There’s a couple of things I like about the manga:
1. The art - I think it’s pretty well drawn and the expressions tell their own story.
2. The setting - I’m a sucker for country sides.
What I didn’t enjoy/ what wasn’t for me:
1. The pacing: I think things happen too quickly. There wasn’t enough tension created where the FMC was struggling with her own morality, or the MMC’s. There wasn’t any actual danger she was ever in. Everything works out very easily for them. There wasn't enough inner world exploration and a lot of actions are told not shown. I wish I could learn more about these characters outside their love/respect for each other.
SPOILER WARNING: I think the fact that we find out what happened with the FMC while walking down a busy train station also did not make sense. I think those panels could have been used to explore what she was thinking, and not what she was saying out loud to the MMC.
2. The characterization: for someone who is supposed to be FMC’s bodyguard, he doesn’t do a whole lot. Also it’s not believable that someone who grew up as wealthy as her would know how to do all these chores.
Overall, it’s a good story, but I think the author needs to slow down. They need to explore story and emotional beats. They need to build tension between the characters. I would love to see more panels of the inner worlds of these characters. I think towards the end, the author does focus on the inner world of the MMC for a few panels, but it left me wanting more.

I GOT THIS MANGA AS AN ARC THROUGH NETGALLEY.

Snow and Ink Vol. 1 explores themes of redemption, past traumas, and the search for connection against a harsh, snowy backdrop that enhances the story’s emotional depth. I personally loved the illustrations of the Hinderlands and the snowy setting. I also enjoyed that the manga sets up an intriguing story with its focus on Freya and Neneo's struggles and personal histories.

However, I feel as if the romance in this first volume was incredibly rushed. The transition from strangers to lovers happens too quickly - unbelievably so, in fact - missing the gradual build-up of feelings that could have made their relationship dynamic more compelling or complex. Freya and Neneo's attraction to one another just didn't feel authentic. Additionally, the story might mistakenly present itself as more of a quick-read romantic drama rather than the deep, mysterious romance that the manga is categorized under.

I did still enjoy Snow and Ink, though, and think that the series has potential. Fans of dramatic, character-driven stories may still find it worth reading, given the hope that future volumes will provide more depth and development from our main characters.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Snow & Ink 1 by Miyuki Unohana in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

A disgraced former heiress, Freya, escapes to an isolated life, and on the way she buys a man, Neneo, on death row for killing his entire village. But it turns out there’s more to his past than meets the eye, and they grow close.

The description is a bit vague because the story kind of felt vague to me. I’m not sure what Freya is an heiress to or what she did to get the treatment she did, and she doesn’t seem to have much depth so far or anything beneath the surface other than being naive for some reason. The romance is probably supposed to be the biggest draw, but it kind of just happened out of nowhere that I wondered if I was missing a chapter or something. The art and characters were also not particularly pretty or remarkable to make up for the story. I think this manga could benefit from establishing the world and characters a bit more before we start on the relationships, but maybe there will be more of that in later volumes. This was an okay manga to me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC.

We have the story of Freya, a wealthy heiress who buys a killer to accompany her during her exile. I was really excited to get this ARC because the description of the manga promised a lot, but it didn’t quite deliver as expected.
Yes, he’s a killer, but there's a deeper plot behind that.
In my opinion, the manga has a lot of potential, but this first part was simply entertaining.

The set up for the story is really interesting but it was way too rushed! The first volume definitely should've done more building between the two and the worldbuilding rather than throwing us in and having instalove. Their polar opposite nature can definitely be a hit in the same vein as Loid and Yor, but the lack of development frankly rather ruined any anticipation for their relationship. The plot is super interesting so I can see myself keeping up with future volumes to see what happens.

Snow & Ink, Volume One, by Miyuki Unohana
Genre: Manga, Literary Fiction

It's a odd day when heiress Lady Freya Gibson purchases convicted 50+ murderer Neneo just for the sake of enraging her family, who estranged her by giving the title of heir to adopted sister Anna.

He discovers she has chosen him as a bodyguard while on journey to the North, where she intends to disappear from public opinion. Gibson Enterprises have failed and almost bankrupted under her guide, making the young woman prone to vicious attacks by many people, even physical and life-threatening.

The two start their journey as "snow & ink", a locution used to describe two polar opposites, but as they start to know each other, they found themselves tangled a lot more than they could have ever imagined.

...

It's not even remotely close to what I thought it was. The story had a lot of potential, but what disturbed me is the kind of insta-love, insta-lust(?) between Freya and Neneo, a traumatised boy with a dark past (and who killed 50+ people for a specific reason).

I wished there was a lot more of focus on the plot itself, as the last 30% has started to feel a lot more interesting. The art was darker than what I commonly read in mangas, but that has not bothered me too much.

In the end I think I will read the second volume because the ending is feeling a prelude to something a lot reasonable with my tastes. And also, I want to see more Halvard, because I've not quite understood why he is so keen on this task.

...

Rating: ★★

...

I want to thank Kodansha Comics for the digital ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) via Netgalley. I'm not affiliated to the author, to the publishing house or any other person/agency. My review is honest and based only on my thoughts/feeling while reading the book.

Anais by The Bookish Scorpio

2.5/5 ⭐️
I’m going to be honest, I’m torn on this one. On one hand the set up is very interesting but the execution is lacking. Not sure if that’s to do with the translation, pacing or the tone shifts? I will probably still look up vol2 cause I am quite curious.

I enjoyed it i love the story and the dynamic between two characters who have a bit of troubled past. I am curious how the story will continue since its the first volume.

It's a very nice story! Very solid, I would have loved it more if there was a bit more of history or like a world building and the setting, we got thrown into the story without knowing that so I was a bit confused but other than that it was a good read! And also maybe, give their romance a bit more time to develop, it was going a bit too fast. I love the dynamic between the two leads and the ex-fiancé though. Can't wait for the rest!

i really enjoyed this. it was extremely fast paced and action packed. at times, I wish it would slow down and give more explanations

An heiress who was kicked out from society with a murderer with a traumatic past makes quite a lovely pair ✧˖°.

When Neneo was almost executed for murdering his entire village, Freya bought him and hired him as a bodyguard as they travelled to a far place where she was sent away from her family. Even though it is clear that Neneo definitely did not murder people in cold blood, he did not warm up to Freya right off the bat. He watched as she suffered through insults from strangers, all whilst him suffering through the same treatment as a criminal.

They developed a relationship when she saved him from dying from his wounds, and while one can say it’s pretty much insta-love, I do not think they are both romantically involved yet. When two lonely souls have no one but each other to lean on to, I think it’s only right they developed a quick relationship together. It’s sweet seeing how they both have given up wanting to live, but now found solace in each other.

Definitely hoping to continue reading this one! I would love to see their bond deepening, and how they navigate their life as they take in new responsibilities. There’s so much more to both Freya and Neneo than just being two outcasts who ‘destroyed’ people’s lives.

Snow & Ink is a romance adventure manga about an exiled heiress and her bodyguard. Freya buys Neneo off of death row to accompany her to the north after she ruins her family business. The manga follows their adventures as the two get to know each other and their pasts come back to haunt them.

While the story is fresh and unique, it is incredibly fast-paced and I felt like I was missing several chapters of the story. Though it moves quickly, the author has a great base to build off of and the ending leaves the reader with just enough mystery to come back for more. The art is also very well-done and is appealing to the eye.

This particular manga is not for me, but if you like mysteries and romance, it could be the perfect one for you!

I went into this manga without knowing much about it, but I really liked the first volume. The art style is very pretty and the relationship is fun, although a bit fast and sudden. I’m intrigued by the dark story and can’t wait to read 2!

This was okay. The story felt very rushed and it didn’t feel like anything was actually happening. The summary made it sound like it would be a fun story, but the execution was the best in my opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc. Getting this as an arc does not influence my review.

A ruthless and heartless killer is bought and saved by an infamous heiress. But did he kill his whole village? What really happened? Why did she save him? Why does everyone blame her for destroying their lives? Can either of them forgive themselves? This series starts out with all of these questions and we get glimpses of the answer in this first volume.

This manga has a quite abrupt start. Immediately we are thrown into the situation where Freya (the fl) buys Neneo’s (the ml) freedom. I actually felt like the development was weak. Freya as a character came across as boring instead of mysterious which is what I assume was the intention. Soon after both of them started to get along far too fast. I felt like the beginning of their relationship could have been stretched out longer.

Things I liked:

I liked the art. It is wonderfully done and the composition is interesting. The character design is also what originally made me pick this manga up.

This is mixed for me but this manga kept changing from soft and romantic scenes to dark scenes. While interesting, it was far too jarring. However, it was interesting to see and I couldn't predict how it would go. In the middle, it did lose me a bit with the romance because I wasn't as invested due to the fact I thought their development was too fast and there wasn't any real plot that was moving the story forward.

Near the end I thought the pacing was good actually and not as fast as the beginning. In fact, I thought it started to become interesting and the contrast of the romantic tone and mysterious atmosphere was also consistent now. It didn't feel as jarring as it did in the beginning. I was starting to actually get invested into Neneo’s past and what really happened to his village. Obviously as this is a manga series, there is more to come but I think it ends on a better note than it started.

2.5 ⭐️

Unfortunately, while this story had good bones through its premise and world setup, the execution was a bit lacking. The pace was extremely fast, the characters were a bit underdeveloped, and the plot was inconsistent.

One thing that I did enjoy was the MMC, Neneo, he was the most developed because we got to see his backstory and the struggles he went through daily. His trauma was tangible and I would love to see the progress he will make in forgiving himself.

On the other hand, Neneo’s relationship with Lady Freya, the FMC, wasn’t exactly built on a healthy foundation. First her purchasing him, then him being violent toward her, to then them kissing and cuddling together. I can imagine that their own separate traumas brought them closer together, but unfortunately the way that the author portrayed it seemed like they wanted to get them together as fast as possible.

Either way, I will say a big thank you to net galley for the ARC of the official translation of this manga. I do believe that now that the story is established the future volumes will have a lot more potential.

Snow & Ink vol. 1 is great love story between a criminal and the woman who rescues him, the characters are all great and it has some incredible art, I'm really looking forward to future volumes.

Thanks to Kodansha and Netgalley for the ARC.

"I like you because you actually listen to me."

Snow and Ink 1 - Miyuki Onohana
Pub date: Nov 05, 2024
★★★★☆

(Thank you to Netgalley for the free copy in exhange for an honest review!)

Snow and Ink follows our main character Ferya Gibson who banished herself from her privileged family after she messed up its finance and business matter. She then met Neneo and then bought and brought the criminal with her to the new life in northen countryside. It's a story about two people with different social background and how they encounter their own problem and past, how they recover from it, and how apparently they found love in each other.

Even though everything happened in this volume is rapid and brief, i personally love the idea of how people like Ferya and Neneo are together, exiled from the society and somehow found comfort in each other's company, just them against the world.
I'm excited about their relationship and dynamic already, it's just cute and wholesome. Also i'm keen to know more Neneo and his past slash trauma and how the story will proceed after the truth comes out. Definitely can't wait for the next volume!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

I did not finish this title. The pacing was off/too fast & the plot is very undeveloped. I feel like I wasn’t able to grow attach to these characters despite the obstacles they were overcoming.

Decent Manga but but feel like it left out all the story building parts of the story. The lovey parts were too quick for my personal liking but overall it was enjoyable.