Omniscient reader's viewpoint vol 1 by singNsong

Illustrated by Sleepy-C, adapted by Umi
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Dokja Kim is an office worker who has minimal aspirations in life other than to finish an online apocalyptic survival novel on his way home from work every day. At a daunting 3,000 chapters, he’s the only reader who has made it this far, and it’s starting to feel like the writer is completing this just for him. One fateful day on the subway, he finally gets to read the epilogue and receives a message from the author with a special “gift”. At that moment, Dokja and his fellow subway passengers find themselves in the world of the novel, and Dokja has the advantage, yet is conflicted between trying to survive and how much he should protect those around him.

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Here's another story with video-game elements, albeit understated compared to titles like Solo Leveling, but this time, the person with all the power is a reader instead of someone who levels up by fighting or having magical abilities. I might be biased, but that was a nice, meta twist for the librarian in me, and might appeal to some readers' sense of irony. Outside of the reader being the most powerful one in the story, there are other appealing elements - this title is quite action-packed and pretty violent, which makes it more appropriate for older readers, but definitely appeals to fans of  Danganronpa - readers looking for something a bit darker and more philosophical. Within the first few chapters, characters are immediately put into situations where they need to value life and make difficult choices. As Dokja makes more decisions, his familiarity decreases, so it will be interesting to see if his reading will continue to be an asset in future volumes.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Publisher: IZE Press
Publication Date: December 12, 2023
ISBN: 9798400901065 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manhwa, Action Adventure, Survival, IZE Press