Title: Two Flowers for the Dragon Vol 2

Author: Nari Kusakawa

Publisher: CMX

ISBN: 9781401215279

May Contain Spoilers

Ah, love can be such a tangled mess.  Poor Sakuya has not one, but two, handsome fiances!  How is a girl supposed to decide between them?  Before Lucien returned from a mysterious five year absence, she was so certain that her heart belonged only to Kuwan.  Now she’s just not sure! 

Even the cover is super cute for this charming volume of Two Flowers for the Dragon. I wasn’t overly excited about the first chapter, until the last two pages, when the emotionless Kuwan actually exerted a little effort and flirted with Shakuya.  He must not be feeling quite as secure as he once did, and after seeing her tattle-tell tattoos, caught a clue that his maybe bride-to-be is a teeny-weensy bit torn between her fiances.  The rest of the chapter was a little too cliched, and Shakuya’s forgiveness of her abductors didn’t ring true.  Kuwan, at the very least, should have wanted to take measures to ensure that the incident didn’t happen again.

We learned a little bit about Lucien’s time away from the oasis, as well as how he has forgotten even his own family now that he’s returned.  While wandering the desert, he had the good fortune to be rescued by a sword dancer.  She taught him her craft, and he matured from a clumsy boy into a confident young man.  When rumors start swirling about Shakuya’s disgraced father, he discovers a possible link between his teacher and the exiled man.  Dismayed, he keeps this concern to himself, wondering now if his teacher might have had other plans in mind when she saved him.  Hmmm.  This angle is very intriguing, and I foresee it causing all kinds of trouble for Shakuya and Lucien.

Before reading this volume, Lucien was my pick for Shakuya, hands down.  Kuwan was a distant second.  Not anymore!  Now I like Kuwan better, and he hasn’t even changed all that much - he’s a bit softer and not as cold towards Shakuya.  Perhaps he is feeling a bit of heat from his rival?  I wonder how many times I, like Shakuya, will yo-you between the two suitors?  With its fun mix of personalities and Shakuya being enchantingly flustered over Lucien and Kuwan, I can hardly wait for the next volume.  Hopefully the tigers will get all little more page time?  They were sadly neglected here.

Grade: B+

Rated for Teen

Review copy provided by CMX