The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 11 by Natsu Hyuuga, Nekokurage, Itsuki Nanao, Touco Shino
Series Name: The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
Genres: Drama, Historical, Mystery, Romance
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-64609-252-9
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book
Summoned to attend the Emperor on an evening jaunt to an ancient shrine that functions as a rite of passage for the rulers of the land, Maomao makes quick work of the puzzle inside, acquitting herself with aplomb. Having learned more about the Imperial bloodline than a commoner has any right to know, Maomao returns to her post at the Jade Palace. But her aim to stay out of the business of her betters is foiled once again when the Empress Dowager comes calling! The mother of His Imperial Majesty seeks Maomao’s aid in investigating yet another curse, one she fears she herself may have cast upon the infamous late Emperor…
Personal & Info
I can never get enough of this series. Every time I finish a volume, I’m already ready for the next one. Unfortunately, it’ll be a little bit of a wait. Volume twelve doesn’t come out until September.
Characters
Maomao is pulled into solving more royal favors, and this time not for Jinshi, but the Empress Dowager herself.
Jinshi isn’t entirely significant to the main story of the volume. He mostly plays the part of an observer this time around.
Empress Dowager Anshi, the current Emperor’s mother, is the main focus. The majority of the volume revolves around a favor she requests of Maomao.
Story & Thoughts
There are five chapters. The first is part two of The Shrine of Choosing, continuing from where volume ten leaves off. After that, the book focuses more on the Empress Dowager and what the previous Emperor was like.
I find this volume particularly interesting, because it digs more deeply into the details of the royalty. Up until now, we’ve only seen the Empress Dowager in passing. Now we get to see her in the majority of this book. Four out of five of the chapters are practically all about her.
The three part section by the title of The Late Emperor is all about how things were when the previous emperor was in power. Also, how the Empress Dowager attained her rank, and more about the births of her two children. The time of the previous emperor honestly sounds pretty terrible. Some progressive laws were passed thanks to Anshi, and are still getting better with the current emperor, but a lot of shady stuff was going on behind the scenes. I’ll let the book take care of explaining all of that, but my point is, the political intrigue of this volume is very interesting. It’s like getting a lore dump.
This section of the series might make some readers uncomfortable. It readdresses the inappropriate age preference the previous emperor had. The age of the Empress Dowager at the time of the Emperor’s birth was bleeped out earlier in the series when it was mentioned in passing at the first Garden Banquet. At this point in the series, it blatantly gives a number. We can all agree the previous emperor’s preferences were disgusting. I don’t think readers should let these parts ruin their opinion of the whole series.
I think the most significant thing in the volume is that we finally get a for sure answer about the mystery around Jinshi. Now, we’re left wondering how long it will be until Maomao finds out the truth, and if she will care at all once she has the answers.
As one of the few volumes that doesn’t end in the middle of a multipart section, I can’t help wondering if this particular ending is foreboding or encouraging. The contextual meaning seems a little unclear in that regard.