I have read the first volume of the series courtesy of NetGalley and the second and much of the third on the Kodansha website, although they have done something strange and the last two chapters are not available. This is to say you that the manga is quite addictive, even if a little naive sometimes.

It’s very Japanese, despite being also made with Americans readers on the author’s mind, and with that sense of humor so peculiar and particular to many manga. And in addition to the two main characters, there is also a princess who wants to be a librarian above all and books, many books, plenty of books. And it is so because books, and the amount of information they can keep, are as protagonists as the spellbeasts and the librarians..

A library is home to books, that’s the purpose of a library. But this library holds special books, spellbooks. And these books don’t contain spells but magical creatures that are trapped in the pages for the safety of humanity. The Librarians are tasked with protecting it.

The artwork in this manga was really cute, however, some of the panels were a little overdrawn and it was hard to understand what was written. The characters were really interesting and I look forward to learning more about them. The world was built really well and it was easy to understand.

Overall, this manga was really cute and I’m excited to see more of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an uncorrected e-arc of this title.
This was a fun read overall. I enjoyed the concept... think Pokemon blended with ghostbusters, in a library environment. I liked the two main character friends too. It felt a little disjointed though... this may be because it was an unfinished copy, and/or because I was reading this on an e-reader. The art style was lovely! My rating is actually 3.75 stars.

The Spell book Library is a great mix of good art and a good story line. I'm not usually a manga reader, I tend to enjoy the style of graphic novels better, but I really enjoyed this story and format.

The Spellbook Library follows Yan and Tohru, two boys who aim to pass an exam and become spellbook librarians. They both have different and unusual paths to wanting to become one and seeing how they work together to achieve their goals. Looking forward to reading the next volumes!

Interesting art, fun story, and incredibly cool world-building. I can't wait to read the next volume. I love the idea of a magical library for locking away magical creatures. I look forward to seeing where this story goes.

A fun quirky manga that explores the adventures of the two main characters, Yan and Tohru, in their new job as librarians at the Spellbook Library. The story is fast paced, with events ticking over even as the manga explores the backstory of its two main leads. This story is great for lovers of fantasy, as well as those with a love of books and libraries.

Despite an interesting premise, the story ultimately fell flat for me. A library that holds all types of magical creatures and the librarians having to pass tests in order to work there sounds like an interesting tale, but the pacing in this first volume was inconsistent throughout. This unfortunately made it hard to follow the story at times. I think this story had potential, and I will see how the second volume turns out and if I will continue this series.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for an advanced review of this manga in exchange for an honest review.

This had some interesting points, but also some slow parts. I am kinda intrigued with the characters and the world. I do like the cozy feel of the library. The characters could have interesting plots in further installments. The story is just okay for me, and I wasn't overly intrigued. I'm torn on whether I will continue or not.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for the eARC in exchange for a review.

The Spellbook Library has an engaging plot and interesting characters that had recognisable "voices" even if one were to remove the graphic aspect that manga entails. I did mostly enjoy the art, though at times it was a bit much/a lot going on in certain panels. Also, there was some lack of concistensy in hoe the characters look (not refering to the more stylised/almost chibi panels here) - Yans nose went from super sloped to very stright and back a lot. He is also described as being almost gorilla-lile in his statire and even with him having been gone for several months and hypothetically not working out, this does not match his look which I'd almost call beanpole like.
The story itself is intriguing and kept me hooked quite well - and the volumes end makes me want to continue in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free review copy of this book!

The story starts off with two strangers meeting on the way to the exam to work at the spellbook library.
During this time they learn a bit about each other. One is trying to be more than some one who is seen as a bully and one who is trying to see and experience the outside world, one of witch they have only read about in books. Both have more to them than what it appears on the outside.

The start of the exam feels very much like the start of the HunterXHutnter exams. A large group of people have been gathered to compete in the exam ( about 500) and only one out of every 50 will be hired (10 in total). The exam is a riddle of sorts. The princess is the head of PR for the library and is also the one conducting the exams. She adds alot more to the story line that a normal royal or princess character usually would in a "work place" of sorts story. You can see that the story will really be based around these three characters. The story ends with them going up against something they were not expecting and need to handle immediately.

This book will have you hooked and waiting for more. I cant wait to see what the princess has up her sleeve and see what is really going on with our shy boy who has been held up in his manor his whole life.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with this copy for my honest review.
#TheSpellbookLibrary #NetGalley.

An interesting premise. I wish I got to know the characters better though because after reading this, I don't feel I understand why they wanted to become librarians. And there wasn't much information about their lives. I would have also liked more detail about their training and the Spellbook Library in general.

This was a wonderful manga. The spellbook library vol. 1 is a manga that I didn’t know what to expect at first. I thought it would a slice of life manga about magic and classes and such. I was very surprised when reading this manga. I like how this manga covered everything from spells, spellbooks and magical creatures. The friendship that develops between the characters is heartwarming and the manga continues to keep you entertained and waiting to see what comes next. I am looking forward to reading volume 2.

Actual rating: 3.5-4.0 stars.

The Spellbook Library by Uta Isaki is a fantasy shounen manga that (so far) follows the adventures of Yan, a semi-reformed ruffian, and Tohru, a youth with a magic necklace and mysterious background. They both want to work at the Spellbook Library, a vast institution that forms the backbone of their town's infrastructure and holds what appears to ben an infinite amount of spell beasts sealed in books. Along the way, they also encounter other quirky characters, including the ambitious commoner Riki, and Emel Sultad, an aloof royal princess who works at the Spellbook Library.

I first encountered Uta Isaki via their LGBQIA+ oneshot, Is Love the Answer? I appreciated the relatively in-depth discussion of the wide spectrum of asexuality, as even within LGBTQIA+/BL/GL titles, asexuality has often been overlooked. So I was pleasantly surprised at the flexibility Uta Isaki has in crossing genres to a fast-paced action/adventure fantasy. It's hard to rate a manga series just by the first volume because so much has yet to be explored, but I was solidly entertained by the character interactions, and intrigued by the worldbuilding. Of course, I show some bias here, but I would love to visit (and work at) the Spellbook Library too! This title is also interesting from a publishing standpoint, because while the creator lives and works in Japan, the English version of this book is being released before the Japanese one (typically, it's the other way around). I'm not sure if this will affect the story development in any way, but it's an interesting marketing tactic. In the meantime, I look forward to Volume 2!

Readers who enjoy The Spellbook Library may also enjoy: Libyrinth by Pearl North, The Great Library series by Rachel Caine, Library Wars: Love and War by Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa, Tower of God by S.I.U., Natsume's Book of Friends by Yuki Midorikawa, and Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara.

Thanks for approving me for an ARC and giving me the chance to review this beautiful book.

Both the coloured and shaded parts were really beautifully illustrated, it was easy to follow with likeable characters and the library in particular was a really stunning piece of art.
I'd be keen to read the second book when it comes out.

If you're a love of manga and books with books in, give this a go.

I enjoyed the story but hoped for a little more from the main characters. The art was fantastic and the writing was as well. Just was lacking something I cannot place.

First of all, I love manga, and this scratched that itch. The characters were fun and their suspicion made me suspicious in the scenarios, the artwork was amazing, both the color panels and the shaded panels, and the story was easy to follow while still being an enjoyable ride. I'm excited to see where this goes in book 2, and I have so many questions about our protagonists and side characters and how this world functions in a fuller scope. Some of their initial goals were solved early, but that brought in a depth to the characters we wouldn't have if they were solely striving for one goal. I used to read manga nonstop as a teen, and this brought back the same nostalgic feeling of holing up at the library and getting lost in the pages.

Thank you Uta Isaki, Kodansha Comics, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really have no idea what I read as it moved so fast, I still don't get what happened.

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

I loved the art style! The library especially looked amazing!

I think the beginning was definitely what caught my eye. From being mugged to joining the forces that saved him.

I can’t wait to read more of the series.

With the afterword of "The Spellbook Library" I realized that I already red something by Uta Isaki. I didn't like "Is love the answer?" that much because it mixed up asexuality and aromantism but I'm glad "The Spellbook Library" was much more to my taste!

I like the freshness of the characters and how there is a healthy mix of information, world building, action and humor.

Another aspect I like is that not everyone and everything is as it/they seem to be: for example when Yan said the most profound sentences I read in a long time I was awed for a second. The words "Instead of wasting your time worrying about failing, you can concentrate on how to recover *if* you fail. If you focus to much on how to get it right the first time, then you'll never actually do anything." really spoke to me because I know a lot about thinking how I could fail.

Aside from some annoying side characters it was a joy to read "The Spellbook Library".

I'm really hooked on the story know and want to continue reading immediatly and it could be a Manga I buy for my own shelves if it continues to be so good!