By Kamihara and Shiro46. Released in Japan as “Tensei Reijo to Sūki na Jinsei o” by Hayakawa Shobo. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim.

This was a title I’d been waiting for with great anticipation. I’d heard about it before it was licensed, as people on Twitter were discussing this series as “Oh my God… oh my God!” and noting not to get too attached to anyone in the cast. It’s also by Hayasaka Publishing, and one thing I’ve learned about them is that when they go into a common genre, like isekai/reincarnation books, there’s a very good reason and the book is going to be something else. Fortunately, all my anticipations were met with a remarkable book. Now, that’s not to say that it’s FUN… though there are a few moments of humor sprinkled throughout (notably our heroine trying to “invent” things from modern Japan and failing time and again). But it’s a fascinating read, with a great heroine. Just… be aware it’s a bit dark. There’s rape, there’s death, there’s torture (offscreen). The trials and tribulations in the deliberately bland title are no joke.

Trying to summarize this 554-page book is a bit ridiculous, but… Karen, our heroine, has been reincarnated from Japan as a noble girl, and spends the first 14 years of her life living happily. Then it comes out she’s the product of an affair, and she’s disowned. So, she goes to school to try to get a job… only to find, near graduation, no one will hire her as they know her past. Then she’s taken back into the family!… as her sister is now the King’s concubine, and had Karen being reinstated as one of her demands before she agreed to it. Now Karen’s a noble again… and is offered a choice. Either marry a gorgeous, handsome knight. Or marry a 63-year-old dude who lives out in the middle of nowhere. Karen, naturally, picks… the old man?

The whole book is like this. Another reason that people might be wary of it is that if you dislike plot twists, this book is poison to you. They come about every ten pages. Every time Karen was forced to return to the capital from her new home in the country, I cringed, because bad stuff always met her there. Her new husband, as it turns out, already has a common-law wife, but that suits Karen fine, she did not marry him to have kids or anything. As for the other choice, unsurprisingly given the cover art, he keeps turning up, and it rapidly becomes clear from their conversations that they’re perfect for each other (Karen describes them both as “odd”, which is a massive understatement. Everyone thinks Karen is a weirdo.) Unfortunately, it turns out (surprise!) that Reinald has his own secrets, and they’re big secrets.

There’s other characters I liked, such as the classic “young perky loyal maid”, and the Margrave’s common-law wife Emma, who has the patience of a saint but also does not want to get involved. This is one of those books that I recommend reading in chunks rather than all at once, but it’s rewarding. Also, feel relieved: J-Novel Club made a deal with the publisher to cut the next book in half, so the 2nd book, Part 1, will be a more sensible length. Which is good, as it means it’s coming faster, and I really want to read more about Karen, who is an odd combination of seemingly sensible but actually quite daring.