697 reviews for:

TORMENTA

Jay Kristoff

3.66 AVERAGE

adventurous dark
adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

Took me a little while to get into and relate to the language I was unfamiliar with but after I did I was enthralled!

girl + griffin i'm in

I fell in love. It was a slow love, and it was not perfect, but in the end I fell.
Would've fallen harder without the slow pacing and info dumps in the beginning, but in the end, it was worth it. 3,5 stars.

“Dying is easy. Anyone can throw themselves onto the pyre and rest a happy martyr. Enduring the suffering that comes with sacrifice is the real test.”



I must admit I did not see that coming. Like all fantasy it takes a while to get used to the world and its rules and terminology. But once you stop asking yourself what the heck it is that the people are saying and what on earth is going on the story becomes a lot more interesting.

The story is extremely original. At least as far as I can tell. It is filled with weird technology as well as ancient Japanese mythology. You can't ask for anything cooler than that.

It starts off with Yukiko, the daughter of the most famous and esteemed hunter in the land. Known as the the man who killed the last Yokai (supernatual creatures such as phoenix and dragons and so forth) he is tasked by the Shogun (emperor) to find an Arashitora (griffin/thundertiger). Or else. Sure a hunter such as himself would have no problem finding them. But it turns out there is a problem: they are all extinct. At least that is what they all thought. With extreme luck and coincidence they manage to find one and knock it out of the sky. That luck doesn't last long when their ship goes down leaving Yokiko and a very angry and very wounded Arashitora stranded on deserted land. Somehow despite all odds they manage not only to survive but also form a bond that later turns to friendship and together they will stand against a kingdom.

Now letme just put out there that I love Buruu (the Arashitora/Thundertiger/Griffin). I live the bond he and Yokiko form throughout the story. I also like Yokiko and all her badassery. She was strong minded and level headed and when she lost focus Buruu was always there to keep her on track.

In the end I did have my problems with the book but maybe it was because I didn't know any of the Japanese words they used. Still in the end it was a great book and I greatly recommend.

Very cool story. A mix of past and and present. Myth and technology. Really enjoyed. Looking forward to the next book.

adventurous dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

So you pretty much had me at 'Edo period but make it steampunk'. However, beyond just the amazing setting this is a kickass story populated by a great cast of characters. I have some minor quibbles (namely, Hiro and Yukiko's wildly underdeveloped relationship) but had a great time nonetheless and can't wait to read the next two books.

El principio del libro es un poco lento, denso, trata de dar mucha información que luego podríamos haber aprendido a través de la historia. Luego la trama se pone más ágil, sin embargo, todo ese trasfondo que trató de explicar en un principio se pierde y termina enfocándose en la acción, en los personajes y en su propia historia.
Hay muchas críticas sobre la apropiación de historias japonesas, sin embargo, de alguna manera su forma de tratarlas es tan superficial que es como si se inventara su propio mundo a partir de ciertos conceptos de los que escuchó hablar.
Tiene un glosario al final del libro, el que se vuelve inútil cuando estás leyendo en formato digital, si bien no siempre era necesario, el uso y abuso de algunos conceptos lo hacía fundamental en algunos puntos que solo comprendí por completo al final.

Not my favorite Kristoff book. It is one of his earlier works and it shows, the flow in the beginning is an info dump with very little happening. Overall the premise was pretty good, it is just extremely slow.