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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
While this first volume in the series is a rather slow and awkward start, it improves quite a bit toward the end and hits at potentially interesting developments to come.
First off, "I'm in Love..." features many of the shortcomings typical of Narou-kei reincarnation light novels. The world-building is paper thin, magic is unimaginatively employed, and the quality of prose is merely passable.
Fortunately, despite the fantastic trappings, the book's real draw is in its characters dynamics. Claire makes for a sufficiently interesting lead, though Rae has room to grow into her role. Sexuality is tackled frankly (something of a rarity in JP mainstream media) and the deals with class conflicts, if at a somewhat shallow level at the moment (more is foreshadowed).
If this review suggests that this book feels like an overlong intro... well, that is what it feels like. Still, it's an easy read and enjoyable enough. I look forward to the rest of the series.
First off, "I'm in Love..." features many of the shortcomings typical of Narou-kei reincarnation light novels. The world-building is paper thin, magic is unimaginatively employed, and the quality of prose is merely passable.
Fortunately, despite the fantastic trappings, the book's real draw is in its characters dynamics. Claire makes for a sufficiently interesting lead, though Rae has room to grow into her role. Sexuality is tackled frankly (something of a rarity in JP mainstream media) and the deals with class conflicts, if at a somewhat shallow level at the moment (more is foreshadowed).
If this review suggests that this book feels like an overlong intro... well, that is what it feels like. Still, it's an easy read and enjoyable enough. I look forward to the rest of the series.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A book that appears frivolous at the outset but actually takes itself pretty seriously. The cover and description gave the impression that this would be a lighthearted romance yet I'd argue neither descriptor fits fully (though I'm sure we'll get some real romantic development in the second book). I really enjoy the villainess character archetype and isekai properties that attempt to subvert it, so I went into this book with some bias towards it. I don't think it scratched the itch I needed it to, but there were aspects I enjoyed. The prose was snappy and flowed well, the comedy usually hit, and the addition of higher stakes as the story went on was engaging. I also liked Rae as an unequivocally wlw lead.
I felt that there was some wasted potential with the premise. I get that Rae is the protagonist and she's completely focused on Claire, but unfortunately I think this made the supporting cast fall pretty flat (it doesn't help that we weren't provided illustrations for most of them). The world building, while interesting, was provided in mostly infodumps that I had to skim through several times to even grasp what was going on politics wise. I got the feeling that the author didn't really want to commit to either "lighthearted highschool romcom" or "otome isekai political drama," which left us with a weak mix of the two. While this might sound like a lot of negatives, I'm excited to see where Claire and Rae take their relationship in the next volume!
I felt that there was some wasted potential with the premise. I get that Rae is the protagonist and she's completely focused on Claire, but unfortunately I think this made the supporting cast fall pretty flat (it doesn't help that we weren't provided illustrations for most of them). The world building, while interesting, was provided in mostly infodumps that I had to skim through several times to even grasp what was going on politics wise. I got the feeling that the author didn't really want to commit to either "lighthearted highschool romcom" or "otome isekai political drama," which left us with a weak mix of the two. While this might sound like a lot of negatives, I'm excited to see where Claire and Rae take their relationship in the next volume!
Rae is a bit of a controversial character, for sure.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Homophobia