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You Can Have My Back #1
You Can Have My Back (Light Novel), Vol. 1
I’ll Never Let You Go Again...
When Ionia, proud knight of the realm, loses his life in a violent insurrection, his memories are inherited by a boy born one day after his death. Years later, Leorino Cassieux, fourth son of the Margrave of Brungwurt and blessed with angelic beauty, begins to see Ionia’s memories in his dreams. He relives Ionia’s ill-fated romance with the king’s younger brother, Prince Gravis, as well as his death at the hands of a traitor to the kingdom! But as Leorino tries to make sense of the feeling swelling in his chest, he stumbles too close to the truth of that fateful day. The traitor’s identity is revealed, and in a panic, the traitor threatens to end himself and take Leorino with him! As Leorino’s life hangs in the balance, he instinctively cries out for his only the love of his past life, Gravis.
When Ionia, proud knight of the realm, loses his life in a violent insurrection, his memories are inherited by a boy born one day after his death. Years later, Leorino Cassieux, fourth son of the Margrave of Brungwurt and blessed with angelic beauty, begins to see Ionia’s memories in his dreams. He relives Ionia’s ill-fated romance with the king’s younger brother, Prince Gravis, as well as his death at the hands of a traitor to the kingdom! But as Leorino tries to make sense of the feeling swelling in his chest, he stumbles too close to the truth of that fateful day. The traitor’s identity is revealed, and in a panic, the traitor threatens to end himself and take Leorino with him! As Leorino’s life hangs in the balance, he instinctively cries out for his only the love of his past life, Gravis.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2023
47 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
August 31, 2023
❤️ You Can Have My Back - Minami Kotsuna ❤️
👑 royalty
⚔️ war intrigue
🥀 reincarnation
💖 fated lovers
💌 age gap
to say I am dissapointed is an underwhelming statement... 🙈 this book had so much potential but it was lost somewhere in the execution and honestly poor writing as well as characters that do not seem to have any debt or development whatsoever 😭 (sorry not sorry) I was praying Gravis wouldn't act as a predator around Leorino, as all the other men were, but I was so wrong and kinda sad about that because they are the main couple in this story 👀 also 🚫 TRIGGER WARNINGS!
👑 royalty
⚔️ war intrigue
🥀 reincarnation
💖 fated lovers
💌 age gap
to say I am dissapointed is an underwhelming statement... 🙈 this book had so much potential but it was lost somewhere in the execution and honestly poor writing as well as characters that do not seem to have any debt or development whatsoever 😭 (sorry not sorry) I was praying Gravis wouldn't act as a predator around Leorino, as all the other men were, but I was so wrong and kinda sad about that because they are the main couple in this story 👀 also 🚫 TRIGGER WARNINGS!
December 19, 2023
Okay, I'm officially dnf-ing this at 38%
I just can't read it anymore. The most repetitive book I've ever read. The story would be so cool, but the execution is subpar.
I just can't read it anymore. The most repetitive book I've ever read. The story would be so cool, but the execution is subpar.
April 6, 2025
Oh, I love this book. I love this book. I've been on such a queer fantasy kick lately, and this was exactly what I needed: a fantasy book were the romantic component is almost secondary to the rest of the plot. Yes, the relationship between Gravis and Ionia (and Lucas) is a key component of the personal history of all characters, and the growing relationship between Gravis and Leorino (and Leorino and everyone who sees him) is a key component of the plot and the character's personal developments, but there is so much more at play here than just romance. And it is everything I love in fantasy stories.
The world of You Can Have My Back is composed of three main kingdoms, each with their own history and unique interrelations. The main kingdom the story takes place in is Fanoren, and we are given a fairly in depth look into how society and political system in Fanoren works and the interconnection of noble families through births and marriages. And I just LOVE this kind of thing (but then again, I am a history major, so I'm predisposed to like this kind of thing). It makes me want to reread the story just to create a map of all the character's personal relations, namely who is related to which family, just to fully track the political situation at play here. Honestly, if you love complex relationships and delicate political systems as much as I do, read this book; this aspect was done really, really well.
Some reviewers mentioned that the novel repeats the same information, chiefly the same historical events, over and over again. While this true, it never really bothered me because the repetition often came through different perspectives and lenses, allowing the reader to paint a more holistic picture of what happened in the past. It never quite felt like complete repetition, but instead like new information was building on old information. Also, when so much of what is going on today is based on what happened in the past, it makes sense that those past events will keep coming up.
Now on to the part of this review that seems to be the uncommon opinion among most reviews for this book: I really like the characters.
When I was first looking into this book, I remember seeing a review that referred to Leorino as lacking agency, and that comment kept coming back up in my mind as I read because for the first half of the book, Leorino is a literal child. The book starts at his birth and walks us through his childhood up to his adulthood, so it makes sense that he would lack agency because he is a literal child for half of it. Also, Leorino's lack of agency as an young adult is something that is a driving force of his character; he knows he is limited and sheltered and actively wants to obtain the agency he's been denied because of his position and situation. It may read as him being weak, but I see it more as this book was a mass set up for his character potential growth that will occur in the series. Whether that growth happens, only time can tell. The other thing that bothered me about that comment gets me into spoiler territory (for an event that occurs about 1/4 of the way into the book), but I feel that it is too important to not mention:
But, aside from just Leorino, I like all the characters in this book. I love how diverse everyone is, how there are different motives at play, how complex everyone's interests and relationships are. I'm not squicked at all by the impending Leorino/Gravis relationship, despite the nineteen year age gap, because the whole time I was reading, I really felt that Gravis would be the person to see Leorino for himself and help him better himself. I am so fascinated by the past and Ionia, and I cannot wait to see where all of that ends up going.
Anyhow, this got much longer than I intended. I really loved this book. I cannot wait for the next one.
The world of You Can Have My Back is composed of three main kingdoms, each with their own history and unique interrelations. The main kingdom the story takes place in is Fanoren, and we are given a fairly in depth look into how society and political system in Fanoren works and the interconnection of noble families through births and marriages. And I just LOVE this kind of thing (but then again, I am a history major, so I'm predisposed to like this kind of thing). It makes me want to reread the story just to create a map of all the character's personal relations, namely who is related to which family, just to fully track the political situation at play here. Honestly, if you love complex relationships and delicate political systems as much as I do, read this book; this aspect was done really, really well.
Some reviewers mentioned that the novel repeats the same information, chiefly the same historical events, over and over again. While this true, it never really bothered me because the repetition often came through different perspectives and lenses, allowing the reader to paint a more holistic picture of what happened in the past. It never quite felt like complete repetition, but instead like new information was building on old information. Also, when so much of what is going on today is based on what happened in the past, it makes sense that those past events will keep coming up.
Now on to the part of this review that seems to be the uncommon opinion among most reviews for this book: I really like the characters.
When I was first looking into this book, I remember seeing a review that referred to Leorino as lacking agency, and that comment kept coming back up in my mind as I read because for the first half of the book, Leorino is a literal child. The book starts at his birth and walks us through his childhood up to his adulthood, so it makes sense that he would lack agency because he is a literal child for half of it. Also, Leorino's lack of agency as an young adult is something that is a driving force of his character; he knows he is limited and sheltered and actively wants to obtain the agency he's been denied because of his position and situation. It may read as him being weak, but I see it more as this book was a mass set up for his character potential growth that will occur in the series. Whether that growth happens, only time can tell. The other thing that bothered me about that comment gets me into spoiler territory (for an event that occurs about 1/4 of the way into the book), but I feel that it is too important to not mention:
But, aside from just Leorino, I like all the characters in this book. I love how diverse everyone is, how there are different motives at play, how complex everyone's interests and relationships are. I'm not squicked at all by the impending Leorino/Gravis relationship, despite the nineteen year age gap, because the whole time I was reading, I really felt that Gravis would be the person to see Leorino for himself and help him better himself. I am so fascinated by the past and Ionia, and I cannot wait to see where all of that ends up going.
Anyhow, this got much longer than I intended. I really loved this book. I cannot wait for the next one.
December 5, 2023
Eighteen years ago, Ionia died on the field of battle, and the next day, Leorino was born. When he turns eleven, he begins dreaming of Ionia's life, including his memories of "Vi," his best friend and impossible true love. Ionia and Vi never managed to truly be together as more than friends because Ionia was born a commoner and Vi was a prince, and that pain has carried over. Vi never married after Ionia died.
But what if Ionia came back? That's what most of the main characters struggle with in this volume. Leorino, who is as different physically from Ionia as he can be, isn't entirely sure how to handle his memories, because despite having them, he's not Ionia - he's Leorino, and he wants to be able to live his life. He wants to avenge Ionia's death, which was orchestrated by a traitor who remains hidden eighteen years after the battle, and he does love Vi, but he wants Vi to love him for who he is now, not just for who he used to be. It's surprisingly thoughtful and gives some serious MXTX energy.
I'm not thrilled that it comes wrapped in plastic. Yes, it's a light novel with M/M sex scenes, but they're no more descriptive than in your average romance novel, and certainly less so than the aforementioned danmei author's works. It feels like a slope Yen On really shouldn't want to slip down, considering that their parent publisher, Hachette, has a romance imprint, and it makes me wish that they'd left the racy novels to Seven Seas, who does not ship BL/danmei novels wrapped like a dirty secret.
But what if Ionia came back? That's what most of the main characters struggle with in this volume. Leorino, who is as different physically from Ionia as he can be, isn't entirely sure how to handle his memories, because despite having them, he's not Ionia - he's Leorino, and he wants to be able to live his life. He wants to avenge Ionia's death, which was orchestrated by a traitor who remains hidden eighteen years after the battle, and he does love Vi, but he wants Vi to love him for who he is now, not just for who he used to be. It's surprisingly thoughtful and gives some serious MXTX energy.
I'm not thrilled that it comes wrapped in plastic. Yes, it's a light novel with M/M sex scenes, but they're no more descriptive than in your average romance novel, and certainly less so than the aforementioned danmei author's works. It feels like a slope Yen On really shouldn't want to slip down, considering that their parent publisher, Hachette, has a romance imprint, and it makes me wish that they'd left the racy novels to Seven Seas, who does not ship BL/danmei novels wrapped like a dirty secret.
May 29, 2025
5/5 🌟
You know... I never was expecting such a great story!
Age-gap. Reincarnation. Disability. Tragedy. Triangle? Magic!
What more can you ask for?
There's so many twist to this story I just had my mind blown. I went into this blind and I don't regret it! Leorino is a fighter. Gravis is loyal, but understands moreso than Lucas.
Leorino is his own person despite having memories and perhaps being the reincarnation of a past lover, and Gravis knows that.
We also get to know the tragic past of Gravis, Lucas, and Ionia. The frustrating walls that kept Ionia from love from flourishing as well as the reality of loneliness and how his humanity –both body and soul— stirred his feelings enough to cling to warmth in a world of coldness. He was very frustrating, but I couldn't blame him. It just made him more human.
Warning ahead ⚠️
Our poor Leorino suffers so much and tragically becomes disabled. A plot quickly starts brewing right during and after. Don't be uncomfortable about the age-gap. Our loving boy grows up strong in mind. I normally don't like damsels in distress, but this was very tastefully written.
You know... I never was expecting such a great story!
Age-gap. Reincarnation. Disability. Tragedy. Triangle? Magic!
What more can you ask for?
There's so many twist to this story I just had my mind blown. I went into this blind and I don't regret it! Leorino is a fighter. Gravis is loyal, but understands moreso than Lucas.
Leorino is his own person despite having memories and perhaps being the reincarnation of a past lover, and Gravis knows that.
We also get to know the tragic past of Gravis, Lucas, and Ionia. The frustrating walls that kept Ionia from love from flourishing as well as the reality of loneliness and how his humanity –both body and soul— stirred his feelings enough to cling to warmth in a world of coldness. He was very frustrating, but I couldn't blame him. It just made him more human.
Warning ahead ⚠️
Our poor Leorino suffers so much and tragically becomes disabled. A plot quickly starts brewing right during and after. Don't be uncomfortable about the age-gap. Our loving boy grows up strong in mind. I normally don't like damsels in distress, but this was very tastefully written.
November 5, 2024
This is exactly the type of romance story I adore, filled with love and yearning that endures even beyond death. We explore two timelines here and each is written so well that the drastic changes in these characters after being wrecked by grief, are still believable. There is light, but there is also darkness and obsession born of pain. I put off reading this for so long, and am so happy that I've finally started it when the whole series is available.
October 1, 2023
Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review, thank you Yen On for this opportunity.
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This was a bit of a let down for me.
I was very interested as I love me a good BL and the cover art was very eye catching but then I found some things that didn't work for me and it just became a chore just to read it.
I love the idea of the reincarnation and how it it presented, as dreams for Leorino but I absolutely despised how little agency this poor guy has, and frankly it was a bit much absolutely every man that ever sees him just creeps on him. The whole idea that he is so beautiful that other man can't contain themselves so he must be sequestered and protected... It was very much not the type of fantasy I enjoy.
---
This was a bit of a let down for me.
I was very interested as I love me a good BL and the cover art was very eye catching but then I found some things that didn't work for me and it just became a chore just to read it.
I love the idea of the reincarnation and how it it presented, as dreams for Leorino but I absolutely despised how little agency this poor guy has, and frankly it was a bit much absolutely every man that ever sees him just creeps on him. The whole idea that he is so beautiful that other man can't contain themselves so he must be sequestered and protected... It was very much not the type of fantasy I enjoy.
July 25, 2023
*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*
I'll be honest, this is not a type of story I really enjoy, and while I finished it, there was a lot I didn't really like. However, a lot of this is personal taste. The main character is Leorino, a young noble who happens to have been born with the memories of Ionia, a knight who died in the previous war. While this sounds like a rebirth set up, it's made very clear that Rino simply holds these memories, and is not Ionia himself, the two are separate people. My main issue with this story is Rino's character. He's someone who's been sheltered his whole life due to issues outside of his control and while he starts multiple times he wishes to be independent etc. the plot is setup in a way that almost always takes his agency away. Due to his looks (which are harped on constantly) he's a target, and it's made abundantly clear what people think of him through several often uncomfortable scenes. My second biggest issue is with Gravis, the ml, who was in love with Ionia and is currently 37, 19 years older than Rino. There are some good things here though, I liked the interactions between Rino and his family members, and the translation is fantastic. I do think that volume one was too slow while things were explained and setup, and that going forward the plot will be a bit more engaging. I'm not sure i'll read more, but I can see lots of light novel readers being interested in this story.
I'll be honest, this is not a type of story I really enjoy, and while I finished it, there was a lot I didn't really like. However, a lot of this is personal taste. The main character is Leorino, a young noble who happens to have been born with the memories of Ionia, a knight who died in the previous war. While this sounds like a rebirth set up, it's made very clear that Rino simply holds these memories, and is not Ionia himself, the two are separate people. My main issue with this story is Rino's character. He's someone who's been sheltered his whole life due to issues outside of his control and while he starts multiple times he wishes to be independent etc. the plot is setup in a way that almost always takes his agency away. Due to his looks (which are harped on constantly) he's a target, and it's made abundantly clear what people think of him through several often uncomfortable scenes. My second biggest issue is with Gravis, the ml, who was in love with Ionia and is currently 37, 19 years older than Rino. There are some good things here though, I liked the interactions between Rino and his family members, and the translation is fantastic. I do think that volume one was too slow while things were explained and setup, and that going forward the plot will be a bit more engaging. I'm not sure i'll read more, but I can see lots of light novel readers being interested in this story.
February 19, 2025
I made it halfway, and I can't do any more. I was so intrigued by the premise, and I love that there are illustrations, but the translation is choppy and every single trope in the book (which is primarily made up of them without any subversion at all) is one of the tropes I can't stand, particularly in BL. I'm so disappointed! (and yes, this year I am letting myself DNF books I'm not enjoying because my reading time is so short, and I should have learned to do this years ago.)
September 28, 2023
Three and a half stars, rounded up.
Warning that the review may contain mild spoilers. And a general trigger warning if you decide to read this book as well.
This series is quite recent but I feel like, if you are someone whose first ventures into yaoi involved Old School Yaoi™ from a few years (or decades?) ago, this story might feel nostalgic in a sense. Just the way the characters feel and their interactions with each other are fairly reminiscent of a mix between Ai no Kusabi and a more serious Kyou Kara Maou. In terms of atmosphere, at the very least.
First off, this is maybe an unpopular opinion but: I really liked Leorino. I understand how it might be annoying to some that there are always comments about his angelic beauty, but my favorite light novel series of all time has a male deuteragonist who is also called beautiful every other paragraph, so you could say I'm used to it. (It's the Jeweler Richard series, by the way.) And I know that this annoyance can be further compounded by his lack of agency for majority of this volume. Throughout the book, he laments at his inability to be fully independent due to a variety of things, and yet he also expresses a desire to persevere to the point of being able to protect someone.
I think that's the meaning behind the title of the series, isn't it? There was emphasis, after all, about Ionia having Gravis's back. I feel like the title is hinting at a future where Gravis acknowledges Leorino as someone who can watch Gravis's back. For that, as well as for Josef's comments in the last few chapters about the change in Leorino, I have hope for Leorino's character development.
I liked Gravis as well, even though we actually don't see much of his present self in this volume. His interactions with Leorino were few, but they were quite impactful - he saved Leorino, three whole times! - and I did feel him soften up around Leorino himself. What I appreciate about him, too, is that while he recognizes Leorino as weak due to his very sheltered nature, he doesn't mock Leorino for it unlike, say, Lucas.
Some side characters were great as well, such as Sasha and Josef and Dirk. Even Kyle intrigued me, because he is definitely hiding something. However, if the author wrote Lucas in such a way that you were meant to hate him, then I would say that the author has firmly succeeded. Even in the chapters tackling Ionia's life in the past, I never warmed up to Lucas.
This novel does attempt to provide commentary on the concept of nobility - and, indeed, a lot of the problems that Gravis, Ionia, and Leorino face stem from this. Gravis is a royal prince and must adhere to a certain set of rules and expectations. Ionia is (was) a commoner and thus must know his place. Leorino is of nobility, but he is the fourth son, and is vulnerable due to society deeming him as not important enough because he is not an heir. It's quite heavy-handed, but the question of someone being noble or "pure" enough gets raised quite a few times in this volume.
However, this leads to my main annoyance about this volume. A lot of conflicts - both internal and external - are introduced, but we don't get an ounce of resolution for any of them. Of course, this is only the first volume in the series, but it's still frustrating to read all about Zwelf, and the traitor in Fanoren's ranks, and whatever other political plots there are, since they all go unresolved. A few things go unexplained too, perhaps on purpose. An example would be how Joachim came to ascend to the throne instead of Gravis, because the only context we get about the political tensions from the past come from Ionia's very limited memories.
I do think there is potential in this series. I'll be reading the rest of the volumes regardless, but I hope that this is just a case of a weak start with the story getting stronger as the volumes go on.
P.S. Yes, the reincarnation bit can get confusing because of Leorino sometimes narrating as if he is Ionia but also insisting that he isn't. I like to think of it as fairly similar to Dan Feng and Dan Heng from Honkai: Star Rail. Leorino inherited Ionia's memories, but he is still his own person and can forge his own path in the future.
Warning that the review may contain mild spoilers. And a general trigger warning if you decide to read this book as well.
This series is quite recent but I feel like, if you are someone whose first ventures into yaoi involved Old School Yaoi™ from a few years (or decades?) ago, this story might feel nostalgic in a sense. Just the way the characters feel and their interactions with each other are fairly reminiscent of a mix between Ai no Kusabi and a more serious Kyou Kara Maou. In terms of atmosphere, at the very least.
First off, this is maybe an unpopular opinion but: I really liked Leorino. I understand how it might be annoying to some that there are always comments about his angelic beauty, but my favorite light novel series of all time has a male deuteragonist who is also called beautiful every other paragraph, so you could say I'm used to it. (It's the Jeweler Richard series, by the way.) And I know that this annoyance can be further compounded by his lack of agency for majority of this volume. Throughout the book, he laments at his inability to be fully independent due to a variety of things, and yet he also expresses a desire to persevere to the point of being able to protect someone.
I think that's the meaning behind the title of the series, isn't it? There was emphasis, after all, about Ionia having Gravis's back. I feel like the title is hinting at a future where Gravis acknowledges Leorino as someone who can watch Gravis's back. For that, as well as for Josef's comments in the last few chapters about the change in Leorino, I have hope for Leorino's character development.
I liked Gravis as well, even though we actually don't see much of his present self in this volume. His interactions with Leorino were few, but they were quite impactful - he saved Leorino, three whole times! - and I did feel him soften up around Leorino himself. What I appreciate about him, too, is that while he recognizes Leorino as weak due to his very sheltered nature, he doesn't mock Leorino for it unlike, say, Lucas.
Some side characters were great as well, such as Sasha and Josef and Dirk. Even Kyle intrigued me, because he is definitely hiding something. However, if the author wrote Lucas in such a way that you were meant to hate him, then I would say that the author has firmly succeeded. Even in the chapters tackling Ionia's life in the past, I never warmed up to Lucas.
This novel does attempt to provide commentary on the concept of nobility - and, indeed, a lot of the problems that Gravis, Ionia, and Leorino face stem from this. Gravis is a royal prince and must adhere to a certain set of rules and expectations. Ionia is (was) a commoner and thus must know his place. Leorino is of nobility, but he is the fourth son, and is vulnerable due to society deeming him as not important enough because he is not an heir. It's quite heavy-handed, but the question of someone being noble or "pure" enough gets raised quite a few times in this volume.
However, this leads to my main annoyance about this volume. A lot of conflicts - both internal and external - are introduced, but we don't get an ounce of resolution for any of them. Of course, this is only the first volume in the series, but it's still frustrating to read all about Zwelf, and the traitor in Fanoren's ranks, and whatever other political plots there are, since they all go unresolved. A few things go unexplained too, perhaps on purpose. An example would be how Joachim came to ascend to the throne instead of Gravis, because the only context we get about the political tensions from the past come from Ionia's very limited memories.
I do think there is potential in this series. I'll be reading the rest of the volumes regardless, but I hope that this is just a case of a weak start with the story getting stronger as the volumes go on.
P.S. Yes, the reincarnation bit can get confusing because of Leorino sometimes narrating as if he is Ionia but also insisting that he isn't. I like to think of it as fairly similar to Dan Feng and Dan Heng from Honkai: Star Rail. Leorino inherited Ionia's memories, but he is still his own person and can forge his own path in the future.
August 5, 2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not what I expected, but it doesn't disappoint.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
When I chose this ARC, I thought it was a graphic novel/manga, so my first surprise when I started reading was to realize that it wasn't. The second, in a long list of surprises, was the prologue… I think they should put a content warning so that readers don't stumble upon these kinds of scenes inadvertently. I'm not referring to the explicit content, I mean the no-con.
Third surprise… I thought it would be a novel with a renaissance plot, but it's not like that, at least not completely. Ionia and Leorino are two different people, except that Rino has Ionia's memories and while he sleeps he can access them and learn about Ionia's life.
I liked that Rino found a way to express his thoughts and desires despite the fact that the people around him insisted on pigeonholing him into stereotypes or making him fit into their own versions of what he should be.
Even though I'm not a fan of political intrigues, that part of the story was quite interesting, at times I got quite angry because certain situations could have been avoided if the characters stopped keeping important information to themselves. But hey, there's nothing we can do more than wait and see how it all unfolds.
I loved the illustrations at the beginning of the book. Many things remained pending, but I suppose they will be resolved in the following volumes.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
When I chose this ARC, I thought it was a graphic novel/manga, so my first surprise when I started reading was to realize that it wasn't. The second, in a long list of surprises, was the prologue… I think they should put a content warning so that readers don't stumble upon these kinds of scenes inadvertently. I'm not referring to the explicit content, I mean the no-con.
Third surprise… I thought it would be a novel with a renaissance plot, but it's not like that, at least not completely. Ionia and Leorino are two different people, except that Rino has Ionia's memories and while he sleeps he can access them and learn about Ionia's life.
I liked that Rino found a way to express his thoughts and desires despite the fact that the people around him insisted on pigeonholing him into stereotypes or making him fit into their own versions of what he should be.
Even though I'm not a fan of political intrigues, that part of the story was quite interesting, at times I got quite angry because certain situations could have been avoided if the characters stopped keeping important information to themselves. But hey, there's nothing we can do more than wait and see how it all unfolds.
I loved the illustrations at the beginning of the book. Many things remained pending, but I suppose they will be resolved in the following volumes.
May 20, 2025
This story was so good! I purchased mostly because I thought the cover was gorgeous and it sounded a little interesting and it went way above my expectations.
One thing I will say about this book first of all – you can tell it is a book in translation. I don’t say this in a bad way. I say this mostly for those who are looking for a typical adult romantasy in the western style. This book is not that. BUT it is a very good book. This book is translated from the original Japanese and just in the structure of the sentences, paragraphs, and chapters and also in the way the scenes are set I can tell, as someone who speaks Japanese, that this book was originally in Japanese. It just has that flavor to it.
The beginning was a bit slow but knowing this was a book in translation made me able to read it because I know that a lot of Japanese books start off slower than the typical western book, so I was ready for it. There was a lot of flashbacks, scene setting, as well as most of the MC’s childhood. But once we get to the main meat of the story I was so enthralled I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know what happened next. One thing that did bother me was the huge emphasis placed on how beautiful Leorino was. I have no problem with a beautiful character. My problem with it is that it is constantly used by everyone, Leorino and his family included, as an excuse for him basically being assaulted by people. Not okay in my books. The spicy level was also a level 5.
Overall, I would rate this story a 4.5 out of 5 star. Not quite a full 5 because of the beauty thing but I’m hopeful now that he’s with Gravis, that will get better in the second book.
One thing I will say about this book first of all – you can tell it is a book in translation. I don’t say this in a bad way. I say this mostly for those who are looking for a typical adult romantasy in the western style. This book is not that. BUT it is a very good book. This book is translated from the original Japanese and just in the structure of the sentences, paragraphs, and chapters and also in the way the scenes are set I can tell, as someone who speaks Japanese, that this book was originally in Japanese. It just has that flavor to it.
The beginning was a bit slow but knowing this was a book in translation made me able to read it because I know that a lot of Japanese books start off slower than the typical western book, so I was ready for it. There was a lot of flashbacks, scene setting, as well as most of the MC’s childhood. But once we get to the main meat of the story I was so enthralled I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know what happened next. One thing that did bother me was the huge emphasis placed on how beautiful Leorino was. I have no problem with a beautiful character. My problem with it is that it is constantly used by everyone, Leorino and his family included, as an excuse for him basically being assaulted by people. Not okay in my books. The spicy level was also a level 5.
Overall, I would rate this story a 4.5 out of 5 star. Not quite a full 5 because of the beauty thing but I’m hopeful now that he’s with Gravis, that will get better in the second book.
January 11, 2025
[2.5~3.0 star range]
This was... an interesting read.
The first half was pretty hard to get through, and I even seriously considered dropping the series altogether. I really hated Leorino's childhood arc, and the way his beauty and fragility were explained and dealt with, as well as how his life intertwines with Ionia's. On the other hand, Ionia's parallel story was the only thing keeping me going in the first half, as I found his story and adventure very captivating and an interesting look at how his lines and place in society blurred between loyalty, royalty, and love. I almost would have preferred the entire novel to be Ionia's story, which would have not only made it significantly shorter, but also been able to focus more on those conflicts.
But then... I also ended up quite enjoying the second half once Leorino became a full-fledged adult. It actually got a little humorous at times, taking a jab at just how weak and "unmanly" the story has set him, the protagonist, up as, and I liked the exploration of how something seen as so angelic and extraordinarily wonderful in other's eyes can end up being such a huge detriment to Leorino himself, who would just prefer to be "normal" and... not so fetishized. While the constant references to Leornino's "small" body parts still drive me up the wall, and both of the love interests are just... terrible people overall who treat him as an object, I am interested in how Leorino is going to develop as a character and, hopefully, his story will focus on how he achieves the level of freedom he has always desired.
So... I'll be at least continuing into volume 2 with the hope it doesn't just turn into one big lust-fest.
This was... an interesting read.
The first half was pretty hard to get through, and I even seriously considered dropping the series altogether. I really hated Leorino's childhood arc, and the way his beauty and fragility were explained and dealt with, as well as how his life intertwines with Ionia's. On the other hand, Ionia's parallel story was the only thing keeping me going in the first half, as I found his story and adventure very captivating and an interesting look at how his lines and place in society blurred between loyalty, royalty, and love. I almost would have preferred the entire novel to be Ionia's story, which would have not only made it significantly shorter, but also been able to focus more on those conflicts.
But then... I also ended up quite enjoying the second half once Leorino became a full-fledged adult. It actually got a little humorous at times, taking a jab at just how weak and "unmanly" the story has set him, the protagonist, up as, and I liked the exploration of how something seen as so angelic and extraordinarily wonderful in other's eyes can end up being such a huge detriment to Leorino himself, who would just prefer to be "normal" and... not so fetishized. While the constant references to Leornino's "small" body parts still drive me up the wall, and both of the love interests are just... terrible people overall who treat him as an object, I am interested in how Leorino is going to develop as a character and, hopefully, his story will focus on how he achieves the level of freedom he has always desired.
So... I'll be at least continuing into volume 2 with the hope it doesn't just turn into one big lust-fest.
February 20, 2025
ความไลท์โนเวลที่ออกมา 3 เล่ม (จบแล้ว) แต่เอาอะไรมาไลท์ก่อน เพราะมีรูปภาพประกอบเหรอ ชิชะ! ดราม่าเข้มข้นตั้งแต่เล่มแรกยันเล่มจบ เล่มแรกว่าด้วยชีวิตพ่อหนูเลโอลีโนที่งดงามแต่ร่างกายกับบอบบาง แถมพ่วงมาด้วยความทรงจำของใครก็ไม่รู้ติดมาในหัว ใครคนนั้นที่ร่างกายแข็งแรงสมชาย มีชีวิตที่ร่าเริง มีคนที่รักและเพื่อนฝูง แล้วตกลงตัวเองเป็นใครกันแน่ล่ะ!? เป็นเลโอลีโนผู้สูงศักดิ์หรือไอโอเนียชายในความทรงจำกันแน่ ก็ใช้ชีวิตด้วยการต่อสู้กับการรับรู้ตัวตนของตัวเอง ไม่พอหลังจากนั้นเกิดเหตุความไม่สงบ คาดว่าจะเกิดสงครามขึ้น พ่อหนูได้พบพานกับผู้คนในความทรงจำ ต้องแอบสืบข้อมูลเพื่อชาติ แล้วผู้คนที่ยอมรับเขาตอนนี้เพราะเขาคือเลโอลีโนหรือไอโอเนีย ชายที่เขามีความทรงจำร่วมกันแน่ ดราม่าแบบสนุกกกกก
September 17, 2023
3.7 stars. The setting itself isn't bad, but personally I
prefer a more balanced relationship between two MCs. A man without a basic ability to protect himself is, as always, not my thing. Also I think some of the plots can be removed without hampering the development of the story, such as depicting how the MC gets his private parts checked after harassments. This story needs some editing I should say...
prefer a more balanced relationship between two MCs. A man without a basic ability to protect himself is, as always, not my thing. Also I think some of the plots can be removed without hampering the development of the story, such as depicting how the MC gets his private parts checked after harassments. This story needs some editing I should say...
August 11, 2024
Mmmmmm good, love the dynamic, love the world building, intertwined past lives…. uhhh yes please, really just an intro to the characters and the world, I mean the mains kind of just meet and are just getting to interact, but still, this is a page turner and just my cup of tea 😁, love the beautiful ml, surprisingly he is very relatable and doesn’t frustrate me at all, love how he years to experience life to its fullest, he’s a dreamer… can’t wait to read v2
July 10, 2024
Honestly it was a really good book. The charaters are questionable, however the plot is very good. It grew on me as it progressed and it is very slow paced. The mc is dumb and everytime there could bc charater development something bad happens. And the ml may be a red flag but he is what leorino needs since he has been sheltered. It definitely picks up in the later half of the book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2025
ooooooh nooooooooo this one makes me nervous
See, I was all for it for the first, mm, 350 pages or so. I adore reincarnation stories, especially ones where it's not a one-to-one "I was reborn in a different body and now I get to do everything I always wanted" but a more nuanced "I am a different person with my own memories, experiences, and feelings as well as the memories of someone who lived before me." I'm also a fan of the very complex relationships experienced in the previous life, I have a loyalty kink and I'm not ashamed! So the idea of devoted knight and the prince he refuses to become personally involved with because of ~politics, plus the soldier friend who rounds out the triangle and gets the knight's body but not (as he yearns for) his heart, I was game, baby, I was DOWN.
I mean, sure, it's a light novel (Japanese, despite the danmei tag; I feel like BL light novels usually have more in common with danmei than actual queer lit) and comes with the awkwardness I find in almost every English translation of that medium. And I respected the attempt at complex politics and worldbuilding, even if it felt a little slapdash and info-dumping overall. I think I've said this before: I grade on a curve. I don't expect a light novel, or danmei, to be a good fantasy novel, more a romance with strong fantasy elements. This one, I felt, worked.
... and then it didn't. And I can put my finger right on the why: the author is uh. She's very into Leorino's current physicality. In a way that does not feel god-honoring.
I'm sorry! But it's TRUE. She's doing her best to make it an issue of interest beyond her own personal investment, and brava: Leorino is grappling with how differently he is treated, in this body, than Ionia as a strong soldier was, and it's also an issue of "what do I even have to offer Gravis, in this life?" That's all well done. And I thought it was commendable to have a disabled protagonist, especially when it was emphasized how Leorino has to navigate the world differently, yet still manages to be clever and inventive when others would take advantage. We were doing well!
Then Leorino meets his previous lover interests, and it all goes out the window. Both Gravis and Lucas are predatory and manhandle-y as fuck over this incarnation in SHARP contrast to his previous life, and it's clear the author is not emphasizing the difference in physicality, age, or experience in order to mine the narrative possibilities: she's simply into that. Like. Really, really into it.
... I fear like I come off as kink-shaming or like I have a booktok-esque stick up my ass when I make critiques like that sometimes. Listen: I'm not averse to kinks, or playing into them. In fact, I'm often delighted to find an author has them, incorporates them, kills the cop in their head and allows their id to run free -- as long as I'm invited to join the fun. By which I mean: they make the kink work for those characters specifically, this pairing specifically, in a way where I feel like this is a believable dynamic playing out between two complex people, not kink theater as acted by barely-sketched puppets. I want to be able to invest of the dynamic of the characters even if that is not a personal kink; I will accept ridiculousness on all levels as long as it's grounded in emotional realism and reactions.
And I feel like this book did that, up until this point. But then we hit sequences like It felt like all the previous character development was dumped for fetishizing Leorino: his helplessness, his beauty, his innocence.
And it's honestly a shittier story I'm really afraid we won't do ANY of that in future volumes. If we did, I would continue to read! Despite the rest! Because I am actually invested in Leorino's agency and Gravis's tragedy, I'm just nervous that might not be the story this author wants to tell after all.
If my library carried more of this series I'd be forging ahead, but as it is I think I'll sit with this one a bit before making a decision whether or not to move on.
EDIT: I've read a couple generous and eloquent reviews of future volumes and
So, yeah, I'm finished with this series.
See, I was all for it for the first, mm, 350 pages or so. I adore reincarnation stories, especially ones where it's not a one-to-one "I was reborn in a different body and now I get to do everything I always wanted" but a more nuanced "I am a different person with my own memories, experiences, and feelings as well as the memories of someone who lived before me." I'm also a fan of the very complex relationships experienced in the previous life, I have a loyalty kink and I'm not ashamed! So the idea of devoted knight and the prince he refuses to become personally involved with because of ~politics, plus the soldier friend who rounds out the triangle and gets the knight's body but not (as he yearns for) his heart, I was game, baby, I was DOWN.
I mean, sure, it's a light novel (Japanese, despite the danmei tag; I feel like BL light novels usually have more in common with danmei than actual queer lit) and comes with the awkwardness I find in almost every English translation of that medium. And I respected the attempt at complex politics and worldbuilding, even if it felt a little slapdash and info-dumping overall. I think I've said this before: I grade on a curve. I don't expect a light novel, or danmei, to be a good fantasy novel, more a romance with strong fantasy elements. This one, I felt, worked.
... and then it didn't. And I can put my finger right on the why: the author is uh. She's very into Leorino's current physicality. In a way that does not feel god-honoring.
I'm sorry! But it's TRUE. She's doing her best to make it an issue of interest beyond her own personal investment, and brava: Leorino is grappling with how differently he is treated, in this body, than Ionia as a strong soldier was, and it's also an issue of "what do I even have to offer Gravis, in this life?" That's all well done. And I thought it was commendable to have a disabled protagonist, especially when it was emphasized how Leorino has to navigate the world differently, yet still manages to be clever and inventive when others would take advantage. We were doing well!
Then Leorino meets his previous lover interests, and it all goes out the window. Both Gravis and Lucas are predatory and manhandle-y as fuck over this incarnation in SHARP contrast to his previous life, and it's clear the author is not emphasizing the difference in physicality, age, or experience in order to mine the narrative possibilities: she's simply into that. Like. Really, really into it.
... I fear like I come off as kink-shaming or like I have a booktok-esque stick up my ass when I make critiques like that sometimes. Listen: I'm not averse to kinks, or playing into them. In fact, I'm often delighted to find an author has them, incorporates them, kills the cop in their head and allows their id to run free -- as long as I'm invited to join the fun. By which I mean: they make the kink work for those characters specifically, this pairing specifically, in a way where I feel like this is a believable dynamic playing out between two complex people, not kink theater as acted by barely-sketched puppets. I want to be able to invest of the dynamic of the characters even if that is not a personal kink; I will accept ridiculousness on all levels as long as it's grounded in emotional realism and reactions.
And I feel like this book did that, up until this point. But then we hit sequences like It felt like all the previous character development was dumped for fetishizing Leorino: his helplessness, his beauty, his innocence.
And it's honestly a shittier story I'm really afraid we won't do ANY of that in future volumes. If we did, I would continue to read! Despite the rest! Because I am actually invested in Leorino's agency and Gravis's tragedy, I'm just nervous that might not be the story this author wants to tell after all.
If my library carried more of this series I'd be forging ahead, but as it is I think I'll sit with this one a bit before making a decision whether or not to move on.
EDIT: I've read a couple generous and eloquent reviews of future volumes and
So, yeah, I'm finished with this series.
November 2, 2023
I wouldn't necessarily say this was a good book, but I did enjoy it. More than I thought I would once I'd actually sat down with it and idly flipped ahead to glance at some of the text. I don't know how I always manage to skip straight to the sex scenes when I do that; the extremely low quality of the writing in those sections made me grimace and think this series would NOT be a keeper...but it's actually pretty alright in context. And there isn't that much of those scenes, at least so far.
My main complaint ended up being that the Mary Sue-style harem plot got a little madcap ridiculous near the end, once Leorino moved to the capital. I was enjoying the kind of slow pace up until then, with the flashbacks between his past life and the current, and the emphasis on the strong differences in identity between those two - Leorino may have Ionia's memories, but he's an entirely different person in every way, and he's not intending to relive someone else's life. He very much wants to forge his own.
The accident (well, attempted murder) in Leorino's youth was a good plot element, too; his broken legs and the long, painful recovery time were an interesting and believable way to keep him fragile and excessively sheltered. These two elements are a huge part of his fish out of water storyline once he goes to the big city to try to become a respected, adult male who isn't always relying on his older brothers and parents for support.
Unfortunately, the "fragile" part got leaned on way too heavily at this point. It's actually a wildly sexist story, which I think is probably more due to the setting than the author's intent, but even so, the "I'm not weak and ignorant like a woman!!!" bits started to grate on me after a while. Hating that people treat him like an invalid or a prize just because he's got a beautiful face and a slender build: good. Emphasizing that he's a MAN and he can be MASCULINE TOO and women are perfectly fine to sell off to the highest bidding husband for protection while he needs to be STRONG ON HIS OWN because he's a MAN: less good.
The coming of age ceremony and soiree were actually good, even with the creeper noble who chased Leorino through the grounds; it's not an outlandish scene, and it made the royal rescue by Ionia's ex-lover, Gravis, work really well. But after that, with his other ex-lover Lucas assaulting him, Gravis kissing him immediately after, and every man in the capital losing his reason over Leorino's beautiful face...it was a bit much.
Plus while I think Leorino's bodyguard and Ionia's brother might hopefully make a good pairing in future books, it was absolutely absurd to think that Leorino's extremely wealthy and extremely well-established noble family would assign a guard that incompetent and socially ignorant to their youngest son...who has a proven track record of being kidnapped and assaulted. The progression in those chapters, leading to the encounter with Lucas, were just plain stupid.
Otherwise, there were enough interesting elements to keep me intrigued by the rest of the story. I'd like to see how it develops from here, and if Gravis truly does fall in love with Leorino as his own person, instead of being stuck on the man whose memories he'd inherited.
My main complaint ended up being that the Mary Sue-style harem plot got a little madcap ridiculous near the end, once Leorino moved to the capital. I was enjoying the kind of slow pace up until then, with the flashbacks between his past life and the current, and the emphasis on the strong differences in identity between those two - Leorino may have Ionia's memories, but he's an entirely different person in every way, and he's not intending to relive someone else's life. He very much wants to forge his own.
The accident (well, attempted murder) in Leorino's youth was a good plot element, too; his broken legs and the long, painful recovery time were an interesting and believable way to keep him fragile and excessively sheltered. These two elements are a huge part of his fish out of water storyline once he goes to the big city to try to become a respected, adult male who isn't always relying on his older brothers and parents for support.
Unfortunately, the "fragile" part got leaned on way too heavily at this point. It's actually a wildly sexist story, which I think is probably more due to the setting than the author's intent, but even so, the "I'm not weak and ignorant like a woman!!!" bits started to grate on me after a while. Hating that people treat him like an invalid or a prize just because he's got a beautiful face and a slender build: good. Emphasizing that he's a MAN and he can be MASCULINE TOO and women are perfectly fine to sell off to the highest bidding husband for protection while he needs to be STRONG ON HIS OWN because he's a MAN: less good.
The coming of age ceremony and soiree were actually good, even with the creeper noble who chased Leorino through the grounds; it's not an outlandish scene, and it made the royal rescue by Ionia's ex-lover, Gravis, work really well. But after that, with his other ex-lover Lucas assaulting him, Gravis kissing him immediately after, and every man in the capital losing his reason over Leorino's beautiful face...it was a bit much.
Plus while I think Leorino's bodyguard and Ionia's brother might hopefully make a good pairing in future books, it was absolutely absurd to think that Leorino's extremely wealthy and extremely well-established noble family would assign a guard that incompetent and socially ignorant to their youngest son...who has a proven track record of being kidnapped and assaulted. The progression in those chapters, leading to the encounter with Lucas, were just plain stupid.
Otherwise, there were enough interesting elements to keep me intrigued by the rest of the story. I'd like to see how it develops from here, and if Gravis truly does fall in love with Leorino as his own person, instead of being stuck on the man whose memories he'd inherited.
September 2, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Yen Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When I initially read the description for You Can Have My Back I was excited to read it, and I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into. It wasn't my first light novel, so I knew what to expect with regards to the general style, and also with regards to reading translated works of fiction. However, by the time I was about 20% of the way through the novel, I was fairly confident that I knew exactly how my rating and review would turn out, and that feeling only solidified the more I read.
I feel like I say this a lot, but the premise has a lot of potential. I love political intrigue, and I'm no stranger to the reincarnated fated love trope. Unfortunately, the execution of that potential is quite poor. By the time I reached the end, I felt like I had read 400+ pages where nothing really happened. Partially, that's because we follow the main character, Leorino, from childhood to (barely) adulthood. To make matters worse, most of that was through a heavy-handed process of telling rather than showing that felt more like reading a summary of events and characters' feelings rather than an actual plot.
Perhaps the biggest problem I had with this novel was the way Leorino really had no agency throughout the entire story. It is reiterated again and again that he is beautiful in an angelic sort of way, but this just means that he is also assaulted at multiple points by various strangers. Because he is so beautiful, he is sheltered from the rest of the world, meaning that he really has no hand in moving the plot forward. None of that even begins to address how uncomfortable I felt reading his interactions with his supposed love interest, Gravis, who was in love with his previous incarnation, Ionia, before his death. This creates a 17 year age gap between himself and Leorino (who is only barely 18). Gravis is obviously still pining for Ionia, and seems to be projecting his feelings onto Leorino who possesses Ionia's memories. However, that doesn't change the fact that Leorino, as he himself states multiple times (not that anyone really listens), is his own person and not merely Ionia reborn.
Further adding to my frustration was the way the text itself was laid out. Leorino's recollections of Ionia are presented in a confusing way because he seems to forget important details from them (or even lapse into a state of being possessed by Ionia, although I could be wrong) despite the way that those memories are laid out clearly to the reader. It always felt like I knew far more about what was going on than Leorino ever did, rather than discovering the truth of events with him. There are odd section breaks within the text that read like places where one would indicate a time skip, or a perspective shift; none of that happens, though, making the reading process itself confusing and frustrating to follow.
Since this was only the first book in a series, I'm assuming the story will unfold more clearly from here. Maybe the political intrigue will become clearer, rather than the B or C plot. Maybe Leorino will begin to take more control over the story. Maybe characters will begin respecting the fact that he is his own person, and not the vehicle for the soul of a dead man. I honestly don't know. Unfortunately, despite how excited I was to read this first volume, I don't think I'll be able to stick around to read any of the others. Maybe a more patient reader than me will be able to parse out aspects of this text that are working towards subtle foreshadowing or characterization. I just know that I am not that reader.
When I initially read the description for You Can Have My Back I was excited to read it, and I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into. It wasn't my first light novel, so I knew what to expect with regards to the general style, and also with regards to reading translated works of fiction. However, by the time I was about 20% of the way through the novel, I was fairly confident that I knew exactly how my rating and review would turn out, and that feeling only solidified the more I read.
I feel like I say this a lot, but the premise has a lot of potential. I love political intrigue, and I'm no stranger to the reincarnated fated love trope. Unfortunately, the execution of that potential is quite poor. By the time I reached the end, I felt like I had read 400+ pages where nothing really happened. Partially, that's because we follow the main character, Leorino, from childhood to (barely) adulthood. To make matters worse, most of that was through a heavy-handed process of telling rather than showing that felt more like reading a summary of events and characters' feelings rather than an actual plot.
Perhaps the biggest problem I had with this novel was the way Leorino really had no agency throughout the entire story. It is reiterated again and again that he is beautiful in an angelic sort of way, but this just means that he is also assaulted at multiple points by various strangers. Because he is so beautiful, he is sheltered from the rest of the world, meaning that he really has no hand in moving the plot forward. None of that even begins to address how uncomfortable I felt reading his interactions with his supposed love interest, Gravis, who was in love with his previous incarnation, Ionia, before his death. This creates a 17 year age gap between himself and Leorino (who is only barely 18). Gravis is obviously still pining for Ionia, and seems to be projecting his feelings onto Leorino who possesses Ionia's memories. However, that doesn't change the fact that Leorino, as he himself states multiple times (not that anyone really listens), is his own person and not merely Ionia reborn.
Further adding to my frustration was the way the text itself was laid out. Leorino's recollections of Ionia are presented in a confusing way because he seems to forget important details from them (or even lapse into a state of being possessed by Ionia, although I could be wrong) despite the way that those memories are laid out clearly to the reader. It always felt like I knew far more about what was going on than Leorino ever did, rather than discovering the truth of events with him. There are odd section breaks within the text that read like places where one would indicate a time skip, or a perspective shift; none of that happens, though, making the reading process itself confusing and frustrating to follow.
Since this was only the first book in a series, I'm assuming the story will unfold more clearly from here. Maybe the political intrigue will become clearer, rather than the B or C plot. Maybe Leorino will begin to take more control over the story. Maybe characters will begin respecting the fact that he is his own person, and not the vehicle for the soul of a dead man. I honestly don't know. Unfortunately, despite how excited I was to read this first volume, I don't think I'll be able to stick around to read any of the others. Maybe a more patient reader than me will be able to parse out aspects of this text that are working towards subtle foreshadowing or characterization. I just know that I am not that reader.
October 16, 2023
Summary:
Leorino Cassiex is the fourth son of the Margrave of Brungwurt. His life was complicated enough without suddenly having the memories of a knight long dead. So, when he starts seeing the memories of knight Ionia, he knows he has to find a way to make sense of it all.
To do so, he'll have to dig into the past. It's the only way to understand what happened. This essentially means he needs to solve an old crime, uncovering the traitor to the kingdom.
Review:
Admittedly, I have not been reading enough light novels. I need to change that (maybe I should read the My Next Life As A Villainess light novels?). So, I decided to give You Can Have My Back a try.
While I enjoyed the plot and writing, I'll admit that I struggled to stay invested in this story. For one thing, the pacing wasn't ideal. It was too slow at times, making it feel more like I was walking through mud (sorry).
Second, Leorino doesn't really have any agency. I hate it when characters aren't given agency – especially the main characters. It makes the whole thing concerning at best, dangerous, and disturbing at worst.
Long story short, You Can Have My Back had a solid foundation, but the follow-through could have used some work.
Highlights:
Light Novel
LGBT+ Romance
Thanks to Yen On and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
Leorino Cassiex is the fourth son of the Margrave of Brungwurt. His life was complicated enough without suddenly having the memories of a knight long dead. So, when he starts seeing the memories of knight Ionia, he knows he has to find a way to make sense of it all.
To do so, he'll have to dig into the past. It's the only way to understand what happened. This essentially means he needs to solve an old crime, uncovering the traitor to the kingdom.
Review:
Admittedly, I have not been reading enough light novels. I need to change that (maybe I should read the My Next Life As A Villainess light novels?). So, I decided to give You Can Have My Back a try.
While I enjoyed the plot and writing, I'll admit that I struggled to stay invested in this story. For one thing, the pacing wasn't ideal. It was too slow at times, making it feel more like I was walking through mud (sorry).
Second, Leorino doesn't really have any agency. I hate it when characters aren't given agency – especially the main characters. It makes the whole thing concerning at best, dangerous, and disturbing at worst.
Long story short, You Can Have My Back had a solid foundation, but the follow-through could have used some work.
Highlights:
Light Novel
LGBT+ Romance
Thanks to Yen On and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
September 11, 2023
I unfortunately had to DNF this story about 150 pages in. I would've stopped sooner, but I kept going in the hopes that the story would time jump to when Leorino was finally an adult. When it became clear that this would not be the case and that the rest of the book would be a slog of Leorino's recovery and sheltered youth, I finally decided to give up. Had the almost 450 pages of this book been condensed down to max 100, thereby allowing the plot to actually progress, I may have kept going.
This isn't my first light novel/danmei style of story. The plot contains lots of amazing political intrigue, a web of conspiracy, supernatural powers, reincarnation, and many elements I love in fantasy stories. Despite all this potential, this story suffers from "first book syndrome," where so many things are trying to be set up for future novels, that this book on its own falls very flat.
Leorino reads as a bit of a Mary-Sue, and given that he is a child/teenager for most of the story, this makes the attention that he receives from other characters really uncomfortable to read. He is commonly described as angelic and the most beautiful being to exist, and this somehow means that strangers more or less assault him multiple times during his life, as if they cannot control themselves. While I not unfamiliar with the danmei style of writing, where age gaps tend to be common, the almost 2 decades that separate the MC and the future love interest was too much for me to continue, especially when the reincarnated individual's love interest starts showing interest in a 12 year old boy.
This isn't my first light novel/danmei style of story. The plot contains lots of amazing political intrigue, a web of conspiracy, supernatural powers, reincarnation, and many elements I love in fantasy stories. Despite all this potential, this story suffers from "first book syndrome," where so many things are trying to be set up for future novels, that this book on its own falls very flat.
Leorino reads as a bit of a Mary-Sue, and given that he is a child/teenager for most of the story, this makes the attention that he receives from other characters really uncomfortable to read. He is commonly described as angelic and the most beautiful being to exist, and this somehow means that strangers more or less assault him multiple times during his life, as if they cannot control themselves. While I not unfamiliar with the danmei style of writing, where age gaps tend to be common, the almost 2 decades that separate the MC and the future love interest was too much for me to continue, especially when the reincarnated individual's love interest starts showing interest in a 12 year old boy.
January 7, 2024
BL, Fantasy, Nobility, Reincarnation, Past Life Memories, Age Gap Relationship (of age characters!!)
‼️Mild Spoilers‼️
As a huge reader of BL books (and someone who prides on being a pretty fast reader) this book has a very good premise and the story *is* good, however I found it hard to get through this book and it took me longer than most to finish. The writing style jumping from character to character and time jumps as well make some of the scenes a bit harder to follow and I ended up having to reread certain parts to make sure I didn’t miss anything important. Certain scenes did seem to be a bit repetitive and aside from some confusion on the time jumps and scene changes the overall story of Leorino having Ionia’s memories and having the knowledge that there is a traitor to his country working from within leads to a lot of promise. It also helps to build the character to give him more of a reason to want to be independent beyond just his looks he was blessed with that his family focus on for the majority of the reason to protect Leorino. The Powers certain characters posses also adds another layer of mystery to the story as some of these Powers are not known and are used in ways to help the plot progress and give importance to characters to help implement twists and clues to the reader to try to predict events. Overall even though it did take me a while to get through I did pick up the second one and may give it a go to see if the story picks up at all in the second one.
December 31, 2024
I ended up really liking this book. I thought this was going to be a short and simple story, but it actually went quite in depth into the world and story. I also liked the characters. I did sometimes struggle to keep character names straight, but none of the characters felt same-y. I also thought the book did a good job of explaining character motivations.
While I really liked this book, I can understand why it doesn't have the best rating. For one, some of the descriptions in this book are quite creepy. Especially the descriptions of adolescent boys. I like to hope that they descriptions weren't as sexual in Japanese, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were worse. Also, for a lot of the book, Leorino talks about how he "isn't weak like a woman" etc. I like his character and his desire to be his own person and not an object, but I don't see why he has to insult women all the time. Lastly, the romance.... ugh... a nineteen year age gap is rough. I can say that I like how Gravis seems to genuinely like Leorino for who he is and not just because of Ionia, but it's still weird. It doesn't help that Leorino is regularly described as being this small, weak, and innocent all the time.
That all said though, I still really enjoyed this book and hope that Leorino gains some more agency in the next installment.
While I really liked this book, I can understand why it doesn't have the best rating. For one, some of the descriptions in this book are quite creepy. Especially the descriptions of adolescent boys. I like to hope that they descriptions weren't as sexual in Japanese, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were worse. Also, for a lot of the book, Leorino talks about how he "isn't weak like a woman" etc. I like his character and his desire to be his own person and not an object, but I don't see why he has to insult women all the time. Lastly, the romance.... ugh... a nineteen year age gap is rough. I can say that I like how Gravis seems to genuinely like Leorino for who he is and not just because of Ionia, but it's still weird. It doesn't help that Leorino is regularly described as being this small, weak, and innocent all the time.
That all said though, I still really enjoyed this book and hope that Leorino gains some more agency in the next installment.
August 11, 2023
🦋 BL light novel Review 🦋
▪︎ Name: You Can Have My Back Vol.1
▪︎ Genre: BL reincarnation light novel
▪︎ Author: Minami Kotsuna, Hitomi Hitoyo
▪︎ Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
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🦋 Thoughts 🦋
There are TW associated with this novel so please search up the TW before proceeding! The novel is a reincarnation story and the mc dies and his memories is inherited or transferred to a person who has been born a day after he passes away. Thus, there is a large age gap between the MC and the ML. The book itself is messy and has a lot of drama and there are some sketchy scenes in this novel. But the drama had me hooked ngl and also the political stuff was interesting. The art is also great and I liked how the light novel had the illustration in it! Excited for Vol.2!
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🦋 Appreciation 🦋
Thank you yenpress and Netgalley for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review!
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🦋 Tags 🦋
#youcanhavemybackvol1lightnovel #blrecommendations #blmangarecommendation #blmanga #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookish #books #booktok #booktoker #booklover #manga #bookreview #bookreviewer #mangarecommendation #yenpress #bllightnovel #blnovel #lightnovel #lightnovelrecommendations #netgalley #yenon
▪︎ Name: You Can Have My Back Vol.1
▪︎ Genre: BL reincarnation light novel
▪︎ Author: Minami Kotsuna, Hitomi Hitoyo
▪︎ Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
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🦋 Thoughts 🦋
There are TW associated with this novel so please search up the TW before proceeding! The novel is a reincarnation story and the mc dies and his memories is inherited or transferred to a person who has been born a day after he passes away. Thus, there is a large age gap between the MC and the ML. The book itself is messy and has a lot of drama and there are some sketchy scenes in this novel. But the drama had me hooked ngl and also the political stuff was interesting. The art is also great and I liked how the light novel had the illustration in it! Excited for Vol.2!
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🦋 Appreciation 🦋
Thank you yenpress and Netgalley for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review!
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🦋 Tags 🦋
#youcanhavemybackvol1lightnovel #blrecommendations #blmangarecommendation #blmanga #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookish #books #booktok #booktoker #booklover #manga #bookreview #bookreviewer #mangarecommendation #yenpress #bllightnovel #blnovel #lightnovel #lightnovelrecommendations #netgalley #yenon
July 29, 2023
I really liked the premise of You Can Have My Back. The story idea was intriguing and I found the main characters interesting, especially Leorino/Ionia. There were a few nice illustrations included too. However, the story fell down a little for me in the execution. There was so much telling, with frequent pauses in the story to share chunks of history/backstory, and some of that was also repetitive, with the same information simply regurgitated in different ways. That irritated me and pulled me out of the moment. If I had an easy opportunity to read on in the series, I might do so, but I wasn't so invested that I am desperate to know what will happen next. As such, I am giving this book three stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2023
Oh, I did not enjoy this.
From the get-go we have issues with consent. This is a pervasive issue throughout the story. Leorino is not even a typical damsel in distress archetype, he is absolutely lacking agency in basically his entire life. I am still unsure of he was supposed to be a reincarnation of Ionia or just a vessel that held his memories. Either way this made the "romance" feel just... wrong. The rest of the plot was lost to me among these issues. Whatever potential political intrigue was going on was completely overshadowed by these questionable and sometimes, downright bad tropes.
The art was absolutely beautiful, don't get me wrong, but this was definitely not the story I expected and it definitely was not for me.
*My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC
From the get-go we have issues with consent. This is a pervasive issue throughout the story. Leorino is not even a typical damsel in distress archetype, he is absolutely lacking agency in basically his entire life. I am still unsure of he was supposed to be a reincarnation of Ionia or just a vessel that held his memories. Either way this made the "romance" feel just... wrong. The rest of the plot was lost to me among these issues. Whatever potential political intrigue was going on was completely overshadowed by these questionable and sometimes, downright bad tropes.
The art was absolutely beautiful, don't get me wrong, but this was definitely not the story I expected and it definitely was not for me.
*My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC
October 20, 2023
I loved Leorino. He was the right amount of feisty that I really love for this genre. He had a lot to overcome, especially his crazy mom trying to make him her daughter-she-never-had. I liked the whole idea of "transcending the idea of gender" and I probably could have read an entire book of just Leorino living in a world, just being too pretty for it. The love interest is a bore, and the only time I was actually interested in him was in the flashbacks that Leorino dreams about.
It's not the worst BL light novel I've read, but whoever did the translation for this needs to be fired. It's downright awful at parts, especially any action scene. I spent a lot of time rereading things to make sense of what was happening. For an official translation, it was disappointing.
Thank you Yen Press and the author for the ARC. The above is my honest opinion.
It's not the worst BL light novel I've read, but whoever did the translation for this needs to be fired. It's downright awful at parts, especially any action scene. I spent a lot of time rereading things to make sense of what was happening. For an official translation, it was disappointing.
Thank you Yen Press and the author for the ARC. The above is my honest opinion.
February 15, 2024
My expectations were low, but holy...DNF at 76%- I tried so hard to get through this, but I've realized I don't have time to waste on shitty books. I was interested in the reincarnation plot but, this book was more than disappointing. I did enjoy Leorino as a main character, but I found his story so aggravating because no one gave him room to breathe!! Every single man in this book acted predatory toward him. The politics were uninteresting, and I found the flashbacks of Ionia's life to be the only part of the book I would look forward to. The only reason I tried so long to get through this is because I spent my money on it. The boring politics and worldbuilding felt like something straight out of a Dan and Phil fanfiction I would've read at age 12.
I think a good summary of my thoughts is this: I spilled a cup of coffee on this book, and felt no remorse using it to mop it up.
I think a good summary of my thoughts is this: I spilled a cup of coffee on this book, and felt no remorse using it to mop it up.
August 6, 2023
Thanks for NetGalley for the eARC!
I'm not used to reading light novels, so I don't know if my issues is with specific book, or with this type of literature.
My first surprise was the extremely spicy prologue. Because of this, I expected a book with a completely different mood (aka very hot) than what I got, and even though I didn't go into it because of the adult content, I thought of the almost complete lack of consensual sex as a disappointment.
The emphasis is on consent, as there is plenty of typical gay-Japanese-written-for-girls non-consent flirting/harassment, and luckily we wait until our main hero reaches adulthood, but he still remains a prime damsel-in-distress. Leorinos unearthly beauty was so often talked about that my theory is that it's his Power and no one knows about it, but if not, they're horribly dehumanizing / infantilizing this kid. He tries to fight hard against the stereotype that was imposed on him, striving for independency and aiming for jobs, but nobody else gives a damn about his trying.
The plot is filled with betrayal and political intrigue, which was surprisingly entertaining, but here we touch on my other big complaint about the book: it is a book cut in half. It technically doesnt have an ending. No storylines started are closed. It's like it was decided that 464 page of high fantasy with hot dudes is enough, and put a dramatic scene at the end with a To be continued text.
I'm not going to read any further into the series, but honestly the illustrations alone (even though theres only a handful of them) made it worth the read. Holy moly, how beautiful are all the bachelors here. Kudos to Hitomi Hitoyo!
I'm not used to reading light novels, so I don't know if my issues is with specific book, or with this type of literature.
My first surprise was the extremely spicy prologue. Because of this, I expected a book with a completely different mood (aka very hot) than what I got, and even though I didn't go into it because of the adult content, I thought of the almost complete lack of consensual sex as a disappointment.
The emphasis is on consent, as there is plenty of typical gay-Japanese-written-for-girls non-consent flirting/harassment, and luckily we wait until our main hero reaches adulthood, but he still remains a prime damsel-in-distress. Leorinos unearthly beauty was so often talked about that my theory is that it's his Power and no one knows about it, but if not, they're horribly dehumanizing / infantilizing this kid. He tries to fight hard against the stereotype that was imposed on him, striving for independency and aiming for jobs, but nobody else gives a damn about his trying.
The plot is filled with betrayal and political intrigue, which was surprisingly entertaining, but here we touch on my other big complaint about the book: it is a book cut in half. It technically doesnt have an ending. No storylines started are closed. It's like it was decided that 464 page of high fantasy with hot dudes is enough, and put a dramatic scene at the end with a To be continued text.
I'm not going to read any further into the series, but honestly the illustrations alone (even though theres only a handful of them) made it worth the read. Holy moly, how beautiful are all the bachelors here. Kudos to Hitomi Hitoyo!
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