Chiyako is a no-nonsense kind of gal, known for her confidence, humor and a strong desire to move out of the house as soon as possible to escape her overbearing father. In her side business as a matchmaker, set up to escape home that much faster, she has a distinct advantage --- she can see the mythical connection known as the red string of fate, the invisible thread that ties each person to the one they're destined to love. She knows right off if you're dating the right guy, or if you need to move on. If only she could manipulate her own love life so easily: she's nursing a crush on her dreamy calligraphy teacher who doesn't seem to know she exists.

Or so she thought. After a satisfying afternoon of matchmaking, she's suddenly confronted by a snarling young man who warns her to stop using her powers or she'll get hurt. Not one to back down in front of a bully, Chiyako ignores him, only to discover he's one of a group of onmyoji known as Tyers, each of whom can manipulate the five threads that influence humankind, and they're set on shutting her down. To Chiyako's shock, at their head is her beloved calligraphy teacher. 

Not about to let them control her destiny, she ignores their warnings and continues using her gift. Her magic attracts too much attention, however, and Chiyako is selected as the chosen wielder of Shirogane, one of the five strings. After its too late, she learns the price you have to pay to be a tyer: give up the one wish you desire most. In Chiyako's case, her most fervent wish is to be an adult, away from anyone's control, so she's transformed into a little girl, dependent on the adults around her for everything. Can she turn her fate around once again and regain her true form, or will she be trapped as a child forever? 

Mick Takeuchi has a strong knack for creating spunky heroines and plopping them into challenging, supernatural obstacle courses, always with a welcome number of hot guys around. She takes a lot of the shojo stereotypes --- magical girls, a student crushing on a teacher, a bevvy of beautiful but distant young men --- and manages to make them feel fresh and fun. Part of Bound Beauty's success is that Chiyako herself is a far cry from the bumbling, naive heroine so often featured in shojo romantic comedies. Not only does she use her wit and power to get out of situations, she also knows to admit her mistakes and learn from them.

Despite the tempting eye candy all around, with a number of young men to choose from, the fact is that very little of the book involves mooning around about crushes or fretting about who likes who. Bound Beauty is a fantastical action series first, and it really succeeds on that front. The creator's first series from Go!Comi, Her Majesty's Dog, has become a teen favorite for combining mystical action with fun characters and a realstically compelling build in character relationships --- and Bound Beauty is off to a good start in achieving the same goal.