The Spring 2023 Light Novel Guide

Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess

What's It About? 

On the night of the Star Festival, an event to celebrate the founding of the proud, illustrious Kingdom of Heilland, Queen Alicia was stabbed through the chest and killed by revolutionary soldiers storming the castle… Or so she thought. Princess Alicia wakes on the morning of her 10th birthday, memories of the “Night of the Revolution” fresh in her mind, and realizes that she has been given a chance to redo her life. It's not long before she comes face to face with the handsome and mysterious young man who killed her last time… Granted a chance at redemption by the whims of fate, Alicia works to change the disastrous future, this time with revolutionary mastermind turned princess aide Clovis by her side!

Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess has a story by Roku Kaname, and art by Hazuki Futaba. This light novel was translated into English by JC. Cross Infinite World released the first volume for US$7.99.

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

If this story sounds like others you have read, specifically like Tearmoon Empire, it's because it is. However, that isn't a strike against it unless you do not like the loop form of the isekai genre. Unlike some of its counterparts, Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess isn't about someone who made horrific mistakes the first time around. Instead, she made a single mistake that she was over-punished for: she loved the wrong person. In Princess Alicia's kingdom of Heilland, women are not allowed to inherit the throne in their own right. Daughters of the king who are brother-free end up in a subservient position to their husbands, who become the reigning monarch. Alicia fell in love with Prince Fritz of the neighboring empire, and his rule brought about a revolution. Unable to see it, Alicia attempted to protect him from the rebels and was killed for her kindness. Was it partly her fault? Yes. Upon being returned to her life at age ten, Alicia realizes that she often took the easy way out, skipping lessons and political events. Because of that, she did not fully understand the implications of marrying Fritz, which a little knowledge would have revealed to be a bad idea. So this time? This time, Alicia's going to learn.

And boy, does she ever. Alicia starts by befriending Clovis, the man who killed her. It turns out that everything could've been avoided with a little knowledge. Alicia was never a bad person, but she was a child who wasn't allowed to know enough to save herself, and that's what's different this time around. Whereas she was content to be pampered before, now she's actively trying to break out of that mold. Clovis is confused but heartened by her desire to learn, and her father is especially happy. There's some setup for Alicia to face off against the more old-fashioned court members and the royal household. If the romantic subplot is a little creepy now (it's going to be Clovis, who is eight or nine years older than Alicia), volume two looks like it'll have a hefty time skip. This may not be entirely new, but it is a pretty good version of the familiar, and at only three volumes, it's not a huge time commitment. It's worth taking a chance.