Contains Chapters 5 - 7 & Strobe Edge Bonus Chapter "Another Light": This book is really fun & I love the series so far. It is full of interesting characters. The bonus chapter in this book was also really fun to read and gave us a great look into Ren & Mayuka's past and how they met. ( )

You know how I was kind of iffy about the first volume? Well, I'm so glad I continued, because this volume was wonderful. I can't wait to see what happens next. Who would have thought that turning a love triangle into a love pentagon (?) could actually improve a story?

Although Daiki had a few scenes, he spent most of the time way in the background. I appreciated this, because it gave Ando more page-time. Ando may have only just appeared, but he's already my favorite character. He's definitely a player, but he's not a bad guy. When he sees the way Ninako is hurting, he truly wants to help her. I don't think he has a clue about how to deal with feelings for girls that run deeper than surface level “you're cute,” so it's going to be fun watching him fumble around, trying to deal with his budding feelings for Ninako. Especially since she knows his history with girls and isn't likely to believe that he's behaving any differently towards her than he does any other girls.

I have to admit, right now I'm shipping Ninako and Ando more than I am Ninako and Ren. The whole “Ninako loves Ren, who's dating Mayuka and who maybe has budding feelings for Ninako” thing is a bit nerve-wracking, and I felt like applauding when Ando told Ren off for the way he handled Mayuka meeting Ninako. Ren's the sort to quietly behave in whatever way he thinks will make those around him feel better (and I really hope the series takes a closer look at why this is and doesn't just stop at "because he's so nice"), but there's going to come a point when he'll have to make a decision that will hurt either Mayuka or Ninako.

I'm incredibly impressed with Sakisaka's decision not to make things easy for herself. She could have turned Mayuka into a villain, the stereotypical pretty girl who is snotty, controlling, and mean and doesn't deserve her great boyfriend. She didn't. In fact, the bonus chapter made Mayuka even more sympathetic. If Ren dumps her, Mayuka will be crushed - their relationship will have broken apart the same way her parents' marriage did. And I doubt Ninako would be happy if she ended up being responsible for the end of Ren and Mayuka's relationship. This series is shaping up to be one that will be rough on both characters' and readers' emotions. It's tough to root for Ninako's love for Ren, knowing that this is almost like rooting for Mayuka's heart to get broken.

So, am I continuing with this series? You betcha. I need to know what happens next. I'm going to root for Ando x Ninako, even though it's almost guaranteed not to happen.

Extras:

In addition to the bonus chapter, there were a few author freetalks, in which Sakisaka wrote about getting her driver's license and seeing her pet chinchilla give birth. She also wrote about her efforts to get work done more quickly, and, um, those bits had me thinking "oh please don't die." Seriously, not eating and not sleeping is not good. I'm so glad she got herself a couple assistants.

(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )