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Nina the Starry Bride © RIKACHI/Kodansha Ltd.
Manga Score: 7.63
Author: RIKACHI
Publisher: Kodansha
Volumes: 13
DB title: Hoshifuru Oukoku no Nina
Rating: 16 and up
Genres: Award Winning Fantasy Romance Josei

Nina the Starry Bride

*This is a digital eBook, not a physical book.

Synopsis

Nina is a poor orphan with eyes the color of lapis lazuli, just like the god of the stars. But one day she comes to the attention of the second prince of Fortna, Azure Seth Fortna, because of those beautiful eyes. He wants her to serve as a double for princess-priestess Alisha, who died three months before she was to be married off to the crown prince of the large, neighboring country of Galgada. After being asked to learn etiquette, to dress like a princess, and to deceive an entire nation, Nina finds herself drawn to Azure. And Azure, likewise, begins to desire Nina—who was supposed to be only a pawn—for his own?! Watch these two wrestle with a once in a lifetime love while fate toys with them in the second volume of this ultimate palace fantasy!

Volumes

Review

Jun 8, 2022

5 of ? chapters read

Overall Rating: 4

tayybo (All reviews)

21 people found this review helpful

Preliminary

I found Nina the Starry Bride to be really hard to pin down. I made it through five chapters before I gave up. While that may seem too early to decide to drop a series, there were a few things that really fell short for me.

Story: 6

Concept wise, Nina the Starry Bride is right up my alley. It has all of the elements of a good fantasy story. I am a big fan of fake identity stories and strong female leads. The first chapter did a good job of setting all of these aspects up. However, halfway through the first chapter, the pacing loses its impact. The 'found family' set up is dismantled far too quickly. Saji and Colin, Nina's companions for the last however many years, are completely disregarded. When one of them dies, it becomes a turning point for the story. Or, it's supposed to. The death is steam rolled over, and never mentioned again. Instead, it is a catalyst for Nina meeting "gold-eyes" (don't even get me started on that nickname). The events of the first chapter feel pointless and lackluster. It stuck out to me as being lazy writing, and I was disappointed in the buildup. It really turned me off to the rest of the story and characters for the remainder of what I read.

Art: 8

Even though the opening of this story didn't do it for me, I can appreciate the art. The covers for this series are stunning. From what I read, colors are an important part of the story. Character design alone could make this manga stand out to anyone. All the more reason to be disappointed in the experience of the story. For the art alone, I would consider picking this up again sometime. Maybe.

Character: 5

I was deeply disappointed in Nina from chapter 1. In the chapters I read, the sense of time and her personal growth were difficult to pinpoint. That's more of a story/timeline issue than character, but it still impacted how I read her character. Some of the time, she was courageous and honest. Other times, I struggled to sympathize with her and her goofiness (that's the only word that comes to mind). There wasn't much set up for Azure, so I don't particularly feel much for him either. For the most part, I found the characters to be lacking in consistency and depth.

Enjoyment: 6

Because this manga aligns with so many genres and tropes that I typically enjoy, I do have to rank my enjoyment a 6. The art made this score a point or two higher.

Overall: 4

I had high hopes going into this series from hearing so many praises and recommendations on various platforms. I hoped that it would scratch the itch I've had for good fantasy series like Yona, but it did not meet my expectations. I can understand why so many are drawn into the art and the concept, but this was not what I had hoped it would be.

Helpful

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Apr 15, 2022

20 of ? chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

bufi_ (All reviews)

14 people found this review helpful

Preliminary

note: spoiler-free review

“Nina the Starry Bride” is a hidden gem that I stumbled upon almost by mistake; and what a fortunate mistake it was! It is one of the best josei/shoujo fantasy manga I have ever come across. It does seem criminally underrated, though; so here I am with a review, to make it justice!

STORY - 10

Nina is a girl that lives with her family, like any other girl her age. Well, except for the fact that her “family” consists only of two poor children, which she calls her “brothers”. Their sole chance to survive is to steal— be it jewelry read more

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