#j novel club

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'Ascendance of a Bookworm' #19 (4.7)

Ascendance of a Bookworm #19 (4.7) by Miya Kazuki, You Shiina, Quof

adventure

fantasy

magic

library science

librarian

royal academy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is truly, genuinely, not Rozemyne's fault. The bickering among nobles. The feverish complaints from biblical fundamentalists. The argumentative inquiry concerning the ternisbefallen. The return of Ferdinand's academy rival. And a whole lot of nonsense at the awards ceremony at the close of the Interduchy Tournament. Rozemyne is innocent.

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v19 further shifts the novel series in a rather fascinating direction by asking a dangerous, if surprisingly nuanced question: What are the qualifications to be the King of Yurgenschmidt? Rozemyne stumbles upon a bit of knowledge while researching the bible that strongly implies the tension between the throne, and the holy persons who support the throne, is not as firm as one would hope. After all, shouldn't a nation's every institution be in perfect alignment on who their sovereign is, why that person was selected, and the aims and goals of said rulership?

A pair of incidents, which occur during the spring semester of Rozemyne's second year, frame an increasingly complex conversation about the right to rule. Both incidents concern the nation's holy book, and both incidents regard the explicit and ongoing challenge of determining what is (or isn't) canonical. The previous volume of this novel series took a much-needed look at the mythology that constitutes Rozemyne's new world. The current volume goes a step further, daring its characters to think and act normal despite the fragrant egos threatening to disrupt or disarm the status quo.

In short, Rozemyne (and Ferdinand) must study the thin, pearlescent line between mythology as canon and mythology as apocrypha.

At length, the bible at the temple of Ehrenfest suddenly reveals a fantastical magic circle and never-before-seen script. The new imagery implies those with the ability to see it also possess the characteristics (or have met some unknown standard) to become Zent, or king. Whoops. What the heck did Rozemyne do for an old magical book to think she's worthy of being the sovereign? Secondly, a bout with the Royal Academy's inquiry into the ternisbefallen incident unearths a query about intertextual differences (translations) among holy books. Does Rozemyne's bible contain passages that other bibles don't? Double-whoops. A subsequent investigation is called.

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v19 exposes the sad, blatant favoritism native to those who thoughtlessly mesh religious piety with nationalism. Ferdinand, who has made a career out of avoiding such fracases, offers a stern warning: "Rozemyne, there are many things in the world that one is better off not knowing. Do not stick your nose into these matters if you wish to live. Death can come swiftly from any direction," page 89).

Nevertheless, this is a fun volume. At the start, one is thankful for the merger of time-away and time-with Royal Academy duties. This holds true even though much of the book's drama comes from individual confrontations (e.g., panel inquiries and meetings, a name-swearing ceremony, random ditter challenges), rather than from more highly stylized adventures (e.g., a bunch of Darkness feybeasts are unleashed).

In one of the novel series' few moments of exquisite continuity, readers see more action regarding mana-sucking creatures and the havoc they wreak. Typically, the author introduces something new or curious, only to abandon it the following volume. Here, Ehrenfest's experience with the ternisbefallen comes in handy.

ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v19 continues to fill in the worldbuilding gaps that have intermittently widened and narrowed over the course of so many volumes. On the positive end, readers encounter more foreshadowing when it comes to Ferdinand's awareness of the Sovereignty's shortsightedness (Rozemyne: "I couldn't help but wonder how many secrets Ferdinand was likewise pretending to have forgotten," page 94).

On the other end of things, the current volume's translation and adaptation yields a little too frequently to vague or obsequious diction. The most obvious example rests in the novel's less than clear usage of Grutrissheit. Grutrissheit is the catch-all term for the nation's bible or holy book. However, the usage is exceedingly ambiguous, sometimes implying a physical tome (as in the book held by the statue of Mestionora, in Volume 18), and sometimes implying an intangible trait, as "the symbol of the Zent" (page 89), which the king supposedly cannot rule without. It's terribly confusing.

Inconsistent and complicated mythologies aside, and biblical fundamentalist terrorists notwithstanding, ASCENDANCE OF A BOOKWORM v19 proves that even though trouble may follow little Rozemyne wherever she goes, it's not always her fault. As the young woman says: "I just wanna go home. I wanna go home and read," page 141).

❯ ❯ Light-Novel Reviews

[noblesvacation]

Vote for J-Novel to translate the Gentle Noble novels!

Synopsis In the space of a blink, Prime Minister Lizel finds himself not in his office, but on a random street in an unfamiliar city. A look around quickly tells him that he is somewhere very far from home, and he’s going to need some assistance. Luckily, he runs into Gil, or “One Slash”, the strongest solo B-rank adventurer in the country, and they form a partnership that will last far longer than their initial one month contract. Gil guides Lizel on how to become an adventurer so that he can gain an ID and make a living in this new world while he waits for the people back home to find a way to get him back. Since there’s nothing Lizel himself can do, he decides to simply consider this a vacation and enjoy himself!

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

how does the manga compare to the original novels for Otherside Picnic? I'm debating looking up where to read the novels since I'm caught up with the manga

The way most people talk about Otherside Picnic adaptations is like this: the anime is mediocre, the manga is good, and the books are amazing. The manga is very good but it struggles to capture Sorawo’s internal monologue, which is the most fascinating part of it all. I could talk forever about how much Sorawo’s thoughts and limited perspective on everything are important to Otherside Picnic, but other people have said it better than me a hundred times. I have read all 8 books twice and I only learned about Otherside Picnic in summer of 2022. And I know I will be rereading them many times in the future. They’re so good I can’t begin to get across just how good they are. Again, the manga is very good, but it’s honestly more enjoyable to me after reading the books because I know what Sorawo is thinking the whole time

[friedwizardwhispers]

Me, when the reunion still doesn't happen this chapter:

[in-stitchesx]

i love your poetry btw. it's like. i dunno, it's loud and real and it's just nice to see someone speak the same language i do when i Feel Things. which is gay probably

Thank you for the kind words 🫶 I like to be loud. I like to be real. Someone's gotta be!

People need to start getting a lot meaner and a whole lot gayer..

But really keeping it real for a sec!

We can be sad and gay together. Being sad isn't a bad thing all the time, we're all humans and it's our first time living on earth so don't be too hard on yourselves 🙏 That goes for everyone we can all be sad and gay just like Shakespeare 🤍

[thathilomgirl]

Why are they so freaking adorable together?

[frogkunlit]

Bunch of Updates!

I’ve been quiet on this blog for a while, and by the end of this post you will understand why. (It’s all good news, don’t worry!) Continue reading Bunch of Updates!

[sailor-brunette]

Late night shoujo posting...but last year,Yen Press announced a collaboration with J-Novel Club to bring some of their titles to print. I'd really like them to print Bibliophile Princess,Earl and Fairy and some other shoujo titles they have. Not sure if it'll happen,but let me dream please. Anyway,for now,it's just a waiting game.

[prinzlucablight]

Tried to fix it...

[redsnerdden]

Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Cooks Up A Second Season

Ready for another helping? 🍖🍲🍰 Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Cooks Up A Second Season! #とんでもスキル #tondemo_skill #anime #manga #lightnovels

It’s the dish that every adventurer has been craving, and that’s another season of the hit anime series, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill. To celebrate this Gourmet Delicacy, Masa, the novels’ manga artists K Akagishi and Momo Futaba, and the anime’s director Kiyoshi Matsuda drew illustrations to celebrate the news: Image Credit: MAPPA, Masa, OverlapImage Credit: Akagishi…

[ljaesch]

J-Novel Club Announces Nine Light Novel and Eight Manga Licenses

J-Novel Club has announced the following licenses: Title: The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects novels Author: Fuurou (story), Kinta (art) Release Date: Parts 1 and 2 of Volume One available now Summary: Dias finally returns home after decades of war. He’s hailed as a hero and promptly rewarded with his own domain… which turns out to be little more than empty plains. Population: zero. Dias,…

[ahb-writes]

"Aaah, there's nothing quite so pristinely beautiful as a complete set of books. How splendid."

"Lady Rozemyne" (Ascendance of a Bookworm #11 (3.4) by Miya Kazuki)

[alexisarchived]

any of my many friends who are into email books reading #The Scandalous Letters of V and J? it's a queer epistolatory novel coming out this year, and the author is releasing it first as emails, a la Dracula Daily. i'm looking forward to it, and it would be nice to get some discussions going on here! if you're curious, and want to know more, here's a link to it on The Storygraph! you can sign up to the books mailing list here

[operationrainfall]

oprainfall Week in Anime: Aug 27 - Sep 2

We here at oprainfall don’t just love video games: we’re big fans of anime, too. So in celebration of the medium, we’re here to give you our thoughts on what we’ve been watching each week as we watch it. Old, new – anything goes. Currently Airing: Dark Gathering We’re a bit into the season and are now getting another character to join the main cast. While I do like the trio that has been the…

[surelynotshirley]

I honestly can’t believe the time would come when I can say this but...

I TRANSLATED AND AM TRANSLATING THIS  LIGHT NOVEL FOR J-NOVEL CLUB! It’s a time loop story about a girl who has been executed 99 times and on the 100th time, she unlocks telepathy and finds out that she can read the minds of everyone around her...and on top of that, everyone is secretly in love with her?!??!

Also there’s a cat in it and he can talk. He’s the best boy! Chapter one is available on JNC now!

[ashitakaxsan]

 I finished watching the anime My Stepmom's Daughter Is My Ex.It leaves me the impression of worth sof my time. While things had started with the two being hostile against one another, by First episode’s end it seems likely their former relationship maybe shouldn’t be former. If this is how things start, where do things go from here? It’s the maturity of their decision (to hide from their parents the animosity)that goes hand-hand with comedic situations.

See my old post a year ago abou it: https://ashitakaxsan.tumblr.com/post/682585936538796033/upcoming-anime-my-stepmoms-daughter-is-my-ex

  The supporting cast is pretty Good,each character is interesting:)

  Intelligent  and kind Yume is attempting to figure out the true reasons of their misunderstanding(that lead to their breakup),plus to understand why Mizuto is what and how he is.”If he’s not a bad person,nor toxic then  how  actually is he?”,I daresay this sums up Yume san’s pondering. So can things get mended between them?