Thank you Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for a copy of Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! Vol 1.

"A fantasy romance about a voracious lady who delights in monster meat and a mad-blooded duke who is swept off his feet by her curious charms. If you loved Delicious in Dungeon and Drifting Dragons, you will be salivating for some grilled moodle and burning hot love in this series!"

Gorgeous artwork and I enjoyed the story built around cooking -- I thought it was well-researched. However, I wasn't a big fan of the romance. I felt like the romance had no built up and the FMC was pretty hot/cold. Overall, I needed a bit more background story and history on the characters.

I don't think I was the right audience for this. The art was cute, but I couldn't get into the story. A book I should have been able to read in a few hours took me days. The details in the art were wonderful and I appreciated the artist for making them! I felt it would find people who liked the story, but it wasn't me.

This is funny and engaging with great artwork as well. A young lady called Melphiera, bucks the trend in her society because instead of being interested in high society and husband finding, she is interested in the culinary arts and how to best cook and serve the monsters who roam the country. This strikes the people from high society as rather odd and she is marginalised and shunned.

And then one day at a high society gathering she meets Duke Galbraith, a mad-blooded duke who is swept off his feet by Melphiera. The monster Hunter and the monster chef. A match made in the monster kitchen, or not?

Monsters, love and a bit of Master Chef all wrapped up in a great manga. What’s not to love? I certainly loved it.

Copy provided by Kodansha Comics via Netgalley in in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really enjoyed Pass the Monster Meat. It is a fun cozy story about a girl who just wants to eat monsters and the boy who is curious enough to join her. I am excited to see where this series is going next.

4 stars

I absolutely adored this manga from the first few pages. The plot is unique and so enjoyable. The art style is perfect, very striking and beautiful.
The way the main female characters style and design is in contrast to her nickname and personality is really amusing and wholesome.
I enjoy the faster pace of this, nothing feels rushed or dragged out in their relationship.
I definitely want to start collecting this series and would recommend it highly.

I loved this from beginning to end. I loved the different ways the monsters were cooked and how the characters interacted with each 0ther. I will definitely be picking up the next one in the series!

3.5/5

Definitely a different type of story and setting.
This first volume had my attention throughout and I did find a breath of fresh air in it.

Drawings were good as was the plot so far.
Maybe not my favorite topic to read even if I have to recognize its originality.

For lovers of historic rom-coms this one is definitely to be checked out tho.

Cute! An amusing story about a girl that eats monster meat and a man that wants to try it. Funny and cute and I really enjoyed it. Definitely want to read more.

Please see my full review in Booklist for a full analysis of this work. Thank you! I appreciate the opportunity to review this manga professionally.

The series starts with the standard "young, misunderstood duke rescues the noblewoman who sees the good in him from the start" trope early on between Melphiera and Aristide.


What the mangaka alters about the trope is that they bond over eating monsters. Aristide was always curious about how monsters taste, but wouldn't dare eat them. Melphiera enjoys having someone take genuine interest in her hobby.


Melphiera asking the blood mad duke if he has a strong digestive system so he could eat food made of monsters

The art style is a standard manga style. Nothing to really write home about. What I think stands out are the screen tones. The mangaka subtly applies them to a scene and emphasize character expressions to give the reader the perspective of what the other character is experiencing.



The introduction to Melphiera and her title of the Voracious Villainess. She got that title because she eats food made of monsters/

Melphiera's dream is to eat all kinds of good food, but has to play the part of a typical noblewoman and have to find a man to marry. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to fit in aristocratic society.


She has a good heart, which you can see when she tries to protect an elderly couple from being mauled by a Blood Mad Backhorn, a horrifying monster that can go on a mass rampage once it gets "blood mad".


Since she likes to eat all kinds of food (many that horrify her peers), the her peers give her the title of the "Voracious Villainess".



I enjoy Melphiera's inner monologues. They always escalate to the point of her fear of being shipped to a monastery. It's really funny to see her freak out. She's a fun, dorky, person that will endear the reader.


Aristide, like Melphiera, doesn't seem to belong in aristocratic society either. While people speak ill of Melphiera because of her lack of etiquette, Aristide is outright FEARED.


He is called the Blood-Mad Duke because of how wild he gets when fighting monsters, with some even saying he's worse than the monsters. He's fascinated by monsters so he can better kill them.



Aristide, the Blood Mad Duke. He got the name due to losing all forms of humanity when fighting monsters

Kauss, the steward to The Blood Mad Duke.
Kauss is a fun guardian for Aristide and Melphiera. He acts like a parent scolding and lecturing both leads on acting like proper nobles since those two only care about hunting and eating monsters.


A notable example is when Aristide rushes over to check on Melphiera while carrying a decapitated monster head. Melphiera's lady in wait faints from the sight causing Kauss to scold him on bringing the head in the sight to women.


Aristide mentioned that Melphiera is fine (she confirms it), which causes Kauss to lecture Aristide and scold Melphiera on enabling him by admiring when he shows her his kills.The scene made me laugh at how he has to be a parent to two children now.








What I like about the romance aspect is that both Melphiera and Aristide get blatantly nervous around one another. One will say something and get visibly nervous or flustered which the other realizes with surprise.


In most romance manga, one of them would be the emotive partner while the other is stoic. To me, it's refreshing to have a romance manga where both leads are emotive with the other present.



I found it interesting on how they handled the surprise of Melphiera's betrothal to Aristide. I was expecting Aristide to directly propose to her before she left for her town. Him following protocol was a surprise since he comes off as a rebel.


My only complaint is that there was no actual cooking of monsters in the volume. While there were discussions of it, none of the characters took time out to cook monsters.


Melphiera had pre-made food that she gave Aristide while she spoke at length on how to prep the monsters for cooking. This gets repeated by Aristide in the third chapter. Even the monster hunting to cook a meal was done off-screen.


While I like the developing relationship between the two, I felt like the driving point of the story that's marketed seemed to be lacking in this volume, especially since this series is marketed towards fans of Delicious in Dungeon. They should have dedicated one chapter to them cooking a monster to eat.




Final Thoughts

If you're looking for a romantasy (romance & fantasy) series, I would recommend the series. The leads are fun and goofy but are endearing and lovable.


If you were looking for something similar to Delicious in Dungeon where you will get some monster cooking while the leads' relationship develops, I would wait for volume 2 to come out since the last few pages hint at them cooking a monster. Hopefully they show the process on screen this time.

Really enjoyed this one.

Loved the art work.

I also love the front cover to this.

Hope to get a physical copy one day.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. This is definitely worth the hype in the sense that it is a period fantasy work with wholesome characters. The supernatural element is also a very interesting concept. I am curious to see what happens in this story next. I think my only issue was I wish there was more background information and a variety of text placement. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars

thank you for the copy, netgalley!

wow, what a cute story! although the concept is a bit unhinged lol, it’s actually a simple villainess romance with a swoony “blood-mad” duke!

some parts had me giggling, and the illustrations are adorable. :) i love how the duke accepts the FMC’s quirks and vice versa.

my only complaint is that some of the monsters are cute, which made me sad that they’re getting eaten lmao.

i’ll probably continue this series eventually!

In this book we are introduced to Melphiera Marchalrayd, the Voracious Villainess, who likes to eat monsters. This sets her apart from her fellow royals and not in a good way. Her step mother tells her that she needs to be engaged or she'll be sent to a nunnery. Melphiera has one last social event to try and find someone that she could possibly marry but everyone knows her reputation and it's interested in her. Until a monster attacks the party and she is saved by the “Blood-Mad Duke” of Galbraith. The two get along almost immediately and soon romance follows.

This was a really great first volume and I can't wait to see where this romance goes!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this manga!

This might be one of my new favorite stories. The tropes were predictable but engaging, and it was overall a solid introduction to a series that I would love to read more of.

Monster meat??
Romance??
What more do I have to say?!

Is this one of my new favorite manga's to look forward to? yes.

The story is so cute. I love that the main character is so used to people thinking her hobbies is weird and then of course she meets the perfect man who wants her to pursue them. Also why does this book make monster meat look like its going to be the most delicious food i've ever eaten. I really enjoy the premise of the story and can't wait to see what the possible future holds for the story development. I even might buy the physical books of this because of how much I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🥩 4 stars 🥩

tropes: bad reputation (hero and heroine), foodie heroine, duke, love at first sight

Are you looking for a foodie romance, where two late bloomers finally find the person for them while slaying monsters and cooking them up into delicacies? Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! is the adventure you are looking for then.

Lady Melphiera Marchalrayd has a reputation for being a voracious villainess, earned by her unique palette for eating monster meat. This reputation has caused difficulty in finding herself a marriageable match. When a monster crashes a social soiree, Melphiera gets rescued by the "Blood-Mad Duke" of Galbraith, who might be the perfect match for her.

I thought this was a fun introduction to the series. I am looking forward to the antics Melphiera and Duke Galbraith get into. They both live in their own little worlds that seem to have the perfect spaces craved out for the other.

Summary:

Melphiera Marchalrayd has a very particular sense of taste. By that, we mean she enjoys monster meat. Most people would be terrified of the idea of eating monsters, but Melphiera understands that there is a way to make monster meat safe for consumption.

Unfortunately, it's rather difficult to find a husband when you have a reputation for eating monsters. Enter the "Blood-Mad Duke" of Galbraith. He's known to be harsh and aloof, but he may be about to meet his match.

Review:

What a unique concept! Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! Vol. 1 is a quirky and sometimes hilarious start to the series. I can't wait to get to know the characters more, as there is so much potential in this romantic comedy.

Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! Vol. 1 introduces us to a world where monsters exist, and naturally, they cause quite a ruckus. For the most part, people seem content to avoid the monsters whenever possible. Except those that are trained to hunt them, of course.

I enjoy the unique nature of Melphiera's taste. Sometimes, the cooking descriptions go too far for my liking (not a graphic thing, more like my brain just shut off at all the details, you know?). Overall, I'd say this is a fun series worth checking out.

Highlights:
Fantasy Manga
Monsters
Romantic Comedy
Medieval Monster Hunting

Will I continue the series? Probably!

Thanks to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved pass the monster meat milady and am just sad there isn't a second volume, so cute! I want more of this cute love story

Giggling and kicking my feet. This story is so cute and the artwork so lovely. Cannot wait to read the next installment