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An Autumn in Amber, a Zero-Second Journey
ABOUT AN AUTUMN IN AMBER, A ZERO-SECOND JOURNEY (LIGHT NOVEL)
From the award-winning author of The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes and Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring comes a brand-new light novel about setting aside differences to solve the mystery of a world frozen in time.
Socially awkward loner Kayato has an intense fear of being touched and finds making friends extremely difficult. When he and his high school classmates visit Hakodate for a field trip, he suffers through some attempts to engage with the others, until…
Time stops for the entire world, but not for him.
All the hustle and bustle of the city fades into an eerie veil of silence, leaving him the only soul left in motion–until he finds another in Akira, a sharp-tongued local delinquent. Though she’s his total opposite, she begrudgingly agrees to help him solve the mystery. Their only lead is something Kayato’s uncle said just before he died about a “world plucked out of time,” as if preserved in amber. Hoping to find a clue among his late uncle’s possessions in Tokyo, the two teens must travel through the frozen world.
From the award-winning author of The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes and Wait For Me Yesterday in Spring comes a brand-new light novel about setting aside differences to solve the mystery of a world frozen in time.
Socially awkward loner Kayato has an intense fear of being touched and finds making friends extremely difficult. When he and his high school classmates visit Hakodate for a field trip, he suffers through some attempts to engage with the others, until…
Time stops for the entire world, but not for him.
All the hustle and bustle of the city fades into an eerie veil of silence, leaving him the only soul left in motion–until he finds another in Akira, a sharp-tongued local delinquent. Though she’s his total opposite, she begrudgingly agrees to help him solve the mystery. Their only lead is something Kayato’s uncle said just before he died about a “world plucked out of time,” as if preserved in amber. Hoping to find a clue among his late uncle’s possessions in Tokyo, the two teens must travel through the frozen world.
390 pages, Paperback
Published September 24, 2024
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317 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 20, 2024
Diving into "An Autumn in Amber: a Zero-Second Journey" by Mei Hachimoku is like stepping into a world where the pause button has been hit on time itself. We follow high schoolers Mugino and Akari as they navigate this eerie stillness, determined to find out why time has stopped and how to get it moving again. It's a premise that grabs you, but as the story unfolds, it's more of a quiet walk through time than the adrenaline-fueled adventure you might expect.
Hachimoku is no stranger to playing with time in their stories, and while this book shares a thematic lineage with works like "Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring," it doesn't quite pack the same punch. The pacing seems deliberate, mirroring the frozen world our characters explore, but sometimes it feels a bit too slow, making you wish things would speed up just a tad.
Our protagonists, Mugino and Akari, are interesting enough to follow, but they lack the depth and backstory that made characters in Hachimoku's other novels stand out. It's like getting to know someone through their social media profile rather than in real life—you get the gist, but the deeper, more engaging details are missing.
That said, "An Autumn in Amber" still has its moments. The concept is cool, and there are parts of Mugino and Akari's journey that really make you think about time and how we experience it. I'd round my rating up to four stars for the creativity and the thoughtful, if not slightly meandering, exploration of time.
The book leaves you with an open-ended conclusion, which I kind of liked. It fits with the story's vibe and leaves room for your imagination to wander. So, while "An Autumn in Amber" might not hit every note perfectly, it's a solid read for those who love a bit of time travel mystery mixed with their high school drama.
Hachimoku is no stranger to playing with time in their stories, and while this book shares a thematic lineage with works like "Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring," it doesn't quite pack the same punch. The pacing seems deliberate, mirroring the frozen world our characters explore, but sometimes it feels a bit too slow, making you wish things would speed up just a tad.
Our protagonists, Mugino and Akari, are interesting enough to follow, but they lack the depth and backstory that made characters in Hachimoku's other novels stand out. It's like getting to know someone through their social media profile rather than in real life—you get the gist, but the deeper, more engaging details are missing.
That said, "An Autumn in Amber" still has its moments. The concept is cool, and there are parts of Mugino and Akari's journey that really make you think about time and how we experience it. I'd round my rating up to four stars for the creativity and the thoughtful, if not slightly meandering, exploration of time.
The book leaves you with an open-ended conclusion, which I kind of liked. It fits with the story's vibe and leaves room for your imagination to wander. So, while "An Autumn in Amber" might not hit every note perfectly, it's a solid read for those who love a bit of time travel mystery mixed with their high school drama.
November 19, 2024
3.5⭐
This book is exactly as the title says. It's a zero-second journey in autumn, when time is frozen as if the world is preserved in amber. The only two people who remain moving are Mugino Kayato, a socially awkward loner, and Iguma Akira, a girl who acts and appears like a tough delinquent. With absolutely no clue of what's going on, they make their way from Hakodate to Tokyo on foot in the hope of finding a solution. Along the way, they learn more about each other and all the possible reasons why they might not actually want time to start flowing again.
That's it. That's literally the whole plot. There isn't much to unearth this time, and it's due to that reason that I feel like the book kind of... fell flat. Kayato and Akira do have their own issues. They also struggle to compromise with each other at the beginning, since the two of them are so different. The problem is they never really have as much depth as the characters in Hachimoku's other works, and while there is budding romance between them, it feels a lot like it just happened because of close proximity and not actual chemistry.
For a story revolving around a journey, Kayato and Akira's travels don't really show much. There's a whole lot of timeskips and telling instead of showing, mentioning one location after another without actually describing much. Weeks and months fly by with the two of them just walking, and most of the development in their relationship is also glossed over in a similar manner. It leaves me rather confused about what the main focus is supposed to be. Is it the characters? The relationship? Or the journey? Because the story tries to cover everything and nails none of it.
That being said, I do like the ending. It wraps up on a hopeful note, which links back nicely to the time freeze. The translation, however, is way too Americanized and doesn't match the book's tone at all. It's also causing a dissonance with Akira's Hokkaido dialect, so I found it highly distracting. Maybe I should consider reading Hachimoku's works in Japanese instead.
This book is exactly as the title says. It's a zero-second journey in autumn, when time is frozen as if the world is preserved in amber. The only two people who remain moving are Mugino Kayato, a socially awkward loner, and Iguma Akira, a girl who acts and appears like a tough delinquent. With absolutely no clue of what's going on, they make their way from Hakodate to Tokyo on foot in the hope of finding a solution. Along the way, they learn more about each other and all the possible reasons why they might not actually want time to start flowing again.
That's it. That's literally the whole plot. There isn't much to unearth this time, and it's due to that reason that I feel like the book kind of... fell flat. Kayato and Akira do have their own issues. They also struggle to compromise with each other at the beginning, since the two of them are so different. The problem is they never really have as much depth as the characters in Hachimoku's other works, and while there is budding romance between them, it feels a lot like it just happened because of close proximity and not actual chemistry.
For a story revolving around a journey, Kayato and Akira's travels don't really show much. There's a whole lot of timeskips and telling instead of showing, mentioning one location after another without actually describing much. Weeks and months fly by with the two of them just walking, and most of the development in their relationship is also glossed over in a similar manner. It leaves me rather confused about what the main focus is supposed to be. Is it the characters? The relationship? Or the journey? Because the story tries to cover everything and nails none of it.
That being said, I do like the ending. It wraps up on a hopeful note, which links back nicely to the time freeze. The translation, however, is way too Americanized and doesn't match the book's tone at all. It's also causing a dissonance with Akira's Hokkaido dialect, so I found it highly distracting. Maybe I should consider reading Hachimoku's works in Japanese instead.
May 14, 2025
Well, I had a whole review typed up and then the app crashed and I’m too lazy to type it again. So to summarize, good concept, flat characters, a little slow, but still a nice happy resolution. 3.5 stars
September 1, 2025
I've read a new book from this series every year and have enjoyed these stories so much! Yet out of the three I've read, this one didn't quite live up to the previous two. The time-freeze was intriguing, with time being frozen for everyone except for the two protagonists, but I felt as if the plot wasn't as impactful as the other books have been. There was no severe outcome or consequence because of the time freeze, and the ending itself felt rather anticlimactic. I still had fun reading though, and the detail that went into how the time freeze functioned and all the little butterfly effects such a phenomenon created were great. Also, the English translation was vastly improved from the other two books in this series, which was a plus! I'm excited for the final Winter book, and look forward to hopefully reading it next year!!
May 19, 2025
Took me longer to really get into than Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring or Tunnel to Summer but Autumn in Amber ended up being a fun journey and I'll be waiting for the english translation of the Winter novel hehehhe
March 23, 2024
Diving into "An Autumn in Amber: a Zero-Second Journey" by Mei Hachimoku is like stepping into a world where the pause button has been hit on time itself. We follow high schoolers Mugino and Akari as they navigate this eerie stillness, determined to find out why time has stopped and how to get it moving again. It's a premise that grabs you, but as the story unfolds, it's more of a quiet walk through time than the adrenaline-fueled adventure you might expect.
Hachimoku is no stranger to playing with time in their stories, and while this book shares a thematic lineage with works like "Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring," it doesn't quite pack the same punch. The pacing seems deliberate, mirroring the frozen world our characters explore, but sometimes it feels a bit too slow, making you wish things would speed up just a tad.
Our protagonists, Mugino and Akari, are interesting enough to follow, but they lack the depth and backstory that made characters in Hachimoku's other novels stand out. It's like getting to know someone through their social media profile rather than in real life—you get the gist, but the deeper, more engaging details are missing.
That said, "An Autumn in Amber" still has its moments. The concept is cool, and there are parts of Mugino and Akari's journey that really make you think about time and how we experience it. I'd round my rating up to four stars for the creativity and the thoughtful, if not slightly meandering, exploration of time.
The book leaves you with an open-ended conclusion, which I kind of liked. It fits with the story's vibe and leaves room for your imagination to wander. So, while "An Autumn in Amber" might not hit every note perfectly, it's a solid read for those who love a bit of time travel mystery mixed with their high school drama.
Hachimoku is no stranger to playing with time in their stories, and while this book shares a thematic lineage with works like "Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring," it doesn't quite pack the same punch. The pacing seems deliberate, mirroring the frozen world our characters explore, but sometimes it feels a bit too slow, making you wish things would speed up just a tad.
Our protagonists, Mugino and Akari, are interesting enough to follow, but they lack the depth and backstory that made characters in Hachimoku's other novels stand out. It's like getting to know someone through their social media profile rather than in real life—you get the gist, but the deeper, more engaging details are missing.
That said, "An Autumn in Amber" still has its moments. The concept is cool, and there are parts of Mugino and Akari's journey that really make you think about time and how we experience it. I'd round my rating up to four stars for the creativity and the thoughtful, if not slightly meandering, exploration of time.
The book leaves you with an open-ended conclusion, which I kind of liked. It fits with the story's vibe and leaves room for your imagination to wander. So, while "An Autumn in Amber" might not hit every note perfectly, it's a solid read for those who love a bit of time travel mystery mixed with their high school drama.
March 31, 2025
Mei Hachimoku seems to have a real knack for writing soft sci-fi stories that fit well with their comfortable prose that never seems to falter. An Autumn in Amber is a bit more thematically concise than his previous works, largely due to being one giant allegory for the Covid-19 pandemic seemingly written as the real-world counterpart was unravelling around the world. However, It doesn't quite live up to the level of character writing established in Wait for me Yesterday in Spring and suffers a little from an underestimation of the audience's maturity, holding the reader's hand in an almost paternalistic manner when it comes to moralizing the story.
With that said, while there way be a few kinks in the author's style that's holding them back from being a must-read author in the LN scene, there's still clear signs of continual improvements in each entry since their The Tunnel to Summer debut that shows he is certainly heading in the right direction.
With that said, while there way be a few kinks in the author's style that's holding them back from being a must-read author in the LN scene, there's still clear signs of continual improvements in each entry since their The Tunnel to Summer debut that shows he is certainly heading in the right direction.
April 6, 2025
Like an arrow of hope shot at the feelings of stress, despair, depression and hopelessness.
Favourite quote:
❝Even if I did manage to find the perfect solutions to all of my current problems, I know I'd probably just come up with a ton of thing to stress myself out about anyway.
Don't let tomorrow stop you from living today.❞
Yet another take on a new time phenomenon, where the world is plucked out of time as if preserved in amber. What I first thought to be a classic hater to lover romance, turned out to be a story about overcoming differences and feelings like desperation and depression.
Reading this book felt like I was actually walking right with them through their journey. At first I found both Kayato and Akira to be very frustrating. I really wanted to kick some sense into both of them. But that wasn't necessary because they learned while exploring the world, fighting, opening up, bonding and growing closer.
I knew the ending wouldn't be the one I was hoping for, and as I reached the final pages, I braced for it. But luckily Akira remembered everything and, I'm guessing, took the notebook with her. At least this way it ended as a hopefull story rather than a sad one. It left me hoping that she indeed took the notebook, that she explains everything and he believes it, that they become friends again and I hope that watching the first snow together meant something more than just that.
And with that, the story ended like the very message it was trying to convey: Hoping for a better future, hoping for a good ending.
Favourite quote:
❝Even if I did manage to find the perfect solutions to all of my current problems, I know I'd probably just come up with a ton of thing to stress myself out about anyway.
Don't let tomorrow stop you from living today.❞
Yet another take on a new time phenomenon, where the world is plucked out of time as if preserved in amber. What I first thought to be a classic hater to lover romance, turned out to be a story about overcoming differences and feelings like desperation and depression.
Reading this book felt like I was actually walking right with them through their journey. At first I found both Kayato and Akira to be very frustrating. I really wanted to kick some sense into both of them. But that wasn't necessary because they learned while exploring the world, fighting, opening up, bonding and growing closer.
I knew the ending wouldn't be the one I was hoping for, and as I reached the final pages, I braced for it. But luckily Akira remembered everything and, I'm guessing, took the notebook with her. At least this way it ended as a hopefull story rather than a sad one. It left me hoping that she indeed took the notebook, that she explains everything and he believes it, that they become friends again and I hope that watching the first snow together meant something more than just that.
And with that, the story ended like the very message it was trying to convey: Hoping for a better future, hoping for a good ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2025
“…So, what, you’re saying I should just turn my brain off completely and pretend like everything’s gonna be okay?”
“No, ya dink. All I’m saying is: Don’t let tomorrow stop you from living today.”
I'm not much of a seasoned reader, but I enjoyed the second half of the story more than the first one.
The first half seemed kinda boring to me and the characters did not really click with me. By the second half, I gradually came to love their quirks and personalities till the very end.
Like most of the author's other works, the book delves on time manipulation, romance/companionship, and serious issues in society. It's not a light read, but it's not too heavy either.
While not the most original story ever, I like how the author lays out the details until suddenly you know what's coming to get you. It's not the best that I've read, but at least I think it's not half-assed, right?
As for the ending, it's always a mixed bag for me, just as the same with their other works. It's not that it's bad per se, personally, but sometimes I expect something else from the ending. Maybe that's just a me problem. You may like it, or you might not, depending on how you want the story to end.
If I were to rate it relative to their other works, then:
"The Tunnel to Summer, An Exit of Goodbyes" <= this book < "Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring"
Overall, it's a worthwhile read for me, I really like the works of the author, and I hope that you'll like it also. You might struggle reading the first half like I did, so just take that in mind ;)
“No, ya dink. All I’m saying is: Don’t let tomorrow stop you from living today.”
I'm not much of a seasoned reader, but I enjoyed the second half of the story more than the first one.
The first half seemed kinda boring to me and the characters did not really click with me. By the second half, I gradually came to love their quirks and personalities till the very end.
Like most of the author's other works, the book delves on time manipulation, romance/companionship, and serious issues in society. It's not a light read, but it's not too heavy either.
While not the most original story ever, I like how the author lays out the details until suddenly you know what's coming to get you. It's not the best that I've read, but at least I think it's not half-assed, right?
As for the ending, it's always a mixed bag for me, just as the same with their other works. It's not that it's bad per se, personally, but sometimes I expect something else from the ending. Maybe that's just a me problem. You may like it, or you might not, depending on how you want the story to end.
If I were to rate it relative to their other works, then:
"The Tunnel to Summer, An Exit of Goodbyes" <= this book < "Wait for Me Yesterday in Spring"
Overall, it's a worthwhile read for me, I really like the works of the author, and I hope that you'll like it also. You might struggle reading the first half like I did, so just take that in mind ;)
June 8, 2025
A loner on a class field trip in northern Japan, ends up in frozen time. Everyone but him and a girl high school student are left unaffected. They learn to survive, and make their way to Tokyo, where a clue to end the mystery might exist.
This is a good story about being a loner, and being a part of society. The writing is very good. It's interesting to read the two people learning to get along with each other, and traveling through Japan.
This is a good story about being a loner, and being a part of society. The writing is very good. It's interesting to read the two people learning to get along with each other, and traveling through Japan.
March 12, 2025
An amazing journey with friends!
This book was a pleasure to read. Izumo and Akira are amusing characters to hang out with. Rather you are a shy or bold; they are fun to be around. Their emotions felt real to me. I found them to be relatable people I would want to be around.
If you like to watch exploration videos on Youtube, you should give this a try.
This book was a pleasure to read. Izumo and Akira are amusing characters to hang out with. Rather you are a shy or bold; they are fun to be around. Their emotions felt real to me. I found them to be relatable people I would want to be around.
If you like to watch exploration videos on Youtube, you should give this a try.
October 14, 2025
An Autumn in Amber is a book that really anyone could enjoy! The aspect of time freezing just seems like something out of my childhood dreams, the way its world's atmosphere is written is done beautifully and the character development is sure to keep you hooked. I would love to see a sequel someday.
December 16, 2025
I thought it was very fun the entire way through. Stereotypical characters but I enjoyed the development nevertheless. Biggest issue was the ending pacing felt a bit odd to me and somewhat unsatisfying
August 17, 2024
Love it
November 24, 2024
This was a great read i loved it. Their little adventure was so cute and fun. I have a few questions regarding the end but other than that i really enjoyed it. Solid 4.5
November 28, 2024
Loved this so much but i wasnt a fan of the ending and therefor i only gave it a 4/5 stars. I really wanna see this as an anime movie at some point. Got great pacing, dialog and character growth.
December 23, 2024
Fun read! Liked the callback to the other two books by the author. Also appreciated that our MC wasn’t magically cured of his illness just because he had a crush on a girl.
January 29, 2025
debating between 4 and 5 stars
January 30, 2025
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
December 11, 2025
A meandering examination of hope, relationships, and finding purpose that you can really enjoy if you let it cook :)
August 25, 2025
The book reminded me a lot of the game Death Stranding. Similar to the game, the characters in the book continue a very long seemingly endless journey. Each step of the journey didn't really have any large obstacle and was not particularly interesting. Intended to be a thriller, I assume, but lacked a compelling motion to propel it forward. In her other books there's always some sense of urgency for the main character which keeps him moving, sometimes almost frantically.
[SPOILER] In this one, they're in a world frozen in time and still have everything they need -- food, water, shelter, etc. They're not concerned at all. I know there's one central theme of whether they'll remember each other in the frozen world or whether they're going to be stuck forever in the frozen world, but neither of those felt strong enough to make me feel anything. I wish there was an urgency for them to travel; some reason for them to actually want to get to his uncle's place; maybe that could have been a plot point in the middle to reveal something huge that they need to stop, some bigger thing. I'm not sure. [END SPOILER]
Still, the concept was interesting, and I really did enjoy the drunken uncle. There was a sort of strange mystique to the way he carried himself and talked about his experiences. I also do have my praise for the author as she does make wonderful works, and I'm looking forward to reading her Winter novel if she comes up with one (since she's writing seasons right now).
[SPOILER] In this one, they're in a world frozen in time and still have everything they need -- food, water, shelter, etc. They're not concerned at all. I know there's one central theme of whether they'll remember each other in the frozen world or whether they're going to be stuck forever in the frozen world, but neither of those felt strong enough to make me feel anything. I wish there was an urgency for them to travel; some reason for them to actually want to get to his uncle's place; maybe that could have been a plot point in the middle to reveal something huge that they need to stop, some bigger thing. I'm not sure. [END SPOILER]
Still, the concept was interesting, and I really did enjoy the drunken uncle. There was a sort of strange mystique to the way he carried himself and talked about his experiences. I also do have my praise for the author as she does make wonderful works, and I'm looking forward to reading her Winter novel if she comes up with one (since she's writing seasons right now).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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