Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars: Volume 1 by Riku Nanano

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Having read Riku Nanano’s previous work, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter, I was excited to give this series a try.

Not to give any misconceptions about this series, Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars is almost a direct copy and paste of Private Tutor. Aside from the Chinese-style setting, everything from the characters to the plot development reminds me of their previous series.

Whilst having similarities to your previously successful series isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I draw a line under whether an author has managed to improve on their original concept. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Swords falls well below that line.

The first volume’s problems can almost unilaterally traced back to its pacing issues. Quickly paced and constantly adding new side characters, the resulting story gives way to poorly developed characters, all of which feel hollow. Of the few characters that do develop, the protagonist falls prey to separate issues. With wishy-washy motivations and willingly getting led down paths that all lead him to do the one thing he said he’d never do again, his character barely resembles the empire’s strongest fighter that he was in a previous reincarnation.

Dropped halfway through, Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars comes across as hollow and lacking direction. Just read Private Tutor instead.



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