Hey, a romance book I actually enjoyed quite a bit! Big surprise! Thing is, I've always enjoyed a good romance, but a good romance is really hard to find in my opinion, especially amongst all the copy-past trope-heavy (straight) stuff that just doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Now, I'm not saying that Semantic Error does anything out of the ordinary, but what it does is very effective and sweet. Let me explain:
The relationship between the boys has actual proper build-up, it's a true slow burn, and the development of their partnership felt natural and logical. Unlike so many modern romance/romantasy, the couple doesn't start of thirsting for each other from page 10 onward, no. The two boys dislike each other and then there's actual time dedicated to them getting to know each other, growing fond of each other and eventually finding each other attractive (se*ually and romantically). I really do like their progression, there are teasing and infuriating moments, but then there are sweet and cute moments to break the tension. The two boys feel different in the way they think of their relationships, they both take time to consider their feelings, and they take their time to figure out what they are to each other. Personally, the bullying at the beginning of their relationship was a tat too much for me and the later half of the book focuses a little too heavily on physical attraction, but it never got overtly annoying while reading.
There's spice in this book, I would only recommend this to people age 16+. Full on s*x is described multiple times, but for once it didn't bother me that much because it (mostly) feels justified and actually serves somewhat of a point. I'm not opposed to smut (I do read fan fiction regularly), but popular romance/romantasy books always make the spice sound like the most ridiculously cringe thing ever. In those types of books, everyone and everything is always so f*cking hot, it's all about thirsting 24/7, the s*x is always described in the same way, and it's often just there to fill page time. But in Semantic Error, I didn't find the spice to be nearly as annoying or cringe. The physical attraction isn't there from the very beginning, there's a progression to it. And when s*x becomes a bigger topic of the boys' relationship, they don't go all in all the way from the get go. They take steps, they go a little further each time they're intimate, so it feels like there's actual progression to their relationship/attraction. And I like that not everything is super hot and perfect all the time. There are awkward moments when they're intimate, something doesn't work as intended, or there's simply something coming up that makes the encounter less smooth but more interesting. Sure, the s*x scenes are still described in explicit detail and things are hot when they get going, but the way in which the s*x was described never gave me a feeling of embarrassment or uncomfortableness.
I like that Jaeyoung and Sangwoo feel like two completely different characters who really have to get to know each other before they would even admit that they're interested in each other. You could maybe tag their relationship as grumpy x sunshine, but I personally think that simplifies their personalities too much. I like that we see Jaeyoung start out as a bit of a popular kid who thinks he can do whatever he wants because people generally like him; but when he meets Sangwoo he eventually tries to be less of an arse because he understands that his behavior isn't always appropriate. But despite his changes, he never has to give up his core personality and we come to understand why he likes Sangwoo and how Sangwoo learns to feel comfortable around him. Jaeyoung is a bit of an overly enthusiastic/confident twat, but we see that there's more to him than meets the eye. Now, Sangwoo I adore to very much because that boy is 100% autistic-coded and it's low-key delightful how relatable he is. The author probably didn't write him with an autism diagnosis in mind, the word is never mentioned, but it's so clearly there and not in an insulting, stereotypical way (for the most part, there are hiccups) which makes his character so interesting. While he is seen as a bit of a weirdo, Jaeyoung never outright bullies him for that and he doesn't try to "fix" Sangwoo. Sure, Jaeyoung does try to help Sangwoo open up a bit more and challenge his viewpoints, but it never felt like Jaeyoung was doing it forcefully or because he felt like Sangwoo "needed to change". I like that Sangwoo mostly feels comfortable in who he is, he doesn't see the need in having to act differently for others. Similar to Jaeyoung, Sangwoo changes in subtle ways, but it never feels like we lose the awkward, autistic-coded character from the beginning of the book.
There aren't that many secondary characters, but the ones we do get feel like actual people with a personality. While I personally wish that Jaeyoung and Sangwoo had sometimes spent more times with the secondary characters instead of each other, what we get from the supporting cast is still solid. I hope that in the sequel we'll be introduced to more fellow students and friends of the two main characters, if not to make the "world-building" feel a little more well-rounded.
This is a first solid light novel which does end somewhat abruptly, so you can definitely tell that there are sequels ahead. This does only feel like the start of the boys' relationship and I like that there are still enough aspects for me to wonder about which make me wanna read the rest of the series. The flaws of this book only really lie in the pacing which does feel a little dragged out in the 2nd half, and the overt focus on the s*xual aspects of their relationship that made me miss the romantic tension from earlier in the story. Still, I had a lot of fun with this, I'm definitely gonna check out the manhwa and k-drama now, and then I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series!