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Heroine? Saint? No, I'm an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! Volume 1 Novel Review
This is, at its heart, a send-up of otoge isekai.
― No matter where you trace it back to, the subgenre of isekai where someone is reborn in the world of, specifically, an otome game, has become popular. It's not as well-loved (strictly in terms of popularity) as villainess or OP isekai, but there are enough stories that use it as a setting to make it deserving of its specific subgenre. It's got a bit...
Edo Era's Brave Firefighters: Interview with Oedo Fire Slayer Novelist Shogo Imamura & Mangaka Shinobu Seguchi
Discover the history behind Oedo Fire Slayer in our interview with author Shōgo Imamura and manga creator Shinobu Seguchi.
― Japan's history is teeming with everyday heroes, and there may not be a stronger example than the Edo period's firefighters. Known as hikeshigumi, community firefighters rose to meet a 17th-century challenge: protecting the fragile wooden and paper homes in what would become th...
Observation Records of My Fiancée Light Novel Series Review
Although it isn’t as deep as I’m perhaps making it sound, the story is a look at both the metafictional qualities of game-based isekai and an exploration of how an inability to distinguish between reality and fiction can be harmful.
― When a genre, or subgenre in this case, becomes as entrenched as villainess isekai is, you need a twist to make your story stand out. Shiki has hit on a good one for th...
A Wild Last Boss Appeared! Light Novel Volume 1 Review
I was on board with the gender bender premise, but I found it lacking when it came down to the execution.
― The biggest shocker of A Wild Last Boss Appeared! is that it won a major award. In the author's note, Firehead expresses their surprise that this story they serialized on an amateur web novel site got a book deal—and a manga and anime after that. Believe me, I'm just as surprised. In such a cro...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle: Episode Lyu Novel Two Review
This book solidifies Lyu as the best girl in the franchise.
― This review will contain spoilers for the Astrea Record novels, novel 18 of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, and season five of the Danmachi anime. I'm not sure that Fujino Omori ever intended for Lyu Leon's background to be as significant as it is. In the early novels of the larger Danmachi series, the tragic tale of Astr...
Interview with Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Creator Sunsunsun
What started as an idea for an isekai story evolved into a fan-favorite romantic comedy! We talk to Sunsunsun about writing his hit light novel series.
― Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian resonated with a lot of anime fans thanks to its comedy and interesting character dynamics. The story of a young girl who hides her true romantic feelings behind the Russian language is rather unique, eve...
The Spring 2025 Light Novel Guide
It's time for the Spring Light Novel Guide! Come see what the newest releases of spring, including a popular Chinese fantasy, the novel version of a fan-favorite, and more!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2025 Light Novel Guide, the companion to our manga guide! Every included novel was published in March or April or is an upcoming May release. This guide focuses exclusively on series premi...
Whoever Steals This Book Light Novel Review
Despite a slow start and some structural weaknesses, Mifuyu and Mashiro’s adventures through books, curses, and family secrets build to an engrossing, action-packed YA fantasy.
― Part fantasy, part mystery, this young adult novel belongs to a subgenre of stories about getting literally “sucked into” a book, with a couple key distinguishing traits. First, instead of the protagonist going into the stor...
The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows Volumes 1-5 Novel Review
The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows is, on the whole, a surprisingly good series.
― You could be forgiven for assuming that you've read or watched this story a thousand times before in the year 2025. The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows draws from some very dry wells if you look on the surface; it appears to be both a demihuman harem and a story about a powerful guy who gets kick...
I'm the Strongest in This Zombie World, But I Can't Beat This Girl! Volume 1 Novel Review
If you’re in the mood for an equal parts horny and canned romcom light novel with a zombie flavor, you might have fun with this one. But as for me, I’m not exactly dying to read more of it.
― On paper, the idea at the center of I'm the Strongest in This Zombie World, But I Can't Beat This Girl! sounds like it might have something fresh to offer: a zombie apocalypse has broken out and our ordinary hig...
A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans Novels 1-2 Review
A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans gets more right than you might expect.
― Light novels and their adjacent media forms don't have a great track record when it comes to stories about teachers and students. You're much more likely to find works that play out the teacher/student romance fantasy or the hot school nurse daydream than anything more realistic. Even works focused on just the teac...
Sword Art Online Illustrator BUNBUN Celebrates 20th Anniversary Exhibition
Check out the exhibition to see everything from BUNBUN's Sword Art Online and Yuki Yuna Is a Hero artwork to more obscure finds, like his early doujin!
― Anime and manga exhibitions are mainstay events across Japan. From displays in event centers to established museums, fans of both mediums love seeing manuscripts of their favorite works. Light novel illustrators are often overlooked in their creativ...
The Obsessed Mage and His Beloved Statue Bride Novel Review
Dear readers, I have found it: the Unholy Grail of Bad Sex Scene Writing.
― Dear readers, I have found it: the Unholy Grail of Bad Sex Scene Writing. Sadly, The Literary Review doesn't appear to have given out a Bad Sex in Fiction Award since 2020, but if they still did, I would immediately nominate The Obsessed Mage and His Beloved Statue Bride She Cannot Resist His Seductive Voice. This is not beca...
The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom Volume 1 Novel Review
With a very readable translation and art that’s pretty enough, this is an easy read.
― Light novels certainly don't lack for terrible families. Beleaguered protagonists often suffer at the hands of callous stepmothers, dreadful siblings, and neglectful fathers, no matter what the genre. The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom is no exception. Although it plays wit...
Your Forma Volumes 1-3 Novel Review
Your Forma’s first three volumes are, on the whole, excellent. A perfect blend of science fiction and mystery, the stories deal with strong plots and characters that are constantly growing.
― Mystery as a genre doesn't always intersect well with speculative areas of fiction like fantasy or sci-fi. Most people will tell you that's because mystery is rooted in logic and fact-finding, things that can be...
Kawaii Cafe Ramen Cookbook Review
The number one thing this book taught me was that making homemade ramen isn’t nearly as difficult as I always assumed it would be.
― Has any singular food been made to look more great more often in anime than ramen? Naruto, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Ponyo, Ramen Akaneko, Food Wars—the list of anime that are notable for having excellent looking ramen can go on, and on, and on. And even ...
K-Comic Creator Spotlight: Moscareto
From fluffy to fraught, the office to the palace, and everything in between, there's a lot to enjoy from this prolific author.
― With the increase in official translations of Korean comics, we have the opportunity to discover new-to-us creators, many of whom have several works, if not an entire body of them, available in English. While the sadly defunct Netcomics did a remarkable job of bringing mult...
Are You Crazy? Volumes 1-2 Novel Review
Are You Crazy? isn’t the most polished series Editio has published (although the translation quality remains excellent), but it is both one of the shorter ones and a good read.
― If you're feeling worn out from isekai novels, I can't blame you. Nearly every permutation of the genre has graced our reading and watching habits for quite some time now, and even the most steadfast fans could easily feel l...
Bungo Stray Dogs Another Story: Yukito Ayatsuji vs. Natsuhiko Kyogoku Novel Review
Bungo Stray Dogs: Another Story is one of the strongest novels in the franchise to date, and in many ways an homage to classic mystery fiction.
― Most of the characters in the main Bungo Stray Dogs are dead. Or at least, the authors they're (loosely) based on are, and I have to think that that makes it easier for series author Kafka Asagiri to create their characters. But that's not the case for Bung...
Demons' Crest: Reality Erosion and Otherworld Engage Novels Review
Fans of both author and genre should be pleased, and even those who are neither will probably find something to keep them reading.
― Reki Kawahara is a one-trick pony. That sounds harsher than it ought because there are plenty of authors in all media forms who have one particular narrative that pops up frequently in their work; it's just more noticeable with Kawahara because of the fame surrounding h...
The Fall 2024 Light Novel Guide
It's time to crack open your next book! Our guide includes light novels, deep-dives into anime series, and a retrospective from horror manga master, Junji Ito!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Fall 2024 Light Novel Guide, the companion to our manga guide! Every included novel was published in September or October or is an upcoming November release. This guide focuses exclusively on series premieres...
The Tyrant's Etiquette Tutor Korean Novels 1-3 Review
Livia is hypercompetent without feeling overdone, and that's a major strength of this trilogy.
― Unlike its Japanese light novel counterparts, Korean web/light novels tend to favor what they call "transmigration" rather than full-out reincarnation. This does sometimes involve the death of the heroine/villainess (book dependent), but more often, my reading experience has shown that characters aren't a...
Shangri-La Frontier Cheat Codes: How Its Creators Built Its Video Game World
Before Sunraku returns in season two, ANN spoke with light novel author Katarina and manga creator Ryōsuke Fuji on fleshing out its VR world.
― Shangri-La Frontier is an exciting action anime showcasing the fun exploits of our main character Sunraku. With a shoebill bird mask and an assortment of daggers by his side, Sunraku seeks to overcome challenges and learn more about the god-tier game Shangri...
The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time Novels 1-2 Review
The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time is one of the better villainess light novel series to make it over.
― Villainess stories, whether in novel, manga, or anime format, all share a few basic truths, and one of them is that if the “villainess” turns out to be good, it must follow that the “heroine” is actually bad. Bakufu Narayama's The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time does use that genre ...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Novel 19 Review
Between Bell and Lyu's near-disaster in the Dungeon, Freya's abduction of Bell, and the war game between Hestia and Freya Familias, it's almost inevitable that the arc that tries to calm things back down would feel a little underwhelming.
― It's never easy to come down from an epic on the scale of the last couple of arcs of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon. Between Bell and Lyu's near...
A Magical Girl Retires Novel Review
Why is it that magical girls are magical girls? The answer to that question is the theme of award-winning South Korean author Seolyeon Park's English debut, A Magical Girl Retires.
― Why is it that magical girls are magical girls? The answer to that question is the theme of award-winning South Korean author Seolyeon Park's English debut, A Magical Girl Retires. It's not an attempt to stake out a gend...
The New Recruit Volumes 1-2 Novel Review
The New Recruit is a treat for office romance fans and a good BL novel series featuring some very explicit content.
― The New Recruit, a Korean BL novel, is a sign of a changing publishing landscape. By this I mean that by the fall of 2024, it will be available in English in three different formats: this original novel, published digitally by Mullebooks, the all-ages version of the manhwa, available ...
Soup Forest Novel 1 Review
Soup Forest is a story to read when you want to escape from the horrors of the news cycle. It's truly cozy in the sense that it's like reading under a warm blanket in front of the fire.
― Although cozy fantasy has arguably always existed as a subgenre, especially within the world of light novels where it crosses paths with iyashikei works, it's only recently become known as its own special category o...
Twilight Out of Focus Volumes 1-4 Manga Review
Twilight Out of Focus treats difficult subjects with respect and doesn’t lean into melodrama unless its in service of the plot, while the characters read like believable high schoolers, disproportionately confident and squirming with anxiety at the same time.
― Twilight Out of Focus, a mature-rated BL series published by Kodansha, may have first come to the attention of English-language readers when ...
A Ballad of Sword and Wine Danmei Novel Review
This pitch-perfect enemies-to-lovers novel might be too dense for those new to the genre.
― If you're a BL fan who hasn't discovered danmei (Chinese homoerotic romance novels), now is a great time to jump on the bandwagon – just maybe not with A Ballad of Sword and Wine as your first title. It's a good book and will improve even more as the story continues. Rather it's that this is the densest danmei...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Astrea Record Novel One Review
When even the author says this story will hurt, you know it will be bad.
― When even the author says this story will hurt, you know it will be bad. That's assuming, of course, that you weren't prepared for it going in. The fate of Astrea Familia is well-known to readers and viewers (and players) of the various Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon iterations, and the most recent season of ...
The Unimplemented Overlords Have Joined the Party! Novel 1 Review
The book feels like a deliberate combo of SAO, Log Horizon, and Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town, and that works better than you might expect.
― If this story feels familiar, that's on purpose. In their afterword, author Nagawasabi64 says that they've noticed that the "trapped in a VRMMORPG" genre made popular by SAO has fallen out of favor, which made them want to ...
The Spring 2024 Light Novel Guide
From Classroom for Heroes to Management of a Novice Alchemist, we have reviews of the newest light novels in our guide!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Light Novel Guide, the companion to our ongoing manga guide! This season, we have 20 novels with reviews in the guide for you to browse. Every included novel was published in March or April or will be released in May. This guide focuses...
Canine Detective Chris: The Shiba Inu Detective Tracks Down the Stolen Jewels! Novel Review
Canine Detective Chris, one of the four launch titles for Yen Press' middle-grade light novel imprint, digs into several of the trends in middle-grade mystery that make it so appealing, chief among them the intelligent animal of its title.
― Mystery is one of the staples of middle-grade fiction, alongside fantasy and school stories. From The Westing Game and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. F...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Novels 17-18 Review
The conclusion of the "Fertility Arc" drags in places, but it's bittersweet and remarkably fulfilling, and that makes up for many of its deficiencies.
― Spoiler Warning: This review will contain spoilers for volumes sixteen and seventeen of the light novel series. Freya is tired of waiting. She's decided that if she can't have Bell through fair means (or at least "fair" in her mind), she'll resort to...
Blade & Bastard: Warm Ash, Dusky Dungeon Novel Review
Blade & Bastard is reminiscent of the heyday of Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels, and like those, you don't have to be familiar with the source game.
― There may be other light novel authors as well suited to penning an adaptation/spin-off of the popular RPG series Wizardry than Kumo Kagyu of Goblin Slayer fame, but after reading the first volume of Blade & Bastard, it's hard to think of one. ...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Audiobook 1 Review
The Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? audiobook is a standard fantasy experience primarily kept afloat by a few novel ideas and strong performances from the narrators.
― The Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? audiobook is a standard fantasy experience primarily kept afloat by a few novel ideas and strong performances from the narrators. It should be noted that this is m...
I'm in Love with the Villainess Audiobooks 1-2 Review
Shaw's impressive vocal range — from the imperious Claire to the timid Lily, makes this audiobook version the best way to enjoy I'm in Love with the Villainess.
― One of my favorite shows of the fall 2023 season was the animated adaptation of INORI's light novel series, the latest in a string of isekai anime revolving around the concept of video game "villainess" characters redeeming themselves. Anim...
The Best Manga and Light Novels of 2023
Don't close out your reading list yet! We've got the best manga and light novels of 2023 right here.
― For the first time, we're adding the best manga and best light novels to our year-end wrap-ups! We've split both publishing mediums into two categories: new and continuing. The new section highlights our favorite series published in English for the first time this year, while the continuing section...
SPY×FAMILY: Family Portrait Light Novel Review
Eden Academy is taking its students on a two-day, one-night camping adventure, and Loid thinks this is the perfect time for Anya to become better friends with Damian.
― They can't all be the Sasaki and Miyano novels. That's probably not an entirely fair standard to hold light novelizations of manga series to; Kotoko Hachijo is an unusually good mimic of Shou Harusono's writing style and tone. It's al...
Full Metal Panic! Audiobooks 1-2 Review
There's a bit of Cold War political adventure-thriller, technobabble, stompy robots, comedic riffing, over-the-top characters, high school drama, and will-they-won't-they framing – it checks a lot of boxes.
― These first two Full Metal Panic! audiobooks are based on the first two original light novels. It may seem odd to review these as a new production, given the age of the series. Full Metal Panic!...
You Can Have My Back Light Novels 1-2 Review
Eighteen years ago, Ionia died on the field of battle, and the next day, Leorino was born...is this another opportunity for love to reignite?
― Eighteen years ago, Ionia died on the field of battle, and the next day, Leorino was born. When he turns eleven, he begins dreaming of Ionia's life, including his memories of "Vi," his best friend and impossible true love. Ionia and Vi never managed to truly ...
Horror Collector: The Faceless Kid Light Novel Review
With a couple of genuinely standout chapters and an interesting overarching plot, it's an easy choice for a reader just getting into horror fiction.
― Middle-grade fiction can be an unlikely repository for some of the most interesting books published today. From authors like Esme Symes-Smith and Alex Gino, who explore LGBTQIA+ themes, to the grande dame of horror Mary Downing Hahn, the genre range is...
Phantom Thief Red: A Brand-New Heist for a Brand-New Red Novel Review
This late elementary/early middle school novel combines well-written action and just enough tension for a quick read.
― Yen Press' youth imprint JY's new foray into middle-grade light novels is an excellent idea in theory and still pretty good in practice, with just one interesting detail that may take some readers aback: middle-grade fiction in Japan appears to skew a little younger than middle-grad...
Sasaki and Miyano: Second-Years Light Novel Review
While Sasaki and Miyano: First Years gave Tashiro far more page time than he ever gets in the manga, Sasaki and Miyano: Second-Years does the same for Kuresawa.
― The stated purpose of the Sasaki and Miyano light novels is to fill in some of the gaps that original creator Shou Harusono had to leave in the manga. Apart from letting us know that Harusono is closely involved with these books (which her ...
The Fall 2023 Light Novel Guide
Whether its isekai or a villainess redemption story, Rebecca Silverman will help you choose your next light novel!
The Fall 2023 Light Novel Guide is sponsored by Yen Press! ― By this point in light novel history, a few genres are entrenched. Chief among them? Isekai and villainess stories, and both of those are represented here. But far more interesting is the fact that this span of months has mor...
The Fall 2023 Light Novel Guide is sponsored by Yen Press! ― By this point in light novel history, a few genres are entrenched. Chief among them? Isekai and villainess stories, and both of those are represented here. But far more interesting is the fact that this span of months has mor...
Fluffy Paradise Light Novel Vol. 1 Review
Fluffy Paradise's publication is the latest to show that a love of animals can be happily combined with the isekai genre.
― Fluffy Paradise's publication is the latest to show that a love of animals can be happily combined with the isekai genre. Even just in Cross Infinite World's catalogue, it follows Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds, I'd Rather Have a Cat Than a Harem, and I Will Cook With My Fluffy Fr...
Hell Mode Novel 1 Review
Hell Mode does play a few isekai tropes a bit differently, but it also clearly wears its influences on its sleeve. So yes, this is another one of those books.
― Are you sick and tired of isekai light novels that feature a protagonist reborn in a fantasy world that operates very similarly to an MMORPG, complete with stats and skills? If so, you can stop reading here – Hell Mode is unapologetically a n...
Yami-hara Novel
From the author of Lonely Castle in the Mirror, this horror novel, uses its text to slowly create, build, and eventually not quite resolve its creeping sense of terror.
― At first, it doesn't feel like this is from the same author as Lonely Castle in the Mirror. That novel (and its film adaptation) is a sensitive look at what it means to be bullied and the ways people cope with it. Yami-hara, on the ...
The Samurai and the Prisoner Novel
Advance to reach heaven. Retreat to know hell. This precept forms the basis of Honobu Yonezawa's Naoki award-winning novel, The Samurai and the Prisoner.
― Advance to reach heaven. Retreat to know hell. This precept forms the basis of Honobu Yonezawa's Naoki award-winning novel, The Samurai and the Prisoner, in many ways. Most recognizably, it declares a basic tenet of battle during the Sengoku Era o...
The Case Files of Jeweler Richard Novel 5
We are on the cusp of a major shift in the plot, and this volume does an excellent job of preparing that while also expanding on Richard's past in Sri Lanka.
― The original plan was to resume reviewing the light novels for The Case Files of Jeweler Richard once they had passed the material covered by the anime because while the books go into more detail, the plot remains relatively the same. That cha...
How A Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Audiobooks 1-2
The first two audiobooks for How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom make for a decent listening experience and a positive presentation of the core material, even if I have my qualms with the underlying conceits of the narrative.
― The first two audiobooks for How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom make for a decent listening experience and a positive presentation of the core material, even if I have ...
My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer Audiobook 1
Strong writing and a unique hook help put My Daughter Left the Nest ahead of the rest in a crowded light novel space.
― The audiobook of My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer is a solid, if short, experience. It delivers on what it intends to do, although it only ventures beyond establishing its premise. The hook for the story is engaging. Belgrieve is a solid and caring father ...
Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories Novel
Hilarious, emotional, and heart-breaking; Buddy Stories carries the weight of Fujimoto's original work for a truly entertaining read.
― I'll admit, I was worried about whether or not the inherently cinematic and bizarre aesthetic of the Chainsaw Man manga would translate into prose form. Tatsuki Fujimoto's meticulous and deceptively roughshod artwork is a huge part of what makes the manga work so wel...
Raven of the Inner Palace Novel 2
Raven of the Inner Palace is a fascinating dark fantasy, just as good in its second volume as it was in its first.
― This second volume of the Raven of the Inner Palace novels brings us to the point where the anime adaptation concluded, more or less. There are still plenty of details left out of that version to keep us reading the book, of course, but even more positive is the fact that the translati...
The Faraway Paladin Audiobooks 1-2
Liam Price does a fine job reading the text, but a few more character voices would have helped bring this series to life.
― Listening to audiobooks based on light novels is a new experience for me, and the double-whammy here is that this is not my first experience with The Faraway Paladin as a work since I reviewed season one when it first aired. This made listening to the first two volumes of The Fa...
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Novels 2-3
If you've already watched the first season of Sugar Apple Fairy Tale's anime adaptation, is it worth reading the novels? I'd say yes.
― Note: You can find our review of the first light novel here. If you've already watched the first season of Sugar Apple Fairy Tale's anime adaptation, is it worth reading the novels? I'd say yes. Although these two books bring us to the end of the first season (so you...
Light Novels With Shōjo Manga Energy
Whether you're looking for intrigue, romance, fantasy, or just a fun female protagonist, we've got your next summer read here!
― Last year, I wrote an article about light novels with shōnen manga energy. It's a bit belated, but here is a list of light novels that feel like they belong in a shōjo manga magazine. (In fact, some of their manga adaptations actually are published in shōjo magazines!) It i...
How to Win Her Heart on the Nth Try Novel
Find out why this office romance is a great beach read for newbie light novel readers.
― It can, at times, feel even more challenging to find light novels with adult characters than manga with the same. That, plus its real-world setting, makes How to Win Her Heart on the Nth Try by Ichine Kamijo instantly stand out. The story is set in an office setting, and its protagonists are both twenty-seven yea...
The Spring 2023 Light Novel Guide
Find your next page-turner in our light novel guide! Go back to the beginning with Sasaki and Miyano: First Years, or find out what happens when Only the Villainous Lord Wields the Power to Level Up!
― There are plenty of things that I could say about this Guide's crop of light novels, but the most striking to me is the balance: there's a much more equal slate of books aimed at a male and a female a...
The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich with Alchemy Novel
The slavery trope crops again with little thought or consideration for how its utilized.
― Yes, this is another one – a light novel where one protagonist buys a romantic interest as a slave. By my count, The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich with Alchemy is the third aimed at a female readership to be released in English, following The Alchemist Who Survived now Dreams of a Quiet City Life and Sugar Apple ...
Raven of the Inner Palace Novel 1
Raven of the Inner Palace's first novel should please fans of its adaptation. It's easy to see what changes were made and understand why they happened, and it never feels like one version negates experiencing the other.
― If you watched the 2022 anime adaptation of Kouko Shirakawa's Raven of the Inner Palace light novels and wondered how faithful it was to the source material, the answer turns out to...
The Disowned Queen's Consulting Detective Agency Novel 1
Octavia de Reine is a stellar heroine is this gaslamp mystery but its many elements might be overwhelming to readers jumping in.
― Sarasa Nagase is having a bit of a moment in English translation. The Disowned Queen's Consulting Detective Agency is the second of her light novel series to be translated, following I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss (Yen Press), and with a third, The Do-Ov...
Hirano and Kagiura Novel
Spun off from the low-key and charming Sasaki and Miyano, Hirano and Kagiura's light novel adaptation is, well, low-key and charming.
― Spun off from the low-key and charming Sasaki and Miyano, Hirano and Kagiura's light novel adaptation is, well, low-key and charming. That's a good sign on several levels, not the least of which is that fans of Shou Harusono's cozy slow-burn storytelling can be assur...
Fox Tales Novel
The newest novel Tatami Galaxy's Tomihiko Morimi has "plenty of little gems secreted away within the text that make it in many ways a beautiful read."
― Fox Tales by Tomihiko Morimi, author of The Night is Short, Walk on Girl and The Tatami Galaxy, is more aptly a collection of vaguely interrelated short stories than a novel. The book consists of four roughly sixty-page stories all set in a more or l...
The Holy Grail of Eris Novel 3
Along with being one of the most consumable light novel series in English translation at only three volumes of main story, The Holy Grail of Eris is also one of the best.
― If left to its own devices, history is perfectly willing to repeat itself. Whether that's down to human nature or the cyclical nature of events is possibly up for debate, but when history tells us that ten years ago, a young woman...
Even If This Love Disappears Tonight Novel
From the writer of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, Even If This Love Disappears Tonight is a predictable book from start to finish. It hits all the notes of a sentimental teen love story to an almost clinical degree.
― I know for sure I don't have anterograde amnesia, because I've seen this premise before. The hero encounters a beautiful girl and their relationship deepens, only for him to discover that...
Qualia the Purple LN
Qualia the Purple is one of those stories where much of the enjoyment comes from having as little idea as to where it's going when you first experience it.
― Qualia the Purple is one of those books that can be challenging to review. Yes, there's the point that it deals in some dense scientific concepts and also dips into very dark, messy places as far as its material. But mostly, Qualia the Purple is...
Surviving in Another World as a Villainess Fox Girl! Novel 1
Miku's twin sister Claire has been saying weird things since they were two about how she used to live in a place called “Japan” and now she's living in an “otome game.” How does this take on the 'reborn into my fav visual novel' hold up?
― Surviving in Another World as a Villainess Fox Girl is one of those titles that is more interested in hooking the reader than actually describing the book. It's no...
The Holy Grail of Eris Novel 2
If you're a fan of historical mysteries and want to see a little something different with a villainess light novel, The Holy Grail of Eris is worth giving a chance.
― Note: you can read our review of the first volume here. You really can't always tell who you can trust, can you? For the late Scarlett Castiel, it was less a question of whether or not they deserved her faith and more about her firm bel...
CLAMPdown
A sometimes flippant tone, jokingly referring to its readers as "cunts," and strange insistence that Miyuki-chan in Wonderland is "porn" is bound to alienate some CLAMP fans from Ian Wolf's otherwise breezy read.
― It needs to be said that I perhaps went into CLAMPdown with the wrong expectation. This is not an academic book, nor is it really a particularly deep or thought-provoking analysis of the w...
The Princess' Smile Novel
Seeing our leads blossom and thrive in each other's company is the major draw of this light novel, but it holds our attention by also having an especially good translation by Jenny Murphy.
― Some people just can't catch a break. Sara seems to be one of them – orphaned at age twelve shortly after her family's finances collapsed, she's taken in by the king of Saleilles both due to her distant relation ...
Housekeeping Mage From Another World Novel 1-3
Call it “isekai for grown-ups.”
― Call it “isekai for grown-ups.” Shiori's experience being swept away to another world is miles away from the reverse harem antics, reborn villainesses, amazing powers and cheat skills, and heroic feats of most young adult-targeted isekai tales, and that means that she's got a lot more to contend with than even the edgiest of overpowered edgelords. She's no bright-eye...
Chronicles of the Hidden World Novel 1
If you have the patience to wait for the story to unfold, this is a fascinating book, and watching it unfold in subsequent volumes should be an interesting reading experience.
― Despite its somewhat cheery and innocuous title, Chronicles of the Hidden World, subtitled How I Became a Doctor for the Gods, is a fairly dark story. Its protagonist/narrator Yae is reborn from our world into one that greatl...
Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught A Generation to Catch Them All
The new text on the gaming phenomenon that took America by storm is chronicled here with mixed results. Callum May reviews "Monster Kids."
― While it may be no pioneering feat to give a retrospective on the years of Pokémania, Daniel Dockery's Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught A Generation to Catch Them All is one of the more complete attempts. Despite the extended title, it's not just a book about Pi...
The Case Files of Jeweler Richard Novel 1
If there's any one difference between the original light novels of The case files of Jeweler Richard and its manga and anime adaptations, it's that in the books, Richard is much more human.
― If there's any one difference between the original light novels of The Case Files of Jeweler Richard and its manga and anime adaptations, it's that in the books, Richard is much more human. We certainly saw flas...
The Art and Making of Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy
Jean-Karlo dives into the world of Cybertron in a new artbook that offers a wealth of art and behind-the-scenes looks for Netflix's Transformers trilogy.
― The fun of art books is seeing the evolution of your favorite characters: where their design came from, what changed and when, and how things arrived at the state you eventually saw on the silver screen. The Art and Making of Transformers: War for...
The Fall 2022 Light Novel Guide
Rebecca Silverman has all the details you need to find your next must-read light novel series right here!
― Another seasonal round up, another batch of isekai! Yes, the subgenre continues to be strong in the slate of translated light novels, with the twin sub-subgenres of “villainess” and “overpowered hero” remaining on top. But we're also seeing a bit more variation within them, as Formerly, the Fal...
The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic Novel 1
We still don't fully understand what constitutes the "wrong way" to heal, but this is a nice little fantasy escape, and that's all it really needs to be.
― What, exactly, is the wrong way to use healing magic? It's a question we've seen pondered before, both in silly forms like in the old Slayers franchise and when Priestess uses it against monsters in the Goblin Slayer novels. The answer isn't fully...
Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up Novel
While there are very clear reverse harem aspects to the story – Viol's not the only one crushing on Seren by midway through the novel – the real love triangle is between Seren, Viol, and Helios.
― You can walk a path your whole life without realizing that it isn't the one you want to be on. That's what happened to Seren, fiancée of Crown Prince Helios. The two were engaged as soon as he was born, six...
Interview with My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU's Wataru Watari, Masazumi Kato, Chado Horii
The light novel series' author shares insights on the series' international popularity, "We actually get fan letters from across the sea, too. What can I say? They're like a source of power for us!"
― Fans of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU eagerly packed into a Otakon panel room to spend an hour with a few special guests—original light novel creator and script writer Wataru Watari, producer Masazumi K...
7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Novel 1
When we join the story, Rishe has just been reset to the night she's spurned by her jerk fiancé for the seventh time, but she's got a plan to get the life she's always wanted.
― Most time-looping protagonists have nothing on Lady Rishe, with the possible exception of Subaru from Re: Zero. Typically when we read a time loop tale, the protagonist has just died and discovered themselves back at an arbit...
Rapunzel of the Magic Item Shop Novel
Rapunzel of the Magic Item Shop is an easy book to recommend. It plays nicely with the tale type that influenced it, pays attention to the emotional pasts and needs of the characters, and has a good balance of dark and sugary content.
― Rapunzel of the Magic Item Shop might seem only tangentially a Rapunzel story – also known as “The Maiden in the Tower” – ATU310's main requirement is that a child is...
I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss Novels 2 & 3
While the first volume was a complete story in and of itself, the following two entries prove that just because Aileen got the guy doesn't mean that her story's over.
― While the first volume of Sarasa Nagase's light novel series I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss was a complete story in and of itself, the following two entries prove that just because Aileen got the guy doesn't mean tha...
Lonely Castle in the Mirror Novel
At the risk of being too personal, I lived this story. I don't mean now; I mean that as a seventh grader I experienced many of the same things that protagonist Kokoro did, and from that perspective I can say that this book gets it absolutely right.
― At the risk of being too personal, I lived this story. I don't mean now; I mean that as a seventh grader I experienced many of the same things that prot...
I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World Novel 1
Yuuya is at the absolute bottom of the world's hierarchy when he stumbles into amazing powers that rewrite his life. Can his story rise above the basic OP fantasy fare?
― This is not a revenge story. That's important to mention because it very easily could have been – like the protagonists of other similarly set-up titles, Yuuya is at the absolute bottom of the world's hierarchy when he stumbles into...
Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes: The Spirit Hunters of Tomoe Novel
It's likely that, upon reading the synopsis and looking at the cover, one of the first questions a potential reader of Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes may have is, “Is this BL?” The answer to that question is a resounding “…maybe?”
― It's likely that, upon reading the synopsis and looking at the cover, one of the first questions a potential reader of Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes may have is, “Is this BL?” The answe...
Why Were Light Novel Fans Furious at Classroom of the Elite's First Season?
Kim Morrissy breaks down why the first season of Classroom of the Elite left a bad taste in novel readers' mouths.
― Light novel fans can be hard to please when it comes to anime adaptations, which is only understandable when so many shows have mediocre production values at best. Due to length constraints, it's also common for adaptations to cut scenes or only present the bare essentials for covering...
Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to be an Adventurer! Novels 1-2
This novel series tries to mix things up a bit but ultimately is too devoted to the basic villainess story to truly achieve that, giving it that slightly stale feeling.
― Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to be an Adventurer is, in its first two novels, a mix of checklist villainess isekai and something a bit more innovative. The story follows Serephione, daughter of the noble Granzeus family in a ...
How DARLING in the FRANXX Inspired a New York Times Bestselling YA Novel
In the four years since it first aired, DARLING in the FRANXX has had an unexpectedly long tail, inspiring even the likes of Kim Kardashian to dye her hair. Devout anime lover Xiran Jay Zhao found the sci-fi story a launch point for their bestseller Iron Widow.
― In the four years since it first aired, DARLING in the FRANXX has had an unexpectedly long tail. According to Google Trends, the show exper...
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace Novel 1
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace is both precisely what it claims to be and nothing of the sort. See where the anime started in our review of the novel series.
― When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace is both precisely what it claims to be and nothing of the sort. A bit of a riff on supernatural battle stories, the first light novel in the series by Kota Nozomi (whose light novel se...
By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga
Noted yuri scholar Erica Friedman explores the origins of women loving women in Japanese media from its roots in literary girls' fiction to the acknowledgement of yuri as a genre.
― Whether you call it yuri or GL, the genre of women loving women in anime and manga hasn't always been understood or appreciated. Erica Friedman's new book By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga is a maj...
The Spring 2022 Light Novel Guide
Kim and Rebecca look at this season's novel offerings to help you pick your next page-turner whether you're interested in drunk VTubers, big ol' dogs, or vampire princesses.
― Sometimes all the waiting pays off. As light novels become more ubiquitous in English translation, that can mean a chance to finally read the source material for a story you've seen in anime (or manga) form, and that happily is...
The Algorithmic Rise of Isekai Light Novels
Isekai light novels are here to stay, in part thanks to retailers' own systemic recommendations. Kim Morrissy explains how Amazon and other online stores help push sales.
― It's been over half a decade since the isekai light novel anime boom, and it's still showing no signs of letting up. Western anime fans are partly responsible for this; isekai anime are regularly among the top-viewed titles on Cru...
The Best Light Novels With Horny Energy
Looking for something spicy for your late night reading? You won't want to miss this new list. Just make sure your door is locked first.
― Not long ago, I wrote about light novels with shonen manga energy. Now I'm back with a (mostly new) list of light novel recommendations! The theme this time is “horny.” Many light novels, even of the non-pornographic variety, contain at least some degree of titill...
My Happy Marriage Novel 1
Set to become an anime series, check out this variation of the Cinderella story about a down-trodden girl as she embarks on a fantasy romance with a side of ESP.
― Set in an alternate version of the late Meiji or early Taisho era, My Happy Marriage is a fairly classic take on the Cinderella story – especially if you remember that in many, if not most, variants of that tale Cinderella's father is aliv...
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