The Spring 2024 Light Novel Guide

Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars

What's It About? 

In his past life, Chou Sekiei was the undefeated war hero Kou Eihou—no pressure, right? Now, a thousand years later, all he wants is to get a nice, cushy job as a civil official and build a quiet life for himself. Too bad that he still has fighting prowess he can't explain. Too bad that as a child, he was taken in by a renowned general and trained alongside Chou Hakurei, famed for her talent and beauty. Too bad that he's gotten into rescuing pretty (and pretty immature) merchant prodigies. Sekiei was really looking forward to some peace and quiet so he could kick back and read, but when the foreign nation of Gen launches an invasion that triggers war, he's forced to put his books down. With the power of skills he'd hoped never to put to use again, Sekiei will once more have to make a name on the battlefield... Will he and his friends be enough to save their homeland?

Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars has a story by Riku Nanano and art by cura. English translation by Stephanie Liu. Published by J-Novel Club; PublishDrive edition (March 25, 2024).

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Are you in the market for an aggressively mediocre fantasy mildly inspired by Chinese history with characters whose dialogue is even less natural than your average John Green manic pixie dream girl's? Did you enjoy Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter and think, “I'd like to read that again, but in a faux Chinese setting?” If the answer to those questions is yes, this may be the book for you.

Excessive sarcasm aside, this isn't a light novel that does much to distinguish itself from either the herd or its author's previous series. The protagonist, Seikiei, is the reincarnation of a great general from years past, and this time, his overwhelming ambition is to become the equivalent of a desk worker because he's had more than his fill of bloodshed. The problem is that he was reborn with not only his memories but also his military gifts, so everyone keeps trying to push him back into a warrior's life, occasionally while noting the marked similarities to his past incarnation. They also inexplicably consider him to be a freeloader in his present family because he was adopted; I say “inexplicably” because no one appears to notice that he's only a blood tie away from being an actual family member. No one treats him like an Ashlad (male Cinderella) – he's fully accepted and loved.

That “loved” bit brings us to the romantic triangle that attempts to make up part of the plot. Seikiei's new life comes with a sister, Hakurei, who is his endgame romance. They aren't related, but they were raised together from an early age, making this yet another case of a pseudo-incest plot attempting to skirt the issue instead of being bold enough to just go there. (To be clear, that's not something I enjoy reading, but at some point, you would wish they'd stop trying to pretend.) Hakurei, whose silver hair and blue eyes are mentioned roughly every five pages, is a textbook tsundere, and if you're tired of hearing about her hair and eyes, wait until Seikiei starts talking about her breasts. Hakurei and Meirin, the other love interest, are mostly distinguishable by bra size because women apparently can't have a personality without it directly relating to their breasts.

Although this isn't the worst book I've ever read, it is one of the most exhausting. Everything about it is trying so very hard, and yet it still doesn't do much to distinguish itself even from the author's previously released work. I think you'd be better off reading that one.

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Lauren Orsini
Rating:

If you want me to care about a protagonist in his reincarnated life, make me care about his past life first. Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars fails to do this, leading to a bland male power fantasy whose only bit of spice comes from its icky incest subplot. Set against a vaguely Chinese fantasy backdrop, it's the story of Sekiei, the teenage reincarnation of a general named Kou Eihou, who died 1,000 years ago. Kou Eihou is a household name to the people of this novel, but since the reader's never heard of him, it loses its intended impact.

Everything comes easily to Sekiei because of his memories from his past life. He's a peerless warrior, and other characters readily compare him to Kou Eihou (if only they knew)! However, Sekiei has one weakness: understanding women. Mainly, he doesn't realize that every woman he interacts with is helpless to resist him, including his sister! Technically, they are not biological siblings, but he and his sister, Chou Hakurei, shared a room for years. At one point, Hakurei visits Sekiei's room for their nightly chat and gives him a sisterly hug. Sekiei's reaction is to go stiff and inform his sister that he can feel her boobs. She gets mad, not because her brother sexualized her; but because she's in love with him! Later, despite Sekiei's best efforts, Hakurei meets the other lady in Sekiei's life, a city merchant named Meirin, whom he describes as having the body of a child but with bodacious tatas. Rather than bonding over the useless guy who only describes them by their tits, Hakurei and Meirin become immediate enemies, locked in a fierce competition over Sekiei's hand in marriage.

Sekiei's self-created romantic woes are only the B-plot of this light novel. The main conflict comes from a border skirmish that became a full-blown invasion attempt by a neighboring country. Of course, it's challenging to think about this as a “conflict” since there's never any doubt that Sekiei the All-Powerful will defeat everyone, single-handedly if he must. His devoted merchant, Meirin, provides his army with a supply chain and the latest technology, so there aren't even the usual concerns of an extended war campaign. To add insult to injury, the primary named enemy in this book is the foreigner Sir Nguyen, and I don't think it's a coincidence that he just so happens to have Vietnam's most common surname. It might even be offensive if this book were well-written enough to make any of these characters feel real.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.