Spice & Wolf, Vol. 2 by Isuna Hasekura
Series Name: Spice & Wolf (Light Novel)
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Commerce
Intended Age Group: 15 & up
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-7595-3106-2
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book
Following his good fortune in Pazzio, Lawrence is confident that he is on the path to realizing his dream of becoming a town merchant. One ill-informed business decision, though, leaves him teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and ruin! With no assets to his name – other than the cunning of his fetching traveling companion, Holo the Wisewolf – Lawrence may need to resort to illicit means to put his affairs in order. With all of the merchant’s plans hinging on one beautiful young shepherdess – for whose vocation Holo holds no affection – Lawrence’s prospects, both personal and professional, are looking grim!
Personal & Info
I’m not going to lie. It’s been a couple months since I read this volume, and some bits and pieces have not stayed fresh in my memory, but I’m actively reading this series, and not far in, so I want to get reviews up for the first few volumes, so I can review every volume without any missing.
Characters
It’s been two weeks since Holo and Lawrence met. Lawrence is still learning how to read Holo’s jokes, moods, and gibes. He seems to be catching on, but can’t be sure of much. He’s got a good idea of Holo’s personality by now, and his own wit is getting better with practice, however, he is still no match for Holo. He tends to misread some important situations and get the wrong idea about what’s going on in her head. Holo is much the same as in the first volume. Snarky, witty, occasionally childish, and ever learning about the current world.
Story & Thoughts
Sometimes a series will have a good first volume, and it’ll dip in quality the second. I’ve heard this is common especially for light novels, which is why I usually reserve judgement about a series until I’ve read a couple volumes. This series, however, did not have that issue. If I was unsure about the series before, I’m definitely sure I like it now.
This book holds up well as a second volume. The story has the same slow introduction. Them traveling somewhere, meeting the relevant characters for the volume, followed by encountering a significant problem or event, and having to deal with it, resulting in a tense edge of your seat finale. This will probably be the basic formula for the series.
The economic descriptions in this one were easier to understand. It was still relevant to money, but the premise was simpler, so it was a little easier to read. I didn’t have to go back and re-read things multiple times to get anything.
Notable Issues
Aside from typos, which pretty much any book is going to have, I noticed something that was likely a translation or editing error. Early on in the book, it was stated Lawrence had purchased swords, because they were referred to as arms, and doubly verified as Holo’s bed being packed full of sword hilts. This was contradicted later when they said it was twenty sets of armor.