The Ancient Magus' Bride vol 2 by Kore Yamazaki

Elias teaches Chise more about how to wield all the magic she absorbs and generates, and she helps Elias with a few tasks that have been given to him. Chise uses more of her power than she should, which causes her to lose consciousness for several days while her body recovers. While unconscious, she is visited by Titania and Oberon.  The queen of fairies teases the Thorn Mage for his attachment to Chise, especially knowing the price her special powers will exact on her.  Later, Chise and Elias travel to a church where a grim dog is potentially causing problems.  Grims often guard cemeteries, but left alone too long, they can turn violent.  Chise finds more than just a grim haunting this cemetery, and a major villain is finally revealed.

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There are a few jumps in this story where we go from Chise just learning about magic to her knowing quite a few things already, and I feel like the audience has lost out on some of the exposition that would detail how magic works in this world.  We get a slight bit from Elias with how Chise absorbs and generates her own magic, which taxes her body, but by the end of the volume, Chise is making low-level potions and sussing out other magical entities.  Hopefully, some of this will get filled in as we go on.  Otherwise, this is a thoroughly enjoyable story, sure to hook readers of Sarah J. Maas' Court of Thorns and Roses.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12
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Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1

Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Fantasy, Romance