The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria, Vol. 1 (light novel) (Volume 1)

I don't usually read Light Novels. I saw this one highly recommended on Reddit and decided to give it a try with an open mind. I found the overall concept and story fascinating. Trying to figure out what was going on and when was a lot of fun. When I read the awkward "Do you notice anything different about my best feature?" exchange I was worried it would be throughout the book. Thankfully, that stuff was kept to a minimum as it adds very little to the story/characters and makes the book difficult to recommend to co-workers and family. I'm glad I read this story and will be looking forward to reading the coming volumes!

A fantastic series that took forever getting over to the US! I would recommend this series to honestly anyone, as even though it is a light novel with anime-esque tropes, it's still a very well written story with wonderful characters. At the very least, if you're looking for a good, quick novel at least buy this one and try it! I can guarantee you wont regret any time or money used toward this book.

Of all the books I’ve read, and I’ve read quite a few, nothing has been quite like this one. I am a firm believer that a good story is a product well developed characters and an interesting premise, and the book will practically write itself. This is beyond that. Perhaps the most interesting and diverse cast of characters I’ve seen in a novel, a plot that is so gripping yet opens the door to so many possibilities, and an author who obviously poured every ounce of his literary prowess into this book that I don’t think I’ll be able to forget for the rest of my life.

This was my first book I’ve read from Eiji, and Ive got to say, not bad. The story kept me in suspense the entire time. Although some characters have cliche archetypes, that doesnt stop them from becoming there own character and fitting into the world. A must read for any light novel enthusiast.

I was first exposed to this series via the popular fan translation. In fact, I was one of the many people who helped to edit that translation. In particular, I cleaned up some of the spelling and grammatical issues. It was therefore bittersweet to see it all disappear from the Internet, but for a good reason: the announcement of an official English translation, something I thought I'd never see! Now, even more people can enjoy it. This is the first of seven books in a series of...well, sort of psychological thrillers set in a Japanese high school. The first story is a spin on the popular "time loop" concept, but the way it's done here is different from anything I'd seen before. Thinking back to my experiences with the fan translation, it was difficult to understand at first, but once I was more familiar with the concept and characters, this (and its sequels) became one of my favorite series of stories ever. It examines human nature, the relationships between people, and the concepts of love, trust, and abuse, as well as many more. This first book is just the beginning. If you enjoy it, you'll definitely want to stay on for the whole thing. My only complaint is that this translation feels somewhat rushed. I spotted a few errors and they do rip me out of the story, hurting the immersion. I hope to see better editing in the later books (and Yen Press, I'll gladly accept review copies if you'd like for me to help!). Hopefully you're not as bothered by these errors as I was. Page 9: "Kokone takes the seat next me..." (missing the word "to") Page 19: Style errors. The word "The" is inserted in front of "8,946th Time" and "2,601st Time," while it isn't in the rest of the book. Page 38: "...the protagonist needs be even more persistent..." (missing the word "to") Page 132: "Otonashi, the kind the gentle soul." (the second "the" should be "and") Page 153: "Their personality should have changed a least once..." ("a" should be "at")

After reading this book, I immediately pre-ordered the next entry into the series. It's interesting, kind of cliche, but the characters, plot twist and the sense of thrill I got from reading this novel. Really got me hooked. If you're interested in time-travel and splits in the space-time continuum through almost egregious means you'll like this.

⚠️Spoilers⚠️ After reading it through, I’d say that I really enjoyed the book overall just because of how it’s concept of time and cycles worked, and how things like memory and the box placed out. I would catch myself surprised in certain moments after finding out the truth of certain characters. I what a good read and the only exception was at a certain part were it was hard to distinguish between 4 characters but overall it was good. I’ll definitely pick up the remaining volumes.

I read this long ago when there was once a fan translation but haven't read the two final volumes. I got to buy this first volume physically and read it all and in one day! It was an entertaining read with a few twists! Having the book physically made it easier for me to turn back to certain pages to see where I was misled by the author from time to time.

For someone who reads lots of light novels, I rarely feel the need to leave a review for one, much less give it 5 stars, but this first volume impressed me enough so here goes. The style that the novel is written in pushes the boundaries of its genre to their limits. It's hard to pin down if this is a fantasy, your typical high-school story with a twist, or even a mystery novel. Regardless, it follows through with all of these brilliantly. Pacing is good, character development is interestingly flavoured, and the story has a very genie-in-the-lamp "be careful what you wish for" kind of vibe. A great start to what looks to be a great series.

I had heard many good things about this light novel before my pyrchase and it certainly didn't disappoint! The story, the characters and the writing are all very good and I couldn't resist the urge to keep reading and find out what happens at the end. From what I've heard the series gets even better with its later volumes so I'm definitely looking forward to it!

Originalmente leí una traducción no oficial de esta novela y dado a eso puedo decirles que esta fabulosa serie es una que ningún lector debería perderse. La historia comienza muy ligera, con bastantes clichés y algunos personajes un tanto blandos y genéricos pero esto no es causa de preocupación. La forma en la que el autor desarrolla la historia, la situación extraña en la que se encuentra el personaje principal además de la conclusión hacen que no puedas dejar de leer este volumen.

Davvero un bel libro

Light novel muito bem escrita e história que não deixa a tensão morrer em nenhum momento, faz você mesmo ter dúvidas do que está ocorrendo durante o loop, eu realmente gostei do clima, pois sempre o ar de mistério, de alguma coisa não estar certa e você desconfiar de um personagem, que pode ou não, ser o verdadeiro culpado por tudo, recomendo facilmente.