Sweet Blood Volume 1

I loved Boy Princess by this manhwa artist (can I just say right now that I'd LOVE a story about Shahi and Derek and/or Shahi and Derek's son??? Pretty please? <3 ) so I was super excited to see this new series being published (especially since her other series, Devil's Bride, had only one volume published before Tokyopop shut down in North America (insert super sad face). Volume 1 of Sweet Blood does a great job at providing just enough background information to peak our interests without overstimulating us. After basically being abandoned by his parents as they explore yet another business venture (all their previous ones have failed), Sooho is living just to survive. Very soon into this volume we find out he's being visited by a nightly guest who turns out to be the vampire (whose name I don't think is mentioned) and not long after that he gives consent (under duress) to leave his world and live with the vampire on some distant, probably magical, island. We learn that the vampire needs a constant food source, but can only drink blood that suits his tastes, and Sooho is the latest in his line of victims. An interesting twist, and something I think is unique in boys love, is that the vampire (the seme) does not know Sooho (the uke) is a man. In fact, it is revealed that something happened to the vampire in his past that has made him strongly "homophobic," to use the author's words, and if Sooho's true sex is discovered, his life may be at stake. Despite this, he makes a deal with the vampire's dragon servant, Ryuka (who is so cute and adorable--I love him!), to dress as a woman and disguise his masculinity and continue giving blood to the vampire, in exchange for rare jewels. Finally, we learn that the vampire is a very powerful king over several islands and is currently not faring well in a war among the nations. The novel ends with a "surprising" revelation to the vampire, and leaves me anticipating volume 2.As in her Boy Princess series, Seyoung Kim focuses on developing a complex and dynamic plot. There are no sex scenes in this volume, but the feeding scenes are very pleasing. I'm very interested in learning more about the vampire's past and seeing how his relationship with Sooho will develop. As you can see from the cover, and if you've read other works by this artist, her artwork is very distinct and unique; her lines are bold and her proportions aren't exactly anatomically perfect, but I like it and I think it just makes her work stand out even more. I do think the characters in this series look similar to those in Boy Princess (the vampire just screams prince Jed and at times Sooho acts very much like Nicole), but again I love and don't mind it. I think fans of this artist will enjoy this series, and if you're looking for something different in the yaoi genre this should be a series to consider, especially if you value a strong plot punctuated by scenes of sexiness; this is definitely not a smut-driven artist. Highly recommend.

…or at least where the story overall leads to, since both characters are dealing with each other in order to survive initially. Overall the story is fairly cute. It focuses on the two leads Sooho, a financially poor but optimistic and practical student with irresponsible parents, and the vampire [from rereading the manga again, his name was never mentioned aside being referred to as “master” by his servants] with a specific taste of blood who’s taken a liking to Sooho’s blood however is unaware [until later on] that he’s a boy. To the side you also have Kyungmin, Sooho’s elite school friend who’s hinted to have feelings for Sohoo, and “the snake,” a dragon under the employ of the vampire who functions as a bulter/caretaker for Sohoo while on the vampire's island.The first volume reveals Sohoo’s daily living prior to being kidnapped and the aftermath of living on the vampire’s secluded island along with some information about the vampire. There are implications that a love triangle develops with Kyungmin -> Sooho <- the vampire probably at a later volume since it never really gets to the point where any of the three characters admits they have romantic interest towards each other within the volume: (spoiler) Sooho oblivious to love, Kyungmin the silent type and the vampire avoids falling in love due to the possibility that the taste of blood changing in the person [in this case Sooho]. I found all the characters to be likeable.The art is beautiful and switches up according to the mood of the characters. Overall I would recommend it for a quick read. I liked it for the most part. The plot isn’t necessarily deep and mostly fluffy, light hearted romantic comedish [at least for the first volume] type of story line.

Condition of the book was as described. Shipping was quick enough. As for the book itself it's the first manga I've picked up in over ten years. I recently decided on a whim to begin reading manga again and ordered several, Sweet Blood being one. I feel like the set up was more Americanized in that the book doesn't read backwards. Pages are rather thin so turn gently. At times I had to really pry at the pages to see all of the panels and words because it was bound so closely. Maybe my book was just a fluke but I didn't like that some of the art and story was almost swallowed up. Definitely a quick read. I finished in under an hour despite being rusty. For the most part I feel like a beginner could easily follow the panels accordingly. Description of the plot is accurate so I won't go into plot details as not to spoil anything, but I did feel like the story was weak and rushed. I wish a little more time had been allowed for the reader to get familiar with the protagonist and understand his plight better. If you're looking for a quick read then this may be for you. If you like to build a relationship with the character you may find yourself a little disappointed. I consider this a very mild work. Nothing steamy to it so if you want passion you may be dissatisfied. I did order the other volumes and my interest is peaked just enough to read them but I don't have high expectations. At this point I don't hate it, but I don't love it either.

Love it

Ich lese sehr viele Manga und Bücher und ich muss sagen, diese Reihe ist eine der besten die ich bislang je gelesen habe.Mir gefällt besonders der Zeichenstil.Die Geschichte wird spannender je weiter man liest und man könnte meinen das eigene Herz zerbricht mit.Ich kann diese Reihe wirklich nur jedem empfehlen!!

Good