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竜騎士のお気に入り [Ryuukishi no Oki ni Iri] #1
Hüterin der Drachen 01
Melissa arbeitet als Hausmädchen am Königshof des Landes Yvart und sorgt in den hiesigen Ställen für das Wohlergehen der Drachen. Doch dass sich die mächtigen Kreaturen von ihr umsorgen lassen, ist eher ungewöhnlich: Nur die Ritter dürfen sie füttern und berühren. Melissas guter Freund Hubert, Kommandant der Drachenritter und Herr des majestätischen Drachen »Weiße Königin«, offenbart ihr eines Tages, dass er seine Position im Palast aufgeben und mit ihr zusammen aufs Land ziehen will. Melissa sieht dies als Chance, mehr über wilde Drachen zu lernen, und willigt ein. In ihrer neuen Heimat nimmt sie ein blaues Drachenei in ihre Obhut …
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2019
59 people are currently reading
835 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
December 30, 2021
In a tiny kingdom, knights fly atop dragons and defend the cities. Melissa is beloved by the picky dragons and also a friend of Commander Hubert who has known her, uh, a little while. When he’s forced to retire as a dragon knight, Hubert takes over his family estate, and Melissa joins him as a maid and pretend lover… sigh…
Behold the mighty dragons swooping majestically in a book that is mighty boring. This thing just sits there, daring itself to be interesting and failing impressively to manage such a task.
Melissa can talk to dragons, apparently, and I would say the first three pages of this book have more mystery and magic than the rest of it put together. It spends so much time laboriously setting up its premise and world-building that it forgets to engage the reader in the actual plot.
How do you make dragons boring, I ask you!? Like this, the book smugly replies, focusing in on the budding romance between Hubert and Melissa and the machinations of Hubert’s brother’s former fiancée (you heard me).
Except there is no romance. There was more chemistry the last time I threw my plastic bottle into the recycling bin (they hit it off better too). Hubert is clearly maneuvering to keep Melissa near him, when a little real talk would solve the problem (how I hate this trope).
This book seems to think an SD reaction can substitute for being funny and that domestic machinations are somehow more exciting than dragons and dragon poachers. Even the evil fiancé seems like a caricature and might not be evil, though half of that seems like Melissa projecting. She barely exists in the book and doesn’t do much except leave, so whatever.
Yes, anyway, Hubert goes off to fight and we’re left tending the vegetables - it would be a true rallying cry for women’s liberation if there weren’t already female knights, so what gives? Why see some boring old fights when we can hear all about the caste system instead?
Of course, you also can’t discount that Hubert used to read Melissa bedtime stories, but luckily she just came of age. Oh yes, we went there and we went there hard. The dragons get stuffed to the side for this, which I could find in a dozen other manga I don’t like.
The art is just as stiff - the dragons look great and I will certainly give it that, but the humans all look basically alike and there is zero sensation of motion in here - it feels like a series of posed dolls. One scene where Hubert catches Melissa looks like she was literally drawn into his arms, which she was, but you shouldn’t be thinking that.
2 stars - based on my usual tenet that most books have something for somebody in them. Some books deserve the second volume chance, but I think this one squandered its potential so badly that I couldn’t bring myself to think of reading another.
Behold the mighty dragons swooping majestically in a book that is mighty boring. This thing just sits there, daring itself to be interesting and failing impressively to manage such a task.
Melissa can talk to dragons, apparently, and I would say the first three pages of this book have more mystery and magic than the rest of it put together. It spends so much time laboriously setting up its premise and world-building that it forgets to engage the reader in the actual plot.
How do you make dragons boring, I ask you!? Like this, the book smugly replies, focusing in on the budding romance between Hubert and Melissa and the machinations of Hubert’s brother’s former fiancée (you heard me).
Except there is no romance. There was more chemistry the last time I threw my plastic bottle into the recycling bin (they hit it off better too). Hubert is clearly maneuvering to keep Melissa near him, when a little real talk would solve the problem (how I hate this trope).
This book seems to think an SD reaction can substitute for being funny and that domestic machinations are somehow more exciting than dragons and dragon poachers. Even the evil fiancé seems like a caricature and might not be evil, though half of that seems like Melissa projecting. She barely exists in the book and doesn’t do much except leave, so whatever.
Yes, anyway, Hubert goes off to fight and we’re left tending the vegetables - it would be a true rallying cry for women’s liberation if there weren’t already female knights, so what gives? Why see some boring old fights when we can hear all about the caste system instead?
Of course, you also can’t discount that Hubert used to read Melissa bedtime stories, but luckily she just came of age. Oh yes, we went there and we went there hard. The dragons get stuffed to the side for this, which I could find in a dozen other manga I don’t like.
The art is just as stiff - the dragons look great and I will certainly give it that, but the humans all look basically alike and there is zero sensation of motion in here - it feels like a series of posed dolls. One scene where Hubert catches Melissa looks like she was literally drawn into his arms, which she was, but you shouldn’t be thinking that.
2 stars - based on my usual tenet that most books have something for somebody in them. Some books deserve the second volume chance, but I think this one squandered its potential so badly that I couldn’t bring myself to think of reading another.
February 6, 2023
This manga is so adorable, beautiful, and DRAGONS!!! It’s the first manga I’ve seen with dragons as a central focus right down to how the kingdom is run with them which is really interesting.
But aside from the dragons and GORGEOUS artwork the crowning jewel are the characters. Melissa is so sweet and her love of dragons is just downright adorable and exactly how I feel about horses whenever I see one, lol. And Hubert is awesome! I love how respectful yet blunt he is, and his and Melissa’s friendship is so cute especially since it’s obvious they clearly have a thing for each other. 😏 And Eleanor is both irritating and terrifying in a “what exactly is she up to?” kind of way, not to mention I agree with Hubert and find her manservant suspicious.
This is so cute and sweet and I can’t wait to read more!
‼️Content‼️
Language: damn
Sexual: a woman says another girl can be a man’s mistress after they marry (he rejects this idea right away)
Other: a dead body with blood pooling under it (nothing over PG-13); magical bonds between a dragon and its knight; a character’s brother was ill and died (not shown, only talked about); dragon poachers
But aside from the dragons and GORGEOUS artwork the crowning jewel are the characters. Melissa is so sweet and her love of dragons is just downright adorable and exactly how I feel about horses whenever I see one, lol. And Hubert is awesome! I love how respectful yet blunt he is, and his and Melissa’s friendship is so cute especially since it’s obvious they clearly have a thing for each other. 😏 And Eleanor is both irritating and terrifying in a “what exactly is she up to?” kind of way, not to mention I agree with Hubert and find her manservant suspicious.
This is so cute and sweet and I can’t wait to read more!
‼️Content‼️
Language: damn
Sexual: a woman says another girl can be a man’s mistress after they marry (he rejects this idea right away)
Other: a dead body with blood pooling under it (nothing over PG-13); magical bonds between a dragon and its knight; a character’s brother was ill and died (not shown, only talked about); dragon poachers
January 14, 2022
VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/Am8KdsM6KP4
This was a very fascinating read!
I can't say I have read a manga that heavily centered around dragons before. I've read a few titles that have dragons mentioned, but not anywhere like this. I feel it's almost a political story, but again, centered around dragons!
However, outside of first mentioning that, I want to say that the art is BEAUTIFUL! This is one of those stories where the story itself may be good and enjoyable, but the art pulls you in and you just want to focus on that and not the words! LOL! While I definitely DID read this story, I was very captivated by the art. I really enjoyed the way the dragons were drawn and the "costume designs" were on point! SO pretty! Also, I wouldn't usually say a man is pretty, but Commander/Lord Hubert sure is prettily drawn!
The story itself was really engaging! I liked Melissa a lot and deeply loved her love for dragons, especially in how it seems to be a big thing in this "romance." And I say romance with quotes because there doesn't seem to be much of any romance yet. I think the faking to be a lover thing is what will most likely the catalyst in relation to future volumes. However, there is one character that definitely seems to already have feelings for a certain someone…
I really liked the world-building in this, *especially* when it came to the dragons. That was super fascinating and was pretty surprised by how much depth this world-building has. I don't read a lot of fantasy manga, but this one takes the cake in that regard!
Overall, this was a fun and good read! I wouldn't say there are a lot of high stakes, but there is a political drive that is tied to the dragons that I find very interesting. Plus, in between Lord Hubert's bluntness with other people and Melissa's sweetness, they have what I think will be an intriguing romance to read about!
Recommended to those who love dragons, sweet heroines, and great world-building that ties into the plot!
This was a very fascinating read!
I can't say I have read a manga that heavily centered around dragons before. I've read a few titles that have dragons mentioned, but not anywhere like this. I feel it's almost a political story, but again, centered around dragons!
However, outside of first mentioning that, I want to say that the art is BEAUTIFUL! This is one of those stories where the story itself may be good and enjoyable, but the art pulls you in and you just want to focus on that and not the words! LOL! While I definitely DID read this story, I was very captivated by the art. I really enjoyed the way the dragons were drawn and the "costume designs" were on point! SO pretty! Also, I wouldn't usually say a man is pretty, but Commander/Lord Hubert sure is prettily drawn!
The story itself was really engaging! I liked Melissa a lot and deeply loved her love for dragons, especially in how it seems to be a big thing in this "romance." And I say romance with quotes because there doesn't seem to be much of any romance yet. I think the faking to be a lover thing is what will most likely the catalyst in relation to future volumes. However, there is one character that definitely seems to already have feelings for a certain someone…
I really liked the world-building in this, *especially* when it came to the dragons. That was super fascinating and was pretty surprised by how much depth this world-building has. I don't read a lot of fantasy manga, but this one takes the cake in that regard!
Overall, this was a fun and good read! I wouldn't say there are a lot of high stakes, but there is a political drive that is tied to the dragons that I find very interesting. Plus, in between Lord Hubert's bluntness with other people and Melissa's sweetness, they have what I think will be an intriguing romance to read about!
Recommended to those who love dragons, sweet heroines, and great world-building that ties into the plot!
January 14, 2022
VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/Am8KdsM6KP4
This was a very fascinating read!
I can't say I have read a manga that heavily centered around dragons before. I've read a few titles that have dragons mentioned, but not anywhere like this. I feel it's almost a political story, but again, centered around dragons!
However, outside of first mentioning that, I want to say that the art is BEAUTIFUL! This is one of those stories where the story itself may be good and enjoyable, but the art pulls you in and you just want to focus on that and not the words! LOL! While I definitely DID read this story, I was very captivated by the art. I really enjoyed the way the dragons were drawn and the "costume designs" were on point! SO pretty! Also, I wouldn't usually say a man is pretty, but Commander/Lord Hubert sure is prettily drawn!
The story itself was really engaging! I liked Melissa a lot and deeply loved her love for dragons, especially in how it seems to be a big thing in this "romance." And I say romance with quotes because there doesn't seem to be much of any romance yet. I think the faking to be a lover thing is what will most likely the catalyst in relation to future volumes. However, there is one character that definitely seems to already have feelings for a certain someone…
I really liked the world-building in this, *especially* when it came to the dragons. That was super fascinating and was pretty surprised by how much depth this world-building has. I don't read a lot of fantasy manga, but this one takes the cake in that regard!
Overall, this was a fun and good read! I wouldn't say there are a lot of high stakes, but there is a political drive that is tied to the dragons that I find very interesting. Plus, in between Lord Hubert's bluntness with other people and Melissa's sweetness, they have what I think will be an intriguing romance to read about!
Recommended to those who love dragons, sweet heroines, and great world-building that ties into the plot!
This was a very fascinating read!
I can't say I have read a manga that heavily centered around dragons before. I've read a few titles that have dragons mentioned, but not anywhere like this. I feel it's almost a political story, but again, centered around dragons!
However, outside of first mentioning that, I want to say that the art is BEAUTIFUL! This is one of those stories where the story itself may be good and enjoyable, but the art pulls you in and you just want to focus on that and not the words! LOL! While I definitely DID read this story, I was very captivated by the art. I really enjoyed the way the dragons were drawn and the "costume designs" were on point! SO pretty! Also, I wouldn't usually say a man is pretty, but Commander/Lord Hubert sure is prettily drawn!
The story itself was really engaging! I liked Melissa a lot and deeply loved her love for dragons, especially in how it seems to be a big thing in this "romance." And I say romance with quotes because there doesn't seem to be much of any romance yet. I think the faking to be a lover thing is what will most likely the catalyst in relation to future volumes. However, there is one character that definitely seems to already have feelings for a certain someone…
I really liked the world-building in this, *especially* when it came to the dragons. That was super fascinating and was pretty surprised by how much depth this world-building has. I don't read a lot of fantasy manga, but this one takes the cake in that regard!
Overall, this was a fun and good read! I wouldn't say there are a lot of high stakes, but there is a political drive that is tied to the dragons that I find very interesting. Plus, in between Lord Hubert's bluntness with other people and Melissa's sweetness, they have what I think will be an intriguing romance to read about!
Recommended to those who love dragons, sweet heroines, and great world-building that ties into the plot!
March 19, 2022
Light and easy read.
April 19, 2025
This was so cute and fun!
I love the concept and storyline and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes.
Volume two here we come! Yay!
4.75/5
I love the concept and storyline and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes.
Volume two here we come! Yay!
4.75/5
December 11, 2022
I was excited to read this because of dragons and the cute cover, but was left disappointed. The story, dialogue, characters, and even the romance all felt so stiff and boring. I think there are more endearing romance-fantasy manga you can read rather than this.
February 2, 2022
Didn’t realize this was based off of a book. Now I need to hunt down the book, because this was adorable! 4, I want the next one now, stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2022
Fantasy setting
Dragons
Fake engagement
Sign me right up! This was so fun and I loved it!
Dragons
Fake engagement
Sign me right up! This was so fun and I loved it!
February 7, 2025
This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!
Read 5 volumes
This is so stinkin cute. It reminded me of Fiancée of the Wizard Manga, Vol. 1 which I adored and this is just as good. I look forward to seeing this storyline progress and I really like our heroine! She's so sweet!
Edit 4/24/22: SO CUTE. And things are starting to get serious. I'm curious about what's going to happen in the next volume!!
Edit 2/7/25: Finally getting back to my manga backlog. Cliffhanger ending but the story is getting more serious and the romance is pushed to the background. Not bad, but knocks a star off for me for now.
Read 5 volumes
This is so stinkin cute. It reminded me of Fiancée of the Wizard Manga, Vol. 1 which I adored and this is just as good. I look forward to seeing this storyline progress and I really like our heroine! She's so sweet!
Edit 4/24/22: SO CUTE. And things are starting to get serious. I'm curious about what's going to happen in the next volume!!
Edit 2/7/25: Finally getting back to my manga backlog. Cliffhanger ending but the story is getting more serious and the romance is pushed to the background. Not bad, but knocks a star off for me for now.
July 10, 2023
Tbh, I personally found the story a bit boring and I wish more happened in this first volume. Idk why so many mangaka’s insist on illegal age gaps when the age gap could happen when all of these characters are adults. The art is stunning and I like how the dragons are built, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series. I miiiight pick up the second one just to see if certain points are clarified though.
October 6, 2022
I wasn’t that impressed with this manga. I’m hoping it was just poor translation, but the dialogue felt straight out of an early era wattpad fanfic. The art was really the only savior (& the dragons, of course).
June 1, 2022
I'M OBSESSED WITH THIS SERIES AND CAN'T WAIT TO KEEP GOING!!!
August 21, 2024
3 ⭐️ - Definitely reminded me of Fourth Wing 😬
The story was interesting… while reading, I was reminded of fourth wing, in some aspects. Lowkey I was wondering if this had taken inspiration or vice versa (bold of me to assume 😅)
Basically, the knights are bonded to the dragons when they’re chosen and if the riders die, so to the dragons. Ya see the resemblance. Plus, a knight can’t wed any girl unless their dragon likes them too. They have a telepathic communication bond too. The only difference, they’re using the dragons to stop dragon poachers and there isn’t any “shadow daddies” 🤣
Anyways I liked it but didn’t love it. I’m concerned about the age gap. She’s come of age (16) but there’s no mention of the guys age yet and there’s clearly romantic feelings he has for her, shes just not noticing them atm.
The story was interesting… while reading, I was reminded of fourth wing, in some aspects. Lowkey I was wondering if this had taken inspiration or vice versa (bold of me to assume 😅)
Basically, the knights are bonded to the dragons when they’re chosen and if the riders die, so to the dragons. Ya see the resemblance. Plus, a knight can’t wed any girl unless their dragon likes them too. They have a telepathic communication bond too. The only difference, they’re using the dragons to stop dragon poachers and there isn’t any “shadow daddies” 🤣
Anyways I liked it but didn’t love it. I’m concerned about the age gap. She’s come of age (16) but there’s no mention of the guys age yet and there’s clearly romantic feelings he has for her, shes just not noticing them atm.
May 8, 2022
Yeah, I’m obsessed
September 26, 2022
Where the story sometimes lacked, the art made up for it. Also, the quality of these volumes are amazing
December 10, 2022
Really interesting, I love dragons!
January 31, 2023
Dragons and mystery with a dash of romance ❤️
October 19, 2023
This is interesting and I would love to read more. I really like how the dragons are portrayed in this.
May 7, 2024
Cute and a fun read. Combination of cozy fantasy romance and dragons which is always a must read for me.
January 27, 2022
I liked the idea of this, but I'm not really sold on the art or the execution.
It's a manga adaptation of a (light?) novel, so it's possible something was lost in the shift from text to illustration, but the short story extra at the end isn't great, either. The whole thing feels like someone had some interesting ideas, tossed them together into a bowl, shook them around, and hoped a good story would fall out. Unfortunately, while it's roughly edible, it's all a bit of a mess.
I'm not sure whether to keep reading or not. I'd like to meet the baby blue dragon, find out more about what's going on with the dragon poachers, and see what the deal is with Hubert's dead brother's ex-fiancee, but I'm not sure any of that will actually be satisfying. The more I think about it, the less I liked it, really, and that's a shame, because a girl who loves dragons getting fake-engaged to a handsome dragon knight/noble who obviously secretly loves her could be a great concept.
But even that is set up in a way that makes zero sense. I'll do a rundown of how the action progresses.
Hubert, the handsome young commander of the dragon army, goes off to fight poachers and is gone for much longer than expected (six months). When he finally returns to the castle, it turns out he has to retire from his dragon knight duties (even though this supposedly never happens) because his older brother (who also had a dragon but wasn't a knight??) died and he has to take on the family title now.
Melissa, meanwhile, has just come of age and there's some weird complication where even though her parents are the castle's head cooks and she's lived and worked there her entire life, she can't continue working at the castle unless........reasons......? There's something about how if she gets married, which is presented as an inevitability, she can't come back to work there, unless she gets a noble's recommendation. So she sets off to get that type of recommendation by leaving the castle to work in another estate for a while - which doesn't make sense because wouldn't the castle work be the literal best experience in the kingdom? Plus all of the other maids and knights and everyone are terribly startled by her decision to leave, which means that it can't be a logical path to her continued employment at the castle.
But then! A noble swoops in to hire her, and Melissa has no idea who it will be until he shows up and it's Hubert, obviously, whose estate is in some wild dragon valley that's totally news to Melissa but also something she studied and knows lots of things about. (Yes, both of these things seem to be simultaneously true.) Hubert, who had been startled and upset by the news of her leaving the castle, when he'd been intending to fly his dragon back regularly to visit her, has clearly devised a plan to keep her near him, by hiring her as a maid. She'll get double pay and also extra hazard pay for being around lots of dragons.
...but he's also asking her to pose as his lover so his brother's ex-fiancee won't marry him instead. So Melissa will. Continue being a maid. While posing as his lover. And I just. It really started to lose me there.
Plus the entire storyline with the fiancee is weird and makes as little sense as the rest. The engagement was a political one, uniting two prominent families. But she lived with the older brother for two years and never actually married him. And she thinks that she can just marry the younger brother now instead, to keep this political arrangement intact. Hubert doesn't like her but is blaming it all on his dragon hating her, which means he can't possibly ever marry her. Also, apparently ALL dragons hate this woman, including his dead brother's also now dead dragon, which was probably gonna hatch out an ultra-rare blue egg.
Meanwhile, this fiancee has a manservant who has "hunters' eyes" apparently so he's probably a dragon poacher, and probably also her lover.
Melissa thinks the fiancee's big secret is that she's actually in love with Hubert. Which also makes no sense. But I guess is supposed to set up some jealousy (?) as Melissa gradually starts to think of Hubert in a truly romantic sense, which she doesn't at all at this point.
I am so confused by Hubert's inability to just tell this woman he doesn't want to marry her, and by the complete lack of advisors, etc, who would've presumably set up the original engagement to begin with, since it was all for some important alliance.
Anyway, the fiancee leaves by the end of this volume, but clearly that won't be the last of her, etc, and I honestly was just...bored. Melissa doesn't have much of a personality, and I don't find her appearance all that appealing from an artistic standpoint, either. Hubert is, at points, a little better, but a lot of the panel transitions are muddy, and the action is pretty hard to read - and the dragon's sizes seem really inconsistent. It's all just messy, from start to finish.
So yeah, while writing this review, I've talked myself out of reading the rest. That's a bummer. I really wanted to read a nice story about fake dating and dragons. This is unfortunately not it.
It's a manga adaptation of a (light?) novel, so it's possible something was lost in the shift from text to illustration, but the short story extra at the end isn't great, either. The whole thing feels like someone had some interesting ideas, tossed them together into a bowl, shook them around, and hoped a good story would fall out. Unfortunately, while it's roughly edible, it's all a bit of a mess.
I'm not sure whether to keep reading or not. I'd like to meet the baby blue dragon, find out more about what's going on with the dragon poachers, and see what the deal is with Hubert's dead brother's ex-fiancee, but I'm not sure any of that will actually be satisfying. The more I think about it, the less I liked it, really, and that's a shame, because a girl who loves dragons getting fake-engaged to a handsome dragon knight/noble who obviously secretly loves her could be a great concept.
But even that is set up in a way that makes zero sense. I'll do a rundown of how the action progresses.
Hubert, the handsome young commander of the dragon army, goes off to fight poachers and is gone for much longer than expected (six months). When he finally returns to the castle, it turns out he has to retire from his dragon knight duties (even though this supposedly never happens) because his older brother (who also had a dragon but wasn't a knight??) died and he has to take on the family title now.
Melissa, meanwhile, has just come of age and there's some weird complication where even though her parents are the castle's head cooks and she's lived and worked there her entire life, she can't continue working at the castle unless........reasons......? There's something about how if she gets married, which is presented as an inevitability, she can't come back to work there, unless she gets a noble's recommendation. So she sets off to get that type of recommendation by leaving the castle to work in another estate for a while - which doesn't make sense because wouldn't the castle work be the literal best experience in the kingdom? Plus all of the other maids and knights and everyone are terribly startled by her decision to leave, which means that it can't be a logical path to her continued employment at the castle.
But then! A noble swoops in to hire her, and Melissa has no idea who it will be until he shows up and it's Hubert, obviously, whose estate is in some wild dragon valley that's totally news to Melissa but also something she studied and knows lots of things about. (Yes, both of these things seem to be simultaneously true.) Hubert, who had been startled and upset by the news of her leaving the castle, when he'd been intending to fly his dragon back regularly to visit her, has clearly devised a plan to keep her near him, by hiring her as a maid. She'll get double pay and also extra hazard pay for being around lots of dragons.
...but he's also asking her to pose as his lover so his brother's ex-fiancee won't marry him instead. So Melissa will. Continue being a maid. While posing as his lover. And I just. It really started to lose me there.
Plus the entire storyline with the fiancee is weird and makes as little sense as the rest. The engagement was a political one, uniting two prominent families. But she lived with the older brother for two years and never actually married him. And she thinks that she can just marry the younger brother now instead, to keep this political arrangement intact. Hubert doesn't like her but is blaming it all on his dragon hating her, which means he can't possibly ever marry her. Also, apparently ALL dragons hate this woman, including his dead brother's also now dead dragon, which was probably gonna hatch out an ultra-rare blue egg.
Meanwhile, this fiancee has a manservant who has "hunters' eyes" apparently so he's probably a dragon poacher, and probably also her lover.
Melissa thinks the fiancee's big secret is that she's actually in love with Hubert. Which also makes no sense. But I guess is supposed to set up some jealousy (?) as Melissa gradually starts to think of Hubert in a truly romantic sense, which she doesn't at all at this point.
I am so confused by Hubert's inability to just tell this woman he doesn't want to marry her, and by the complete lack of advisors, etc, who would've presumably set up the original engagement to begin with, since it was all for some important alliance.
Anyway, the fiancee leaves by the end of this volume, but clearly that won't be the last of her, etc, and I honestly was just...bored. Melissa doesn't have much of a personality, and I don't find her appearance all that appealing from an artistic standpoint, either. Hubert is, at points, a little better, but a lot of the panel transitions are muddy, and the action is pretty hard to read - and the dragon's sizes seem really inconsistent. It's all just messy, from start to finish.
So yeah, while writing this review, I've talked myself out of reading the rest. That's a bummer. I really wanted to read a nice story about fake dating and dragons. This is unfortunately not it.
July 7, 2024
Intro
Hüterin der Drachen Band 01 handelt vom jungen Mädchen Melissa (16 Jahre), dass Drachen liebt und nun zu ihrer Volljährigkeit beschließt zum ehemaligen Drachenritter und frischgebackenen Markgraf Hubert Wingrif aufs Land zu ziehen. Dort soll sie für ihn als Dienstmädchen arbeiten und gleichzeitig die wilden Drachen kennenlernen. Sie bekommt jedoch auch einen Sonderauftrag: Sie soll Huberts Geliebte spielen, um eine dubiose Frau, die ihn unbedingt heiraten möchte, loszuwerden...
Art & Story
HdD ist schön gezeichnet, besonders Kleidung und Umgebungen heben sich vom Shojo Standard ab. Die schwarz-weiß Schattierungen sind ebenfalls gut, sodass der Manga nicht "flach" wirkt und auch die Speisen sehen lecker aus (für mich als Anime Foodporn-fan immer eine Freude). Der Manga beginnt mit Farbseiten und am Ende gibt es 10 Bonusseiten aus der dazugehörigen Light Novel -
da wünsche ich mir persönlich immer dass man stattdessen einfach gleich das Buch herausbringt, inzwischen sollte doch angekommen sein, dass wir die auch hier gerne lesen würden....
Die Geschichte erzählt (vermutlich) nicht ganz den ersten Band des Light Novel denn sie hört eigentlich schon auf als es gerade erst anfängt richtig spannend zu werden.
Der erste Band dreht sich vorallem um die Welt Yvart, die Gepflogenheiten der Drachenritter und die Beziehung zwischen Hubert und Melissa.
Das ist auch gleich der Wehrmutstropfen, weil alles gerade so angeschnitten wird bin ich noch nicht so stark in die Geschichte eingetaucht, wie es bei anderen Manga der Fall war.
Bisher gibt es auch leider keine relevanten Nebencharaktere.
Auch gefällt mir nicht, dass Hubert oft von den Kindheitserinnerungen der beiden erzählt - das wirkt immer sehr väterlich (sie nennt ihn sogar ihren großen Bruder!) und sorgt dafür dass keine romantische Stimmung aufkommt, wenn man immer wieder an den Altersunterschied erinnert wird, trotz mittelalterlichem Setting.
Melissa selbst ist eher eine einfache Shojo Protagonistin, lieb und nett, hübsch und klein, ohne böse Absichten oder irgendwelche Vorahnungen.
Sie ist völlig zufrieden mit ihrem Leben und ihrer Rolle als Dienerin, man sollte also nicht einen starken und vielschichtigen weiblichen Character a lá Prinzessin Yona oder Maomao erwarten, eher die nette Freundin auf dem Weg zu ihrem Happy End.
Ansonsten ist es aber sehr süß, es ist definitv eine Slowburn Romance und außerdem "he falls first", was ich immer wieder erfrischend im Shojo Genre finde.
Fazit
Ich bin gespannt auf Band 02 und wie es sich entwickelt, momentan kann ich die Serie empfehlen solange man nicht gleich zu viel Action vom ersten Band erwartet.
2/5 🐲
Hüterin der Drachen Band 01 handelt vom jungen Mädchen Melissa (16 Jahre), dass Drachen liebt und nun zu ihrer Volljährigkeit beschließt zum ehemaligen Drachenritter und frischgebackenen Markgraf Hubert Wingrif aufs Land zu ziehen. Dort soll sie für ihn als Dienstmädchen arbeiten und gleichzeitig die wilden Drachen kennenlernen. Sie bekommt jedoch auch einen Sonderauftrag: Sie soll Huberts Geliebte spielen, um eine dubiose Frau, die ihn unbedingt heiraten möchte, loszuwerden...
Art & Story
HdD ist schön gezeichnet, besonders Kleidung und Umgebungen heben sich vom Shojo Standard ab. Die schwarz-weiß Schattierungen sind ebenfalls gut, sodass der Manga nicht "flach" wirkt und auch die Speisen sehen lecker aus (für mich als Anime Foodporn-fan immer eine Freude). Der Manga beginnt mit Farbseiten und am Ende gibt es 10 Bonusseiten aus der dazugehörigen Light Novel -
da wünsche ich mir persönlich immer dass man stattdessen einfach gleich das Buch herausbringt, inzwischen sollte doch angekommen sein, dass wir die auch hier gerne lesen würden....
Die Geschichte erzählt (vermutlich) nicht ganz den ersten Band des Light Novel denn sie hört eigentlich schon auf als es gerade erst anfängt richtig spannend zu werden.
Der erste Band dreht sich vorallem um die Welt Yvart, die Gepflogenheiten der Drachenritter und die Beziehung zwischen Hubert und Melissa.
Das ist auch gleich der Wehrmutstropfen, weil alles gerade so angeschnitten wird bin ich noch nicht so stark in die Geschichte eingetaucht, wie es bei anderen Manga der Fall war.
Bisher gibt es auch leider keine relevanten Nebencharaktere.
Auch gefällt mir nicht, dass Hubert oft von den Kindheitserinnerungen der beiden erzählt - das wirkt immer sehr väterlich (sie nennt ihn sogar ihren großen Bruder!) und sorgt dafür dass keine romantische Stimmung aufkommt, wenn man immer wieder an den Altersunterschied erinnert wird, trotz mittelalterlichem Setting.
Melissa selbst ist eher eine einfache Shojo Protagonistin, lieb und nett, hübsch und klein, ohne böse Absichten oder irgendwelche Vorahnungen.
Sie ist völlig zufrieden mit ihrem Leben und ihrer Rolle als Dienerin, man sollte also nicht einen starken und vielschichtigen weiblichen Character a lá Prinzessin Yona oder Maomao erwarten, eher die nette Freundin auf dem Weg zu ihrem Happy End.
Ansonsten ist es aber sehr süß, es ist definitv eine Slowburn Romance und außerdem "he falls first", was ich immer wieder erfrischend im Shojo Genre finde.
Fazit
Ich bin gespannt auf Band 02 und wie es sich entwickelt, momentan kann ich die Serie empfehlen solange man nicht gleich zu viel Action vom ersten Band erwartet.
2/5 🐲
March 9, 2022
Content Warnings: Death of a family member. There are two instances where instead of just saying “you don’t listen/if you paid attention” they used the word deaf in a negative way.
Melissa is an apprentice maid approaching her sixteen birthday, which is when she’ll be considered of age. Growing up in a castle, that caters to dragon knights and their beloved dragons, Melissa has always loved seeing and spending time with the dragons. The knights, and their dragons, come and go as they fight to destroy poachers intent on capturing dragons to sell.
I can’t tell exactly how much of an age gap there is between Melissa and Commander Hubert, my best guess is nine years since he became a dragon knight at fifteen and he’s been a knight for ten years. Based on my assumption Melissa would have only been about six or so when she first met and befriended, the Commander. I believe the Commander is roughly 25 and Melissa is 16, but don’t quote me.
In their kingdom children at a young age might happen upon a dragon with who they instantly bond. Anyone who bonds with a dragon ends up forming a two-way connection that lasts until death. If someone dies their dragon follows them in death and the reverse is also true. The connection is so strong, that when someone goes to get married they actually need their dragon’s blessing, otherwise the dragon may kill the person they intended to marry.
There were two instances where I really wish the author hadn’t used the word deaf but instead had written something like “you don’t listen/it’s not my fault you don’t listen” instead of using “she turned a deaf ear/she’s deaf to reason” it just really doesn’t sit right with me personally. Using the word deaf, as a negative, just because someone didn’t take in the information you wanted them to just never sits right with me.
I’m interested to see more of the lore and the backstory of both Melissa and Commander Hubert so I plan to read the next installment that comes out later this month [volume 2 set to release March 29th, 2022]. In the future volumes I hope that there’s more clarity to the age difference between Melissa and Commander Hubert, I won’t be surprised if there is a large gap between the two [I mean I grew up watching/reading Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask] but I’m hoping if romantic feelings develop it’s much further down the line.
Melissa is an apprentice maid approaching her sixteen birthday, which is when she’ll be considered of age. Growing up in a castle, that caters to dragon knights and their beloved dragons, Melissa has always loved seeing and spending time with the dragons. The knights, and their dragons, come and go as they fight to destroy poachers intent on capturing dragons to sell.
I can’t tell exactly how much of an age gap there is between Melissa and Commander Hubert, my best guess is nine years since he became a dragon knight at fifteen and he’s been a knight for ten years. Based on my assumption Melissa would have only been about six or so when she first met and befriended, the Commander. I believe the Commander is roughly 25 and Melissa is 16, but don’t quote me.
In their kingdom children at a young age might happen upon a dragon with who they instantly bond. Anyone who bonds with a dragon ends up forming a two-way connection that lasts until death. If someone dies their dragon follows them in death and the reverse is also true. The connection is so strong, that when someone goes to get married they actually need their dragon’s blessing, otherwise the dragon may kill the person they intended to marry.
There were two instances where I really wish the author hadn’t used the word deaf but instead had written something like “you don’t listen/it’s not my fault you don’t listen” instead of using “she turned a deaf ear/she’s deaf to reason” it just really doesn’t sit right with me personally. Using the word deaf, as a negative, just because someone didn’t take in the information you wanted them to just never sits right with me.
I’m interested to see more of the lore and the backstory of both Melissa and Commander Hubert so I plan to read the next installment that comes out later this month [volume 2 set to release March 29th, 2022]. In the future volumes I hope that there’s more clarity to the age difference between Melissa and Commander Hubert, I won’t be surprised if there is a large gap between the two [I mean I grew up watching/reading Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask] but I’m hoping if romantic feelings develop it’s much further down the line.
March 27, 2023
Today's post is on The Dragon Knight's Beloved, vol 1 by Asagi Orikawa. It is 195 pages long and is published by Seven Seas. The cover has the two main characters, Melissa and Hubert, with his white dragon behind them. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes high fantasy and shojo manga. The story is told from third person close of Melissa. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- A Girl Beloved by Dragons
Melissa is a maid-in-training at the royal castle, where her greatest joy is caring for the majestic steeds of the Dragon Knights. Her coming-of-age ceremony is fast approaching, and with it comes the need to decide what path her future will take. Melissa shares a special bond of friendship with Commander Hubert, the handsome knight who rides the mightiest of dragons, but their relationship is about to get complicated. Newly returned from a dangerous mission, Hubert makes a shocking request: Would Melissa pretend to be his lover, and move to his country estate, where wild dragons roam?
Review- A good start to a new series. Melissa is one of the few people that can be around dragon safely, they seem to like her., including the queen of dragon. So when her friend Hubert needs someone to pretend to be his lover, she is best choice. Of course, he has feelings for her and she doesn't know that, add in his older brother's fiancée, who is more than a little suspicious and that is the plot set up. The art is just amazing with so much detail and expression from all the character, including the dragons. The story is just getting started but there is more than just a love story going on. There is some political stuff happening in the back ground and neither of the main characters know about it. I like all the characters, the setting, and the plot so far, so I am interested in seeing where this goes.
I give this manga a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.
From the back of the book- A Girl Beloved by Dragons
Melissa is a maid-in-training at the royal castle, where her greatest joy is caring for the majestic steeds of the Dragon Knights. Her coming-of-age ceremony is fast approaching, and with it comes the need to decide what path her future will take. Melissa shares a special bond of friendship with Commander Hubert, the handsome knight who rides the mightiest of dragons, but their relationship is about to get complicated. Newly returned from a dangerous mission, Hubert makes a shocking request: Would Melissa pretend to be his lover, and move to his country estate, where wild dragons roam?
Review- A good start to a new series. Melissa is one of the few people that can be around dragon safely, they seem to like her., including the queen of dragon. So when her friend Hubert needs someone to pretend to be his lover, she is best choice. Of course, he has feelings for her and she doesn't know that, add in his older brother's fiancée, who is more than a little suspicious and that is the plot set up. The art is just amazing with so much detail and expression from all the character, including the dragons. The story is just getting started but there is more than just a love story going on. There is some political stuff happening in the back ground and neither of the main characters know about it. I like all the characters, the setting, and the plot so far, so I am interested in seeing where this goes.
I give this manga a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.
December 5, 2023
This is another shoujo/fantasy light novel adaptation from my partner's library.
Melissa, a young maid-in-training with an affinity for dragons, has recently come of age, and seeks a noble sponsor so that she can continue to work whenever she gets married (?). A longtime friend of her family, Dragon Knight Hubert (hehe), must suddenly take a leave of absence and return to his family's estate when his brother dies. He takes on Melissa as a maid, but what he really wants is for her to befriend the wild dragons in the lands near the estate, and act as a "fake lover" shield between Hubert and his fiancee, whose marriage arrangement transferred over to Hubert when Hubert's brother died. Conveniently, he can also be her noble sponsor, so she agrees.
Despite their apparent sentience, the dragons seem to behave in ways that place them as plot tools rather than characters in their own right, and I see more than a slight hint of the Dragonriders of Pern in their bonds with the knights--all male, in this case--and their ranked grading by color. The situation with Eleanor, Hubert's fiancee, is confusing. Although there's a lot of emphasis on how important Hubert and Eleanor's marriage is to both of their families, a technicality (which really shouldn't have been overlooked by Eleanor's family if they actually cared about their families merging interests), makes breaking off their engagement a simple matter of Hubert telling her to pack up her stuff and leave the estate.
This is decent, pleasant reading, with decent art. Unfortunately, like a lot of the novel adaptations that I've idly plucked off my partner's stack of manga, there's nothing particularly original or inspired about it, or anything quirky to distinguish it from the pack of other, similar stories I've read. The bonus story by the author of the original light novel adds to an impression of bland characters, some of them literally nameless, moving about in also-bland, frictionless domesticity. I might or might not read more of this if my partner buys more.
Melissa, a young maid-in-training with an affinity for dragons, has recently come of age, and seeks a noble sponsor so that she can continue to work whenever she gets married (?). A longtime friend of her family, Dragon Knight Hubert (hehe), must suddenly take a leave of absence and return to his family's estate when his brother dies. He takes on Melissa as a maid, but what he really wants is for her to befriend the wild dragons in the lands near the estate, and act as a "fake lover" shield between Hubert and his fiancee, whose marriage arrangement transferred over to Hubert when Hubert's brother died. Conveniently, he can also be her noble sponsor, so she agrees.
Despite their apparent sentience, the dragons seem to behave in ways that place them as plot tools rather than characters in their own right, and I see more than a slight hint of the Dragonriders of Pern in their bonds with the knights--all male, in this case--and their ranked grading by color. The situation with Eleanor, Hubert's fiancee, is confusing. Although there's a lot of emphasis on how important Hubert and Eleanor's marriage is to both of their families, a technicality (which really shouldn't have been overlooked by Eleanor's family if they actually cared about their families merging interests), makes breaking off their engagement a simple matter of Hubert telling her to pack up her stuff and leave the estate.
This is decent, pleasant reading, with decent art. Unfortunately, like a lot of the novel adaptations that I've idly plucked off my partner's stack of manga, there's nothing particularly original or inspired about it, or anything quirky to distinguish it from the pack of other, similar stories I've read. The bonus story by the author of the original light novel adds to an impression of bland characters, some of them literally nameless, moving about in also-bland, frictionless domesticity. I might or might not read more of this if my partner buys more.
February 17, 2024
Melissa may have a normal name that sounds both pretty and forgettable all at once, but her kindness and gentle nature shouldn't be overlooked. Even though I read so much about warrior princesses with talents in battle strategy more than the average person, I find Melissa to be one of the more memorable heroines in comparison to other female main characters; I adore her personality and gentle aura that calms dragons of the wild, since not every normal girl can do that, and Melissa is anything but normal. Skittish as I am over the concept of a marriage-of-convenience novel, this saga does it right, with Lord Hubert, Commander of the Dragon Knights making a proposal to Melissa, but not in the way you think. No, he doesn't propose marriage just yet; he simply asks Melissa to act as his lover, but there's still so much promise in this romantasy series that I can't help but fall quite hard for. The world-building aspects of this dragon-themed saga are also unique to the tale told, and the thing I find cutest about the aura isn't only the dragon lore, but also Melissa's love for flowers. When Lord Hubert asked his servants to redecorate her bedroom, he wanted to mix a theme of dragons and flowers; clashing as the themes are, it's so very much Melissa that I'd love something like that for myself if ever I'm a dragon-tamer maiden in a fantasy world. Though I despise the notorious Lady Eleanor with a fierce passion and can't stand her outright refusal to understand that Lord Hubert will never want her and will never marry her, my bitterness towards her as a character won't put a halt to my finishing this series. Negativity aside, I can't wait to read more of this epic saga! If there's an anime adaptation of this manga series, please let me know as soon as possible! Kudos to the author of this saga, and applause for the artist; you're both as epic as the tale you've brought to life!
November 13, 2024
Anything that has anything to do with dragons - be it books, movies, games, etc. - my attention is instantly drawn straight to it. Throw in a handsome knight and a beautiful smart woman for him to love and protect, and I am completely sold! And oh boy, this series seems like it's going to deliver on all these points!
I've had my eyes on this series for a long while now and I finally broke down and purchased the first few volumes. It seems like it will have an interesting story to tell and the art in this book is incredibly beautiful and fleshed out.
The only complaint I have so far, and this goes for the majority of manga I've read recently, is how young the protagonist is compared to the love interest. It seems like the girls are always 15 going on 16 and they are always ready to tackle the world and in some cases even marry. I'm over here thinking to myself, "You're 16. You're still a kid." I guess I wish that authors would make the heroines a little bit older than what they make them. Would 18 or even 20 really be so bad?
But oh well, the story still has my attention, and I look forward to the next volume.
Whenever the postal service decides to put it in my mailbox that is...
I've had my eyes on this series for a long while now and I finally broke down and purchased the first few volumes. It seems like it will have an interesting story to tell and the art in this book is incredibly beautiful and fleshed out.
The only complaint I have so far, and this goes for the majority of manga I've read recently, is how young the protagonist is compared to the love interest. It seems like the girls are always 15 going on 16 and they are always ready to tackle the world and in some cases even marry. I'm over here thinking to myself, "You're 16. You're still a kid." I guess I wish that authors would make the heroines a little bit older than what they make them. Would 18 or even 20 really be so bad?
But oh well, the story still has my attention, and I look forward to the next volume.
Whenever the postal service decides to put it in my mailbox that is...
April 13, 2022
The title and cute cover caught my attention but it left me wanting more from the story,
Melissa is a 15 year old girl who works at the castle in a small village as a maid. When she becomes 16, she wants to leave the castle and get more experience and training as a maid. She has a love for Dragons, and has been around for most of her life.
The Dragon's Knights have a special bond with the dragons and most people are afraid of them. Melissa isn't as she has been feeding for so long that they are like her.
One of the Knights resigns as a Knight, and takes on the title after his brother passes away and is shocked when he learns that Melissa plans on leaving the castle (as are other guards and Dragon Knight).
A family wants to have Melissa and it turns out to be Hubert the former Dragon Knight. He asks Melissa to be his lover so that his brother's former fiancée will stop pestering him about marrying her.
I loved the artwork but I am not sure how I feel about this series as a whole. Will I read the next volume? Yes. I am curious what the former fiancée will do. And I have a feeling that Hubert has genuine feelings for Melissa that's why he wanted Melissa close to him.
Melissa is a 15 year old girl who works at the castle in a small village as a maid. When she becomes 16, she wants to leave the castle and get more experience and training as a maid. She has a love for Dragons, and has been around for most of her life.
The Dragon's Knights have a special bond with the dragons and most people are afraid of them. Melissa isn't as she has been feeding for so long that they are like her.
One of the Knights resigns as a Knight, and takes on the title after his brother passes away and is shocked when he learns that Melissa plans on leaving the castle (as are other guards and Dragon Knight).
A family wants to have Melissa and it turns out to be Hubert the former Dragon Knight. He asks Melissa to be his lover so that his brother's former fiancée will stop pestering him about marrying her.
I loved the artwork but I am not sure how I feel about this series as a whole. Will I read the next volume? Yes. I am curious what the former fiancée will do. And I have a feeling that Hubert has genuine feelings for Melissa that's why he wanted Melissa close to him.
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