Scan barcode
kolyanpo's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
kiki6k's review
5.0
This book explores a "what-if" scenario with a unique take on L's character. New Wammy's kids add charm, and L's interactions with a young girl are a delightful surprise. Set in a post-Kira world, the story creates a captivatingly strange atmosphere. The ending ties everything together beautifully, referencing Near, the Yagami family, and the Task Force. A must-read for Death Note fans!
a_tunafish's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
thepurplepeep's review
challenging
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
asche's review
1.0
Just awful, a complete waste of time. I don't think it's merely the awkward translation, the plot and tropes were weak and lazy. A miniskirt lady who licks stiletto knives and flashes her panties? Puh-leaze. Now the original Death Note series is my favorite manga, and I've read Another Note twice, but this one takes the cake. Here's an example of just how lazy the writing is: My favorite lines in Another Note were about how L's back was bent from the burdens he had to carry and his mouth craved sweets to wash away the bitterness he had to taste. Guess which lines were repeated almost verbatim?
All the characters were flat and boring, unlovable, their motivations completely unbelievable, cartoonish villains... even L felt melodramatic and strange. I could go on forever. At least Another Note had Naomi and BB was a real creepy twist. This gets one star for the gorgeous cover and dust jacket. This is the kind of book you use as an attractive paperweight.
All the characters were flat and boring, unlovable, their motivations completely unbelievable, cartoonish villains... even L felt melodramatic and strange. I could go on forever. At least Another Note had Naomi and BB was a real creepy twist. This gets one star for the gorgeous cover and dust jacket. This is the kind of book you use as an attractive paperweight.
moony1981's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chamomiledaydreams's review
3.0
It's been a few years since I last read a light novel, and usually, I don't like them very much. I think it's because I've read clunky fan translations in the past; this is the first time I've ever checked one out from a proper library, and it seems to have been edited well (aside from a couple of missing quotation marks).
The quality of writing in "L, Change the WorLd" is pretty good, in my opinion, although it's also a little too fast-paced. The story covers a lot of ground very quickly, and I would honestly prefer for most of the scenes to be longer, especially when they involve profound character interactions. As for the characters themselves, I enjoyed them quite a bit, in large part because of the many cameos to the original series and its pilot. The themes about justice, morality, and rehabilitation are also interesting and tie into the main story very well, and I love that these fresh perspectives mostly come from a ten-year-old girl, who is so blunt and opinionated that she constantly throws the other characters for a loop.
The fact that there are so many branches of Death Note canon at this point helps me suspend my disbelief when the characters act unexpectedly or the lore disagrees with me. (I'm looking at the meaning of L's and Near's names, specifically. Explain Matt, Mello, and Linda to me then! And what about Beyond Birthday? I admire the dedication to finding meaning in the source material, but I cannot accept that the symbolism runs so deep...) I essentially view this story as fanfiction, just one possible interpretation of the characters.
One especially notable distinction for me is that L is more wholesome in this novel than in the other Death Note stories I've read or watched. He seems to be more virtuous and morally upright than his constant human rights violations in the main series imply. In this book, whenever it seems as if he's done something sick and twisted (like use the Death Note), it's eventually revoked and shown to be a fake-out, just another part of L's clever scheming. This makes sense for his character, and it's easy to recognize L as himself from the way his mannerisms and character interactions are written. But I do like leaning towards other aspects of his personality and would consider this installation slightly less canon than most others because of that.
Still, coming from the two live-action movies, I understand that this adjustment of L's character is consistent with the story's predecessors, and I don't mind it too much. It's mostly interesting to analyze and notice the implications of these subtle changes. And I did enjoy this novel overall and would confidently recommend it to other fans of the original series. Just make sure that you've seen the two live-action movies first, so you can understand how this story diverges from the anime/manga. It's a very fun ride!
The quality of writing in "L, Change the WorLd" is pretty good, in my opinion, although it's also a little too fast-paced. The story covers a lot of ground very quickly, and I would honestly prefer for most of the scenes to be longer, especially when they involve profound character interactions. As for the characters themselves, I enjoyed them quite a bit, in large part because of the many cameos to the original series and its pilot. The themes about justice, morality, and rehabilitation are also interesting and tie into the main story very well, and I love that these fresh perspectives mostly come from a ten-year-old girl, who is so blunt and opinionated that she constantly throws the other characters for a loop.
The fact that there are so many branches of Death Note canon at this point helps me suspend my disbelief when the characters act unexpectedly or the lore disagrees with me. (I'm looking at the meaning of L's and Near's names, specifically. Explain Matt, Mello, and Linda to me then! And what about Beyond Birthday? I admire the dedication to finding meaning in the source material, but I cannot accept that the symbolism runs so deep...) I essentially view this story as fanfiction, just one possible interpretation of the characters.
One especially notable distinction for me is that L is more wholesome in this novel than in the other Death Note stories I've read or watched. He seems to be more virtuous and morally upright than his constant human rights violations in the main series imply. In this book, whenever it seems as if he's done something sick and twisted (like use the Death Note), it's eventually revoked and shown to be a fake-out, just another part of L's clever scheming. This makes sense for his character, and it's easy to recognize L as himself from the way his mannerisms and character interactions are written. But I do like leaning towards other aspects of his personality and would consider this installation slightly less canon than most others because of that.
Still, coming from the two live-action movies, I understand that this adjustment of L's character is consistent with the story's predecessors, and I don't mind it too much. It's mostly interesting to analyze and notice the implications of these subtle changes. And I did enjoy this novel overall and would confidently recommend it to other fans of the original series. Just make sure that you've seen the two live-action movies first, so you can understand how this story diverges from the anime/manga. It's a very fun ride!
fozery's review against another edition
3.0
It’s an interesting addition to the series. Although, i did think that the book had some problems with the pacing and the way it introduces ideas (mainly at the start), i still enjoyed it. Maybe, i will reread the book in the future and change my opinion, but for now I’m keeping it this way
sarahrosebooks's review
2.0
This was an okay spin off to the Death Note series. Like the BB Murders book, this has some spoilers for Death Note, so it's recommended that you read the main series before these spin offs.
This read a bit like fanfiction, to be honest. What we would call an alternate universe or AU of the canon story. I can't go into details, but to be as vague as I can this does have some different endings to the main Death Note series, in order to make the book work.
It's a strange one. At first, I had absolutely no idea what was going on and it took me about 50 pages or so to really understand the story.
The villains were laughably bad. Their motive was ridiculous: it was like a cartoon villain motive. I didn't much care for what was going on, and didn't care how it ended.
I can honestly say that you don't need to read this or the BB murders book if you have finished Death Note. I would be perfectly happy having not read either of the two books. Both have disappointed me. One day I will re-read Death Note and enjoy it for what it is. But until then, I'll try and forget these spin offs. I don't think that will be too difficult to do.
This read a bit like fanfiction, to be honest. What we would call an alternate universe or AU of the canon story. I can't go into details, but to be as vague as I can this does have some different endings to the main Death Note series, in order to make the book work.
It's a strange one. At first, I had absolutely no idea what was going on and it took me about 50 pages or so to really understand the story.
The villains were laughably bad. Their motive was ridiculous: it was like a cartoon villain motive. I didn't much care for what was going on, and didn't care how it ended.
I can honestly say that you don't need to read this or the BB murders book if you have finished Death Note. I would be perfectly happy having not read either of the two books. Both have disappointed me. One day I will re-read Death Note and enjoy it for what it is. But until then, I'll try and forget these spin offs. I don't think that will be too difficult to do.
emily_ober's review
5.0
This book is about one of the main characters from the manga, Death Note, but is written as a novel. L has been a favorite character of mine since I first read the manga years ago, so finding a novel about him was really exciting. This super genius, with his incredibly quirky traits, like the way he sits or holds items in his hands, is the world’s top consultant when it comes to solving the ‘unsolvable’ crimes. Fueling his insomniac body with his body weight in sugar, this odd character has captivated me for years.
Any fans of Death Note should pick up this book to get one more story of the brilliance that is L. If you couldn’t get enough of L in the Death Note manga, this would definitely satisfy your craving. This story of L’s final case is a must-read for all Death Note fans out there.
Any fans of Death Note should pick up this book to get one more story of the brilliance that is L. If you couldn’t get enough of L in the Death Note manga, this would definitely satisfy your craving. This story of L’s final case is a must-read for all Death Note fans out there.