Review to come May 19th to blog/goodreads/etc.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I was curious to read this one. The cover looked really pretty (I love pink hair/blue eyes combo) and I love how the prince was holding onto the girl.

This was quite a fun manga about a girl who is taken from her home to become the double of a princess (who recently died and I am still 100% suspicious about the hows of that given what we saw). You can imagine she isn't very happy, angry at the betrayal of her friend (the blurb states he is her brother, but he is not, her parents died and he and his brother took her in), the idea of getting married, but she can't leave, so she tries her best. And is kind of enjoying some parts, I mean, food, clothes and a handsome (at least later on she thinks this) guy. I could understand that given the place she came from and what she experienced. Yes, this isn't a good situation, but there are good things to it. Things she never had.

I had fun reading it. I especially loved the chapter with the heir apparent, at first I wasn't sure what to make of the little dude, but he turned out to be an interesting and sweet boy. Though at times I was hoping for a bit more and a bit faster pacing. I mean, what happened to the princess? Why was a replacement so badly needed? Who is the guy Nina is getting married to? Does the queen know? What will happen after that last chapter and what happened there? How did they have a wig ready? I would have loved to see her escape a few times, and I don't mean just her room, I mean total escape, or at least try. I get why she didn't, but for me it would have fitted better with the story if she had.

BTW, that queen is horrible. Bleh! She definitely deserved the bath she got when Nina got her fan out of the water. Haha, I had such a laugh at that. She just jumped right in. No care.

The art was quite nice at times! Though it is a shame it is in black/white as the constant remarks about eye colours just didn't make sense, haha.

I am not sure if I will continue reading, the pacing is a bit slow for me, plus, so many questions.

* Thanks to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for an advance copy for review purposes *

I wish there was more fantasy manga with female leads - Basara, From Far Away, Red River, Yona of the Dawn, Dawn of the Arcana and several incarnations of Fushig Yuugi are among my most enjoyed reads. The first volume of Nina the Starry Bride is very encouraging.

Nina is an orphan girl who lives with a poor family who look after her, but dresses as a boy because her bright blue eyes make her too appealing a target for slaves. When the youngest of the family falls ill, Nina is sold to what appears to be a slaver, but ends up being a prince looking for a double to impersonate the recently deceased princess of the kingdom. Nina reluctantly takes on the role, and enters the dangerous world of politics.

The plot reminds me a lot of Prince Freya, but it is too early to make comparisons (and Freya is impersonating a prince, not a princess). Nina is charming, so eager for kindness and being important to anyone. She is not a push over either, and has not required significant amounts of rescuing so far, always a plus. The romance is not present yet, but the prince seems like a decent fellow, so I'll probably be on board. The end of the volume introduced some references to an ominous neighboring country and crown prince (to whom Nina will be engaged soon), but it is too soon to say how vast the world they inhabit will be.

My one hesitation with this series is that it looks like there are 4 volumes released so far in Japan, and Kodansha has released the first three in North America, however, only volume 2 is available at the Canadian Kobo store. I have been burned enough times to avoid purchasing manga unless the entire series is available in my preferred mechanism for reading manga (an e-Ink reader compatible with EPUB format), or there is some degree of confidence that I'll be able to continue reading the series (e.g. Yona is an ongoing series, but released regularly). Kodansha, please, can you make this series available in the Canadian Kobo store?

I really enjoyed volume 1 of Nina the Starry Bride. I wasn’t sure what to expect based on the cover and description, but I really like what I’ve seen of the main characters thus far.

The art is so beautiful, a lot of time and care is put into each panel – the backgrounds, objects and characters are all fantastically detailed. I’m really impressed and I would recommend this volume to fans of historical romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing me with a copy of this volume for my unbiased review!

I enjoyed the manga reminds me a little bit of Prince Freya which is also a member of royalty dies and a look alike is forced to take their place. The main character is spunky and I am curious to see who her betrothed is. Also her interactions with her (the real princesses) little brother are adorable. Good sold first volume.

Muchas gracias Netgalley por el envío de una copia digital a capio de una reseña honesta.

Este manga tiene un inicio un poco lento y confunso, debo admitir, pero una vez que pasan las primeras diez páginas comprendes de qué va la historia. Esto me pasó porque no leí la sinopsis antes de comenzarlo, pues me guié por la portada ya que es muy atractiva y me pareció que debía echarle un vistazo. ¡Y la sorpresa que me encontré!

Esta historia tiene una premisa muy conmovedora e interesante que es la de la niña huérfana que, por un don especial, termina ocupando el puesto de la princesa perdida de un pueblo. En este caso, ella debe afrontar todo lo que esto implica y estar bajo el cuidado de un chico un poco mayor que ella y el cual (es evidente) será el interés romántico y quien la proteja de todos los peligros que la atentan.

Me pareció una lectura muy entretenida y agradable, me pasa con los primero tomos que cuando estoy enganchadísima ¡ya se terminan! Sin dudas, este no fue la excepción y espero muy pronto leer la continuación.

¡Muy recomendado!

Nina starts off as an orphan trying to survive before betrayal leads her to a life she never expected. From the beginning this manga does not shy away from addressing some of the darker parts of poverty, betrayal, loss, and politics. I loved Nina and her resilience as she learns to navigate and sacrifice for her new future. I am so intrigued by the prince and his background, I cannot wait to continue on with the next volume.
The artwork is stunning, especially when you reach the artwork depicting tthe world outside the castle. The story becomes more politically intriguing the further you read and you can't help but wonder what everyone's secrets are. Nina is a strong character in a difficult situation and she can keep you on your toes. While the prince is very poised and restrained yet always involved and he keeps you wondering what his angle is, or if he even has an angle.
I can't wait to learn more about these characters and their pasts.

I seriously loved this. I'm not usually that into fantasy but the specific type of fantasy that this is doing I really do love. I wish I could describe it to you to better express what exactly drew me to this and why I liked it. I can't do that but I can give you a few examples of similar stories if that will help, KING'S BEAUTY, Vol.1 and The King's Beast, Vol. 1 are the first to come to my mind. One element of these things that I can definitively say I find captivating in storytelling is the girl being sold into captivity to some royalty/person of power. It's always a good start-up and provides an interesting dynamic for characters. I did also like the art here which is sometimes a make or break thing with such a visual medium. I definitely need more of this in my life and hope other people like this.

I wanted to pick up this title due to the absolutely beautiful artwork on the front cover, which is stunningly detailed and coloured. "Nina the Starry Bride" Volume 1 by Rikachi is a political adventure fantasy shojo with a destinct Prince and the Pauper vibe. And if that doesn't sell it to you, it has comedy, romance and action, too!

Nina, is an orphaned peasant, living hand to mouth in the slums of the city Dayah, in the country of Fortna, along with her fellow orphaned friends.She possesses the rarest of blue eyes, and is captured by slave traders to take the place of the betrothed princess. She must learn from Azure, the second prince of Fortna, how to be a polite young lady, but can she keep the secret amoungst the dangerous political machinations of the castle walls?

As I mentioned, the artwork is stunning and so easy to read. The character designs, including the beautiful costumes, are so well done, I could look at them all day. The cast of characters are interesting and engaging and instantly intriquing. This could prove to be a strong volume one of a classic long-running shojo fantasy adventure. I don't know what will happen to Nina and Azure, but I know I can't wait to find out!

Ok, let's get this out of the way. The ONLY reason this is 4.5 stars, rounded DOWN to 4, is because I had requested, received and read back-to-back three books from Kodansha in a row and this was the first book and I LOVED it as soon as I read it, BUT then I read the other two and they were so stellar, that this one faded slightly.

NOT saying it's not good, JUST that the other ones blew me away. If I had just read this one, then I would be completely over the moon for it.

I still AM, just not as much, if that makes any sense.

That being said, I DID love it. The characters felt real and I loved them all, the situation felt realistic and I know who I ship and it's TRAGIC!!! But in a good, I-need-the-next-book-in-the-series-way because it HAS TO END UP THE WAY I WANT IT TO!!!

So yeah, slightly obsessed. Just slightly. I highly recommend this to YA readers, romance readers and of course, shojo (romance manga) readers. Also if you want to try something different from your usual, it's a quick and pleasant read. I'm on a HUGE romance kick, because this last year has me desperate for HEAs, and while it isn't a standalone, the hope for a romance HEA is there. It's not all romance, so not all mushy stuff.

The artwork is BEAUTIFUL too, really a feast for the eyes. HIGHLY recommended. 4, would have been five if I had read it without anything else after it (I'm sorry), stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

A lot of really good set up in this volume. We are given a strong base for the story and world with just enough intrigue to make things interesting. Nice clear character motivations and good heart breaking scenes with a genuine emotional payoff. I'm curious to learn more about Nina's origins as blue eyes are a recessive gene, or if that will be hand waved away. Good stuff.

I am actually so excited to see where this one will go. I genuinely really like all the main characters, I feel like they are all so secretly complicated; I'm especially intrigued to see more of Azure's story. I also feel a romance brewing between Azure and Nina which I wonder how it will unravel. The art is incredible, the characters are fascinating, the world is well written, the side plots keep my attention, and so much more.

3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4)

After becoming an orphan, Nina lived with her two "brothers." The children were forced to steal in order to survive, until one of her brothers sells her to slavers. Nina's blue eyes make her rare, which is exactly why the slavers want her. Prince Azure needs a plan to cover for the death of princess-priestess Alisha who also had blue eyes, and he intends to use Nina as her replacement. But Nina isn't suited for palace life, and some are suspicious of her. Plus, she's arranged to be married in the near future...

I really loved the art style of this one! The cover art alone is gorgeous! The story seems interesting so far, but not much happened in this volume. I'm hoping it picks up in future volumes! I also enjoyed Nina's relationship with the younger prince as it is really wholesome! The romance hasn't really started yet, but it looks promising. Ultimately, I think this volume is a good beginning to a story with a lot of potential and a gorgeous art style! Fans of Prince Freya might also enjoy this series as the two have similar concepts; fantasy shoujo fans might also enjoy this!

Im in love with this book, the premise, the setting and the characters i cant wait for the rest of the manga to find out if she gets married and to be introduced to the king.

So cute! I loved the characters and the art work fits the story perfectly. Leaving you on a cliff hanger certainly guarantees I’ll be anxiously awaiting #2. A couple spots the English was a bit broken, but overall would recommend!

I'd first like to mention that this art style was really unique! It seemed to blend two different styles together (eg. a more cute style and a more realistic style) which I quite enjoyed. The cover was what drew me in to request this book!
However, the reason I put it as 2 stars is because it didn't really get anywhere. I do realize it's the first book, but the plot is pretty much exactly the same as the synopsis and is quite predictable and cliché. I also can't find myself empathizing with any characters because there just isn't enough background information for me to really know them. It feels as if only the surface was scratched.

I think I would pick up the second volume just to see if it gets better, but for now, it was just okay.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH to the publishing company, Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providing me with a copy!

Ever since finishing Dawn of the Arcana and Snow White with the Red Hair, I’ve been looking for a good fantasy/romance manga...AND I THINK I FOUND ONE! This is definitely a series that I will keep a close eye on! If you can’t already tell I enjoyed this very much!

This manga is about Nina, an orphan who is forced to take the place of the princess who sadly died in an accident.

The first volume was really short and sweet. I LOVED THE CHARACTERS very much. Nina was a solid MC. She is small and cute and may appear shy...but don’t let that fool you! Despite her size, she is sooo sassy! She is fierce and witty. But mostly she has a big heart (the moments between her and Muhulum made my heart melt! I just knew that I was going to give this one a 5 stars). I cannot wait to see her character growth with the rest of the series. And that goes for Azure as well! He’s just so mysterious that I can’t help but be intrigued by him. I’m loving that Nina is making him open more and be more sensitive.
I can just tell this series is going to be epic!
I WILL DEFINITELY BE CHECKING OUT THE SECOND. I cannot wait!

This storyline is something out of the fairy-tale book. It's about an orphan named Nina, who is forced to play the double for the princess who recently died in an accident. I think the first volume does a good job of setting up the plot and introducing the characters. Nina is a pretty typical shoujo ditzy but unyeilding heroine and Azure is pretty much your typical perfect, and stoic face prince. There aren't any romantic feelings between Nina and Azure yet, but maybe with Nina's wedding to a Prince from another kingdom steadily approaching there might be some developments in the next volume. I think the world-building could have been more fleshed out in this volume, especially since this is in a fantasy setting. Hope we make some more progress in the next volume.

The “you must disguise yourself as someone else now” trope is always such a fun one to read about! In this, we follow Nina, an orphan with a rare set of blue eyes. One day, she’s taken by the second Prince to imitate the priestess and princess who had recently died. He was trying to keep it quiet thus Nina becoming her.

I liked Nina as a character! She wad spunky and independent, she didn’t take Azure’s attitude nor anyone else’s and underneath, she had such a warm heart. Her adventures with Muhulum were adorable.

I’m really interested to see where the story goes in Volume 2 as Nina is set to marry the prince of the neighbouring kingdom. I hope we get to travel there next and see everything it has to offer!

If you like medieval set manga with a wild, adventurous and intelligent main character, the disguise trope, royal intrigue and a mysterious prince or two— I highly encourage you to pick this one up!!

4/5 ⭐️

TW: violence, blood, death of a parent.

I feel like maybe the second book will give me more of an idea how the story and characters. As a first book this isn’t to most engaging introduction to a series. I’m not sure at this point. Nina the Starry Bride has a lot of potential for fantasy story building with palace politics and intrigue, but the first book doesn’t really lay that many foundations. I think this is a wait and see.

A Wish
If you are looking for a classic shojo manga, Nina the Starry Bride has all the great qualities of the genre. Nina has only known life on the streets, and her small family is everything to her. Betrayed and sold to Prince Azure, she must now pretend to be princess-priestess Alisha. Rikachi and her team have created a fun fantasy setting with a lot of potential. Nina is cute and spunky, who instinctively wants to help others. Azure is cold and aloof, with a mixture of motivations for his deceptions. The art itself is fun to read. Rikachi shows great creativity by designing a unique fantasy culture. The character’s outfits are charming with many details.
The story itself is a bit problematic in both pacing and character consistency. From the beginning Nina’s identity is lost to the charade of being the princess-priestess. Nina herself, becomes committed to the deception due to her kind heart. Also, despite Azure kidnapping her, Nina feels a deep empathy toward him and his family. All of this seem to happen very fast, leaving Nina a bit weak willed. Being both a princess and priestess seems over complicated in many parts of the story. Parts that hopefully will be addressed in future books.
Nina the Starry Bride is a charming light read, with some fun potential relationship drama.