Scan barcode
cinder10's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
asreadbykat's review against another edition
3.0
Full Rating: 3.5
As someone who grew up watching anime like Inuyasha and Yu-Yu-Hakusho (among a myriad of others), I absolutely loved reading this.
I had been putting it off for months, because I'm always skeptical about books completely set in a non-Western country written by Western authors. I, admittedly, bought this primarily because it was on sale at a bookstore in Tokyo for cheap. And I DON'T regret it!
There probably are cultural mistakes that a native Japanese (which I, obviously, am not) would notice, but it's clear from the writing that the authors really tried their best to be respectful to Japanese culture and history, which I very much appreciated. Even the style in which the novel was written felt different from most YA works set in Western (-inspired) countries. In a way, this was a love letter to Japanese folklore and anime.
I really enjoyed that this story hit the ground running, and never stopped. The reader is dropped right into the heroine's turmoil, and everything just builds and goes off without too much of a break. We're introduced to the setting, the lore, and the characters rapidly without any added fluff -and it was refreshing, to be honest.
What was also refreshing was the romance, which for once WASN'T central to the plot! It was just there for small moments of levity for our heroine. Was the romance necessary? No, it could be cut out entirely and written merely as a good friendship, and the plot would remain the same with zero changes. Yet I still enjoyed the romantic moments, and was cheering for the couple by the end. Which, honestly, doesn't happen often when I read YA novels, so kudos!
The only downside for this novel is that anyone reading it probably needs to be at least passingly familiar with Japanese folklore in order to read it smoothly. There is a glossary in the back that explains the different creatures and figures mentioned, and most of the yokai are visually described, but the mental picture is clearer if you already know what they look like. For example, fans of Inuyasha will immediately have a pretty good idea of what a nekomata will look like, while newbies will have a faint outline. However, anyone wanting to get a starting point for Japanese folklore might find the creatures in this book interesting.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel (and my high school self wishes this had been around back then), and it's definitely going to be one I read at least once a year, and I definitely recommend it for anyone interested in Japan and/or Japanese anime/manga.
As someone who grew up watching anime like Inuyasha and Yu-Yu-Hakusho (among a myriad of others), I absolutely loved reading this.
I had been putting it off for months, because I'm always skeptical about books completely set in a non-Western country written by Western authors. I, admittedly, bought this primarily because it was on sale at a bookstore in Tokyo for cheap. And I DON'T regret it!
There probably are cultural mistakes that a native Japanese (which I, obviously, am not) would notice, but it's clear from the writing that the authors really tried their best to be respectful to Japanese culture and history, which I very much appreciated. Even the style in which the novel was written felt different from most YA works set in Western (-inspired) countries. In a way, this was a love letter to Japanese folklore and anime.
I really enjoyed that this story hit the ground running, and never stopped. The reader is dropped right into the heroine's turmoil, and everything just builds and goes off without too much of a break. We're introduced to the setting, the lore, and the characters rapidly without any added fluff -and it was refreshing, to be honest.
What was also refreshing was the romance, which for once WASN'T central to the plot! It was just there for small moments of levity for our heroine. Was the romance necessary? No, it could be cut out entirely and written merely as a good friendship, and the plot would remain the same with zero changes. Yet I still enjoyed the romantic moments, and was cheering for the couple by the end. Which, honestly, doesn't happen often when I read YA novels, so kudos!
The only downside for this novel is that anyone reading it probably needs to be at least passingly familiar with Japanese folklore in order to read it smoothly. There is a glossary in the back that explains the different creatures and figures mentioned, and most of the yokai are visually described, but the mental picture is clearer if you already know what they look like. For example, fans of Inuyasha will immediately have a pretty good idea of what a nekomata will look like, while newbies will have a faint outline. However, anyone wanting to get a starting point for Japanese folklore might find the creatures in this book interesting.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel (and my high school self wishes this had been around back then), and it's definitely going to be one I read at least once a year, and I definitely recommend it for anyone interested in Japan and/or Japanese anime/manga.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
2.0
This is not a book I would have chosen to read on my own, and really the only reason I read it was because I received it in my Bookish Box in February. I'm not at all into anime or manga, so this is definitely not my thing. For the most part I was bored, and wanted to do almost anything else besides pick it up and read it. Everything felt flat, and the romance, such as it was, felt thrown in there because it felt like the authors felt like they had to have a romance. There was absolutely no chemistry between the main characters, and touching and holding pinkies would only be cute if I was 10. And maybe not even then.
emilye3's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book and the cheesy characters along with it. The pacing of this book was a little rough and the overall plot was okay. The idea of this story was great but I feel it didn’t quite make it to its full potential. This was a fun quick read and I did like it.
chaosandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The lore was the most enjoyable part, especially as the authors included a lot of references and explanations at the end on how they chose to elaborate and incorporate various elements. That being said, I felt like the buildup took most of the book and the ending was resolved fairly quickly, much too quickly. Everything wraps itself within a few dozen pages and I expected much more of a final battle. The main character was also difficult to relate to, although I did enjoy all of the other supporting characters.
bookwormpersephone's review against another edition
4.0
When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I was an anime obsessed fan with a syndrome called reader-as-a-coping-mechanism. What I desperately wished before during the 2010's was a book that felt like an anime when I read it.
After a decade, it finally arrived in my hands, and I was ecstatic. Not as ecstatic as I would have been before when I was an adolescent, but the nostalgic ride was well worth it.
It's not like a light novel, per se. But if you're looking to read a book (and not a light novel) that is based loosely on CLAMP's finest works, Bleach, and a whole lot of iconic anime, then this one's for you!
P.S -1
After a decade, it finally arrived in my hands, and I was ecstatic. Not as ecstatic as I would have been before when I was an adolescent, but the nostalgic ride was well worth it.
It's not like a light novel, per se. But if you're looking to read a book (and not a light novel) that is based loosely on CLAMP's finest works, Bleach, and a whole lot of iconic anime, then this one's for you!
P.S -1
loudest_introvert's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
bookishgirl089's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
heartsfl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
i think its children's book because it wasn't really that interesting to me? idk it just felt like everything was moving too fast and was just not challenging enough for the main characters. speaking about characters, i didnt really feel connected to any of them. plus, the writing threw me off sometimes. honestly, i kept reading because i just wanted to finish the book. it was ok, nothing special. premise is cool though.