The Kept Man of the Princess Knight, Vol. 1

The Kept Man of the Princess Knight (Light Novel) #1

by Toru Shirogane, Saki Mashima (Illustrator ), Stephen Paul (Translator)

HE’LL PROTECT HER SECRETS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY…

The Dungeon City is a wicked place filled with crime, debauchery, and death. Its one shining light is Arwin, the beautiful Crimson Princess Knight. She and her brave party of adventurers descend into the dungeon at the city’s center, seeking a legendary treasure with the power to rebuild the princess’s fallen kingdom. Many yearn to be by her side, but that spot is already taken by Matthew, a man despised by all in town as a cowardly weakling. Everyone thinks he is scum who just spends her hard-earned money on booze, women, and gambling. No one in the city—not even the princess knight— knows what Matthew is truly capable of.

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novel, Manga, Novels

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 10, 2022

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I do NOT like being in this guy’s head. It’s nasty. I guess I’m not into anti-heroes.

DNF at 9% and I don’t care if it gets better, I refuse to read more of this.

1, I can see why the assassins were trying to kill him, stars.

[DreaNA * · Rating 4 out of 5]

This light novel was surprisingly pleasant to read.
The author created a story about a cursed hero who is now living in secret, I liked the idea of discovering his past (tho it isn't presented like that and until you don't read the part about it, you won't know what it is about, Japanese, am I right?).
Despite that, the story is episodic (again, typical for this kind of book) which isn't unpleasant tho.
I read it quite quickly, being invested in the characters and the little plot that was there, the mysteries and how the guy fixed everything.

[Capt. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t expect this to be this good. I also love that the whole book is in Matthew’s POV. Makes the mystery of the Princess Knight all the more alluring.

I also would love to commend on the translation on this, have not read the original text but the flow of the words really translates well to the plot and character’s personality.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an unexpectedly good read. I picked it up mostly on a whim because of the translator, Stephen Paul, whose works and style of translation I've enjoyed before, and this one didn't let me down either. Still, the translation can only be as good as the source material, and in this case, both were top-notch.

I liked how different the story ended up being from my assumptions based on the title and cover. It's way darker and twisted, and the main character, Matthew, is much more of an anti-hero than I anticipated. The world-building and pacing were excellent, and the way things build on top of each other and the things that are revealed about Matthew, Arwin, and the rest of the characters are so captivating. The end of the book kind of wrapped up like it was a one-and-done, so I'm glad the story is being continued. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Archziac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the character personalities and the developments and the mature scenario in the story. Eagerly waiting for volume 2.

[Sharakael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first time I read an antihero protagonist that was more of a villain. I read other novels featuring antihero protagonist before, but in those the MC would still defend his allies. Not the case in this one. I mean, if you change the protagonist to another character, Matthew would easily be the villain in that story. And for that, I admire the author.

Pacing was quick with barely any breathing space, characterisation was consistent and there were enough hooks to keep you going. The MC wasn't an entirely likeable guy, but he toed the line just enough that I was still on his side (instead of rooting for the other side).

Setting is dark and grimy, but the author still left slivers of hope which stopped this from going into the "fully depressing" territory.

The twist near the end was something I didn't expect at all, and that alone pushed this from 4 to 5 for me.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

The MC was interesting and the plot was great. My main cons would be how they wrapped it up.

Pros: MC has serious growth throughout the book and his interactions with the princess and others has the reader in suspense. Plenty of plot hooks and twists. Climax was cool. Not your usual fantasy plot.

Cons: The ending felt like a "stick around for part 2". The time skips were necessary and done well and I generally don't like going back and forth in time in books so maybe biased.

[slugbiscuit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I expected, but this wasn't it. The book is well-written, but the content is bleak AF, like a fantasy "Requiem for a Dream". Everyone is either a drug addict, a prostitute, or both, and all the characters seem to be headed for bad ends. The MC is like a sociopathic Escanor, but despite needing sunlight decides to live in fantasy Seattle as it is overcast 95% of the time. It's hard to root for a staight-up murderer, but I will probably read volume 2 out of morbid curiosity.

[Douglas Walters · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can tell the author is a complete amateur: the setups resolve too quickly, and the foreshadowing is blatantly telegraphed. While it is on the darker side for a light novel, the same tropey plot beats are still apparent and the MC is a cornball.

[lamiaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's kinda disappointing that the story is only from Matthew's pov and we don't get to read about Arwin's but I'll take what I can get and I hope we get to find out more about her in the near future.

[Morgan Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geez this is a new level of morally gray protagonist.

If you want to read a book about messed up people in a messed up city backstabbing each other over magical drugs, this book is for you

[huntërre thomässön · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a huge fan of the underlying plot and means that’s the story takes. Just not a story that vibed with me really.

[• Hutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the story begins, we follow Matthew, a former adventurer, who has become a despicable sort, the kind of main character who is difficult to like. Somehow he has managed to find his way into becoming the kept man of the Crimson Princess Knight (Arwin), whose former kingdom has fallen prey to hordes of monsters. Arwin and her group of support knights are seeking an item within the dungeon that will help them reclaim the lost kingdom. Meanwhile, nearly everyone in the dungeon city despises Matthew and can’t figure out how he weaseled his way into his position with Arwin.
The story feels a little bland at the start and gives the feeling of just being an average tale that might meander along for a few volumes without really accomplishing much.
But as things progress and we discover more about Matthew’s past (why he is no longer an adventurer) and see him dealing with things that a lot of people in the city would ignore, it becomes evident there is a lot more to Matthew than meets the eye.
The second half of the story begins to delve into Arwin and the dynamic between her and Matthew. Then things take a very unexpected turn and suddenly this average story is now an incredibly interesting one with characters that are not exactly who we thought they were.
This is not your average cookie cutter type of fantasy light novel. The second half of this story ramps up in ways that I did not see coming and now I can’t wait for the second volume to arrive to see what happens next.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. It manages to walk the line: still a "light" novel but dealing with mature themes in a satisfying way. No real complaints; just a good book.

[スパゲッティSmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Familiar elements of fantasy anime but the story is not, the author is willing to put dark in dark fantasy. Entertaining read