Skip to main content

The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga

I had a lot of health issues for almost all of August and about half of September, and I’m still struggling with IBS. The only thing I could do to get my mind off the pain and nausea was to read, so I ended up reading a bunch of books on my TBR pile. I read a lot of really excellent books and thought I’d blog about them (since I wasn’t getting any work done while I was sick). Today I’m blogging about The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 1 (Light Novel), the first book in a light novel series.

I actually read the first book in this series a while ago, but the 3rd volume just came out and I pretty much devoured it. This has become one of my favorite series lately.

It’s a novel series set in historical China, but since it’s a light novel series, it’s not the same tone as a typical English-language novel set in historical China. It’s actually rather light-hearted at times and with a kind of magical atmosphere to the story that sucks you in.

Here’s the back cover description for book 1:

In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there.

Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That’s her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao’s façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor’s favorite consort… so she can taste the lady’s food for poison!

At her lady’s side, Maomao starts to learn about everything that goes on in the rear palace—not all of it seemly. Can she ever lead a quiet life, or will her powers of deduction and insatiable curiosity bring her ever more adventures, and ever more dangers?

***

As you can see, it’s nothing like a Lisa See novel. (I have nothing against Lisa See and have read some of her books, but I tend to prefer books with a bit more humor.)

The writing for The Apothecary Diaries is incredibly compelling (at least, it was for me) and once I started, I couldn’t put it down. The main story is a series of small mysteries, but they all are connected in unexpected ways at the end of each volume.

This is not like a typical American Romance novel in that the relationship between Maomao and Jinshi is unresolved at the end of the book. The romance is actually a bit of a slow burn, and doesn’t look like it’ll resolve any time soon, but the book is rather romantic despite all that.

I love the fact that Maomao is so pragmatic a character. She’s had a very unusual upbringing amongst beautiful courtesans in the red light district, and has been heavily influenced by a rather mercenary madam who has helped raise her. As a result, she’s very no-nonsense, and I love how she's not swayed by the beautiful eunuch, Jinshi, who pretty much always gets his way because of his looks. There are also mysteries about both their backgrounds which are very intriguing.

What really gets me is the humor. It’s not slapstick humor—instead, it’s the sarcasm that has me rolling. There are some wonderful lines that made me snort.

(FYI, Maomao grew up with prostitutes so there is euphemistic mention of sexual things but nothing crass or graphic, and there are a few swear words.)

If you’re looking for something a little unusual with gems of sarcastic humor, I highly recommend this series.

Comments

FredTownWard said…
I've been reading and enjoying the manga versions of The Apothecary Diaries, volumes 1-3 so far, which are available at the local Barnes & Noble. The twisted humor is greatly appreciated!
Camy Tang said…
I haven’t read the manga version, but the light novel version is hilarious!

Popular Posts

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

Free Christian Romantic Suspense Novels by Camy Tang / Camille Elliot

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

A Wallflower’s Slip of the Tongue – Free Regency eBook

If you enjoy Regency romance with wit, awkward ballroom encounters, and a heroine who can’t quite keep her thoughts to herself, you’ll love Lissa and the Spy . This free Christian Regency romantic suspense novella is the perfect entry point into my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series. Get it free when you join my newsletter (details below). Miss Lissa Gardinier survived her last London Season by pretending to be as inoffensive as possible. But at this ball, she lets her true thoughts slip yet again . And this time, they involve an unfortunately named spaniel. Excerpt Last year during that first dance with Mr. Collingworth, upon seeing him excitedly discuss his dog breeding, she had been encouraged to also speak without restraint. So she had voiced her exact thoughts rather than hiding behind a vapid facade. “Why in the world would you name a dog Lickspittle Furrybottom?” At Mr. Collingworth’s startled look, Lissa realized that she’d said that out loud now , in this dance with him. “… Not...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

What Is a Brutus Cut? A Regency Hair Trend Inspired by Ancient Rome

Regency Haircuts and Disguises in Lady Wynwood’s Spies In this excerpt from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor , Phoebe prepares for a dangerous mission—one that requires her to disguise herself as a young man. The hairstyle she receives, called a Brutus cut, was actually quite fashionable during the Regency. Read on to find out more about this curious trend and why it suited her new identity so well. Excerpt from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor : By far, the absolute worst part of Uncle Sol’s plan was that Phoebe had to cut her hair. Of the four agents, Phoebe and Mr. Coulton-Jones would be the least likely to be recognized when they entered the Ramparts building—Mr. Coulton-Jones, because of his skill in altering his facial features and his posture, and Phoebe, because she could play a convincing young man, which no one would expect. A disreputable hat would hide her long hair to an extent, but it would not fool anyone who looked closely. Also, because she would lo...