A review by confusedmuse
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Volume 4 by Satoru Yamaguchi

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

It finally happened! The vast majority of this volume wasn’t repeated scenes! Now the author just needs to work on less telling and more showing, and we may have something here. For how dramatic the content is (Kidnapping! More black magic! This world apparently has a slave trade!) that urgency doesn’t come through in the text - possibly because our viewpoint protagonist feels like she’s gotten denser since the end of the previous volume. I was willing to accept that Katarina could not believe that anyone would be interested in her because of her role in the game, but now that it’s over and done with, her being obtuse just feels silly. Not to mention how she openly talks about how she’d marry Maria in a heartbeat if she were a man, despite the narrative trying to place her with Jeord. And don’t get me started on Keith at the end of this volume… Overall, this volume is an improvement in technical skill but still leaves a lot to be desired. But I’m rooting for the author! Reading this series feels like I’m watching a writer improve in real time, and I want to see how far they get.