The story opens up with a kid named Yan who is saved by a group of Spellbook librarians during a spellbeast attack. Fast forward some years and he is now studying to become one of the librarians as well. Though he is quite lacking in intelligence, he makes up for it in sheer strength. Right before the exam he meets a mysterious kid named Tohru. Both of them intend to join the Spellbook librarians and they set off together to do so.

I initially had high hopes for this manga, as it seemed like it would be similar to the "Magus of the Library" series. While it does have similarities, the overall plot feels rushed and the characters are somewhat flat to me. It almost seems like a bad ripoff of "Magus of the Library," actually. I have little to no interest in finding out what Tohru's secret is and I am very frustrated by the structure of the library's workforce training/classes. I will sadly not be reading the next volume.

This first volume presents a good premise, but it will have to be exploited to the full in order to maintain the reader's interest.
In fact, many of the elements are at once interesting but with a whiff of ‘already seen’. A main character with a few secrets but who seems to be just a naive and innocent boy, trials for access to the library that obviously have unconventional solutions, an elite corps where at least one of the main characters would like to enter. In short, things that have potentially already been seen, and which in this first volume do not always have a way of showing the author's unique and personal vision.
Obviously for a manga a single volume is not enough to draw conclusions about the potential course of the work, but unfortunately in my case I have no desire to read the second volume.

I found this book to not be very entertaining. I was confused about the magic system, and the characters seemed to be cliche. The premise of a magical library is, an interesting idea. But I found myself to be bored and just trying to get through it.

In a fantasy world, where books give power to subdue beasts, Yan dreams of becoming a Spellbook librarian as the ones who saved him. He joins the academy together with his new friend Tohru. Yan hopes to get in the team that traps beasts inside the book, but Tohru seems to come along just for the ride and doesn't want any attention on himself. However, both Yan and Tohru plans go awry and now they need to navigate their new roles in the academy.

I enjoyed the story but I wasn't a big fan of the art.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for a digital ARC of the manga.

Magic librarians? Sign me up!

This volume was such a blast to read. Right away I got sucked into this intricate world full of magic beasts contained within the pages of spellbooks. Yan makes for a relatable character in the fact that he has a dream and is barreling his way toward it, only to be a little disappointed with the end result. Not to be deterred, he makes a new goal which he pursues with just as much enthusiasm. I can’t help but like him. Tohru, on the other hand, is very much an enigma. I have a feeling that he might be running away from something, which might be why he’s keeping so much to himself. I definitely would love to read what happens next to see just what he’s hiding.

The Spellbook Library itself is just as amazing as I thought it’d be. A giant building stuffed full of what could essentially be considered grimoires. It reminded me of Sorcery of Thorns and would love to see more of the building and how everything works in further volumes.

Overall, I found The Spellbook Library to be very enjoyable and a perfect first volume to what should be a perfect series for all book and library lovers.

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes only. All thought and opinions are my own.

(Thanks to Kodansha and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Wow I really liked this!!! I remember all the times I've seen Kodansha promoting the individual chapters, the illustration always caught my eye but I never got around to reading it. And now I regret it because I've been missing out!

Firstly, this is such a great initiative from Kodansha. An English-first manga by a Japanese author. I'm really glad this project came to be!

This was such a fun and interesting read, it always kept me at the edge of my seat. It's a great first volume, sets the basics of the world and setting, introduces the main characters, leaves us expecting more and more with each development.

I love when stories have characters like Tohru, mysterious and having more than meets the eye inside them. I can't wait to find out more about him, I feel like I'll really enjoy his character! Yan is a great character too, balances Tohru's more reserved and cautious personality perfectly. The duo is super fun and seeing them already build a great relationship in just 3 chapters was a delight. Learning together and from each other.

Oh and the art is sooo cute! And I love the lettering done, especially the SFX, really great stuff.

The ending of this volume left me absolutely wanting for more so I'm definitely gonna check Kodansha's website for more!! And I'll definitely be picking this up in print when it releases.

I hope more people get to read this fun and exciting story!

The Spellbook Library by Uta Isaki, is exceptionally adventurous and addictive. Characters are magicians who seek employment at a prestigious library known for its curiosities. Unlike other manga writers, Isaki, has been able to create depth in the characters and the story has a strong connection between them. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

That ending was such a cliffhanger! I have to read the second volume!

It’s the time of year where teens can apply to attend the spell book library. Yan has always been a bit of a troublemaker and not taken seriously by his peers, but he is determined to prove himself and become a spell beast sealer. On the day of the entrance exam Yan meets a mysterious new guy named Tohru who is essentially just happy to be there! His goal is just to work in the library and he doesn’t really care which job he gets. They work together to find their place, but someone is a bit suspicious of the mysterious Tohru…

Interesting start to this manga series. The mcs are a bit caricature like but they have space to grow into deeper characters. To start we have the mysterious tohru who has secrets galore and seems to care for the spirit beasts. Then there's Yan the angry muscle man. Finally the princess who people believe shouldn't be a part of the library or act like a civilian in any manner.
I like the world idea and the library looks beautiful. There's magical spirit beasts that get sealed into books and stored in the library for later use. The librarians themselves work in different areas like sealing, research and restoration. Or in the case of our MCs, personal relations.

Was fun I'll read the second one!

The Spellbook Library is a fun, fast-paced manga following two new students at a magical library as they tackle their entrance exam and try to find their places at the school. The magical library centers around the capturing of magical beasts within books to keep them contained and it was fun to see glimpses at how this all worked as Yan and Tohru try to sort their way through it.

The story is definitely more on the cozy, humorous side and I honestly loved what a himbo Yan is, it was very fun to see him trying to contain his more impulsive side and teaming up with Tohru who's a quieter, more mysterious person. The story really isn't mind blowing and it's quite tropey but it's a fun time and I'll definitely pick up future volumes of the series!

A country where everything concentrates around huge libraries that collect, contain and lend out magical beasts bound inside books. Yan has wanted to be a librarian there ever since he was a child, after being rescued by a beast sealing unit. For his part, Tohru has lived a sheltered life where books were his only companions, so a library sounds like an interesting place to work.

Hundreds apply for the job, but only a handful is accepted. To their surprise, Yan and Tohru are both accepted. But instead of getting into a sealing unit like Yan wants, they’re assigned to PR department to wrangle school children. And their boss is a highly laconic princess.

This was a fun start to an English-first manga series. It was a tad confusing at first, but improved as it got going. Yan was a hothead who got constantly into fights. Tohru was more mysterious, with powerful magic that intrigues the princess. The ending was a cliffhanger, but even without it, I might read more. Art was good, but a bit confusing at times, as some characters looked a lot alike and speech bubbles floated randomly.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Yan and Tohru meet when Tohru is getting mugged and the mugging gets in Yan's way. Turns out they are both heading to the same place! So Yan and Tohru travel to the Spellbook Library together to take the entrance exam. Both of them pass and get into the same department, but there are plenty of shenanigans and adventures waiting for them!

A great manga for any fans of Fairy Tale will not be disappointed.

A manga set in a magical library and has magical creatures in it!!

Yan and Tohru want to become spellbook librarians. Together they take exams and get selected to become librarians. Yan and Tohru are opposites of each other; Yan is loud and Tohru is mysterious.

I liked the magical library setting, it reminds me of Sorcery of Thorns. I loved the magical worldbuilding; it has lots of magical creatures too. There were some actions in it that I enjoyed.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

I’m curious to know what will happen in vol. 2.

È un manga fantasy incentrato su una Biblioteca magica che custodisce dei libri d'incantesimi. Tutta la città sviluppa la propria vita attorno a questa istituzione e finalmente si sono liberati 10 posti per diventare bibliotecari. Il lavoro è molto ambito e all'interno ci sono vari dipartimenti tra cui scegliere che si occupano di aspetti diversi.

Mi è piaciuto molto, l'ho scelto apposta per via della trama fantasy e non mi sono sbagliata. Anche la storia è molto interessante. L'unico aspetto che migliorerei è il background dei protagonisti e li avrei voluti più interessanti. Anche se è presto per dirlo, dato che è solo il primo volume, non mi sono sentita tanto presa dai due protagonisti maschili, ho trovato molto più interessante la principessa che lavora nella biblioteca.

#thespellbooklibrary #netgalley

I really enjoyed this manga it was a fantasy it had magic and monsters it was kind of like Harry potter mixed with vampire knight I will be reading the next

I would like to thank NetGallery and
Kodansha Comics for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a fun magical story. If you like shonen manga you should like this one.

NetGalley Review

Star Rating: ★★★★★

Fantastic Read! Enjoyed the cool magic system. The characters are interesting and mysterious enough that make you want to keep reading. The only problem is that it leaves on a cliff hanger. Not just a little you might break a leg if you fall cliff hanger, but a you will have multiple minutes to regret your decision as you plummet through the air reaching terminal velocity just to splatter against the floor and die instantly cliff hanger. Great series, can't wait to read more!

Like always though, read it and decide for yourself

This was a fun manga about a special library organization where you must undergo tests to see if you can be one of the librarians and in what sector you will belong to. Spellbook librarians protect the world from spellbeasts. Keeping monsters that would wreck havoc on others lives at bay by sealing them away with special spells.

Yan wishes to be one of these librarians and so he participates in the tests and thinks outside of the box in order to pass. He doesn’t mind whichever placement he would receive. All Yan cares about is being a part of the group that saved him as a child.

When Yan joins his sector something isn’t quite right and he must help with responsibilities a bit above the usual undertakings of his particular sector. This is a fun action driven story and I can’t wait to continue on reading about Yan’s monster sealing adventures.

Had a really hard time downloading this manga but I had hopes for it and I bet I would have loved it if it let me download it. But maybe I’ll buy the book and read it that way.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

This was really cute! I enjoyed the art style and the characters. I think it's really funny how Yan is this bookish looking guy with a bad reputation for beating people up. I can't tell how old Tohru and Emel are but they look about the same age ( which looks younger than Yan. I'd say they're like preteens at best and Yan is like a late teen) so it's odd that these three are grouped together. The worldbuilding was fun. I enjoyed the idea of spellbeasts and spellbooks that keep them trapped. I'm also interested in Tohru's backstory. Where is their magic from? How are they so powerful at using it and does Emel actually know him? I want to learn more so I'm hopping whenever there's a volume two that I'll be approved for it.