Thanks NetGalley and Viz Media for this arc!

5/5 stars

I am heavily invested in this series lol. I love the art, I love the story, I love our new character Aki. I can't wait to learn more about her, and how the story progresses from here!

Konosuke wakes covered in bandages and can’t remember a thing. As he slowly recovers, he realizes he had a job to report to in a few days, so he focused on recovering from whatever made him so injured. His memory is still very hazy, but this has happened before. He slightly remembers two other people, but can’t make anything more out. Meanwhile, Tsuki and her captors are on their way to their destination and reveal the memory wipe on Konosuke has been successful. In another part of Edo, a young blind ichiko (fortune teller) has arrived. Aki looks to set up shop while she tracks down the descendants of the woman who saved her mother. Her quest leads her to the doorstep of Konosuke just as he recovers his memories and becomes distraught at Tsuki’s disappearance, and Aki finds herself entangled in Konosuke’s quest.

Volume two picked up right where the action left off and put us in a precarious situation with Konosuke's missing memories. The frustration and sense of urgency throughout this volume kept the pages flying. Aki is another interesting character who gets woven into the narrative here, and her power to see the future makes things very interesting. The magic that gets slowly revealed throughout makes everything mysterious and entices me to keep reading, so I'm thoroughly hooked in figuring out how Konosuke is going to save his wife, how Aki plays into all of this, and what all of these bad guys want with Tsuki in the first place.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

Wow. I really loved the first one and NEEDED the second one and this volume did NOT disappoint!

The story and the characters have me HOOKED. And the blind girl who is the seer of the end of the people whom she touches, what she saw when she saw the final future of the MC H. WHAAAAAT?!?! I HAVE to see how we get to that, I HAVE to!

I highly recommend this series. It is violent and people are killed and kidnapped, though it isn't overly graphic, if you have a good imagination, it will be graphic in your head. Just be warned.

5, I am foaming at the mouth for the next one, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.

I love the introduction of the new character, Aki. She's a really interesting addition to the story. I still feel confused about where the story is going overall, but I'm enjoying the journey so far.

For a second volume, this does a lot of things well. We pickup the story with no preamble and get right to the action. We meet new characters that start filling out the world and giving new depth and detail. We are still left with questions, albeit new ones, that make you want the next volume immediately. I thought the art was outstanding and remains a big reason to pick this title up. I appreciate how the author trusts the audience to stay on top of details and doesn't belabor any points. This is one of my new favorite series and one I recommend at the library a lot!

4/5

Volume 2 picks up right where we left off. Konosuke is somehow home, beaten and broken with no memories. He’s been cursed to forget his beloved Tsuki and all the events that happened recently.

This volume also introduces a new character, Aki. As an ichiko with the gift to see how people die, she’s confused when she sees herself in Konosuke’s future.

This series is really intriguing. The art has a beautiful style, and the character designs are really fun and unique for a historical Japan timeline.

I want more! Can’t wait for volume 3.

I loved this! I really liked the new character introduced and her personality. I felt the story was getting a little off track though, I was having some issues keeping up.

Volume 2 of Steel of the Celestial Shadows provides more narrative setup for the story, along with some developments that pick up where the first volume ended. We are introduced to a new character, Aki, who is immediately my favorite given her abilities and backstory. With how each volume is paced so far, it feels a lot like an hour+ episode on HBO or Netflix where you can jump in on the second episode, get into it, and still get a lot out of going back to watch the first episode or in this case, read the first volume. I look forward to seeing how the story continues.

This volume was not quite as engaging as the first one, but it was still intriguing. I like the introduction of the blind character, and I hope Konosuke and Tsuki get reunited soon.