Connie is a young noble lady whose only standout quality is her sincerity. Maybe that's why she loses her fiancé and gets framed for a crime all in the span of one night. Just as all hope seems lost, the ghost of an infamous villainess who was executed years ago possesses her and clears her name. With her incomparable charisma and intelligence, the spirit of Scarlet Castiel turns the tables in the blink of an eye. In return, Connie insists that she help uncover the truth surrounding her new benefactor’s untimely death and a conspiracy that continues to this very day!
I really enjoyed this one and want Connie’s friend to be ok and to find out who killed Scarlett. My money is on the Princess and Connie is nicer than me re: tipping her off to the poison in her tea…
4 solid I’m picking up the next one now stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
In a twist on the usual villainess story, Scarlett Castiel is, in fact, dead - executed at age sixteen for perceived crimes against the girl who stole her fiance. Ten years after her death, another young noble, sixteen-year-old Constance Grail, sees Scarlett's ghost at a ball and unwittingly engages with her. When Connie then becomes the target of the current crop of mean girls, Scarlett possesses her and saves her, but she's got a caveat: Connie needs to help her figure out who framed her. Although the execution isn't perfect, I love the way that it combines mystery with the more usual story, and how Connie and Scarlett both benefit from each other's company. It's not surprising that Fujino Omori, author of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon was somehow involved, because this is very well done.
The Holy Grail of Eris puts a twist on the usual villainess story, turning it into something completely different. It starts with the main character catching her fiancé cheating on her, followed by her getting falsely accused of bullying and then getting her engagement dissolved… but not in the usual way. From there, the story just shoots off into an entirely different direction and honestly? I'm here for it.
Constance Grail aka Connie, our main character, isn't even a villainess. She's not blessed with good looks, remarkable intelligence, or outstanding athletic abilities. Connie is a normal, plain girl you could find pretty much anywhere, and even though she is a noble, her family is burdened by a large debt. The beautiful and smart villainess of this story is Scarlett Castiel, who is… dead. She got executed in public ten years ago, after she got accused of attempting to poison the crown princess, and now she needs Connie's help to find out who framed her.
Being the first volume, this book is laying down the basis of all the mysteries and political intrigues which may or may not be related to Scarlett's death. There's a lot of things going on, and there's also quite a long list of side characters. It may be difficult to remember who is who at first, but the story pulled me in pretty quickly. They also have a character sheet that's updated after each chapter, which can provide interesting commentaries.
Personally, I really like Connie's relationship dynamics with Scarlett. Scarlett is smart with a photographic memory, and while Connie seems to pale in comparison in every single aspect, she does have her own set of good traits. Mainly sincerity and kindness, which Scarlett is pretty much unfamiliar with. I also like Connie with Randolph, so I'm hoping the characters will be developed nicely as they try to solve all these unanswered questions.
Oh, and as for what the titular "Holy Grail of Eris" is? For now, your guess is as good as mine. Or Connie's. And Scarlett's. We know nothing about it LOL.
the premise is interesting. but the execution (pun isnt intentional) is poor. its hard to remember who is who. both plot and chara development left much to be desired. the way connie took one step forward and ten steps back was quite frustrating. i dont want her to change overnight. but after her bold declaration, she practically went back to her old way, but also not. she wasnt being "sincere" anymore, yet her tendency to be pushover was getting worse. its like when a chara declares they r going to stop being too nice (and have a courage to say no), only for them to end up as a cruel coward. she sure could say no to kate, but saying "u r wrong" to a rude reporter (can u even call her that? although they r kinda bad irl too, still... lets not equalizing journalism with slander okay) was a bit too hard. and idk about mystery for the sake of mystery. pretending to be clever isnt actually clever after all. its a bit like writing conspiracy theories w/o any real evidences.
It took me a minute, but I did enjoy reading this light novel, the first in a new series. It’s got a noble woman haunted by the ghost of another whose execution she witnessed, court intrigue, and conspiracy galore.
The book takes place in a secondary world with about as much technology as present in the late 1700’s on earth. There are viscounts and kings, emperors, delegates from other realms, and a smattering of international politics here and there.
The main character, Constance Grail, needs to do one thing to live up to her family name and that’s to be sincere. She’s also engaged to a lecherous duke and is haunted by Scarlett Castiel, who’s quite infamous among noble circles. She’s out for revenge and enlists Connie’s help . The dichotomy between these two is so fun so far. Where one is timid and polite almost to her own detriment, the other is ruthless. It’s this contrast that really keeps the story going. There are so many threads introduced, and, by herself, I’m not sure Connie can manage them all, but with having a new fiancé and Scarlett at her side, I’m sure she’ll get to the true reason why Scarlett was executed in the first place.
Nobles play badly and there’s conspiracy and artifacts afoot.
Starts out with a bit of a 'reincarnated villainess' scene, although our main character doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Similarities to other light novel series end there. Our protagonist, Connie, is then possessed by the spirit of a dead woman, who saves her from a rather uncomfortable situation. This woman then demands that Connie repay her for her help, by solving a ten year old mystery: Why was Scarlett Castiel executed? Scarlett, the ghost in question, readily admits to being a first class rich b*tch, but completely denies having attempted to poison her supposed 'love rival', who is now now a princess, married to Scarlett's ex, the prince. The best part, I think, is that the characters are rather nuanced, and that only continues as the series goes on. And it's interesting/endearing to watch the super innocent and naive Connie try to navigate the seedy underside of nobility to try and figure out who was responsible for Scarlett's execution. And beneath all of this is some kind of secret, shadow organization that appears to be pulling the strings behind almost everything going on in the capital.
I really like the politics that it dealed with and the mystery behind it I can’t wait for the next book to come out I don’t wanna spoil the but but it really got me caught up now I also want to get the monger so I can get the actual full scope of what’s going on.
A perfectly fine light novel, but light on the tropes I tend to enjoy in this genre/medium. Just not for me, likely won't be continuing with the series
I read this book in a day and a half. Sooo much fun and interesting. I always love victorian era villainess genres because they always deliver on vibes and an exciting read.
Well, that one was much better than I expected. It started as typical « Villainess » light novel, but then switched to being fantasy Victorian Noir. I loved the characters and the interactions between Honest Connie et Scarlet la fantôme fatale as they dealt with decadent aristocrats, violent gangsters and hard-boiled cops in their attempt to find the truth behind Scarlet’s execution. On the other hand, the plot was all over the place and it ended on a cliffhanger. How good the story eventually is will depend on how well the author can bring together the different plotlines they started in this book, although it looks very promising for now and I can’t wait to read the next volume.
Well, wasn't this a rug pull (but in the best way). Our author has taken the tropes of villianess isekai and dropped them off a 40 story building. I like how as a reader we go into this story with a somewhat simplistic view of the what type of world this is and see that same naivety reflected in the main character Constance. The more Constance can move past her and her family's simplistic worldview the more complex the world becomes. We start off with a simple love triangle only to end up on a murder mystery, extortion, psychopathy, and drug smuggling. In fact sometimes there is too much happening and you can't keep track of it all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.