Yes I totally share your frustration, bc when I first read part 3 and 4 I genuinely started resent Sylvester and Ferdinand.
Ferdinand has an excuse for being cold, bc he himself doesn't know any better. Usually people forget abt this, bc of his grumpy man attitude, but he's still young and his scars from Veronica are still fresh. But Syl? Such a hypocrite with his care-free attitude, plus he pissed me off in relation to Georgine
SPOILER
But in part 5 after Ferdinand go to Ahrensbach we will get explanation to her situation with the commoner family, plus more of Rozemyne's relationship with Syl.
The contact she has with them and Gilberta company is the most generous compromise they could give her, bc they all felt guilty for ripping her off her beloved family. She's surrounded by wolfs everywhere, some people even remember her as Myne, so normally she supposed to have mo contact with them. They let her have the little contact that she has for her mental state.
That said I wish they would rather show more signs of depression. Yes we occasionally her missing her old life, but I think it'd be interesting if after her total departure from Lutz and others who aren't bind by the contract, she fell into very well deep depression. She'd understand why those steps are necessary, and would hide her feeling under a noble mask, but everytime we'd see her alone or disassociate, it'd be shown how empty she feels.
If I remember correctly, in part 5 someone (probably gradpa) will point out that Syl is only using Myne, but she herself stands up for him. She doesn't mind being used for her ideas, bc it helps her own goal. He adopted her, turned a blind eye to her contact with commoner family, and accepted her excentic behavior. When we read the story from Myne's perspective it's not that apparent, but in the side stories who other characters' POV she's a total weirdo, not in the funny way weird, but socially deaf weirdo even towards people who could destroy their duchy. But he still only scolded her for giving him a headache.
Also I think the reason why they scold her more than praise is to teach her how to become a proper noble more efficiently.
It's also acknowledged many times that as an adoptive daughter from temple she has to work her ass off, just to prove herself. We see how much more carefree can be other nobles, but her worth is still hanging over an abyss. It's super frustrating for me too, especially when I see dicks like Anastasius to be totally careless abt their reputation (like when he just took her from library, his reputation won't change, but the rumors can ruin Rozemyne)
Fortunately, sometimes when people are trying to use her love for books to push her more, it comes back to bite their asses. Especially Sigiswald and Eglentine, that will be suepr satisfying.
Overall as a reader I still feel angry and annoyed but the sheer unfairness, but from the POV of other characters, I can kinda understand their actions and writing it this way feels intentional.
I'd love to read more of you thoughts, bc I love yapping and complaining even abt my beloved stories.
Honestly, reading your perspective was really refreshing and actually helped me understand a lot more about why certain characters act the way they do. I think I was so hyper-focused on Rozemyne’s side of things—how much she gets hurt, how often she’s taken advantage of, and how she’s constantly expected to prove herself—that I wasn’t really stopping to look at the situation from the perspective of the people around her.
And I definitely get what you mean about Ferdinand, especially with his own background and the fact that he genuinely doesn’t know how to express or show care in a normal way. I think because we’re so heavily inside Rozemyne’s POV, it’s really easy to interpret his behavior as just “WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SCOLDING THIS GIRL??” when there’s clearly a lot more going on underneath it.
The part about Sylvester also gave me something to think about. I still find some of his actions annoying as hell, especially when it comes to certain situations, but I can understand better now why his relationship with Rozemyne is more complicated than simply “he’s using her.” The fact that they basically have to balance protecting her, maintaining the duchy’s interests, and somehow allowing her to keep some connection to the life she lost makes a lot more sense when you look at it from their POV.
And honestly, I REALLY agree with what you said about wanting to see more of Rozemyne’s emotional/mental aftermath. That’s something I’ve felt while reading too. We know she misses her family and her old life, but sometimes I wish the story lingered more on what that actually does to her emotionally. She understands why she has to make these sacrifices, but understanding something logically doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt like hell.
I think that’s probably the biggest thing I was trying to express in my original comment. I know why these things are happening, and I understand that there are reasons behind the decisions people make. But as a reader, I’m still sitting here watching this tiny book gremlin get put through one thing after another and I’m like PLEASE LET THIS GIRL BREATHE FOR FIVE MINUTES
And the part about her constantly having to prove herself is another thing that drives me crazy. I understand the noble culture and why her position as an adopted daughter from the temple makes her situation so precarious. I also understand that some of the criticism is genuinely meant to teach her how to survive as a noble. But from Rozemyne’s POV, she’s already accomplishing things that are WAY beyond what anyone could have reasonably expected from her, and yet she still has to keep proving that she’s worthy of being there. That’s what gets to me.
The Anastasius example you gave is actually a really good one too. It really highlights how differently the consequences can fall depending on who is making the mistake. Someone like him can be careless and get away with it, while Rozemyne can accidentally create a rumor that could potentially cause serious problems for her.
Also, I’m VERY happy to hear that some of these people eventually get hit with the consequences of trying to exploit her love for books. Because honestly, after watching everyone use the “you love books, right?” card to get more work out of her, I NEED the universe to eventually clap back at them.
I think your comment actually made me appreciate the writing more, because you’re right: from Rozemyne’s POV, everything feels incredibly unfair, but when you start looking at the other characters’ POVs, you can see that a lot of their actions have logic behind them—even when they’re still annoying as hell.
So I definitely don’t think you’ve changed my mind about the unfairness of it all, but you’ve given me another perspective to look at it from, and I appreciate that a lot. I think that’s one of the best things about this series honestly. There’s so much going on underneath the surface that you can have two readers looking at the exact same situation and walk away focusing on completely different things.
And YES, I will absolutely continue yapping and complaining about this story because I love these characters way too much
I never knew how much deep it is :(
Thank you so much guys for sharing your thoughts and some spoilers. Now i know what to expect more as well as analyze myne relationship with others..
Honestly even though I made a whole ass paragraph of the other characters' reasons, I'm still annoyed while rereading some parts, bc it still feels so unfair. And I feel it even more intense bc Myne is unreliable narrator and her POV really resonates with me I love how biased is, bc it hits close to home. I understand that if they accepted her a weird genius it'd be boring, but still they could at least be fair and treat other weirdos as harshly as Myne.
And I wish her to become more bitter and hold grudges. I mean that will happen, but only with certain characters.
SPOILERS for part 5
If you're angry now in part 4, just survive the suffering, it'll pay off I promise.
She will absolutely cook the royal family, like OMG that's my favorite part, bc it feels so satisfying after what she'd been through.
Especially Eglentine will show her true colors and Myne will never see her the same and never fully forgive her. Also after she becomes an adult and gets enough power to speak her mind. She will cook, roast and devour them. (P5V7 or after)
Another very satisfying scene where Rozemyne gets the upperhand is in P5V5 ch11: The Merchant Saint. So basically the first prince Sigiswald gets attack by a shuumil and will lose so badly against our gremiln, just with the sheer power of Benno's merchant teachings. For me it's the funniest chapter ever.
Also in Hannelore's spin off Anastasius will age like milk mentally, basically becoming the youngest grumpy old man in this series. That's it for his jerk ass behavior towards Rozemyne.
I recommend Trash-tier waifu or the Chattering Magpi on YT and their yapping abt those novels. It's my summer obsession.
Yes to all of these points. What grinds my gears is the scolding sessions for things they asked her to do like spreading the trends, raise Ehrenfest's grades and making connections. They never gave her specific instructions but a vague "spread the trends!" and they got mad she spreads it too well, increases the duchy's grades but not in the way they expects, and makes contacts with greater duchies and royalty.
Despite no receiving any guidance or support from adults on how to fulfill those tasks (Rihyada doesn't count because she's only there as an attendant), she still accomplishes them to the level no one expected or anyone would be able to achieve. But what did she receive in return? An order to return for a scolding, even for things outside her control like Anastatius initiating contact with her!! She's in a damned if you, damned if you don't situation. She just can't win or satisfy these entitled bastards. I know part of it is for the ongoing joke about her "rampages" They grumble just about every fucking breath she takes it's exhausting to read sometimes.
Oh I have a lot of spoilers and opinions and I promise you all Myne's relationship will be anything but simple. From unexpectedly wholesome with her moms, to outrageous with the royals to pretty weird with Ferdinand
SPOILER
I still don't know how to feel abt them being supposedly "in love"
They'll point it out later. Bc they used to be a lower duchy, who became mid, just bc others fell down, they never learned how to properly manage being of high status. Their system and communication is lacking and even Hartmut who is considered one of the best scholars in Ehrenfest, is only average for a great Duchy.
They obviously wanted to increase their rank bc that increases influence power and blah blah blah.and Myne with her inventions could easily do that. What they failed to realize is that they have no business to be a middle duchy in a first place and they can't keep up with the changes. It brought them more problems than benefits, bc they became mid-high ranking duchy with lower duchy mindset and system. And who was the source of connection with high ranking duchies and royals? Rozemyne, who is also blunt and doesn't talk to them as someone from a low ranking duchy, which they think they are. It's a vicious cycle and it will take them few years to realize it.
Btw I'm not trying to make excuses for them, bc they're bunch of idiots who can't see flaws in their own actions so they blame Rozemyne bc she's an easy target. It was a source of my pain and bitterness through out part 4. Just saying that it feels intentional from author's side.
Btw don't worry Anastasius will get his karma at the end for being a dick, most of the royals will
First off, I just want to say that I’m a huge fan of Ascendance of a Bookworm. I genuinely believe it’s a masterpiece. I’ve watched both anime adaptations, read the manga, and started the light novel, and everything I’ve experienced so far has been amazing.
That being said, there are a few things that have been bothering me that I feel get dismissed or normalized way too often.
Before anyone misunderstands where I’m coming from, I also want to make it clear that I absolutely love Myne (Rozemyne). She’s one of my favorite protagonists, so none of this is coming from hate or dislike toward her or the story. This is just me sharing my personal thoughts and secondhand frustrations as a reader who genuinely cares about the series.
One thing that’s always stood out to me is how rarely Myne feels genuinely acknowledged or praised for everything she’s accomplishes—especially by Ferdinand. I can barely count on one hand the number of times she’s been told she did a good job. Maybe her adoptive parents have praised her a few times, but outside of that, it feels like she’s constantly being criticized or corrected over every little thing.
At the end of the day, all she really wants is to read books and create a world where everyone, regardless of social class, has access to them. Her dream is honestly so wholesome, yet it feels like she’s constantly being pushed, used, or expected to give more and more of herself.
One of the biggest things that hurts to watch is everything involving her biological family. I understand why the blood contract and the secrecy exist from a political standpoint, but emotionally it’s heartbreaking. A huge part of her motivation—and a lot of her emotional suffering—comes from being forced to distance herself from the people she loves most. I honestly wish there had been some kind of compromise or workaround, even if it was incredibly difficult to achieve.
Every time I see her missing her family, or getting a brief moment with them before immediately returning to a world where everyone is calculating how she can be used for the next project or responsibility, I get so much secondhand frustration.
And no, I’m not saying her journey should’ve been easy. If it were, the story wouldn’t be nearly as compelling or as much of a masterpiece as it is. The sacrifices are part of what make the story so impactful. Choosing to become the archduke’s adopted daughter to protect her biological family is easily one of the most heartbreaking moments in the series.
What gets me, though, is that it sometimes feels like the people around her lean on those sacrifices—and on her love of books—to keep pushing her even further. They know exactly what motivates her, and it often feels like that’s used to pressure or discipline her more than it’s used to reward her.
I completely understand that becoming a noble has given Myne opportunities she never would’ve had otherwise, and I know both sides benefit from the relationship. But the imbalance in power is what drives me crazy. So many situations leave her with little to no real choice, and because she’s so selfless, she keeps carrying everyone else’s expectations on her shoulders.
Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes it honestly feels like they’re draining the life out of her.
I still have so much more I want to say, but I’m struggling to put it into words without sounding overly defensive or like I’m just complaining—and that’s really not my intention.
Like I said before, I genuinely love this story. I’m not trying to criticize the author or say the writing is bad. If anything, the fact that I feel this strongly probably says the opposite. These are simply my personal opinions and the emotional frustrations I experienced while reading. I’m curious if anyone else felt the same way, or if you saw these moments differently.