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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Writing is solid. The kami and Japanese culture richly imagined. There's nothing I can put a finger on specifically that I found wrong with the book, other than....it didn't quite hold my attention. It's a fine girl-centric tale, but Sora, the daughter of Mt Fuji's kami rulers thrust into role of savior when a demon attacks, felt very familiar. Quests were had, plot twists happened about who Sora really is, and there was even some romantic jostling around of partners, but it felt geared towards a much, much younger audience than mother-of-teenagers me. I do read YA so it wasn't that, it was more that the story itself wasn't told in a way I found fresh. So your mileage may vary. For folks interested in straight up younger YA who have no inkling about Japanese culture, this would be great.
Merged review:
Writing is solid. The kami and Japanese culture richly imagined. There's nothing I can put a finger on specifically that I found wrong with the book, other than....it didn't quite hold my attention. It's a fine girl-centric tale, but Sora, the daughter of Mt Fuji's kami rulers thrust into role of savior when a demon attacks, felt very familiar. Quests were had, plot twists happened about who Sora really is, and there was even some romantic jostling around of partners, but it felt geared towards a much, much younger audience than mother-of-teenagers me. I do read YA so it wasn't that, it was more that the story itself wasn't told in a way I found fresh. So your mileage may vary. For folks interested in straight up younger YA who have no inkling about Japanese culture, this would be great.
Merged review:
Writing is solid. The kami and Japanese culture richly imagined. There's nothing I can put a finger on specifically that I found wrong with the book, other than....it didn't quite hold my attention. It's a fine girl-centric tale, but Sora, the daughter of Mt Fuji's kami rulers thrust into role of savior when a demon attacks, felt very familiar. Quests were had, plot twists happened about who Sora really is, and there was even some romantic jostling around of partners, but it felt geared towards a much, much younger audience than mother-of-teenagers me. I do read YA so it wasn't that, it was more that the story itself wasn't told in a way I found fresh. So your mileage may vary. For folks interested in straight up younger YA who have no inkling about Japanese culture, this would be great.
So this is one of my #SPFBO books and unfortunately I didn't finish this one. I read to 25%, but I could tell by that point that this book just wasn't going to be my cup of tea. The story has Asian origins, and is set largely around Mt Fuji in Japan, but it's a blend of the fantastical and the modern day, and I have a hard time with more urban-based fantasies.
This story follows Sora, a young Kami who has been in training since she was born to grow up and take over. Her parents are very powerful protectors of the realm, they rule over the Mountain and with the other Kami they have incredible powers of magic to control the weather and other elements for the whole of Japan.
When the story begins we're introduced to a little dragon-fly sidekick and Takeo who is a body-guard/friend to Sora. Sora is in the midst of planning for her birthday and hoping her parents will finally agree to teach her the ways of the Kami so she can truly unlock her potential and join in with them more...however, a swarm of ghosts led by a demon come and attack the mountain, and Sora and Takeo have to flee in order to find the true heir who can save them all...
What I liked about this story was the faster pacing and the concept of the dragon-fly friend. I am a sucker for a cute little side-kick I must admit!
Sadly for me, this one had a few more negatives than I was prepared to go on with. The major complaint is that this feels super basic in writing style. For me, I was a little more wonder and magic in a world where magic is everything to the Kami, but I never really got that. This felt like it was geared heavily towards a younger age bracket, and the writing matched that younger reading age in my opinion.
As for the characters, ultimately I just didn't connect. The initial concepts were there, and they kept me reading til 25%, but by then I still had nothing to connect with and I just couldn't keep on reading a book where not a lot was making me have good/bad emotions of any kind.
I probably would have given this a 2.5*s, it's by no means a bad book, just a bit simplistic and predictable, and so I think if you're a younger/newer fantasy reader you may really enjoy trying this story, it just didn't personally appeal to me.
This story follows Sora, a young Kami who has been in training since she was born to grow up and take over. Her parents are very powerful protectors of the realm, they rule over the Mountain and with the other Kami they have incredible powers of magic to control the weather and other elements for the whole of Japan.
When the story begins we're introduced to a little dragon-fly sidekick and Takeo who is a body-guard/friend to Sora. Sora is in the midst of planning for her birthday and hoping her parents will finally agree to teach her the ways of the Kami so she can truly unlock her potential and join in with them more...however, a swarm of ghosts led by a demon come and attack the mountain, and Sora and Takeo have to flee in order to find the true heir who can save them all...
What I liked about this story was the faster pacing and the concept of the dragon-fly friend. I am a sucker for a cute little side-kick I must admit!
Sadly for me, this one had a few more negatives than I was prepared to go on with. The major complaint is that this feels super basic in writing style. For me, I was a little more wonder and magic in a world where magic is everything to the Kami, but I never really got that. This felt like it was geared heavily towards a younger age bracket, and the writing matched that younger reading age in my opinion.
As for the characters, ultimately I just didn't connect. The initial concepts were there, and they kept me reading til 25%, but by then I still had nothing to connect with and I just couldn't keep on reading a book where not a lot was making me have good/bad emotions of any kind.
I probably would have given this a 2.5*s, it's by no means a bad book, just a bit simplistic and predictable, and so I think if you're a younger/newer fantasy reader you may really enjoy trying this story, it just didn't personally appeal to me.
I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
Yet again, the cover caught me eye (shocked?). In the past I would have said covers didn't make me pick up books. But gorgeous cover art now tends to lead me to the blurb which usually determines if the book be a likely fit for me. This cover had 1) a young girl; 2) holding a sword; 3) with Japanese flair; and 4) a hint of magic to it. Cause of the mountain maybe? Her hair whipping in the wind?
The main character Sora (great name) is living on Mt. Fuji with the kami. On the day of her 17th birthday, she longs to begin training for her major duties on the mountain. Only the mountain and all the kami are taken hostage by a demon and Sora learns she is a human changeling. Can she and her companion find and train the "true hero" in time? Can Sora adjust to her new place in the world?
While I enjoyed this novel overall, I had some quibbles. Good things first. The setting in Japan was lovely with Mt. Fuji as the center point for the action. Seemed well researched overall. I liked the author's use of kami and ki particularly where it came to Sora. Sora was a good character and the parts of her coming to terms with her humanness and the loss of her powers was the best part for me. The secondary character Midori was wonderful and I wish she could have played a bigger part. Oh, and I liked the ghosts and a certain sparrow. The set-up in the plot for why these characters existed made me happy.
The less happy things started in the second half of the book where the book's premise wasn't as strong. Add in prophecy and love triangle. Neither of which I enjoyed. The prophecy seemed like an afterthought with the humanness of Sora taking focus. The love in the book was simplistic and rather irksome. I did like that characters made mistakes but the resolution of them was kinda anti-climatic. As was the ending. It just kinda stopped.
There were magical artifacts that were never really explained. Action that took place "off-page." Sora's musical talent that is talked about a lot and then never plays a part of the plot. The characters go into cities and shrines as part of the plot and not much exciting happened in any of them though the ideas around them had potential. There was some blending of technology and magic. I would have liked to see more. The actual kami girl, Chiyo was kinda bland. Maybe some chapters from her point of view of how her life changed would have been fun.
Overall I just feel the extremely interesting ideas of this novel were not developed as much as they could have been. The book was a little repetitive. But again, I enjoyed the book and I am glad I read it. I would be willing to read another book by this author.
Side note: While perusing the author's website, I saw the e-book is currently on pre-order for $0.99 and ye get some bonus content when ye buy.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Another World Press!
To see me other reviews go to https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Yet again, the cover caught me eye (shocked?). In the past I would have said covers didn't make me pick up books. But gorgeous cover art now tends to lead me to the blurb which usually determines if the book be a likely fit for me. This cover had 1) a young girl; 2) holding a sword; 3) with Japanese flair; and 4) a hint of magic to it. Cause of the mountain maybe? Her hair whipping in the wind?
The main character Sora (great name) is living on Mt. Fuji with the kami. On the day of her 17th birthday, she longs to begin training for her major duties on the mountain. Only the mountain and all the kami are taken hostage by a demon and Sora learns she is a human changeling. Can she and her companion find and train the "true hero" in time? Can Sora adjust to her new place in the world?
While I enjoyed this novel overall, I had some quibbles. Good things first. The setting in Japan was lovely with Mt. Fuji as the center point for the action. Seemed well researched overall. I liked the author's use of kami and ki particularly where it came to Sora. Sora was a good character and the parts of her coming to terms with her humanness and the loss of her powers was the best part for me. The secondary character Midori was wonderful and I wish she could have played a bigger part. Oh, and I liked the ghosts and a certain sparrow. The set-up in the plot for why these characters existed made me happy.
The less happy things started in the second half of the book where the book's premise wasn't as strong. Add in prophecy and love triangle. Neither of which I enjoyed. The prophecy seemed like an afterthought with the humanness of Sora taking focus. The love in the book was simplistic and rather irksome. I did like that characters made mistakes but the resolution of them was kinda anti-climatic. As was the ending. It just kinda stopped.
There were magical artifacts that were never really explained. Action that took place "off-page." Sora's musical talent that is talked about a lot and then never plays a part of the plot. The characters go into cities and shrines as part of the plot and not much exciting happened in any of them though the ideas around them had potential. There was some blending of technology and magic. I would have liked to see more. The actual kami girl, Chiyo was kinda bland. Maybe some chapters from her point of view of how her life changed would have been fun.
Overall I just feel the extremely interesting ideas of this novel were not developed as much as they could have been. The book was a little repetitive. But again, I enjoyed the book and I am glad I read it. I would be willing to read another book by this author.
Side note: While perusing the author's website, I saw the e-book is currently on pre-order for $0.99 and ye get some bonus content when ye buy.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Another World Press!
To see me other reviews go to https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
3.5.
An interesting premise and story, I feel like at points the pacing was a little off and more world building would have been better, but an enjoyable story overall and I'm glad that I read it. We need more fantasies with more interesting/differing premises, such as this one.
An interesting premise and story, I feel like at points the pacing was a little off and more world building would have been better, but an enjoyable story overall and I'm glad that I read it. We need more fantasies with more interesting/differing premises, such as this one.
Overall, my opinions of this book are pretty positive. I went into it with a little hesitation and fear; I've known many novels set in Eastern Asia with Asian protagonists that are written by non-Asians that ended up floundering because of a lack of research or were flat out disrespectful. While it's obvious to me that this wasn't written by a Japanese person, I overall felt like the author was quite respectful and did a lot of research. Despite my initial reservations, this was a good read.
The pacing of the book is pretty fast after chapter 9; before then it's a little slow even though the author launches us into an attack and prophecy right away, so if the initial pacing curbs your interest just give it a little time. Soon it'll start speeding past. There was a good balance between plot development and character development; the story never strays far from focusing on the goals at hand, even when it's giving Sora time to have her moments of emotional turmoil while she figures out who she is and what she wants. I found the side characters interesting, to say the least, and I like that there was a little dash of romance in the book. It sort of felt like a balm to all of Sora's wounds to be liked as she was by someone, especially considering she battled with feeling lesser for being human.
Since this is a standalone, the plot is pretty straightforward, but I felt like there was a lot of substance packed amongst the skeleton of major plot points. There were lots of minor characters, lots of smaller events, some twists and turns, lots of time spent learning about Sora's thoughts/feelings... it was a pretty good little read! My only complaint would be perhaps that the big finale wasn't especially grand. But since this is a standalone and clearly YA, having a more feel-good ending instead of some epic, bloody battle full of causalities feels much more appropriate.
For anyone interested, this book is overall pretty clean. The violence and themes aren't especially graphic or intense, and the romance is a mild and chaste, with only some emotional gunk about forgiveness and understanding being the only "mature" content about it, resulting in more of a fumbling, smiling crush situation with a few brief, sweet kisses than anything beyond that. I didn't notice any problematic content.
While I wouldn't say this is the most titillating or intellectual piece of literature, it has a lot of merits and I see no major fault in it. The idea was interesting, the focus on the "non Chosen One" was a good move, and it made for a quick but enjoyable read that I polished off in a few hours in a single sitting.
*Also, I wish to make it known that I was provided with a free digital copy of this book from Net Galley, but I assure you in no way did that affect my review. No amount of free stuff is going to rid me of my opinions or make me lie. Many a free Kindle book that I've torn apart with a review can attest to that fact, so please read this review with confidence about my honesty.*
The pacing of the book is pretty fast after chapter 9; before then it's a little slow even though the author launches us into an attack and prophecy right away, so if the initial pacing curbs your interest just give it a little time. Soon it'll start speeding past. There was a good balance between plot development and character development; the story never strays far from focusing on the goals at hand, even when it's giving Sora time to have her moments of emotional turmoil while she figures out who she is and what she wants. I found the side characters interesting, to say the least, and I like that there was a little dash of romance in the book. It sort of felt like a balm to all of Sora's wounds to be liked as she was by someone, especially considering she battled with feeling lesser for being human.
Since this is a standalone, the plot is pretty straightforward, but I felt like there was a lot of substance packed amongst the skeleton of major plot points. There were lots of minor characters, lots of smaller events, some twists and turns, lots of time spent learning about Sora's thoughts/feelings... it was a pretty good little read! My only complaint would be perhaps that the big finale wasn't especially grand. But since this is a standalone and clearly YA, having a more feel-good ending instead of some epic, bloody battle full of causalities feels much more appropriate.
For anyone interested, this book is overall pretty clean. The violence and themes aren't especially graphic or intense, and the romance is a mild and chaste, with only some emotional gunk about forgiveness and understanding being the only "mature" content about it, resulting in more of a fumbling, smiling crush situation with a few brief, sweet kisses than anything beyond that. I didn't notice any problematic content.
While I wouldn't say this is the most titillating or intellectual piece of literature, it has a lot of merits and I see no major fault in it. The idea was interesting, the focus on the "non Chosen One" was a good move, and it made for a quick but enjoyable read that I polished off in a few hours in a single sitting.
*Also, I wish to make it known that I was provided with a free digital copy of this book from Net Galley, but I assure you in no way did that affect my review. No amount of free stuff is going to rid me of my opinions or make me lie. Many a free Kindle book that I've torn apart with a review can attest to that fact, so please read this review with confidence about my honesty.*
I was given a copy of this for my honest review.
I thought this was a fun read! I don't know much about Eastern religions so I don't know how much of this is based on those beliefs and how much just comes from the author's imagination but either way there were some really interesting characters and concepts. It felt semi predictable for the most part but there were still enough twists to keep things interesting. All in all I liked it!
I thought this was a fun read! I don't know much about Eastern religions so I don't know how much of this is based on those beliefs and how much just comes from the author's imagination but either way there were some really interesting characters and concepts. It felt semi predictable for the most part but there were still enough twists to keep things interesting. All in all I liked it!
I loved it. Sora is very real, very relatable, very sympathetic. The idea of going from normal to special permeates YA novels, and with good reason. We all want to think we’re special, or that someone out there is. That there’s more than the every day normalcy of our lives. But going from special to normal? That’s much harder to come across, and Crewe pulls it off by creating a character that we can all relate to. The side characters are wonderful and three-dimensional as well, including upbeat Chiyo, endearing Keiji, and honorable Takeo.
Crewe also created a vivid world around the kami, mixing both the fantastical and the real (just as she did with her characters). You can tell that she put a tremendous amount of research into creating a realistic world. On her blog, she even details her trips to Japan to follow in her characters’ footsteps.
The plot was fast-paced, with lots of action-packed fight scenes and a little bit of slow-burning romance. The way that “magic” is incorporated is beautiful and realistic – it’s not just a magical free-for-all. There’s a system, and Crewe makes her characters stick to it. This makes it hard for Sora, but it needs to be as she learns what it means to be “human” instead of “kami.” Even the villain is well-developed and the climax/ending was well-done and appropriate for the villain and Sora.
In summary, A Mortal Song is a beautiful, unique, and captivating standalone novel, with diverse characters and a fresh take on the “Chosen One” trope.
Crewe also created a vivid world around the kami, mixing both the fantastical and the real (just as she did with her characters). You can tell that she put a tremendous amount of research into creating a realistic world. On her blog, she even details her trips to Japan to follow in her characters’ footsteps.
The plot was fast-paced, with lots of action-packed fight scenes and a little bit of slow-burning romance. The way that “magic” is incorporated is beautiful and realistic – it’s not just a magical free-for-all. There’s a system, and Crewe makes her characters stick to it. This makes it hard for Sora, but it needs to be as she learns what it means to be “human” instead of “kami.” Even the villain is well-developed and the climax/ending was well-done and appropriate for the villain and Sora.
In summary, A Mortal Song is a beautiful, unique, and captivating standalone novel, with diverse characters and a fresh take on the “Chosen One” trope.
A different take
A quick read, fun and different from the usual. The kami world seems a beautiful place, definitely could see a potential for more stories like this.
Merged review:
A different take
A quick read, fun and different from the usual. The kami world seems a beautiful place, definitely could see a potential for more stories like this.
A quick read, fun and different from the usual. The kami world seems a beautiful place, definitely could see a potential for more stories like this.
Merged review:
A different take
A quick read, fun and different from the usual. The kami world seems a beautiful place, definitely could see a potential for more stories like this.
A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe has been, in all honesty, one of the best—if not the best—books I’ve read this year! Sora’s journey was unique, intense and very personal because her home (Mt. Fuji) and its people were under attack and because in the end, she wasn’t who or what she’d thought she was all her life—a kami. Something I loved about this story was our main character’s struggle with accepting the reality of who and what she was—a human—and why. Crewe’s writing was fantastic throughout the whole book! It was so good and well-paced that you could easily understand what’s happening and learn about the kami, the ghosts, the demons and all the other supernatural stuff that’s mentioned through the book and the reason behind their doings. And most importantly, you get to connect with Sora and the rest of the main characters and feel why this journey is so important and interesting. The setting for this story was Japan and I loved everything about it. We went from the beautiful and peaceful Mt. Fuji palace and its mountains to modern day Tokyo full of vibrant lights, power and energy is search of Mt. Fuji’s true heiress. But no matter what part of Japan you were in, through Sora’s journey you get to see how Mt. Fuji’s energy flows through it all and how everything is connected. And I also loved the diversity of mythical and supernatural creatures we got to encounter on our little search for the real heiress and the instruments she’ll need to fight off the demon and the ghosts that took over Mt. Fuji.
Besides our wonderful main character named Sora, we also get to meet her companion and loyal guard named Takeo, her loyal companion Midori, a human named Keiji, Mt. Fuji’s heiress, a sage called Rin—who told them about the prophecy and the truth about Sora and her parents, and many other characters that don’t just take part on Sora’s journey to save Mt. Fuji and it’s people but also on her personal journey of self-acceptance and self-growth. They all did a great job playing their parts and that’s why this is one of those few books where I loved all of the characters!
In the end, I really enjoyed the story that came to life through “A Mortal Song” from beginning to end! Why? Because I loved everything about it, especially the fact that this wasn’t just a journey to save Japan and Mt. Fuji, but also a personal growth journey for every single one of the characters, and the mythological and supernatural themes it had that included: the kami, the ghosts, the demons, the ogres and many of the other creatures we get to encounter as they look for the instruments Mt. Fuji’s heiress will need to defeat the demon that took over her palace. If you’re looking for a good fantasy book set in Japan (or a fantasy book in general) I completely recommend this one!
Besides our wonderful main character named Sora, we also get to meet her companion and loyal guard named Takeo, her loyal companion Midori, a human named Keiji, Mt. Fuji’s heiress, a sage called Rin—who told them about the prophecy and the truth about Sora and her parents, and many other characters that don’t just take part on Sora’s journey to save Mt. Fuji and it’s people but also on her personal journey of self-acceptance and self-growth. They all did a great job playing their parts and that’s why this is one of those few books where I loved all of the characters!
In the end, I really enjoyed the story that came to life through “A Mortal Song” from beginning to end! Why? Because I loved everything about it, especially the fact that this wasn’t just a journey to save Japan and Mt. Fuji, but also a personal growth journey for every single one of the characters, and the mythological and supernatural themes it had that included: the kami, the ghosts, the demons, the ogres and many of the other creatures we get to encounter as they look for the instruments Mt. Fuji’s heiress will need to defeat the demon that took over her palace. If you’re looking for a good fantasy book set in Japan (or a fantasy book in general) I completely recommend this one!
I got very into this book from nearly the beginning and couldn't put it down! Though the ending felt a bit rushed and bogged down by some cliches and a slightly underwhelming climax, I did enjoy this unique story with its mythological world and fairly interesting characters. The way Crewe writes is quick and gripping, definitely paced well enough to hold my attention and make me want to read more. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to experience a cool adventure tale in an interesting, creative universe.