The parallels between The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride and My Happy Marriage are undeniable. An Edo Era Japan-eque period setting interwoven with magic starts to come to life in volume one. The world building is subtle, which leaves readers asking questions and eagerly awaiting the next installment. The romance isn't as chaste as My Happy Marriage, but I didn't see the swooning the cover appears to promise. Quick read.

This story hooked me right off the bat and has great potential going forward. Nanao is a sweet girl born from a good family in their clan and is engaged to marry the son of the clan leader, Reito because of her strong spiritual powers. Due to an unfortunate accident that was instigated by a family member, she became a family pariah by being “tainted” by a monkey spirit. Shunned by everyone and treated as a slave, poor Nanao had given up hope that she would ever be treated as anything more than tainted.

After seeing the way that Nanoa is treated by her clan, Yako scolds her clan for claiming absolute integrity and then treating one of their own so poorly merely because she is “tainted”. Yako saves her by taking her away to become his wife after seeing the way her clan treats her and for his own personal reasons. He is part of the most powerful clan that fights demons every night and though he saves her for some partially selfish reasons, I find I really like his character. He doesn’t put on an act and though he doesn’t reveal all of his intentions or secrets initially, he seems like a good character who will help Nanao heal and grow in her new life.

I feel like this manga has great potential and has a very solid start. The author has shown us how the FMC has been treated and abused over the years and endeared us to me and I can’t wait to see the woman she will become while under Yako’s care and in a household that doesn’t abhor her. Yako has his own baggage and responsibilities and I think this story will continue to get better as it goes now that this first volume has set the stage for the story. I think that fans of Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits will enjoy this manga very much. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to this great story.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for allowing me to read the eARC of this manga.

As a fan of Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, I looked forward to this series and was not disappointed. I enjoyed this first volume. The art style caught my eye. It is beautiful and dynamic and definitely a highlight of the book. I found the Kappa characters to be so adorable, even though their lisps were sometimes hard to understand.

That said, the pacing felt slightly off to me. Everything seems to happen so quickly that it can feel overwhelming at times. I wish there had been a little bit more backstory to help flesh out some characters more.

My biggest reservation stems from the setup of the central romance that starts from a place of significant imbalance. Nanao's sheltered upbringing and past trauma, combined with her perceived debt to Yako, created a dynamic that can be uncomfortable for some readers. Yako's motivations for "saving" her also contributed to the imbalanced power dynamic. Hopefully, Nanao will find her strength as the story progresses.

Overall, I think this volume is a great start to the series. I look forward to reading the next volume!

I like the way this manga has started out. The FMC started out as this beautiful flower and then got tricked by her cousin. Which her cousin is a bitch.. She did that shit on purpose because she wasn't going to the head lady of the clan. What's funny is that the cousin did that but after a few years, a bigger clan leader came and took the FMC as his bride. After having to wear that mask the villagers forgot what she looked like and she was a very prettier flower grown up. It was a little twist when he bit her and then informed her that he had to suck her blood everyday and she didn't' even care about it. she was just happy to find another reason to stay with him.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride. In this volume we are introduced to Nanao, our main character, who has suffered plenty in her life already at the hands of her cousin and the Byakurenji heir. We are introduced to an interesting world of Akayashi and a magical system to that is intriguing. And most importantly, we are introduced to Yako, the Ayakashi Hunter.

I loved this story and its artwork, and wished it was so much longer than it was!! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

starting from it's cover The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride lures you in with stunning, gothic-esque artwork—delicate yet eerie, much like its story. But don’t be fooled by the romantic title; this is not a sweet love story. The fl Yukari, the last in a line of ayakashi hunters, is cold, resentful, and traumatized—she despises ayakashi (supernatural beings) for slaughtering her family. So, of course, fate (and a cruel bargain) binds her to the ml Kujou, an immensely powerful ayakashi lord who claims her as his bride. This manga doesn’t shy away from brutality which makes it scary yet addictive. Talking about it's art work Mamenosuke Fujimaru’s art is breathtaking. The character designs are elegant, with intricate details—especially Kujou’s flowing kimono and piercing gaze.The backgrounds are moody, often drenched in shadows, reinforcing the gothic, oppressive tone. Even the body language speaks volumes—Yukari’s stiff posture vs. Kujou’s predatory grace.

So, I highly this book The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride —it is dark yet captivating, read that blends gothic romance with supernatural intrigue. If you enjoy the forced marriage, hatred to love trope this will absolutely hook you.

I was pleasantly surprised by this Manga!

The characters had great banter and great side characters! I was also surprised by the last chapter. I can definitely see myself picking up Volume 2!

Beautiful art and a lovely story
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with this E-ARC to read and review.

These two are so cute together!!!! I'm dying out of cuteness seeing them fall in love with each other. I love the art especially coming from one of my favourite series so to see the similar premise on ayakashi bride made me squeal in happiness. The two protagonist both communicate well with each other, she tried to get out of the shackled grip of mistreatment and to see her development felt so refreshing. I hate the villagers and her ex fiancee for treating her so horribly. Gosh, I just hope we get to see more of these two together because i cant get enougj of them

I dont have any more words than just WOW. I cried at first of how she got treated but then HE came into her life and made her his wife and taking care of her.
I so am going to buy the other manga/books too😻😻

This book is so amazing. the story is so good just like the drawings and details. I wasn't able to put the story down until i finished it. Can't wait to start the next book of this amazing story

The story has a strong start with emotional depth and striking visuals. The art is absolutely beautiful, and the characters are well-designed. However, I personally don’t really enjoy historical or old-era settings in manga, so it was hard for me to fully get into it. While the supernatural elements and drama are interesting, the overall theme just isn’t quite my style. Still, fans of period romances with a touch of mystery will probably enjoy this more than I did.

I thoroughly enjoyed this manga. It is an intriguing story with mystery and heart. I'd love to read more to see where the story goes.

Meet Nanao, the sweet, bubbly fiancée of Reito, the Lord of the Byakurenji clan, all set to tie the knot. But hold on book besties—everything flips upside down when she steps beyond the village's protective barrier and gets ambushed by a norangutan ayakashi! Now tainted, she faces rejection from everyone, including Master Reito, aka Master Kudou wannabe. Her cousin swoops in, seizing the chance to snag Reito as her own groom. Cue the drama and feels overload with this manga! Enter Lord Benitsu Baki—no spoilers, but Oh Zaddy!!! This is a solid 5-star ride, and it's the first book trophy I'm snagging after devouring an ARC copy!

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing the ARC; all views expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this thoroughly. Great art, interesting world/story, and I am very interested in reading the next volume. My only issue was that there was some novel parts in it? And I almost wish it had gone just a little bit slower.

Nano was raised as the betrothed to a noble family. With strong dark spiritual power, she was a force to be reconned with even at a young age. With great power brings and breeds jealousy. When Nanos cousin starts to pine after what has been rightfully hers since she was young, she starts plotting a way to get Nano out of the picture so she can claim what she desires.

Nano becomes tainted after her cousin gets away with her plan to remove Nano from the eye of her betrothed. Now Nano is shunned not only by her family and the ones she holds dear but by her whole village.
A high-ranking noble enters the village to do business and steals Nano away as his bride. This noble is more than what meets the eye.

The story is full of some of our favorite tropes. It has a unique magic / Spiritual system.
I sat down and read this from start to finish and really wish I had book two available to continue the journey.
I deeply enjoyed the connections and relationships that you see in the making as well as the stark difference between Nanos life in the village and her new life in the capital.

The art was beautifully done.
Plus, the MMC is swoon worth both in art and his actions ;)

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for he Digital Copy to review.
#AyakashiHuntersTaintedBride #NetGalley

This romantasy manga follows Nanao, a girl born with immense dark spiritual power, raised to be the bride of the clan’s heir. But when she’s marked by a monkey ayakashi, she’s deemed unclean, and forced to act as a servant by her family. Her life changes when Yako, the head of another powerful clan, whisks her away to become his bride.
Much like My Happy Marriage the story follows the Cinderella trope: a mistreated quiet girl rescued by a handsome stranger. But rather than being a pure relationship, things are much more complicated, with Yako wanting Nanao purely for her power via her blood, which helps tame Yako’s vampire-like curse.
While there isn’t much character development so far, the world-building is quite interesting. The story introduces a spiritual system where five elemental clans protect the country from demons. Women posses dark energy, men light, and women serve a supportive role—most notably preparing breakfast imbued with energy to power their male counterparts. This made me think of Kakuriyo, which makes sense since the same creator wrote both.
The art is rather pretty and fits the style of the story well, and I always enjoy a good historical-based story as you always learn a little something from it every time. Also, while the description compares it to Noragami, I didn’t see any sort of resemblance, but I guess I’ll just have to keep reading the series to see.
Overall, The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride is a promising slice-of-life great for fans of Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits and My Happy Marriage.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

<b> I received an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</b>

Nanao was promised to the next head of their clan as a bride because she had the greatest dark spiritual energy of anyone in the clan. She is reared to be the perfect bride but one day someone throws her precious gift from her future husband beyond the protective barrier. She bravely steps out to retrieve is only to be marked by an orangutan ayakashi as the demon’s bride. The ‘monkey’ seal is considered a curse and Nanao is forced out, to live in a shed behind the main building, not allowed to be seen by anyone without a monkey mask to cover her face and not allowed to talk to anyone.
But she still has her uses and the new wife for the future head of the family, her cousin, uses her to cook breakfast, the most important duty for the wife of the clan. Other than that she is used more or less as a punching bag. She endures for many years until a chance meeting with the head of another one of the five clans has her whisked away to be his bride. So begins her life anew as the future bride to Yako.

If you have ever read or watched My Happy Marriage and loved it, you will probably love this one as well, judging by the first volume. It follows a lot of the same threads. A young woman used as a servant, abused by her family becomes the future bride to a man with powerful spiritual powers. Eager to please and not be sent back to the life they left, she does whatever is asked of her, determined to prove she can be useful.

Overall, I have to say, art is gorgeous and the flow of the story is well done. The only part I found a bit odd was how they presented the ending. A page or two of diary entries and then a couple of pages that seem to be straight out of the light novel version of this story.

It sort of gives a combination of "Apothecary diaries" And "Kakuriyo bed and breakfast for spirits" you get the historical context and teh potential love triangle with the spiritual aspect added in and I can't wait to see what's going to happen next! I'm super bummed the first book just came out in March because I want to keep reading and I know that it probably hasn't been published yet :'(

This is such an intriguing start to a series. I love the tension that is built and the curiosity of the main character. I'm excited to see what comes next!