Spice & Wolf Volume 8: Town of Strife Part 1 (LN)
Finally sat down and finished this today. Loved it, as per usual with anything Spice & Wolf. It's great to see their relationship very obviously progressing without being too overt about it, and you can clearly feel the love the whole way through. Their playful banter is hilarious and a breath of fresh air compared to other stories of a similar nature.
It also still strikes the balance perfectly between intrigue and burden of knowledge when it comes to the dealings between merchants. This is mainly manifested in Lawrence's back-and-forth conversations with Eve Boland and Kieman, both hugely powerful and extremely dangerous people. It will be interesting to see how Lawrence manages to get out of the incredibly dangerous predicament he finds himself in; stuck between too factions and right in the middle of a business issue that could lead to all-out war.
Col's been a wonderful addition to the pairing, although I wouldn't want him to stick around for too much longer. His innocence provides great comic relief at times, and it gives a glimpse as to what Holo and Lawrence would be like as parents, even if Col is perhaps more of a pseudo-apprentice at this stage.
Holo continues to steal the show. One thing I love about Spice & Wolf that few other works do (or I guess have the capability to do) is how it provides extra tools for you to visualise her expressions and moods in the form of her wolf features. Her flicking her ears, baring her fangs or her various tail movements paint much better pictures than the standard blushing descriptions in other books. Her wit is also top notch as per usual, and I can't count the number of times I've grinned as she used her charm, wit and biting remarks to not only tease Lawrence, but also show her affection. Her interactions with Col are great, with things like her and Col having a competition to see who can stand on the other's foot as Lawrence is doing business bring out her playful and at times childish personality. Her jealousy when it comes to Eve continues to be adorable, and even though she knows she's always going to be number 1, her pouting and teasing remarks used to hide her jealousy and embarrassment are cute as hell.
Best girl ever.
Peaking into Volume 9, I've already got my new avatar sorted for the next thread so can we get the last 5k posts done quick? Thanks.