Black Bird: Volume 7

by Kanoko Sakurakoji, 190 pages

Misao and Kyo are together but they aren't "together"--yet. Not that they wouldn't like to be. But there's the small matter of Kyo being a tengu, a type of winged demon, with some major clan responsibilities hanging over his head, and the fact that Misao is the prophesized "Senka Maiden" whom every other demon in the area would like to consume in order to gain immortality and the upper hand over their rivals. The couple have survived conspiracies from other demon clans and from Kyo's own brother, but now there's a new threat to their lives as well as their love: a very human yet powerful exorcist who believes all demons are evil things to be eliminated and whom Kyo cannot harm (due to his being a not-evil, though admittedly cranky and sadistic, demon).

This series is fun-ish, but it's rather light on the qualities that encourage real reader investment. Misao is a besotted weakling and almost completely dependent on the protection of her lover, Kyo, who is himself a bit too much the mean-and-detached-but-actually-nice-with-emphasis-on-the-detached romantic lead to be all together likeable. The will-they-or-won't-they tug of war is wearing a little thin by this volume, as well, but I don't think there's much left to the series, so they can't drag things out much further. There are moments when elements work really well--as when in an earlier volume Kyo unhappily executes another charismatic demon he knows will otherwise only attack his beloved again--but there aren't enough of them to make the whole consistently satisfying. I like the story concept just fine, but the end result is a little lackluster. Still, I'll be waiting to see how they overcome this latest, and very nearly last, obstacle to happily-ever-after (I'm assuming it's going in that direction, but I've been wrong before...).