A World where Mercenary Men are Called Goddesses Review

 

Author- Noara Mimi, 野原 耳子

 

Woah… I was so not expecting this to be as good as it actually is. The characters are so vibrant, no cookie cutter personalities to be found. This book is actually a huge part of why I decided to make a website and start translating on my own, with a special thanks to the translator Kirara, for bringing this amazing story to my attention.

The protagonist, Yuichiro, isn’t the kindest character, some people might even say evil. But I don’t think so, he is a depressed and broken man who doesn’t seem to care whether he lives or dies, with a “ah fuck it” attitude (in more ways than one wink wink). As to why he is the way he is, I’m still not completely sure. I haven’t actually completed the book, as I’m camping on Kirara’s site, salivating over each update like a starving goblin. But as the chapters progress, I see his character growth and sarcasm shine through, and laugh at his absolute consternation at being considered a Goddess.

There are multiple main loves and they’re both wonderful. The youngest is Noah and honestly one of my favorite characters because I can see him going from a sweet 18 year old boy, into a king who is strong and won’t take bullshit lightly. The servant, Temeraire, is intense right from the get go and has good reason to be. Easily one of the most tragic characters on the novel but he doesn’t act like it. Ruthless and amazing.

Now the plotline, oh my god! I’m not going to get too much into it, as I dislike spoilers, but the worldbuilding and how there is no gender or sexual limitation is gloriously beautiful. People of the same gender can impregnate (not ABO), and is considered a common practice. There is no man or woman should act a certain way mentality. That said, this is a dark novel, with casual gore and cruelty. Every character introduced has their own unique personality, with a set of values not of our world. This is a western fantasy esq setting with low tech, dragons, and “magic”. There is military strategy and battles, campaign to win a war, which is the reason why Yuichiro was summoned. Well one of the reasons, as you will find out once you pick up this novel to read.