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Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 44

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By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

It has to be said, Rokujouma!? is a very methodical series. We’ve gotten so used to seeing series derived from webnovels where the author is clearly making up each chapter… and sometimes each page… as they go along. So it’s refreshing seeing a series that really feels plotted down to its bones. I suspect the author has outlines and spreadsheets up the wazoo to keep track of all this. A “Pantser” they are not. And sometimes this can be a drawback. There are a few conversations in this short story volume between the heroines where you sort of want one of them to snap and turn evil just for the variety – everyone is polite, pragmatic, and thinks things through – even Theia, who gives the appearance of being impulsive. On the other hand, given what happened in Volume 43, I’m honestly OK with everyone being pleasant and casually discussing their polycule. It’s a lot less sad and downbeat than what I expect the start of the 45th volume will be like.

As with previous short story volumes, this consists of three short stories from HJ Bunko’s online website and a longer story at the end. In the first story, Elfaria, Theia, Ruth, and Ceileshu are ordered to take a day off after the civil war (and despite Ceileshu’s guilt about her part in said civil war), and play various board games from Japan (the Game of Life, etc.). In the second story, with Maki unavailable, Harumi and Shizuka are chosen to try to teach our resident Power Ranger knockoffs how to fight against someone who has magic. In the third story Kotori and Kiriha meet with the student council to discuss how the alien transfer students are fitting in, and then discuss Koutarou’s childhood. In the story written for the book, we see Koutarou going out on dates with all nine of his current polycule… and it becomes clear that it’s going to be expanding to more than nine.

It’s been about fifteen books since the first supposed “ending” of this series, which pretty much cemented that the nine main heroines were all quite friendly with each other and would be happy to share Koutarou in a polyamorous relationship whenever he got over his hangups. He’s mostly done that now, at least in terms of no longer thinking “if I admit I love someone they will die”, but he still feels that choosing just one girl will destroy everything. And, well, he’s not wrong. The second half of this book goes into great detail about how his marriage is now a political decision, and there is no way that he will be allowed to NOT marry someone from Forthorthe. Which… could be Theia. Or Clan. But it could also be Elfaria, who is single, the Empress, still young (for an alien race), and in love with Koutarou, something she is reluctant to admit in front of her daughter. The one thing that none of the heroines are allowed to do in Rokujouma!? is bury their feelings of love. And that’s true if you’re the Empress, or if you’re a god in disguise, or even if you’re the little sister of his best friend, who is starting to realize that maybe he isn’t just a “big brother”.

Of course, that assumes they all survive the next book. The author promises it’s back to the main plot next time. Till then, enjoy a staid and somewhat boring but also warm and comforting light novel volume.

I Guess This Dragon Who Lost Her Egg to Disaster Is My Mom Now, Vol. 2

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By Suzume Kirisaki and Cosmic. Released in Japan as “Saigai de Tamago o Ushinatta Dragon ga Nazeka Ore o Sodate Hajimeta” by M Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Jordan Taylor.

The first volume of this series had the past of Lushera hold my interest more than her present with her dragon mom, so it’s ironic that in this second volume it’s the bonding with dragon mom that is the better part of the book. Of course, some of that is due to the fact that, although names are not really clear still due to the nature of the resurrection, everyone now knows who Lushera is. As such, we’re allowed to concentrate, especially in the first half of the book, on Lushera and her mother growing closer, figuring out how to be parent and child as dragons, and parent and child as humans. Unfortunately, that leaves the second half of this book, which features one of my least favorite light novel cliches, a villain who is 100% evil, irredeemable, and sadistic. I was amazed he didn’t do a maniacal laugh. And he also tortured an abused child. This was a lot less fun to read.

We open by learning a bit more about the past of Kaphal, who turns out to be the equivalent of a teenager who eloped and ran away from home and whose husband then died. Now she’s back, and she has a daughter who is this odd human-dragon hybrid. Her dad is not amused, and insists that Lushera have a test to see whether… well, mostly whether she can survive the test. Meanwhile, the kingdom is having to deal with the fact that the big, scary dragon on their mountain is now walking around the capital in human form, doing things like learning about cooking, going for a swim, etc. Lushera also ends up rescuing a Very Important Person from a golem attack, and discovers she is Monica, the disgraced and scapegoated princess of the royal family, who lives under house arrest with a group of revolving servants and her self-hatred. Meanwhile, the kingdom next door, who got most of their knights and their ruler killed off in Book 1, decide to leave things to their new psychopathic manchild of a ruler.

So yeah, getting the bad out of the way first, everything about Julian in this book sucks, which unfortunately also affects Monica’s plotline, as she is reduced to an object of peril for the entire book. It’s so bad that it actually affected my enjoyment of another very good plot twist, which is briefly hinted at much earlier in the book but then allowed to be forgotten about till the reveal. Fortunately, given that CIW deliberately put this volume out on Mother’s Day, everything that does involve the dragon family part of the book is great. I especially like how clever see see Lushera being, given that her nature and general attitude really lend itself well to “dumb muscle” and it’s great to see she isn’t. Her mom is also really trying hard, and comes a long way in this book.

Which is, I think, the final book in the series. That’s fine with me. It was long enough that I really enjoyed the dragon and her mom, the transgender subplots, and a few of the twists. Just… please, stop making all your villains puppy-kickers.

Pick of the Week: Oldies from 2008

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SEAN: The “worthy” pick is The Beast Player, but the “most excited for” pick is the new A Sign of Affection.

MICHELLE: Gotta be Therapy Game Restart for me!

ANNA: I’m behind, but I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to pick Nina the Starry Bride!

ASH: There are actually quite a few things I’m interested in this week, but The Beast Player holds most of my attention. Anything by Nahoko Uehashi I’m going to want to read (even if I’ve read the story before) and Itoe Takemoto’s illustrations and style appeal to me, too.

KATE: I’m with Ash this week: I cast my vote for The Beast Player.

True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends: One Star in the Night Sky, Vol. 1

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By Kosuzu Kobato and Fumi Takamura. Released in Japan as “Unmei no Koibito wa Kigen Tsuki” by Maple Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Julie Goniwich. Adapted by Max Machiavelli.

Yes, I will admit that adding a Vol. 1 to the review title is optimistic. The book itself lacks a volume number, and there’s no sign of a Book 2 in Japan over a year after the first book. But the series has the equivalent of five books as a web novel, and this book certainly does not come to a definitive close, so I’ll include it just in case. I also realize that whenever I talk about series that are unfinished in Japan, a lot of people resolve to never read the title, showing a disdain for “abandoned” works getting a license in the first place. But this got licensed, in my opinion, because the author’s works have been coming out over here from other publishers, and they’re all quite good. And this is also quite good. It’s a normal romance novel, with a heroine who doesn’t quite realize how amazing she is, even if everyone around her does.

Fiona is a young woman who is enjoying her job as a secretary/administrator at the country’s art gallery, and wants to travel to other countries. Unfortunately, her father has decided enough is enough, she needs to be married. Which, in this very patriarchal society, means no job, and no travel. And she’s to be married off to her childhood friend Norman… who’s nice enough, but Fiona has no romantic feelings for him. Then at a party where she heads out to a remote garden to dwell on her problem, she accidentally overhears Giles, heir to an Earldom, who is also desperately trying to avoid getting married. After they meet again due to various circumstances involving a missing cuff-link, Giles’ friend Richard suggests the two of them get engaged to solve each other’s problem – after the fuss dies down, they can call it off. Unfortunately, Fiona is falling in love with Giles without realizing it, and Giles is falling for Fiona and definitely DOES realize it.

This book doesn’t really take off until about a third of the way in, when Giles’ sister talks about getting a new painting from a famous reclusive artist. Fiona takes one look at the painting – a fake – and absolutely destroys the man selling it to her, incandescent with rage. As it turns out, she has a very personal reason to be extremely angry. In fact, most of this book is made up of reasons like that – it turns out that Fiona has accidentally become a beloved contact and ally of most of the truly important people in the kingdom, and they love her all the more because she never uses her contacts for any personal gain. As a result, Giles suddenly finds everyone giving him the stink-eye, telling him he’d better treat her like the wonderful creature she is. And rivals suddenly find that this plain lady from a backwater barony can somehow get an appointment for a dress fitting in two days at the ritziest place in the city, where the wait time is normally months.

In other words, it’s an “unpolished diamond” romance novel, and quite fun to read, if unoriginal. But you don’t necessarily want originality in romance novels. I hope we get more of it.

Fiancée No More: The Forsaken Lady, the Prince, and Their Make-Believe Love, Vol. 2

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By Mari Morikawa and Bodax. Released in Japan as “Konyaku Haki no Sono Saki ni: Suterare Reijō, Ōji-sama ni Dekiai (Engi) Sareru” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Adam.

This series really does enjoy piling on, doesn’t it? Our happy couple are pretty happy, even though, alas, Estelle still doesn’t have much self-esteem and is thus convinced this is still a relationship of inconvenience. Arcrayne is trying to show off his more loving side, but he’s usually too calculating to pull it off, and also not very good at spotting why Estelle might be upset. Then there’s the plot of this second book, in which Arcrayne almost dies due to the machinations of “the Trickster” from the first book, and then Estelle almost dies when a dragon attacks their hunting party and she is forced to use her “this will kill dragons but also probably blow my arm off” gun, which fortunately does not blow her arm off but will likely add to her collection of scars. Worst of all, her wedding ring is broken, and reminds us that they are still not QUITE married. Which I think may be the main plot of Book 3. Not the wedding, but the “not married yet” bit.

The fact that Estelle and Arcrayne are now engaged has made a lot of people mad. The Queen is mad because, well, she hates Arcrayne and Estelle. We find out here why she hates Arcrayne, and it isn’t pretty. Adeline, Olivia’s mother, is mad because Olivia is now a former fiancee and, worst of all, is not all that devastated by it. Olivia’s father is possibly also mad, but sadly he collapses from a stroke and spends most of this book in hospital. This allows someone to infiltrate the Rainsworth household and slowly twist everything. As if that weren’t bad enough, Arcrayne’s brother is also mad, because Arcrayne is still first in line for the throne, and also because he’s forced to do what his grandfather wants, while Arcrayne is free to do as he pleases. It’ll all end in tears, I know it.

Easily the best part of the book is Olivia, who ended up being a much better character than I was anticipating. She’s pissed off at Estelle and Arcrayne, yes – especially Arcrayne, as she blames him for her father’s hospitalization – but she’s trying to stay positive, determined to move forward, and is actively working to help her family. Which makes it all the more irritating that her mother has a mind-controlling charm that turns Olivia into a puppet for the climax of the first half of the book. I feel the author didn’t want Olivia to be evil, but didn’t know how to make the plot work without her being evil, thus mind control. Oh well, at least she’s not punished for it. As for Estelle, again, her low self-worth drives most of her actions, but she’s getting better. And her knowledge of dragons and dragon hunts comes in quite handy. If she’ll only realize that Arcrayne has actually fallen for her, than this series can end.

That said, I’m pretty sure it will end in Book 3, like every Drecom series not named Blade and Bastard has done. A good romance novel with a heroine who’s not a villainess or reincarnated at all.

Manga the Week of 5/15/24

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SEAN: Mid-May, and the summer is on the horizon but not yet here.

Yen Press has a 3rd volume of Kaoru Mori’s Scribbles sketchbook.

ASH: These have been delightful.

SEAN: Viz has a debut this week that I, um, missed. Sorry. You and I Are Polar Opposites (Seihantai na Kimi to Boku) is a Shonen Jump + series about an energetic girl and quiet boy who are drawn to each other. It’s been award-nominated.

ANNA: Sounds cute!

ASH: I’d read it.

SEAN: In Viz titles actually out next week, there is Dragon Ball Super 21, Fly Me to the Moon 23, Helck 9, I Want to End This Love Game 2, Pokémon Adventures: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire 2, and Sakura, Saku 3.

From SuBLime we get Therapy Game Restart 4 and The World’s Greatest First Love 17.

MICHELLE: I’m always here for more Therapy Game!

SEAN: Steamship has the 6th and final volume of Ladies on Top.

ASH: Which reminds me that I have but still need to read the first volume.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has Mr. Villain’s Day Off 4, Ragna Crimson 12, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 18.

Seven Seas debuts a BL anthology, BL First Crush Anthology: Five Seconds Before We Fall in Love (Bokura ga Koisuru 5 Byou Mae ~Ubu Koi BL Anthology~), which features several artists who have other Seven Seas titles out, and is, well, about BL first crushes, in all their myriad forms.

ASH: Oooh! I have a soft spot for anthologies, BL and otherwise.

SEAN: Seven Seas also gives us Black Night Parade 3, A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch 2, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 8, The Duke of Death and His Maid 8, Reborn as a Barrier Master 6, and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 5.

One Peace has a 6th manga volume of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

Kodansha has two print debuts. Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law (Kei x Yaku: Abunai Aibou) is a BL title, but it runs in Palcy, so it’s more shoujo BL than the norm. A cop and a yakuza are trying to solve the same cold case, and must pretend to be lovers to continue.

MICHELLE: Hm. Maybe.

ASH: I could be convinced.

SEAN: The other debut is an omnibus of the first three volumes of A Sign of Affection. If you don’t have this yet, go get it.

ANNA: I’ve been buying in digital but might be tempted to double dip for omnibus editions!

ASH: I really need to catch up on this series; omnibus editions will certainly make that easier.

SEAN: Also in print: A Galaxy Next Door 6 (the final volume), Gazing at the Star Next Door 2, My Lovesick Life as a ’90s Otaku 3, A Sign of Affection 8, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 24, To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts 15 (the final volume), and Virgin Love 3.

Debuting digitally is The Beast Player (Kemono no Souja), a Shonen Sirius title from the creator of Seirei no Moribito, and based on her novel. A girl who adores her mother is cast adrift when her mother is blamed for a mysterious illness affecting their clan’s giant serpent mounts. This is from 2008, so is, of course, ancient, but it still looks really cool.

ANNA: Glad some ancient manga is being released!

ASH: I loved the novels, so am looking forward to the adaptation.

SEAN: Also digital: Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 3, Gang King 17, Nina the Starry Bride 12, TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 10, We’re New at This 16, and You Must Be This Tall to Propose! 2.

ANNA: Always happy for some Nina the Starry Bride!

SEAN: In print, J-Novel Club gives us Ascendance of a Bookworm 24, The Faraway Paladin Omnibus 5, and Tearmoon Empire’s 4th manga.

ASH: That’s a good J-Novel week for me.

SEAN: Still no new titles from J-Novel Club (they tend to release Vol. 1s in clumps.) But we get Ascendance of a Bookworm 31, Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World 7, Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- manga volume 2, By the Grace of the Gods 14, Duchess in the Attic 2, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone 3, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 3, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 44, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 7, My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer manga volume 4, and Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 12.

Hanashi Media has a 2nd volume of My Pet is a Saintess.

Ghost Ship has a 10th volume of 2.5 Dimensional Seduction.

Cross Infinite World confounds us all by releasing a title before the final day of the month, with the 2nd volume of I Guess This Dragon Who Lost Her Egg to Disaster Is My Mom Now. (They say it’s because it’s Mother’s Day. That’s sweet.)

In print, Airship has Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City 2 and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 5.

And in early digital, there is The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 2 and Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 10.

Some good stuff coming out! What’s for you?

Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden, Vol. 2

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By Umikaze Minamino and Kochimo. Released in Japan as “Kyōran Reijō Nia Liston: Byōjaku Reijō ni Tenseishita Kami-goroshi no Bujin no Kareinaru Musō Roku” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by okaykei.

One of the things that I did not touch on in my review of the first book in this series is how funny it is. And by funny I mean that Nia Liston is a horrible, horrible little gremlin and her thought process is hilarious. I started quoting some of her more batshit moments on Twitter as I read, and it might have seemed as if I was complaining about the book. No… well, if you’re the sort who is not a fan of 6-year-olds who have a thirst for a little old ultraviolence, than yes but honestly, if that concerns you you probably didn’t start the second volume anyway. It also helps that she gets her very own tsukkomi in this book, as Reliared, the girl we briefly saw in Book 1 who decides to make Nia her biggest rival, meets her and immediately becomes the only one in the group with any sense, which means she’s the comeback queen. I mean, it can’t be Nia’s servant, who’s just as bad as she is.

Nia is starting her first year at Altoire, where all the kids go to school, be they royalty or commoner. That said, her core friend group rapidly becomes Reliared, another noble, and Hildetaura, the third princess. Nia is here to find strong people, but is also there to help promote Magivision, and finds two strong allies in her fellow classmates, who both want to get everyone owning a TV set… erm, a Magivision tablet. The idea they come up with is a martial arts tournament among the elementary and middle school students, to be filmed on campus by other students with the three girls acting as “hosts”. This interests Nia not at all, as no one is strong enough for her, but when she finds out about an illegal underground fighting tournament, nothing can keep her away.

I am starting to wonder if the punchline to all of the many and varied sword styles, martial arts styles, and other weapon styles that everyone is obsessed with at this school is that she was responsible for all of them in the past. She remembers nothing about her own past self except in little bits (she seems to imply that she eventually lost control and fell to ruin), but she definitely remembers other strong people in the past… none of whom are as strong as her, of course. That said, I think she has to admit that at times she definitely has the emotional maturity of the 6-year-old that she is now. Not realizing that Lynokis would follow her to the illegal tournament and indeed enter it in order to protect her was *so* stupid that Nia spends a page and a half berating herself for it. That said, her “I apologized, so we’re back to normal and I learned nothing” is also very six-year-old. She’s an immature kid, she just… is ludicrously strong.

The next volume continues to be about half livestreamer, half “let’s punch everything”, judging by the synopsis. That should do find, as long as Nia continues to be the arrogant asshole we know and love.

Pick of the Week: New Titles and Beloved Favorites

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MICHELLE: I am very tempted to choose Yona of the Dawn here, because it’s so great, but man that cover of I See Your Face, Turned Away has just hooked me with its simplicity. I’m most curious about that one, this week!

SEAN: I really enjoy the works by this author, so my pick is their new one shot light novel, True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends – One Star in the Night Sky.

ASH: Both of those appeal to me as well, but I’m going with Mobsters in Love as my official pick. I’ve read other series with similar premises, but it amuses me and I’ve really enjoyed the BL selections from Square Enix thus far.

ANNA: Yona of the Dawn for me!

KATE: I like the cover of I See Your Face Turned Away–so moody!–but I need something a little sillier to get me through finals week, so I cast my vote for Monster Cats.

The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power: Forget My Sister! Turns Out I Was the Real Saint All Along!, Vol. 2

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By Almond and Yoshiro Ambe. Released in Japan as “Mujikaku Seijo wa Kyō mo Muishiki ni Chikara o Tare Nagasu: Imadai no Seijo wa Anede wa Naku, Imōto no Watashi Datta Mitai Desu” by Earth Star Luna. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Dawson Chen.

Last time I mentioned that this book was unsubtle about letting the reader know exactly what was going to happen next. This volume is a bit better, but that might just be because everything that happens to Carolina in this book is done to put off her happy ending some more. Which is ironic, given that she gets married to Ed at the start of the book. This leads to the most frustrating part of the book, which is where Ed, on their wedding night, says that he wants to wait a little longer before consummating their relationship as he worries he cannot control his heathen lusts and will break his new bride with her enormous… lovemaking skill. Unfortunately, all I could think to myself was “oh goddammit, they need to not have screwed so that some third party can declare the marriage invalid later on”. Cue the cliffhanger to this book…

Despite the occasional assassination attempt, Carolina and Edward are ready for their wedding at last, and the wedding itself goes without a hitch. Unfortunately, on their honeymoon they go to the domain of Carolina’s handmaiden Marisa, who turns out to have a backstory that’s quite similar to Carolina’s, with a horrible sister and a surprise engagement. Then she goes to get her magic tested, and discovers that the reason that the magic test came up blank for her was that she basically broke the test. She’s really a divine bearer, and this explains why the kingdom has been so fertile and monster free since she arrived (and why Flora is now failing and her old kingdom is in crisis). Amidst all this, she also volunteers to heal Edward’s brother Gilbert… but this leads to problems of its own.

Last time I asked why they couldn’t do the obvious thing and just test her for magic and heal the prince when the signs were obvious? The answer turns out to be “we need a plot for the second book”, but honestly I’m glad we waited, as it allows us to get a better look at Gilbert. He’s a lot less pleasant than he looked when we first met him, and shares something with his younger brother – an obsession with Carolina. It’s never QUITE made clear how much of this is sheer amazed gratitude and worship for essentially near healing his fatal condition almost immediately, and how much of it is love at first (well, second) sight, but at least he has the presence of mind to recall that Carolina is already married. Unfortunately, that leads him to pull a “I will make my brother who does not make time for her new bride jealous” story, which really didn’t sit well with me. Honestly, both of these princes feel a bit predatory. Perhaps Edward was right to hold off on the wedding night.

In any case, the third volume will no doubt feature Celestia reaching out to Edward to ask “hey mister, can we have our ball back?”. Till then, this is pretty good, but something about the characters kind of grates on me in general.

Stuck in a Time Loop: When All Else Fails, Be a Villainess, Vol. 3

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By Sora Hinokage and Tsukasa Kiryu. Released in Japan as “Loop kara Nukedasenai Akuyaku Reijō wa, Akiramete Sukikatte Ikirukoto ni Kimemashita” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Andria McKnight.

At the end of the last volume I wondered where else the story could take us, and hoped that Selene had a “love epiphany”. Well, I got half my wish. She definitely has an epiphany. And while that is eventually good news for the future of the world this book takes place in, but it’s very bad news for every main and supporting character in this series. Honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised. This has always been on the darker end of Villainess books, so wrapping up with a “now we can get married and live a happy, peaceful life” would have felt wrong somehow. We certainly don’t get that, as Selene gets some very bad news about where the last two demons are located, and realizes that, in order to really, *really* fix things, she will have to weaponize being a hated villainess and make it her own.

As Selene opens the book, things are very quiet, with the only worry being Euclis wanting someone to kill him. The other problem, of course, is that they’ve killed four of the six monsters that threaten the world, and the other two are proving very difficult to find… at least until Etoile gets a future vision that tell him the fifth monster is a lot closer to King Euclid than anyone is really comfortable with. Someone has to deal with it, and since Selene is, frankly, the most powerful of them, it’s up to her. Unfortunately, she then discovers the location of the last monster. What follows is inevitable but will also lead to her downfall, so she needs to come up with a solution that will resolve *all* of this – the guardians, the king, the powers, her time loops, and Dier’s immortality – once and for all. That that solution is… well, it’s a happy ending IN A WAY.

The main reason this book succeeds and does not become just depressing as hell is the ongoing dissonance between Selene’s deadpan narration (and, if I’m honest, deadpan personality) and her kindness, which only seems to come out at times when she is forced to make a horrible but necessary decision. The decision she makes, once it becomes clear that she does have to kill the king, is to fight fate. In fact, it’s to essentially slaughter fate and burn the corpse, in an effort to ensure that the cycle of this happening over and over, Dier being immortal but sad, and her being constantly killed and getting increasingly jaded. At least here she can weaponize that jadedness. I did appreciate that almost everyone gets that something is going on – no one, especially not Dier or her sister, believe she’s suddenly turned mad with power, and they all know she’s kind. It is a bit frustrating having her blow off telling them what she’s actually doing, but I get it.

So, in the end, it all ends in fire… minus a cute epilogue that is thematically appropriate but perhaps a bit too pat for my liking. This was a solid little tragedy in the end, a nice change of pace from other “you are NO LONGER my fiancee!” books.