I can guess what you’re thinking when you see The Genius Prince Guide book cover.

What kind of pose is this, with the guy having a smug look? And let’s not forget that a girl is sitting on his lap as a way to show his dominance.

That doesn’t look like a light novel that is worth reading, does it?

Not going to lie that the book cover doesn’t seem to do much justice when it comes to portraying what kind of story The Genius Prince Guide is.

And not to mention, the lewd illustrations that you’ll see within the first few pages of the light novel. That can be a turn-off to some people.

But I assure you that the story is so much more than what you see on the cover and also the first few pages of lewd illustrations.

What The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt is all about

Here’s the book description that I got from Bookwalker.

The prince of this small and weak kingdom strives for only one thing: selling out his country and living a quiet life in leisure! Sadly, the greatest obstacle he will ever face is his own genius…! As he achieves ever greater accomplishments, he earns more and more favor with the people of his kingdom…which makes fulfilling his own dreams all the harder!!!

What got me to read this light novel

I won’t deny that I’m not the kind of person who enjoys reading anything in the fantasy genre, even if the story revolves around politics and the economy.

Well, I’m the kind of person who prefers a story that can make my skin crawls and learn something new in the process.

It’s because of this reason that I tend to gravitate towards the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres since it’s by far the genre that not only gives me excitement but allows me to learn something new as well.

And that also explains why I write in the thriller and suspense genre specifically. I learned so many things thanks to these interesting nonfiction books I use as a reference such as The Ice Man, Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life, and also Survive Like a Spy.

While I may not be into the fantasy genre that much, I do find the premise behind The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt to be rather fascinating.

Sure, it’s not unusual to hear someone with an ill intention to sell the country to someone else for his or her own benefit.

But a prince is the one who is thinking of committing treason instead?

That’s unheard of. Okay, I should say that it’s uncalled for.

Another thing to note is that I already watched the anime before. So, I’m already familiar with the story before I read the light novel.

What makes The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt worth reading

Unlike most books in the fantasy genre, the story in The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt tends to revolve more around Prince Wein Salema Arbalest trying to solve any problems that come his way rather than seeing him slaying his enemies.

Okay, he did slay the enemies in the story. But for the most part, you tend to see him putting his thinking hat a lot more than seeing him beheading someone else.

Thanks to his genius prowess and his ability to think a few steps ahead of his opponents, we get to see how he managed to solve the problems without putting Natra’s financial reserve in the red.

He even makes sure that everybody wins, not just Natra.

That’s what he did when he strikes a deal with Fyshe Blundell who is the ambassador from the Empire, leading to both the Empire and Natra having a joint military exercise.

The Empire gets to place its military in Natra while the Natra military gets the expert know-how and weapons from the Empire.

And it’s all to make it easier for Wein to hand over Natra to the Empire.

While some things turn out to be way better than he expected, there are times when things don’t go just like what he predicted.

Despite that, it’s still interesting to see how he’s quick enough to course correct it so then it will lead to the outcome that he wants.

This book somehow illustrates that you don’t need to make a bold move to get a big outcome.

Even a simple move can be just as impactful as the bold one.

What I didn’t expect when I read the light novel

Remember the part where Wein is striking a deal with the ambassador for the Empire, Fyshe Blundell?

Here’s the kicker. The part where Wein strikes a deal with her gets left out in the anime since the story in the anime starts with Natra going on a war with Marden.

In fact, that was the first part of the story before Natra’s war with Marden begins in the light novel.

You have no idea how Fyshe and Wein cross the path with one another and how the joint military exercise comes about.

The only time where you’ll get to know Fyshe for the first time in the anime is when she just discovered that Wein was the one who graduated in the top class from the Empire academy.

And let’s not forget about Marden having two different factions, Mahdia and Stella where the Mahdia is the people who were born and raised in Marden and loyal to the kingdom.

As for Stella, they’re the people who were born elsewhere but allowed to hold any positions of power due to their skills and talents. These people aren’t loyal to the kingdom and are only drawn to the kingdom because of the high salary.

While it’s too bad that this information gets left out in the anime, it doesn’t come as a surprise to me considering that it’s nearly impossible to cram everything into one season.

At least the anime doesn’t feel like you’re missing out on many important things.

But I still recommend you to read the light novel if you have the chance.

Who should read the light novel

If you enjoy reading a story that revolves around politics and the economy but in a fantasy setting, then you’re going to enjoy reading this light novel.

Keep in mind that you won’t be seeing Wein doing a lot of mind-blowing actions, though.

What you’ll be seeing, for the most part, will be him being strategic in every single action he takes that will lead him to the outcome he wants.

If you find that the idea of seeing Wein putting his thinking hat to solve the problem seems dull to you, then you’re better off reading something else.

Where to buy The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt

As always, you can buy the light novel in digital or in print at Amazon. You can buy the light novel in whichever format you prefer right here:

Buy The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt light novel on Amazon

Can’t buy the light novel on Amazon? You can also buy the digital edition of the light novel on Bookwalker. That’s where I got mine, in case you’re wondering:

Buy The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt light novel on Bookwalker

Want to read the light novel in Japanese? You can buy the print version of the light novel at CDJapan:

Buy The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt light novel on CDJapan

Over to you

What do you think about The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt light novel? Are you interested in giving the light novel a try after reading about it on my blog?

Let me know in the comment below.

P.S While the story in my thriller novel series, Trigger Locked, takes place in Tokyo in the near future instead of the fantasy setting like The Genius Prince Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt, it can be an interesting book to read if you enjoy reading a story that blends facts and fiction.

Want to give the series a try?

You can take a look at the first book from the series right here on my Payhip store:

Trigger Locked Book 1: The Mind Control Assassins

Interested in buying the book? Don’t forget to use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG to save 25% off when you made a purchase on my Payhip store.

You can also buy the book from major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books and buy the book in print as well. But you can only get a discount if you buy the book directly from me.