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.

I did not finish this book, and quite partway through. It just didn't make any sense, and the characters didn't interest me in any way.

I don't typically read manga, but the cover of The Spellbook Library caught my eye, and the premise sounded like it would be up my alley. This is definitely a fun first volume! You're thrown right into the action on page one, and there's a pretty heavy focus on the world-building throughout. You're left wanting to know more about the characters and their motivations and goals, which I think will entice people to continue with the series and read the second volume. If you like interesting fantasy worlds and books about books, this might be something you'd enjoy!

3.75

Honestly, I think this was a solid first volume.

I loved the main characters! I can already see their bond forming in future issues (maybe even a ship?) I really want to know more about them, a lot mystery around their backstory and motivation, kinda has me wanting to read more ngl...

The world and magic was good, I wish more was shown to really understand how things work in their world. This is only Vol. 1 so it doesn't really bother me that much as I am more drawn to character-driven stories when it comes to fantasy. The little I got had me wishing it was an animated series

I really enjoyed this manga. It fosters a love of libraries and the magic they can creat while also urging you to ask for help and use their resources (which we can all use a reminder of).

This was such an unexpected read. The story picks up right away and takes off full speed ahead! I loved that! Coming from long form books into the manga world it was refreshing to get to the plot and carry on. Tohru and Yan seem like such a great dual with their differences in upbringing and ways of thinking and problem solving. I especially appreciated the message of when you reach a goal and it doesn’t feel how you expected or didn’t go according to plan, that simply means you have the space to create a new goal to try. I am looking forward to reading more of this series in the future!

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Thank you NetGalley and Ink Monster, LLC for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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I picked this up for two reasons: I love libraries, magic, and magic libraries, and I deeply appreciated the author's manga about aromanticism and asexuality, Is Love the Answer?

So far this is a pretty intriguing shonen setup, with one piece of advice I found poignant: "You can't overly focus on not failing, instead focus on recovering when you do inevitably fail at something." In other words, the ability to pivot and adapt is more important than constant perfection. Overall, I love our deutagonist Yan. He's very fun, a bit reminiscent of Joey Wheeler/Katsuya Jonouchi from Yu-Gi-Oh.

There's also something mysterious about the main character Tohru that hasn't been explained yet, so I'm looking forward to the next volume!

Although I always associate Uta Isaki with LGBTQIA+ manga (and more specifically manga about asexual characters), they're a much more varied creator. (Official translations use they/them as Isaki's preferred pronouns.) After Is Love the Answer? and Mine-kun is Asexual were released in English, Isaki's action fantasy series Sayabito followed, and now their newest The Spellbook Library is not only debuting in English, it's doing so as part of Kodansha 's Portal initiative, meaning that it's being released in English translation before Japanese. It's an interesting situation, because, as Isaki puts it in their afterword, they're essentially creating a shounen manga for American readers.

Fortunately for all of us, The Spellbook Library doesn't read that way. Instead, it feels like a shounen version of Magus of the Library , another library-based fantasy novel. It's much less serious and less racially problematic than Magus of the Library, but that shouldn't deter fans of the one from enjoying the other, because both at their heart are about a love for books and what they hold. It's just that in Isaki's story, “what they hold” is actual spellbeasts, and like any other monster, those can be dangerous. Yan, one of the protagonists of the piece, wanted to become a librarian because he was rescued from a spellbeast as a child by the library's specialized sealing branch. He's come to the city to apply for a job based on his desire to thank the people who saved him and join their ranks, so he's less than thrilled when he's assigned to a different department.

I think, however, that he ought to table that concern because while he does mess up on one of the tests, his partnership with Tohru, another librarian hopeful, can be more of a boost than he assumes. Tohru is outwardly much less driven than Yan, but there's something about him that worries Princess Emel, and she's keeping a very close eye on him. Tohru is almost definitely more than he appears, and there's at least one hint that he may be a spellbeast himself, or at least partially one. (The fact that he wears a tiny book in a pendant around his neck certainly bears watching.) Tohru is an intriguing blend of innocence and determination, and while he's just happy to be in the library, something about him feels a little off. Yan hasn't noticed, of course, but that may turn out to be for the best – he's getting to know Tohru, not whatever Emel thinks he might be.

As always, Isaki's art is clean and easy to follow, with some excellent detailed backgrounds of books and library stacks that are frankly breathtaking. Yan's not all that interesting, but I'm very invested in Tohru and whatever his truth turns out to be, and if you're a bibliophile or a fan of other library-based manga, I think this is worth picking up.

The Spellbook Library is charming, blending magic, mystery, and self-discovery.
The artwork by Uta Isaki is beautiful, soft, and detailed. While the plot is engaging, it can drag a little at times imo. The characters are likable, though I think some could be more developed (but, to be real, this is only the first part).
Overall, I really liked it, and since this is only the beginning, I'm curious to see how the plot will develop. I recommend it!

The story follows the troublemaker and mysterious MCs that applied to spellbook library as a new entree. In this world, books contains magical beings that can be tamed or sealed (in the book).

The artwork is really cute, both magical beings and humans! It looks like the beginning story of a hero’s journey, I can’t wait to read the next book!

Volume 1 of The Spellbook Library is an excellent start to a manga series. It provides enough intrigue about our main characters that you want to know more about them without overshadowing the necessary world building. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

Non posso negare di aver richiesto questo manga perchè trattava di bibliotecari!
Impossibile non essere attratta da una storia che li inserisce come protagonisti!
Devo dire di esserne rimasta piuttosto soddisfatta, anche se essendo solo il primo volume, viene solo data una presentazione generale della figura del bibliotecario, delle varie specializzazioni e della sede della biblioteca, dove vengono custoditi tutti i volumi magici in cui sono sigillate creature magiche.

I protagonisti sono abbastanza variegati e sembrano nascondere tutti qualche segreto particolare.
Son curiosa di scoprire cosa gli aspetta e sopratutto se Yan, dopo la delusione ricevuta nell'incontrare il suo idolo, troverà un nuovo obiettivo per la sua vita.

Ci dovrebbero essere veramente più storie con bibliotecari come protagonisti! Perchè siamo superfighi e risolviamo tutti i vostri problemi!

Grazie Netgalley per avermi permesso di leggerlo in anteprima!

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I can't deny that I requested this manga because it was about librarians!
It's impossible not to be attracted by a story that features them as protagonists!
I have to say that I was quite satisfied with it, even though since it's only the first volume, it only gives a general presentation of the librarian figure, of the various specializations and of the library's headquarters, where all the magical volumes, in which magical creatures are sealed, are kept.

The protagonists are quite varied and they all seem to hide some particular secret.
I'm curious to find out what awaits them and especially if Yan, after the disappointment he received in meeting his idol, will find a new goal for his life.

There really should be more stories with librarians as protagonists! Because we are super cool and we solve all your problems!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read it in preview!

I think this story was really cute. The first part of the book focused mainly on world-building so the plot was slower to start, which is understandable given the world that needed to be explained. I'm excited for future volumes to see where the story will go and how the characters grow throughout the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

1 word for it: Hypnotic!
The story follows about two kids who want to join this magical library and meets by accident. Yan who is a troublemaker while Tohru who is quite mysterious and we know very little about him. Vol 1 focuses on how they enter the library as they attempt to pass the exam for different reasons and hidden truths.
Overall I love the magic system, the story, and the plot. The drawing style is beautiful and the magical beasts are just attentively drawn. I sometimes found myself drifting away because of the pacing of the story as there are some characters which are just quite annoying but they are meant to be so. Overall Vol 1 ends on a cliff hanger and I cannot wait to read vol 2 to read what happened.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Kodansha Comics for providing a copy for review.

A very solid 4.5 stars ⭐️

I happened to be scrolling when the cover caught my attention. I’ve enjoyed a fair share of manga before, but my experience with shonen has been hit or miss. While some have caught my interest, others started to feel like variations on the same formula. But reading the synopsis, I had to give this one a try -- it seemed to be a lovely tribute to books and book lovers.

And I wasn’t disappointed. This is a shonen with librarians!

Overall, I enjoyed the worldbuilding that was revealed so far. The different departments, the entrance exam, the training. All were pretty fun to learn about and had me wondering what's to come next.

The characters, while so far very formulaic and predictable, have potential. I am curious about Yan and Tohru specifically, while really not caring for the princess. The side characters seem like they could be interesting too, but we haven’t seen quite enough of them yet to form strong impressions.

The art style is cute and expressive, and I loved the sketches included at the end of the volume. That said, I did find some of the action panels a bit hard to follow. The scenes often felt crowded with onomatopoeia that could be repetitive or confusing, so I sometimes skimmed these parts, hoping the dialogue would fill in the gaps.

If there’s one thing I’d like to see more of, it’s a sense of urgency. By the end of Volume 1, I still felt unclear about the main characters’ goals. We have one character who seems to be mostly mysterious (and probably has a hidden agenda), another whose simple ambition doesn’t require much to achieve, and a third who seems content just doing her job. While the worldbuilding definitely shines, this lack of drive makes it a bit harder to feel truly invested in the characters. At times, it felt like they were simply going through the motions.

Overall, I enjoyed this. The concept is delightful, and as a tribute to books and libraries, it has plenty of charm. I hope we get to see more of the characters and the worldbuilding in Volume 2.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

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.