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I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, Vol. 3

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By Sarasa Nagase and Mai Murasaki. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijo Nanode Rasubosu o Katte Mimashita” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel.

One of the conceits of many villainess novels is that the heroine is not aware that she’s already achieved the goal almost from the start. The love interests in the game who shun her are besotted with her, the commoners and servants all adore her, and she’s got this in the bag, even though she insists that one false step and she’s toast. That is not a problem that Aileen has to worry about here. She is reminded over and over that one false step and she is indeed toast. The threat of execution hangs over her head for this entire volume, her demonic allies are on the run and trying to avoid the kingdom performing a mass murder, and the Queen Mother is literally plotting against her. But that’s OK, because she has Claude and his incredible powers, not to mention his love for her. Except… Claude’s lost his memories. And his powers. Um… uh-oh?

The book starts in medias res, with Aileen and her allies trying to infiltrate a secret high society auction of Bad Things… where she’s surprised to see Serena, the villainess of the second game. She also meets Elefas, one of the love interests from the Fan Disc (which means Aileen barely knows him, as she skipped things that weren’t the main route), who asks her to ask Claude if he can ally himself with the demons, as his village of mages is being persecuted. Unfortunately, that night Claude is stabbed, and ends up as I said above. Now Aileen is in trouble – the crown does not want him remembering his Demon Lord powers, so wants her away from him even if they have to kill her – and they’ll find any excuse to do so, because they also have Lilia, the “heroine” of the games, in their corner.

Probably the most interesting part of this volume is what it does with Cedric. He’s not remorseful over the end of his relationship with Aileen, who he knows very well but does not seem to actually like,l and the feeling is mutual. But he’s come to realize that Lilia, who he DOES love, sees him as… well, as a character rather than a person. And that bothers him a lot. To the point where, throughout the book, he winds up helping Aileen surreptitiously, much to her annoyance. Aileen herself is emotionally all over the map here, at first headstrong and brash, then sulking and trying to forget about Claude (which doesn’t work for even five seconds), then cheerfully sadistic, which is our favorite side of her. the actual fear she’s truly feeling throughout the book only comes out near the end.

The book ends with a wedding, and it would make a very good ending to the series itself if I didn’t know there were 5+ more volumes. And once again, the illustrator has failed us in terms of duck drawings. That said, this is in my Top 5 Villainess series, and I can’t recommend it enough. The anime is coming soon as well.

The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes, Vol. 4

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By Bisu and Yukiko. Released in Japan as “Tensei Oujo wa Kyou mo Hata o Tatakioru” by Arian Rose. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Tom Harris.

It could just be that I’ve grown so used to it that I’m actually starting not to notice it, but this volume seemed a bit less creepy about most of the cast being in love with Rosemary. And that’s despite the fact that a chunk of the book revolves around one of the cast kidnapping her to be his bride. (It turns out to be a lot more complicated than that.) But for the most part there’s less leering and more worshipping, as we get another of the classic reincarnated villainess tropes in force here, that of the villainess as messiah. Rosemary’s can-do attitude, combined with her knowledge from Japan and minimalist knowledge of the plot of the game (which is getting increasingly unreliable) has led to her winning over everyone around her (shades of Katarina Claes) and inspiring them to also be the best person they can possibly be (also shades of Katarina Claes). She’s savvy, too. (Sorry, Katarina.)

We pick up where we left off last time, with Rosemary being kidnapped. The book is about 60% her narration as we follow her… and she ends up in the village that she’s been looking or anyway, which is having trouble surviving (fewer children are living past infancy) for unknown reasons (Rosemary figures out pretty fast that it’s inbreeding). Now she has to win over the village, explain why she’s there, and get them to help her. And she has a time limit, as the other half of the plot involves her brother Johan, as well as Princes Nacht and Licht of Vint, discovering that the disease Rosemary has been trying to head off at the past has already ravaged this area of the kingdom… and is being covered up by a desperate noble. Will Rosemary make it in time to save everyone?

The best scene in the book is the one where the village chief convinces Rosemary to act the part of the Goddess from their past, using some stuff she has that can pass as “magic”… and she simply cannot do it, admitting she’s just a princess and winning them over with her earnest pleading instead. Over and over again we see that what matters most about Rosemary is not her past knowledge, but her ability to plead her case and get across how much she cares. She struggles at the daily physical tasks of the village, but she does them anyway, rather than complaining or half-assing it like a princess normally would. To be fair, this is not unique to her, and a lot of villainess books are like this, but it works quite well. It works for other characters as well – Nacht is beloved by his people, even though he’s a pessimistic grouch, because he clearly cares a great deal about everyone and everything. Deception does not win anyone’s heart here.

Fortunately, we don’t get a cliffhanger of “will the doctors arrive in the nick of time”, as Rosemary manages to gather everyone around her and get to where Johan is… even if that requires fudging how time works in a very Shakespearean way. That said, I won’t complain. I like Rosemary as well, and want to read more about her.

Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower, Vol. 6

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By Miri Mikawa and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Ikka Kōkyū Ryōrichō” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hunter Prigg.

Sometimes there are series that start as one thing and become a completely different thing. That’s normal narrative progression, but it always seems to be a shame when they lose sight of what drew people into the series in the first place. Good news, however, that is not a problem with Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower. Sure, we may now be watching the world’s slowest coup, filled with danger and soldiers lining up for war and betrayal and famine and more betrayal. But, in the end, Rimi still solves the entire problem by delicious food. And that’s the series’ brand, it’s what makes it different from others of its ilk. Rimi has OP powers, but they’re not ‘to make everyone fall in love with her’ (though yes, there is a love triangle), they’re ‘cooking will automatically make everything better and easier to understand’. Even in this book, when she goes full artisan, giving the Emperor and his administrator a 100-plate meal with one bite of food on each plate.

Rimi and Shohi are still reeling after the events of the previous book, so much so that the emperor decides to postpone the “Nocturnal Liturgy” that would consummate their relationship. Neither of them can figure out why Shusei would do this, and he is being 100% unhelpful about it. Unfortunately, they don’t really have much time to dwell on it. An administrator from the outlying areas comes to inform the emperor that they will not be paying taxes this year. Is it rebellion? Do they want to get rid of Shohi the way so many in the Inner Court do? Or is there something deeper afoot? And whose plan is this in the first place? To solve it, Shohi is going to have to put his trust in far more people than he ever has before, and the Four Consorts are going to have to play detective.

I have to admit: I’m not sure I want Rimi and Shusei to happen anymore. I feel he’s burned his bridges too much in this book. I would be fine with Rimi and Shohi, but unfortunately that requires love on both sides, and Rimi seems to think of Shohi more the way a mom does than a lover does, which means it’s probably a good thing their Nocturnal Liturgy was postponed. Shohi really comes into his own in this volume, showing some real character development and pulling away from the clutches of his ministers to figure out what the real problem is… though unfortunately, that turns out to play right into Shusei’s hands as well. Politics is hard. As for Rimi, she’s getting sharper, despite being told she has “flowers for brains” multiple times in this book. She’s empathic, making connections based on her feelings, so when she gets much needed information everything just slots together at once for her. It’s terrific to see how much she’s grown.

I know a lot of people dropped this for being a cut-rate Apothecary Diaries, but it’s really come into its own, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.