing to fight for what she knows is right for the people of Kohka.

[Estíbaliz Montero Iniesta · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Por fin un nuevo personaje femenino que parece que tendrá algo de relevancia!
Y me da penita el lío de sentimientos que tiene Jae-ha, aunque su dinámica con Hak es graciosísima.

[caitlin ✧･ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

yona’s badass era so true

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw, Yona’s first real sword fight! She’s kind of getting her ass kicked. Which means the boys are going to be feral when they get back.

[Cindee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series as always is an amazing read never a dull moment always something interesting going on. The characters are great as always they have come a long way I really like Riri so far she is interesting she is completely different from Yona she is how Yona may have been under different circumstances. I loved the plot they are now in a water tribe town and things are off one of them gets affected by something so they investigate find out things and are now trying to get the drugs out the water tribe looking forward to reading more.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The parallels between the drug overtaking the Water Tribe's lands and the opioid crisis are staggering.

[Virgi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good :)))))

[TrippyBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yona was such a badass here JUDO KICK