The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 14

The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 14

After breaking a “curse” on the imperial heirs, a palace servant with training in herbal medicine is promoted up the ranks to food taster…and right into the thick of palace intrigue in this lushly illustrated historical mystery series!

After tangling with a ghost at the Diamond Palace and temporarily trading in her poisons for sweet treats, Maomao returns to the Jade Palace only to find a grave problem staring her in the face! Mere weeks before the heavily pregnant Consort Gyokuyo is due to bear her child, Maomao deduces that all is not well with the coming birth of the new Imperial addition.

But even with her skills, Maomao knows she isn’t up to the momentous task of seeing her lady through this trial. Who to turn to, then? The quack, sweet though he may be, is out of the question. That only leaves…Maomao’s Pa! But while his plucky daughter would gladly vouch for Luomen, will the Inner Court really be willing to put the future of the empire into the hands of a criminal once more?

Story Locale:Alt. Medieval Asia

Series Overview: After breaking a “curse” on the imperial heirs, a palace servant with training in herbal medicine is promoted up the ranks to food taster…and right into the thick of palace intrigue in this lushly illustrated historical mystery series!

Biographical Notes:

Natsu Hyuuga is the author of The Apothecary Diaries light novel series.

This is Nekokurage’s first manga adaptation of a light novel series.

Title Notes:

The Apothecary Diaries anime adaptation was announced in early 2023 and is planned for release later in the year!

BIG SELLER: The first volume of this manga adaptation has sold over 600,000 copies in Japan!

BASED ON A HIT WEB NOVEL NOW BEING PUBLISHED IN THE NA MARKET: This series is an adaptation of a popular web novel that was serialized in 2011 on one of Japan’s main open-source creator platforms. From there, the novel was published as a single volume, before being republished as an ongoing light novel series due to its popularity. The novel is being digitally released in English by J-Novel Club, with Vol. 8 being released in June 2023.

STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONIST: Palaces might normally come with princesses, but an eccentric, pragmatic servant with a face full of freckles and her wits about her takes center stage in this series! Forget Sherlock; the great detective of the inner palace is born…and her name is Maomao! Female-fronted fantasy manga with sprawling ensemble casts and lots of political intrigue have gained a bigger audience in recent memory.

AGE RATING: Teen – This material is suitable for readers ages 13+.

More details on Nekokurage & Natsu Hyuuga:

Natsu Hyuuga’s Twitter account

More works by Natsu Hyuuga

Nekokurage’s Twitter account

More works by Nekokurage

Publisher’s Twitter account