From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess: Will the Duke’s Love Go Unnoticed?, Vol. 1

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By Saki Ichibu and Yukako Fujimura. Released in Japan as “Munou Saijo wa Akujo ni Naritai ~Gimai no Migawari de Totsuida Reijou, Koushaku-sama no Dekiai ni Kizukanai~” by Dengeki no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Joshua C Shupp.

It can sometimes be hard with these villainess books that are on the lighter end of the scale, such as this one, for me to wholeheartedly recommend a big, dumb, goofy heroine. Frequently when I ask “gosh, I wonder what in her life led her to being as fun to read as this”, the answer is inevitably “a lifetime of abuse from her family”, and that’s the case here as well. And yet I want to write about Avril anyway, as she’s simply a joy to read. The author’s other big series, Formerly the Fallen Daughter of the Duke, has certain similarities to this one, especially with the obnoxious younger sister who threatens to throw the book off its axis. But that heroine was nice but dull. Our heroine here has a perfect photographic memory and nothing else going for her, and is the sort of person who will speak her own thoughts out loud, then remind herself she should not be doing that.

Avril Allingham has had a rough life. Her mother died when she was young, and her father remarried. And her new stepsister looks really suspiciously just like her. Avril has a photographic memory, which you’d think would be praiseworthy but her family finds it creepy. They use her as a servant. She never goes out or really interacts with others. She *does* have servants who support her, but that’s about it. Meanwhile, Corina, her younger stepsister who looks a lot like Avril, is going out to parties and seducing young men. Using Avril’s name. As such, when an engagement is inevitably broken due to Corina’s actions, it’s Avril who has to pay the price, getting married off to the horrible old lech the Duke of Lanchester. Only, on arriving there, she finds he’s quite young and handsome. Oh well, no worries. She’s out of the house, and can now live her own life. Provided she maintains her cover as Avril, the hussy who seduces men, of course. But that should be easy!

Avril is a wonderful example of “dumbass (affectionate)”. She’ll happily eat stale bread and half-spoiled food because it’s what she ate back home. She’s kind to all the servants, and covers for them when they (very briefly) try to bully her. She’ll help her new husband with managing his territory, and a young noble child who doesn’t have his sheet music, thanks to her perfect recall. And yet every time she does this, she reminds herself she’s supposed to be evil and tries to act like a bad person. I cannot begin to tell you how cute this is. Everyone agrees with me as well, including the noblewoman whose fiancee Corina bonked to start this whole plot in the first place. (Alexandra is great too. She can crush apples with her bare hands.) They would all be perfectly happy if Avril simply admitted she’s covering for her evil sister and settle down with her fiancee, who falls for her almost instantly. But they don’t have the heart. She’s trying so hard to be a villainess.

For some reason (anime soon?), the second volume of this is out in less than a month’s time. I won’t complain. This was a lot of fun.

Sorry Darling, but You Won’t Kill Me Again!

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By Tsuta Sonehara and Lemon Natsume. Released in Japan as “Konse mo Todome o Sasareru no wa Gomen nanode, Saiai no Otto wa Mou Iranai” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hunter Prigg.

I decided to go with the lack of a “Volume 1” in the title. The book seems very much finished, with no real sequel hook in sight, and the cover art does not have a 1 on it. On the other hand, the credits say Vol. 1, and Dre Novels are known for releasing 2-3 volume series, not standalones. If it does get more, and I decide to read it, I’ll edit the review. As for this volume, it was good! Definitely more on the serious end of the Disgraced Noble Lady genre, the bad guys are very bad, but they do at least get interiority, which is more than I can say for a lot of series of this kind. As for the main couple, their adorable and relatively innocent romance is meant to be the light relief (and the justification for the Heart imprint) – you want to see these two succeed, because frankly, the alternative is absolutely dreadful.

The first chapter is called “The Queen Is Run Through By Her Beloved”, and it’s not lying. Etoile has already dealt with the death of her father, a weak and conciliatory king, and an ongoing war against another country that they are losing. Now her fiance Isar, the Knight Commander, has announced they’re going to surrender, he’s been sleeping with and is marrying the saint Posenia, and what’s more, he’s going to kill Etoile. And then he does, running her through with a sword just like the title suggests. Another knight, Reigh, who has essentially been her only friend and ally, discovers this and uses forbidden magic to kill himself and throw Etoile back in time five years. Now she’s given an opportunity to avoid her fate… but Isar and Posenia have already been turning everyone against her for a while now. Can she change their opinions and win more allies? And what about Reigh?

The author also wrote The Villainess Is Dead! Long Live the Empress!, which I liked but wasn’t wild about. This is a step up, especially if it sticks to being a single book. Etoile is absolutely not interested in trying to hide the fact that she’s become a new person overnight, and she absolutely will take advantage of future memories and training to her her way in public. This is because she really does have a LONG way to go – no one trusts her or listens to her except for Reigh. This genre tends to have time-traveled noble ladies either be silly or serious, and while this doesn’t hit the heights of I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again!, it’s definitely serious, and has a high body count. I did very much like the POV sections from Isar and Posenia. I know better than to expect sympathetic villains in this genre by now, but at least they gain a dimension by letting us see inside their nasty little heads. Great final art of their end as well.

For those who like their noble ladies with a bit of bite to them.

Looks Like a Job for a Maid! The Tales of a Dismissed Supermaid, Vol. 4

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By Yasuaki Mikami and Kinta. Released in Japan as “Maid nara Touzen desu. Nureginu wo Kiserareta Bannou Maid-san wa Tabi ni Deru Koto ni Shimashita” by Earth Star Novel. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sylvia Gallagher.

We’ve seen in this series that Nina tends to lack a sense of self, or rather that her sense of self is “maid” and nothing else. Certainly she has what amount to magical maid superpowers, which only she and her mentor seem to possess. But the question is, why does she have to be a maid? Why can she not use all of her various talents for something else? The most interesting scene in this book has merchant and yuri spoiler Firth showing Nina around a country that believes in equality to such an extent that the idea of servants is anathema to them. We see Nina use her maid superpowers as sort of a consultant, seeing how workers do things and then making them better and more efficient. You briefly think “maybe Nina could be a bureaucrat sort? Does she NEED to be a maid?”. And then she has a brief nervous breakdown, and you remember what this series is.

After a third volume that stayed in one place and told one story, we’re back to Maid & Co. traveling from city to city, and we’re also back to this functionally being a collection of four long short stories. In the first, they come to a city always rebuilding itself, and Astrid is fascinated by a complex water supply machine. They then hear a rumor of a lupalune arrested for poaching, and (since they always try to find any info on Tien’s parents at all) they try to investigate and get around a police chief who tries to do as little as possible to rock the boat. After this, they’re discovered by Myriad (the magic sage from the previous book), who wants to recruit Emily but is OK with recruiting the rest of them as well, and they try to take care of a new dungeon that’s pouring out undead. Finally, they arrive in the town of equality I mentioned in the previous paragraph, and Nina’s faith is shaken once again – as is that of the Queen, who discovers that when everyone’s equal it’s fine to treat the Queen like shit.

Firth appears throughout this book as well. He’s quit his family merchant company, determined to start a new company revolving around Astrid and Nina, even if they don’t really want to. He’s nice and sensible enough, but I was amused that the series literally points out the issue with him. When he’s traveling with Maid & Co., and they have to get an inn or food or what have you, it looks like it’s him and his women. It lessens the four of them. This doesn’t really happen with Myriad, who is also interested in recruiting them for their cool powers but also gives off strong “do not come near me” vibes to everyone around him, so it’s mostly Firth that we want to go away. And, to be fair, he does at the end of the book. As for Nina, I’m glad she got her groove back, and was able to help the Queen, but I am wondering if she is ever going to make it to her mentor, as Book 5 also appears to involve the journey, not the destination.

The 9th volume of this series, just announced in Japan, has big “final volume cover” vibes, so we might have an endpoint. In any case, if you love maids, this is still a must read.