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May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

With a jealous admirer and a bitter, powerful mother plotting behind his back, Habaek’s controversial decision to return Soah to his magical kingdom has the elemental gods and goddesses in an uproar. Habaek, the moody water god who rescued Soah’s village from famine and drought, is also dealing with a curse that turns him into a child during the day and reverts him to his true adult form at night. While some of the inhabitants of his domain are friendly to his human bride – and some are a bit too friendly – Habaek has kept his curse secret from Soah, who’s become completely confused by all the attention and resentment her presence brings! When night falls, Habaek pretends to be the aloof, handsome god, Mui, whose irresistible charisma and flirtations with Soah have her thinking that she’s about ready to cheat on her immature spouse. It may be about time for Habaek/Mui to come clean! And who’s really responsible for the death of his previous human bride?

Oh my goodness!  This was the first volume of Bride of the Water God that I think I actually understood!  And oh, my!  Soah is trapped in a mystical realm where she doesn’t understand the rules, and there are some very powerful beings using her as their hapless pawn.  Everyone seems to want to use her to get at the water god, Habaek, and even his motives toward her seem questionable.  Does he really love her, as he claims, or is there another, more sinister reason for his interest in her?

Soah keeps making things unintentionally difficult for herself, too.  When the villagers sacrifice another girl to be Habaek’s bride, she begs Mui to save her.  She can’t just stand by and let a helpless girl die.  But when the girl  turns out to be the spitting image of Nakbin, Habaek’s dead lover, Soah begins to question the wisdom of her actions.  Mui seems enchanted by the girl, and she seems to take delight in making Soah miserable.  Could she really be Nakbin, and what does she really want from the water god?

This installment of Bride of the Water God is fantastic.  It is passionate and every encounter with every character resonates with emotion.  And there are so many emotions!  Love, lust, fear, jealousy.  It’s all there, seething in every panel on every page.  The illustrations sizzle with forbidden longings and confused feelings.  I was swept away in the tide of feelings, helpless to remain indifferent.  The story finally becomes a cohesive, coherent partner to the stunningly attractive art, and now I am overcome with longings of my own.  Where, oh where, is volume 6?!

Grade: A

Review copy provided by Dark Horse