Red River: Vol. 5

by Chie Shinohara

Synopsis
Ancient Hittite royal Prince Kail and modern teen Yuri continue to battle to save Kail's kingdom and to be with one another! The two journey to the city of Malatia to prepare for battle with the enemies armies. Yuri plots to foil the plans of the Prince of Darkness. If her attempt fails and she becomes a prisoner of the evil prince, she may have to surrender her relationship with Kail -- and her way back to modern-day Japan!

Review
The story is interesting at least, although sometimes I wish the characters were smarter. The war with the Mittani continues as Kail and the Prince of Darkness keep trying to outsmart each other.

As a romance, though, it's mediocre. Though I wouldn't have said that the first time I read it, simply because I didn't know better and have knowledge of future events. Yuri keeps trying to avoid Kail's advances, because she's not ready, which is fine, except she doesn't have the courage to tell him that. Did it not occur to her that if she did, he'd stop chasing her? I have problems with this because later on in this book, she's very strong and says what's on her mind to an enemy, so why not Kail?

So then, foolishly chasing the MacGuffin-ish Dragon's Eye (which controls people's minds) Yuri gets captured by the Mitanni. What's strange about the Dragon's Eye is it disappears and is never heard about again. Ever. After this and that, the Prince of Darkness finds her and puts her in his seraglio (harem), thereby showing the Mitanni that Ishtar supports them now, and to send a message to Kail. Of course, Yuri is horrified by this, as she's worried that if Kail thinks the Prince of Darkness has slept with her, he won't want her anymore. It seems obvious to me how ridiculous this is. What, no man has ever accepted his lover back after she's been raped? Really, now. And if he doesn't, doesn't that tell you what kind of loser he is? But fortunately for Yuri's purity, the Prince of Darkness has no interest in her sexually. How convenient.

One part that I did like was how Yuri won her life back. The Prince of Darkness was going to kill her, but she won a bet with him, by escaping from the pit and the lion where she was going to be killed. It's fascinating to watch, and makes you think that maybe she really is a goddess. She then acts calm and confident when she asks for better treatment for slaves, rather than to leave. I really like strong characters like this, but I wonder why she can't be this way all the time? What's the difference in being confident with the Prince of Darkness or Kail? It's weird, to say the least.

Final thought: I'll read the next volume.