Review of Yoshiki Nakamura’s SKIP-BEAT! VOL. 47

Skip·Beat!, Vol. 47 by Yoshiki Nakamura

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I never comment on the cover design of books (save to remark on particularly well-chosen artwork), mostly because I know authors have zero input on things. But I have to take a moment out to say this cover threw me for a loop. I knew I needed volume 47, but I still double and triple-checked to ensure I had the correct copy. The artwork was so similar to the previous volume that it confused things. And while Nakamura-san commented on it herself in the opening, it was still something someone should have considered in the publication process. (Readers that aren’t ravening fans would glance and assume it was volume 46 – regardless of the number in the corner)

Cover confusion aside, can I bemoan the ADDITIONAL layers of complication Nakamura-san added to this already knotted tale? I thought Kyoko and Ren’s story was already twisted enough, and – now that their feelings are out in the open – I was ready to embrace the long-awaited romance everyone’s been anticipating for YEARS. But no, instead, we get not one wrinkle, but THREE! It’s enough to make readers tear their hair out and wail aloud. (Something I may have contemplated but ultimately had to swallow as I finished the book after my husband had already fallen asleep)

It speaks to Nakamura-san’s talent that she keeps the story arc fresh and exciting with these twists and turns. Even as I desperately want to see the resolution of these lovers (don’t they deserve it?), I can’t help but get lost in the labyrinth of confounding situations. It certainly isn’t the author’s fault I have to wait SO LONG between volumes to find out more!

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