#Review: #ReformingAnIcyFinalBoss: Getting Back at the Self-Proclaimed Villainess with the Power of Friendship Vol. 1 (#IcyBoss)

#LightNovel by #Takamedou
English Pub: #JNovelClub (1-9): (7 Entertaining)
#Fantasy #Isakai (sort of)

Angelina Grey—the self-proclaimed villainess—is isekaied into her favorite otome. But despite her beliefs, she is not the person the world revolves around. Milly Asteara, the ‘Icy Final Boss’ is.

IcyBoss is reminiscent of “My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!” (Hamafura). Milly, an intelligent, powerful magic user, and total social baka, discovers the power of friendship. Like Katrina Klaus (Bakarina), she has powerful charisma, which hinders her from becoming the badass delinquent villainess she dreams of. But that’s okay as she gathers her flock of friends and locks horns with Angelian Grey.

This was a lot of fun to read. It missed a higher score due to some moments where I was knocked out of the story by interactions that didn’t ring true, as well as the shallow portrayal of Angelina.

Volume 2 is already streaming in prepubs, and I can’t wait for all the chapters to be available.

Volume 1 is free for J-Novel Club members until 26/02/16
Volume 2 is free for J-Novel Club members until 26/04/15
Digital release: 26/01/11 & 26/03/17

(This review is based on the digital pre-publication version.)

Link to “Reforming an Icy Final Boss:” J-Novel Club

#NMReview #AmReading #bookstodon #Books

#Review: #CogsOfTime Vol. 1

#LightNovel by #LauraMDrake
English Pub: #JNovelClub (1-9): (6 Good)
#Steampunk #Mystery #TimeTravel

Kyra Annandale can Slip through time. It’s an ability her father forbids her to use. But even an obedient girl like Kyra can’t resist, especially when it helps keep the memory of her mother alive. Then on the eve of her wedding…

I was looking forward to this ever since it was announced. It was a good read, but not up to what I had built up in my mind. Sigh, attachments only bring misery.

I am not well-read in the steampunk genre and can only compare it to "Princess Principal." So, take a little salt with the soup.

"The steampunk flavoring... As Alice said "There were certainly too many cogs in that soup!" In other words, it was overdone. It's like being at a steampunk convention. Everything is decorated with cogs and gears. Anything that could be steam-powered is. Anyone want a steam-powered toaster?

The plot was also predictable. I won't spoil it in case you're not Sherlock Holmes like me.

There is potential here. It's the kind of book that could lead to a great ongoing series, especially once the author is no longer compelled to show us that it's steampunk.

Volume 1 is free for J-Novel Club members until
January, 15th 2026. Digital release: December, 18th 2025.

(This review is based on the digital pre-publication version.)

Link to “Cogs of Time:” J-Novel Club

#NMReview

Con la tercer novela ligera de The Apothecary Diaries se empieza a narrar lo que se vió en la primera tanda de capítulos de la segunda temporada del anime, por supuesto, con mayor detalle. Quería terminar la cuarta novela antes de finalizar el 2025, pero no podrá ser. Aparece la otra Maomao, nos presentan a Shisui y una caravana de comerciantes, con emisarias extranjeras y un extraño capricho, llega a palacio.

⭐⭐⭐

J-Novel Club Brings Dozens of New Series to Crunchyroll Manga; Alongside Additions From AlphaPolis and COMPASS

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://noisypixel.net/crunchyroll-manga-new-series-j-novel-club-alphapolis-compass/

#Review: Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden Vol. 8 (#NiaListon)

#LightNovel by #UmikazeMinamino
English Pub: #JNovelClub Rating (1-9): (7 Worth following)
#Isakai #Fantasy #MarialArts

Volume 8 concludes the martial arts tournament arc. I have never been a fan of tournament fiction with its blow-by-blow descriptions of combat moves or game mechanics. That said, I found this volume to be passable. The combat scenes are varied and brief. There is enjoyable background action taking place. I had some guesses about who the winners were, but I wasn't completely sure until the end. Finally, the previous seven volumes had built up my investment in the characters and outcomes. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Nia Liston's quirky first-person narrative remains interesting. Her naïveté and egotism are still interesting, even if some of the stock lines are getting threadbare.

Hints of future plot lines are sprinkled throughout, showing that the author has thought about where to take things next. The volume ends with a surprising and interesting twist. Sorry, no spoilers here!

Volume 8 is free to read for members of J-Novel Club until 12/17/25. Digital release: 1/15/26

(This review is based on the digital pre-publication version.)

Link to NiaListon: j-novel.club

#AmReading #bookstodon #NMReview #NiaListonTheMercilessMaiden

#LightNovel #JNovelClub

Finishing up vol. 4 of Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools. It's above average but not exceptional. I just realized why parts of the story seemed so familiar. It's by the same author and takes place in the same universe as Lucia's Loom. Dahlia is a much better series than Lucia, which had too little plot and too much clothing/fashion porn.

New series: Miss Blossom’s Backward Beauty Standards There's only about a 50% chance that I will read the next volume. It's shallow and gimmicky, with embedded body shaming and gender stereotyping. It's listed as a comedy. As a general rule, I don't get comics, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

New series: The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World. Above average. It's very "Mr. Chips" meets "Harry Potter." The plot premise is novel. Fortunately, there is no shallow wish-fulfilling romance. However, it lacks suspense. The MC rights all wrongs with the power of her righteousness (and being OP, so no one can reprimand her). The side characters are shallow. We will see where it goes. It might pick up.

I finished volume 4 of Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time: No One Told Me There Would Be Monsters! The first two volumes do a wonderful job of handling the mystery of a new world for an isakied character POV. There is no background info dumping; you learn about the world alongside the character. Now we have to see how the author deals with an OP character and the "deep mystery" that is being hinted at.

The last one is worth a try.

#Review #AmReading
@vollink

#Review: This Gyaru’s Got a Thing for...Vampire Hunters?! Vol. 2 (#GyuVam)

#LightNovel by #WasanKurata
English Pub: #JNovelClub
Rating (1-9): (8 Worth following)
#CGDCT #UrbanFantasy

There are many reasons why I shouldn't give this a high rating, but the truth is that I was glued to both volumes by the second chapter. Reviews are subjective, and this one is based on my reaction.

At its heart, GyaVam is a CGDCT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things). Yes, there are battles and supernatural events, but readers looking for those elements will be disappointed. This volume is about Ruka (gyaru) taking Ginku (vampire-hunter) shopping for swimsuits, and then Ruka and her friends going to the beach. Ruka uses the power of Gyaru and Friendship to convince the antagonists to change their ways.

One of this book's charms is that I haven't read many light novels like it. And I read a lot of female protag light novels. Even if there were, I would find the writing reasonable and charming.

Is it yuri? It's about the relationship between women, which is romance-adjacent. The yuri subtext is strong, but it seems unlikely that it will drift into full-scale romance territory. Either that, or we're on the track of a very slow-burn yuri.

In summary, it's a pleasant, light read for escapism. If you like slice-of-life or CGDCT, it's worth reading the first three chapters, at least. Don't give up at first. It takes a while for the charm to win you over. At least it did for me.

Volume 2 is free to read for members of J-Novel Club until 12/15/25.
Digital release: 11/20/25

Link to GyuVam:

#AmReading #bookstodon #Yuri #NMReview #ThisGyarusGotAThingForVampireHunters?!