I loved this manga!
Recommended to all the fantasy and book lovers!

The art style is typical of this manga genre with beautiful characters and cute creatures
The characters are interesting and funny and the plot has mysteries that I can't wait to read about in the next volumes

Thanks to the author and publisher for making it available on NetGalley

Bold, dynamic art helps portray the excitement and energy of the two main characters Yan and Tohru as they enter the dangerous world of the Spellbook librarians. Tasked with sealing away dangerous Spellbeasts, the Librarians are responsible for keeping the townsfolk safe.

Yan, a former troublemaker, is joining the library to fulfil his life’s dream of repaying the kindness of the Librarians that rescued him as a child. Tohru has his own reasons for joining the library, and he certainly seems like there is more to him than first appears.

Together they find themselves thrust into a world of danger and intrigue, with many mysteries to solve.

This was a solid start to a series, with complex characters and a magical world that yearns to be explored.

I have really enjoyed the concept of the Spellbook library. This Vol 1 was a great way to introduce the reader into this world and make them want to know more

The Spellbook Library is the first book in this series. The story follows Yan, a young man who wants to become a Spellbook librarian after being saved by them when he was younger. He meets Tohru on the day that they try out to become librarians. They become friends and stay together during the trials. As they begin their journey to become librarians, they begin to realize that there is something special about Tohru.

The first book in this series was a fun, fast-paced story. Yan is a fun character who takes Tohru under his wing. I want to learn more about his background and what took place to bring him to the library. I enjoy his lighthearted nature and affable attitude. He jumps into the competition with Tohru and use their strengths to pass the trials. Tohru is a mysterious character who we learn very little about. His background is not revealed much in this story which makes you very interested to learn more. He is intelligent, but we know very little about his motivations. The side characters in the story are enjoyable as well. We meet several others who are hoping to become librarians as well as the princess who is the head of the public relations part of the library. Her character is hilarious and has some amazing funny moments that had me laughing out loud. The illustrations are detailed and beautiful in the book. This is definitely a series that I would love to continue reading.

I loved the concept of The Spellbook Library! A magic librarian's guild is awesome, and the added bonus of magical creatures that can be bound within the pages was fantastic. For me, I think I was just lacking the connection with the characters in this one. I wish I got to know them a little bit more. Overall though, a fun start to a new series! Great for magic lovers.

Thanks to NetGalley, Uta Isaki, and Kodansha Comics for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kondasha Comics for access to this proof copy for review.
The Spellbook Library is a magical library where magical creatures called spellbeasts are sealed within spellbook for the protection of the public.
We follow 3 characters closely within this volume, Yan and Tohru, prospective applicants to the Spellbook Library who are hoping to pass their exam and become librarians, and Emel, the princess of the kingdom who works in the PR department of the library.
Yan is very headstrong and impulsive whilst Tohru is much more level-headed and calm. This friendship duo works really well in the narrative and the characters really balance each other out. I loved their friendship, I could feel it emanating through the pages as I was reading. It truly enders you to both characters.
The princess on the other hand is a relatively unknown quantity. We don't learn too much about her yet other than, she knows something about Tohru and hints at him being more than he seems. I'm looking forward to learning more about Tohru and his character progression in volume 2. I also hope we find out more about Yan and Emel too.
I loved the concept of a library containing books that bind magical creatures within their pages. It's really interesting and a completely new style of magic for me. The art style is pretty classically manga. The illustrator truly brought movement and action to life within the pages.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Spellbook Library and my time reading it. I can't wait for the release of volume 2 to see how the story develops. This was a quick and easy read and I highly recommend it.

Easy to follow but is a bit slow for me. I think my students would enjoy it, but it just isn't for me.

3 stars

A sadly slow start, though the series has potential. There’s a good base for worldbuilding, along with the first few frames. But not much happens in this first volume. Oddly enough, I feel that too much time was spent on character development, to the detriment of the world and establishing a larger plot.

In the first chapters, aspiring librarians Yan and Thoru join forces for the Spellbook librarian tests. Now, as an actual librarian myself, I appreciated the test a lot. When asked to use all resources at their disposal to find a particular book in the library, the correct method is…ask a librarian. Duh.

While Yan and Thoru pass the entrance exam, their skill evaluation puts them at the bottom of their class, and into the Public Relations department. Which, despite being the least-prestigious department, somehow is led by the country’s princess? Who, as head of the PR department…is a really bland person. Very restrained personality. I get that it’s trying to make her mysterious, but she doesn’t even turn on charm or anything. No wonder the PR department has their own PR problem.

While the book tries to end with some excitement and a cliffhanger, it’s not enough to keep my attention. I don’t believe I’ll be returning to this particular library.

A boy tries to follow his dream and applies for a position at the infamous Spellbook Library. Things, however, don't go as he planned.
This was a cute story. I really liked the art style even though at times it looked meshed together and I couldn't really tell what was happening. The plot could have been a bit more fleshed out, something just felt a bit confusing and lost. Obviously it probably will go into more detail in later volumes it just felt like some things were skipped over. I still liked it but it wasn't a favorite and I am not sure if I would continue personally.

As someone who loves a library, I found this premise so intriguing and it did, with characters the felt well developed and the start of a story that could go so many places.

Our lead characters Yan and Tohru are well developed, particularly Yan who we learn the backstory for from the beginning of the story - and makes it clear why he wants this role in the library, however I felt there needed to be more for the supporting characters, even Torhu now in the moment was well thoughtout, didn't feel like they were a full character quite yet.

However the premise is interesting and definitely I'd delve in deeper too, with a really interesting magic system and of course this series has such a great premise for adventure, with characters than when given more volumes could be great.

Would love to read more to see where Yan and Tohru go next!

(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc for review!)

ARC provided by NetGalley

I just, i just didn't like this one. It took me several tries to get into and I was stuck on the first chapter for so long, which hif you know me is extremely unusual for a manga. And once I finally just sat down and made myself read it I was definitely making myself read it. I was not having fun, I did not really want to continue, and I was a bit bored. There was just nothing here that grabbed me, nothing that made me care, I didn't like the characters, setting, or the magic system presented. A total miss for me.

Overall, I liked it. The illustrations are beautiful, and the world-building is intriguing. There’s also an emerging thread of mystery around the characters' backgrounds, which adds depth. Although a lot happens, the main storyline develops a bit slowly. Still, I consider this a strong introductory volume and would like to continue the series.
One issue I encountered is that the speech bubbles aren’t always liked to the speaking character. At the beginning, when we’re still unfamiliar with the characters and multiple people are speaking in a single panel, it can be challenging to determine who is saying what.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy of this book. 

I like the art style, though I feel it works best in the simpler, less action heavy panels. Some of the action panels have so much going on that it can be difficult to tell what you're looking at. I also found that some of the text gets lost on some of the more textured backgrounds, making it hard to read in places.

There isn't really much to say about this manga based solely on the first volume. It's a magical fantasy set in a library. If that's what you're interested in, then it will likely appeal to you. It feels like a good setup for the rest of the series. Currently, the manga seems to be very character driven, though I feel more character development is needed before judgment can be made on whether I like or dislike any of the characters. I'm intrigued by the mysterious powers and secrets of Tohru, but currently, they are the only character I feel has enough development to interest me.

I’ve been meaning to try and read manga for ages. This is my first manga and honestly at first I was confused with the bubble speech so have to figured out and thanks to my son who helped me (lol).

The idea of spells, magic, library and some magical creatures contained in the books got me hooked. I can’t wait for the second volume.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and Kodansha Comics.

A fun fantasy adventure with two interesting protagonists. I like the art and the worldbuilding, and I kind of want to give Tohru a hug, haha. (Sometimes Yan, too.)

I really liked the concept of this manga! Magical creatures trapped in books in a library? Yes please! Entrance exams to get to work at said library? Tell me all about it!
Unfortunately the story had some pacing issues even though there was a lot of action, it didn’t seem to be going anywhere.
The characters were interesting but I do wish they were a little bit more fleshed out and their motivations explored more.
It ends on a cliffhanger and I could see how with more time this could be a fun series as we learn more about the magic and our characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing an e-arc for review.

What a lovely magic system! This reminded me of The Promised Neverland in the way young people explore magical worlds. I like the links between creatures and books, I think it’s really unique.

First I'd like to thank NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the e-ARC of this manga / comic: 'The Spellbook Library 1 by Uta Isaki.'

I could only give this one a 3 out of 5 as it felt like it was going nowhere.

It wasn't a bad journey, just... Not a lot happened and you kind of expect it to move a lot faster than that in a comic or manga of all kinds. If it doesn't progress plot-wise or character-wise then it ends up feeling a bit pointless.

The art and illustrations aren't bad at all and the style didn't bother me like it did some of the other readers, however because of the layout of the ebook, I, at first, had trouble figuring out where to start reading on a page.

All and all, not much happened, but it was fun anyway?

Yan and Tohru meet on their way to apply to the Spellbook Library. They become fast friends and go through the application process together. Adventure awaits!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this manga, but I ended up enjoying it a lot. From the very first chapter it subverted expectations and went in interesting directions. The characters are already showing their own distinct personalities, and the world shows a lot of promise.

In The Spellbook Library we can see the influence of the author's past in shoujo and seinen manga. The manga feels more unique and more nuanced in its storytelling than your typical shounen.

The only thing I liked less about this manga was that the pages sometimes felt a bit crowded between backgrounds, characters, sfx, and speech bubbles.

This book is perfect for people that love Ascendance of a Bookworm, The Ancient Magus' Bride and Negima!

Thank you Kodansha Comics and Uta Isaki for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for a free e-copy for an honest review.

This is a shonen manga by an author who has not much experience in the genre, but I couldn't tell. I enjoyed the art in this manga and it did not feel confusing during action scenes and sequences. The world and towns are revolving around these Spellbooks. Everyone has one for their job, they buy the books or borrow them from the Library. I believe it paves a good path for future volumes. There are dangerous and wild Spellbeasts, as well as useful and tame Spellbeasts.

The story follows our 3 MCs, Yan(former degenerate thug), Tohru(mysterious sheltered bookworm), and Emel(a princess).

Starting with Yan, at the beginning of the manga, Yan has a flashback to a time when he was being attacked by a Spellbeast. The special Sealing Unit, a group of 3 elite strangers, saved his life and sealed the Spellbeast attacking him. His life goal was now to meet them, and thank them. However, this goal is shortly (to us) achieved after 10 years, when Yan is admitted to the PR department at the Spellbook Library, he briefly meets the only remaining Elite member in the special sealing unit, the Captain.
Clearly dubious, the Captain seems very condescending and, is probably a bad guy, because he talks down to one of our MCs, Emel, who is the princess, and head of the PR department.
After completing his life goal, Yan is at somewhat of a loss, but he has come up with a new life goal, to join the Elite sealing unit.

Tohru bumps into Yan on his way to the Spellbook Library's entrance exam, vaguely we learn of his life, he was sheltered, and his only hobby was: Reading. It is his life goal to work at the Library, regardless of the department. Tohru is described as having a mysterious aura, by Emel, and she has been keeping an eye on him, as has Yan, because he has a mysterious necklace that seems to protect him with shields, and shock potential threats.
Before passing their exam, I enjoyed the dynamic forming between the two MCs. Yan, as a former lowlife has garnered a certain reputation in town, and is seen as such. He tells Tohru maybe they should split up because Yan is worried about Tohru's reputation now. Tohru declines the idea to separate, and would rather stick by his new friend who saved him earlier from some other thugs trying to mug his mysterious necklace.

After passing their exam, and being admitted to, only Yan's dismay, the PR department, Emel has full control of their activities now. Emel is obviously more than just a princess, but we don't get to see too much of that in Vol 1. At the end of this Volume, it ends on a bit of cliffhanger, with foreshadowing to some of Emel and Tohru's abilities and resolves.

The creatures are cute, well drawn, and the magic system holding the Spellbeasts in books is very cute. It reminds me of Mashle and Black Clover. I am looking forward to reading Vol. 2.


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