Scan barcode
A review by confusedmuse
Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter (Light Novel) Vol. 1 by Reia
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
I've seen a lot of praise for this series from other fans of the villainess isekai subgenre, which is why I couldn't help but be a little disappointed by most of this first volume. While the angle of creating a business to gradually improve society after dodging her bad end is an interesting hook, most things seem to fall into place with little tension. Iris invents chocolate and shampoo, as well as a distribution system to make and sell them, out of thin air. Most of the logistical problems inherent in introducing modern day capitalism into a medieval society are handwaved away. Iris is presented not as a villainess, but as someone who was secretly right all along, the kind of person who adopts orphans and raises them to be so competent in their chosen fields that anything she wants done is as simple as asking for it. All obstacles are easily overcome within a scene or so, and two years go by in the story while we are told that Iris is working very hard, despite the fact that all we see of that work is random conversations about reports.
However, towards the very end, the volume started focusing more on the characters. Iris gradually realizes that she may not be using her knowledge of her past life purely for altruistic reasons, but also as something to focus on aside from her broken heart. The potential political fallout and the tensions between the family of the first and second princes start to be explored. And then the volume ends just before Iris is about to face her ex and high society for the first time in years. The last ~40 pages or so were far more compelling than the rest of the volume, and while one major plot twist is pretty easy to guess, it makes the newly introduced intrigue all the more compelling. I went from not wanting to continue this series to wanting to pick up the new volume to see how things shake out. Here's hoping that the rest of the series builds from here!
However, towards the very end, the volume started focusing more on the characters. Iris gradually realizes that she may not be using her knowledge of her past life purely for altruistic reasons, but also as something to focus on aside from her broken heart. The potential political fallout and the tensions between the family of the first and second princes start to be explored. And then the volume ends just before Iris is about to face her ex and high society for the first time in years. The last ~40 pages or so were far more compelling than the rest of the volume, and while one major plot twist is pretty easy to guess, it makes the newly introduced intrigue all the more compelling. I went from not wanting to continue this series to wanting to pick up the new volume to see how things shake out. Here's hoping that the rest of the series builds from here!