This is a charming, easy read. Engin has shown they are extremely talented at writing action, with moments of dramatic conflict written with clarity and excitement, be it a mage battle or a fencing match.
Reisen is a nice character, very much a normal teen who just wanted a calm summer. Yukiya is a charming younger sibling. Never annoying to the reader (thigh maybe to Reisen).
Support characters like Nagai and Granny are given moments to shine though I think it’s a small critique and compliment that I wish they’d been given a little more page time.
I truly enjoyed getting breathing room with the characters and having moments to process and reflect. There’s an urgency, but the resting and healing and debriefing isn’t lost for the sake of momentum. Good work.
As this is seemingly a set up for a much broader conflict, I’m okay with there not being a ton of complexity to the villain or their plan. I had some curiosities about certain decisions, like why would they set fire to an entire town if they also were after a book that might be hidden there? That could have just been me forgetting some context.
I hope that if future volumes are written, we get a little more time with the villains, and I look forward to learning more about the other mages. Looking at you, specifically, Kazari. Respectfully of course.
Anyways! This is a lovely, lovely read. At its length, it would be easy to devour in a day. I enjoyed myself, and look forward to more potential adventures with Reisen and Yukiya, or whoever Engin creates next.
Well done, Engin, and thanks for sharing.