While I loved the concept of this story and enjoyed the artwork, I found the pages too crowded and had difficulty deciphering what was happening in some parts. I think the idea of the spell book library is really wonderful and there’s a lot of potential here. Hopefully the second volume is a little clearer.

3.5⭐ rounded up!

Such a quick paced manga!! I loved the concept of magical creatures being sealed in magical books! It gave me slight Pokemon vibes. I really enjoyed the characters and im excited to learn more about them in the future volumes. The art is lovely and the translation was well done. I think fans of Witch Hat Atelier and other magical mangas will really enjoy this series!

can't wait to get my hands on vol 2 cause I MUST know what happens next!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed my stint in this world. I was laughing and smiling the whole time. I enjoyed the character dynamics and their interactions together, one dramatic and the other logical, it blended well and was the main reason I found the novel so funny. As well as the side characters building our two protagonists own development as individuals and a duo. The premise is also super fun, a whole library dedicated to spell books, and spellbeasts that can be cast into the books! Love. The art for these spellbeasts was extremely cool and unique, I can’t wait to hopefully see more of them! I flew through this book, engaged the whole time by the comedic aspects as well as the overarching plot.

Unfortunately, I don’t have fun with this volume.
I felt bored most of the time and nothing held my interest for long I don’t even see where the story is going.

Intriguing, the concept is interesting, the art style is great. I think it would have benefitted from being a bit longer to help establish a bit more of a connection between the reader and the characters but overall I liked it.

This was a very fun read! I loved that the characters had to fight monsters by sealing them in books. I also really liked all the characters in this. Definitely a good start to a series!

An entertaining graphic novel for YA readers who love fantasy – and perfect for those who are fascinated by libraries and all sorts of magic.
Excited for the next part of this book!

"Spellbooks, spellbeasts... they all sounded like fantasies to me."

The Spellbook Library 1 - Uta Isaki
Pub date:
★★★☆☆

This book has an interesting idea by combining library and magical creatures. Despite the horrendous attack on the past, Yan is one of those comical characters who the total spotlight and immediately catch your attention. As for Tohru, not gonna lie that i thought he was a girl judging by the style and features, it's hard to see him as a boy. I feel like the first volume of The Spellbook Library is a pretty good start to gain reader's attention for what's gonna happen next!

Loved the graphics of this comic but the story was a little flat for me. Understanding this is only Vol. I, but this wouldn’t justify to me to continue on with the series.

DNF. It was so repetitive in the dialogue, plain characters full of clichés, and a predictable plot. I lost interest before the end of the first chapter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodnasha comics for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this and the magical system was very intriguing and different. My one complaint is that in some images it was hard to tell what exactly was happening because there was so much going on. That being said, I can’t wait for the second vol. I have theories on who Tohru might be and I’m interested to see if I’m right at all.

I have been a fan of Manga for probably about twenty years now and while I like all genres I have to say Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror are my favourites. So when I read the blurb for The Spell Book Library I was incredibly interested. I have to say, once again, I was not disappointed. In fact before I even finished the e-arc I was pre-ordering the physical copies.

The story for a first volume was perfectly paced. We get enough information to understand the world, what is happening and who our protagonists are. I really love Yan and Tohru and can’t wait to find out more about both of them as we go forward.

The artwork is also really suited to the genre and story so far. I’ve loved the Spellbeasts we’ve seen so far and can’t wait to see what comes next. A few of the panels do have a lot going on but I didn’t really find it too much but I’m not sure if this will be different in the book format.

If you are a fan of fantasy manga like Cardcaptor Sakura this is definitely one to look into.

As always thank you to Kodansha Comics for the copy to review. My review is always honest and truthful.

Books that can capture beasts. A library that houses them. Children who try out to work in said library.

I absolutely loved this manga! Fabulous fantasy elements that made me want to read the next book. Fast paced and the illustrations are what we have come to expect from this illustrator - incredible!

I was a little confused at the start but soon worked out what was happening. I would have to rate it teen because of the language choice of the word ‘shit’ which is disappointing, as this would have been a fabulous year 5-6 read without it.

This was a really interesting series opener. I like the main cast of characters so far - Tohru is sweet but mysteries, and Yan is hilariously dumb and tough. Yan reminded me somewhat of Hatsuharu from Fruits Basket, who has always been a favorite character of mine. The magic and worldbuilding in The Spellbook Library is particularly strong. The world felt fleshed out in a short amount of time. I did occasionally have trouble following the speech bubbles; it could be unclear who was speaking. But I'm excited for the rest of this series, and very interested in Kodansha's Reader Portal! I will definitely be creating an account to follow along.

The story was intriguing and I liked the premise of the story. A world filled with magic, mythical beasts, and a magic library filled with books that summon monsters called spellbeasts--it's everything that I love in a good fantasy. The only problem I had with this was that I found the story hard to follow along at some points because the artwork was so chaotic. There was just so much happening in a panel that it was hard to follow along.

The ending left off on a cliffhanger, and the story is interesting enough for me to be interested in reading the next manga.

If you love books about books, this is for you. I would consider this cozy fantasy. The stakes are low but you read it for the chill vibes. This is set up at a magical book school. All you need to know is that there are magic and spells.

I recommend this to magical school fantasy lovers.

This was really excellent! The drawing was wonderful, of course, and each pane of the story was super clear, easy to follow. The story was really good. The world is really neat and this concept of magic is really original. I also really like the dynamic between the characters. This makes me want to read more manga!

The story begins with a somewhat confusing narrative but quickly recovers and gains momentum. Though initially a bit heavy-handed, the characters' personalities ultimately integrate smoothly into the storyline, adding depth and intrigue to the plot. As a book enthusiast and admirer of librarians, I was instantly drawn to the captivating premise of this manga. It was as if it beckoned me from the virtual shelves of NetGalley, and I'm glad I didn't resist the call. It was compared to Cardcaptor Sakura and Witch Hat Atelier, the former reminded me of my tender years, and the latter being my latest manga obsession.

The diverse backgrounds of Tohru and Yan serve as a compelling foundation for their mutual quest to gain admission at The Spellbook Library, and their differing motivations create a dynamic that enriches and keeps the story flowing. As they find common ground and work together towards their shared goal, the story delivers a subtle yet effective exploration of positive reinforcement and encouraging themes. The author's approach to these messaging elements is noteworthy, striking a balance between sincerity and subtlety. I also appreciated the thoughtful balance of good and bad, and the blend of serious introspection and playful sass.

This volume is set to be published soon, it ended up in a pickle that will have me preoccupied and in its clutches until I'm able to keep reading.

Fun read, maybe aimed at a younger audience than what I expected. I didn't find the characters very likeable...

3.5 stars

There are spellbooks that are magic and can trap dangerous magical beasts in them? Sign me up!

I thought that this volume was a pretty good start for the series. I'm very curious about the world and magic system... and Tohru, who is more of a supporting character, but there is something interesting there that I need to know more.

I will say that there were some silly parts and some character choices that were not things that I usually like, but that it definitely a preference. And I can get around that because of all the other things that I am curious about.

I really need volume 2.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.