Cover Image: Nina the Starry Bride

Nina the Starry Bride

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha, and RIKACHI for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Nina is sold into slavery, she doesn't expect to have to go through training to be the double of a dead princess! She must fulfill the reuse in front of the eking and queen or face execution. She makes a bonding friendship with the very young, air, as well as the second prince, and her kidnapper, Azure. A romance seems to blossom between the two, though that might complicate things as Nina, feigning being Princess Alisha, is already set to be married to one of the other prince's!

I absolutely love the art in this manga. It is gorgeous and enjoyable to just take in and admire before going to the next page. I like the general plot, even if it is something that has been seen often enough. There is enough allure and tension that I very much want to read the next volume and wonder just how many volumes the course of this story might take. I recommend for readers of shoujo fantasy and romance.

Was this review helpful?

I wanted to read this because of the lovely cover. I mean come on, talk about gorgeous!!!! But it didn’t take me long to really get into the story. Poor little Nina, hiding her pretty eyes so no one kidnap her into slavery!?!?!? Ahhhh!!!

I just can’t believe she’s fifteen and all this crazy stuff is going on. There’s so much drama and attitude being thrown around. It’s kind of like a soap opera, and I am sooo there for it all!!! It was such an interesting read. Nina is too adorbs and I really like Muhulum too.

I’m also totally in love with the art. The outfits they wear are soooo very beautiful. And Nina’s eyes along with Azure is such a cutie too. Those intense eyes of his. Love it!!

And I cannot wait to see what happens next!!! Why do I have to wait!?!? I want the next issue immediately!!! Will Nina be discovered??? Will the queen continue to be a huge pain in the...well, you know. Haha!!!

I recommend this one to those who adore graphic novels. Especially with lots of emotions and drama and of course, awesome art!!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for allowing me to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!!

Will be posted on Amazon also.

Was this review helpful?

ARc Copy....this series shows promise so far. Too early to say how the romance feels (although the Prince is proving to be noble in heart + manners so far). The Central Asian fantasy setting so far is my favorite.point of the series so far.

Was this review helpful?

I'm not 100% sold on the art style for this, but the clothing is all really beautiful and interesting. The story drew me right in and suddenly the volume was somehow over! Wait, how was it over so quickly?! Please tell me volume two is releasing soon, I need it now please!

I love the queen - what a great villain! And I can tell I'm a romance reader at heart because I immediately was like "Do I detect the faint whispers of romance between Nina and Azure?" How will that work if she's pretending to be his sibling and is engaged to be married to a prince across the mountains!? I need the next volume, stat!!

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this manga. I think I was biased from the beginning because when I saw this beautiful cover, I knew I was going to love it. And indeed, I did. I mean there is everything you need: romance, fake princess, drama and funny characters. What else can I wish for? Maybe I could wish for a little more development but I expect that will be the role of the next volume. Moreover, there was a few times where I thought Nina was quite selfish but at the same time, she is only fifteen so I can understand.
The drawings are very pretty. I wish everything was in colours, just like the cover because that would be absolutely amazing. Overall, it’s a real pleasure for the eyes. The story can be seen as a bit basic I think but do not let that stop you from reading it because the characters are adorable et the art so pretty; it stands out in the end.
I recommend
4/5

Was this review helpful?

First, the art was so amazing! From the cover (which is what initially caught my eye) to the art inside. I really enjoyed the small details and the work that was put into it. Now, I enjoyed the story very much and I liked that flashbacks were included of some characters so we readers could see more of their history. I like the characters and the building of Nina, Azure and Muhulums relationships. I appreciated how Nina was sympathetic of Muhulum. I also like that she's fiesty and a bit curious; she has a good and strong personality.

I'm excited to see what happens next in volume two of this manga series. Will Nina really be married or will something stop the arranged marriage? Or will she be in danger?

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for sending me this arc.

Was this review helpful?

I thought this was a cute story in the same vein as "Prince Freya" (a commoner being swept up into a 'Royal' life because they look similar to a noble who had died), but with less violence.

Nina, a girl disguised as a boy, has always lived among the common-folk. After her parents were out of the picture she lived her life with two brothers, stealing to try and make sure everyone didn't go hungry. But after a fall out, Nina is kidnapped and is thrown into a replacement life of a princess who was killed mid-transport.

Nina, now Alisha, is un-trained in noble ways, uneducated, and unprepared for any part of her new life and must cram years of learning into only a few months before she's sent off and married to a prince of a different country.

Was this review helpful?

So the story goes that a young girl Nina with gorgeous blue eyes was at first poor and living with two brothers. One of those brothers Colin got sick so the other brother decides to sell her off to a Prince and he is making Nina is become a royal herself.. Whilst I admired the gorgeous artwork in this manga, the story near the end of volume 1 was somewhat lacking to make the story more interesting , it’s just basically about a good looking prince in love with a young girl he kidnapped..... Personally not my cup of tea but again, art is good and story was good at first.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for giving me the first volume!

Was this review helpful?

The first thing I have to comment on is the artwork! It's beautiful, and I feel like it added a magical element to this fantasy title. I had no idea what I was getting into with this volume, but I enjoyed it! I liked the characters, especially our protagonist. I'm intrigued to see the direction this story goes in!

Was this review helpful?

This is a manga I hadn't heard of before and I enjoyed this first volume. The main characters are great together and this world is believable. There are glimpses of past happenings which shaped a couple people that I think might be explored more in the future too. I'm definitely curious how things will work out between the two main characters given what's to happen with the heroin in such a short time. I'll be on the look out for more of this.

Was this review helpful?

So cute! I saw this cover and immediately was intrigued, then after reading the description, I knew it was something I would love to read! The story begins with Nina and two other young teens stealing to survive in this fantasy world that reminded me so much of Aladdin. Orphaned, they've had to make due by what Nina calls "borrowing" from the wealthy, which is really stealing, so that they can survive. But tragedy strikes and causes Nina to learn a hard life lesson. After Nina is betrayed, she's "sold" to the royal family. After getting an explanation, Nina agrees to do a favor for Prince Azure by standing in as a double for the princess who has died in an accident. She's then thrust into the world royalty and left starry eyed. Under the care of Prince Azure, she quickly must learn how to act the part.

This is a cute first volume where we are introduced to the key players and world. The art perfectly fits this type of fantasy (maybe with a little romantic sub-plot). I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the more fluffy fantasy stories with political intrigue.

Was this review helpful?

It's your typical poor girl that goes from rags to riches by force. Even though I feel like this story has been done a million times, Rikachi has managed to make it feel fresh and new. Nina, ever so feisty, accepts her role as fake princess, if only to please Azure. The dynamics of the royal family and with the neighboring kingdom show a lot of promise in the future volumes. This was short and sweet with just enough cuteness mixed with mild action to keep me wanting more. I will definitely seek out volume 2 when it comes out!

Was this review helpful?

While the premise of the story isn't very original - random girl becoming fake-princess -, I feel like Rikachi made the characters endearing enough to make me very interested in reading more. Nina is a sweet girl, and I want to see how far she'll grow, and how she'll enter inside Azure's heart, with each chapter.

Azure is the prince who kidnapped her to become the fake princess Alisha - he's pretty, he's nice to Nina, and I can't wait to get some romance between them, and understand more about his situation in the palace.

We also got to see some of the court politics, and with that the worst trope ever: evil queen/wife who hates everyone around her and wants power. Terrible, but I can overlook that considering the other characters interacting with Nina seem nice enough, and the art is SO pretty I just want a whole artbook of Rikachi's art, honestly.

Was this review helpful?

I am going to need more of this series immediately. It is definitely my cup of tea. I can't wait to see the characters grow and the story progress.

Definitely recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Nina our main character, is a poor kid who is stealing things in order to survive. But she is not like any normal kid, she has blue eyes which is rare among the population. She is living along with two brothers until one day, one of them sold her to a slaver. She thinks that she is going to be sold because of her blue eyes until it is revealed that he is not actually a slaver, but Azure Seth Fortna, the second prince of Fortna. Nina is going to become Princess Alisha’s double, who recently passed away in strange circumstances, and she has 3 months to learn etiquette since she is about to get married to the prince of another country. But of course, everything is not going to go smoothly, and Nina is not ready to give up her old life just yet.

I requested this manga even though I didn’t previously hear about it because I found the cover pretty. I didn’t have too many expectations going into its. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me. I didn’t like any of the characters, Muhulum especially annoyed me so bad. I found the story okay, but nothing really gripped me, and I’m not curious about what will happen in the next volumes. Nothing was memorable, to the point where I don’t even have anything to say about the manga since it didn’t leave any impression on me.

Was this review helpful?

Nina is a street urchin trying to survive with her friends, but everything changes when she's taken away by mysterious cloaked strangers. Her blonde hair and rare blue eyes make her a reasonable match for the country's dead princess, so Nina has to take her place in the palace and in an upcoming arranged marriage! The only people who know her real identity are the princess's older brother (or is he?) and his servants; her only real friend is the princess's sweet but spoiled little brother. Can she keep up the deception?

This adorable manga is technically set in a fantasy world, but the situation is well-drawn enough for the reader to feel they're reading historical fiction. (The mangaka has in the past done some historical series, so it's no surprise.) Nina is sympathetic and not stereotypical, and one wonders where the story's going to go next! Not only does Nina need to protect her secret, she has all kinds of court intrigue to deal with.

Was this review helpful?

A girl who is swapped in as a double for the princess and finds adjusting to her new life to be quiet an adventure. Nina has always had a rough life and lives by stealing to survive but is sold into slavery by her brother. Her captor is Prince Azure, the second crown prince and he tells her that she is to take on the role of the recently deceased princess-priestess. Soon her life is full of political intrigue, court etiquette, and a prince who might be falling for her.., except she now knows that she is being sent off to marry another person... where oh where will volume 2 go?!

*Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Was this review helpful?