Rosen Blood 1

Rosen Blood～背徳の冥館～ [Rosen Blood: Haitoku no Meikan] #1

by Kachiru Ishizue, Alexandra Klepper (Translator)

Als die Kutsche, mit der Stella reist, verunglückt, wird sie von einem geheimnisvollen Fremden aus den Trümmern gerettet. Ihr Held bringt sie zu einem märchenhaften Anwesen, welches von giftigen Rosen vor Eindringlingen geschützt wird. Ein Märchen? Oder ein Albtraum? Aus Geldnot und Dankbarkeit beginnt Stella als Hausmädchen in dem Anwesen zu arbeiten und wird immer weiter in den Bann des Fremden und seiner drei Freunde gezogen... nichts ahnend, dass die vier noblen Herren ein untotes Geheimnis haben!!

Eine düstere Romanze aus der Feder von Kachiru Ishizue, ganz in der Tradition von Bram Stokers "Dracula"...

Genres: Manga, Vampires, Romance, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Gothic

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 13, 2018

About the author

ISHIZUE Kachiru: 石据カチル

Reviews

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a really lovely manga as far as art and style go. I wasn't sold on the plot or characters to begin with, but the more I learn about the men in this manor, the more fascinated and curious I am. Everything has a very gothic romantic feel to it that carries a stunning aesthetic, too. I'm definitely intrigued and will be continuing the series!

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[Jan Agaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

how have I never heard of this super bloody vampy manga!! I'm obsessed!

[Geoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the premise had promise, the art is mostly gorgeous, and there are some interesting and creepy aspects (like the brothers' statues) but this isn't the manga for me for a few reasons. First EVERYTHING. IS. SO. DRAMATIC. Just a wee bit too over the top for me, and drama and plot convenience are prioritized over a totally coherent story. Second, I'm having a difficult time with the protagonist sticking around her likely mass murderer love interest and his abusive band of brothers. I'm sure this has an audience (look at Twilight and True Crime!), but it's not for me right now.

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Nina Quill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Les dessins sont magnifiques et l’ambiance spooky, gothique est sympa mais l’histoire en soit n’est pas très plausible et pas très bien développée pour l’instant…

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is lovely, the vampires in the story are seductive enough, plus the setting about the vampires and their nature is quite refreshing with some new ideas. But, the ending part I don't really like. Still I will wait for the next volume.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork to is lovely wowww I forgot how pretty it was!! So happy this got released in English so I can re read and read the rest ♡

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Listen this is gonna be such a guilty pleasure manga omg…the art is gorgeous, so gorgeous! The gothic romance vibes are immaculate and just it’s so beautiful. There’s not much of a story so far but I don’t think I even mind, low plot is fun sometimes when it’s so beautiful! Can’t wait for more volumes to be released and I pray it gets an English release!!

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This is going to be an odd way to start a review, but I wanted to read Rosen Blood so I could form an opinion based on what someone had said concerning the beginning. I don't typically read about vampires nor am I super familiar with the tropes in this genre. This was my very first vampire manga read!

It was an interesting one to say the least. I did not think it bad, but more of some of the content was not for me. I wasn't fond of feeling like the main girl, Stella, is a potential "sex toy" for the men around her. While there is definitely no sex, the suggestive themes were strong and I wanted Stella to stand up for her personal boundaries. (There were no personal boundaries said, but I think I inadvertently put them upon her.)

I do however very much ship Stella and Levi, who seems to be one of the two most respectful of Stella's "boundaries." Plus, *coughs* there is just something about that broody vampire who gets you. LOL! While there isn't a huge foundation I feel to their "relationship," I'm definitely hoping there will be at some point. Levi seems to care for her on a deeper level and hope that continues (as well as I what feel is protectiveness, which I'm also for).

The art in this manga is INCREDIBLE! Hands down some of the most beautiful shojo manga I've laid my eyes on and definitely had me admiring pages more than once because it was so stunning! The mangaka has such a unique art style that is shojo, but also has this darker feel to it.

While it is hard for me to overlook what I mentioned about me feeling Stella is a play thing of sorts, I was pretty intrigued by the plot of this story. I found it to be very engaging and at times quite intense! There are some interesting dynamics that come in and while one-part sort of freaked me out, it was again engaging and had me turning pages because I was genuinely curious to learn more about the men in this home.

Rosen Blood may not be my typical read and has content that I'm not personally fond of reading, but the story itself was good and had fantastic artwork. There are good mystery undertones with a main character who may start out naïve, but realize things are amiss and has the ability take things into her own hands (even if I AM concerned about her wellbeing and "the boundaries" being crossed).

*(I received a digital early copy from NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*

[vanni · Rating 2 out of 5]

in germany we say "ich war ein cover-opfer"

[chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ᯓ★
⤷what to expect: pretty art// reverse harem // suspense // vampires!!⊹ .

wdym i read this and liked it??

no bc i need vol. 2 right now. the characters are honestly all so intriguing and leviii, ughhh, i'd let u suck my blood pretty boy 🤭👅 i love how they're all so different, i mean kachiru lowk even threw in a femboy like-

all in all, i enjoyed this a lot more than i thought i would and it was a nice palette cleanser from the shit show that was Powerless

now, forget about this review and the fact that i read this book at all :)

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preread:
⤷it's embarrassing how excited i am to read this 😭

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you like sexy vampires with a Bluebeard twist? If the answer is yes, then Rosen Blood may just be the series for you, because that's precisely what it is: hapless human girl Stella is en route to her new employer's home when...something...happens on the road. The next thing she knows, she's waking up in a gorgeous but unfamiliar room with a handsome young man named Levi by her side. He tells her that she was the sole survivor of a carriage accident in the predatory thorn forest, but that's not entirely truthful. We can mostly fill in the blanks from there, but the story does do some interesting things with its mythology, and there are still plenty of questions by the end of the volume, making it feel like reading volume two is going to be a good idea. It is very reliant on the idea of a handsy reverse harem, which isn't going to work for everyone, but it's an interesting enough story with lovely Gothic art to make it worth checking out.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art’s beautiful, but it feels like reading a manga based off an otome game. I just didn’t connect with it enough to continue.

[ida johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✧
i just have a thing for characters named levi

[Elizabeth Aguilar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pacing and character dev is awkward and doesn't progress the story well. Plot? Not sure until the last chapter, sort of.

[Cappellaia Matta #bookblogger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drama senza drama.

Ok questa premessa potrebbe destabilizzare, ma è volutamente calcolato per farvi comprendere il mio stato d'animo. Volume acquistato perché attratta dallo stile, successivamente dalla trama interessante, ho scelto di dare una possibilità.

Il problema principale è solo uno: nulla di nuovo. Purtroppo l'atmosfera fortemente drammatica, sottolineata in ogni dialogo, non rispecchia lo stato d'animo del lettore. Un primo volume pieno di domande (troppe) e neanche una risposta o finta tale.

Se le storie di vampiri affascinanti ed enigmatici ti attraggono, forse potrebbe piacerti. La linea scelta è penetrante, marcata e sensuale ma la storia manca di sostanza. Non continuerò la serie.

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga is a gothic vampire dream! I love the art. All of the men are absolutely gorgeous. The lore is unique and particularly fantastic as well. I can't help but want more from it.
Stella is saved from a carriage accident on her way to a new job. The man who saved her brings her to his home, and so she takes up a job with him as a maid in his household instead of going on to her new place of employment. These 4 men are not all they are cracked up to be. They also continue to eat these crystal candies all of the time, and they look so pretty! When you learn what they are, you may think twice about it.
SO GOOD! DYING FOR VOLUME 2 ALREADY!

[Kasha Michiels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give all my money to be trapped in a gothic mansion with hot vampires. 😩 The art is beautiful and i'm liking the story so far. It's a basic vampire story and it's giving me all the otome game vibes. And i don't mind because i'm all for a reverse harem 😌

[Estefanía · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rosen Blood follows Stella, a young woman who is saved from a fatal carriage accident by a group of mysterious men. Upon waking up in their gothic mansion, Stella immediately takes on work as their maid and finds herself at the center of a strange mystery.

The only saving grace about this manga is the art. Stella is easily one of the most dense and passive heroines I've ever seen in a shojo manga. She isn't an active player in the story- everything simply happens to her without any action or intent from Stella's behalf and she basically just reacts with cutesy surprise. This much is readily apparent in the very first pages of the manga, when Stella finds herself completely naked in a house full of strangers and seemingly has no problem with it. Instead of any concern for her own safety, she immediately asks to be Levi's maid- without any real narrative set-up as to why Stella is in such dire straits that she's so desperate to work immediately after a major accident, surrounded by strange men who are keeping her as a naked captive in their secluded mansion. It's immediately apparent to the reader that Stella is being kept by a group of vampires. Ishizue isn't shy about the repeated close up of fangs or the very obvious dialogue which includes all the men around Stella telling her she smells or looks delicious. Between the very obvious vampire plot (which never crosses Stella's mind, even after repeated vampire dreams and nearly being bitten within the first 30 pages of the manga) and the steam-lined romance between Stella and Levi, Rosen Blood fails to build any tension. In comparison to manga series like Vampire Knight which deals with similar themes but follows a more dimensional, nuanced heroine and strings its readers along with a slowburn, "will they, wont they" love triangle, Rosen Blood accomplishes neither angle as masterfully.

It's pretty art tho.

[Jes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second vampire manga of the year and this one is.... weirder? Despite being non-explicit and aimed at a younger audience than the Midnight Secretary, Vol. 01 series, I feel like this book has some grimier implications. I think it's largely for the unlikely reasons I mentioned-- Midnight Secretary is aimed at adult women and can afford to have nudity and whatnot whereas Rosen Blood plays into innuendo and creepy allegorical scenes. And also, the protag of this book is a teenager of indeterminate age, which makes the occasional non-con blood-related advances rather slimy.

This book follows Stella, who is "rescued" from a supposed carriage wreck and is employed by a brood of mysterious dudes who keep calling her delicious. It's shallow, yeah, but compelling in a "wow, this has gorgeous enough art that I can pretend to suspend my disbelief so I can enjoy it". I noted that given the reverse-harem inspirations and light plot, this feels a lot like an otome game brought to the page. The friend I co-read helped me compile a list of the four vampires and unsurprisingly, they do sort of fit into dating sim stereotypes. This book is predictable in comforting ways, to the point where when it deviates from typical vampire romance fare, the quality seems to dip. For instance-- Stella and the lead vampire become romantically involved pretty early on, which feels strange given there's three other weirdos vying for attention (and her blood). It isn't that I'm complaining about originality, it just sort of creates a weird pacing problem.

Don't get me wrong-- the art is pretty and even if the plot is dumb, it never stops being enjoyable. I do think my reading buddy and I agreed to read the next volume when it comes to our library but. Uh. We ain't rushing.

[jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read any vampire romance or vampire shojo in quite some time, so I thought I would give this one a try. This used to be my favorite, go-to type of manga 15 or so years ago. I just kind of got burned out on it. This was a refreshing take, while feeling familiar at the same time. The art is simply gorgeous and the whole vibe is so gothic and atmospheric. I'm interested enough in the mystery surrounding the vampire men, the forest of thorns, and Stella's doppelgänger to check out the next volume. A solid dark romance manga!

Thanks to NetGalley and Viz for an advanced digital copy to read and review.

[Emi えみ Takami 鷹見 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a free digital copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Edelweiss and VIZ Media for this opportunity.

This is one I really hoped to like more. The art is pretty, but the story was choppy enough in some places and I had to go back and read a few panels to figure out if we had transitioned scenes or not. Furthermore, I really like the IDEA that this manga is going for, but I'm not sure about the execution yet.

Oh, and the guys are 10/10. They definitely have that sexy supernatural vibes.

[DesertSkyCacti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely a guilty pleasure read. You are reading for the artwork and the steamy scenes. The plot is there but it's in the background compared to the characters and "romance".
I honestly enjoyed my time reading this but I can tell it will not be for everyone.

[Daniy ♠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is so good, reminds me of Kuroshitsuji's art, the main character, Stella, is ... dumb... hope she gets better soon.

[madison (masquerade) ♫ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art style in this manga is absolutely stunning and is one of the main reasons I picked it up. I also always tend to fall in love with gothic style anything and this story is beautifully dark and moody. But unfortunately, the plot just did not stick for me and I felt a little unnerved when I came to the ending. Without spoilers, the ending is very creepy and didn't sit right in my imagination. I'm all for vampires and emo love interests but this gang of boys is lowkey abusive for reasons I won't disclose without spoiling anything. The storyline was definitely original and I could see how it could be interesting as it develops in future volumes, but unfortunately, it just isn't for me.

[Ashton Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and reminds me of Diabolik Lovers. Just a bit too fast paced, which makes the story seem cheesy rather than fleshed out.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I - I don't even know what to say. This is a very basic vampire and reverse-harem story. The writing is clearly not the forefront of the story here. Stella is oh-so-charmingly oblivious despite the boys saying everything except, "we wanna suck your blood until you're dry."

Despite the weak writing/translation and sporadic transitions, I loved it. Steamy, alluring, dangerous, and absolutely beautiful. I will definitely continue the series even if the writing remains flat just for the artwork and Levi-Ruin.

[marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never thought I'd like this series enough to read past Vol. 1. It has problems. The plot is incoherent, the pacing is uneven, the characters are flat, and the relationship dynamics are unconvincing. I also have trouble telling the characters apart, particularly with Levi and Frederick. Nonetheless, it grew on me. The art is just fantastic; there are interesting paneling choices and a great use of double page spreads. On top of that, it's incredibly atmospheric. What can I say? It's almost spooky season and I'm just really in the mood for some vampire harem.

[MAG Scrittrice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Molto belli i disegni, a cui avrei dato cinque stelle, ma la storia è un no secco.
Stella si risveglia a casa di uno sconosciuto, il quale le dice che la carrozza su cui viaggiava è stata assaltata e sono tutti morti tranne lei. Cosa farà mai Stella? Si preoccupa per le persone morte? Si domanda come sia accaduto? Si chiede chi accidenti sia quel tipo, sexy ma non è una scusante, che l'ha denudata? No, ci sono priorità e priorità e Stella chiede subito: "Fammi lavorare per te!" Giusto. Non sai neanche chi è (un malavitoso? Un padrone violento? Un trafficante d'organi? Un vampiro, in extremis?) né se ha bisogno di una domestica. Giustissimo.
Poi, come se nulla fosse, si veste da Maid e dà del tu a tutti. Gironzola per casa con un'ingenuità paurosa nonostante le venga detta la classica frase "puoi andare dove vuoi, ma mai nei sotterranei". Non è accaduto nel primo volume, ma sono certa che, sulla scia dei bambini negli horror, ci andrà.
Ma vogliamo parlare di quando scopre che sono tutti vampiri e la sua prima reazione, dopo aver compreso di essere un pasto tenuto in caldo, è "sarà io il vostro nutrimento"? Un attimino di panico sarebbe stato il minimo sindacale.
Mi dispiace, ma no. Peccato per i disegni, davvero belli.

[Luna's Little Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars
Thank you to Netgalley for this review copy.

The artwork is beautiful, the story…. Well, that doesn’t come across to the same standard of the artwork. That’s a shame because while the hot vampire trop is probably a bit old now it can work. At times the chapters felt jumpy, and Stella is annoying. The scene at the end reminded me of Midnight Secretary but whereas I could by an overly devoted Secretary thinking that offering herself up was a valid plan (it’s a stretch but to the character is made sense) that same scenario does not work for Stella. It could be because of the character development, the way the story is put together in the first volume….

I don’t really want to reject this based on the first book as volume 1 is always a bit here and there but I’m not sure on how keen I’d be to continue this. The artwork though…. So pretty.

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been intrigued since I saw it was coming out a few months back. This has a gothic setting, even the mansion and clothes. It was easy to get swept away in the story and the artwork. It kind of reminds me of Kiss of the Rose Princess, Vol. 1. Just the harem aspect and the vibe. Speaking of harems, those are my favorites to read about. However, Levi better be endgame. After the big reveal at the end of the book, I sure am ready for volume two.

[Laura✧˚ · . · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5
Maybe i wasnt in the right headspace to read this. The art is stunning and gorgeous but the story is all over the place. At points i was confused and i didnt know what i was reading because the plot was not there. We follow stella, our main character who wakes up after a weird dream in a manor. She had an accident with her carriage and she was supposed to work in another place but now she doesnt have any money and her only relative passed away (her sister). She meets levi, a really attractive young man who rescued her and hires her to work as a maid. She meets the other guys living in the manor with him: friedrich: a charismatic and charming man; yoel who is as beautiful as a doll and a writer and the scariest of them: Gilbert. A guy who has a room with dozens of sculptures that look very real. Gilbert attacks stella during their first encounter and the other guys rescue her and knock gilbert down. Stella believes hes dead but he isnt and later on shell discover why. In the meantime she wants to spend time with Levi but hes rude and wants her to call him sir and to take the job seriously. Later on, stella wants to leave the manor and go to town but friedrich thinks its a bad idea because she has them and everything she needs. However, stella discovers a weird box with a girl inside. They try to make her believe is another sculpture but she notices the scratches and the fingertips and shes scared. Levi brings her bread and yoel tells her about her accident. Theres a thorns forest surrounding the house and during that night there was a crimson moon. Apparently the thorns attack humans to take their blood or something like that. Stella gets closer to levi and they kiss from time to time and hes an artist and paints a lot.
During the last chapter we discover that yoel went to see gilbert and tried to fed him but gilbert managed to escape the manor and hes out of control. Yoel decides to tell stella the truth because she was attacked. They are not human and they make crystal blood pills with the sculptures/humans. Levi is the one who does it and they went to devour stella but she woke up that night and changed everything. Thats why she looked translucent in the moonlight and why levi was weary of her and afraid of losing her. She was supposed to be another “sculpture” but she managed to awake in the middle of the process. Stella decides that maybe she can help so theyll stop killing girls to drink their blood. She believes maybe any other body fluid would work instead of blood and she wants to be their “food” sacrifice.
Honestly i like the art, as i said it was gorgeous but the story was meh. The instalove was annoying and we barely got to see the other vampires and what they were up to. Stella was a boring main character. She was scared from time to time but didnt show it and she had no suspicions at all. She saw a lot of weird stuff and she overlooked it and didn’t question it. Her relationship with levi is weird and the whole crystal thing wasnt that explained but i guess its because this is the first volume. I might read the others soon