I procrastinated reviewing this a little too long, but...
Another great volume, as always. I'm sad for the break from the Royal Academy (at least, for much of the novel), but there is much more to this series than that.
The Prologue is told from Matthias' POV. I honestly can't recall if he's been mentioned before--and, if so, I think it was a minor mention--but his viewpoint works well both to talk about the various engagements and weddings that have been going on, as well as to show his thoughts on the faction war in Ehrenfest and how it is affecting him and his future.
This book is a little fuzzy because I'm actually two books ahead right now... (again, that procrastination for reviewing this), but the beginning bits touch base with what's been going on with the merchant side of things, and then we get the big event that is the wedding.
Aurelia is an interesting new character, and it's hard to be sure what to make of her. It's hard to tell if she's hiding secrets or if it really is as simple as being self-conscious of her face. Her introduction does help to shake things up, though.
I really enjoyed seeing how the printing industry was coming along with Groschel. Things go differently than in other places, and I enjoyed seeing how Rozemyne handled things while trying to do so in the noble manner. It really is a tough line to walk.
Once back at the Royal Academy, there's a moment I've been waiting for, though I can understand Rozemyne's hesitation.
Then there's the fun of the fellowship gathering. I won't say anything because of spoilers, but it was quite the surprise. It makes me all the more excited for Rozemyne's second year at the academy.
The Epilogue is told from Hildebrand's POV. I won't explain who he is because of spoilers, but I was excited to see his perspective on things. He is a fun character to read about, and I love the misunderstanding.
Bonus story time. The first one is in Philine's POV, and it's a look into what she does when she is in the castle without Rozemyne. It's cute to see her crushing on a certain character, and I really do think they'd be a good match considering their circumstances. We'll see where that goes in the future.
The second story is from Aurelia's POV. I won't say much for spoilers, but it does give a bit of an answer as to why Aurelia seems a bit aloof. It's also nice to see her thoughts on the various things going on around her. There's even a family tree at the end of her story, to help visualize how she fits into things that way.
There's a third bonus story, this one from Effa's POV. It's nice to see a bit more of her, and to see her both in her work environment and with her love of her child driving her so much. It's nice she has a new path open to getting a closer connection to Rozemyne, and it's just a sweet story.
As for the bonus comics, they're all cute. I especially love the single-panel one. It made me laugh.
Overall, this volume does a great job at covering a bunch of different events to move the story along. The introduction of Aurelia felt like the biggest shake-up, and I'm interested to see if that plays a big role in the story later on or not. Some of the events end up connecting to one another, which helps move the story along. I'm super happy this volume ends back in the academy, as I can't get enough of Rozemyne's time there. Just the few chapters there already sets things up to be quite interesting during her second year.
Like I said earlier, I've actually already read the next volume, but... I'm always excited to read more of this series!