REVIEW: Victoria of Many Faces, Vol. 1 (book) by Syuu, illustrated by Nanna Fujimi, translated by Andria McKnight

Victoria of Many Faces is basically a slice-of-life story set in a fantasy world without magic. I bought my copy of this volume new.

Review:

When she was only eight, Chloe was sent to be raised as a spy for the kingdom of Hagl. She would no longer be allowed contact with her family, but, in exchange, she could send them money and other things in order to see to it that they lived comfortably. Chloe's handler, Lancome, took care of the deliveries, and Chloe trusted him fully for 18 years, when she visited her hometown in an effort to catch a glimpse of her family and learned that they'd all died in a fire a couple years ago. She then spent the next year planning her escape.

Using the skills she gained as a spy, Chloe steals the identity of a missing person from the neighboring kingdom of Randall. Now living as Victoria, she then travels to the kingdom of Ashbury with the intention of stopping for only a while and then continuing on. However, not long after arriving in Ashbury, Victoria meets a six-year-old girl named Nonna who has been abandoned by her mother. 

Circumstances lead to her essentially adopting Nonna. She finds a place for both of them to live and gets a job as a maid and assistant to an elderly historian named Bernard. It's a quiet life in which Victoria finds herself making more and more connections with those around her. Leaving behind her life as a spy isn't quite so easy, however. Even though she knows she needs to keep a low profile so that Lancome doesn't find her, she can't bring herself to just stand by while harm befalls others around her.

This was a particularly refreshing read in the vast sea of "reborn in another world/otome game/book I was reading" light novels out there. Victoria was pretty much perfect at everything she did, which could have been annoying but wasn't, I think because she still had to operate within certain boundaries. Her decision to never abandon Nonna meant that, if Lancome found her or others uncovered that she was a spy from Hagl, she couldn't just slip away - whatever she did, she had to take Nonna into account. Also, the longer she stayed in Ashbury, the more emotional attachments she gained towards those around her.

There was a nice light romantic storyline involving a man named Jeffrey Asher. I liked that he was smart enough to figure out that there was something going on with Victoria, and that, despite his interest in her, he took the time to consider whether she might be using him in some way. I enjoyed the way their relationship developed.

I did question Victoria's decision to help a prisoner who'd been trying to avenge his sister. It underscored her strong sense of justice, but it was also a pretty risky thing to do considering her own situation, and it wasn't anywhere near as quick and simple as, say, an earlier decision on her part to trip an escaping thief.

Reading this kind of reminded me of Violet Evergarden - the setting, the slice-of-life pacing plus occasional action scenes, and the hypercompetent heroine who isn't used to living an ordinary life. The romantic aspects of this book weren't as problematic, though, and, while certain characters did have tragic backstories, I didn't feel the need to keep a box of tissues at hand.

Extras:

A map, black and white illustrations throughout, and a few color illustrations at the front.