This is my first light novel review and Im happy to say that its on a light novel that spawned one of my favorite anime series: The Twelve Kingdoms. The anime was the perfect Yona replacement for me and we all know just how obsessed I am with Yona of the Dawn. Im happy to be able to read the novels its based on and share my thoughts on them. The story begins when Youko Nakajima a high school girl with bright red hair is approached by a mysterious man named Keiki who claims that she is his master. Before she can even process that event the two of them are attacked by demonic creatures. Soon Youko finds herself spirited away to a new world where she must survive on her own with only the aid of a few magical items. This is the beginning of Youkos journey not only through this new world but a journey to become the person she was meant to be. This series has some of the most innovative wordbuilding that Ive ever seen. Everything about this world feels super unique especially in comparison to some of the copypaste fantasy European settings that are prominent in modern isekai. Everything from the government and religious structures to the way children are born and how Youko came to enter the Twelve Kingdoms is super unique and well thought out. Unfortunately this leads to a ton of exposition but it was easy for me to follow and interesting to revisit. I will note that the ease probably came from watching the anime before which tended to spread out the exposition a bit better and it had the benefit of imagery to accompany the explanations. The story at this point is primarily about Youko exploring the world overcoming her weaknesses and figuring out her purpose. While Youko has a chosen one role she is deeply flawed. Shes a peoplepleaser at heart and she just agreed with the people around her and followed their lead since she was afraid and it was easier than standing against the crowd. She enters this world weak and spineless and she endures some trauma as well. She really struggles on her journey and she does things that she regrets. Shes discriminated against for coming from another world and she faces constant hardships. However with the aid of a new friend she becomes a kinder and stronger person. Even her chosen one role is established as something she must grow into. Youko has the potential to become great even if she doesnt see it herself. She may be a timid and weakwilled high school girl when the story starts but that doesnt mean that she doesnt have the potential to change and the traits befitting a wise leader even if they take time to grow and blossom. As for the other characters the only ones worth mentioning are Keiki who plays a minor role in this part of the story and Rakashun. Keiki is more serious and doesnt really do much in this part. He only appears in the very beginning and the very end. Rakashun is the character who does the most. He is admirably kind and compassionate while being pragmatic and reasonable. He is discriminated against for being a hanjuu a half animal but he is proud of who he is and he tries to keep others from suffering the same treatment he does. His existence has such a strong influence on Youko and hes such a beautiful character. In the anime the most fascinating character other than Youko was Yuka Sugimoto who is an anime only character mentioned only in passing in the novels. I know its an unpopular opinion but I liked Sugimoto and found her presence to add more depth to the series since she was a foil for Youko. I really missed seeing her again since she was so complex and had great character development. This series is just so beautifully written and I cant wait to read the other novels in the series. I love watching characters like Youko grow from a flawed nobody into the person they admire and want to be especially if they work for it. I have a feeling that the later novels will go in my favorites. Theres nowhere to go but up.