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Title:  Red River #16

Author:  Chie Shinohara

Publisher:  Viz

ISBN:  9781421505589

May Contain Spoilers

Yuri, held captive by Rusafa and Urhi, despairs at being reunited with Kail.  Kail, meanwhile, has a plan to have his missing lover returned.  Wielding his power as king, he orders Nakia to remain captive within his palace.  Suspecting the woman of abducting Yuri, he lets her know that if the girl isn’t returned to him, he’ll have no choice but to offer a sacrifice to Nakia’s god.  If, by the end of the public prayer ceremony he has planned, Yuri isn’t back within his arms, he’ll have Nakia put to the death!

Oh, darn, this would have been a great way to get rid of Nakia!  She’s like a giant cockroach that scurries under cover whenever someone turns on a light.  I felt a teeny little flicker of sympathy for her during her tirade at her brother, but it didn’t last but a moment or two.  Yes, it is tragic that the young Nakia was handed over to the Hittite king like an unwanted article of clothing, but she more than exacted her revenge.  Nakia is so cold and ruthless that I don’t even believe she qualifies as human any more.

After Kail declares before the Senate that he will marry Yuri and no one else, his advisors are thrown into turmoil.  He can’t take Yuri, a commoner, as his bride.  As they seek guidance from Nakia, she sees this as a weakness to use against Kail.  She agrees that Kail should marry Yuri, but only if she fulfills her one condition; Yuri, the incarnation of Ishtar, must become the commander in chief of the military.

With an imminent war with Egypt looming, Yuri doubts that she is suitable to lead the military.  How could she, a young Japanese girl, successfully lead the armies?  As she ponders the importance of nationality and being an outsider in her new country, she also learns the importance of her friends and their belief in her.  Does it really matter where you came from, as long as you love where you are?

Sixteen volumes in, and I’m still enjoying this series.  Sure, there are times when the plot delves into the ludicrous, but it’s all done with such flair that it’s easy to overlook a ridiculous turn of events every now and again. 

Grade: B

Rated for Older Teen