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sarahrosebooks's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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.
vanessajrs's review against another edition
3.0
As a big fan of the manga, I enjoyed reading this alternate spin-off as it was a chance to ‘re-live’ some of the emotions and themes that made the original Death Note concept so great. Having said that, I’m a bit disappointed with how L was portrayed in this story - it seemed a bit off and inconsistent with the original L. However, the story line was great, even though the writing was a little clunky at times. Would definitely recommend it if you liked the manga though, glad I got around to reading this one.
Edited to add: The artwork on the book cover is STUNNING. Would’ve loved it if there had been a page or two of illustrations inside the book as well.
Edited to add: The artwork on the book cover is STUNNING. Would’ve loved it if there had been a page or two of illustrations inside the book as well.
aidnoah's review against another edition
1.0
What can I say? This book was a huge disappointment. A waste of my $18 to buy it. It is a novelization of the Death Note spinoff movie of the same name… and it can hardly match Another Note at all.
The writing style leaves a lot to be desired. I haven’t seen the movie itself, but I can venture a guess that the book hardly does justice to the movie. Almost three chapters in, I found myself stumbling around in the dark, lost and confused about who is who and what is what. I was also wondering, in the back of my mind, where the Death Note-esque plot escaped to. It was leaning a bit more on Resident Evil with the “escaped virus” thing.
Not only that, but the scene changes are a little difficult to follow in the book as they might be in the movie. There isn’t any flow between them. L is also, in my opinion, very very VERY out-of-character, and that completely ruined its potential to be a good book. If you’re going to write for the Death Note universe, you have to make the characters stay in-character, or you lose the very thing that makes it so unique compared to other manga/anime series.
The writing style leaves a lot to be desired. I haven’t seen the movie itself, but I can venture a guess that the book hardly does justice to the movie. Almost three chapters in, I found myself stumbling around in the dark, lost and confused about who is who and what is what. I was also wondering, in the back of my mind, where the Death Note-esque plot escaped to. It was leaning a bit more on Resident Evil with the “escaped virus” thing.
Not only that, but the scene changes are a little difficult to follow in the book as they might be in the movie. There isn’t any flow between them. L is also, in my opinion, very very VERY out-of-character, and that completely ruined its potential to be a good book. If you’re going to write for the Death Note universe, you have to make the characters stay in-character, or you lose the very thing that makes it so unique compared to other manga/anime series.
b7nshee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rey1295's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jenvile's review against another edition
3.0
”Light - this feeling of failing to protect those to whom you promised safety, is this the reality you spoke of?”
Well... I didn’t expect that to end on such a sad note. If you’ve already seen the movie, there really isn’t a need to read this light novel - it’s more for the super fans that want more of L than anything, but I think the film does a superb job of encapsulating L’s last days anyways.
This novel started off really well... tapered and went weird in different directions and went back to the hard hitting emotions again. I think if I hadn’t watched the film that it was based on, I would have enjoyed it more. Or maybe I have a thing against novels being based on films...
I think this story would have shined more if it was made into a manga than a light novel. Still, it was a good read and interesting to understand L’s POV.
*note* I think it’s really interesting reading this story during the Coronavirus. Even though this was written 14 years ago, a lot of the themes and fears are even present today.
Well... I didn’t expect that to end on such a sad note. If you’ve already seen the movie, there really isn’t a need to read this light novel - it’s more for the super fans that want more of L than anything, but I think the film does a superb job of encapsulating L’s last days anyways.
This novel started off really well... tapered and went weird in different directions and went back to the hard hitting emotions again. I think if I hadn’t watched the film that it was based on, I would have enjoyed it more. Or maybe I have a thing against novels being based on films...
I think this story would have shined more if it was made into a manga than a light novel. Still, it was a good read and interesting to understand L’s POV.
*note* I think it’s really interesting reading this story during the Coronavirus. Even though this was written 14 years ago, a lot of the themes and fears are even present today.
marlowreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
wackiest episode of criminal minds for sure
toxicmasquerade's review against another edition
5.0
This will be a quick review. L, Change the World is one of my favorite books and movies. Mainly because it's a Death Note book about one of my favorite characters, L. To put it simple, the book is about L's final case and the 23 days leading up to his death. L tries to stop a group from decreasing the world's population drastically with a new and very deadly virus. I can't explain it any better without giving away too much.
nucikore's review against another edition
I don't know how to rate this book. Even though I love Ryuzaki, I found this story and the writing style to be a bit underwhelming.
Still gonna watch the movie, cause ~Kenichi Matsuyama~
Still gonna watch the movie, cause ~Kenichi Matsuyama~