Secrets of the Silent Witch’s anime adaptation is currently airing! It’s risen steadily in popularity overseas since Yen Press began releasing the light novels in 2022, and later the manga adaptation as well. With interest in the franchise growing all the more, thanks to the anime, this seems like a good time to return to the source material with Volume 2.

Volume 1 of Secrets of the Silent Witch saw protagonist Monica infiltrate Serendia Academy, where she’d been tasked with protecting the second prince, Felix Arc Ridill. And it’s so far so good, with several attempts on his life having been stopped, and no one has yet figured out Monica’s true identity. However, as we reunite with her for Volume 2, we see that there’s still plenty of problems standing in her way…

Volume 2 opens with Monica taking a trip into town, where she finds herself having to secretly defeat a dragon that’s suddenly threatening the safety of the residents. She also meets a new transfer student, Glenn Dudley, who, unbeknownst to her, is one of Louis’s apprentices. And then she finds her former mentor is not teaching at the academy and doesn’t appear to know Monica is undercover, so she needs to do everything she can to avoid him. But she also needs to choose two elective classes, and for some reason, Felix thinks she’ll be interested in the magecraft course, which is not only the one her old mentor is teaching but also the most likely to bring her incredible magic skills to light!

And if having to choose electives wasn’t bad enough, as part of her duties for the student council, Monica has to help prepare for the school festival. This means a great number of outsiders will be entering the school, which poses issues for her ability to protect Felix. And indeed, it’s not long before problems begin to arise, but could it be that the new threat against Felix’s life comes from a little closer to home?

There is a surprising amount packed into this book, between meeting new characters, Monica struggling with her position at the school (not only when it comes to classes, but she’s beginning to be bullied for being on the student council) and advancing the main story. That’s a lot to juggle, but author Matsuri Isora proves more than capable of managing it all. Coming in around 260~ pages, this is a fairly chunky light novel, but it doesn’t outstay its welcome, and because it’s so well balanced, it doesn’t feel as long as it is.

Even though there are several new characters introduced to an already extensive cast, they’re relatively well developed, and it feels like Isora puts the work into making sure Monica and Felix are also given plenty of time in the spotlight. For Monica’s part, now that she’s getting used to her duties and making some friends, we’re seeing her get a lot more comfortable in her surroundings. Even if she’s still so shy that she can barely string a sentence together with strangers.

Meanwhile, with Felix, I feel that we readers can better understand some of his motivations after this book. After Volume 1, I wondered if some readers would be uncomfortable with the fact that it often feels like Felix treats Monica as little more than a plaything. And while that’s still true to a degree, I think Isora does a good job of exploring more of his background and why his personality is the way it is. There’s more depth to him than I initially expected, and that’s reassuring to see. It also feels like he’s begun to respect Monica, and maybe soon they’ll be able to stand on a more equal footing.

If you enjoyed the first book, you will almost certainly like Volume 2 as well. While it’s largely more of the same, there’s enough happening to keep you invested as the bigger picture slowly builds. And certainly with the anime currently airing, this is a good time to pick up the source material.

As mentioned, Secrets of the Silent Witch Volume 2 comes to the West thanks to Yen Press under their Yen On imprint and continues to be translated by Alice Prowse. The translation reads well and manages to capture and depict this large cast of characters with their various ways of speaking and interacting with one another, which is no small challenge for this many characters.

Since I last reviewed the series, Yen Press have released six volumes of the series as well as the 4.5 volume and the first volume of a spin-off, Silent Witch -another- Rising of the Barrier Mage, which focuses on Louis. However, there’s still plenty more to come as this series is up to ten volumes in Japan with another .5 thrown into the mix as well. Next up for us in English will be Volume 7, which is scheduled for release in November.

Overall, Secrets of the Silent Witch remains a compelling read in its second volume. As with the first instalment, a lot is going on here as protagonist Monica is thrown in at the deep end with several major developments. Still, it’s all carefully balanced to not overwhelm the reader and instead keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. If you’re enjoying the anime, definitely consider picking up the original light novels!

Our review copy from Yen Press was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.