Scan barcode
exlibrise65af's review
4.0
Engaging story with a beautiful ending. The story had classic fantasy elements, but most were used in a way that felt fresh. I feel privileged to have spent so much time with Wataru and Mitsuru, and I'm looking forward to checking out the other media their story has inspired.
I'd give it 5 stars overall, but I took a star off for some of the depictions of female characters. There was a lot of focus on physical feminity, especially with Kaori and Meena. Wataru kept describing Kaori as "doll-like," and "fragile," and it would have been nice to have less stereotypical physical descriptions. It set Kaori up to be kind of like the princess in a tower. That said, I loved the way that Kaori and Wataru interacted in the real world at the end of the book, and Kutz was fabulous. Also, Meena, even though she tended towards being expressively emotional and crying, showed her mettle and value as a companion multiple times.
I'd give it 5 stars overall, but I took a star off for some of the depictions of female characters. There was a lot of focus on physical feminity, especially with Kaori and Meena. Wataru kept describing Kaori as "doll-like," and "fragile," and it would have been nice to have less stereotypical physical descriptions. It set Kaori up to be kind of like the princess in a tower. That said, I loved the way that Kaori and Wataru interacted in the real world at the end of the book, and Kutz was fabulous. Also, Meena, even though she tended towards being expressively emotional and crying, showed her mettle and value as a companion multiple times.
celeryradishpun's review
5.0
A new favorite of mine, and surprise, surprise, also a children's novel. Brave Story is one of the best stories I've ever read. In all its pages, it kept me fully engrossed. It never seemed childish, and maybe that's because Miyabe has such a knack for creating multidimensional characters and gruesome villains. The book begins in the real world and is told from Wataru's perspective. Wataru is an eleven-year-old boy whose world is falling apart around him. He's being bullied at school, his parents are divorcing, and he learns that his father is having a child with his mistress. The kids at Wataru's school gossip about a haunted building in town, and Wataru and his best friend Katchan visit it. This haunted building is where Wataru learns that he has the power to change his destiny.
Wataru travels through a portal into a different world named Vision. Vision is the product of the imaginations of people from the real world, and opens up a portal every thousand years to let "a traveler" pass through. Wataru is sent on a quest to find the Tower of Destiny. He has to find five gemstones along the way, and when he does, he can travel to The Goddess, the ruler of Vision, and ask her to grant him one wish--to change his life. But this time, both Wataru and his acquaintance from school, Mitsuru, are sent to Vision. Only one of them can have their wish granted by The Goddess, and Mitsuru is willing to destroy anything in his path to win.
In some ways, it's like a Japanese Harry Potter. Wataru makes great friends along the way, including a waterekin (a lizard-like creature) named Kee-Kema and a kittenkin (a cat-like creature) named Meena. Although it's considered a children's book, it deals with a lot of adult themes. Grief, suicide, religion, war, death, affairs--lots of lessons to be learned here. And (dundundun), the book has a great ending. Vision is a beautifully-crafted world. I only wish it really existed!
I would recommend this if you love stories with a sense of adventure, characters with some life breathed into them, and relatively dark themes. Wonderful read!
Wataru travels through a portal into a different world named Vision. Vision is the product of the imaginations of people from the real world, and opens up a portal every thousand years to let "a traveler" pass through. Wataru is sent on a quest to find the Tower of Destiny. He has to find five gemstones along the way, and when he does, he can travel to The Goddess, the ruler of Vision, and ask her to grant him one wish--to change his life. But this time, both Wataru and his acquaintance from school, Mitsuru, are sent to Vision. Only one of them can have their wish granted by The Goddess, and Mitsuru is willing to destroy anything in his path to win.
In some ways, it's like a Japanese Harry Potter. Wataru makes great friends along the way, including a waterekin (a lizard-like creature) named Kee-Kema and a kittenkin (a cat-like creature) named Meena. Although it's considered a children's book, it deals with a lot of adult themes. Grief, suicide, religion, war, death, affairs--lots of lessons to be learned here. And (dundundun), the book has a great ending. Vision is a beautifully-crafted world. I only wish it really existed!
I would recommend this if you love stories with a sense of adventure, characters with some life breathed into them, and relatively dark themes. Wonderful read!
More...