by Chie Shinohara
Synopsis (from the back of the book)Yuri, a pretty Japanese girl, is ecstatic after passing her college entrance exam and having her first kiss with her childhood friend-turned boyfriend. However, her luck soon changes. She starts to notice that water becomes agitated whenever she goes near it. One night, hands appear out of a puddle on the street and drag her into the water! Transported to an ancient village in the Middle East, she is then capture by armed troops and taken to the Queen's Palace for a human sacrifice. Adventure and good-looking boys fill this great first volume!
Disclaimer
I have read more than one volume of this series, in fact, I have all 23 (of 28) that have been released to date. You should not take this as a ringing endorsement of the series, as I believe it has serious flaws. Even so, it is captivating enough to continue reading. As such, it is hard to focus solely on the first book, as I have knowledge of future events, which impact what little information the first book gives you. I shall attempt to do my best. Also, the series crams a lot of events into its books, so it's very difficult to judge the series by the first book.
Review
I found this series rather randomly. I was looking at some pictures of anime and manga online, and I came across a picture from this series (though they called it Anatolia Story, which is not the true title). The artwork is very gorgeous, and it attracted me to it immediately. After much struggle finding the first book (they didn't want to have volume one in stock, for some reason) I was not let down. Again, it is a girl-transported-to-another-world premise. I understand why the author did this, but it doesn't excuse that fact.
Anyhow, once Yuri is transported to Hattusa of the Hittite Empire, things really pick up. She becomes the concubine (in name only) of third prince Kail, who protects her from the queen who wants to sacrifice her so she can put her son on the throne. All this time, however, she's really only thinking of getting back home, and does anything to forward that goal, even if it means she's impetuous or impulsive. Of course, this gets her, or other people, into trouble. This is rather unfortunate, as I can't relate to a character like that at all, although I do admit that there is one point in the book where she has great strength of character, and says some pretty impressive things, a foreshadowing of her character if you will.
The events are tight and fast-paced, in fact, little time is given to introspection, a flaw that becomes apparent later in the series. Still, it's a very exciting book, it just sucks you in, and even I admit that after I read the first book, I tried to get as many as possible, and read through them just as quickly. I can't say why, but this series is so engrossing. I don't know if it's the historical events, or suspense, or just a desire to see what happens next.
I should say that this book and the series can be quite erotic at times, something which I'm not sorry about at all. I do like it, but perhaps I'd advise you not to get too focused on it, or expect too much of it. Then perhaps you won't be disappointed like I was, because this series likes to tease.
Final thought: I have to get the next book!
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