The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 2

薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] (Light Novel) #2

by Natsu Hyuuga, Touco Shino (Illustrator), Kevin Steinbach (Translator)

Dismissed from the rear palace, Maomao returns to service in the outer court—as the personal serving woman to none other than Jinshi! That doesn’t necessarily make her popular with the other ladies, but a bit of jealousy might be the least of her problems. A mysterious warehouse fire, an official with a very bad case of food poisoning, and the mysterious last will and testament of a deceased craftsman all demand her attention—but are these cases really separate, or do they share a troubling connection? Then there’s the mysterious military man who continually visits Jinshi. He’s strange, maybe even a little twisted… and he seems very interested in Maomao.

Genres: Light Novel, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Manga, Romance, Historical, Fiction

272 pages, ebook

First published January 31, 2015

About the author

See: 日向夏

Reviews

[Suellen]

girl is just trying to do her job and have fun with herbs but constantly has to deal with men that are down bad (and not even for her! ok maybe one is for her)

[Tahyun]

So... I'm in a bind. I gave Vol. 1 five stars but now I'm at a loss for how to communicate numerically just how much better this one was?? The first one was so good, I tore through it and even enjoyed the parts I already knew from reading the manga.

But this one somehow was even better - in plot and character development to start, but also the mysteries were so winding and the stakes felt even more tense!

Maomao is just, I think she may be my favorite heroine of all time. She's so intriguing and flawed and funny and amazing. 😂😭💕💕

I couldn't put this one down, I read it in my car after I left work (delaying going home!! :0), then again before going into the grocery store because "well, I've stopped so just a page or two and I'll get back to errands". 😂😂

Anyway, if you're reading reviews to gauge if it's worth the time/effort, never fear! It's stupid good 😂

Now the patient waiting for Vol. 3 😔

[Cristine (aaron warner’s version) ♡]

I don’t know how it gets better than this

[toointofiction]

this is going to be my entire personality for a loooong while

[Charmie]

This covered the last few episodes of the first season. I already knew what was going to happen because I had watched the anime. But this still managed to keep me entertained the entire time. It took everything that made the first light novel great and cranked it up to eleven. Maomao is one of the most refreshing, uniquely hilarious protagonists I’ve ever read or watched. Her absolute hatred for court politics, her single minded feral obsession with poisons and medicines, and her tries to avoid Jinshi’s chaotic energy is peak comedy lol. Pacing of this is fantastic. Character dynamics are much sharper than in the anime. And this volume hits even harder than the first. I can’t wait to read the next one but I just received my library hold for Common Goal (the one I've been waiting for three whole weeks btw). Will be back as soon as I’m done with it and most probably my other read (Duskbound). See you guys in a week or two I guess 😭

[Momo]

This series is just so immaculate. I love the main characters so much, they have such fun personalities. This book took me forever to finish, but that was only because of a busy schedule otherwise, I would be done with all the novels out in this series already haha.

[Austin (Weird)]

I got bored during class and started read this lol <33

[cyra]

Maomao finds creative ways to say Jinshi is insanely gorgeous as she gets side quests as a poison taster.

And I’m not even joking. Once Jinshi asks if she could put make-up on him, she legit asks if he’s trying to overthrow the government and start a war. She also gets insanely jealous as she drops off Jinshi because she thinks he is going there to spend time with courtesans but yes bestie, I fully believe that you don’t want to climb him like a tree. An unreliable narrator at its finest.

Jinshi is openly down bad, but this part is especially insane: “No one knew quite where the rumor had started, but word was that some profligate noble from the great country that occupied the middle of the continent was buying up every kind of rare and unusual medicament he could find.” He is never beating the simp allegations I fear.

Anyway. Five stars. This is my whole personality now.

[Saranya [uni- kinda ia]]

⚗️🌿🌱🫙

[ollie]

Take a shot every time Maomao mentions how Jinshi’s beauty could send the country into ruins. She so badly wanted to disguise him as a woman.

[Brooke]

3.75⭐️ ⭐️⭐️🌟
I found the writing and intrigue better than the first. There is more character development for both Maomao and Jinshi, but still not quite enough. I think the series, being “diaries” would benefit from Maomao’s journal entries, more depth into her emotions after being kidnapped, recipes for her apothecary medicines. This is mostly relaxed, low stakes. There is a poisoning investigation, and she also uses alchemy to create blue roses for the emperor. There is a weird relationship with the eunuch Jinshi.

This short novel/novella I finished in about 3-4 hours which I found to be a nice comfortable length if you want something you know you can finish in an afternoon. I am also pairing my reading of the short novels with the manga.

[RoroReads]

eek I love how beautifully this was translated 🥹🌸🩷

[Anne-Marie Archer]

3.5 stars. Another good installment of this series. Still a little too episodic for my taste; it jumps around quite a bit from one little mystery to another. But I enjoy the characters a lot, and the books are fun, light reads.

[Clara]

I wish I’d read this before watching the anime to get the full impact of Lakan and Fengxian

[KC]

I sobbed so fucking hard that I had to run and get tissues just so I could go right back to reading

[Anshika]

The joy certain characters brings you feel unreal sometimes. Maomao and jinshi are those for me!❤️

[Isabel Bridgeland]

4.5 - I fear I may be addicted to this series

[✨ tweety ✨]

This second volume covers the remaining episodes of S1 of the anime, so I already knew what was going to happen more or less because the adaptation was done well.

This volume is even better than the first. A year or so passed since the beginning of the story and the mysteries and intrigues continue. We are introduced to new characters and we see how the relationships between the ones we already know are going. The web of relations is getting complicated because we learn how the past is affecting the present.

What I like a lot is how a seemingly unrelated event or character introduced brings us to important revelations and plot twists (like the Ritual chapter or Red Nails). Nothing is ever casual and even our mc Maomao is as cryptic as ever lol I love her and her obsession with poisons.

Can't wait to see where the story is going next!

[Kathryne]

Good translation, recommended. Find it on novelupdates. The basic gist is that a girl, (not reincarnated nor transmigrated), is a very good herbalist. Over the course of books, she begins to aim to become a doctor and solves mysteries every arc. Somewhat realistic, yet it's extremely fun to read. Once again, recommended.

[kkomorebi౨ৎ]

⭐️5/5⭐️

And... I finished it. Although I'd already seen everything I read in the series, I enjoyed reading the detailed thoughts and even phrases that were omitted much more. With each volume I go through, I will love Maomao more. How stoic she is in any situation, simply chef kiss. I'll say it a thousand times, but I love that her character isn't cliché, much less forced.
Regarding everything that happened in the book, I really liked getting to know a little more about Maomao, her past, and how she thinks about it. I also enjoyed seeing how they give us hints about the entire situation of the imperial family, which I, blind to the series, hadn't noticed.

P.S.: Ox bezoar... you learn a lot with this book; I'm ready to differentiate cilantro from parsley, then 😼


‼️ SPOILERS ‼️
- Can you please build an altar to this girl? She risked her life for someone she didn't even know who she was.
- I have to admit that I was saddened by Lakan's situation and how he wants his daughter back. It's clear he adores her and would do anything for her. I hope future novels at least show some progress. It's worth noting that I completely understand why his daughter doesn't want to be around him. I'd be the same, buuuut, it still makes me sad.
- Lihaku and Maomao's relationship, ahhhh, I love them, it's so "brothers core."
- Jinshi searching heaven, earth, and sea for his beloved's blessed medicines makes him a 10/10.
- Every time Xiaolan appears, a fairy is born.
- In one particular scene, Jinshi points out to Maomao that he didn't know she was interested in anything other than medicine, and I think it's very important because from the very beginning we realize how difficult it is for her to show her emotions, to let them out. You can tell how much she loves her family and even Xiaolan. In her own way, she shows how much she cares for others, even for people she doesn't know. This speaks volumes about her. This whole story starts exactly when she helps two people when she had no obligation to. I emphasize all of this because I think it's very important to point it out. Maomao is a character with a beautiful, kind, and empathetic heart, but because of her poker face and coldness, the world doesn't notice.
- If I had a coin for every time Maomao thought Jinshi was 🏳️‍🌈, I'd be a millionaire.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

⭐️5/5⭐️

Y...me lo termine, si bien todo lo que leí ya lo había visto en la serie me gustó mucho más leer a detalle pensamientos o hasta frases que fueron omitidas. Con cada volumen que pase, más voy a querer a Maomao. Lo estoica que llega a ser en cualquier situación, simplemente chef kiss. Lo diré una y mil veces pero como me encanta que su personaje no sea un cliché ni muchos menos forzado.
Con respecto a todo lo que sucedió en el libro, me gustó bastante, poder conocer un poco más de Maomao, de su pasado y como piensa sobre el mismo. También ir viendo como nos van dando unos guiños a toda la situación de la familia imperial, que yo de ciega en la serie no lo había notado.

PD: bezoar de buey..uno aprende muchas cosas con este libro, ya estoy lista para diferenciar el cilantro del perejil entonces 😼


‼️ SPOILERS ‼️
- Pueden por favor hacerle un altar a esta chica? Arriesgó su cabeza por alguien que ni siguiera sabía quién era.
- He de admitirlo que me entristeció la situación de Lakan y el cómo quiere recuperar a su hija, se nota que la adora y haría lo que fuese por ella, ojalá que en las futuras novelas se vea por lo menos un progreso. Cabe aclarar que entiendo perfectamente porque su hija no quiere estar cerca de él, yo estaría igual, peeeeero, me sigue dando pena.
- La relación de Lihaku y Maomao ahhhh, los amo, es tan "brothers core"
- Que Jinshi ande buscando por cielo, tierra y mar las benditas medicinas de amada lo hace un 10/10
- Xiaolan cada que aparece nace un hada.
- En una escena en particular Jinshi le hace notar a Maomao que no sabía que le interesaba algo más que los medicamentos, y me parece muy importante porque desde un primer momento nos damos cuenta como a ella le es complicado demostrar sus emociones, dejarlas salir. Se nota lo mucho que quiere a su familia y hasta a Xiaolan, a su manera demuestra como se preocupa por los demás y como hasta se preocupa por personas que no conoce, eso habla muy bien de ella. Toda esta historia arranca JUSTAMENTE cuando ella ayuda a dos personas cuando no tenia la obligación de hacerlo. Recalco todo esto porque me parece muy importante hacerlo notar, Maomao es un personaje que tiene un corazón hermoso, bondadoso y empatico pero que por su cara de poker y frialdad el mundo no lo nota.
- Si tuviera una moneda por cada que Maomao pensó que Jinshi era 🏳️‍🌈, sería millonaria.

[Sarah E B ʚ♡ɞ]

So far, the light novel is a top tier

[richa ⋆.˚★]

4/5 🌟

[&#x1d717;ৎ lyla ໑ৎ (ia guess who’s back)]

RAAAAAAAA
guys there are sixteen books.
two light novels make up ONE season
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET THROUGH THIS MUCH PINING

[kaylina]

“I urge you not to imagine that those who are high-born are fundamentally different creatures from you. None of us, however princely or however poor, know what will happen in our lives.

That by itself unites us across every divide.”

i enjoyed this much more than the first volume!! i don’t know if it’s just bc i got used to the writing style or not, but im really happy 🥰. i also loved that little puzzle with the three sons trying to decipher their late father’s will!

the writing does feel stilted at times and the descriptions don’t quite match up to how the anime brings them to life, but i found myself so absorbed nonetheless! it’s funny bc we get introduced to a character who i was very wary of in the anime—he comes across as very sleazy and untrustworthy at first, but then as maomao is solving these different mysteries, he’s almost like her shadow as he aids in helping her get to where she needs. i really liked meeting him again through different eyes.

it even made his reunion with a specific courtesan feel just as emotional as the first time :’) we not only get to witness this bittersweet love story that maomao’s parents had, but also bear witness to how maomao’s childhood was the way that it was.

i also love that with another character we meet, suirei, her presence stands out a lot. even though it feels like we meet her very briefly, only for her to just disappear, her character speaks to what more schemes may lay ahead in the palace. a lot of discontent is shown by the former emperor’s reign and his inappropriate actions, and so there’s bound to be some women who will go to great lengths to reclaim their autonomy by setting some opportunistic traps. one of these traps just so happens to lead to an emotional scene from the anime between jinshi & maomao!

and there’s still much more to discover! again, i’m really happy that i liked this volume much more and im very excited to see where the rest of this light novel series will go ☺️ we haven’t met shisui yet (technically), so that’ll make things much more exciting!

[Davina Herondale]

Im going feral for this series u don’t understand

[James &#x1f9a4;]

Ngl, this one might be a five star. I really liked the first one, but this one is LEAGUES better.

[⋆˚࿔ mary &#x1d717;&#x1d71a;˚⋆]

I’m going to come back to this when this season ends and I need the story again

[Ruth]

The second half of the first season of Apothecary Diaries is still my favorite, so reading the stories it was based on was a real treat! There were some things I enjoyed more in the anime than in this novel, but it was really interesting to read Maomao's inner thoughts behind some of her actions. Still, the author doesn't really give us any insights as to how Maomao discovers the mysteries (some of them we can figure out, but most of it is shielded from us in order to give Maomao the opportunity to reveal it in a satisfactory way) but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing.

Just like in the anime, I missed the Jade Pavilion a lot during the first half of the novel. Even though Lady Gyokuyo is only a couple years older than Maomao, she is somewhat a caretaker, or at least a big sister type to Maomao. She is powerful and capable, and even rather cunning. Her absence was very much noted, but it was also interesting to see her dynamics with Jinshi, Gaoshun, and Suiren grow. I still can't get over how she failed the court lady test, she really is shortsighted to everything but medicines.

Quotes! And spoiler discussion!

"She could do so much better, Maomao thought. She had perfect bones and a beautiful face, but the makeup left her less remarkable than she was."

So I have seen season 2 of the anime, so I know why Suirei did this. It was just interesting to read this when Maomao does the same thing with her freckles, and it was near the time when she helped Jinshi out doing the same thing so he could go undercover to find out what Lakan was doing (was that what he was doing? I still don't know what his angle was). Maomao admonishes Suirei for looking less beautiful than she could be, but doesn't really think past this. I think it's indicative of her character. She's really quite like Lakan in this manner, being able to see a person's value in terms of beauty and accomplishment. It makes sense why she does this- she grew up in a brothel where her sisters were bought based on beauty and accomplishments. No wonder she has such a low view of herself.

"It's not like I stick my nose into these things out of personal interest. She just took note of what was going on around her. There were too many people all too prepared to involve her in their own risky business, that was the problem. Maomao would have been perfectly happy to live a quiet life as an apothecary: sitting on her veranda sipping tea and doing her medicinal experiments."

It's quotes like these that just make it so evident how unreliable a narrator Maomao is. She would never be happy doing just this. She lives for solving mysteries. When she was in the Pleasure District I think in volume one and she came across the couple at the brothel who were on the verge of death, she had to do everything in her power to figure out what had happened. Even when it was making her frustrated. Her dad had to remind her to be careful. Maomao loves medicines and loves being an apothecary. But I don't think she would be happy doing just that her entire life. She might be the embodiment of the saying I got too important at work, but she also does it to herself. She may complain about it, but that never stops her from solving mysteries.

"I still think he should have taken Meimei, Maomao thought."

This is so interesting. It also reveals quite a bit about Maomao. So in the anime, when Lakan and Maomao play the game, it's interpreted like she always wanted Lakan to buy out Fengxian, Maomoa's mom. So when I read this, I was really surprised. I thought she orchestrated this whole thing so Lakan and Fengxian could finally be happy. Nope! Maomao doesn't really care about her parents happiness. After all, in her mind, they never really cared about her. Her mother mutilates her and her father seemingly abandoned her. And just like her older sister says, living in a brothel means you never really have a mother. And she had her dad to raise her. So she didn't really need her biological parents. I thought this was a really selfless thing for Maomao to do, to orchestrate a moment where Lakan can find Fengxian after believing her dead. But it turns out, Maomao wanted to do a selfless thing for her sister. After all, Meimei is more family than her biological parents. I think they should've made this more clear in the anime.

[maddie ⊹₊⟡⋆]

Yay, this book got 4 stars instead of almost 2 stars like the first one! Give it a round of applause for its efforts. We love to see a series improve as it goes on!!👏

“What a person deemed beyond explanation was only a reflections of the boundaries of their own knowledge.”

From the moment I picked up this book I felt like it flowed so much better, and the writing was like good? (I say that when the quote I used above always makes me kind of tongue tied with the two of’s close together 🥲which is something that happens quite a few times in this book, but anyways I still like the quote.) Very pleasantly surprised by this. Even the art I liked better in this one then the first idk. Now I will say though, the different little plots that were going on felt SO random. Like why are over here figuring out this carpenters crafting secret. Bro, I do not care. But hold up wait a minute, I let it cook, ok, and it did all make sense. The randomness had purpose it just took a while to see where they were going with it.

At the end, I still had questions, I gotta say! I hope they will be answered at some point or maybe I actually just missed the explanation all together? That could be very likely.

"I urge you not to imagine that those who are highborn are fundamentally different creatures from you. None of us, however princely or however poor, know what will happen in our lives. That by itself unites us across every divide."

Now, after my praise I do gotta say I still feel like I'm going to forget the whole plot or maybe I already have. There is just some books that do not stick in my brain I really don't know why but yk I can just watch the show at some point to give my brain a refresh on all the things I am forgetting

Anyways I'm looking forward to book 3, it better get checked in sooooon.

[amia ──★ ˙ ̟ !!]

questo secondo volume mi è servito come ripasso per la nuova stagione in arrivo, e nonostante conoscessi già tutto, mi ha fatto super piacere leggere tutto quanto di nuovo. il rapporto tra i "genitori" di maomao, la loro storia, il fatto che maomao consideri comunque chi le ha dato amore come la sua famiglia.. tutto bellissimo <3 ho adorato l'epilogo perché il rapporto tra jinshi e maomao si sta piano piano allargando a qualcosa di più, la stessa speziale ha capito che è più facile parlare con lui quando non si nasconde dietro una facciata che è costretto ad indossare in quanto detiene un ruolo importante. il fatto che spesso si sottolinei la bellezza dell'eunuco e come lui odi questa "benedizione" è molto interessante e spero davvero che si approfondisca questo suo aspetto perché sono sicura che jinshi sia molto molto altro rispetto alla sua bellezza fisica!
non vedo l'ora di leggere il terzo volume!! 5⭐️ super meritate eheh!!