Moki-Mori's Random Readings

Reviews, Book Blogs, and Other Reading Related things. My Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/moki-mori My other Blogs: https://www.tumblr.com/mokimoriwrites https://www.tumblr.com/moki-mor

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The Remarried Empress Vol 8 by Herelee

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

OOOH Things are getting so good!!!

I love that Nian and the Ladies in Waiting for the Eastern Empire are back! I loved our core little cast around Navier, and it makes me happy to see her surrounded by friends again! I also love the contrast between them and Rose/Mastsa; the two groups are different, but they immediately get along because they value Naver so much. 

The drama when Naiver and Henry go to the Eastern Empire to attend the wedding is so good, and you just see how immature Sovieshu is now. He’s practically losing his mind trying to figure out what went wrong, when for the last eight volumes the whole audience has been screaming that exact thing at him. 

I think Rashta's immaturity definitely shows here and I really struggle with it in a way. It shows how she assumed being an empress would work and that everyone will just love her; People don't love you just because you're the empress; you have to work at it. Naiver spent her entire life doing just that, and now Rashta is trying to reap the rewards of her work. To me it feels almost childish? Like the author is either trying to infantilize her somehow or trying to make her sympathetic to the viewers again after essentially leading the hate campaign against her for 4 vols straight. 

My favorite dresses for this vol is the dark blue gown Navier wears during her visit to the Eastern Empire [the color and cut is just so good on her, and the hair! Her hair was so pretty!] I also found that I really liked Rashta’s yellow dress from this volume as well. It was a less bright yellow and a more refined style, which I think drew a really interesting fashion comparison to her now vs the beginning.

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The Remarried Empress Vol 7 by Herelee

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

I think my favorite scenes with Naiver in this series are during this volume. She’s taking over the Western Kingdom’s social hierarchy, becoming queen,and sharing domestic bliss with her new inner circle and Henry. So far, I'm really enjoying all the intriguing court politics we get to witness as Naver is handling things in the West. We saw some of these in the earlier volumes, but not to the scale we get to see them now. 

That being said, the scenes back in the Eastern Empire are… nothing is going well for Sovieshu and Rashta. Things are falling apart and we’re starting to see cracks in the facade Rashta was keeping up for everyone (including herself!). She’s starting to slip without anyone to focus on or hold her up and it's sad to see. 

My favorite dresses from this volume are Navier’s green gown from her first day in the Western Kingdom’s palace [the color just feels so vibrant on her and i cant place if she has worn green before in the series or not] and rashta’s bright yellow gown she wears during the interviews [it feels like a callback to the earlier vol’s style for her and i really liked it. Also something about her baby bump and the sweet cut of the dress was just really cute!]

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The Remarried Empress Vol 6 by Herelee

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

I absolutely love the emotional beatdown Sovieshu gets in this volume. Like, what did you think was going to happen? That Naiver was just going to wait around for you to decide to marry her again, and then everything would be fine? I think it speaks to just how self-absorbed he was this whole time, enough so that he legitimately thought Navier was just going to wait around for him. 

But also! We finally get the scene from the very beginning again with Henry walking in and them getting married! It's so cute and just stunning visuals-wise. 

I also love how Naiver was still worried about Rashta in terms of how she would be perceived and how it would affect the Eastern Empire. Even when she’s being tossed away by those very people, she’s still worried about them. 

Speaking of that, my favorite dress Rashta wore during this volume was her pink gown during the divorce ceremony. [I think it's because of what Sergi said, about the ceremony being a celebration for her so she should wear something joyful]. My favorite of Navier’s from this vol is the blue ruffled one she wears while at her parents house. [It's the most youthful we’ve seen her dressed so far, aside from her childhood flashbacks, and it's very refreshing!]

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The Remarried Empress Vol 5 by Herelee

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

Volume five is when everything starts to get moving: Navier becomes aware of just how far Sovieshu is willing to go for his mistress, Rashta is starting to corner her, and she’s losing a lot of ground in the Eastern Empire. At the same time, she’s gaining important allies outside of it, such as Henry, who has now proposed to her. Honestly, that moment where they were out together at the academy and singing to gather was one of the best scenes for me in the whole series thus far. It's so cutesy and domestic, and for a moment, Navier seems genuinely happy in a way we don't see often at this point in the story.

Onto the dresses! Rashat’s favorite of mine in this vol isn't even one she technically wears. Instead it's the pale blue and silver one that she’s ‘wearing’ when Navier visualizes how Sovishu is going to make her empress [it's just so pretty! The tiara, her expression, the color of the gown and its embroidery!] and my favorite for Navier this vol is the purple gown she wears when the divorce is finally announced. [it feels more mature and armour like than anything else she’s wore all series]

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The Remarried Empress Vol 4 by Herelee

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

For me, this volume is where we can really see the differences between Rashta and Naver. 

Rashta is essentially floundering, getting caught up in relationships and alliances that should ‘help’ her, but ultimately end up making more issues for her. She’s petty, not thinking things through, and relying too much on the men around her. 

In contrast, Naiver is careful, thinking as many steps ahead as she can, and making contingency plans as if there won't be a tomorrow for her. She doesn't suspect divorce yet, but she’s preparing for many other eventualities. 

Overall I think that it's an interesting look into how their characters work on a base level, though it doesn't go much deeper beyond that for me. with the main theme of this volume being that: Naiver has been put into a situation that doesn't benefit her at all. Her husband has a mistress who gets pregnant very quickly, whilst she has never been so, the court is starting to turn against her, and she’s losing her footing. Rashta has been given the opposite hand; she's gotten into a situation that DOES benefit her. She's a mistress, pregnant with the royal baby, and is starting to wrap the court around her fingers. 

Despite this, Niaver is flourishing, and Rashta is drowning

Onto the dresses (because let's be honest the dresses are 50% of the reason i read this series lol). My favorite gown from Naver this vol was the green floral dress over the white underdress she wore [that style has always been a favorite of mine and the pattern was really subtle in a very nice way!] and Rashta’s deep blue gown she wears when coming across Lebiti [this is the vol where we see Rashta’s clothes becoming more aligned with the usual court tastes. Darker colors and more refined cuts, it's not bad on her but i definitely miss her original stylings]

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The Remarried Empress Vol 3 by Herelee

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

I feel like, up until volume three, the hate that Rashta got from the fandom was a little out of proportion. But then volume three hits, and it starts to make sense (not to the degree her character got it, but yeah people were bound to start hating her after this vol). Rashta immediately goes from this innocent ' I'm just trying to survive here’ girl to being manipulative and trying to hurt Naiver intentionally. I also think it's sort of funny how Rashta supposedly gets smarter as the series goes on, but her plans in this volume to undermine Naiver are fairly similar to the ones in later volumes. I definitely think that the cause for this is relate dmore to the audiences hate for Rashta rather than the author’s orginal ideas, which happens a lot in books like webtoons that are posted as they are still WIPs. 

Overall I found that while Rashta’s character took a weird turn starting in this volume, Naiver’s character only seemed to strengthen (which I again think relates to the audience more than anything else). She stays very elegant, intentional, and graceful. From the way she thinks to how she carries herself, her lifetime of training and dedication to her role as empress, this is one of the best moments of characterization for me in the book. Naiver carriers in the ‘show not tell’ for this whole series really, which i wish we got more of with Rashta but it is what it is i suppose. 

This is also where all the romances start to collide with each other. Henry is obviously in love with her at this point, the grand duke has accidentally drugged himself into being in love with her, and Sovieshu is somehow just now realizing that she has other (and better) options than him. Cue the flying Love Triangles!

My favorite outfits for Nivar and Rashta for this vol was the blue high-necked gown that she’s wearing when Sovishu tells her Rashta is pregnant [the cut is much different than we see in other gowns throughout the series and we don't usually see Niave in cooler tones. The design of that dress was just so perfect and it's one of my favs throughout the whole series!] and Rashta’s purple gown that she wears to the party celebrating her pregnancy [the color matches her so well and i love the ruffle accents this one has!]

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Remarried Empress Vol 2 by Herelee

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

Book 2 focuses a lot on Rashsta, the emperor's mistress, as she navigates being in the royal household. There's a lot going on with Navier as well, with Henry, Queen, and the upcoming galas and dinners, but the main focus of this volume is on Rashta. 

I sort of have this love/hate erealtionship with her. Rashta starts out as fairly understandable. She's a runaway slave, she was saved by a handsome man and fell in love, and she lets herself be further ‘rescued’ by being taken in as his mistress. She struggles with life in the royal household and wants to befriend Navier based on the Empress’s public image, and is hurt when rejected. In that way, she’s very sympathetic, and you can feel for her struggles. But you also feel for Navier, who is dealing with her husband, whom she has been engaged to and close to since childhood, taking in a mistress and suddenly treating her very coldly. On top of that, said mistress seems to think that this is 100% fine, that Naiver should be thankful that Rashta is there and that Naiver should be all buddy-buddy with her because they ‘share a husband’. It makes her seem sort of… off? 

This volume is also where so much of the character art and background art just come to life for me. Every page is like walking into an art museum. My favorite dresses for Naiver and Rashta for this volume are Naiver’s Gown from the special dinner [that deep red and the ruffles suit her so well and i LOVE the gold accent along her neckline!] and Rashta’s Periwinkle blue dress [the cut and color of this particular gown suits her so well!]. Something i really miss in later volumes is how Rashta dresses in the dialer ones, i think the simpler cuts and gentler colors just suit her character and style so much better? But I'm also a sucker for pastels so….

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Remarried Empress Vol 1 By Herelee

Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

To me this series is akin to a reality TV Show, I read it because of its beautiful draw, entertaining, and honestly just a pretty fun read but to me there isn't really a plot or much depth to the characters and there are a lot of plot holes throughout the series. 

That being said: The Remarried Empress is one of two romance books/series that I read regularly and it's honestly one that I love! It's just a super fun and easy read that I enjoy binging every now and then. 

The overall gist of the story is that the Female lead and empress, Naiver, is battling against her husband after he brings a mistress into the palace. The whole thing ends in a big divorce and she later remarries a prince from another kingdom. The whole thing is rife with drama, court intrigue, love triang;les spinning off every which way, and really pretty fashion! 

Overall I wouldn't say it's something I typically read, but every book lover has that one easy to read series, and The Remarried Empress is that for me.

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Finished with Demon Slayer!

I have finally gotten all of my Demon Slayer book reviews out! I absolutely loved this series as both a Manga and as an Anime, so being able to write and post all of these reviews was a lot of fun! I'm onto some graphic novels, and then I'm going to try and finish up my fiction shelf before I continue onto my next Manga series!!

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Kimetsu Academy (Series) By Natsuki Hokami

Rating: 10/5

Review:

After reading the main series i 1000% needed the pick-me-up that is Kimetsu Academy! This six book series is so cute, so sweet, and just down right giggle-while-you-read worthy. 

I was laughing and smiling so much while reading this series that my face hurt and I will definitely be re-reading this over and over again because it's just so cute! The way that the characters still retain their core traits and behaviors even in a modern slice-of-life setting is such a fun bit and its downright adorable to watch them all interact with each other when they can live their lives happily without the fear of demons or the traumas of their pasts weighing down on them.

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Demon Slayer: Fire and Water by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 4/5

Review:

This was so cute! I loved seeing Rengoku prior to becoming a Hashria and how he made it to the point where we first meet him in the main series. It was also very interesting to see Guyi post meeting Tenagiro and Nezuko where he still isn't 100% happy with himself or believing in himself but getting better than some of the first scenes we saw him in!

Also, baby Mitsuura and Senjuro are so cute! It was absolutely adorable seeing the two of them interact as Rengoku was training with them and spending time with them! I love the little peaks into their normal lives and what their loves could have looked like. 

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Demon Slayer: Corps Records! by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 3/5

Review:

I absolutely loved this little peak into the details of Demon Slayer so much! It was such a nice little way to finish up the main series, like a little cool down session after the adrenaline that was the final few volumes. 

Unfortunately, my copy of this book was a misprint, but even then I really enjoyed being able to learn more about the breathing forms, the slayers, and the Blood Demon Arts. My favorite was getting to see more about Giyu and Obani as they are my two favorite characters in the series! 

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Demon Slayer Vol 23 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 100/5

Review:

It's over, and it feels way too soon!!

I was both smiling and crying my eyes out in this volume because of everything that happened. I like that most of the characters got their version of a happy ending, even if it was through their eventual descendants rather than during their current lifetime. 

I will say that Tangiro almost becoming the demon king doesn't make full sense as a plot point, but I get that it was supposed to show that Muzan’s plans failed out of harmony, teamwork, a sense of justice, and kindness which are all things that Tangiro embodies as a character. 

Overall I will say that Gotouge handled this series amazingly and I have very little complaints about how everything was told and how the story ended. I fell in love with the characters, the story, and I was legitimately torn up at the fact that it's already over!

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Demon Slayer Vol 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 10/5

Review:

This is definitely one of my favorite volumes because we get Obain’s back story and we learn more about Kabumaru! I think their relationship is so interesting, the way that Obaini was essentially tortured and raised for slaughter because of a snake demon but still befriends and wholly trusts a snake with his life and well being is adorable and really sweet. To me it speaks volumes of how kind of a person he could be, if he wasn't horrifically hurt at such a young age. 

The battle between the hashira and muzan really starts to pick up here. I remember I had to set the book down and pick it back up multiple times. And then once I finished it I had to re-read it two more times because I could not believe what I had just read. 

Also the way that the true form of sun breathing is finally explained in this volume is so cool! I really like the idea of circular fighting, with each form bleeding into the next to create a constant motion of battle. 

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Demon Slayer Vol 21 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 9/5

Review:

OOOH THE MUZAN FIGHT! 

I have been both looking forward to and dreading this volume because this is where it all ends. This fight carries onto the last volume and it is during this that my fav characters get so hurt (and/or die) and i was not emotionally ready for that while reading. 

Focusing on cooler things though; the way all the hashira move together and fight as a single unit is amazing! Even though Giyu isn't close to them, even though Obani doesn't like most of them, even though Mitsui is terrified, they all act with one goal in mind and they carry it out as a single fighting unit in the coolest way possible! 

I need to start googling ‘other words for cool’ because otherwise my vocabulary for the next two reviews is going to be ‘cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool’ 

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Demon Slayer Vol 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 8/5

Review:

Upper 1 is my favorite demon (as previously mentioned) and the fact that this vol is just completely his epic final battle is a big reason why it's one of my favorites. 

The way that three Hashira struggle to even stand on even fitting with him is amazing and it's done in a way that feels realistic rather than ‘uuhhh over-powered demon’, which i am very happy with. Kokushibo is beating them for most of the volume, but we can also see him having to think about his moves and the few moments of struggle and panic he does have. It humanizes his battle experience in a way that makes the fact that he is almost easily beating some of the most powerful hashira make sense. 

I am a little disappointed in his backstory, I knew about the whole jealous twin thing going on but I was hoping it would carry out a little differently. I think the main problem with it (for me) was that there wasnt enough emphasis on why Kokushibo felt so threatened by Yorichi. It was mentioned once that if Yorichi became better than him Kokushiobo would lose everything he’s worked towards, and because that isn't really mentioned or focused on it makes Kokuishibo’s hatred toward aYorichi feel very surface level which means that none of his desperate actions later in life really make sense. 

If it had been made more clear or been a heavier topic for the reader to see them deal with during their childhood that ‘the better twin’ gets everything (the land, title, life) and the ‘worse twin’ gets nothing it would have made more sense for Kokushibo to act the way he did. 

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Demon Slayer Vol 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Rating: 7/5

Review:

AHHH One of my favorite fight scenes is here!!!

My favorite demon is upper 1, 10000%. So seeing his epic 4v1 fight with three hashira and a demon-eater is just amazing. The reveal of Muichiro’s heritage (especially considering how much he put on/the copiers put on him being descended from sun breathing), the fight between Gyomei, Sanemi, and Kokushibo, the way we get to see Genya’s thoughts and feelings, it's all so beautiful! 

Of course even with that 100/10 epic battle scene going on, we can't forget to mention my favorite snakey-boi: OBANI!

The scenes we get in this volume of him and Mitsui fighting are both really cool and sort of sweet to watch as we can see him trying too hard to both focus on the fight but also make sure she;’s ok.  It's so cute!