Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG!!! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

A salaryman in Japan dies. He is astonished to find himself brought back and even more astonished to find he is now an eleven year old girl named Tanya. Tanya has been recruited into the army and quickly shows an aptitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to win that surpasses her adult peers. She is promoted and soon is in charge of a battalion of mages. But as she rises, her superiors are bothered by her cold analysis of events, her willingness to regard her soldiers as nothing more than another resource. Is she truly suited for leadership?

This novel is the book version of a highly successful manga series that extends to nineteen issues. Tanya is a survivor and will do whatever it takes to be sure that she does. The action is fast and furious and the reader will have to decide if they are on Tanya's side. This book is recommended for young adults and manga readers.

2 out of 5 stars

This audiobook wasn't my favorite and I don't know if it's just because it's an anime light novel and that style of storytelling. I was pretty confused throughout this whole read and I've sat on it for a few months now and just still feel the same confusion. I feel like this would be a much better read for others but not for me as I like to really connect with characters and the story is not one I enjoyed.

I would like to preface my review of this book in that I experienced it as an audiobook narrated by Monica Rial. I have heard of the anime that adapts this series, but also have not watched it myself.

This is a really odd book to pin down. It's a lot more dense than one would consider given the expectation of a lot of light novels and perhaps the title translation here using "Saga" is close but doesn't quite pin down what "Senki" would immediately imply in the japanese title: that this is a military history novel. While it may set in a slightly fantastical alternate universe, the backdrop that doesn't feel all too off from World War I.

I enjoyed this book for what it was -- the author's roundabout way of being able to use knowledge of our current modern world to make discussions on theology, military history, military organization and training and economics. Within the context of this one book, there doesn't seem to be too much other reason for the framing device of the modern man cursed to live out life as Tanya by Being X otherwise. While there may be payoff further down the line in the series, contained to this one entry it does stick out. We're privy to comparisons that the author otherwise wouldn't be able to use in a fantastical setting.

If you're coming in for a tight character-driven narrative or something that's more boots-to-the-ground then this book may not work for you. Time skips and setting changes are numerous to express the early military career of Tanya. When the narration is on Tanya herself, it's at times keen to describe every detail and reasoning for a maneuver and at times more an explanatory segment in which the narrator muses on how the situation compares to something we may be familiar in our own history.

As for the audiobook quality itself, Monica Rial's narration was crisp and clear and I genuinely enjoyed the expression she was able to lend to Tanya (from what I understand she dubs Tanya in the anime). My one note is that with the many more male characters present in the book, her vocal inflection differentiation can be very slight between some of them.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this but also wavered pretty wildly about how I felt about the commentary and the structure of the story at times. Still, I'm curious enough that I'll likely try to pick up the 2nd book at some point.

Audiobook recieved from NetGalley & Yen Audio/HachetteAudio.

I listened to this book as an audiobook of the light novel adaptation of the Japanese manga. Between the adaptation and the translation, it’s not a surprise that the storytelling fell short of what one might expect from this genre. The story relies on internal monologue and dialogue to tell the story, rather than descriptions and scenes. This made it difficult for me to feel engaged in the story as it slowed down the pacing.

Tanya as a main character is designed to be unlikeable, as she’s an old, jaded soul living in a young girl’s body. I do enjoy an unlikeable character in third-person novels but being in Tanya’s brain was difficult, as I struggled to find any common ground with the character to connect myself to. I did enjoy the supporting characters however and thought the author did a great job building the dynamic between Tanya and her subordinates.

The alternate world war 2 era setting the story sets up was my favorite part of listening to this story. The magic system was fun and enjoyable, especially in the setting of a Nazi-Germany-esque world. Tanya’s abilities were interesting to explore as well as learning about other characters’ powers. There were also some unique social commentary through Tanya’s world and the situations she’s put in.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil is the first volume adapation of a lightnovel based on a Japanese manga, which has been turned into a popular anime show and movie. I can definitely see how the story appeals to lovers of manga and anime, but unfortunately I didn’t think it translated well to a novel or audiobook format, due to its reliance on internal monologues. While I couldn’t connect to the main character and narrator of the story, the world and magic system established were a lot of fun to learn about.

This is a review of the official release because I forgot I requested this and now it's archived.

When I saw this was getting an audiobook, I knew I needed to get it! And when I saw that it would be read by Monica Rial I knew it would be good. It was. Even though the majority of the cast is male, I think she did a superb job at keeping all the voices unique and just right, especially Tanya's. In terms of the story, the first volume really sets the stage for us. It's a really dense read, which is one of the reasons I decided to pick up the audiobook, and if you're not into military or psychological talk, this can get boring. Not as many action scenes as I would have liked but since I did watch the anime and know this only spanned the first few episodes, it makes sense. And Tanya is as great and cynical as always

Can't wait for the next volume!

I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own!

Tanya might be a child, but she is also one of the greatest soldiers in the world. And within her lives a ruthless, ex-salaryman who was reborn to view life through her eyes. What will they do to survive?

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book, as it was unlike anything I've ever read before. But it didn't actually become what I had expected from it. I will say that it was still an intriguing read and that it is definitely unique!

I was just confused for a lot of this book! I felt like there was a lack of worldbuilding. It seemed like the man started out in our world and then Tanya was in an entirely different world, but I wasn't sure. And I had thought that Tanya and the man would be aware of each other, but Tanya seemed utterly ignorant. I had also thought that the man was supposed to learn a life lesson, but it didn't seem like he did much learning.

It was definitely interesting and something that made you stop and think about life, but I had expected more from it. If you like military books, this might be the one for you!

Monica Rial is a voice actor for Funimation & this anime! YESSS Tanya (Monica Rial) narrates this light novel.

A ruthless male Japanese office worker dies, meets & has an argument with god (aka Being X) then wakes up in the body of orphaned baby Tanya.

In a war torn alternate reality where Tanya at the age of 9 is The Empire’s greatest soldier engaging in areal duels with enemy combatants. Tanya will do anything to survive, even pick up a gun.

This book reads like an anime episode. Think WWhistory. Thank you NetGalley & HachetteAudio I enjoyed the book, it will be published Tuesday 11/16/2021.