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Homunculus Tears: Alchemy for the Brokenhearted
From the bestselling author of I'm in Love with the Villainess comes a powerful new fantasy yuri novel—a poignant tale of despair and the quest for meaning beyond the battlefield.
Amid a prolonged conflict between humans and demons, humanity stands on the brink.
The protagonist, Maha, is a powerful human alchemist fighting on the frontlines. One day, however, Maha’s mother, Diriyah—who is also an engineer—announces that she has achieved a breakthrough by successfully creating a “Homunculus” through the use of alchemy.
According to Diriyah, with the Homunculus to stand in and fight, humanity can triumph over the demons without further sacrifice of human lives.
Paying little heed to the rejoicing troops, Maha—who has only ever found purpose on the battlefield—is shaken by the prospect of losing the only meaning in life she has ever known.
“If I’m not even expected to fight… What exactly am I supposed to do?”
This is a story about overcoming the despair of having never wanted to be born.
Amid a prolonged conflict between humans and demons, humanity stands on the brink.
The protagonist, Maha, is a powerful human alchemist fighting on the frontlines. One day, however, Maha’s mother, Diriyah—who is also an engineer—announces that she has achieved a breakthrough by successfully creating a “Homunculus” through the use of alchemy.
According to Diriyah, with the Homunculus to stand in and fight, humanity can triumph over the demons without further sacrifice of human lives.
Paying little heed to the rejoicing troops, Maha—who has only ever found purpose on the battlefield—is shaken by the prospect of losing the only meaning in life she has ever known.
“If I’m not even expected to fight… What exactly am I supposed to do?”
This is a story about overcoming the despair of having never wanted to be born.
- GenresLight Novel
168 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2025
23 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 17, 2025
2.5 rounded to 3
Between the aimless plot that kicks in only at the 70% mark, the milquetoast translation that can't consistently write Ruri's dialogue (the translator is different from the villainess series [more's the shame] and Ruri either speaks normally or like a toddler), and a setting that is never filled out beyond the vaguest sketches, I was sadly a little disappointed. This novel reads like it was written with an eight-grade audience in mind (and that's fine!), but children too deserve well-structured yuri.
Between the aimless plot that kicks in only at the 70% mark, the milquetoast translation that can't consistently write Ruri's dialogue (the translator is different from the villainess series [more's the shame] and Ruri either speaks normally or like a toddler), and a setting that is never filled out beyond the vaguest sketches, I was sadly a little disappointed. This novel reads like it was written with an eight-grade audience in mind (and that's fine!), but children too deserve well-structured yuri.
June 5, 2025
Trata un tema muy interesante, que me toca de muy cerca "Ojalá no hubiese nacido". Te plantea como te ve el resto del mundo, como una finalidad y no como una persona, un objeto. Tú estás aquí para cumplir con esto, esto y aquello. Y me ha hecho sentir bastante representada, la verdad. Pero luego te da a entender que la vida puede ser tan dulce como tú quieras si haces lo que realmente te gusta. Un libro excelente.
Me ha enganchado tanto, que en una mañana lo he devorado.
Me ha enganchado tanto, que en una mañana lo he devorado.
May 12, 2025
Maha, a alchemist fighting demons, is instructed to train Ruri, a artificial girl created only to fight. Only Ruri is a goof unsuitable to battle... so Maha has to figure out how to train her without falling to her cute sweetness.
Kind of default yuri, as NO male characters get shown.
3.5 stars. Good, if a bit short.
Kind of default yuri, as NO male characters get shown.
3.5 stars. Good, if a bit short.
July 18, 2025
inori is a guilty pleasure author for me. I loved her previous series but this one didn't resonate with me. I feel like this might have worked better as a longer book to give us more time with Maha and Ruri in lighthearted moments. I started to get into it near the end but by that point there were 20 pages left.
May 4, 2025
a great read
I really enjoyed this book, it has humor, angst and plenty of action.
I like the fact that romance isn’t the main focus of the story and wither something happens or not it was fine.
I really enjoyed this book, it has humor, angst and plenty of action.
I like the fact that romance isn’t the main focus of the story and wither something happens or not it was fine.
April 27, 2025
Los demonios son de lo más aburrido de Villainess. Verlos reciclados aquí me hizo perder todo el interés y, el resto no compensa. Ni los temas, ni los personajes.
Meh.
Meh.
August 20, 2025
La historia es sencilla, fácil de leer y te engancha. La temática que se trata es profunda y te lleva a pensar en las cosas positivas de la vida. Las protagonistas te cautivan el corazón.
April 27, 2025
Life is a Choice
Overall Homunculus Tears is a well written tale, and it does have a good message throughout. It’s well worth the read. While not quite as Comic as I’m in Love with the Villainess, its a well paced and engaging tale. And really have to give it to the author for taking a risk and self publishing on a global scale. (English, Japanese, and German).
Overall Homunculus Tears is a well written tale, and it does have a good message throughout. It’s well worth the read. While not quite as Comic as I’m in Love with the Villainess, its a well paced and engaging tale. And really have to give it to the author for taking a risk and self publishing on a global scale. (English, Japanese, and German).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews