Dale is a skilled 18-year-old adventurer who's been traveling and defeating monsters since he was 15. One day he comes across a little devil child who's had one of her horns broken off, something that would usually be considered a sign that she was a criminal and had been banished from her people. She's so young that Dale can't think of anything she could possibly have done. The devil who was apparently her father or guardian died not far from where Dale found the girl, so Dale, not knowing what else to do and unwilling to kill or abandon her, takes her with him.

He can communicate with her a little, and she's a fast learner. He soon learns that her name is Latina. She doesn't seem to want to talk about her past much, but she takes well to Dale, as well as to Rita and Keith, the couple who run the inn where Dale had been staying up to that point. Dale also takes instantly to Latina, and it isn't long before he decides to become her adoptive father. Meanwhile, Latina learns to help out around the inn, improves her language skills, makes a few friends, and encounters anti-devil prejudice.

I bought this because it looked sweet and I'm a sucker for adoptive parent slice-of-life stories. I somehow forgot that it's usually a good idea to do a bit of research and spoiler-hunting prior to getting at all invested in these, especially when they're "single man adopts adorable little girl" stories. This first volume, at least, was pretty decent.

The writing/translation was a bit awkward, but I've definitely seen worse. The only time it got a little confusing was when the author elaborated on the details of how things like customer accounts at the inn worked - I had a feeling that the translator couldn't follow along well either and just tried to get through those bits as quickly as possible. One thing I really liked, though: this is one of those rare third-person POV light novels.

I rolled my eyes a bit at how very cute Latina was, tottering around with trays of food while scary-looking adventurers silently wished her well and melted at the sight of her. She was, of course, well-behaved and quiet, and she rarely caused any problems - basically perfect for a single father whose job meant that he couldn't always be around to watch over her. Still, I go into these kinds of series expecting ridiculously cute and generally well-behaved children, so it wasn't exactly a surprise, and it helped that Latina was actually a little older than she appeared to be. One thing that irked me, though: even as Latina's language skills improved, she continued to speak (and even think!) about herself in the third person. I suspect that this was another effort to make her seem cute, and for some reason it got on my nerves more than the multiple pages devoted to her learning to carry food to customers at the inn.

Readers were repeatedly told that Dale was a cool and experienced warrior who was known to be touchy about how others perceived him. In his homeland, he was considered an adult at age 15, but in this particular area he'd only just barely legally become an adult, and there had apparently been instances of folks treating him like a kid or a newbie adventurer. Readers never actually got to see any of that, though, and Dale was so completely and utterly head over heels for Latina that he failed to notice anything that might be perceived as insulting comments about his age and abilities. He also hardly got any opportunities to show off his supposedly awesome adventuring skills. The person Dale was supposed to be didn't match at all the Dale that readers experienced on-page.

Still, I liked this overall and was looking forward to reading more about this little adoptive family. What happened to Latina in her hometown? Why had Dale moved so far away from his people in the first place, and would he continue with his adventuring life or would Latina prompt him to settle down a bit? Who else would they meet and befriend in town?

But a little detail early on in the book bothered me.

It was shortly after Dale found Latina and took her back to his room at the inn. He was helping her bathe and found himself thinking "Could it be...that this girl will be a real beauty someday?" (25) Which was a weird thought to have about a starving, traumatized little girl. He then worried that, if he didn't take her in, some pervert would view her as prey - her broken horn meant that even her own people wouldn't protect her. So I was willing to let that weird original thought slide at first, but found  myself thinking about it again when I considered buying and reading the next book. So I did some spoiler hunting.

It's not difficult info to find - apparently it crops up as early as book 3 or 4. Even the positive reviews of the later books mention it, and there seem to be quite a few folks who are fine with the direction the series takes. However, I started reading this series because I wanted a sweet story about a young man who suddenly decides to become the adoptive father of a little girl, and that's very much not what the later books will be giving me.

(spoiler show)

For that reason, I won't be continuing on with this series.

Extras:

Four pages of full-color illustrations (which are gorgeous), several black-and-white illustrations throughout, and an afterword written by the author.

 

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Open Adoption, Open Heart: An Adoptive F... Open Adoption, Open Heart is an inspirational story of hope, faith and love. The story is told, much like a series of blog posts, in a straightforward, conversational tone.

I almost bit off one of my thumbnails reading through the chapters where Russell and Jammie were waiting to find a birth mother that would work with them and the chapters towards the end when they are unsure if they will be able to keep their adopted son.

Russell and Jammie discovered when they opened their hearts and home to their new son that they were opening up to his birth family as well and the story of how they all come together to work for the baby's best interests is amazing and overwhelming.

This book is not just for those who are interested in adoption. Open Adoption, Open Heart is for anyone who enjoys an uplifting read.

Open Adoption, Open Heart: An Adoptive F... I actually finished reading this book a few days ago but found myself having such an emotional reaction to it that I wanted to wait a few days before I shared any review. Russell Elkins shares such a deeply personal and inspiring story in Open Adoption, Open Heart that it is difficult not to feel emotionally overwhelmed by his story. There were certainly more than a few instances in which I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I read through their journey from infertility to parenthood.

The story begins so hopeful and so promising. Russell and Jammie were young and he was finishing college. They were newlyweds who were unsure about when they wanted to start a family. After about six months of marriage they stopped using contraceptives and decided to simply allow a pregnancy to occur if it was meant to occur. They were not actively trying, but they were not actively preventing either. They were simply allowing the natural course of conception to take place, only it didn't happen. After six months of a carefree attitude they started trying a little more actively yet there was still no baby on the way. A few years later and they were starting to lose hope. Ultimately they found themselves on the path to an open adoption.

Reading their story really caused me to stop and spend a little time on some self reflection. My husband and I are currently in that stage of not actively trying and yet not actively preventing either. I found myself wondering, "If we don't conceive within a few years, could we do what Russell and Jammie have done?" If I'm being honest, I don't know if I could. I read about their struggle with hope and loss. I read about their hope that every month would be the month that they conceived and every month they faced heartbreak when Jammie's crimson reminder arrived. I read about their prayers and their dreams and their hope and the heartache they suffered through when their dreams were shattered over and over again.

When they decided to consider and pursue adoption to start their family I felt myself feeling happy and excited for them but their journey was so difficult. It was time-consuming and stressful and worrisome. Russell appeared to have been riddled with anxiety while they waited to hear if a birth mother had chosen them and if they would be able to adopt a baby and start their family. It was such a difficult journey to work out the legal details with Brianna (Ira's birth mother) and as the months turned to weeks and ultimately to days their hope increased but so did their worry and their fear and their anxiety. Their struggle with finding the perfect balance between respecting their open adoption agreement with Brianna and her role as Ira's birth mother as well as finding their own new identities as Ira's parents, it was an emotional journey.

I have a whole new respect for birth parents and adoptive parents who choose to share this journey to provide for a child. It was a beautiful and inspiring story. It was heartbreaking to follow their loss and see their struggle but it was so heartwarming to read about their hope and their love and their compassion. It was a quick read at just over 100 pages and it is definitely worth the time.