Buy it here

Title:  The Recipe for Gertrude #4

Author:  Nari Kusakawa

Publisher: CMX

ISBN:  978-1401211134

Contains Lots of Spoilers

As Claude begins the ritual that will separate the soul of his wife from the spirits struggling for control within Gertrude, Sahara lies helplessly enchanted.  Gertrude arrives to save her, only to find that Claude has cast a Rewind spell on her.  If she awakens, the spell will be set in motion.  The fire in her soul will begin to burn out, showing the events of Gertrude’s life, in reverse, until he ceases to exist.  Only then will Claude be able to free Halon’s soul.  Will Gertrude be able to save Sahara before he turns to dust?

This was a nice, tidy closure to the main storyline of The Recipe for Gertrude.  There is one remaining volume, but it’s a collection of bonus and side stories.  After a rough start to the series, Nari Kusakawa really found her focus, and this turned out to be a very compelling story.

When Gertrude arrives at Sahara’s side, he finds her in a deep slumber, which she can only be awakened from if he uses the magical key given to him by Claude.  If he uses the key and wakes her up, the Rewind spell will take effect.  Sahara’s life will burn out, and Gertrude will cease to exist, releasing the souls of the twins from his body. 

As Gertrude ponders a way to break the spell and save Sahara’s life, Claude, cradling the body of his wife, heads upstairs to wait for the spell to come to its inevitable conclusion.  As each sits with their one, true love, they reflect on the past and also on what the future will bring.  Claude just wants the release of his wife’s soul from Gertrude’s body, while Gertrude, a helpless pawn in the course of events, longs for Sahara’s safety.   

When Gertrude finally unlocks Sahara from her slumber and activates the spell, she’s infuriated with him.  Like Gertrude, she’s more concerned for the other’s survival.  Cradling her, sobbing, in his arms, he comforts her and justifies his decision.  There was no other way to end it, to free the souls and lift the recipe from her bones; it was the only way to remove her from danger.

As the spell unwinds, revealing dreamlike flashbacks of Halon and her sister, Gertrude, Sahara and Gertrude watch as the history of his life is played in reverse.  The focus now is on the twins, as the jealous Gertrude, weak in body but possessing the magical powers of their demon mother, kills her sister, steals her soul, and places it, along with her own, into the body of the man-made demon.  Gertrude, coveting her sister’s healthy body and envious of her relationship with Claude, plotted to free herself of her suffering.  Instead, she imprisoned herself, for a hundred years, in Gertrude’s body.

As the spell continues to unfold, Sahara weeps with self-recrimination.  Weakened as her life is slowly extinguished, gripping tightly to Gertrude’s hand even as he slowly turns to dust, she blames herself for what’s come to pass.  I have felt that previous volumes were lacking in romance, that the connection between Gertrude and Sahara hadn’t sparked.  This volume fixed all of that, as heightened emotions washed across the pages, through images of Sahara forlornly cradling Gertrude’s bodiless soul.  Their ill-fated love was convincing then, as was Sahara’s desolation at its loss.  This was really good stuff!

Grade: B+

Rated for Everyone

Review galley provided by the publisher, CMX.