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Description
From Titania Scanlations:
Yona is the sole princess of the kingdom, living the luxurious and carefree life as a princess should. She has it all: the finest clothes and cosmetics, the most divine sweets, a loving emperor as a father, and the hottest cousin crush, Soo-won, anyone could ever hope to have. Now, if only her bodyguard, Son Hak, wasn't so annoying to her and her hair wasn't so red.
But her nearly perfect world quickly shatters as the man she loves, Soo-won, murders her father and the path to his ascension to the throne is assured. Son Hak escapes with Yona, and they lead a life on the run from that point on.
Type
Manga
Related Series
N/A
Associated Names
拂晓的尤娜 晨曦公主 暁のヨナ กู้บัลลังก์มังกรแดง 새벽의 연화 Yona of the Dawn
The lead of this series starts out horribly weak, but wouldn't you be weak too if you had been a spoiled princess? She wasn't in the loop of all the politics being waged out of her sight, almost like she was in a happy, safe bubble, placed there by her father the king. her only complaint was that she didn't like her hair color (and oh yeah, she couldn't marry the one guy she actually liked)
After seeing her father killed she flees for her life. I still consider her at this point pretty weak but she's in a state of shock. Everything she knew, everything that was conformable was pitched out and tossed upside down.
Once she starts to get her feet under herself she really starts to blossom into a strong girl, worth of one day having the country on her shoulders, assuming she can make it that far Highly recommended.
This story has the potential of becoming a classic! I can even imagine the anime being very popular if it's ever made. The heroine starts all weak but the development is amazing and she is a strong leader.
It has all the elements needed for a great manga; a great villain that you can't decide if you should hate or love, a bunch of bishies with different abilities teamed up with the heroine, an excellent story, historical elements, adventures and amazing art.
I really can't wait for more chapters to be online, it's amazing so far.
The first volume is all exposition, the 2nd is where gets awesome~
The heroine start outs weak but has fantastic potential. She does develop a bit slow (you don't expect spoiled and sheltered princesses to suddenly make the jump to kickassery). A hidden inner strength for when things get rough and rougher (end of vol2 and more so in vol3), plus great ability to adapt, really hits where it counts.
The main male lead Hak is fun and very well done. He's sheltering but not overprotective. At start he's far more "guardian+mentor" than "romantic interest", which I think its a good thing because it'll let their relationship even out far more later (too many shoujos have way too one-sided relations).
Oh and the villain is awesome, the "I can't decide between hating you, feeling sorry for you, or rooting for you" type. Very developed as early as end of vol2.
After having finished vol 1, I will say I am looking forward to reading the rest of this manga. I would recommend this manga to someone, and I hope to enjoy the rest of the story.
I like how the princess is handling the tragedy, it is realistic. Not everyone bounces back quickly, some people mentally shut down and become almost as fragile as glass. When people are in that state, you have to handle them properly. Gently so not to push them over the ledge, yet firmly so they don't keep wallowing in misery. This can be a long process, or short, depending on the damage done to the persons mental state. I see the tag character growth so I am excited to read how she will move on from her current state.
I'll admit, at first Yona really pissed me off... But I suggest you grit your teeth and read until Ch13. She was really spoiled and weak in the beginning, but in hindsight, it's completely in character.
I mean, why the hell would a sheltered princess who knows nothing of the world be kick-ass, right? It takes her a while, but I'm liking her now at Ch13, and the raws for the later volumes look awesome XD
So yeah, don't be put off by the whinyness and uselessness of the heroine in the first 2 volumes! Focus on Hak's hotness until little princess grows a spine :3
I had high expectation after reading the below comments. And it turns out that the manga is totally cliché, not to mention the female lead is really boring, character development is slow and repetitive, the drawing is only average... Totally too shoujo for me. Don't read this if you enjoy Anatolia Story or Basara.
If you like strong heroines (not those fake ones who are strong, then turn to mush at the sight of a guy), then read this. It's full of intrigue, beautiful art, strong and kind characters. Don't be turned off by the heroine's apathy and weakness in the beginning; you can't really expect a princess to be that strong, right? But she adapts, and becomes really awesome later on! I really want to see her get stronger and watch the story play out- it's definitely something a fastasy-lover like me adores! And... did i say the art was beautiful yet? It's so pretty. So, so pretty, haha, I'll literally just stare at each page for a while just to soak it in. P.S. Read the rest of Mizuho Kusanagi's works! They're all amazing, whether they're funny or deep
why are the mangas i get addicted to not complete?! ahh! this is so good!!! it has all the elements i have been looking for in a shoujo lately, and it is sooooo refreshing to finally read something that has me hooked and wondering what is going to happen next. i love the characters, and even most of the "bad guys"; it's not like on the surface "good vs. evil", it's a bit more complicated and full of emotion... if that makes sense.
read it!! unless you don't want to be hooked on something that is continuing... eh, but it's so good though! read it!
Didn't like the main girl at first, but once she lost that spoilt side of hers, she turned awesome. And Hak...he was already awesome to begin with. Love his attitude; it's hilarious if you're not on the receiving end of his words.
She may have been a spoiled brat at first, but she shows off her true colors soon(ish). Hope she doesn't revert too much... Trust me, this spoiled princess has a regal badass side. Adapts well, too.
As for the bodyguard, Hak, he is a nice change from the "oh the things you do to me love you so much I can barely control myself~ see I just groped you its all your fault" type guy. He's more "I groped you so I could bait these idiots".
good art, cool polictical(ish) plot, fun characters
(-15)
(+3)
Highly recommended.
I really want to see her get stronger and watch the story play out- it's definitely something a fastasy-lover like me adores! And... did i say the art was beautiful yet? It's so pretty. So, so pretty, haha, I'll literally just stare at each page for a while just to soak it in. 
