Kazuki started writing novels when she was in her second year of junior high school. After taking an entrance exam, she entered into a national university before graduating and becoming busy with work, stopping her from writing. Once she was married and her child entered kindergarten, Kazuki had more free time, which she used to start writing again. From 2013 onwards, she started publishing her novel Ascendance of a Bookworm on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō which saw success. In 2015, she officially debuted with said series under the T.O. Books imprint.
3.49 stars. First time reading one of these newly published!
It was a solid installment. For a bit it seemed like not a lot was happening but in hindsight I guess a bunch did happen. Still it does feel a bit in-between since we're just waiting for the big ditter match and climax now, plus the full reveals of what's going on with Rozemyne. But it was still quite enjoyable to see her character developments and all the scheming. This really is a world where every word of every sentence has to be carefully thought through. Otherwise you wind up like Wilfried.
Speaking of Wilbur how tf is this guy still around. Deport his ass to IMMERDINK put him in a third rate noble sex dungeon next to Detlinde and never reference him again. Rozemyne has no shortage of good brothers and sisters to focus on as is. In general the check-ins with the rest of the cast, especially the new younger generation, were fun. Hildebrand is gonna have the mother of all mother-in-law complexes but I really think he and Letizia could be really cute. Also gotta see more about Lungtase, that girl smart.
I think what brought this book down a bit was not enough comeuppance for the annoying people. Which yeah it's expected for a middle installment but even so. Need to see Sigi suffer. Even the Raufereg thing wasn't as satisfying as it should have been. And ofc Wilbur still running around causing problems. That boy ain't right. And idk if unpopular opinion but I ain't an Ortwin fan. Bro is the potential man of his generation.
It was immensely fun to see the other duchies scramble once they realized what they signed up for tho. Overall a fun read. Not looking forward to the long wait for the next one alas.
Greatly enjoyed this installment in Hannelore's adventures! While I do miss the restoration of lost knowledge and the building of economy we got in the main series, I love how Hannelore's POV gives us greater insights into interduchy relations and the mindset of "normal" nobles, things we don't necessarily get to see with Rozemyne.
In particular, the political maneuvering and navigating cultural differences between duchies is done so delicately that it hardly makes one envy the responsibilities of archducal families, but they do it so elegantly that it makes me admire the archducal ladies all the more. Hannelore is a wonderful contrast to Rozemyne in this regard, but I wouldn't change either of them. :)
And of course, we got lots of ditter! Cannot wait for the next volume where the ditter extravaganza comes to a head! Who will win Hannelore's hand in the end?
It's a fun continuation of the main Ascendance series, but I have to admit part of me misses the focus on restoring lost knowledge or introducing modern ideas and technology alongside the magic of the world that we became familiar with in Myne's stories.
I know I'm in the minority of this, but time travel shenanigans usually contain my least favorite tropes, and the two Hannelore stories draws heavily from them. So while fun as a supplement it doesn't hit as hard for me as the main story.
A great continuation of Hannelore's romantic trouble and the politics behind it. It is a great read when it comes to characters, politics, and pacing. I am struggling a bit with the romantic drama, not my normal genre, and the time travel plot taking place in the background poses its own irritation for me due to my dislike of the trope. At least the gods keep their distance in this volume. So, yeah, solid read, just not completely for me to be honest.
this feels like the middle of the early volumes. It's great.
While this side adventure is about Hannelore, it's immensely enjoyable to see how higher-ranked folks live their lives suffering, interact, and how nobles must conduct themselves.
The absolute best moment is when Wilfried gets a reality check.
This spin off series has a different feel than the main books, it is heavier on the romance with Hannelore trying to decide who to be engaged with. I do enjoy seeing her character develop as this goes along but I’m much more interested in what happens in the upcoming Ditter match.
So much ditter and Dunkelfeger internal politics...I'm still enjoying this series, but this book felt like it dragged a little. And I still don't see how Hannelore can get a happy marriage outcome. (Plus, I am increasingly concerned about Lestilitat being an acceptable next Aub Dunkelfeger.)