It's one of my favorite anime. I love everything about it and I've been trying to find similar books that give me that same magical feeling.
Adventure, fantasy, one-off mystery/monsters linked to an overarching plot, found family, romance without it overshadowing the plot, a story steeped in Japanese mythology with otherworldly characters.
In this case the recs don't have to be Japanese since that limits my options but the more similar the better.
I read Shadow of the Fox and Red Winter, both of which were directly influenced by the show. I'd say Red Winter was very firmly romantasy and formulaic, which isn't my cup of tea.
by pencilpusher360