Light novels share a lot of themes, tropes, and style with the broader YA genre of literature.Īnother feature of light novels is that they are often serialised, rather than standalone works. Light novels usually come in at around 50,000 to 60,000 words, so they definitely are novels.īut what also defines a light novel is its target audience: teenagers and young adults. Anything shorter is often defined as a novella.

But to meet the definition of light novel, it needs to have certain features.Ī novel is typically defined as any work of prose over 30,000 words in length (roughly 100 pages). Put simply, a light novel (literally ライトノベル in Japanese) is a novel.

In fact, whether you’ve read any of these light novels or not, you’ll recognise the names of at least a few - such as KonoSuba and Re:ZERO - thanks to their popular anime adaptations.īefore we dive into the list of best light novels, and just in case you’re wondering and unfamiliar, let’s ask and answer the question: what are light novels? What is a light novel?

Konosuba light novel read