May These Leaden Battlegrounds Leave No Trace.

In typical light novel fashion, the long title relates to the overall plot of the story, which one will see immediately upon entering the novel.

This novel series has great potential. It has an interesting story, that, while not unique by any means, can still hold readers invested in the world it takes place in.

Unfortunately, I found the overall writing quality of the book lacking. Events that have little correlation to each other spring up in succession, leaving me feeling a bit confused at what was going on. There doesn't seem to be any plot consistency as continuity errors are numerous. The author writes down one thing as fact and then suddenly blows it away a few pages later without any explanation.

The characters are standard. They don't break any new ground and fit into your classic archetypes. That being said, they aren't terrible and serve as a decent set of eyes for the reader to peer through. The art is also average; it's not particularly memorable, but it gets the job done.

I will also note that despite some early comparisons when the series first came out, Leaden Battlegrounds is quite different than 86. They both share a setting of bloodshed and constant warfare, but that's about it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this series. For all its faults, I still found myself eager to flip the page and see what happens next in the dreary world our protagonists found themselves in. I look forward to reading the next volumes and hope that as time goes on, the writing quality will improve, and the novel's great potential will be fulfilled.