Glass Kanin [Reborn as a Bottle of Ink]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Book 5: Returning 2026

Book 4: Complete!

Books 1 - 3: STUBBED FOR THE AMAZON RELEASE

You can get themfor free on KUor listen to theaudiobooktoday!

Kanin did not get your standard reincarnation.

First, his soul gets stuck in a bottle of ink. Then, a senile wizard accidentally conscripts him into doing his yardwork. And as if that wasn't enough, a parasitic shadow has decided to use Kanin's soul as its personal battery pack.

What begins as a quest for freedom—and then to recover his human body—becomes an adventure of ever growing scope, attracting the attention of friends, foes, and gods alike.

What you can expect from this story:- 1st person PoV, male MC- Zero to Hero (he's got some growth ahead of him—emotionallyandliterally)- Isekai LitRPG with slow but steady progression- Non-human underdog MC (I mean, he's a glass bottle)- An equal mixture of humor and horror- Venom-like symbiote- Queer Characters (gay main character, lesbian, ace, and enby side characters)

Update Schedule: M W F

Book 1:Glass Kanin— Ch 1 - 45 [STUBBED]Book 2:Loose Kanin— Ch 46 - 93 [STUBBED]Book 3:WaterKanin— Ch 94 - current

The Kanin series also has three spin-off books which begins after the events ofLoose Kanin, Book 2: you can read themhere,here, andhere.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: Kia Leep

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 1,915
Views: 198,484

What readers say about Glass Kanin [Reborn as a Bottle of Ink]

“This story is so well written, with characters that leap right off the page. Style Score: 1st person present tense is not my favorite but it really works for Kanin's voice. He's so immediate a character, I think it was a good strategic choice to amplify his…”
skaethRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I love the story. The characters are all unique and aren't 2D. The story makes you feel small when the MC feels small, and makes you hope for their success. Time skips are so wonderful incorporated that the story feel fluid and unchoppy. Style: The format o…”
GrimGloryRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

skaethRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is so well written, with characters that leap right off the page.
Style Score: 1st person present tense is not my favorite but it really works for Kanin's voice. He's so immediate a character, I think it was a good strategic choice to amplify his voice.
Grammar Score: Honestly, Kia's one of my critique partners and they're way better at grammar than I am. They're always teaching me things and double-checking things for me, while I occasionally catch double spaces for them lol.
Story score: I'd only read one LitRPG before this and thought it just wasn't my genre but now I find myself wanting to explore more of this genre. I’m really enjoying the stats system and the game-fantasy type world that we’ve been dumped into with Kanin. I was glad the time spent in the real world was short, as I like to jump right to fantasy land in my reading.
Character score: Even though Kanin's ability to use body language and even internal sensations is severely inhibited, he feels like a full-fledged character and his frustrations with being able to communicate feel solid. I'm definitely rooting for him. Really, the finesse with which we have a glass bottle of ink emoting is chef's kiss.
Noli's an amazing side character and even Trenevalt oozes character. I love rangers, and Noli’s bubbly, sunshine personality meshes really well with Kanin’s sarcasm. And then Trenevalt, with his forgetfulness you just know that’s going to cause more trouble—as if Kanin doesn’t have enough problems already. He should have played more World of Warcraft, honestly—trained for this in some way, lol. As if one can train for being reincarnated as a glass bottle of ink, but still.
Overall score: Obviously, as you can tell, I love this book so much. It's an incredible, fun ride, and the pacing is great, keeping me engaged while also giving time to develop the characters and world.
GrimGloryRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love the story. The characters are all unique and aren't 2D. The story makes you feel small when the MC feels small, and makes you hope for their success. Time skips are so wonderful incorporated that the story feel fluid and unchoppy.
Style: The format of levels and such are done as normal which brings us to how that's unique to the story. The author brought their own twist to the idea. Story and characters are done so well. I wish there was some more colorful imagery but that's a personal preference.
Story: Story is fantastic. The MC feels small and unhelpful that's because they are (it's not just their insecurities) and it doesn't become a character ark of how they feel useful the way they are instead it's about him finding how to become useful. The entire story is unique and the world feels big, hard to do when character's are smaller than normal
Grammar: Grammar good. Grammar used in a way that you can always tell what's happening.
Character: Character's feel unique, the MC has characteristics I consider flaws but their not over baring its because their a 3D person. The way other characters are perceived is through the filter of the MC so not only do you see them grow through their story but their thought process and how they see others. This first person view allows you see other characters only from MC and it's brings a fun element of the fact both you and the MC wish to know someone's motives and you find out together.
JoshuaPearceRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The author flawlessly toes the line between pathos and progress, without going too far in either direction towards misery or unearned character rewards.
There's a spark of something new in how this "Protagonist is reincarnated into a weird thing" story avoids the normal tropes you might be familiar with, such as gaining abilities by eating everything in sight or having some unfair cheat code.
This is a fresh take, and a rewarding read. The high points feel satisfying, and the lows are three dimensional.
ikdahlRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I had the great pleasure of reading 20k words of this story when it was in a late draft stage. And even then it was... glowing. What you have at your hands here is a pearl, waiting to be uncovered.
The Overall Score reflects the general impression that the story leaves me with: Wanting More. Good stores come in two types: A great plot, with writing that drags. or great writing with a plot that drags. Kia combines great writing with a great plot, and the end result is a carnival of humour, excitement, weird character development all mixed in with some of the classical LitRPG/ProgFan tropes that we all know and love.
Her Style is... immediate, for lack of a better word. You find yourself right there next to the action, and the fourth wall is always very thin. Plot points weave into plot points seamlessly, and the facade of effortlessness bears witness to an author who knows their craft, and who has found a style that works for them.
When it comes to Grammar there is really not much to say, except: Perfect. Kia is the friendly English teacher you had in High School who lists obscure grammar rules with a smile on their face, making grammar seem cool. If Webster's disagrees with Kia, I will trust Kia.
The Story is of course the central point to a book, and it catches from page 1. You can see it already in the first chapter, where the often-formulaic hit-by-a-bus-to-get-Isekai'ed scene is replaced by a small story in itself, carefully put together to paint a picture of Kanin, while always entertaining us. As we move a bit further, we find outselves in a setting which I personally (confession time, Kia) expected to be either contrived or if nothing else; very difficult to pull of in an entertaining way. Oh I was wrong. How weird it is to find myself identifying with a glass bottle struggling to get off a desk!
Then the Characters, and this is perhaps where the diamond (or was it a pearl? Nevermind, you can't cut pearls) is cut from rough to brilliant. The strength of inte
julietbutler710Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I haven’t read a litRPG before, but I’m a huge TTRPG fan, and this was all the fun of a good tabletop sesh with fresh new characters and an intriguing plot. Kanin has single-handedly hooked me on this genre. It’s snappy, fun, and wildly humorous. I CAN’T STOP READING.
Style:
This. Book. Is. Freakin. HILARIOUS. Seriously—be careful about sipping coffee while reading because I literally had to go dry out my keyboard after spewing my delicious cold brew across my desk. Kanin’s sharp, snarky voice gives this book so much character, and I admire the author beyond words for being able to bring this sentient bottle of ink to life in such incredible technicolor. The deep POV is delicious. You feel like you’re struggling, learning, and achieving right alongside our inky hero. I never thought I’d be a grown adult cheering on a sentient bottle of ink.
Story:
The story has been whisking me right along—primarily because of the standout, unforgettable characters. As with any mechanic-based narrative, there’s a bit of world-building to get through, but even as someone who’s familiar with PC classes, HP systems, etc., the “rules” played out quickly and were explained in a fun, fresh way. The author embodies “show, don’t tell.”
Grammar:
The author has been especially punctilious about grammar and proofreading, which I GREATLY appreciate. Nothing is hard to read, and there are no distracting errors.
Character:
omg these characters are EVERYTHING. There are so many reasons to read this story, but I’m absolutely in love with these characters (#teamnoli forever). Every person we meet in this saga is colorful, rich, and clearly fueled by their own motivations. I love the interactions between the different personalities, and the interpersonal tension adds yet another delectable layer of intrigue.
Five6212Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ah, Glass Kanin? Yes. I am here to tell you why it’s peak, lol.
I was lucky to be one of the few to beta read this work, and boy was it flawless.
Kia’s pen work is amazing. The writing draws you in, and the plot line and storytelling keeps you invested.
Kanin dies on set and reincarnates into a glass of ink. It sounds simple, but it wasn’t that simple. His soul was snatched by an evil wizard to do his dirty work (literally), just kidding. The wizard is anything but evil. He just wants his home clean, and he doesn’t even know that he snatched a person’s soul. Well, that doesn’t concern Kanin, and my bottle of ink just wants to get home. But what can he do as a bottle? Well, that’s where his helper comes in, an elf with magic—used to be, she too was snatched and put into a cranky toy octopus.
Stuck with useless bodies, how are they going to escape from the evil (Jk) wizard? Well, that’s where you get to read to find out.
I enjoy the story, I’m sure you will too.
Style: Kia’s writing is in first person present, and some readers will almost feel like they don’t want to give it a shot because of that, but I’m telling you now that you should not make the mistake of missing a gem because you did not try it out.
Kia’s writing is immersive, it puts you directly into the mind of Kanin. I had never read first person present pov until Glass Kanin, and I was not bothered. It’s beautifully done, so I can guarantee no problems there.
Grammar: This, I don’t have much to say about. It’s just flawless.
Characters: yes, the highlight of the story. Even the system has character, that’s how well written it is. Each one is distinct, and you won’t even need the dialogue tags to know who is speaking at the moment.
This story is a lovely one, please don’t miss out on it!!!
OxbutcherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a nice and slow-burn story of an actor being stuck in the body of a bottle of ink. The premise instantly got me into the story. I was looking forward to seeing his adventure. It did not disappoint. From the first chapter of the book, I found it funny and engaging. The dark themes are woven into the lighthearted narrative and make a spiking contrast that makes the story entertaining. I would recommend this read if you like slow progression litrpg, humorous protagonists, and sometimes serious topics in the story.
Style 5/5
This is a rare example of POV done right. I could not score this style less than 5 points. The author finds a way to make even simple tasks like dusting look entertaining. This is a sign of a competent writer. I love that the story has themes it follows and these themes are changing appropriately. I like that the pacing is done right. It is easy to mess up the sequence of the events, make it awkward or sloppy, too fast, or too dragged out, and Kia does not make that mistake.
Grammar 4/5
Some awkwardly worded sentences and sometimes hard-to-follow descriptions, but nothing that would stand out, or break the reading experience. Only twice so far I’ve been pulled out of the story because of poor word choice or wording. Not an issue overall.
Story 5/5
I am not a fan of slow-burn stories with little progress within the plot. But I have to admit I enjoyed reading it. The author knows how to make it engaging and there is no sign that it would end. There are always stakes, and they keep rising even within a couple of chapters. There is always something to follow, and some anticipation for the outcome. In this regard, I might contradict my initial statement, but the story is fast-paced. The slow development of the main story is well balanced with the ever-changing challenges the protagonist has to face.
Character 5/5
The characters are well-written. Maybe a bit basic, there is nothing that stands out about them, but there is beauty in simplicity. I w
Papa LegbaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I don't know how many times I passed this book over because it seemed too silly. I could not have been more wrong. Neither fit but it could closer be described by dark than slapstick. The poor main character can't catch a break and starts out weak enough to literally die to a stiff breeze. After enough clawing his way up that the average isekai would be exploding moons with their brain he has Even odds with a small child. I love the concept, I love the humanity of the main character, I love the clear writing style and refusal to devolve into a vicarious power trip, and most of all I love being wrong about this book. 5 stars
RwgunnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It’s always a wonderful surprise when a story that I come across has both a new and creative take with the premise the author comes up with. This is one of those wonderful times.
The story takes unexpected turns along the way, with enough lightheartedness to be a pleasure. It’s simply a blessing that the editing is strong, with few grammatical errors to trip up the experience for the reader.
I just finished book one and I’m looking forward to the next. Definitely worth the time.
ScaryRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is truly expertly written. There is nothing to criticize about it.
The concept in itself is interesting, but the execution is what really makes this story a unique masterpiece. The premise of having a non-human main character is fully utilized, the many challenges that come with being a bottle of ink actually being taken seriously and solved slowly, one by one, making each step so much more satisfying to experience along with Kanin. Too many stories solve their problems too quickly with maybe only one huge problem as the main objective on the horizon. Here, we have a few goals that are equally important all at the same time, some being more urgent to adress than others. While the main character also has some cheat-like skills right from the start, the odds are stacked so overwhelmingly against him that it still feels balanced and interesting. Additionally, he uses these skills in a creative way and only discovers their immense potential as the story progresses, and he is desperate to try anything that might work. This way, everything still feels well earned.
In addition to that, world-building is sprinkled in in a reasonable amount, the plot moves along at just the right pace, the characters are unique and act in realistic ways (with flaws and all) and it is funny from time to time but doesn't shy away from becoming serious when the plot demands it.
I can only recommend anyone to give this a try. You'll love it!