The Kept Man of the Princess Knight, Vol. 3 (The Kept Man of the Princess Knight

The Kept Man of the Princess Knight (Light Novel) #3

by Toru Shirogane, Stephen Paul (Translator)

The Dungeon City is thrust into chaos when it is shaken by tremors that hint at an impending monster stampede. Arwin is still inside the dungeon, with no knowledge of the danger she’s in, so Matthew insists on going in to save her. Countless obstacles stand in his vicious monsters, the sun god’s insidious preachers, and of course, the curse he bears that steals his strength when he’s not in the sunlight. Prepared to face his death, the weakest kept man ventures into the dark depths of the dungeon.

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novel

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2024

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still greatly enjoying this series. We got a good dose of world-building outside Gray Neighborhood in this volume, which I found fascinating. Also, hats off to the translator once again; it really does make a palatable difference when a work is put into such capable hands.

The quality I appreciate most in this series is that, although it is a dark fantasy with the typical gruesome, no-holds-bard violence and gore, it doesn't lean into giving those scenes gratuitously just for shock value. It feels like the world was established first, and we are experiencing it as-is through the character's eyes, rather than the characters being created first, then tossed into the most prolifically violent world possible just for the sake of it. It's a subtle difference that makes reading this series more engrossing.

I thought we were going to spend more time in the dungeon, but with how limited Matthew's abilities are there, it makes sense that the characters would need to get out of there pretty quickly, and we saw much of what we needed to with the new Priest. Matthew's relationship with Arwin continues to surprise me with (despite how much Matthew would protest to the contrary) how multi-dimensional it is. We also get more of Dez and other side characters in this one, which is always a plus. The monsters introduced in this volume were larger than life and added new scale to the trials these characters must've endured in the past. And of course, there's always the intrigue and mystery of what exactly the Sun God is planning in the background, which we'll hopefully get more of next volume. Looking forward to the next installment.

[slugbiscuit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to not know what to think about this series. Volume 3 is all about rescuing Arwen, and Matthew continues to seemingly be willing to go to any extreme to help her. I guess I don’t really buy it, or at least it doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t seem consistent that someone so selfish and hedonistic, who we even know is willing to murder friends, can suddenly be willing to sacrifice everything for a woman that he only has an ambiguous relationship with. Is this a mental illness? Obsessive Love Disorder? Otherwise, it was fine. I do like Dez.