Sprout Labyrinth Library

Did the movie start out so slow? I can't remember

Let's see how Ghibli embellished this one.

I don't like the English title because it removes Eren/Erin/Elin's name. Probably because it's to feeeeemale.

Overall the book relatively follows the anime, however the beginning of the book jumps straight to the action and the ending is vastly different from the anime. The book also doesn't have the two "commenter characters" either.

Overall the book gives a lot of perspective that the anime misses.

If you haven't watched the anime nor read this book, I'd say do both.

2/3rds of the book read now. Leaves off with a bit of a cliffhanger for Libby's story.

Kinda wish this series was more popular than the other stuff they had. I seem to like stories that nobody else did.

"He just can't help himself! You'll forgive him right?" Ugh, why in a kids book! I think he's evil so he'll get his, but still.

I'm wondering how they are going to get what happens in the anime in the book, unless that was added only for the anime.

Now we are on to Jesus. I don't think this is an accurate portrayal of Jesus however. The author writes him as if he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Once again Yang wins not loses by the grace of Reinhard.  This one doesn't feel as believable as the other ones, since it's more or less a Deus Ex Machina.

Though it does showcase how smart Mariendorf is in pulling it off.

We also get to see Julian on his own with the Terra-ists.

The rest of this book seems to be following the anime (or the anime the book) pretty faithfully. It however delves into the thoughts that Erin has and as thus, explains some of the things more.

So we meet Asura... who is a girl that Siddartha lusts for. Or at least that's the way she's described, in sexualizing terms.

Oh and she's also the one destroying everything while all the men are trying to save everything or something.

I like the anime more than the book with the way it starts. The book gets right into the action of Souyon killing the Touda. Where as the anime build up to it with a few episodes about village life and about the Touda. Maybe to let it make more sense what's going on.

Once again, another ass pull saves the day for both parties. Yang won't have to kill Lohengramm and vice versa.

It's kind of getting a bit contrived right now.

So all the women we have seen so far are weeping and clingy with zero characterization.

It reads like an 80s anime, was written in the middle 90s and.. really hasn't gotten 'good' yet.

Ryu Mitsuse was also responsible for the mess that was Andromeda Stories and you can certainly see the same theme with the whole "seeding the earth" going on. Here it seems to be aliens, in Andromeda Stories it was the Myurat twins.

If Plato/Orionae were a woman, the book wouldn't have been translated and people would be calling her cardboard. While not like an otoge protagonist where the guys are take center stage and she gets to be acted upon, Plato is just... there's nothing there. There is no character. The plot is that Earth was an alien experiment and past and future are overlapping. It's not making any sense either

Then Plato dies because he hears something. But don't worry, he's been brought back to life with TECHNOLOGY.

Then we switch to Siddartha? He wasn't to go to the Brahmaa but Udakka is trying to stop him because well, shit ain't good and Siddartha is a prince and.. what does this have to do with anything?

I really enjoyed this book. The beginning is pretty fast, but I feel it's needed just to get David in the picture.

David, while being the main love interest, is actually a decent guy. He doesn't want to control Laurel, he's there for her when she needs him. He's not over protective. He's both an "alpha male" and not. He's a "true alpha male' in that he cares for Laurel and genuinely wants to be there for her. He's understanding and patient and really feels like a brother. He's not the "fake Alpha Male" often found in many paranormal romance books. You know the ones.

Laurel overall wasn't a protagonist that wanted to make me throw the ereader across the room. She's smart, quick thinking, and has to save David at one point or two. She's never simpering and takes action for herself without the men in her life telling her.

Tamani on the other hand, rubbed me all sorts of wrong way. He's possessive. He wants to make Laurel 'his'. because they had some form of past together, or that she's a faerie. While Tamani was there when it counts, he does pull the "I got hurt for you, so why won't you be mine, uwu." Doesn't fully respect Laurel's choice to stay with David. He however, was never wholly terrible. Just annoying in that possessive way.

Really it'd be best for her to end up with both of them, but I'm siding with David.

Overall the book pacing is on an even keel and focuses a lot on Laurel and her being a fairy. The whole plot is about her trying to save the land that has been in her family for generations.

The romance was not heavy at all and I really appreciated that. They did go over faerie biology, which doesn't make sense from a evolutionary point. However they at least went over it. Which does explain why Laurel doesn't have her period. Lucky.

I'm hoping the future novels will continue to build on this one and not jump the rails.

While light on the faerie stuff this book, it's a good read for people that don't want to be confused about the Seelie and Unseelie court and tons of fae folk being name dropped. It's nice and light and might delve into that bit later.

I find it interesting that one or the other between Yang and Reinhard only gets an advantage when someone screws up.