THE WIZARD danmei novel delays release to June

Fans will have to wait a little longer to read The Wizard: When Words Kill.

Although TOKYOPOP hasn’t issued an official update on their X (formerly Twitter) account like they did in May, the delay is now reflected across major retail sites including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Yiggybean. Originally scheduled to release on May 20, The Wizard: When Words Kill is now set to release on June 3. As of now, the publisher has not shared a reason for the delay, and their official website still lists the original May 20 date.

The Wizard was first announced in March 2024 under TOKYOPOP’s LoveLove imprint, which specializes in Boys’ Love and Girls’ Love titles. It was initially projected for a November 2024 release, then moved to April 8, 2025, before being bumped up to May 20—an update TOKYOPOP publicly posted on February 19. A preview of the book is currently available on retailer sites.

Written by Taiwanese author Shi Wu with cover art by Uri, The Wizard: When Words Kill is a supernatural murder mystery that follows detective Liang Yuanfeng. His investigation into the brutal killings of twelve people appears to end when an 18-year-old named Cheng Jinxi confesses to the crimes. But seven years later, another murder casts doubt on the original confession—and the case is reopened. Cheng Jinxi may not have been the killer after all… but he is hiding a dangerous secret: he’s a wizard with the power to cause great destruction. Though Cheng Jinxi prefers to stay in the shadows, Liang Yuanfeng believes the two must work together to uncover the truth.

The Wizard marks TOKYOPOP’s first danmei release and is a standalone volume. At 352 pages and priced at $19.99, the novel also represents a notable move for the publisher, as they’re one of the few currently licensing danmei titles from authors outside mainland China. With this release, fans are hopeful TOKYOPOP may expand its danmei catalog in the future.

Source: Amazon