Ascendance of a Bookworm (Manga) Part 2 Volume 2

漫画 本好きの下剋上~司書になるためには手段を選んでいられません~第二部「本のためなら巫女になる！」(Manga Part 2) #2

by Suzuka (Illustrator), Miya Kazuki (Original Story), Quof (Translator)

Myne slowly gets more and more used to life in the temple—she learns to speak like a noble, successfully breaks the ice with Fran, and is granted the orphanage director’s chambers to live in. Her once problematic attendant Gil cleans her new chambers as ordered and learns to love being rewarded for his work, but Delia... Well... This is a biblio-fantasy by book lovers, for book lovers!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Magic, Light Novel

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2019

About the author

鈴華

Reviews

[Bookbringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3¾☆/5

[Jane Lebak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, the story is moving really well as Myne gets her feet under her. What happened after she delivered the bread was kind of mind-blowing and frankly shocking. The author is going out of her way to make the religion look performative and hypocritical, and I dislike that. But I do like how Myne now has her team set up around her and how she's making plans for the future.

After this, I'll be switching back to the light novel version since that's what the library had.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never have enough of this series. It makes my heart happy.

Anyway, this one shows me Fran learning to appreciate Myne and dealing with his discomfort in her rooms. It's got Lutz shaking common sense into Myne. It's got Myne lusting after books and missing cues about her new role. She got complacent in her life as a child, which was easy for her as an adult to navigate, and she has to relearn a higher expectation. Not that she was all that great at adulting back in her former life.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review on Storygraph - @servemethesky

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah... this is by far not my favourite version of this series. I think I prefer the light novel and anime about equally (depending on whether there's a new season out), and the manga... a distant third.

Not that it's not good! I just prefer the art style from the other two, one of which requires significantly less art and the other of which is made with a large team. Yes, I'm aware that mangaka ALSO have a large team, but [redacted boring argument that I'm struggling to explain and have probably actually covered in a prior review but can't be bothered to check goes here]. So while it's a good manga, I would rather just read the light novel or watch the anime.

I do like some of Benno's scenes here, though, including where he punches Delia on the top of her head for being a disobedient attendant *in front of a visitor.* Yeah, normally punching kids is horrible, but honestly, Delia's a rather large snot who has taken a LONG time to grow on me such that I still don't think I like her that much EVEN knowing her entire history and so on. Also, I can't imagine Benno hit her THAT hard, despite how it's drawn.

...seems like THAT should be the reason commenters I've seen don't like the story, rather than "rape exists in their universe." [Not that any occurs in this volume, though it's described as a thing that has happened in their past, before Myne's tenure there.] I've talked about this, though, even if I'll die mad about it that OH A BAD THING EXISTS IN THE UNIVERSE THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER HAS NOT YET BEEN GIVEN A CHANCE TO ADDRESS, GUESS THE SERIES IS TRASH NOW.

Sorry, that drifted away like Myne's attention span when books (and sometimes food) aren't involved, haha.

B-grade installment of the series, doesn't stand on its own, but recommended for existing fans.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting (and touching) volume. Myne discovers the shocking state of the temple's orphanage and resolves to do something about it. I liked her "selfish" reason: she wants to be able to read her books in peace, and she can't do that if children are starving near her! With help from her growing posse, she tackles the problem - but the results will only be seen in the next volume. I'm especially keen to see what happens with the "spy" and the high bishop. Lots of intrigue building up now that there's a genuine "enemy".

Sidenote: it is just not believable that this society has not figured out how to make a good broth. I don't think there's a society on earth that doesn't have a delicious soupy/brothy dish. I can believe that modern society has made culinary inroads that these people would not have had. But medieval-era people had good food, and they certainly wouldn't have been throwing anything away that could have nutrients!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter is a reading machine, and she is ahead of me. Before I read this volume, she exclaimed how much she enjoyed this book. I don't know if it was her influence, or if she and I have similar taste but this volume just was a step above the previous volume in Part 2 and a lot in part 1. This volume has some excellent development of side characters, and some feel good situations for Myne. This volume you also see the harsh realities of the church and it is an emotional thing to read. I think the situation while tears at your heart also shakes the rose-colored life that Myne is beginning to enjoy and brings out the harsh realities of the world she lives in. Solid storytelling from Miya Kazuki and beautiful art by Suzuka.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myne works on her Italian restaurant idea, makes friends with two of her attendants, and is shocked to discover how temple orphans are treated.

This story is a very slow-moving slice of life and I'm enjoying it.

[Ayanami Faerudo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like Myne's younger assistants. Gil became better. But Delia is just a bitch. I don't care if she's just reacting and acting like that because of how she grew up, but a bitch is still a bitch. I don't particularly care for characters with attitude's like hers.

[Krystal Caloia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so.....
~owner of Myne's Workshop
~Apprentice Blue Shrine Maiden
~and now....Orphanage Director.....

Alot of responsibility for a 7 year old but....go Myne.

I wonder what Delia's problem is.....

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myne gets her attendants in line, and makes plans to help the orphans as well!

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this volume, still yet to make it past the anime that I've seen but still very enjoyable

[Rebecca Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

mmm, i don't know, i'm getting bored to be honest

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga is still so amazing!

[Jamie Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

every now and then this series makes me cry, and this book was one of those moments

[kaitlphere · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Myne and I love the team she has created around herself. I hate the politics and communication practices of the temple.

[Celea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid taste of the disturbing power dynamics within unchecked religious power

[Dilliemillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

aaaaand I've run out of volumes. 😢

*May is for emptying my physical TBR shelf. 33 down, 65 remaining*

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myne's first test run at gaining her attendants' loyalty is a success! Both Fran and Gil are now 100% on board with their new jobs (although Gil still has a lot to learn) but Myne has bigger problems: learning to behave like a noble and getting Benno's restaurant off the ground.

But this volume really brings to light some of the unethical practices of this world. Like, child labor is something I can waive (cause of the generic time period) but... then you get into some of the other stuff and... UGH! Okay, they're called 'Flower Offerings' which (if we're going by Delia's actions) is a euphemism for 'sexual favors' or 'prostitution'. But the fact that Delia is doing it and Benno's comments (thank you Benno for being a decent human) indicating that this happens a lot... DELIA IS 8! So it's not just sexual exploitation, it's straight up pedophilia. Add in to this that the High Priest mentions that they sold Gray Priests and Shrine Maidens to nobles as servants (that's slavery) and that the High Bishop specifically targeted pregnant Shrine Maidens and Shrine Maidens with kids (leaving the unbaptized kids in the orphanage without anyone to care for them). Then we find out that mana disparity can affect conception... meaning that only men with low mana can conceive children with Shrine Maidens... and Delia tells us that the High Bishop (who has little mana) specifically targets Shrine Maidens for Flower Offerings... meaning that a good number of the kids in the basement are likely his. Like... this whole system is FUCKED UP!


Thankfully Myne is of a similar mind as the reader.