readingwkt's review against another edition
4.0
4.25
This manga novel kept me on my toes of what is happening, I kept reading to find out more, I am excited to see where the other volumes lead to
This manga novel kept me on my toes of what is happening, I kept reading to find out more, I am excited to see where the other volumes lead to
madip's review against another edition
4.0
Super easy to read. Somewhat felt like a Mary su but the gimmick was engaging and novel enough to keep it entertaining.
I don’t care about any of the characters nor do I really care about the plot. But the exploration of the gimmick is apparently enough at this point
I don’t care about any of the characters nor do I really care about the plot. But the exploration of the gimmick is apparently enough at this point
bunniebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I actually read this volume plus some of the second volume, so my thoughts on both are mashed together here. I think if you're not familiar with this genre (Lit-RPG, gate-fiction), you'll have a bit of fun with this first volume. If you're already familiar with this kind of genre, this is very generic.
Anyway, maybe this is because it's a translation, but I found Solo-Leveling to be pretty boring, with very simple language. Initially, it starts off pretty interesting, but once the MC figures out how to game the system with his new skill, any character development or narrative tension/stakes slowly dies off. You basically get to a point where you expect him to just breeze his way through any obstacle, and it's just a matter of how cool he is when he does it.
Basically, this is your standard male power fantasy, where a "loser" character gains OP cheat skills and never has anything go wrong for him. Ever. He gets a minion that's super loyal/rich, kills OP monsters, finds super rare items, and never looks uncool or has anything go wrong for him. I'll admit that the leveling-up gimmick is interesting, but as someone who reads stories more for the characters, this was just boring to me. I honestly can't remember anything remarkable about the MC, other than that he's smart enough to figure out how to level up efficiently. Other characters just exist to prop up the MC, and have very one-note personalities. Maybe the webtoon is better, because I can't really see the hype behind this series.
Anyway, maybe this is because it's a translation, but I found Solo-Leveling to be pretty boring, with very simple language. Initially, it starts off pretty interesting, but once the MC figures out how to game the system with his new skill, any character development or narrative tension/stakes slowly dies off. You basically get to a point where you expect him to just breeze his way through any obstacle, and it's just a matter of how cool he is when he does it.
Basically, this is your standard male power fantasy, where a "loser" character gains OP cheat skills and never has anything go wrong for him. Ever. He gets a minion that's super loyal/rich, kills OP monsters, finds super rare items, and never looks uncool or has anything go wrong for him. I'll admit that the leveling-up gimmick is interesting, but as someone who reads stories more for the characters, this was just boring to me. I honestly can't remember anything remarkable about the MC, other than that he's smart enough to figure out how to level up efficiently. Other characters just exist to prop up the MC, and have very one-note personalities. Maybe the webtoon is better, because I can't really see the hype behind this series.
bloomingtea's review against another edition
2.0
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review! this has not affected my review in any way, all opinions are mine.
2/5
this was honestly a disappointment to me. i'm not entirely sure how Official (TM) translations of korean webnovels usually go, and how strict a translation this was, but so many parts felt like the same line was being repeated over and over again, telling us information that had both been thought and said aloud and then again. this is only my second korean webnovel, so maybe that's just part of the style that i'm used to, but it made the book feel stagnant and repetitive.
the main character felt very stagnant as well. i didn't really care about him in a way that i SHOULD for an mc. i absolutely understand that this is volume 1, but it didn't really feel as if he had much growth or arc, and there's only maybe one character i'm interested in hearing more from. i don't think i'll be continuing with this story unfortunately
really enjoyed the narrator though! they did a fantastic job
2/5
this was honestly a disappointment to me. i'm not entirely sure how Official (TM) translations of korean webnovels usually go, and how strict a translation this was, but so many parts felt like the same line was being repeated over and over again, telling us information that had both been thought and said aloud and then again. this is only my second korean webnovel, so maybe that's just part of the style that i'm used to, but it made the book feel stagnant and repetitive.
the main character felt very stagnant as well. i didn't really care about him in a way that i SHOULD for an mc. i absolutely understand that this is volume 1, but it didn't really feel as if he had much growth or arc, and there's only maybe one character i'm interested in hearing more from. i don't think i'll be continuing with this story unfortunately
really enjoyed the narrator though! they did a fantastic job
ashleylm's review against another edition
4.0
I hesitate to give this series 4 stars, since in so many ways it reads (in translation, at least) like it's been knocked out over a weekend by a high school student. But somehow, it works: it manages to make something that should be dull (basically, a novel version of a stereotypical video game dungeon crawl) compulsively readable, and that's some achievement. I would have thought NOTHING could be duller than watching (or reading about) someone playing a video game, despite the popularity of twitch streams aside, but I eagerly read it chapter, wondering how Jingwoo would level up next, what exciting skill he'd acquire, what magic item he'd wear.
I'm a huge fan of Middlemarch ... Barbara Pym ... Diana Wynne Jones ... this is not on that level. Not even close. But for taking some unpromising material, and making it that much fun to read about? Extra star for that. So Chu-Gong has levelled up from a basically perfectly serviceable 3-star book into a pretty-good 4-star book, IMO.
Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.
I'm a huge fan of Middlemarch ... Barbara Pym ... Diana Wynne Jones ... this is not on that level. Not even close. But for taking some unpromising material, and making it that much fun to read about? Extra star for that. So Chu-Gong has levelled up from a basically perfectly serviceable 3-star book into a pretty-good 4-star book, IMO.
Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.
t1774ny's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
the_bookish_raven's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4)
I received an ARC of this light novel in exchange for an honest review.
Jinwoo is pretty much the worst hunter ever. He's the lowest rank and he has no money. His future has always seemed rather bleak, but it gets even bleaker after he enters a dangerous dungeon. The dungeon ends up being deadly, and he's abandoned by the other hunters. As he's facing death, something happens...
[Congrats on becoming a player!]
This light novel was pretty interesting! Jinwoo, the main character, is like a cross of Deku and Lelouch in my opinion. I liked the video game aspects of this book, like dungeons, raids, abilities, etc. The stats and other features were cool!
The story felt a little long at times, and the writing sometimes made it hard to tell whose perspective I was reading. Other than that, I think this series has a lot of potential in the future! Personally, I would love an anime of this as the fight scenes seem like they'd be awesome if animated!
Content: violence, mention of rape, language (f-bombs)
I received an ARC of this light novel in exchange for an honest review.
Jinwoo is pretty much the worst hunter ever. He's the lowest rank and he has no money. His future has always seemed rather bleak, but it gets even bleaker after he enters a dangerous dungeon. The dungeon ends up being deadly, and he's abandoned by the other hunters. As he's facing death, something happens...
[Congrats on becoming a player!]
This light novel was pretty interesting! Jinwoo, the main character, is like a cross of Deku and Lelouch in my opinion. I liked the video game aspects of this book, like dungeons, raids, abilities, etc. The stats and other features were cool!
The story felt a little long at times, and the writing sometimes made it hard to tell whose perspective I was reading. Other than that, I think this series has a lot of potential in the future! Personally, I would love an anime of this as the fight scenes seem like they'd be awesome if animated!
Content: violence, mention of rape, language (f-bombs)
lavenive's review against another edition
5.0
Aku membaca Novel ini setelah menemukan Solo Leveling dalam bentuk manhwa, jalur cerita yang berbeda dari cerita yang umumnya beredar di Indonesia manhwa ini seakan memberi angin segar. Setelah menyelesaikan membaca novelnya, saya masih mengikuti manhwanya. Berbeda, tentu saja. Bagi saya sendiri solo leveling dalam versi novel lebih memuaskan rasa penasaran saya, karena dalam bukunya digambarkan hal-hal mendetail sedangkan dalam manhwa beberapa bagian terlewati.
Worth to read.
Worth to read.