7th Time Loop

This series continues to be fun, with Rishe overexerting herself and juggling many things at once in order to get a peaceful and carefree future LOL. In this second volume, her skills as a former knight and apothecary really shine through. Realizing that her body lacks the stamina and power to put her knowledge to use, she goes to join the knight cadets' special training disguised as a boy. At the same time, there are also delegations from Coyolles who she happened to know in previous lives: Prince Kyle, who she was closely linked to her as an apothecary, and Michel Hévin, an alchemist who used to be her mentor.

For the most part, this book revolves around Michel, his research, and his mindset about dangerous substances. He has a tragic childhood story to back it up, which... I'm honestly not really fond of, hence me knocking off a star for the rating. That being said, Rishe remains brilliantly shrewd and always makes sure to stay several steps ahead in every situation she's dealing with. Arnold remains mostly mysterious, but we're learning more about him through Rishe's eyes. So far it does seem like his first response towards foreign issues is to wage war, so it falls upon her to show him the benefits of diplomacy over conquest.

Despite Rishe's intelligence, however, she's rather slow when it comes to romance. It takes her a long time to digest the fact that Arnold might be interested in her, so all the fluffy moments only take place at the very end of the book. Up until that point, it's mostly Rishe scheming and navigating through possible political issues, she still hasn't found the answer to why Arnold would end up doing the things he did in her previous lives. Personally I don't find an issue with this contrast, but if you really don't like main characters who are dense, then you might want to keep in mind that Rishe is also one of those.

Overall, a really good read. Just minus one star because I'm not really invested in Michel's personal issue, so I hope the next volumes will explore more interesting characters and themes.