Zagan's group heads off to Nephy's hometown in order to learn more about high elves. However, when they arrive, they get trapped in a barrier that distorts time! While they're in there, Zagan's beloved bride Nephy is... turned into a little girl!? The precocious little Nephy is cute in her own right, but there's no way Zagan can just leave her be! Will Zagan and the others find the culprit behind Nephy's curse before it's too late?
I love the world-building that goes in to Elf Bride but this volume felt pretty convoluted and rather light in the overall plot of the series.
I did love the fluffy parts, especially when this volume's gimmick is having our titular heroine getting regressed back to childhood, innocence intact and trauma-less, and the author's way of writing down character interactions is great as usual.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the overall plot, the series hasn't quite yet managed to recapture the magic of its first volume, which contributes to a feel that the author really isn't caring much about that.
While I do love reading both light and fluffy romcoms and serious, heavy dark fantasy, striking a balance between isn't easy at all and this series still feels like it's got a pretty long way to go sometimes.
As ever, Elf Bride is a cute, fluffy read and considering I've also been reading Perfect Blue, it was very welcome distraction. This volume was probably my least favourite of the four I've read as I'm really not a fan of the loli aesthetic and this volume has it in spades. That said, a pivotal point in the story has now been reached and I expect good things from volume 5!