I love most of Bikke’s works so my review may be a little biased haha this one was a little different from her usual stuff since it had no romance or anything, but that didn’t make the story any less interesting. It’s nice how everything tied together at the end where, instead of hating his grandfather and all his creations, Franz starts to understand why his grandfather’s GEMs were so special and actually wants to pursue doll making for himself. This is my second time reading it after years of forgetting about it, and its still as good as I remembered.

This is a good, short series. The characters are appealing and the setting's interesting, because it's set in a fantasy version of Europe with humanoid dolls. The art's great too. Seriously, the only things I dislike are trifles. One, I wish it could be longer. When it was over, I was kind of sad, because I wanted to read more about these characters. Two, there were some weird romanizations, like Frants for Franz.

One thing I really like about the main characters is how they're unlike those from other manga I read about dolls. In other series, when characters get a doll, they become BFFs or lovers or something like that. In this one, Franz and Elise want to sell the doll and get rich! It's awesome! So realistic! I'd do the same thing, so I really relate to them. Oh, and the doll they get is different from dolls in other manga too. Hisui isn't subservient and he doesn't go, "Yes, master, your wish is my command." He has a forceful personality that's a joy to see on the page and he doesn't shy away from outright insulting his owner for acting stupid or whatever.

I recommend this to anyone who likes dolls or stories set in Europe.