This has absolutely everything I adore in historical Japanese romance mangas! From the marriage of convenience to the dashing and mysterious MMC, Yako, I adored everything about the story and these characters. Nanao is such a lovable FMC and I found myself rooting for her from page one. And the plot twist regarding Yako was truly perfection.

The art is stunning. Some of the most beautiful illustrations I’ve seen in a manga. The talent is truly astounding.

I cannot wait to see what happens in the next volume! This is a perfect manga to pick up for fans of My Happy Marriage!

This had a cool premise—a cursed girl cast aside after being attacked by an ayakashi, and a mysterious guy who sees her for who she really is. The art is pretty, and the world seems interesting enough that I’m curious where it’ll go next.

That said, I felt a little lost at first since the exposition came in kind of late. The characters also felt a bit flat and leaned hard into familiar tropes. I also wasn’t super comfortable with how our FMC was groomed to be a bride as a kid, then discarded so fast over something she couldn’t control. I get that it’s part of the setup, but I wish that part had been handled with a little more care. The tone also was little bit over the place. Like, here would be some heavy/dark scenes and then it will be followed with some comical scenes after just a few pages (which is just a little jarring).

Still, there’s potential here, and if you’re into stories like this, you might enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved this first introduction to the world, the characters and the story. It's well written, a bittersweet story. I love the two mains characters so far, she is really sweet and so traumatized, but he keeps encouraging her and i love ir. Part of me should've have guested the plot twist in this volume, but i didn't and it was a nice surprise when i read it. Can't wait for the second volume to continue this story and learning more about the world.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Mamenosuke Fujimaru for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride coming out March 25, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I’ve read a lot of manga and I really love it. So I was excited to check this out. There was so much going on in this story. It felt like historical legend and fantasy mixed with melodrama. There were some things I didn’t enjoy. It sometimes felt like Nanao was going through a whirlwind with the guys. I don’t want to give anything away. But overall, I really enjoyed the story. I would enjoy seeing what’s next.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys manga!

Oh, my goodness, I ADORED this book! I will admit at first, I didn't think it would be my thing at all. I was scratching my head a bit about what was going on. But pretty quickly it does a good job of filling you in on the details of what happened to Nanao to bring her to this point.

This had so many parts that just made me heart pitter patter. And it really grabbed me - I devoured this one so fast and was immediately left wanting to dive into the next one. I really felt for Nanao and the life she's experienced. I'm left curious about her powers and how they will play out.

I absolutely fell in love with Yako. It has so much of what I love in romance - he falls first/he pursues, rescue me vibes....and the vampire twist is just delicious.

Definitely going to grab more from this series!

Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride 👹 ARC REVIEW

Originally a webtoon now in print!! Fans looking for a cross between My Happy Marriage and Noragami are sure to enjoy this!! It's a mix of romance, action, and suspense - could we ask for anything more?!

When I found this manga on @netgalley I was intrigued by the cover, when I realized it was created by the same person as Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, I was sold! KBABFS is one of my all time favorite manga series and I frequently return to it when I need a comfort-read. I can see this series joining my comfort-read self.

I devoured this manga, twice! I just couldn't put it down. Midori Yuma weaves such an incredible story that it takes a hold of you and doesn't let you go. Nanao being 'tainted' and 'unlovable' just made me love her character and strength more. Yako's 'take no shit' attitude and 'he falls first' make him the perfect morally grey MMC.

This new manga was released on March 25th and I cannot wait to get my physical copy and read it again while I wait for the next volume.

This was so good right off the bat. I am familiar with the author's previous work, and really enjoyed that one, and was expecting similar themes in this particular story. There were similar themes, but the story is so much different, and it seemed like a fresh take on what could easily be another ayakashi story. I'm looking forward to where this series will go.

Additionally, I have to point that there is trauma featured in the story, and overcoming that is one of the main themes of the manga. I can't recall seeing trauma explored this way in a manga, and I really appreciate how this one did without being heavy-handed about it.

I highly recommend this manga.

This is a historical fantasy romance centered around demons and exorcism...with a vampire twist! There are definite similarities to My Happy Marriage; the FL is horribly abused and mistreated by her cousin and former fiancé (everyone in her clan, really), until she's rescued by the powerful ML and finally treated with kindness. I personally found the story and setting of The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride more interesting, and appreciate that there's more focus on the character's powers and the ayakashi in this manga. It usually takes me a couple volumes to get a feel for a series but I thought this was a great start and I definitely want to see where the story is headed..

Thank you to Kodansha Comics for providing this book for review!

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-Arc.

I adored this manga. Nanao starts off as an outcasted protagonist whose profound abilities are the only key to her survival in a hostile environment. Although there isn't much character development in this first volume, I appreciate the growing honesty between Nanao and Yako. The development of trust for this young couple is vital for a healthy relationship. After her clan's awful treatment, Nanao deserves someone to lean on. I can't wait for the next volume!

I felt the characters were quite underdeveloped and the “before” to be quite rushed. I was surprised by the blood sucking reveal but in the end I don’t feel the desire or need to read the next volume asap.

Stooooooooppp!! How cute! I love the artwork and the story! I need more! Especially of Master Yako, I don’t care if he has to suck blood, he can get it. Definitely will be continuing this story. Nanao is precious and needs to be protected at all costs.

A really great first installment of a romantic fantasy manga. You really feel for Nanao and what she's been through, including the injustices of her attack and subsequent isolation. Yako, of course, is a powerful lord who immediately sees someone powerful in Nanao and whisks her away. I'm interested to learn more about Yako's family history and exactly how powerful Nanao can one day be.

When I saw in the description “Noragami meets My Happy Marriage” oh I had to snatch this book up!
Meet Nanao, the sweet, bubbly fiancée of Reito, the Lord of the Byakurenji clan, all set to tie the knot. But hold on book besties—everything flips upside down when she steps beyond the village's protective barrier and gets ambushed by a norangutan ayakashi! Now tainted, she faces rejection from everyone, including Master Reito, aka Master Kudou wannabe. Her cousin swoops in, seizing the chance to snag Reito as her own groom. Cue the drama and feels overload with this manga! Enter Lord Benitsu Baki—no spoilers, but Oh Zaddy!!! This is a solid 5-star ride, and it's the first book trophy I'm snagging after devouring an ARC copy!

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing the ARC; all views expressed are my own.

I love historical settings, and if it's in manga/manhwa then a thousand times more, so when I saw this volume, I immediately knew I was going to like it.

This is a romance with a paranormal touch where we have a young girl who was destined to marry one of the prestigious young men of her village, but for a situation she moves away from the village and is attacked by a spirit and is “marked”, which leads to her being rejected and mistreated by everyone, which leads her to have to hide her face behind a mask, this until she takes a mysterious young man who is interested in her and makes her his wife.

All I can say is give me the next volume, I need it, I loved it, I enjoyed it and it didn't last at all.

I want more!!!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nanao is a young girl that possesses dark spiritual energy, and because of that she was chosen when she was young to marry the young master Reito, but all that changes when she steps foot outside of the barrier protecting their village from the ayakashi and an orangutan ayakashi attacks her, leaving her "tainted." Afterwords, she is shunned, and nobody wants anything to do with her until one day a lord comes and sees just how special she is and makes her his wife.

I enjoyed this manga and would read the next book. I'm interested in seeing where this goes, as it contains a lot of content that I enjoyed reading. It reminded me a lot of the Black Bird series and the Bed and Breakfast For Spirits series, so fans of those manga/anime will definitely like this.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC; all opinions are my own.**

4 ⭐️

This is a great start to a new paranormal/fantasy romance manga! It deals with some darker themes in the beginning, but then our heroine is rescued by a mysterious lord and taken to be his bride. I thought this first volume was really interesting, and I can't wait to see where this series goes next!

I enjoyed the story a lot! I am interested in the possible tensions between the two clans. I definitely think the warning of the bride is actually not about Nanao at all but that is just my opinion. Looking forward to vol 2.

nanao is happily betrothed to reito the young lord of the byakurenji family
after she is attacked by avengeful yokai spirit, the monkey demon, nanao is scared with a demon stench
when her cousin akemi takes her place as reitos bride, she orders nanao to preform all maternal duties which catches the eye of a scorned young noble, yako
with promises of love protection he whisks her away to his demon hunter estate where she learns surprise after surprise bout the outcast lord

4.5 stars

Premise: A tainted, outcast woman from one clan marries into another clan. A world of demons and demon hunters.

Absolutely loved the story and art style. Love the main characters, although the female lead is a typical damsel in distress, she’s quite lovable. Although a cute romance with some wonderful fantasy elements, I would have liked it a bit more if it wasn’t so black and white in the sense that the men fight/work and women just prepare spiritual breakfasts.

What a sweet and sexy story. Nano was born with high power but after being tainted by a yokai spirit, she no longer was going to wed Reito. Years later we meet Yako, who has more about him then we know. Ok this at first was a little slow but one Yako entered the picture I was all in. He is so sweet and just wants to help her be more confident about herself. I really love the story so far.