I think the main thing that made this kind of boring to play for me was the lack of polish. Since there were no sounds, particles, effects, or anything, it made it feel way more uneventful and as if I had no impact.
I know those are the things that are very difficult to implement on time constraint, especially when content is technically most important, but it definitely made it less satisfying.
Otherwise, this is a great game. I agree with other people about how the books could be spell icons. Also, having to press E so much was sorta weird when both the other attacks were mouse buttons. The art is pretty nice (especially the brain).