What light novel(s) have you read last week, and what do you think about it? [March 31 - April 06]

This was the first part that I read past the anime and it was such a trip getting into it. At the time I was somewhat overwhelmed by all the new sights and people once she got to be a noble. Looking back at it now, it has become the norm. I love that her fake family took her in right away and then so did her adoptive family. Yet even with two very welcoming families she still missed her commoner family.

The fact she becomes the High Bishop is SUPER cool and I love how that one tiny decision way back here continues to have profound effects all the way up to where I'm reading in part 5 volume 1. She also makes her juvere but right before she can use it to become a real girl again ANOTHER dastardly plot my the Former Veronica Faction poisons Rosemyne and forces her into her juvere... for two years. When she wakes up and you find out about the timeskip it blew my mind. Oh, and surprise, she's still not fully healed!

The side-stories were amazing too and set up Part 4 really well. Seeing how Wilfred and Charlotte view Rosemyne once they have to fill her shoes... I cannot describe how nuanced and amazing that was. And all these tiny things come together to form a story that is so incredibly deep and makes so much sense on such a fundamental level.

The academy arc was everything I wanted and more. Right from the onset Rosemyne is already causing a ruckus despite her best efforts to be just an ordinary normal little girl with her only desire to be to go to the library. What I found really cool was that this didn't just feel like "Rosemyne goes to Hogwarts" and instead feels like something truly unique.

A number of things didn't make sense in Part 2. The purge is a HUGE plot point but from a world standpoint it doesn't make much sense since it left the country so mana-starved in every capacity. But okay, that can just be attributed to war not making sense. But then we look at the Temple. Rosemyne is able to wield magic because she knows prayers so she understands magic to be divine intervention by the gods. However most nobles not only shun the Temple but also don't believe in the gods which seems illogical based on what we know.

But things start to come together when we the Royals and the Sovern Temple interact with each other in an antagonistic fashion. It can be implied from history that some kind of power struggle happened in the past resulting in a firm separation between church and state. Furthermore we can see that part of the reason Rosemyne is so amazing is because of her upbringing in the temple.

Through all the school shenanigans we also see Lady Georgina making moves with the Former Veronica Faction. But largely due to Rosemyne's compassion we see the children of the Veronica faction switch sides which helps lead to the Purge. Really good thrill-ride there.

And finally, I cannot mention Part 4 without talking about the huge and magnificent duo that is Rosemyne and Ferdinand. It is slowly revealed how much of a profound impact the two have had on each other. Rosemyne becomes powerful in noble society from Ferdinand's lessons and support and Ferdinand's heart heals from Rosemyne's compassion and love. This culminates in the second saddest scene in the series where Ferdinand leaves Ehrenfest and Rosemyne behind. I still get teary-eyed when I think about Ferdinand giving Rosemyne the key to his estate for her library. The estate which was given to him by his father. The estate given to Rosemyne to fulfill a promise he made to her when she was a blue shrine maiden.

And then Rosemyne's emotions explode again just like at the end of Part 1... except this time she's more in control and knows what she's doing. And she ends up giving a most beautiful and powerful blessing.

Considering what happened with Damuel at the end of Part 1 with her blessing, I'm curious what will happen with Ferdinand with this supercharged version of her blessing. I also love how everyone thought that at that moment she looked just like a Saint. Initially the "Saint of Ehrenfest" was just a publicity stunt but as time has gone by it has become more and more true to the point where I finally am starting to understand the "Ascendance" in the title... more than just ascendance to nobility, ascendance to sainthood and beyond.