I did not realize how badly I needed a lighter reading experience until I started The Apothecary Diaries Light Novel Volume 16. My recent reading had been emotionally expensive. Tower of Dawn and Sunrise on the Reaping had both left me carrying more tension than I expected, and by the time I reached Natsu Hyuuga's new release, I think I had started reading with my shoulders slightly raised. Returning to The Apothecary Diaries felt like a breath of fresh air. Not because nothing serious happens, but because the series has a rhythm I already know and trust. I could simply enjoy being back in that world without feeling as if every chapter was preparing to emotionally flatten me.
