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The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom (Light Novel) #1
The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom (Light Novel) Vol. 1
Philia’s family has produced saints for generations. It’s no surprise that she’s known as the greatest saint of all time—and set to marry the second prince, Julius. What no one expects is for Julius to call off the engagement, claiming that Philia’s perfection makes her charmless and unlikable. To add insult to injury, Philia is packed off to a neighboring country in exchange for gold and resources, forcing her to leave her homeland!
Despite bracing herself for mistreatment, Philia finds a warm welcome in her new town, where she puts her saintly abilities to good use erecting barriers against monsters and curing epidemics. But even as she flourishes in her new life, her homeland is under threat of destruction!
Despite bracing herself for mistreatment, Philia finds a warm welcome in her new town, where she puts her saintly abilities to good use erecting barriers against monsters and curing epidemics. But even as she flourishes in her new life, her homeland is under threat of destruction!
236 pages, Paperback
Published February 4, 2025
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118 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 9, 2025
A little too predictable and a little too conventional, THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 struggles to maneuver uninspiring characters, around an exquisitely bland world, to resolve manifestly obvious challenges. The novel isn't bad; it simply lacks dynamism.
THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 is a breezy, undemanding read that one might enjoy while lazing on vacation, what for its dearth of serious character development and penchant for small but obvious plot holes. Some readers might also enjoy this novel, devoid though it may be of legitimate and meaningful worldbuilding, for its comically unembellished fantasy magic and its awkwardly straightforward view of castle politics.
In brief, Philia has arduously studied magic to the point at which she has attained sainthood, which, colloquially, makes her the magical protector of a small kingdom. The problem? Philia's kingdom is run by an incompetent and sexist fool (Prince Julius), demons and monsters are breaching barriers in waves, and her parents have (successfully) plotted to sell her to the kingdom next door for a handsome sum. But make no mistake, Philia is good at what she does. She's studied medicine, archeology, mineral dowsing, ancient languages, pharmaceutics, and more. She's good at spellcasting and barrier creation. They call her "perfect."
And so, naturally, with great skill and value also comes an array of corrupt officials eager to profit from said skill and value. THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 isn't a particularly complex story: Philia is sold to the neighboring kingdom (whose prince, conveniently, is incredibly kind and heroic); Philia's home is nearly sundered by a demonic hoard in her absence (forcing her younger sister, Mia, a fledgling saint, to save the land); and the fallout thereafter, as Mia forces her way into the halls of decision making to make a name for herself and to save her homeland.
THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 won't surprise its readers, won't beguile its readers, and won't charm its readers. The straightforward nature of the book's character dynamics only succeeds when a character, such as Philia, is deliberately written as being too dense to do what's right. Otherwise, one can intuit each character's personality from their very first appearance. What one sees is precisely what one gets.
On one end of the scale, only Mia shows modest growth over the course of the novel, and even then, the changes are either expected or marginal (e.g., Mia: "I could no longer keep playing the good girl. It was time to be cunning," page 60). On the other end of the scale, the book's antagonists are written so gallingly obvious as to be thoroughly uninteresting. Prince Julius is such a blatant villain that his character's presence deprives all of his scenes of any reasonable tension. One finds it difficult to enjoy a story about clashing political interests among nobles when one party is so fragrantly garish. Most characters lack nuance, the antagonists more so.
The novel's worldbuilding is another problematic area. One challenge is the facile magic system, which purportedly holds great power; however, the author shows readers very little evidence of how this magic system actually works. Philia, Mia, and other characters make great use of "archaic language" and "ancient tomes," but the author provides startingly little in the way of descriptive literature when it comes to the physical spellcasting, the liturgy of barrier formation, or any acts of preparation (writing the spells themselves). For example, when Philia deems it necessary to cast a "Sacred Pillar of Light" to create a barrier to root out an infestation of monsters, she kneels and prays for hours on end. And that's it. She rationalizes the solution, she does the mental math on the effort required, and she just prays. The result isn't merely anticlimactic, it's thoroughly uninspired.
Another, more practical issue with the book's worldbuilding concerns how readers know almost nothing about the kingdoms or territories involved in this story. How large can a nation truly be if one can traverse most of the land in a single day via horse-drawn carriage? Or pass from one kingdom to the next by crossing whole mountain ranges in the span of a day or so? And how large is the continent if one can truly serve as its magical protector with the aid of only a handful of helping mages from nearby? Readers don't know anything about these kingdoms' people, mercantile trades, political legacy, geography, natural resources, ethics or culture. THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 only talks about its four or five primary characters and is only invested in what's happening to those characters when those characters are the focal, narrative viewpoint.
THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 is a good novel for readers who either don't require much for their amusement or for readers whose expectations are stridently low. Again, it's not a bad book, simply uncompelling.
THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 is a breezy, undemanding read that one might enjoy while lazing on vacation, what for its dearth of serious character development and penchant for small but obvious plot holes. Some readers might also enjoy this novel, devoid though it may be of legitimate and meaningful worldbuilding, for its comically unembellished fantasy magic and its awkwardly straightforward view of castle politics.
In brief, Philia has arduously studied magic to the point at which she has attained sainthood, which, colloquially, makes her the magical protector of a small kingdom. The problem? Philia's kingdom is run by an incompetent and sexist fool (Prince Julius), demons and monsters are breaching barriers in waves, and her parents have (successfully) plotted to sell her to the kingdom next door for a handsome sum. But make no mistake, Philia is good at what she does. She's studied medicine, archeology, mineral dowsing, ancient languages, pharmaceutics, and more. She's good at spellcasting and barrier creation. They call her "perfect."
And so, naturally, with great skill and value also comes an array of corrupt officials eager to profit from said skill and value. THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 isn't a particularly complex story: Philia is sold to the neighboring kingdom (whose prince, conveniently, is incredibly kind and heroic); Philia's home is nearly sundered by a demonic hoard in her absence (forcing her younger sister, Mia, a fledgling saint, to save the land); and the fallout thereafter, as Mia forces her way into the halls of decision making to make a name for herself and to save her homeland.
THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 won't surprise its readers, won't beguile its readers, and won't charm its readers. The straightforward nature of the book's character dynamics only succeeds when a character, such as Philia, is deliberately written as being too dense to do what's right. Otherwise, one can intuit each character's personality from their very first appearance. What one sees is precisely what one gets.
On one end of the scale, only Mia shows modest growth over the course of the novel, and even then, the changes are either expected or marginal (e.g., Mia: "I could no longer keep playing the good girl. It was time to be cunning," page 60). On the other end of the scale, the book's antagonists are written so gallingly obvious as to be thoroughly uninteresting. Prince Julius is such a blatant villain that his character's presence deprives all of his scenes of any reasonable tension. One finds it difficult to enjoy a story about clashing political interests among nobles when one party is so fragrantly garish. Most characters lack nuance, the antagonists more so.
The novel's worldbuilding is another problematic area. One challenge is the facile magic system, which purportedly holds great power; however, the author shows readers very little evidence of how this magic system actually works. Philia, Mia, and other characters make great use of "archaic language" and "ancient tomes," but the author provides startingly little in the way of descriptive literature when it comes to the physical spellcasting, the liturgy of barrier formation, or any acts of preparation (writing the spells themselves). For example, when Philia deems it necessary to cast a "Sacred Pillar of Light" to create a barrier to root out an infestation of monsters, she kneels and prays for hours on end. And that's it. She rationalizes the solution, she does the mental math on the effort required, and she just prays. The result isn't merely anticlimactic, it's thoroughly uninspired.
Another, more practical issue with the book's worldbuilding concerns how readers know almost nothing about the kingdoms or territories involved in this story. How large can a nation truly be if one can traverse most of the land in a single day via horse-drawn carriage? Or pass from one kingdom to the next by crossing whole mountain ranges in the span of a day or so? And how large is the continent if one can truly serve as its magical protector with the aid of only a handful of helping mages from nearby? Readers don't know anything about these kingdoms' people, mercantile trades, political legacy, geography, natural resources, ethics or culture. THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 only talks about its four or five primary characters and is only invested in what's happening to those characters when those characters are the focal, narrative viewpoint.
THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT v1 is a good novel for readers who either don't require much for their amusement or for readers whose expectations are stridently low. Again, it's not a bad book, simply uncompelling.
December 13, 2025
So much better than the anime. Don’t miss out.
The novel is very different from the anime. The first chapter begins with tropes, then diverges, but the anime keeps the tropes coming. It’s very superficial in comparison to the light novel.
In the book, the too perfect saint is a perfectionist who is overworked by her kingdom, disrespected by her parents, and infantilized by the foolish prince. Yet she is a perfectionist not because she’s OP, but because she has crippling self-esteem issues. She isn’t an emotionless zombie as depicted in the anime. She is dedicated and deluded, driven by guilt for not meeting her useless kingdom’s expectations.
The prince never grew out of being a cardboard cutout, but the saint was a delight to read about. The story also delves into politics and covers her sister’s transformation in greater detail. When her sister realizes how abused she had been while the sister was coddled, her anguish is heartbreaking.
Over all a good read. I’m looking forward to the next volume.
The novel is very different from the anime. The first chapter begins with tropes, then diverges, but the anime keeps the tropes coming. It’s very superficial in comparison to the light novel.
In the book, the too perfect saint is a perfectionist who is overworked by her kingdom, disrespected by her parents, and infantilized by the foolish prince. Yet she is a perfectionist not because she’s OP, but because she has crippling self-esteem issues. She isn’t an emotionless zombie as depicted in the anime. She is dedicated and deluded, driven by guilt for not meeting her useless kingdom’s expectations.
The prince never grew out of being a cardboard cutout, but the saint was a delight to read about. The story also delves into politics and covers her sister’s transformation in greater detail. When her sister realizes how abused she had been while the sister was coddled, her anguish is heartbreaking.
Over all a good read. I’m looking forward to the next volume.
July 30, 2025
A bit formulaic but still an entertaining read. There was good character development in Philia and Mia. I would like to read Fuyutsuki Koki’s series I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince (Light Novel) Vol. 1 to see how the author has develop new stories.
January 19, 2025
This Volume was awfully bad, one dimensional character, nonsensical action from everyone. The reaveal is decent, about Phillia true parent. but everything else just plain bad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2025
While this in general is the same story that the manga version is telling, there are several differences in this version. Of course, as a light novel, the story also goes much further than the one manga volume currently published does, especially as it finishes the original arc of the story in this first installment. Many questions remain with Philia's relationships and training, but the original inherent danger and the conflict in Girtonia all have conclusions, or so it seems. The conflict could be ongoing if the barriers still hold and the situation potentially changes. It would also be interesting if Philia were to learn about the secrets Mia uncovered while the sisters were separated; so much potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2025
It’s okay…. I just didn’t like it. Also, felt like the main character turned into Mia. I’m not mad about it because Mia was fun, but it made the story too busy.
Oooohhhh!!!! ALSO, all the revelations about the parents and the whole mess with the prince felt like it didn’t fit their persona. By that I mean, the parents and prince were so STUPID how they heck were they able to accomplish any of the stuff that they did without anyone stopping them at the very start of their planning stage.
Oooohhhh!!!! ALSO, all the revelations about the parents and the whole mess with the prince felt like it didn’t fit their persona. By that I mean, the parents and prince were so STUPID how they heck were they able to accomplish any of the stuff that they did without anyone stopping them at the very start of their planning stage.
April 16, 2025
A worth example of a light novel
The story is based around several classic tropes and the villains are almost caricatures. However, the story is fast paced with plenty of action and drama. Some light novels feel immature, as though they are targeted towards young teenagers. This volume didn’t deal with “mature” themes and the violence/abuse was glossed over, but it managed to be intellectually and emotionally appropriate for an adult audience.
The story is based around several classic tropes and the villains are almost caricatures. However, the story is fast paced with plenty of action and drama. Some light novels feel immature, as though they are targeted towards young teenagers. This volume didn’t deal with “mature” themes and the violence/abuse was glossed over, but it managed to be intellectually and emotionally appropriate for an adult audience.
January 23, 2025
A fun little light novel. I wanted there to be a bit more complexity with the “bad guys” and the politics. They were a bit cartoonishly evil, to be honest. But I did like the bond between Philia and her sister and the fact they actually cared and tried to help each other out.
February 6, 2025
fun read
Ok, it was a fun read. It has likable characters but also a few dislikable characters. I will get the next volume.
Ok, it was a fun read. It has likable characters but also a few dislikable characters. I will get the next volume.
February 12, 2025
The book ended so perfectly I have no idea how there will be a book 2. I don’t even think I’d want to read book 2.
March 25, 2025
Simple wholesome plot. Well written shifts in perspective between characters.
April 4, 2025
2.5 rounded up. Not great.
April 17, 2025
Closer to 3.25/3.5
May 23, 2025
Alas, this one didn't hit like I thought it would. There's a lot of telling versus showing within the narrative, which made this read like a summary.
I'm willing to give volume 2 a shot.
I'm willing to give volume 2 a shot.
December 19, 2024
Volume 1: (Chapter 1-5)
Born into a family of saints, Philia’s childhood was filled with harsh education. Nevertheless, it formed her into a great saint and secured her engagement with the second Prince, Julius. But when she became too perfect and thus not cute in his eyes, Julius broke their engagement!
That's why he decided to make her leave her homeland and make her a saint for a neighboring kingdom in exchange for money and resources. Philia was prepared to be treated miserably but what awaited her was an unexpected welcome! Confused by her new circumstances, she began to use her powers to help solve the citizens' problems such as creating a barrier against monsters and creating a cure for the illness that wreaked havoc on the land.
With her new found position, Philia recollected her memories of being in a novel and the future outbreak of monsters that was to come. She used her knowledge and with the help of the people, they quickly dealt with the problem! But at the same time, the very same country that sold her off was also in danger-?! [x]
Born into a family of saints, Philia’s childhood was filled with harsh education. Nevertheless, it formed her into a great saint and secured her engagement with the second Prince, Julius. But when she became too perfect and thus not cute in his eyes, Julius broke their engagement!
That's why he decided to make her leave her homeland and make her a saint for a neighboring kingdom in exchange for money and resources. Philia was prepared to be treated miserably but what awaited her was an unexpected welcome! Confused by her new circumstances, she began to use her powers to help solve the citizens' problems such as creating a barrier against monsters and creating a cure for the illness that wreaked havoc on the land.
With her new found position, Philia recollected her memories of being in a novel and the future outbreak of monsters that was to come. She used her knowledge and with the help of the people, they quickly dealt with the problem! But at the same time, the very same country that sold her off was also in danger-?! [x]
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews