Krystallina: I had considered The Holy Grail of Eris to be a mystery because, well, neither readers nor the heroes know what “the Holy Grail of Eris” is, and Scarlett is demanding Connie find whoever set her up to be killed. Surely Detective Connie and her allies will have to slowly piece together several vague clues in order to figure out what’s going on in the kingdom.
But after finishing volume 2, it seems like there aren’t many things left to figure out…?
And when I say the mysteries are solved, I don’t mean the type where readers have to put clues together and consult volume 1 for all the ones they might have missed. Between what the heroes have learned and side stories from other minor characters, the situation is rather clearly laid out. Some of this still needs to be relayed to the heroes, but that shouldn’t take too long to happen.
So basically, if you want to cut right to the chase, you should pick up volume 2.
Of course, figuring out who is behind things doesn’t do much good without somehow stopping them from creating future atrocities. That’s moreso for volume 3 and beyond, but even as Connie and company begin unraveling what happened to Scarlett and what is happening in Adelbide, other plots are hatching. Like Connie’s best friend being kidnapped, which happened at the end of the previous volume. Just as some readers (including myself) may be disappointed at how quickly The Holy Grail of Eris is revealing things, these various plots are arguably a little too short as well. I could understand Kate’s situation, as she was already held captive at the start of volume 2, but when someone is later arrested in regards to a separate incident, I thought Connie and company would have to do a little more work to solve things. Plus, a couple of other characters repent and get their comeuppance rather quickly. The Holy Grail of Eris can be considered a general audience work, but things like this make it more on the shoujo side.
Still, the novel is hardly full of happy friendships and romance with the continued drug use, people winding up dead, and unstable relationships. And I think plenty of people’s bloods will be boiling at the end of the volume. It’s possible the person I’m talking about isn’t as horrid as they seem to be, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. There should be some good reactions once this info is out in the open.
Despite that, from an entertainment standpoint, I find myself continually interested in these characters. The various side stories are from rather unexpected perspectives, but yet they come back and fit into the overall narrative. Scarlett is not quite as bossy this time around (no doubt due to Connie), but we also get to see how she really was with those who were close to her. While this is a series with supernatural elements (because, ghost), it leans a little more into those fantasy elements and opens the door for more possible phenomena. And the story has shown a clear undertone of madness amongst the nobles from the start, and the depravity continues here.
That is likely going to continue to be a theme, as The Holy Grail of Eris may be morphing into more of a political drama rather than a mystery. If you are the sort that hates waiting for truths to unravel or smokescreens constantly being thrown up, The Holy Grail of Eris volume 2 is rather refreshing, but I personally would have liked Connie and Scarlett to do some more investigating before the truths start coming to light.
Krystallina’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
Helen: As Constance Grail and Scarlett Castiel continue to investigate who framed Scarlett for attempted poison 10 years ago, they’ve met people from all levels of society and far too few people with a motive to see Scarlett dead. It seems that what’s old is new again with plenty of things, from drugs to schemes, from 10 years ago becoming popular again, an ominous sign. Scarlett can’t die again, but Connie can and everyone helping her is now realizing what a dangerous plot they’re uncovering.
I will confess that I wish the character sheet at the very beginning of the volume was longer; I hadn’t realized just how many characters were introduced in the first volume and while the post-chapter character summaries are hilarious, they aren’t helpful if I’m in the middle of a scene and can’t quite remember who someone is. Reading these volumes closer together might be the ideal way to consume the story, especially since so far it’s all felt like parts of one larger tale, not like smaller stories forming installments of a larger tale.
I’m also a bit curious how long this story will be, especially since I can’t figure out what the end goal is (“resurrecting the dead” clearly being off the table), just clearing Scarlett’s name would be a bit of a let-down if that’s all this story amounts to being. Even now knowing what the Holy Grail of Eris actually is (and not terribly surprising if you’re familiar with the real-world mythology surrounding that name), I’m not terribly sure what the characters can do about it in the long run so even that makes for a flimsy goal.
I’ll confess, while I certainly don’t dislike this series, it also just hasn’t really grabbed me by way of either plot or characters, it’s just lacking some kind of grounding. It doesn’t help that it seems like everyone in this country has a twisted personality (or is too unimportant to matter in the long run) and by the close of this volume the readers know exactly why Scarlett had to die so that mystery is now “solved”. There aren’t any new truly shocking events in this volume (it feels very “middle book in a trilogy,” even though the series is up to four volumes in Japan now) and while it wasn’t a retread of the first volume, it didn’t feel particularly new either. I am a bit curious about how the story will eventually end but I think I’m curious enough to read other people’s summaries and reviews on the subject, not spend my own limited time reading it for myself.
Helen’s rating: 2.5 out of 5