I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells Vol. 10 - I thought this would be the end of my dare inflicted suffering, but no. It continues. Bummer.
A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires Volume 1 - The initial setup is a cliche as Truck-kun for an isekai. I could swear I’ve read the same thing word for word dozens of times before, up to the point where I had to double check if I really hadn’t read the book before. But once it gets going it’s an interesting story about building up a company. Especially the MC has surprised me positively. She is a tad too perfect and too vengeful to make it into my Top5 of MC’s, but if they manage to give her some weaknesses and mellow her character out a bit in the next volume she could make it into it.
A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires Volume 2 - More or less what I had hoped. MC is less omnipotent and less bloodthirsty. She’s still not quite in a position where she makes my Top5 but if her character continues to move in this direction she’ll get there. There is some more company building and some classic dungeon crawling. Add a spash of mystery around a shady group of individuals pulling the strings behind the curtain and you get a nice plot hook to keep me coming back for the next volume.
The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom: Volume 7 - Better volume again. A lot of important plot points happening in this volume and it still feels like it’s only ramping up for the big conclusion. There are also two very good plot hooks in this volume that makes you want to read the next volume. Very well done and didn’t feel forced at all. The story also makes me really feel concerned for the love interest of MC. Considering that usually everyone has plot armor I see this as a clear win when a author can make me feel that way about such a chracter.
Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World - Volume 9
Just finished this last night. It was more of the same for the adventurer arc of the series. Few real plot relevant events and no major fight scenes or challenges. The afterword makes it clear that a lot of this is just filler/extra content that was not in the web novel. The story did not really start to pick up until the end where it stopped on a cliff hanger.
Margit seems underused and under developed as a character. More of a tool/occasionally remembered plot element than an actual character with her own agency. Although the author did get to play out one of his bug girl fantasies, so there is that.
The world, most of the characters, the magic system, and all the teased plot threads still keep my interest, but the authors meandering prose and animal/bug girl fetishes are trying my patience.
Margit seems underused and under developed as a character.
Absolutely. She was the strongest element of the first volume and I was so stoked that the series finally got back to her after the academy arc, but so far it was rather lackluster what they did with her. But as you said, so far it feels more like filler so I hope she gets the spotlight and character development she deserves. And I swear, I have no bug girl fetish. She is just my favorite sidekick. ... But thinking on it, Chaos Witch Quelaag is my fave in DS and Rachnera was best girl in Monster Musume. Maybe I have a spider girl fetish and just didn't realize it. Something to ponder...