Bloody Sweet, Vol. 2

Bloody Sweet #2

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?

As she finds the strength to overcome bullying and embrace her face as moodang (traditional Korean shaman), he must face his violent past of bloodshed and the menacing spectres who have returned to claim him once more.

Beloved the world over for subverting vampire romance with grounded, heartfelt nuance, Bloody Sweet has been translated into French, Japanese, Chinese, and won numerous awards in Korea. Now the thrilling saga is collected for English readers into two graphic novel volumes, spanning well over thousand full-color pages.

The all-new tale of two misfits and their quirky, fantastical romp to find one another comes from NaRae Lee, artist of James Patterson's NY Times bestselling OEL manga series Maximum Ride.

With her command of exhilarating drama, nuanced sentiment, and expressive art, Bloody Sweet signals the arrival of a refreshing original voice in comics, and is destined to become a classic of its kind.


21-44

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

558 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

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

LOVED THIS ONE


can't wait for the third volume!

[Hilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume concludes Naerim and Fetechou’s story. What a crazy ride. This volume was very different from the first but it was Fetechou’s turn. It had all his suffering and Roxanna’s suffering as well. I still don’t know how I feel about her death In a way I feel bad for her. I was able to sympathize and understand where her hate came from. Laszlo is still not fully developed for me. I feel like I needed his backstory BUT that was probably too much.

All in all I’m very happy at this ending. Naerim and Fetechou were super cute together and I loved their relationship.

Same trigger warnings apply, plus rape. These comics are bloody and it’s not just because of the vampires. Honestly it’s mostly because of the humans. Serious trigger warnings are needed.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

"So this is what it feels like to have someone on your side. Just that fact already makes me feel stronger."

This is the second time I have read this volume (though first time reading it physically) and it hits me just as powerfully as the first time I read it, maybe even more so this second time!

I would say that it hit stronger because I was able to appreciate how many layers are woven throughout this story. I have not read many stories with vampires, and most of the ones I have read are very romance-focused, but this one does not follow that same route.

Am I definitely shipping our leads together? For sure! Do I want to see more of them romantically together? Oh yeah!

But this is not that kind of story and nor is it the one that needs to be told.

It's Naerim's life story in seeing how she isn't alone. How this vampire has come into her life and stood by her and showed there is someone cheering for her, encouraging her, and loving her for who she is.

Instead, it's a story of healing and forgiveness and finding joy in knowing that you are loved even if you feel you aren't due to life circumstances. Standing up for yourself because you KNOW you have worth and value, and no one can define or take away that worth you know for certainty you have.

And as a result of reading these interwoven messages, it makes me want to know and believe for myself that I have worth. It makes me want to not be afraid of expressing my real emotions even if the pain is overwhelming. It makes me want to be open with others and encourage them to be open and honest.

Truly, this story has some heartbreaking moments (Naerim on the roof and Fetechou's backstory 😭😭😭), but it is such a heart-moving story that has resounding waves of impact and so thankful Yen physically printed it.

Definitely recommend checking out if you're looking for a non-centered vampire romance and a heroine who learns to stand up for herself and believe she has value.

"Don't be ashamed. You can't compare your pain with anyone else's. Just because someone's hurting more doesn't make you hurt any less."

[Delirious Disquisitions · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: rape, self harm, suicide

[torpidowl · Rating 5 out of 5]

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


4.5 stars


volume 2: chapters 45 - 85


NON-SPOILERY THOUGHTS

my GOODNESS. this was such a great season! i thoroughly enjoyed reading about Naerim and Fetechou. they are such a healthy and cute couple! i also loved the art and the attention to detail the artist had. each character, hairstyle, and outfit were so uniquely and gorgeously designed.

character- and plot-wise, this season was SO GREAT. i loved all the characters (except for the antagonists, of course) and enjoyed the wild ride that was the plot. it was fast-paced and always kept me on my toes - i binged the entire thing in only a few hours and could not put it down! if you want to read a more in-depth spoiler-free review, i recommend reading my review of the first season for reasons why you should read this masterpiece :D


SPOILERY THOUGHTS

although this season had so many great points, i'll have to admit it didn't match the first season in terms of plot because the pacing was sometimes way too fast for my liking. that ending... it was so fast-paced my eyeballs almost convulsed off my eye sockets. i didn't even know what was going on at times. it definitely could've wrapped everything up in a better way with at least one more chapter, perhaps a continued epilogue or something.

while the first season carefully and beautifully explored a lot of character development and mental health nuances, the second season glossed over many of the subjects i would've liked to see more expanded on, such as Laszlo and Roxanna's characters and their motives.

Laszlo was very confusing to me. was he supposed to be an antagonist or one of the good guys? man, his attitude towards Fetechou switched back and forth SO MANY TIMES in those few centuries. seriously, what was his attitude towards Fetechou? and how the heck did he accept Roxanna? how did they even get tied up together? man, his character was just a big, giant ball of confusion, but i was able to overlook it since Naerim and Fetechou's characters were so strongly and beautifully developed.

Roxanna was pretty well-written and interesting, but still quite one-dimensional; she is what i like to call a "shallow evil" character, when there's little to no reason for them to be evil at all, and they're evil just for the sake of having conflict in the story. gosh, she had so much potential... if only the story was just 10-20 chapters longer. also, can we talk about her sudden suicide at the penultimate chapter of the entire story? that was so very uncalled for. like, why would she even do that to herself when she's so selfish? being a human wouldn't strip her of her powers or anything like that since money is power nowadays, and she's got plenty of that. kind of contradictory if you ask me, but whatever - i was just glad Naerim and Fetechou got their happy ending.

speaking of being glad of our main couple's happy ending, i overlooked a lot of the loose strings that literally got forgotten about since the first season because of them. whatever happened to Lee Hyoyul, the tall, red-haired "second male lead" in name only? he completely disappeared off the face of the earth after the first season, lmao. his band was not there either; a shame since i really liked Suji noona, the intimidating yet sweet band member who TREMENDOUSLY helped boost Naerim's self-confidence in the first season (also the older sister of one of Naerim's bullies!). there were some more loose ends, but i can't think of anymore since i feel pretty brain-dead after trying to figure out what the hell Roxanna's deal was this entire season.

i really, really liked how we got to see Naerim's maturity grow throughout the end of the first season and the entirety of this season. her hair was a great physical indicator of where she was at in her life, but it was also the way she processed things and the way her outlook on life changed for the better. ugh, i love her character growth so much!

and Fetechou was, of course, dreamy as heck and such a gentleman, always. my dream man right there! not only did he help Naerim grow, he also went through growth himself in accepting a lot of things his old self wouldn't have, and healing from the immense trauma he went through when he was younger. this man is so beautiful, both from the inside and out.

also, the kid monk is S O underrated i might actually cry. he was mature and understanding, endearing and respectable, possibly the most moral and truly nice character in this series! and what was he? like, 10 years old? gosh, i love him so much i could die for him.

besides some inconsistencies and flaws, especially towards the end, i REALLY FREAKING LOVED this story. it will forever and always have a special place in my heart because of that GOD-LEVEL first season and the loveable characters.

[Ink & Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of this book was rough (and I really wish there had been trigger warnings) but I loved the second half. I am so so so relieved that the bullying has been (mostly) resolved and that Naerim’s life is looking up. It was incredibly frustrating and disappointing to see how poorly the school system and her peers handled everything. Even though things have improved, I wouldn’t say the issue feels fully resolved - the school seemed to sweep it under the rug and Mujin got pushed out of his role (although I wish he had done more).

That said, it was so heartwarming to watch Naerim reconnect with her mom, make friends, and start gaining confidence. I’m much more excited to continue the series now that the focus is shifting towards Fetechou’s background and Naerim’s growing spiritual powers.

Quick hot take for you though - I ship Naerim with Hyo-Yeol over Fetechou. I might change my mind but thought I’d throw that out there!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: realistic bullying, suicide ideation

This is just so much darker than it tries to appear, and that's actually a strength of the story - Naerim finally standing up to her bullies is cathartic even as it shows how much doing so costs her. Meanwhile Fetechou's past turns out to be horrible and depressing, and even though Naerim's life looks like it's turned a positive corner, Fetechou may be about to go in the opposite direction. This is rough, but worth it.

[Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the paperback. I love it so much and keep coming back to it. A completely different take on the vampire genre but still revisiting some good ol' themes.

[Omnya Ali (Free Palestine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story and the characters so much I wish it didn't have to end
😭😭😭😭😭🖤🖤🖤🖤

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story and the characters so much😭I wish it didn't have to end

[nekko · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE ENDING BYE T.T

[Shannon (Winchella) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy that this continues on when the main characters become adults and you learn some more info about everyone and where they go in life. I just feel like the main character gets held back since she’s still treated like a complete child.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a surprisingly complex look at bullying... Looking at the covers you'd expect something cutesy, but this is very deep and beautifully done.

[sandrasliteratur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Auf deutsch bei altraverse erschienen
Bloody Sweet war für mich ein absoluter Überraschungshit. Während ich bei der Ankündigung noch dachte, der Humor und die Geschichte sind nicht so mein Fall, wurde ich schnell etwas Besseren belehrt. Band 1 war schon ein absolutes Highlight und Band 2 geht genau so toll weiter! Tatsächlich fühlen sich einige Handlungsstränge hier ein bisschen abgeschlossen an, was, wenn es wirklich der Fall ist, wirklich genial ist. So ziehen sich nämlich die Themen nicht zu lange. Das Cover lässt ja auch schon so etwas in die Richtung andeuten, da glaube ich zwei Cover immer ein Gesamtbild ergeben. Was übrigens so genial ist! Inhaltlich hat der band genau das richtige Tempo hingelegt und so war es durchgehend spannend und interessant. Dazu waren so viele Emotionen vorhanden! Der ein oder andere Herzklopfmoment war auf jeden Fall dabei und ich sags euch, Fetechou ist wirklich so ein toller Charakter! Ich liebe die Entwicklung, die Naerim durch ihn hinlegt und gerade das Ende macht hier echt nochmal etwas her. Neue Handlungen werden auch schon angeteasert und sogar ein Geheimnis aus der Vergangenheit wird enthüllt. Der Titel gehört wirklich jetzt schon zu meinen Lieblingen und hat wirklich so unglaublich viel zu bieten. Daher eine ganz dringende Empfehlung von mir!

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read. It is at a totally different pace from the first volume. Basically, it's about post-school Naerim, and what the main characters discover about each other without the intereferences of cheesy highschool cliches.

[Euri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐

Done. Yet, I still don't know how to pronounce the name "Patrasche". 😅

[Curious Madra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aw man I really didn't want to this manhwa to end, Vlad and Shin are hands down an adorable couple!

[Zveko · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Skye (Skye's Scribblings) · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: strong bullying (verbal and physical), almost attempted suicide, cutting

Thankfully the dark content eventually lightened and I look forward to the next volume.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

(stejná recenze u všech dílů)

Moc pěkná kresba a dobře zvolené barvy. Zjednodušené postavičky také vypadaly moc hezky a vtipně. Líbilo se mi pozadí, které příběhu dodávalo šmrnc. Akorát mi někdy trochu nesedlo panelování, ale na to jsem si po chvilce zvykla. Také mě pobavilo to, že každá více důležitá postava byla výraznější, a její vlasy měly většinou neobvyklou barvu. Mimochodem každá hlavní záporačka daného volumka, měla velké namalované rty a prostě vypadala jako děva. :D Takže to bylo dobré poznávací znamení. :D

Všechny záporačky jsem neměla ráda. A přesto, že se ukázalo jakou tragickou minulost měly, tak jsem je nezačala litovat. A nechápu, proč se to tam stále muselo podsouvat, jelikož mě to pomalu začínalo štvát. Naštěstí to bylo v prvním volumku minimálně.

Mimochodem první a druhé volumko se naprosto lišilo. První bylo příběh o šikaně a o jejím vypořádáváním se, který se postupně zvrhl v romantiku, jež pokračovala až do druhé knihy. Ta mi na druhou stranu přišla vážně o ničem a ten příběh byl úplně jiný. Musela jsem se vážně nutit do čtení, jelikož to najednou bylo tak sladké a celý svět byl najednou růžový. A všichni lidé (i upíři :D) jsou vlastně hodné, pouze nepochopené bytosti.

Mimochodem se ukázalo, že zápletka celého příběhu (myslím cíl udělat z pana upírka člověka) by neměla vůbec existovat. Protože někde za půlkou se přiznal, že chce být člověkem, aby mohl pykat za své hříchy. A to se přitom mohl zabít, navzdory tomu, že byl upír. Stačilo jenom vyjít na sluníčko a trochu se opálit v jeho záři. :D Samozřejmě, že se mu chuť k životu pak vrátila, ale to jenom kvůli hlavní hrdince a jeho citům k ní. Avšak měl 500 let na to se zabít už předtím. :D

Bylo zajímavé sledovat, jak se hlavní hrdinka vypořádávala se šikanou. Evidentně stačí mít minimálně jednoho kamaráda a hodné rodiče. Takže v realitě vám tohle fakt nepomůže. Ale vždy mě fascinuje, jak můžu cítit stále větší odpor k lidem, kteří prostě nepohnou ani prstem, aby vám pomohli. Alespoň ta její sousedka se o to nějak pokoušela. Zajímalo by mě také, jak se vedlo jí, neboť se s nikým ze třídy nebavila. A nevypadalo, že by měla jiné přátele. Chudák holka. :(

Mimochodem by mě zajímalo, proč v první kapitola zmiňovali, že hlavní hrdinka má blog. Pak o tom nepadla ani zmínka, a ani ona se jím nijak nezabývala. Takže se mi to zdá jako úplně zbytečná informace, jež neměla na příběh žádný dopad. Ze začátku jsem si myslela, že se s ní bude nějak nakládat, ale po chvíli jsem zapomněla, že tam o tom vůbec nějaká zmínka byla.

Konec mě nějak nevadil. Jen jsem byla ráda, že ta záporačka na R (jo, už jsem zapomněla její jméno :D) to přehnala s opalováním. :D A přišlo mi trochu vtipné, jak to skončilo s Vladem. :D

Obálky se mi líbí. Akorát na nich nejsou vůbec rozpoznat červené oči, jejichž barva mě uchvátila. Jediná výtka k nim je, že k sobě vůbec neladí. Člověk by skoro řekl, že je to jiný příběh. Což je technicky vzato i pravda.

Ještě taková menší poznámečka. :D Vážně se mi líbily ty občasné kulturní narážky, jež mě opravdu pobavili, protože jsem je i já poznala. A to jsem celkem neznalec. :D

Dávám 60% Jazyk: Aj

[Soobie is expired · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is extremely different compared to the first volume of the series. Naerim has graduated from high school and now she's a full time moodang. There's no all the teen angst we read about in the first volume.

Naerim's still living with Fetechou, who is finally allowed to drink her blood now. They're trying to come to terms with their relationship but everything is slowed down by Roxanna, a girl who got to know Fetechou soon after he was turned into a vampire. She's a vampire too but she's kind of crazy.

I don't like Roxanna as a character and I don't understand the role László plays. I kind of like the way he ends up, though. He deserved it!

I don't know what to think about the ending. It's not what I expected and I still can't decide if it's a good ending or not.

I love NaRae Lee's art and I really hope she'll finish drawing the Maximum Ride manga adaptation. Since I knew her from Maximum Ride I decided to back her project. I'm glad I did!

[Μαρία Ν. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.That was a great continuation to the first season!

The tone is much more different as Shin Naerim is an adult now and a professional moodang,but the themes that were explored in the first season make an appearance in some form.

For example,the main villain of this arc Roxanna fills like Shin Naerim with the difference that Roxanna was drowned by her hatred towards humans due to the abuse she received as a child.

Honestly,Roxanna was a great villain and the pain she felt made her sympathetic on some level.I liked her more than Song Jina,who has no humane qualities whatsoever(ironic lol).I kind of liked Lazlo,too.Sam-mi was such a treasure and his dialogue was legendary here,too!

That ending was so unexpected though. XD

Fetechou's and Shin Naerim's romance was so cute!Made me tear up at times.

[Kat Sheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟
4.5/5

Pages: 336
Start:February 5, 2024
Ended:February 6, 2024
1st published: 2014 (Jan. 29. 2024)
Next Vol: June 18, 2024

TW
•Sewer-slide
•Self- hārm
•Rāpě- idealism
•bullying

This story is definitely so good and gets you in your feels. It is a tale of a girl who is fully just because she's different and everything, which I relate to cuz it was all through high school and still today. She has a vampire stuck to her though that is huge difference turns out she has a witch blood in her just because she is a shaman or learning to become one. Also in this story we get to see more about the vampire's past and how he became a vampire in which he was bullied a lot also so they can connect a different ways and he starts to from my point of view have feelings for her as she does him I believe.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

parts of this were so satisfying. still wish she wasn’t in high school and the vampire like 500 years old lol. but there was a lot of really great karma that was delivered at the end of her high school arc. the pacing at the end though….SO OFF!! why rush through so much of her growth and recovery…and suddenly she’s a singer? mwahhh

thought about this more and realized I’m also super frustrated by her trusting her childhood bully who was obviously still terrible. like I get you’re worn down!! but come on, you are not stupid…

[Suzanne Kramb · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a bloody sweet ending. And I genuninely mean that. For it was indeed both bloody and sweet.

I'm so glad I circled back and finished this. While it ended exactly as I anticipated it might, it's still a bittersweet ending...realizing that no matter how much we want to save someone, they must first want to save themselves.

[Nhi Lan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a pretty Artwork, quite unique. I love how the characters are developed and both the personalities of the main characters, It's just really lovely , but the story not really give strong feelings and the ending not very satisfied for me

[Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy for Naerim! I loved that she managed to stand up on her own, with support, and it was really nice to see her and her mum starting to reforge their relationship. Looking forward to more - I'm very glad Jina is out the picture, although it's sad about Mujin, too.

[Amelie Halkias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again. Beautiful story. Had me in tears! This one goes a bit further into the depression and there is another attempt to end things, but Fetechou! He's such a lifeline and opens up about his own experiences and why he's able to say things that reach deep down.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has the wrong cover?

This book goes into the topic of bullying and peer pressure more. I am so happy that the overseas brat got what she deserved, BUT I also see how she got this bad since her dad is a politician and properly absent.

[Liqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to open the comic??