The Apothecary Diaries
Rating: Average 8.73 / 10
Alternative: The Pharmacist's Monologue, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (薬屋のひとりごと)
Author(s): Natsu Hyūga
Artist(s): Touko Shino
Genre(s): Drama, Mystery
Type: Light Novel
Release: Aug 29, 2014
Status: OnGoing
Plot Summary:
In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there. Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That's her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao's façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor's favorite consort... so she can taste the lady's food for poison! At her lady's side, Maomao starts to learn about everything that goes on in the rear palace—not all of it seemly. Can she ever lead a quiet life, or will her powers of deduction and insatiable curiosity bring her ever more adventures, and ever more dangers?
Reviews
Rating: ★★★★☆
"Definitely worth reading, currently at volume 12, love how everything takes a new perspective and start coming together each time, the plot twists make the story really enjoyable. Sometimes you might find what is happening a bit slow, just to realize everything had a purpose. The new characters included now and then really surprise you when you least expected, the mystery or simplicity behind someone is never an indicator of what is about to come. The presence of strong female characters continues throughout the development of the narrative, which I personally really appreciated, especially considering the time period in which the story is set. Every interaction between Maomao and Jinshi might leave you wanting more even but you can expect that it won’t be the focus, however at the end the plot is enough to keep you reading without realizing the time passing by."
Rating: ★★★★☆
"This series is great at telling an over-arching narrative. It has some soft mystery vibes and a large focus on political intrigue. It's probably the best LN I've read in terms of narrative focus. It's hard to really put in words, since in the first place, the purpose of writing is to take the reader from one point to another in a coherent way. I think all I can really say about it, is that it's well-paced and leaves just enough for the reader to be satisfied but still wanting more. Which sounds bad, but I mean it in the best way possible. Despite being mostly slice of life for the most part, it reads more like a mystery novel, where information stacks on itself until it reaches a big reveal of an arc. I would not consider it a romance novel, even if there is a male lead interested in the female mc. The female mc is very charming and has basically none of it. The writing is very laid back, but well-written in terms of pacing. It can go off on a complete tangent with a side story, and still leave the reader feeling like the story's taken a few steps forward by the end of it. And later on, almost all of it proves to be important in a way the reader didn't see before, in a way I personally don't feel with most LN. It probably won't click with everyone, it's not anything too special or particularly mind-blowing, but it's really well-written and unabashedly what it is."