With Kail now having ascended the Hittite throne despite the evil machinations of his mother, the dowager queen, Yuri’s trials as his beloved and his lover are only now beginning as evil Nakia’s plots continue. First, Rusafa is accused of assaulting a woman of the nobility and is sentenced to a test that none may hope to survive. Meanwhile the threat from Egypt looms large and soon Yuri will be forced to lead the Hittite military as Ishtar and be driven into war!

One of the more involving epic sagas in shojo, Red River takes some interesting turns in this latest volume of the manga series. The deviousness of Nakia reaches new heights of duplicity as she tries to weaken Yuri’s power base of loyal friends and followers by first setting up Rusafa to a test that none of managed to survive. Yuri’s trial will be to not fall prey to Nakia’s manipulations. But the dowager queen is far from done. When Yuri must lead the militia to attempt to find Kail’s missing brother, new treachery unfolds and Yuri must face enemies to her back and the forces of Egypt at her front. Can a regular girl transported from modern day Japan successfully lead the Hittite military to survive their plight, let alone win against their enemies?

The political intrigue and maneuverings in this volume are impressive. Yuri’s responses to these challenges show how much she has matured since first finding herself stranded in the far, far past in a foreign land with danger everywhere. The strength of the relationship she has with Kail is further deepened here and displays the maturity it too has developed in time as they have come to depend, rely, and trust each other implicitly. However, Nakia’s treachery seems to know no bounds and it may yet prove successful as she attempts to separate the lovers and destroy Yuri.

IN SUMMARY:
The latest volume of Red River sees the manga unfold with deeper evil as Nakia’s treachery plummets to new depths. Yuri must lead the Hittite army against the Egyptians and fight betrayal amongst her would-be allies.