This was an excellent book. I guess you should expect that from any volume of Sword Art Online, my favorite series of all time. What makes it even better is that the anime doesn't cover this portion of the story, so it's full value added.
If we are to take the anime title seriously, SAO concludes with the next cour, which means all further adventures with Kirito will require reading the books.
Ronie is the protagonist this time, though, which is a kind of neat twist. Kirito is all powerful, so the enemy this time resorts to cheap tricks to keep him in check -- hiding, lying, taking hostages. Satou had to face an opponent like this but managed to overcome him with a few deceptions of his own (the goblin demon lord). It must be tough for a writer to continue with a fighting series once your main character's stats are maxed out. Somehow Death March did it the entire time, so I guess Reki could learn from Hiro Ainono.
A more germane struggle is in Ronie's heart. The question for all girls is -- how do you not love the coolest guy around and settle on some loser instead? Ronie and Tiese both face this struggle and I'm interested to see how it will be resolved. Is it even possible for a girl to love someone she doesn't respect as much as someone else? Girl's love is akin to hero worship -- if you aren't the hero of her life story you'll soon be told to get out.
Anyway, there's still plenty of unresolved questions at the end of the book -- it was such a minute account of events that the whole book took place in a couple days. So I'll be looking forward to the answers in volume 20.
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