“When Komari unintentionally disrespects one of her fellow Crimson Lords, Flöte Mascarail, things escalate until she finds herself pitted against the other generals in a deadly competition where the loser gets fired (read: blown up).Though most of her opponents are as tough as nails, Komari finds an unlikely ally in Sakuna Memoir, a newly appointed Crimson Lord who shares both her timidity and love of reading. If only Vill weren't so jealous! But while all this is playing out, a sinister plot involving the assassination of key politicians in the Empire brews. With so much going on, will this shut-in vampire ever get a moment's peace?!” (Yen Press)
The previous volume of “The Vexations of a Shut-in Vampire Princess” balanced lewd comedy with action to craft a simple yet entertaining story of a young woman struggling to hide her introverted personality to keep up the facade of being a fearsome vampire warrior. Told from the first-person perspective of Komari, Kotei Koboyahsi managed to not fall into the pitfalls of that narrative structure by keeping things light and humorous throughout. Essentially, the first book was a silly piece of escapism that made it a quick and enjoyable read. The second volume offers up much of the same thing (with some additional lore), but for fans of the first book, this is a welcome continuation.
The main focus of volume 2 is on the “crimson match”, a battle royale between the various crimson lords, and Komari's new friendship with Sakuna Memoir. Both these instances help frame the awkwardness of Komari as well as tease more of her hidden powers that were revealed at the end of the previous book (don't worry, not really a spoiler). Both these developments help keep the book moving forward while still offering exciting action sequences and perverted ‘grope-heavy' humor. Certainly, Kotei Koboyashi understands the appeal of her characters and style of writing enough not to ditch the formula to rush the plot forward. The focus is always on Komari and her hijinx, readers who are already fans would not have it any other way.
The illustrations from riichu compliment the book well and help give a better visual representation of the characters which are often glossed over in description given Komari's somewhat flippant view of others. This particularly helps with the inclusion of the rest of the ‘crimson lords' into the story. Certainly, the book does not rely on the accompanying illustrations but they are a nice touch and the opening colored art pages are always a welcome addition to any light novel.
Those, like myself, that found the first volume to be a wonderfully absurd, silly, easy read, will certainly appreciate the second book and how it stays dedicated to its mix of crude humor and action centered around the charming Komari. It is also understandable how the book can have its detractors and those on the fence after the inaugural release will probably feel disconnected by the story's inability to offer more. Essentially, how you feel about the first book will dictate whether the second volume is worthwhile.
