#quof

[ahb-writes]

(from Ascendance of a Bookworm v28 (5.7))

[roramitchell]

Fran's advice to Wilma in "Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 3 Volume 5" breaks my heart every time.

"...I understand the fear of being forced to do something that you do not wish to do, but you were rescued before ever being thrust into such a situation yourself. There are some people who never get saved, and are forced to do things against their wishes repeatedly. It is necessary that you learn to live on even in those situations and gradually conquer your weaknesses."

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'Ascendance of a Bookworm' #21 (4.9)

Ascendance of a Bookworm #21 (4.9) by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina, Quof

adventure

fantasy

magic

library science

librarian

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poison! Thievery! Betrayal! Whatever wayward designs within which these characters find themselves, the precipice of change looms all the more dangerous when the urgent call of a nefarious other threatens to push them off the edge. In ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v21, Ferdinand's forthcoming departure to the Duchy of Ahrensbach is equally stymied and accelerated by a frantic side story reminiscent of Poe's The Purloined Letter.

The circumstances surrounding Ferdinand's forced dismissal is an awkward and dangerous mix of known and unknown dilemmas. Everyone knows Lady Georgine has her sights set on Ehrenfest the Eighth. But does Georgine's revenge exist merely to spite Ehrenfest? Does she hope to elevate Ahrensbach in Ehrenfest's ashes? Does she hope to monopolize Ferdinand, personally? Who else is she willing to sacrifice to get what she wants? Her husband? Her daughters? Nobody really knows. And so, with little beyond a guard knight, a scholar, and his own intuition, Lord Ferdinand embarks on the newest chapter of his tumultuous young life.

Fortunately, before all of that sadness weighs down the narrative, the author saw fit to insert a good deal of drama with a pseudo-side-story that consumes roughly 40% of the book.

In short, someone weasels into the High Bishop's chambers in the temple and thieves the Bible. At length, Lady Rozemyne and the gang must conduct a thorough and detailed search to find the culprit, bring them to justice, and retrieve the stolen artefact. The whole ordeal involves deception, kidnapping, a renewal of Lower City allies, a confirmation of Noble's Quarters egotism, and some good old fashioned violence.

The Bible-stealing incident is a great example of what makes this light-novel series so enchanting. At nearly two dozen volumes, readers know, explicitly, that everything will work out fine. And yet, the narrative construction quickly and abruptly nudges readers with the implicit presumption that things are going to be bumpy for a while. Things may work out for the core cast of characters in the end, but the knowledge they gain from surviving each stress test may well change them for good.

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v21 is a fond farewell to Ferdinand. The book makes no short mention of the young man's growing emotional entanglement after meeting a certain bookworm (often riddled with worry). The sendoff is sweet. And reality sets in fast. Soon, Rozemyne will require a whole bevy of overeager friends and family to keep her within her remit when her next term at the Royal Academy begins. And just as there will be fewer eyes available to watch Ferdinand's back in Ahrensbach, so too will there be fewer eyes available to keep Rozemyne on course.

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[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'Ascendance of a Bookworm' #23 (5.2)

Ascendance of a Bookworm #23 (5.2) by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina, Quof

adventure

fantasy

magic

library science

librarian

royal academy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The drama. Good heavens, the drama.

As Lady Rozemyne goes about her business conducting cross-duchy research, negotiating new conditions for book and knowledge exchanges, and prodding her friends and family for their promised support . . . as Rozemyne does what Rozemyne does, everyone is sucked into the vicious currents that follow. ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v23 is a good example of a story in which everything goes according to plan, while simultaneously, everyone is burdened with horrendous anxiety.

After all, Rozemyne can't conduct cross-duchy research without stepping on toes, irking a few nobles, and raising her own duchy's expectations; Rozemyne can't talk-up her love of books without realizing that making someone like Professor Rauffen addicted to reading (about ditter, of course) will have its own side effects; and Rozemyne can't blithely send a report back home saying she accidentally scheduled a Dedication Ritual at the Royal Academy (for research into prayer ceremonies), for which Crown Prince Sigiswald has invited himself . . .

Or, she can, actually, but that's all part of the fun, isn't it? ("According to the letter, our situation here in the Royal Academy had blown so far out of proportion that Florencia had fainted upon reading my report," page 148).

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v23 is an interesting volume, because the first half of the book covers genial fare: the characters chat, go to class, detail a bit more of their interduchy research, and so forth. Notably, Lady Hannelore of Dunkelfelger earns a sizeable role in this volume's events. The humble archduke candidate with pink twintails holds more power and skill than she's aware of, and her relationship with Ehrenfest becomes a sticking point going forward. And that's when the drama begins. And, unsurprisingly, it's all Lestilaut's fault.

Elsewhere, the current volume pokes its nose a little deeper into Yurgenschmidt's history. Within the novel's first 50 pages, Rozemyne engages a curious, if sometimes fraught discussion with all three royal princes on the nature and function of the Royal Academy's library, as well as the contents of a mysterious underground archive few rarely enter. Who can enter the underground archive? What knowledge does this archive house? And why is the archive's existence being hidden from current royalty?

Answering these questions requires more than a few pithy observations from a royal summons; one must investigate first-hand, if one is to discern the truth. (And while Anastasius' hilarious "big brother" energy scolds Rozemyne for back-talking Sigiswald, it turns out the Crown Prince is fairly a nice and reasonable fellow.)

The mix of passive and active worldbuilding hasn't always been this novel series' strong suit, but readers should enjoy this library expedition as a proxy for questioning the nation's history (e.g., What is the nation's history, who authored it, and who has access to it?).

To this end, Rozemyne is getting better at maneuvering around and manipulating the nobility. Detlinde is getting cocky, but nobody cares because the girl's ignorance will surely see her crashing and burning before long. Archnobles from Jossbrenner and Immerdink try to sneak into Rozemyne's good graces, but the bookworm pulls a fast one and offers "a refined cackle" in rebuke. Dunkelfelger is the only outlier.

A confrontation between Wilfried and Lestilaut focuses on whether Ehrenfest is making the most of Rozemyne's unique mind and abilities: taunts turn into insults, and insults turn into challenges that cannot be rescinded. Ditter, of course, is the proposed solution. But what's the prize? And at what cost? The whole, extended Third Act of ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v23 is pure suspense. How these two duchies get into this scrum; how these two duchies abuse their resources to gain an advantage; how these two duchies' most powerful fighters step up their game; and how these two duchies underestimate the very people they tend to sacrifice when barricaded by vituperative egos will keep readers on edge for the book's final 95 pages.

For the drama alone, ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v23 is a memorable volume. One enjoys reading books for which the author's affection for her characters never bends or breaks; this author won't betray their readers.

Professor Fraularm is insecure and pompous, sure; Lestilaut is an unforgivable jackass, obviously; and Rablut, the Sovereign Knight Commander, has a habit of changing his allegiances, true . . . but nobody gets away with everything, nobody succeeds 100% of the time, and nobody's ambition is without consequence.

Similarly, Wilfried's kindness is often shortsighted, sure; Prince Hildebrand's affections are incomplete and unrequited, obviously; and Lady Hannelore just wants a friend, true . . . but nobody who deserves agency is left without recourse, nobody fails 100% of the time, and nobody is without the support they need to make a difference, no matter how late in the game they need it ("As an archduke candidate raised in the duchy of warfare, Hannelore seldom had people offer to protect her," page 299).

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[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'Ascendance of a Bookworm' #20 (4.8)

Ascendance of a Bookworm #20 (4.8) by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina, Quof

adventure

fantasy

magic

library science

librarian

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Back at home, things should be peaceful. Unless, of course, that home happens to be the Ehrenfest the Eighth, and the annual Archduke Conference is approaching. Lady Rozemyne aims to pass the time by studying in advance of her third year of schooling and returning to her workshop-managing ways. Regrettably, trouble is around the corner.

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v20 introduces a rather late-in-the-game narrative shift on the part of Ehrenfest's adversaries, but the lateness and abruptness of the move merely emphasizes its severity. In brief, while Rozemyne's return home comes with the usual array of scolding, considering her successes (and antics) at the Royal Academy, her return also brings to the fore a dozen new interduchy disasters that require fine-tuning. At length, Ahrensbach is a duchy on the decline (e.g., poor agronomy, declining aub, lack of mana-wielding nobility), and the venomous Lady Georgine is keen to give her grift one last shot. Can Lady Georgine take out both Ehrenfest and Lord Ferdinand, in one brash move?

Lady Georgine's designs on Ehrenfest may be sharpening, but it's also abundantly clear she's willing to sacrifice her own family to get what she wants. Lady Detlinde, her daughter, may be a bit cocky, but she probably doesn't deserve what her mother has in store for her.

Altogether, this is a curious volume. Not a lot happens to progress the story, but much of the book's events are very much akin to what one might expect of a middle-arc tome just before the rising action. Perhaps the author didn't plan this all too well. As such, change (or the threat of change) is on the horizon, and characters must decide how invested they are in combatting or navigating it. The true danger and fear associated with that change is not as strenuous as simply not knowing the context of an enemy's movements. It's an amoeba conflict. Whether the next volume or two deliver, or are merely anticlimactic, is unknowable.

On the better end of things, Rozemyne's pre-third-year lessons are interrupted when Ferdinand is called to join the Archduke Conference in person. And yet, comically, Rozemyne and her siblings decide to help out Lord Bonifatius in conducting various aub work. One suspects Rozemyne will ace her coursework in the coming semester due to her executing actual, practical aub work rather than studying the previous year's materials.

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v20 also, positively, offers some much-needed background information on Ferdinand's personal history. When the High Priest's safety is threatened by outside parties, Rozemyne takes it upon herself to berate the young man until he reveals (part of) his origin. Ties to royalty? Something to do with a foreign princess? And if a deal with Ahrensbach goes sour, would Rozemyne go on a rampage to save him from harm? Ferdinand is shocked (and warmed) at the thought of so many others caring for his safety. But at the same time, the guy's turbulent past may be nothing compared to what lies ahead.

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'Ascendance of a Bookworm' #17 (4.5)

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Vol. 17 (Part 4, Volume 5) by Miya Kazuki

adventure

fantasy

magic

library science

librarian

royal academy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An intriguing pattern has emerged in terms of Lady Rozemyne's tendency to demand change, as well as of the authority of those who recognize the significance of the change she demands. Notably, the individuals who attune themselves to Rozemyne's wild ideas, and rightfully discern her curiosity as worth revering, are usually two or three degrees removed from positions of high authority. Meanwhile, most people who scoff, disregard, or glance askew whenever the young woman's ideas come to the fore are usually those with the power to make change happen.

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v17 completes the remainder of seasons in-between Rozemyne's first and second years at the Royal Academy. She visits the northern region of Groschel, to further establish the paper-making industry, and she tends to myriad events at the castle, including the welcoming of two ladies of Ahrensbach, whom have now married into the family. But Rozemyne's standards for industry growth are high, and her tendency to forget her directives and chat up suspected enemies on tangential topics gives everyone an ulcer. In short, the usual.

The current volume is another collection of awkward and interwoven castle affairs. Naturally, many such events threaten to spiral out of control but never do, which speaks well of the author's sprawling network of subplots, but doesn't do much for readers interested in some decent drama.

For example, when Rozemyne goes to Groschel, she leans on her attendant, Brunhilde, who is native to the area. But their visit is replete with problems: the lower city is deeply impoverished, the nobility is stiff and uncompromising, and the local water supply is polluted. Will the paper-making industry forsake setting down roots in an area with so little social progress? Brunhilde doesn't see much of a problem with simply ordering the commoners to do the tasks and then blaming them when things go wrong. But Rozemyne, careful not to offend but conscientious of the need to be truthful, sets the young woman straight: The people are responsible for the work, true, but the nobility is responsible for the people and their environment; it's all connected.

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v17 reinforces the novel series' most essential emerging theme: egalitarianism. Quintessentially Japanese though not without other cultural precedence, the equal delegation of opportunity, the equal expectation of good work, and the shared consequences of failure are fundamental convictions of this novel series.

Counter-navigating an ambush during a wedding ceremony? Appeasing the anxiety of a newlywed woman who once felt trapped in her own home? Staying mindful of the watchful gazes of the surrounding duchies once the new school year begins? In each of these scenarios, Rozemyne must rely on her own wits, as well as the untested virtue of individuals who do not always have the station or authority to make a change. When Lady Aurelia of Ahrensbach marries into the family, will she be bitter and ambitions, or will she be uncertain of her position? When Adolphine of the Duchy of Dunkelfelger keys on Rozemyne at the Royal Academy, is it because she's upholding a promise to the now-graduated Lady Eglantine, or is it because she spies value in the tiny blue-haired girl that no one else sees?

The number of scenes that lend one the impression of foreshadowing are high, but the number of scenes with legitimate action or drama are minimal. Readers may have to wait another volume to see if Philine's brief military training comes in handy, or if Ferdinand's warning about the conflict between the old factions' children usurping their parents ever comes to pass, or if Lady Adolphine's role swerves from pleasant nuisance to legitimate knave.

❯ ❯ Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: ‘Ascendance of a Bookworm’ #14 (4.2)

Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 4 Volume 2 (Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki My rating: 5 of 5 stars Aside from the dumbass (lovesick) prince, aside from the spiteful (petty) archknights, and aside from her exceedingly worrisome (annoying) caretakers back home, Rozemyne's first semester abroad is going swell. ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v14 is the novel series' finest example of "one person's daily aspiration is another person's unmitigated disaster." Lady Rozemyne slips into a comfortable schedule of attending the library and further coaching up her duchy's peers. She occasionally makes time for a tea party or two, but only when necessary or in furtherance of her personal goals. Is it really Rozemyne's fault that she shows up Prince Anastasius, arrogant and abrasive, whenever he challenges her to prove her noble worth? Is it really Rozemyne's fault that the jerks from the duchy of Dunkelfelger are too stupid to do their own background work to avoid being humiliated when attempting to match wits? Whatever the case, readers track Rozemyne's daily adventures as she ingratiates herself to the library staff, befuddles fellow archduke candidates, and occasionally wades into interduchy statecraft, if by sheer accident. ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v14 is a strong, entertaining read. Without constant commentary from Ferdinand, Sylvester, and Karstedt, the young woman's delightfully logical efforts to weasel out of danger are met with just the right balance of amusement and confusion. Social graces this girl has not. For example, when a rival duchy challenges Ehrenfest to a game of treasure-stealing ditter, Rozemyne-the-strategist absolutely dominates. And when Anastasius publicly chides her intellect, Rozemyne-the-brilliant calmly and coolly proves she's eternally prepared with a comeback. One of the novel's best moments occurs during a tea party. A friendly get-together between Rozemyne and the dainty Lady Eglantine (duchy of Klassenberg) goes sideways when Anastasius crashes the party and insists Rozemyne compose a new piece of music for his sort-of girlfriend. The prince is throwing his weight around and trying to put Ehrefest in its place. Except, of course, Rozemyne snaps her fingers, orders her attendants into ready position, and blithely composes a new tune for the harspiel on the fly. She's that good. It isn't until much later that Rozemyne learns how constantly showing up royalty, and frequently responding to their prodding with raw sarcasm, is typically viewed as a death warrant. Whoops. To that end, the current volume also makes a concerted effort to materialize the nation's political infrastructure. Readers learn more of the balance of power between the two princes (Anastasius and his elder brother, Sigiswald). Readers also learn more about the rules of succession (real or presumed), as well as the consequences of attempting to run away from one's royal fate. As far as drama goes, ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v14 doesn't disappoint. When one of her retainers expresses outright disgust for serving a noble with such a weak constitution, Rozemyne must make a difficult decision regarding how to properly effect a punishment befitting the ignorant. To cut off a retainer is to disgrace a person's whole family. But doing so also makes one liable for retaliation. If she's too severe, then her reputation may shift toward a more authoritarian vibe. If she's too soft, then her other retainers may view her kindness as a weakness. What's a librarian to do?

Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[roramitchell]

SPOILERS

Do not keep reading if you have not read the Japanese light novel "Ascendance of a Bookworm Volume 11" by Miya Kazuki.

So I basically had a life-changing moment yesterday: I found a kindred spirit who pointed out the existence of the work in progress "Hannelore's 5th Year" (UNBRIDLED FANGIRLING).

...Which brings me to the chapter The Dress Debut and Ferdinand's Return in Volume 11 translated by Quof-san.

"Right. By the way, your return to noble society means you can get married again, right? Shouldn't you be down there looking for someone?" I asked. It seemed to me that, rather than sitting up on the stage, he should be with the other available men calling out to a fine noblewoman or two.

But Ferdinand glanced down at the hall dismissively. "There would be no point; not a single woman there has enough mana to match my own."

His flat response took me by surprise. I was already aware from the situation between Brigitte and Damuel that a considerable difference in mana capacity was enough to kill any chance of a relationship, but was he really saying that every single woman of marriageable age in the hall didn't have enough mana for him?

"Um...Not a single one?"

"Not among the unmarried women of Ehrenfest, no."

"Wait, really? But haven't you courted a girl before? Mother mentioned that it didn't last long, but..."

It was hard to imagine there being any mistakes in the deep Ferdinand lore that I'd heard from Elvira, especially considering that it largely originated from Eckhart, who had witnessed it all happen firsthand. I shot him a quick glance, which was enough for Ferdinand to deduce the true source of my information.

"What in the world have you all been wasting your time talking about?" he asked with a grimace. "Good grief...Either way, that happened when I was attending the Royal Academy. There were girls taking the archduke candidate course alongside me whose mana capacity was large enough to match my own. And to be clear, if we include married women in Ehrenfest, then there would be one who is compatible."