Tag: Isekai

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 2, Vol. 4 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 2: Apprentice Shrine Maiden, Vol. 4 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai, Magic
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356061
Rating: 5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

The long winter comes to an end and vibrant spring returns to Ehrenfest. The temple swirls busily as attempts to control Myne’s future escalate and the High Bishop, fueled by hate, shrouds the city in the darkness of his nefarious plots. But Myne just wants everything to stay the same. Her little brother has been born, she’s making new books thanks to her progress making ink, and she wants nothing more than to just keep spending more heart-warming time with her family and friends. The world, however, forces her to make a cruel and unbearable decision. To protect those she loves, she must begin walking a new road.

Personal & Info

This is the final volume of Part 2 and it has eight bonus chapters after the epilogue. Part 3 is next and it has a total of 5 volumes before part 4.

I got my copy from a Barnes & Noble online order with a couple other volumes. While reading, I turned a page and found a security sticker stuck right onto the page. I was not happy about that, but thankfully it came off without damaging the paper.

Characters

Myne’s Family

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, is the main character. Now that her Devouring is under control, she mainly just suffers from normal poor health. Myne constantly comes up with product ideas from modern Earth that can break or revolutionize the Ehrenfest market.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than Myne. Her current occupation is apprentice seamstress and she strives to move up in the industry.

Effa is Myne and Tuuli’s mother. She dyes clothes for a career.

Gunther is Myne and Tuuli’s father. He works as a soldier who guards one of the city gates.

Kamil is Myne and Tuuli’s new baby brother.

The Gilberta Company

Benno is a wealthy merchant. He is Corinna’s older brother, and Otto’s brother-in-law. Benno currently runs the family fabric store, and takes care of Myne and Lutz in relation to their merchant endeavors.

Mark is Benno’s store manager. He teaches all of the apprentices they take on, and tends to important store matters on Benno’s behalf.

Corinna is Otto’s wife and Benno’s younger sister. She is a professional seamstress.

Otto is Gunther’s coworker. He handles all the important paperwork for guarding the town gate. Benno is his brother-in-law, because Otto married Benno’s sister, Corinna.

Lutz is Myne’s friend. He is the same age as she is, and he looks after her to monitor her health. Thanks to Myne, he is now following his dream to become a merchant. Lutz also helps Myne and her workshop make products.

Leon is a leherl apprentice at the Gilberta Company. Fran is teaching him proper etiquette and how to serve nobles.

The Temple

Bezewanst, the High Bishop, is supposed to be in charge of the temple, but he pushes all responsibilities onto the High Priest. Due to events from Part 1, Volume 3, he hates Myne, and will do whatever he can to spy on her and make her miserable.

High Priest Ferdinand is Myne’s guardian at the temple. He does the majority of the High Bishop’s job and must also occasionally assist the Knight’s Order.

Sylvester is a blue priest who accompanied the High Priest and Myne during Spring Prayer. He is an eccentric and rather childish person. Few people actually know what his noble rank is.

Dirk is a baby boy given to the orphanage. He is the first infant to arrive during Myne’s time as Director.

Attendants

Fran is Myne’s head attendant. He served the High Priest before her and was reassigned to Myne upon her joining the temple. Fran helps Myne learn how to act like nobility and adapt to life in the temple. He is also responsible for watching Myne’s health.

Gil is assigned to Myne as an attendant, by order of the High Bishop, specifically to cause her trouble. That plan has failed, and he now works hard to be useful and help Myne.

Delia is Tuuli’s age. She is assigned as an attendant to Myne, by order of the High Bishop, to spy on her.

Wilma is one of Myne’s attendants. She is good at art, and permitted to stay in the orphanage to take care of the children.

Rosina is one of Myne’s attendants. She has a talent for music, and previously worked for an eccentric blue shrine maiden along with Wilma. Her primary responsibilities are to teach Myne how to play the harspiel and help Fran with paperwork.

Arno is one of the High Priest’s attendants. He is the new head attendant for the High Priest now that Fran serves Myne.

Zahm is one of the High Priest’s attends. I get the impression we will be seeing him around more.

Ehrenfest’s Knight’s Order

Karstedt is the captain of Ehrenfest Knight’s Order. He’s also a close friend of High Priest Ferdinand.

Damuel is a kind knight from Part 2, Volume 2, currently assigned as Myne’s guard.

Other

Count Bindewald is the High Bishop’s Archnoble acquaintance from Ahrensbach.

Heidi is Bierce’s daughter and the successor to the ink workshop. She is to ink as Myne is to books.

Josef is a leherl of the ink workshop and Heidi’s husband. He is likely to become the next foreman.

Bierce is the new Guildmaster of the ink guild.

Freida is the granddaughter of the merchant guild’s Guildmaster. She considers herself Myne’s friend. Freida has a passion for money, and has a contract with a noble to manage her Devouring.

Story & Thoughts

This volume is intense. There were several chapters that had me glued, with my heart pounding, on the edge of my seat. The first chunk of the book with Myne experimenting with ink was nice and chill, but once other things started happening, I couldn’t put it down. I binge read the majority of the book and stayed up late to finish. The whole volume is chill, to intense, to big sad.

One of the things I find significant is the family tree for the High Priest is finally clear. We know he and the High Bishop are relatives. I don’t think their rank was ever stated, but it was clear they were high up on the food chain somewhere. This volume clarifies things. Their nobility rank is explained, as is more of their direct family.

The High Bishop isn’t much of a villain for the majority of Part 2. He’s too pathetic to be dangerous without recruiting someone stronger to do his dirty work. It’s unfortunate his familial connections give him powerful acquaintances, as you will find out in the prologue chapter. The prologue also teaches us his name. He’s been the nameless High Bishop until now.

I think the author forgot about Damuel. At some point he is unconscious, and everyone gets behind a magic barrier. I don’t recall anyone dragging him behind it, nor any mention of him at all after he loses consciousness. The cast of characters is rather large, so I know it’s easy to forget some once in a while. It seems like a simple oversight. He is in one of the bonus chapters, though, so we do see where he ends up for recovery.

I’m trying so hard not to binge read this series. It’s so addictive. Every time I finish a volume, I want to go straight to the next one, but I’m trying to read other books, too, so that I don’t burn through all of them right away.

Freida—A Visit to the Noble’s Quarter

This bonus chapter is basically the roundabout way Freida discovers the big change regarding Myne’s life. It’s time for her magic tool to be emptied, so she must visit the noble whom she has a contract with. We learn who that is, their rank, and to whom else we may know that they have a relation. This chapter has a connection to Benno—Maybe Lessen the Workload.

Sylvester—Cleaning up the Mess

The bonus chapter in Sylvester’s perspective takes place right after Myne’s family leaves the room. Sylvester, Karstedt, and Ferdinand discuss Myne’s business and future. I’m more interested in the parts pertaining to Sylvester. There are some insights to his actions regarding his behavior when he first met Myne. I feel like I know and understand him a little better after reading this.

Arno—Fran and I

Arno is the High Priest’s current head attendant, so he only appears when Myne or her attendants need to contact Ferdinand. Because of this, his stoic demeanor makes it hard to get to know him. This bonus chapter breaks that barrier, and I can’t say I like him. Arno does his job well, but he is bitter and envious on the inside to the point of maliciousness. His history is tangled with Fran and Sister Margaret.

The information revealed in Fran and I and To Serve as the High Bishop’s Attendant is both disgusting and enlightening. These two bonus chapters are where the information Myne wasn’t interested in learning about the previous director are revealed. Margaret was the orphanage director before Myne, and it’s safe to say she didn’t do a good job. So, if you’ve been curious about the mystery of the previous director, be sure to read both of those bonus chapters.

Benno—Maybe Lessen the Workload

After the events of this volume and Sylvester’s bonus chapter, Benno speaks with the High Priest. Any time he thought he had is now gone, so he must scramble to meet the ridiculous demands of the nobility. His only hope is to lighten his ever-growing workload, which leads to an unlikely partnership. Myne really has made his life difficult, but he’s just as responsible for his own stress by trying to monopolize every idea she has. He may be overwhelmed, but I don’t think he regrets any of it.

Fran—To Serve as the High Bishop’s Attendant

Without spoiling anything, both the High Priest’s and Myne’s attendants are cleaning up and preparing for a transition. I think this is the first time we get to see anything in Fran’s perspective. He has a lot going on behind his composed exterior. His time before serving the High Priest is not a fond memory. As with Fran and I, we get more insight into that. His time with Sister Margaret is unfortunate, and my heart aches for him, but I am glad he is now so fond of Myne. He was not enthused when he initially got his reassignment.

Effa—Facing the Future

In this bonus chapter, Myne’s family tries not to dwell on their feelings. That’s not something Gunther excels at, so he needs a little help to push him in the right direction. Effa and Tuuli seem to have it all figured out, and both strive to do their best as they face the future head on. It’s a cute chapter, because Myne’s whole family is adorable.

Josef—Beruf Certification

This bonus chapter is Josef’s perspective regarding the series of events related to Myne’s requests and visits to the ink workshop. It portrays his difficulties with Heidi and her ink obsession. He laments his eccentric wife’s obsession with figuring out the ink color problem, while also thinking about getting his beruf certification, which is a requirement to become a workshop foreman. Heidi and Josef are similar to what Myne and Lutz might be like if their choices had gone a little differently. It doesn’t seem like an easy relationship, but they’re happy.

Leon—Sylvester Undercover

This is the day from the previous volume, when Sylvester insists on visiting the forest. It covers Leon’s perspective of that day. This couldn’t be included in that volume, because Sylvester’s nobility rank is not revealed until this one. Leon had apparently deduced which rank applies to Sylvester and it affected his actions.

Normally the story doesn’t include much pertaining to Leon. He’s obviously around, learning things at the orphanage, but this bonus chapter gives us more insight into what he’s like. He is very judgmental about Lutz and Myne regarding their relationship and how they do business.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 2, Vol. 3 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 2: Apprentice Shrine Maiden, Vol. 3 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356054
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

An immense display of mana in front of the Knight’s Order has earned Myne the attention of nobles. The result? Yet more people appear, hoping to exploit the young apprentice shrine maiden’s value. And so the High Priest decides to shelter Myne in the temple to safeguard her from the impending danger he foresees. But Myne’s main concern is still books, and she works to advance the printing process so that their price will fall and more people can buy them. Her long winter in the temple away from her family begins, but everything changes as the harsh winter passes and the spring nears, offering a glimpse into what the future holds.

Personal & Info

There’s a new map in this book! I can’t say for sure what exactly it is. I think it’s the country of Ehrenfest and other surrounding countries, but the “Country Border Gate” encompassing the lot of them makes me wonder if I’m wrong. I’m hoping another volume will have more detailed information on this.

Characters

Myne’s Family

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, is the main character. Now that her Devouring is under control, she mainly just suffers from normal poor health. Myne constantly comes up with product ideas from modern Earth that can break or revolutionize the Ehrenfest market.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than her, and is very responsible and capable for her age. Her current occupation is apprentice seamstress.

Effa is Myne and Tuuli’s mother. She dyes clothes for a career.

Gunther is Myne and Tuuli’s father. He works as a soldier who guards one of the city gates.

The Gilberta Company

Benno is a wealthy merchant. He is Corinna’s older brother, and Otto’s brother-in-law. Benno currently runs the family fabric store, and takes care of Myne and Lutz in relation to their merchant endeavors.

Mark is Benno’s store manager. He teaches all of the apprentices they take on, and tends to important store matters on Benno’s behalf.

Corinna is Otto’s wife and Benno’s sister. She is a professional seamstress.

Otto is Gunther’s coworker. He handles all the important paperwork for guarding the gate. Benno is his brother-in-law, because Otto married Benno’s sister, Corinna.

Lutz is Myne’s friend. He is the same age as she is, and he looks after her to monitor her health. Thanks to Myne, he is now following his dream to become a merchant. Lutz also helps Myne and her workshop make products.

The Temple

The High Bishop is supposed to be in charge of the temple, but he pushes all responsibilities onto the High Priest. Due to events from Part 1, Volume 3, he hates Myne, and will do whatever he can to spy on her and make her miserable.

High Priest Ferdinand is Myne’s guardian at the temple. He is twenty, fairly new to his job, and convolutedly related to the High Bishop.

Sylvester is a blue priest who accompanies the High Priest and Myne during Spring Prayer. He is an eccentric and rather childish person. His actual noble rank remains a mystery.

Fran is one of the High Priest’s best attendants. He is seventeen, and reassigned to Myne upon her joining the temple. By loyalty, he technically works for the High Priest instead of Myne. Fran is assigned to Myne to help her learn and adapt to life in the temple. He is also responsible for watching Myne’s health while she is at the temple.

Gil is about ten. He is assigned to Myne as an attendant, by order of the High Bishop, specifically to cause her trouble. That plan has failed, and he now works hard to be useful and help Myne.

Delia is eight. She is assigned as an attendant to Myne, by order of the High Bishop, to spy on her.

Wilma is one of Myne’s attendants. She is good at art, and permitted to stay in the orphanage to take care of the children.

Rosina is one of Myne’s attendants. She has a talent for music, and previously worked for an eccentric blue shrine maiden along with Wilma. Her primary responsibilities are to teach Myne how to play the harspiel and help Fran with paperwork.

Arno is one of the High Priest’s attendants.

Ehrenfest’s Knight’s Order

Karstedt is the captain of Ehrenfest Knight’s Order. He’s also a close friend of High Priest Ferdinand.

Damuel is a kind knight from the previous volume, currently assigned as Myne’s guard.

Other

Hugo is a chef Benno hired. He is about twenty, and he is learning to cook in a noble’s kitchen by practicing in Myne’s quarters at the temple.

Ella is the apprentice chef Benno hired. She is in her early teens, and is learning to cook with Hugo in Myne’s quarters at the temple.

Johann is an apprentice craftsman at the smithy. He specializes in small detail work that is typically too difficult for others.

Story & Thoughts

After the busywork of the previous volume, this one gets things back on track. Myne starts new projects and inventions, but the story doesn’t heavily focus on them. Instead, the focus is Myne dealing with hardships

It’s already been arranged that Myne will stay at the temple all winter. That on its own is going to be hard. Unlike in her previous life, she’s much more family oriented, so months away from her family is going to be rough. Sure, she’s not alone, because she has attendants, but it’s not the same.

There has to be an obvious master and servant divide between them. Myne can’t treat her attendants like friends. Something as simple as getting a hug is not something she is able to do. When she has to go to the temple for the winter early due to potential danger, it’s even worse, because it’s more like house arrest.

The story talks a lot about how Myne is drawing attention to herself and that Benno is wise to keep her identity a secret. There are events ahead that Myne will have no control over, because it’s either do what she’s told or die for being a potential danger to herself and the country. All of that makes sense, but it can’t possibly be easy for her.

A new character gets an introduction during the spring. It’s unclear who Sylvester actually is, but one thing is for certain. He has too much authority for someone so childish and whimsical. I can’t help wondering about his actual identity and what part he might play in the future. I get the feeling he doesn’t actually live at the temple. It’s pretty clear we’re going to see him again at some point.

This series has easily become one of my favorites. Just one paragraph is enough to make me feel engrossed and comforted. I love all of the characters, even rude Sylvester after seeing more interactions. I can’t express enough how much joy and comfort I get from these books. The world comes more and more alive every volume.

Lunchtime at the Temple

This bonus chapter is in Damuel’s perspective. It takes place before Spring Prayer, while Damuel is dining with High Priest Ferdinand. Throughout their mealtime discussion, Damuel reports his perspective of Myne. In return, Ferdinand points out the “sins” of which Damuel is not aware are included in his punishment. This gives Damuel more insight into how to be a better person and a better knight.

The conversation about Damuel’s money problems in this chapter are likely relevant to Ferdinand’s discussion with Myne at a later date.

The Title of “Gutenberg”

In this chapter, we see Johann’s side of things regarding the presentation of his patron project. We get to see what happens after Myne faints, and the official judgement from the guild for his score. One thing is certain, he is not happy to have the title of “Gutenberg.”

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 2, Vol. 2 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 2: Apprentice Shrine Maiden, Vol. 2 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356047
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

As Myne continues her busy life as an apprentice blue shrine maiden, some good news changes everything: Her mother is pregnant! Naturally, she immediately sets out to make a picture book for her future little sibling. But there’s still so much she doesn’t know about the temple that doing anything is a struggle. As always Myne has bitten off more than she can chew, but she charges forward with her love of books giving her strength. She soon faces problems which escalate dramatically as her shrine maiden education continues, the orphanage prepares for winter, and nobles get involved!

Personal & Info

Despite the gap for when I’m posting this review, I actually read this book immediately after the previous one. This series is becoming a comfort read, and it’s hard for me to want to read anything else between volumes. At the time of this post, I have four more volumes available to me, and I need to make myself spread them out a bit better.

Characters

Myne’s Family

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, is the main character. Now that her Devouring is under control, she mainly just suffers from normal poor health.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than her, and is very responsible and capable for her age. Her current occupation is seamstress’s apprentice.

Effa is Myne and Tuuli’s mother. She dyes clothes for a career.

Gunther is Myne and Tuuli’s father. He works as a soldier who guards the South Gate.

The Gilberta Company

Benno is a wealthy merchant. He is Corinna’s older brother, and Otto’s brother-in-law. Benno currently runs the family fabric store, and takes care of Myne and Lutz in relation to their merchant endeavors.

Mark is Benno’s store manager. He teaches all of the apprentices they take on, and tends to important store matters on Benno’s behalf.

Corinna is Otto’s wife and Benno’s sister. She is a professional seamstress.

Lutz is Myne’s friend. He is the same age as she is, and he looks after her to monitor her health. Thanks to Myne, he is now following his dream to become a merchant.

Otto is Gunther’s coworker. He handles all the important paperwork for the South Gate. Benno is his brother-in-law, because Otto married Benno’s sister, Corinna. He does not appear in this volume.

The Temple

The High Bishop is mentioned, but does not appear. Due to events from Part 1, Volume 3, he hates Myne. He is supposed to be in charge of the temple, but he pushes all responsibilities onto the High Priest.

High Priest Ferdinand is Myne’s guardian at the temple. He is twenty, fairly new to his job, and convolutedly related to the High Bishop.

Fran is one of the High Priest’s best attendants. He is seventeen, and reassigned to Myne upon her joining the temple. By loyalty, he technically works for the High Priest instead of Myne. Fran is assigned to Myne to help her learn and adapt to life in the temple. He is also responsible for watching Myne’s health while she is at the temple.

Gil is about ten. He is assigned to Myne as an attendant, by order of the High Bishop, specifically to cause her trouble. That plan has failed, and he now works hard to help Myne and be useful.

Delia is eight. She is assigned as an attendant to Myne, by order of the High Bishop, to spy on her.

Wilma is one of Myne’s new attendants. She is good at art, and permitted to stay in the orphanage to take care of the children.

Rosina is one of Myne’s new attendants. She has a talent for music, and previously worked for an eccentric blue shrine maiden along with Wilma.

Arno is one of the High Priest’s attendants.

Ehrenfest’s Knight’s Order

Karstedt is the captain of Ehrenfest Knight’s Order.

Damuel is a kind knight.

Shikza is a mean knight who looks down on people of lower status. He apparently used to work at the shrine as a blue priest.

Other

Hugo is the chef Benno hired. He is about twenty, and he is learning to cook in a noble’s kitchen by practicing in Myne’s quarters at the temple.

Ella is the apprentice chef Benno hired. She is in her early teens, and is learning to cook with Hugo in Myne’s quarters at the temple.

Todd is the new chef Benno hired. He starts learning in Myne’s kitchen after Hugo.

Johann is a craftsman at the smithy. He specializes in small detail work that is typically too difficult for others.

Story & Thoughts

This is probably the weakest volume out of the five, so far. The plot isn’t as strong. Most of the story focuses on busy work. Myne makes sure the workshop is productive and attempts several ideas. There’s much less drama.

For the majority of the book, the problem with Rosina is the only real drama. She only ever worked for an eccentric apprentice blue shrine maiden, so she thought that was how life was supposed to be while serving one. Once disillusioned about that, the story focuses heavily on Myne’s projects.

I was going to rate this book a three, because the whirlwind of work going on feels monotonous. I bumped up the rating by half, because the story gets more interesting and intense in the later sections.

Trombe seem to be getting more important and prevalent. The last couple volumes expand on them, and this one shows a trombe at one of it’s worst appearances. It really puts into perspective what kind of danger they’ve been playing with by making paper out of trombe wood.

The epilogue is interesting, too. A second person now knows Myne’s secret. Instead of just knowing about it, they actually see it. I’m curious to find out what they will do with this information.

The last quarter or so of the book recaptured me, and I can’t wait to read more. This series always leaves me wanting more. I can’t fully express how much I adore this series.

The Attendant of an Apprentice Blue Shrine Maiden

This bonus chapter is in Rosina’s perspective. It goes over what her life was like working for apprentice blue shrine maiden Christine, then jumps to the present. We see what her side of things is like for Myne’s ultimatum and what her thought process is like in regards to everyone telling her she needs to participate in work instead of just playing music every waking hour. She genuinely did not know Christine was an eccentric.

Apprentice Chef in the Temple

In this bonus chapter, Ella is teaching gray shrine maidens Nicola and Monika how to cook, because they will be helping her all winter. In Ella’s perspective, we get her backstory, and learn about how she got her current job. It’ also pretty clear she likely has a crush on Hugo.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 2, Vol. 1 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 2: Apprentice Shrine Maiden, Vol. 1 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356030
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

With her baptism ceremony complete, Myne begins work in the temple as an apprentice shrine maiden. Awaiting within is what she always wanted: a room full of books! But her new life isn’t quite the dream she was hoping for; she’s surrounded by nobles who scorn her common origins, and even her own servants are causing her trouble. On top of that, she has to constantly battle the weakness of her own body. But with a love for books burning in her heart, Myne gives her all to her new apprentice duties. Thus begins part two of this bingo-fantasy!

Personal & Info

Unlike the first three books in the series, this one doesn’t have a map of the city. However, the character page is more expansive than the ones prior. I was hoping for a map of the temple grounds, but there isn’t one.

Characters

Myne’s Family

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, is the main character. Now that her Devouring is under control, she mainly just suffers from normal poor health.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than her, and is very responsible and capable for her age. Her current occupation is seamstress’s apprentice.

Effa is Myne and Tuuli’s mother. She dyes clothes for a career.

Gunther is Myne and Tuuli’s father. He works as a soldier who guards the South Gate.

The Gilberta Company

Benno is a wealthy merchant. He is Corinna’s older brother, and Otto’s brother-in-law. Benno currently runs the family fabric store, and takes care of Myne and Lutz in relation to their merchant endeavors.

Mark is Benno’s store manager. He teaches all of the apprentices they take on, and tends to important store matters on Benno’s behalf.

Corinna is Otto’s wife and Benno’s sister. She is a professional seamstress.

Lutz is Myne’s friend. He is the same age as she is, and he looks after her to monitor her health. Thanks to Myne, he is now following his dream to become a merchant.

Otto is Gunther’s coworker. He handles all the important paperwork for the South Gate. Benno is his brother-in-law, because Otto married Benno’s sister, Corinna. He does not appear in this volume.

The Temple

The High Bishop is mentioned several times, but does not appear outside of the prologue. Due to events of the previous volume, he hates Myne.

High Priest Ferdinand is Myne’s guardian at the temple. He is twenty, fairly new to his job, and convolutedly related to the High Bishop.

Fran is one of the High Priest’s best attendants. He is seventeen, and reassigned to Myne upon her joining the temple. By loyalty, he technically works for the High Priest instead of Myne. Fran is assigned to Myne to help her learn and adapt to life in the temple.

Gil is about ten. He is assigned to Myne as an attendant, by order of the High Bishop, specifically to cause her trouble.

Delia is eight. She is assigned as an attendant to Myne, by order of the High Bishop, to spy on her.

Arno is one of the High Priest’s attendants.

Other

Karla and Deid are Lutz’s parents.

Hugo is the chef Benno hired. He is about twenty, and he is learning to cook in a noble’s kitchen by practicing in Myne’s quarters at the temple.

Ella is the apprentice chef Benno hired. She is in her early teens, and is learning to cook with Hugo in Myne’s quarters at the temple.

Story & Thoughts

The prologue covers the High Priest discussing Myne’s terms with the High Bishop. We get some background information about both the High Priest and the High Bishop. The High Bishop also sets some terms of his own regarding two out of three of Myne’s attendants. After that, the transitional month passes, and Myne enters the temple in the first chapter.

This volume primarily focuses on Myne’s time adjusting to her new apprenticeship at the temple. Life at the temple is very different from what she was expecting. Of course, Myne, being who she is, can’t help turning the place on its head.

The temple has some strange and down right outrageous ideals. The High Bishop makes the rules, so it’s clear he’s not a good person. For example, the story claims the temple doesn’t consider kids under the age of seven (pre-baptism) to be people. It’s pretty horrible, but Myne gets involved in some clever ways to get around the rules.

I think the volume is interesting. The world inside the temple has its own culture, and in most ways, is completely ignorant of what goes on outside. I like how Myne handles the problems with her attendants, and the new insight about trombe. Some subtle questions arise that have me curious, but Myne doesn’t care about them, so I’ll have to wait and see if any answers crop up later.

A Place Still Far From Here

This bonus chapter is in Tuuli’s perspective. It covers a day when Tuuli brings two coworker friends to the North side of town to observe fashion trends. Tuuli seems to have more ambition than any other apprentice where she works, and instead of getting intimidated by hard designs, she strives to be skilled enough to be able to handle them.

An Attendant’s Self-Awareness

The last bonus chapter is in Gil’s perspective. It takes place on the day when Gunther, Tuuli, and Lutz take the orphans to the forest. During the walk, Gil resolves his determination to be useful to Myne.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 1, Vol. 3 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 1: Daughter of a Soldier, Vol. 3 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356023
Rating: 5/5
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Description from the Book

Just as Myne gets her foot in the door of making paper, she collapses due to the sickness known as the Devouring. She’s getting better thanks to her friends and the people around her, but the Devouring remains clouded in mystery. As the world expands, so too does her passion for making books, and that passion could open more doors than she ever imagined!

Personal & Info

This volume was hard to find. It wasn’t in stock anywhere, including online. Only two Barnes & Noble locations in my entire state had a copy, and they were both an hour away in different directions. I ended up driving that hour with a friend to be able to get mine. After that I checked a couple volumes ahead and saw they were going out of stock, so I panic purchased the next two to be safe.

Up until now, there have only been one or two extra stories at the end of each book. This one has six. Three of them take place around the same time, of the same day, on the day of the cake tasting. They all seem significant, and likely all take place during the month Myne was given by the High Priest.

Characters

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, is the main character. She suffers from poor health, in addition to a deathly illness called The Devouring. Despite her poor health, Myne has become a cash cow for anyone who will listen to her marketable ideas.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than her, and is very responsible and capable for her age. Her current occupation is seamstress’s apprentice.

Effa is Myne and Tuuli’s mother. She dyes clothes for a career.

Gunther is Myne and Tuuli’s father. He works as a soldier who guards the South Gate.

Lutz is Myne’s friend. He is the same age as her, and he looks after her like she’s his little sister. Thanks to Myne, he is now following his dream to become a merchant.

Otto is Gunther’s coworker. He handles all the important paperwork for the South Gate. Benno is his brother-in-law, because Otto married Benno’s sister, Corinna.

Benno is a wealthy merchant. He is Corinna’s older brother, and Otto’s brother-in-law.

Mark is Benno’s store manager. He teaches all of the apprentices they take on, and tends to important store matters on Benno’s behalf.

Corinna is Otto’s wife. She is a professional seamstress.

Freida is the granddaughter of the Merchant Guild’s Guildmaster. She has the Devouring, like Myne, and her family is exceedingly wealthy. Her passion is money, and she considers herself Myne’s best friend.

Leise is the home chef for the Guildmaster’s family. She is enthusiastic about her job and loves learning new recipes.

Story & Thoughts

The prologue starts with Freida’s thoughts while she fetches a magic tool from a safe. This is in reaction to Myne’s collapse at the end of volume two. Chapter one picks up the story with Myne waking up at the Guildmaster’s residence.

This is the most emotional volume in the series, so far. It seems to be the one they try to squeeze in all the hard family conversations. The chapter “Family Meeting” got me all teary eyed and choked up. In that chapter, Myne finally discusses the details of her illness with her family and addresses the only options available regarding her health. I didn’t expect that discussion to hit so hard, but it kicked me right in the feels. Additionally, Lutz finally gets to speak to one of his parents about becoming a merchant and they actually listen.

It’s not the most amazing light novel volume, but while reading it, I was absolutely certain I wanted to rate it a five. It’s flawed, but I had such a good time reading it. The High Bishop’s attitude was so over the top it was practically comical.

The whole church is hilarious. It doesn’t make any sense. Tuuli prayed once, and there was nothing unusual about it. The difference between how Tuuli prayed and how the children are taught at the baptism raises so many questions. Maybe the prayers differ by season or which season people were born in.

I am so hooked on this series. I love all the character interactions, and how even though it feels like the story is progressing slowly, it’s a joy to read. The more I read, the more I love the series. It’s definitely not something everyone would enjoy, but it’s stolen my heart.

Tuuli – Visiting Corinna

The first extra story is in Tuuli’s perspective. Myne, Effa, and Tuuli all go visit Corinna to show her Myne’s baptism dress and hairpin. Corinna expresses interest in the hairpin, so Benno must negotiate with Myne for the exclusive rights to sell them. Because of this, Tuuli sees her little sister at work for the first time and can’t believe her eyes.

Leise – Confectionary Recipe

This second story is in Leise’s perspective. It explains her background and motivations. She speaks to Myne before the cake tasting to get more information on how to make the cakes better.

Benno – Pound Cake Sampling

The third story is in Benno’s perspective. He attends the cake tasting and forms a rivalry with Leise as he vows to try to keep all of Myne’s recipe’s for himself, even if he has to train his own chef to do it.

Mark – The Master and I

The next story is in Mark’s perspective. It takes place immediately after the cake tasting. Mark’s backstory is revealed, as well as additional information on how merchant apprenticeship works. Their system uses contracts based around apprentices either being classified as “lehange” or “leherl.”

Benno discusses future business plans in this chapter that might become relevant or important later. Lutz is tangled up in anything Benno plans, so whatever he decides will likely effect him greatly.

The Life as an Apprentice Merchant

This extra story chapter is in Lutz’s perspective. It follows him through a normal day of his apprenticeship, from wake until sleep. He has some things harder than other apprentices, but some things are easier, so he seems to be managing just fine.

The Roots of the Guildmaster’s Worries

This last extra chapter takes place during the cake tasting. It’s in Guildmaster Gustav’s perspective. Everything we know about the Guildmaster has been provided by Benno. This chapter gives us the Guildmaster’s side of things. He expresses his frustrations and concerns regarding Benno’s many seemingly greedy, selfish, and reckless behaviors, while his assistant points out to him what things must be like from Benno’s point of view to make sure the Guildmaster understands the social blunders he’s made. It’s really kind of sad, because the Guildmaster has good intentions.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 1, Vol. 2 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 1: Daughter of a Soldier, Vol. 2 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356016
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

It has been a year since our hero was reborn into a new world in the body of Myne, a sickly little girl from a poor family. She’s been doing her best to fulfill her dream of making books, but her plans have been foiled at every turn.

But now Myne has a deal with Benno the merchant: With her friend Lutz’s help, she will make a paper prototype that he can sell in his shop. In exchange, he will take her and Lutz on as apprentices. But making the prototype is filled with its own challenges, and can she trust a conniving merchant like Benno? And the most important question is, does Myne have the deadly sickness known as “The Devouring”?

Personal & Info

I wanted to read this immediately after the first volume. It’s that good.

There is a mini-poster at the front of the book. The poster is not perforated, so I wouldn’t bother removing it. It’s big enough to fold out once, and has two sides. One side is the same picture as the cover, and the back is a cute picture of all the important characters pertaining to this volume.

Characters

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, is the main character. She is a twenty-two-year-old book nerd in the body of a young child. Myne suffers from poor health, and could rarely leave the house or do normal household chores. Her health is much better now, but she still gets sick far more often and easier than everyone else, and her physical strength is practically nonexistent.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than her, and is very responsible and capable for her age. Her current occupation is seamstress’s apprentice.

Effa is Myne and Tuuli’s mother. She dyes clothes for a career.

Gunther is Myne and Tuuli’s father. He works as a soldier who guards the South Gate.

Lutz is Myne’s friend. He is the same age as her, and he looks after her like she’s his little sister.

Otto is Gunther’s coworker. He handles all the important paperwork for the South Gate. Benno is his brother-in-law, because Otto married Benno’s sister, Corinna.

Benno is a wealthy merchant. He is Corinna’s older brother, and Otto’s brother-in-law.

Corinna is the matriarch of her family and Otto’s wife. She is a professional seamstress.

Freida is the granddaughter of the Merchant Guild’s Guildmaster. Her family is exceedingly wealthy, and she has a passion for money. She and her grandfather badly want to recruit Myne to work at their store.

Story & Thoughts

The prologue starts with Tuuli helping her mother make lunch, while Myne and Lutz are at their meeting with Otto and Benno. Chapter one starts with Myne and Lutz walking back from the meeting. There is absolutely no gap from when volume one ends to volume two beginning. I love when books just drop off and pick up in the same spot for the next volume.

Myne and Lutz have a good dynamic. Lutz is the only person in the whole city willing to spend his time looking after Myne almost every day. Her sickly condition is pretty serious, but their interactions make for some funny moments. It keeps things light enough that her illness doesn’t make the story gloomy, but whenever her condition worsens, there’s sufficient tension.

The money system finally gets an explanation. If I’m remembering correctly, there are seven different coins for currency: three different types of coppers, two types of silvers, and two types of golds. Their values have an explanation in the book, but it kind of lets you fill in the blank for the last three coins. There is a huge difference in some of the coin values. The smallest coin is worth ten, and the biggest coin, by their rule of adding a zero each increment, is worth 10,000,000. It’s pretty crazy to have a single coin worth that much.

I am in love with this series. It’s kind of funny that Myne is becoming a big bread winner for her household within a very short amount of time. What I like the most about this volume is that someone actually realized she’s not the “real” Myne. That interaction was so tense but so sweet. Again, I’m disappointed I don’t have the next volume right away. At the moment I’m typing this, it’s sold out everywhere.

Corinna’s Married Life

This is a bonus chapter in Corinna’s perspective. It covers her looking at the hairpins Myne provides to sell, and reflecting on her whirlwind romance with Otto. We heard a little about that from Otto before, but this chapter shows us a little more in depth, and from Corinna’s side of things, so we know what she was going through at the time.

Gossiping by the Well

The second bonus chapter is in Effa’s perspective. It takes place during a time when she’s doing laundry by the well with the other wives. She speculates about Myne’s change in behavior in the past year and compares her to Gunther. Apparently she considers Myne and Gunther to be similar.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part. 1, Vol. 1 (LN)

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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part 1: Daughter of a Soldier, Vol. 1 by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina
Series Name: Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll do anything to become a librarian! (Light Novel)
Genres: Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781718356009
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

A certain college girl who’s loved books ever since she was a little girl dies in an accident and is reborn in another world she knows nothing about. She is now Myne, the sickly five-year-old daughter of a poor soldier. To make things worse, the world she’s been reborn in has a very low literacy rate and books mostly don’t exist. She’d have to pay an enormous amount of money to buy one. Myne resolves herself: If there aren’t any books, she’ll just have to make them! Her goal is to become a librarian. This story begins with her quest to make books so she can live surrounded by them!

Personal & Info

There is a mini-poster at the front of the book. The poster is not perforated, so I wouldn’t bother removing it. It’s big enough to fold out once, and has two sides. One side is the same picture as the cover, and the back is a cute picture of all the important characters pertaining to this volume.

Characters

Myne, previously Urano Motosu, is the main character. She is a twenty-two-year-old book nerd in the body of a five-year-old. Myne suffers from poor health, and can rarely leave the house or do normal household chores.

Tuuli is Myne’s sister. She is one year older than her, and is very responsible and capable for her age. Her hair is green, and her eyes are blue.

Effa is Myne and Tuuli’s mother. She has green hair like Tuuli, and dyes clothes for a career.

Gunther is Myne and Tuuli’s father. He works as a soldier who guards the South Gate, and he has blue hair like Myne.

Otto is Gunther’s coworker. He handles all the important paperwork for the South Gate.

Lutz is Myne’s friend. He is the same age as her. His hair is blond and his eyes are green.

Ralph is one of Lutz’s older brothers. He has red hair, and he is the same age as Tuuli.

Fey is one of Tuuli’s friends. He has pink hair, and I think he is the same age as Tuuli.

Story & Thoughts

This isn’t the same as your average isekai. It doesn’t focus on an epic save the world plot or combat or have video game mechanics. I do get the impression magic is going to play a part in it later, but I don’t know to what extent. This series feels like it’s in a type of isekai category separate from the rest.

I can’t easily find the words to describe the important aspects of the story. The most straight forward thing I can say about it is it’s interesting. It’s not fast paced, but it has a unique kind of charm.

Myne is part of a poor family that struggles just to survive the winter, so in a world where books, paper, and ink are only for nobility, she has no chance of affording them. The majority of the volume is about Myne adapting to the new world and trying to make her own paper. It doesn’t sound very interesting, but I love it.

The relationships in Myne’s family are cute and sweet. Myne is practically instantly in adoration of her new sister, and her dad just wants his little girl to think highly of him. I love how they just humor her with obvious skepticism whenever she makes an odd request regarding knowledge from her past life.

This book is definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I can easily see how people could find it boring. To me, it’s so interesting and charming that I am disappointed I don’t have the second volume right away. I can’t properly express why I like it as much as I do. Something about it just feels right to me, and I’m fairly certain this may be a series I add to my list of favorites.

A Day Without Myne

This bonus chapter is told in Lutz’s perspective. It takes place on a day during the five day period when Myne is sick. It’s just a simple day where the kids use teamwork to hunt something they can catch with a net. In their spare time, they talk about Myne and what they think of her.

Unchanging Daily Life

The second bonus chapter is a short story in Shuu’s perspective. He’s Myne’s friend and neighbor from her first life. The story is about a trip they went on ten years ago and the events that occurred, as well as a current trip taken to the same location. Shuu mostly reflects on the fact Urano has not changed at all in the ten years since the last trip.

Crystal Keepers

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Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull
Series Name: Five Kingdoms
Volume Number: 3
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: 8-12
Publisher: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4424-9707-8
Rating: 3/5
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Synopsis from the Book

Cole Randolph still can’t believe the way his life has turned inside out. Stuck in a strange land far from home, he has found his friend Dalton and has survived the first two kingdoms of the Outskirts, but none of that has prepared him for the magnetic highways and robotic bounty hunters of Zeropolis.

Ruled by Abram Trench, who stayed loyal to the evil High King, the government of Zeropolis uses advanced technologies to keep tight control. Luckily, the resistance in Zeropolis is anchored by the Crystal Keepers – a group of young rebels with unique weapons.

On the run from the High King’s secret police, Cole and Dalton hope to find more of their lost friends and help Mira locate her sister Constance. But time is running out for Cole to uncover the secrets behind the Zeropolitan government and unravel the mystery of who helped the High King steal his daughters’ powers.

Personal & Info

I found myself in great need of something fantasy that does not involve vampires or romance, so I circled back around to this series to scratch that itch. This book was just what I needed.

Content Warnings

Slavery is a big industry in the Outskirts. If you don’t like elements of slavery in your stories, this series is not for you.

Mira and her sisters have more years than they look, but not in a creepy way. They are children, and think of themselves as children, despite their number of years. Any crushes regarding these characters are not intended to be creepy. The idea is they are as old as they claim to be, because they have never been any other age. I can see how this might still upset some people, so just use your own discretion.

Characters

Cole Randolph is the main character. He’s in sixth grade, and shorter than most in his class. His weapon of choice is a jumping sword. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get to use that at all in this book.

Jace was a scout for the Sky Raiders. He’s moody, arrogant, and rash, but has a good heart. His current hobby is pranking and bullying Dalton, likely as a form of hazing. His weapon of choice is a rope that he doesn’t get to use in this book.

Mira, also known as Miracle Pemberton, is an eleven year old girl who has been hiding from her father for decades. She is one of the High Shaper’s daughters, and did not age during the time her powers were missing.

Dalton is Cole’s best friend. He stresses easily and tends to be anxious. He can create seemings, but that ability does not work in Zeropolis.

Joe is a member of the resistance, also referred to as the Unseen. He’s originally from Monterey, California. We get a little more of his backstory in this volume.

Constance, or Costa, is the princess the group is trying to locate in Zeropolis.

Roulette is a Crystal Keeper. She’s the one we see most often.

Googol is one of the leaders of the Unseen in Zeropolis, and their chief tinker.

Nova is the leader of the Unseen in Zeropolis.

Blake Daniels is one of the kids abducted in Sky Raiders. He’s not exactly a friend to Cole, but Cole still cared enough to inquire about him. Blake has a one of a kind technomancer ability that makes him very useful.

The Hunter is a character who has been silently pursuing the group since they entered Elloweer in Rogue Knight. He’s been a background concern, until now.

Sidekick is an intelligent robot in the guise of an old cleaning bot.

As usual, there are plenty more characters that are not listed here, but these are the ones I feel are most important.

Story & Thoughts

The story picks up where the last leaves off, like usual. However, getting started, it feels slow in comparison. Things are happening and the group is going places, but it really just feels like a lot of nothing and running around. There’s a significant amount of trying to get from A to B, just to find out that B is a problem, which means going to C instead.

I think this is probably the weakest book in the series, so far. That doesn’t mean it’s not good, though. It’s just a little different. I’d describe it as a transitional volume. There’s a lot of information gathering, and heavy focus on Cole doing things alone.

Cole himself is the main focus of the whole book. The group is constantly splitting up, most often with Mira going a separate direction from all of her friends. Cole even goes on his own adventure, without anybody else. Some sections feel like we’re missing out on the interesting bits because we’re following Cole around, but other times it’s very important that he’s doing these things alone. Most of it is important plot building, despite the drag of some sections.

Zeropolis is pretty cool. It’s the high tech area of the Outskirts, and their shaping is basically technomancy. We get to see some cool exoskeleton action suits and various other high tech gizmos. There are some artificial intelligence supercomputers and robot characters. My favorite character in the whole book is actually one of the bots, Sidekick. Sidekick has a charming personality, and they play a huge part in the story, even though they are just a small bot.

I can’t help thinking that Abram Trench must not have been thinking when he helped create Roxie. What he did to make her seems like a very dumb idea. With the public history of Zeropolis being what it is, he should have known better.

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha

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Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha by Dragongarow Lee
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shonen Jump
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0371-5
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

A Dragon Ball fan’s Greatest dream is getting to live in the Dragon Ball universe and fight alongside Goku and his friends! One particular fan thinks he’s living the dream when he suddenly dies and is reborn in the Dragon Ball world, but he’s in for a rude awakening when he realizes he’s been reincarnated as everyone’s favorite punching bag, Yamcha!

Personal & Info

I grew up watching Dragon Ball religiously and playing all of the games I could get my hands on. It had a huge impact on my life, but these days I’m not interested in anything made after the release of GT. This book was given to me as a gift, and it was the first time I was excited about anything Dragon Ball related in a long time.

I think this manga is more likely to be enjoyed by people already familiar with the Dragon Ball universe. It would be more difficult to follow story elements if the reader doesn’t know anything about the series or the original plot.

Characters

Yamcha is the main character, or in this case, an unnamed protagonist in the body of Yamcha. A Dragon Ball superfan, to be more specific.

Several characters appear throughout the book, but most of them only have brief appearances since the story focuses on Yamcha. If you’re familiar with Dragon Ball, just think of the gang from the Saiyan Saga, and that pretty much covers it.

Story & Thoughts

This was actually more serious than I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a hard core comedy, and I would have been okay with that. It’s not super funny, but it does have some laughs. The focus is more about Yamcha crushing on Bulma and using his fan knowledge of the series to try hard not to die in any of the events that would normally threaten his life.

Part of me was hoping that Yamcha would overcome Goku’s level of power and steal the show somehow, but realistically, that’s not possible for a human. Wishful thinking, I guess. I was a little worried when I heard Yamcha’s intentions, at first. Trunks is one of my favorite characters in the series. If Yamcha succeeded in what he wanted, then my favorite character would no longer exist. I don’t know if I would like a Dragon Ball world where Trunks was never born.

I never read the manga for Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z, but I get the feeling this uses the terms and names from that version. Some are spelled different than the TV versions or just completely different words (probably the Japanese ones).

Overall, I give this manga a soft three out of five. I like it enough to say that I enjoyed it. The story is so fast paced it covers Dragon Ball, the saiyan saga, AND the Cell saga, all in one tiny book. I think if it were longer, it could probably make a really good action drama romance series. That’s a spin on the series I would love to see. Regardless, the book is a fun and quick read that triggers all the right kinds of nostalgia. It almost makes me want to collect the manga for the parts of the Dragon Ball universe that I know I like.

Rogue Knight

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Rogue Knight by Brandon Mull
Series Name: Five Kingdoms
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: 8-12
Publisher: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4424-9704-7
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Cole Randolph never meant to come to the Outskirts, but when his friends were kidnapped on Halloween he had to try to save them. Now he’s trapped in a world that lies between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death.

Cole’s hunt for his lost friends has led him to the kingdom of Elloweer. Accompanied by new friends Mira, Twitch, and Jace, Cole teams up with the resistance movement and joins the search for Mira’s sister Honor.

But Elloweer has grown unstable. A mysterious enemy is wiping out towns, leaving no witnesses or survivors. And an infamous rebel known throughout the kingdom as the Rogue Knight is upsetting the balance of power.

With enemies in pursuit, Cole and Mira must resort to a fascinating new kind of magic to protect themselves. Every move is filled with danger as Cole and his friends try to outwit the High King, who will stop at nothing to regain what he has lost.

Personal & Info

This is volume two of the Five Kingdoms series. Odds are, if you’re reading this, you already know that, because you’ve likely already read the first one. If not, I’m including a link you can use to check out my review for the first volume instead to avoid reading any spoilers in this one.

The gap between reading the first and second books is longer than I would have liked, but thankfully Rogue Knight includes some refreshers in the beginning.

Content Warnings

Slavery is a big industry in the Outskirts. If you don’t like elements of slavery in your stories, this series is not for you.

Mira and her sisters have more years than they look, but not in a creepy way. They are children, and think of themselves as children, despite their number of years. Any crushes regarding these characters are not intended to be creepy. The idea is they are as old as they claim to be, because they have never been any other age. I can see how this might still upset some people, so just use your own discretion.

Characters

Cole Randolph is the main character. He’s in sixth grade, and shorter than most in his class. At this point in the story, his weapon of choice is a jumping sword. Unfortunately, Sambrian items don’t work in Elloweer.

Jace was a scout for the Sky Raiders. He’s moody, arrogant, and rash, but has a good heart. He now likes scaring his friends as a hobby. At least he no longer teases in the same mean ways as before.

Mira, also known as Miracle Pemberton, is an eleven year old girl who has been hiding from her father for decades. She is one of the High Shaper’s daughters, and did not age during the time her powers were missing.

Twitch, whose real name is Ruben, was a scout for the Sky Raiders. He’s from Elloweer and has a cautious personality. In Elloweer, he has grasshopper legs, wings, and antennae, because he is a race called grinaldi. Outside of Elloweer, Twitch has to use a ring to access his grinaldi form and abilities.

Dalton is Cole’s best friend. He stresses easily and tends to be anxious. He can create seemings, so he studies in Elloweer.

Joe is a member of the resistance, also referred to as the unseen. He warns Mira about impending danger in the first book, and helps out significantly as one of the gang in this one.

Skye Ryland is a member of the resistance. She’s also a fugitive, and one of the best illusionists in Elloweer.

Honor, or Nori, is Mira’s second oldest sister. She prefers to keep her hair short, and shows great skill with swords and bows. As her name implies, she is an honorable and brave person.

There are more characters, but these are the significant ones worth mentioning that do not spoil anything.

Story & Thoughts

The first book takes place in Sambria, where the gifts they use are referred to as shaping. This one continues where that one leaves off, with the group traveling in an auto-coach. Our heroes are Elloweer-bound to rescue Mira’s sister Honor. New country, new way of shaping. Sambrian shaping does not work in Elloweer. Ellowine shapers are referred to as enchanters. They’re illusionists who make seemings, and have similarities to magicians.

Once the story gets going, it’s hard to put it down. There are so many twists and turns and interesting developments. It isn’t just defeat the monster and get the power back like the first one. There are multiple problems to deal with, and new information that will contribute to the story to come.

Some of the story puzzles are easy to guess the answer. One mystery is to figure out the Rogue Knight’s identity. I wrote down my theory as I was reading, and I got it right. Another mystery is a game Jace, Cole, and Mira must play. Based on the description, I immediately knew the correct answer. So, the mysteries are not difficult, but that’s fine.

I like this book more than the first one. Sky Raiders is good, but it has all the base world building to slow it down. This one moves much faster since that world building is already done. Instead, this volume only has to cover the lore pertinent to Elloweer and enchanters. There’s also far more action. The governing system of Elloweer relies on knights and sword fighting, so the adventure in this instance is more violent. People get hurt or die often. But, don’t worry, none of the descriptions are particularly gory. The book is for kids, after all.

I also love the idea of the confidence lounge. This series is fantastic for D&D inspiration. There are a lot of things in the story that can easily be applied to a D&D setting. As a nerd who’s just getting started on learning how to run a game, I’m always looking for more ideas, and I’m constantly amazed by the things I find in the Five Kingdoms.