There are many things to love about The Apothecary Diaries — the complex court intrigue and medical mysteries; the nuanced female relationships; and, of course, the delicious romance between protagonist Maomao and the beautiful and mysterious Jinshi. Maomao and Jinshi share a particularly fun dynamic. While Jinshi is clearly incredibly besotted with her, grumpy Maomao is completely unfazed by his affections (until she’s not).
I’m frankly obsessed with this dynamic.
It’s a refreshing take on typical romance tropes. Where a self-proclaimed “plain” protagonist usually finds themselves crushing on a handsome stranger. Think of Bella and Edward in Twilight, or Fruits Basket’s Tohru Honda being swept away by the pretty Sohma boys. Flipping the trope on its head shows that a beautiful man can fall in love with a generally off-putting woman. Just because she’s damn good at what she does.
For those craving more of this specific romance energy, let me introduce you to one of my favorite book series: the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather Fawcett. Like The Apothecary Diaries, the Emily Wilde books center around a pragmatic, no-nonsense heroine. And a flamboyant man who can impress anyone in the world, except her.
The Emily Wilde series takes place in the early 1900s.
In a world that’s almost like our own, except for the fact fairies (ranging from regal fae to mischievous brownies) exist. The titular Emily Wilde is a professor of dryadology (aka fairy studies). Like Maomao, she is completely fixated on her passions, though instead of poisons and medicines, it’s studying fairies.
Whereas Maomao would rather keep her head down and enjoy her pursuits on her own, Emily is more outwardly ambitious and determined to make her way as a renowned scholar. Still, they are both single-minded, prickly, and prefer the company of their studies to the company of people. Because they’re prioritizing academic passions, romance is the last thing on their minds.
Which is where the book series’ Jinshi equivalent comes in: Wendell Bambleby — Emily’s fellow professor who is beautiful, charismatic, and carefree. Like Jinshi, Wendell conceals his secret lineage behind his gorgeous smiles. Despite the fact that everyone he meets is instantly charmed by his looks, Wendell (also like Jinshi) has it down bad for the one person in his life immune to his allure.
In both, the female lead gets pulled into a greater mystery and conflict regarding the male lead’s secret birthright.
Even though she really tried not to get involved, thank you very much. It’s just that Emily and Maomao are the smartest and most capable people that Wendell and Jinshi know.
We have yet to see how Maomao and Jinshi’s story unfolds. The anime still has to catch up to the manga and the light novel. Emily and Wendell’s journey was completed with the final novel out last year. If you’re craving more beautiful boys down bad for grumpy yet incredibly competent girls, then the Emily Wilde trilogy just might satisfy you while you wait for more Apothecary Diaries.
