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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
CHANGE IS SELDOM BLOODLESS. SOME EYES WISH TO REMAIN CLOSED. SOMETIMES THEY MUST BE CUT OPEN
When one sits and reads an entire book in one sitting, one realizes that the read, is a read, of Epic Proportion. I enjoyed this so much that I went and purchased the ebook for book two and three forthwith.
Yukiko and Burro Rocks....#TeamGoals
I can't wait to see how this trilogy progress
Go Read this Book Peeps....You will not be disappointed in the least.
10 Jay Kristoff Writing Rocks Stars
When one sits and reads an entire book in one sitting, one realizes that the read, is a read, of Epic Proportion. I enjoyed this so much that I went and purchased the ebook for book two and three forthwith.
Yukiko and Burro Rocks....#TeamGoals
I can't wait to see how this trilogy progress
Go Read this Book Peeps....You will not be disappointed in the least.
10 Jay Kristoff Writing Rocks Stars
2.5/5. I think I went in to this expecting Kristoff's usual sarcasm and wit and it was not there (but that's my bad). The world building was amazing. The descriptions were so vivid that I felt like I was there. Although, I felt like at times, it was a bit overkill. I also found myself getting really lost in all of the characters that were thrown at me all at once. The first half of the book was a little rough to get to. Once I got to the actual story where things started happening, it really picked up.
Stormdancer ist der Reihenauftakt von Jay Kristoffs Debüt und ich war wahnsinnig gespannt auf diese Geschichte, da ich bisher alle späteren Werke von ihm absolut geliebt habe. Man erkennt sofort seinen unverwechselbaren Schreibstil und seine Liebe zum Detail - seien es die Charaktere, Settings oder vor allem Hintergrundinformationen zur Kultur, die er gekonnt mit Fantasy vermischt.
Der Anfang war mit etwas zu lang, es hat etwa 1/3 des Buches gebraucht, bis es „so richtig“ losgegangen ist. Aber ab dann war ich absolut Feuer und Flamme und bin nur so durch die Seiten geflogen.
Die Protagonistin und ihr Gefährte sind für mich eine bereits gelungene Vorstufe von Mia und Herr Freundlich aus Nevernight und nachdem das Setting alles erklärt war (mir haben die Fußnoten tatsächlich hier gefehlt, wer hätte das gedacht!), gab es auch einiges an Action. Wie bekannt, gibt es zwar Gefühle - aber der Fokus liegt mehr auf generellen Zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen, als abgedroschener Liebesgeschichte. Und diese Beziehungen haben einiges an Tiefgang und Entwicklung zu bieten.
Absolute Empfehlung für alle Fans von etwas Sarkasmus, Liebe zum Detail und in diesem Fall auch ein kleiner Faible für Asien. Einziger Grund für den Punktabzug und „nur“ 4 Sterne ist der sehr langsame Start in die Geschichte und dass Nevernight einige hier gelegte Ideen perfektioniert hat. Für ein Debüt absolut große Klasse!
Der Anfang war mit etwas zu lang, es hat etwa 1/3 des Buches gebraucht, bis es „so richtig“ losgegangen ist. Aber ab dann war ich absolut Feuer und Flamme und bin nur so durch die Seiten geflogen.
Die Protagonistin und ihr Gefährte sind für mich eine bereits gelungene Vorstufe von Mia und Herr Freundlich aus Nevernight und nachdem das Setting alles erklärt war (mir haben die Fußnoten tatsächlich hier gefehlt, wer hätte das gedacht!), gab es auch einiges an Action. Wie bekannt, gibt es zwar Gefühle - aber der Fokus liegt mehr auf generellen Zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen, als abgedroschener Liebesgeschichte. Und diese Beziehungen haben einiges an Tiefgang und Entwicklung zu bieten.
Absolute Empfehlung für alle Fans von etwas Sarkasmus, Liebe zum Detail und in diesem Fall auch ein kleiner Faible für Asien. Einziger Grund für den Punktabzug und „nur“ 4 Sterne ist der sehr langsame Start in die Geschichte und dass Nevernight einige hier gelegte Ideen perfektioniert hat. Für ein Debüt absolut große Klasse!
It took me the first 100 pages to get into this book. The world is incredibly detailed and I got buried under the immense amount of detail at first. Once I became acclimated to the world and all of the terms for everything, the book was much better. I've never read a steampunk type of book before so I wasn't used to everything that comes with that. I did think that it was very interesting but with it being combined with fantasy elements like creatures and myths...it was just a lot for me to take in.
Yukiko has got to be one of my favorite heroines that I have read lately. She has a strong moral compass and doesn't really have a filter when it comes to believing that someone or something isn't right in the world that she lives in. She didn't always see things clearly within the story but was humble enough to see what she was missing when she made errors that others pointed out.
I loved the edition of the Arashitora and other creatures to the story. It added a fantastical element as well depth to the story. It displayed a different side of the war that Yukiko was not aware of. I loved the relationship between them. They had such a deep and meaningful connection between them that I think that they both needed in their lives.
I will definitely be reading the next book in the series because I loved this one and Jay Kristoff hasn't let me down with his books yet!
https://fictionedtodeath.blogspot.com/2018/07/stormdancer-lotus-wars-1-by-jay-kristoff.html
Yukiko has got to be one of my favorite heroines that I have read lately. She has a strong moral compass and doesn't really have a filter when it comes to believing that someone or something isn't right in the world that she lives in. She didn't always see things clearly within the story but was humble enough to see what she was missing when she made errors that others pointed out.
I loved the edition of the Arashitora and other creatures to the story. It added a fantastical element as well depth to the story. It displayed a different side of the war that Yukiko was not aware of. I loved the relationship between them. They had such a deep and meaningful connection between them that I think that they both needed in their lives.
I will definitely be reading the next book in the series because I loved this one and Jay Kristoff hasn't let me down with his books yet!
https://fictionedtodeath.blogspot.com/2018/07/stormdancer-lotus-wars-1-by-jay-kristoff.html
Dropped at page 48. I couldn't get past the inaccuracies taken from it's inspired culture, and its shambling pace.
Japanese steampunk. Those are the two magic words that have put Stormdancer on many a readers TBR pile/bookshelves. Jay Kristoff has created a world to rival the best Epic Fantasy ones, and writing so beautiful that I had the urge to highlight almost every sentence. Unlike most EF titles the war and conflict of the nation is actually developed, the war isn’t for the sake good action scenes. It’s road to revolution and hopefully freedom. How a single person, a group, and an idea can better the world.
The steampunk mixed into the Japanese (Japan called Shima here) culture is well done. The technology didn't feel over the top and it's pollution of the world is authentic. For those not used to Japanese culture and terms there's a handy-dandy glossary in the back. The gryphon's or Arashitora (trans. Thunder Tiger) is really wonderful and I love the connection that a Stormdancer can have with one. Very Valdemar-ish. The myths and living legends are beautiful and haunting.
The goggles that are standard issue for pretty much every steampunk have a use besides eye protection while flying in the sky. Everyone needs them to protect there eyes from the sun. Pollution and the death of the world is a big issue here. It's amazing seeing the portrayal of people simply accepting that it. There's no food, animal or plant kind, as the technology’s advancement kills nature. Every field of lotus used to make the fuel powering the technology sterilizes the land, and the cure to prolong the use of the land is a shocking revelation. There's prisoners of war used as slaves, child labor, disease caused by the pollution.
Stormdancer isn't simply about the story of a kingdom gaining it's freedom from a mad tyrant. The people realizing that they are the power of the nation. It's about Yukiko's journey from the innocence of youth to adulthood. To being able to see the truth and confront and deal with it. Growing up out of the self righteousness of youth. There is a love triangle here, with a point behind it. The romance shows the ramifications of being in love with an idea of someone and the reality of love.
Yukiko is a wonderful leading lady for the youths to look up to. She's responsible and can take care of herself. While still accepting that she is a child. Her interactions with the gryphon and the people around her felt so real. Her kindness to a beggar girl in the streets, to the hardness she shows her farther develops and evolves.
As always, there were a few things I have to knit pick. The red lotus is never explained. Ever thing is called lotus: lotus flies, lotus rats . . . Is it because they are some how created by the lotus? Or because lotus is so influential they just need to add it into everything because it's shaped it? Plus, how is this lotus different from other lotuses and how was it developed? The immediate love interest over a pair of green eyes was beyond annoying. Kristoff created an interesting coming of age story around it, but it was still naive. Maybe. That was the point. (I'll go with that.)
Stormdancer isn't just a story of a woman growing up. Or the revolution of a nation. It's both, and much more. Showing the horrors of tyranny, the price of rebellion and taking a stand, the toll of simply ignoring the world around you, death and loss, and the gift of choice. Kristoff blends aspects of many genres to create a complex tale. This is for readers who have interest in steampunk, epic fantasy, Japanese culture, action, political intrigue, and those craving a unique and different world. Ah, perfection.
Sexual Content: There are geisha in this tale. There is some sex, but very mild no full on bedroom scenes. Sexual humor and some peeping toms.
5/5- Fabulous, a beautiful obsession
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
They will win. Though it take a hundred years, they will topple your Shōgun. Burn his fields and cities. Fade away into shadow. Into places his armies cannot reach. More than flesh, they are an idea.
The steampunk mixed into the Japanese (Japan called Shima here) culture is well done. The technology didn't feel over the top and it's pollution of the world is authentic. For those not used to Japanese culture and terms there's a handy-dandy glossary in the back. The gryphon's or Arashitora (trans. Thunder Tiger) is really wonderful and I love the connection that a Stormdancer can have with one. Very Valdemar-ish. The myths and living legends are beautiful and haunting.
The city's broad cypress-bark roofs were desiccated and gray, stripped of paint by the merciless sun and polluted black rains that fell in Shima's winter months.
The goggles that are standard issue for pretty much every steampunk have a use besides eye protection while flying in the sky. Everyone needs them to protect there eyes from the sun. Pollution and the death of the world is a big issue here. It's amazing seeing the portrayal of people simply accepting that it. There's no food, animal or plant kind, as the technology’s advancement kills nature. Every field of lotus used to make the fuel powering the technology sterilizes the land, and the cure to prolong the use of the land is a shocking revelation. There's prisoners of war used as slaves, child labor, disease caused by the pollution.
"One day you will understand, Yukiko. One day you will see that we must sometimes sacrifice for the sake of something greater."
Stormdancer isn't simply about the story of a kingdom gaining it's freedom from a mad tyrant. The people realizing that they are the power of the nation. It's about Yukiko's journey from the innocence of youth to adulthood. To being able to see the truth and confront and deal with it. Growing up out of the self righteousness of youth. There is a love triangle here, with a point behind it. The romance shows the ramifications of being in love with an idea of someone and the reality of love.
Yukiko is a wonderful leading lady for the youths to look up to. She's responsible and can take care of herself. While still accepting that she is a child. Her interactions with the gryphon and the people around her felt so real. Her kindness to a beggar girl in the streets, to the hardness she shows her farther develops and evolves.
As always, there were a few things I have to knit pick. The red lotus is never explained. Ever thing is called lotus: lotus flies, lotus rats . . . Is it because they are some how created by the lotus? Or because lotus is so influential they just need to add it into everything because it's shaped it? Plus, how is this lotus different from other lotuses and how was it developed? The immediate love interest over a pair of green eyes was beyond annoying. Kristoff created an interesting coming of age story around it, but it was still naive. Maybe. That was the point. (I'll go with that.)
"Each of you must decide where you stand," she called. "All we ask is that you refuse to kneel. You are the people. You have the power. Open your eyes. Open your minds. Then close the fingers on your hand."
Stormdancer isn't just a story of a woman growing up. Or the revolution of a nation. It's both, and much more. Showing the horrors of tyranny, the price of rebellion and taking a stand, the toll of simply ignoring the world around you, death and loss, and the gift of choice. Kristoff blends aspects of many genres to create a complex tale. This is for readers who have interest in steampunk, epic fantasy, Japanese culture, action, political intrigue, and those craving a unique and different world. Ah, perfection.
Sexual Content: There are geisha in this tale. There is some sex, but very mild no full on bedroom scenes. Sexual humor and some peeping toms.
5/5- Fabulous, a beautiful obsession
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
The story is almost like a sword dance, and the ending...was a sword in my gut. I mean this in a good way. It really got to me.
It's easy to lose yourself in the idea of a person and be blinded to their reality.
This story blends Japanese mythology and futuristic steampunk and gives you a cool fantasy world. Yukiko is the daughter to the Black Fox, The Shogun's huntsmen. Yukiko and the Black Fox are tasked with finding and capturing a thunder tiger, basically a gryphon. Along the way, Yukiko becomes friends with Buruu, and they team up together to bring down the Shogunate.
I really liked Yukiko, found her a admirable heroine. The dialogue between Yukiko and Buruu was probably my favorite part of the series! Already reading the second one!
This story blends Japanese mythology and futuristic steampunk and gives you a cool fantasy world. Yukiko is the daughter to the Black Fox, The Shogun's huntsmen. Yukiko and the Black Fox are tasked with finding and capturing a thunder tiger, basically a gryphon. Along the way, Yukiko becomes friends with Buruu, and they team up together to bring down the Shogunate.
I really liked Yukiko, found her a admirable heroine. The dialogue between Yukiko and Buruu was probably my favorite part of the series! Already reading the second one!
If I could give this book zero stars, I would. The most apt summarization I can make is that this book is f'ing BORING. Even the exciting parts were boring. I actually put it down twice to scroll through my Instagram feed.
I will leave the issue of the butchering of Japanese language and culture to other reviewers who know more than I do and who have already done it much better than I ever could. Suffice it to say that yeah, this is some weeaboo shit.
Zero stars, do not recommend.
I will leave the issue of the butchering of Japanese language and culture to other reviewers who know more than I do and who have already done it much better than I ever could. Suffice it to say that yeah, this is some weeaboo shit.
Zero stars, do not recommend.
Slow to start, but this book really takes off - one of the best teen sci-fi/fantasy books I've read. Can't wait for the sequel!