SynopsisYuri is a normal twentieth-century teen trapped in an ancient Middle-Eastern empire. In this volume, Yuri and Prince Kail return to the queen's palace to rescue Tito, but the queen will not let them in. Later, Tito's whereabouts are made shockingly clear. Yuri tries to get back to twentieth-century Japan, but the queen uses her magic to stop the attempt. Kail, in turn, fights back against the queen using his own magic. Will Yuri succeed in going home?
Review
Well, more irritation abounds. Yuri wanted to go home, but let herself be distracted by the queen's attackers at the crucial moment. Apparently she felt angry at Tito's murderer, which I understand, but she cares more about that than going home? Yeah, whatever. And of course, this was the last time they could try for a year, so darn, she just stuck there now. Also, the queen is obsessed with sacrificing Yuri now. Anyone who's read the Evil Overlord's Handbook should know that if anyone will do as the sacrifice, you shouldn't waste your time on one particular person. She should have just asked for another sacrifice, then sacrificed them, and yay -- her plans would have worked out. You'd think the author contrived things to work out this way, instead of having her characters act logically. The question is why? Could she not think of anything better? Sigh.
Regardless, I'm still entranced by this series, and I can't stop reading it. Yuri is now going to be known as Yuri Ishtar, her goddess name, as most think of her as a goddess after this point. (In fact, when they mentioned her Japanese last name in the first volume, I paused for a second.) It's a ploy, but well done, and I can only hope it serves them well in the future. She lives up to her name as the goddess of war, by turning the tide in an important battle, without really intending to. Of course, this is contrived, too, but at least it makes sense in terms of the story. Unfortunately, Tito's sisters, who misunderstand what happened to their brother, take their revenge, and kill Yuri. That is not a spoiler -- it can't be, there's 26 more books to go. Of course she's not dead. So it leaves us at another cliffhanger.
Kail and Yuri are starting to get a little bit closer at this point, but still not that much. Yuri is debating whether she likes him because he saved her or because of who he is. I do have to credit the author for making me think Kail was a playboy, when really, it's all a ruse to explain why he hasn't married anyone yet. Apparently, he might be King at some point, and his (future) wife would be a very powerful woman, so he'd better make the best choice he can, lest she be an evil woman like the current queen. The idea that he'd love only his wife, though, and not take any concubines... I'm not sure I buy that as it sounds too much like modern sentimentality. I don't doubt that a man could love only one woman, but to not have concubines when it was expected of you? Unlikely, especially back then.
Final thought: This series is interesting enough to
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