Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

This manga felt so immature to me. I understand that some manga/anime and graphic novels can have an exaggerated art style for certain panels and such but this was just too much for me, personally. I found it hard to finish.

Rating: 2⭐
Would I Read It Again? No
Would I Recommend it? No

Absolutely a delight. A series I see myself really getting into.

The story, translation and art are phenomenal.

Nina the Starry Bride was a light and enjoyable - yet a bit predictable - volume.
The artwork is stunning - nearly worth alone the read.
I would have preferred the world-building and the characters' personalities to be fleshed out more. It felt as if this volume only scratched the surface. However, the last 20 pages or so show promise, suggesting a far more complex plot, full of secrets and political intrigue.

I honestly felt like this was an exciting premise, and frankly, a part of me wants to say unique. I thought about the plot trying to think of another Manga with a similar setup, and I found none. And only a few that use it in western media, my brain pulls specifically Barbie's Princess and the Pauper, and even then, that still feels as if it merely shares one trait.

Besides what ended up feeling like a unique premise, I found myself falling in love with Nina and how sweet she is, especially with the relationships she builds, specifically with the Little Prince.

I WILL be continuing with this manga.

***ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review***

Nina the Starry Bride by RIKACHI was a light, fast-paced volume, though I could see it getting progressively more political and deep as the story progresses (most of this volume was the premise). It's a fantasy story following Nina, a street urchin trapped into becoming the priestess-princess for her kingdom and the people she meets along the way. She must be careful not to be discovered as a fake...or else! I am interested and curious to see where this story might go.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha comics for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I got hooked from the start to the story of Nina and Azur. Both characters met in an unusual way and then, get in an agreement to work together in order to protect the country. Nina's story is a sad one, she is an orphan who survives by stealing from people then she ends up being sold as a slave to Prince Azur who was in need of a replacement to the deceased princess Alisha with the same blue eyes, by chance, Nina has the same color of eyes and looks like the princess. Now, how are they going to hide this secret from everyone? What will happen if their feelings are involved?

I liked the characters and clearly the story is going to get more interesting in the next chapters. I will be following the story of Nina and Azur.

Nina is a peasant and a plague took out her family. She lives on the streets with a pair of brothers. When one of them dies from an illness the other sells her. Turns out the buyer needs her to replace the princess that died unexpectedly. They have the same striking blue eyes. Nina isn't excited but she says she has nothing else to live for it gives the new life a try. Not much happened in this first volume and I'm interested to see what happens next.

3 stars from me :)

I wanted to read this because firstly the cover art is so lovely and second I love royals in stories. And not only is the cover art nice, but the art in this manga is pretty good.
Prince Azure is definitely very good looking, and Nina looks so cute and pretty in most of the scenes!
Muhulum is absolutely adorable and by far my favourite character in this manga! Seriously I adore him, and I hope to see more of him later on!
As for the story itself, we get 4 chapters in the first volume, and the story is pretty predictable, but neverthless it was an enjoyable read, and I will definitely be continuing with this series.

I won't lie, I picked this book up because of the beauty of it's cover. Yeah, yeah, I've heard the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" but sometimes you just have to read the pretty books. That's the law... well, in my mind.

Nina the Starry Bride is a beautiful story with drama and intrigue littered throughout. It's not a series I'll be continuing with, but I did really enjoy traversing through Nina's world. The illustrations alone are worth the read.

Our female lead is strong, kind and beautiful. The story was very predictable though. Some of the characters are down right annoying though...

Overall, a great manga read if you want to dive into a new manga story.

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Oh wow what an amazing swapping story I would highly recommend for anyone to read. It's funny and witty and makes you laugh out loud.

This has everything I love in a manga:

💖 A forbidden romance (or just a hint of it for now)
💖 Royalty, court politics and power struggles
💖 Leads from opposing walks of life
💖 Feisty but vulnerable female lead
💖 The brooding but protective male lead
💖 Him swooping in in life-and-death situations
💖 Witty banter

The little Crown Prince is SO precious.

Lol I'm such a sucker for cheesy romances sometimes. I was very into the story right from the beginning and kept wishing there were more pages because I didn't want it to end. I need to know what happens next?!?!? Hopefully I can get my hands on the next volume soon.

3.5

Really loving the set up plot of this manga. I love a good switched story. The art is incredible and I'm excited to pick up vol 2!

Growing up in poverty, Nina has spent her entire life hiding her gender and her bright blue eyes. One day she is kidnapped and taken to the palace to stand in for a dead princess. Nina will need to learn to negotiate a rich life and figure out what happening around the palace, before she is discovered.

This was an interesting premise, but the intrigue (what happened to the princess) seems to have been glossed over in the first volume; perhaps it will pick up in subsequent volumes. The art is lovely.

5⭐

Nina is a poor little girl who was supposed to be sold to a slaver but turns out was sold off to the royalties who then asked her to take the role as the priestess/ princess.

The manga story premise is something I would definitely enjoy and I wasn't wrong, I really did enjoy it.

The characters, especially Nina and the crown prince were really adorable, I can't get enough with their interactions and hopefully their wholesome and cute friendship will continue as the story goes on.

The supposed to be male lead, Azure, is definitely charming. I still don't know what he really he is up to but I really feel something fishy about him.

The art is really gorgeous! I love it so far. Can't wait to read the next volume.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this.

I loved this volume, what a great start to the manga!

I love how the story is going so far! And the comedy in this is so good!

Will be buying the rest of this series!

Nina had a rough time growing up on the streets when she is sold by her brother into slavery never expecting her to replace a princess that died in an accident. Her only redeeming quality is her lapiz colored eyes that's hopefully enough to fool everyone while she learned to take over for the past princess.

This was an interesting manga. Once I started I just couldn't put it down. It was interesting seeing this tomboyish girl try to stand among the royals and figure out her new life in this place. There is so much riding on her being able to fool everyone but the staff who know what's really going on. I loved that she was pretty outspoken and wild, she's not about to let the royals change her too much but she will try her best. Can't wait to see what's next for these characters.

There’s just something about a manga where we have a heroine learning the ropes of royalty and the hero set out to help her! It just makes my heart so happy! This was a fun and great start of what I can already tell, is going to be an amazing series. Our main character, Nina, is headstrong and independent and she really just wants to help out the kingdom by pretending to be a princess! It’s so much fun and I really think a younger audience will enjoy her as the main lead! I can’t help but wonder if we may have a love-triangle, but I’m rooting for Azure, of course!

As the first book in a manga series I do feel we still need to get a better grasp on the story and character arcs, but there are so many possibilities for what’s to come! Looking forward to it!

I really enjoyed reading this and would love to see where the story goes.

Nina is a joy of a main character. Heart-warming and enduring despite all the hardships she's faced so early in life she continues to.

Her desire to be loved and appreciated breaks my heart a little and definitely made her so real.

** Thank you to Kodansha and Netgally for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

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?