The Spellbook Library has an engaging plot and interesting characters that had recognisable "voices" even if one were to remove the graphic aspect that manga entails. I did mostly enjoy the art, though at times it was a bit much/a lot going on in certain panels. Also, there was some lack of concistensy in hoe the characters look (not refering to the more stylised/almost chibi panels here) - Yans nose went from super sloped to very stright and back a lot. He is also described as being almost gorilla-lile in his statire and even with him having been gone for several months and hypothetically not working out, this does not match his look which I'd almost call beanpole like.
The story itself is intriguing and kept me hooked quite well - and the volumes end makes me want to continue in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free review copy of this book!

The story starts off with two strangers meeting on the way to the exam to work at the spellbook library.
During this time they learn a bit about each other. One is trying to be more than some one who is seen as a bully and one who is trying to see and experience the outside world, one of witch they have only read about in books. Both have more to them than what it appears on the outside.

The start of the exam feels very much like the start of the HunterXHutnter exams. A large group of people have been gathered to compete in the exam ( about 500) and only one out of every 50 will be hired (10 in total). The exam is a riddle of sorts. The princess is the head of PR for the library and is also the one conducting the exams. She adds alot more to the story line that a normal royal or princess character usually would in a "work place" of sorts story. You can see that the story will really be based around these three characters. The story ends with them going up against something they were not expecting and need to handle immediately.

This book will have you hooked and waiting for more. I cant wait to see what the princess has up her sleeve and see what is really going on with our shy boy who has been held up in his manor his whole life.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with this copy for my honest review.
#TheSpellbookLibrary #NetGalley.

An interesting premise. I wish I got to know the characters better though because after reading this, I don't feel I understand why they wanted to become librarians. And there wasn't much information about their lives. I would have also liked more detail about their training and the Spellbook Library in general.

This was a wonderful manga. The spellbook library vol. 1 is a manga that I didn’t know what to expect at first. I thought it would a slice of life manga about magic and classes and such. I was very surprised when reading this manga. I like how this manga covered everything from spells, spellbooks and magical creatures. The friendship that develops between the characters is heartwarming and the manga continues to keep you entertained and waiting to see what comes next. I am looking forward to reading volume 2.

I thought this was a very good introduction to the world of this story. The plot is very intriguing, and I would definitely be interested in continuing the series. I'm curious to see where the characters go from here.

Actual rating: 3.5-4.0 stars.

The Spellbook Library by Uta Isaki is a fantasy shounen manga that (so far) follows the adventures of Yan, a semi-reformed ruffian, and Tohru, a youth with a magic necklace and mysterious background. They both want to work at the Spellbook Library, a vast institution that forms the backbone of their town's infrastructure and holds what appears to ben an infinite amount of spell beasts sealed in books. Along the way, they also encounter other quirky characters, including the ambitious commoner Riki, and Emel Sultad, an aloof royal princess who works at the Spellbook Library.

I first encountered Uta Isaki via their LGBQIA+ oneshot, Is Love the Answer? I appreciated the relatively in-depth discussion of the wide spectrum of asexuality, as even within LGBTQIA+/BL/GL titles, asexuality has often been overlooked. So I was pleasantly surprised at the flexibility Uta Isaki has in crossing genres to a fast-paced action/adventure fantasy. It's hard to rate a manga series just by the first volume because so much has yet to be explored, but I was solidly entertained by the character interactions, and intrigued by the worldbuilding. Of course, I show some bias here, but I would love to visit (and work at) the Spellbook Library too! This title is also interesting from a publishing standpoint, because while the creator lives and works in Japan, the English version of this book is being released before the Japanese one (typically, it's the other way around). I'm not sure if this will affect the story development in any way, but it's an interesting marketing tactic. In the meantime, I look forward to Volume 2!

Readers who enjoy The Spellbook Library may also enjoy: Libyrinth by Pearl North, The Great Library series by Rachel Caine, Library Wars: Love and War by Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa, Tower of God by S.I.U., Natsume's Book of Friends by Yuki Midorikawa, and Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara.

Thanks for approving me for an ARC and giving me the chance to review this beautiful book.

Both the coloured and shaded parts were really beautifully illustrated, it was easy to follow with likeable characters and the library in particular was a really stunning piece of art.
I'd be keen to read the second book when it comes out.

If you're a love of manga and books with books in, give this a go.

I enjoyed the story but hoped for a little more from the main characters. The art was fantastic and the writing was as well. Just was lacking something I cannot place.

First of all, I love manga, and this scratched that itch. The characters were fun and their suspicion made me suspicious in the scenarios, the artwork was amazing, both the color panels and the shaded panels, and the story was easy to follow while still being an enjoyable ride. I'm excited to see where this goes in book 2, and I have so many questions about our protagonists and side characters and how this world functions in a fuller scope. Some of their initial goals were solved early, but that brought in a depth to the characters we wouldn't have if they were solely striving for one goal. I used to read manga nonstop as a teen, and this brought back the same nostalgic feeling of holing up at the library and getting lost in the pages.

Thank you Uta Isaki, Kodansha Comics, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really have no idea what I read as it moved so fast, I still don't get what happened.

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

I loved the art style! The library especially looked amazing!

I think the beginning was definitely what caught my eye. From being mugged to joining the forces that saved him.

I can’t wait to read more of the series.

With the afterword of "The Spellbook Library" I realized that I already red something by Uta Isaki. I didn't like "Is love the answer?" that much because it mixed up asexuality and aromantism but I'm glad "The Spellbook Library" was much more to my taste!

I like the freshness of the characters and how there is a healthy mix of information, world building, action and humor.

Another aspect I like is that not everyone and everything is as it/they seem to be: for example when Yan said the most profound sentences I read in a long time I was awed for a second. The words "Instead of wasting your time worrying about failing, you can concentrate on how to recover *if* you fail. If you focus to much on how to get it right the first time, then you'll never actually do anything." really spoke to me because I know a lot about thinking how I could fail.

Aside from some annoying side characters it was a joy to read "The Spellbook Library".

I'm really hooked on the story know and want to continue reading immediatly and it could be a Manga I buy for my own shelves if it continues to be so good!

Two unlikely friends meet when one rescues the other from a mugging. They're training to become Spellbook Librarians. Yan wants to repay the Librarians who saved his life when he was a child, while Tohru wants to see how books can literally save the world after a sheltered upbringing. Competition is stiff at the employment exam, but they are the protagonists! They should be fine.

The Head of PR, a member of the royal family dedicated to keeping her work and personal life separate, takes interest in the boys as well. She can sense one of them has a mysterious power. No one trusts the princess, though, or her unorthodox ways of filtering out qualified employees. Still, she knows that being a librarian is dangerous and requires courage, even if you feel terrified. Why? Because librarians in THIS world have to know how to seal away monsters, regardless of their department. The sealing department may get the glory, but everyone needs to have chops.

As someone who will staunchly defend librarians in real life, this story spoke to me. Sure, librarians in real life may not seal monsters, but they provide necessary services. And adding magic only makes the story more fantastic.

Tohru is also a mood. He has his secrets, but the kid has no malicious bones in his body or desperate ambitions. He wants to see what it would be like to join the library, and to see the magic of the spellbooks. Meanwhile, Yan wants to prove himself, but also has his baggage as a commoner and a reformed delinquent.

So excited about Volume 2. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

A charming story with engaging art and interesting characters. The Spellbeasts and some of the action scenes were very nicely illustrated, with the story progressing in an intriguing manner. The magical aspects of the story were fresh and laid out well. The creatures were very cool! As well as the backgrounds in the settings being very immersive, especially the library itself.

Would be very interested in reading another volume.

I loved "The Spellbook Library, Vol. 1" by Uta Isaki. The story of two young men who want to work for the Spellbook Library is a nice, simple hook. The art isn't too overdone so it is easy to follow. I like first volumes that keep it simple with its hook and doesn't try to overwhelm with details that may go nowhere by Volume 5. The mangaka keeps it simple, engaging and it won me over. Will definitely be on lookout for the next volume.

3★ // In this fantastical world where magical beasts roam and spellbook librarians protect the people, troublemaker Yan - on his way to take the spellbook librarian examination - helps out and befriends the mysterious young boy, Tohru. With their combined knowledge and wit, they pass the examination and enter into the world of the Spellbook Library: a place where something magical is sealed into the very pages of every book.

Give me a manga about books and magic, you KNOW I'll pick it up! However, as much as I love stories on these subjects, this sadly didn't exceed expectations. I had some issues with the pacing, where some plot lines were resolved too easily, or just went by too quickly (like the examination, for example). I'm not sure how many volumes are planned, but I would have liked the opportunity to explore the story a little deeper.

As for characterization... they kept mentioning that Tohru is mysterious and that the princess shouldn't be concerning herself with the Library. Repeatedly. Telling, not showing, is a huge pet peeve of mine in writing.

Overall, the concept of the story is interesting, and I actually finished the volume wanting to read more of the story ("That's it?"), so there's that at least!

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC copy.

Yan always finds himself in trouble. When he was younger he was attacked by a beast and the Spellbook Librarians saved him. Now he is wanting to work for the library. When he goes to the employment exam he meets Tohru who also wants to work at the library.

They end up teaming together to accomplish the first task. The Princess who happens to work at the library feels something familiar in one of the boys and is happy when they make it through the examination. The only two to make it. They both get assigned to PR and Yan is not to happy but figures he can always transfer later.

This was such a cute quick read. The art was well done and now I must go and find the others to read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🔮Fantasy Manga
👾Pokemon-like Spellbeasts
📚Magical Library Setting
🌎Strong Worldbuilding

What I Liked
1) The spell beasts really reminded me of Pokemon and I thought the illustrations were gorgeous

2) I loved Riki's character and how he was so obliviously obnoxious.

3) I'm really intrigued into where the plotline of the princess and the kid is going

4) I thought the whole magic system was super cute

5) The setting of the library was immaculate

6) The dry humour in this book is exactly to my taste

What I Disliked
1) I wasn't really invested in this manga until about halfway through but I thought the second half was so strong that I may continue in this series.

Overall, I would recommend this if you love Shonen manga that has a fantastical setting and deals with magical creatures. I think this is a solid start to this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

This story was so chaotic and I love that. Tohru and Yan are both working toward their dream of working in the Sprllbook Library. This massive library houses books with trapped Spellbeasts and information. Emel works in the public relations department of the Spellbook Library attempting to shake her royal title.

These three end up as unlikely allies.

Just OK. I felt like the artwork was a little more chaotic than was necessary. It made it harder to follow the story. But I also found the first 2 chapters of the story pretty tedious. It finally started to pick up in chapter 3, but by that point I still hadn't connected with the characters or the point of the story. I doubt I'll continue the series.