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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
A-freaking-MAZING. Phew, that was one hell of a ride.
This book started out kinda slow, because of the descriptiveness of the writing style, which isn't bad per say, it was just kinda bogging down the book at the start, since not much of anything was happening anyway. During that first 20% of the book, it's basically all world building, and Kristoff does an amazing job at it and even though it did bog down the pace, I still appreciated the amount of detail he put into his world.
The action starts once Yukiko is stranded with Buruu in the wilderness. From then on the book takes you in this journey of self-discovery, pain, love and fighting for what's right, but most of all to learn to see what's truly in front of you and not just follow behind blindly. There was romance, blood, gore, intrigue, betrayal.
It was just pretty awesome once the story got going. When you pick this book up, make sure you read the Glossary in the back FIRST, trust me, it will help out a lot, and it will just make your experience that much better.
This book started out kinda slow, because of the descriptiveness of the writing style, which isn't bad per say, it was just kinda bogging down the book at the start, since not much of anything was happening anyway. During that first 20% of the book, it's basically all world building, and Kristoff does an amazing job at it and even though it did bog down the pace, I still appreciated the amount of detail he put into his world.
The action starts once Yukiko is stranded with Buruu in the wilderness. From then on the book takes you in this journey of self-discovery, pain, love and fighting for what's right, but most of all to learn to see what's truly in front of you and not just follow behind blindly. There was romance, blood, gore, intrigue, betrayal.
It was just pretty awesome once the story got going. When you pick this book up, make sure you read the Glossary in the back FIRST, trust me, it will help out a lot, and it will just make your experience that much better.
Uno de mis favoritos este año. El principio es dolorosamente lento pero definitivamente vale la pena.
I just noticed the cover for this book. What Yukiko was holding is a katana, as far as I could see. BUT her sword was supposed to be a tanto. >_< A much shorter sword than a katana.
Contained unmarked spoilers.
4 stars. Yep. I'm giving it 4 stars cause the story really deserves it. I know, I should explain further. And you bet this review would be a really long one.
I think I'm the only one who liked it. Uh, okay, rephrasing that one since I know lots of people like it too. I'm one of the Japanese manga/anime addict that is set against the wrong use of nihonggo grammar. Why? Cause I agree with them. It is really wrong. I know you have heard it, or in this case, read negative reviews about that already. But still, I just want to put my two cents in it.
First, the way they use the honorific '-sama'. Yes it is correct that -sama is used to higher ups and for respects. BUT, pay attention here, you don't use -sama as a NAME. Yukiko and other peeps in here use -sama like this "Apologies, sama". You shouldn't use it like that. If you really wanted to use the honorific, then attach the person's name. In this case, "Apologies, Daichi-sama," since Yukiko was talking to Daichi.
AND also, you don't call EVERYONE -sama just because you're being polite. Cause in the first few chapters, Yukiko called someone sama, like "Please, sama"--again not use as name--even though he's not royalty or higher than her. Just use the honorific '-san' and of course, you attach it to the person's name. Okay, so I looked up the Glossary and saw that it said that it is a suffix. But well, it wasn't always used as a suffix in the book.
Second, the use of HAI... Hai means YES. But NO, you don't use it like in English when asking a question. In any case, I just wish that Kristoff did more research on how to use it. I mean, I read somewhere that he watch animes too and that's mostly where he got his knowledge of nihonggo plus from his Japanese friend. I have relatives who live in Japan, half-Japanese cousins too. My older brother also took up Nihonggo classes as an elective plus I am exposed with Japanese culture for what? 15 years already? My point is, it's not that hard to learn basic nihonggo.
So yeah. I'm a bit disappointed in that part. I really tried my best to ignore the grammars so that was why it took me this long to finish the book. I only read it three chapters per day or so. And also because it was a bit boring in the first part. But once you get passed 30%, it's so much better.
I didn't expect that I will like it. I mean, yes I was really anticipating this book before it was even released cause a lot of my GR friends said that it's really good. But then the grammars were so wrong and it keeps on annoying me so I really didn't expect that in the end, I will like it.
I like Buruu. I like how fierce he is from the start. I like how he slowly change and he started to like and care for Yukiko. He treated her like his own sister. That got me really teary-eyed I had to blink several times. I like how defensive he is of Yukiko, how he bowed down just to save her.
This book--after getting past the hard first chapters--really made me laugh at Buruu's teasing, had me gripping the edge of my seat when the actions finally came, made me really want the Shogun to die cause he's such a bastard, had me almost crying at some emotional scenes.
Although there's another thing that made me Um, cringed... Yukiko is a sixteen year old but she already had sex. :O Um, it's not good for teens. >_< I dunno, maybe because I feel like the book is almost saying it's okay to have sex at that age. I'm sorry. Never mind.
In any case, that's why I'm giving it a 4 stars even though I was a bit disappointed at the grammar. For me, it was worth it. :) I'm not saying that those people who are, um, against at reading this book should go and read it. I'm not. I'm just stating my opinion about it and this comes to the girl who knows well what you guys are feeling about the Nihonggo of the book.
Contained unmarked spoilers.
4 stars. Yep. I'm giving it 4 stars cause the story really deserves it. I know, I should explain further. And you bet this review would be a really long one.
I think I'm the only one who liked it. Uh, okay, rephrasing that one since I know lots of people like it too. I'm one of the Japanese manga/anime addict that is set against the wrong use of nihonggo grammar. Why? Cause I agree with them. It is really wrong. I know you have heard it, or in this case, read negative reviews about that already. But still, I just want to put my two cents in it.
First, the way they use the honorific '-sama'. Yes it is correct that -sama is used to higher ups and for respects. BUT, pay attention here, you don't use -sama as a NAME. Yukiko and other peeps in here use -sama like this "Apologies, sama". You shouldn't use it like that. If you really wanted to use the honorific, then attach the person's name. In this case, "Apologies, Daichi-sama," since Yukiko was talking to Daichi.
AND also, you don't call EVERYONE -sama just because you're being polite. Cause in the first few chapters, Yukiko called someone sama, like "Please, sama"--again not use as name--even though he's not royalty or higher than her. Just use the honorific '-san' and of course, you attach it to the person's name. Okay, so I looked up the Glossary and saw that it said that it is a suffix. But well, it wasn't always used as a suffix in the book.
Second, the use of HAI... Hai means YES. But NO, you don't use it like in English when asking a question. In any case, I just wish that Kristoff did more research on how to use it. I mean, I read somewhere that he watch animes too and that's mostly where he got his knowledge of nihonggo plus from his Japanese friend. I have relatives who live in Japan, half-Japanese cousins too. My older brother also took up Nihonggo classes as an elective plus I am exposed with Japanese culture for what? 15 years already? My point is, it's not that hard to learn basic nihonggo.
So yeah. I'm a bit disappointed in that part. I really tried my best to ignore the grammars so that was why it took me this long to finish the book. I only read it three chapters per day or so. And also because it was a bit boring in the first part. But once you get passed 30%, it's so much better.
I didn't expect that I will like it. I mean, yes I was really anticipating this book before it was even released cause a lot of my GR friends said that it's really good. But then the grammars were so wrong and it keeps on annoying me so I really didn't expect that in the end, I will like it.
I like Buruu. I like how fierce he is from the start. I like how he slowly change and he started to like and care for Yukiko. He treated her like his own sister. That got me really teary-eyed I had to blink several times. I like how defensive he is of Yukiko, how he bowed down just to save her.
This book--after getting past the hard first chapters--really made me laugh at Buruu's teasing, had me gripping the edge of my seat when the actions finally came, made me really want the Shogun to die cause he's such a bastard, had me almost crying at some emotional scenes.
Although there's another thing that made me Um, cringed... Yukiko is a sixteen year old but she already had sex. :O Um, it's not good for teens. >_< I dunno, maybe because I feel like the book is almost saying it's okay to have sex at that age. I'm sorry. Never mind.
In any case, that's why I'm giving it a 4 stars even though I was a bit disappointed at the grammar. For me, it was worth it. :) I'm not saying that those people who are, um, against at reading this book should go and read it. I'm not. I'm just stating my opinion about it and this comes to the girl who knows well what you guys are feeling about the Nihonggo of the book.
More reviews at Rondo of a Possible World: YA Book Reviews
Oh my, God. My breath was literally taken away by reading Jay Kristoff's masterpiece. Stormdancer couldn't have been more beautifully crafted, and I couldn't have fallen harder than I have over the world and the characters. When I first sought eyes on this pretty:
1. the cover made me a happy camper because of my love for Japan and Japanese anything.
2. Japanese Steampunk. Literally. End of story.
3. Originality. I've never read a novel like Stormdancer.
My love for this book goes without saying.
Yukiko is a favorite name of mine, it means snow. Pure and unscathed. So in the vile, poisoned world of Shima with the Lotus killing the ground and destroying the lives of the citizens, Yukiko is a delicate warrior who knows what's right and what's wrong and fights until her very last breath, never giving into temptation or standing down. As strong heroines go, Yukiko takes a seat in the top ten ranking I have going on in my head.
And you can't get any better than a loyal and comedic (from time to time) thunder tiger named Buruu. Though headstrong over issues and a tad bit hung up on killing, Buruu had the nature of snatching up my heart for his own throughout my reading. His relationship with Yukiko is a heartwarming tale. From a rough and rocky start, their travels and survival together weaves together a wonderful friendship and protective nature over each other. Their bond had me melting in my seat while reading because it was just so gosh darn adorable! I could not stop reading once Buruu entered the story and took my heart by storm, literally.
A sad and desolate place Shima is, with the poison drug that the lotus creates and the after affects it has on the people (i.e., blacklung) and the iron weapons, the chainkatanas (yes, chainsaw + katana, motherfudging badASS!), skyships, this Japanese world-building swept me away. I don't know if chainkatana's literally blew your mind, because mine blew up before I even finished the word.
Final Summation: I have never seen Japan like this. Steampunk themed, feudal Japan in the land of Shima. I was at a loss of thought, and in a good way! Jay Kristoff created a strong and feisty heroine with a pure heart and unyielding volition. Stormdancer is an original novel that shouldn't be missed.
Oh my, God. My breath was literally taken away by reading Jay Kristoff's masterpiece. Stormdancer couldn't have been more beautifully crafted, and I couldn't have fallen harder than I have over the world and the characters. When I first sought eyes on this pretty:
1. the cover made me a happy camper because of my love for Japan and Japanese anything.
2. Japanese Steampunk. Literally. End of story.
3. Originality. I've never read a novel like Stormdancer.
My love for this book goes without saying.
Yukiko is a favorite name of mine, it means snow. Pure and unscathed. So in the vile, poisoned world of Shima with the Lotus killing the ground and destroying the lives of the citizens, Yukiko is a delicate warrior who knows what's right and what's wrong and fights until her very last breath, never giving into temptation or standing down. As strong heroines go, Yukiko takes a seat in the top ten ranking I have going on in my head.
And you can't get any better than a loyal and comedic (from time to time) thunder tiger named Buruu. Though headstrong over issues and a tad bit hung up on killing, Buruu had the nature of snatching up my heart for his own throughout my reading. His relationship with Yukiko is a heartwarming tale. From a rough and rocky start, their travels and survival together weaves together a wonderful friendship and protective nature over each other. Their bond had me melting in my seat while reading because it was just so gosh darn adorable! I could not stop reading once Buruu entered the story and took my heart by storm, literally.
A sad and desolate place Shima is, with the poison drug that the lotus creates and the after affects it has on the people (i.e., blacklung) and the iron weapons, the chainkatanas (yes, chainsaw + katana, motherfudging badASS!), skyships, this Japanese world-building swept me away. I don't know if chainkatana's literally blew your mind, because mine blew up before I even finished the word.
Final Summation: I have never seen Japan like this. Steampunk themed, feudal Japan in the land of Shima. I was at a loss of thought, and in a good way! Jay Kristoff created a strong and feisty heroine with a pure heart and unyielding volition. Stormdancer is an original novel that shouldn't be missed.
Actual rating 2.7 stars. I didn't like this book very much. Too much description, confusing and a lot of info dumping. The ending was the only interesting part and I did like Buruu a lot. But that was it.
This book started slowly, and I was almost tempted to drop it at one point. Luckily, it picks up a fair deal once Yukiko and Buruu finally get on the page together. Watching their relationship development from enemies to tentative allies to friends was a really great story, and I probably could've read more about just those two.
As to the world itself, it is steampunky, but it feels... I don't know, almost ancillary? Like, there are the inevitable zeplin like flying ships, and mecha-armor, and it's powered by lotus, somehow, but a lot of it seemed to be more set-dressing than an integral part of the story.
That said, the devastating effects of the lotus and how it's destroying the world and crops and things is very relevant, so there's that.
The Shogun was an insufferable brat, and when you find out how many people are "inside" the palace who are against him, you almost wonder why they ended up waiting for Yukiko to show up to recruit her into doing anything about it. Like - hello,
It was a decent enough story - and I appreciate the how the romance was handled - but, honestly, I think I'd be happier if it was a stand alone story. I'm just not invested in the world or the characters enough to really be all gung-ho for the next 2 books in the series.
I also worry that this is going to suffer once the plot becomes larger scale. I mean, despite the stakes in this book, it still felt, mostly, to be a personal story of Yukiko's and Buruu's growth and development as people and as a pair.
But once the story turns into a larger war and even more politics, then I'm worried it'll get even more bogged down that parts of this one already was.
I did get the next two out of the library, though, so I suppose we'll see.
As to the world itself, it is steampunky, but it feels... I don't know, almost ancillary? Like, there are the inevitable zeplin like flying ships, and mecha-armor, and it's powered by lotus, somehow, but a lot of it seemed to be more set-dressing than an integral part of the story.
That said, the devastating effects of the lotus and how it's destroying the world and crops and things is very relevant, so there's that.
The Shogun was an insufferable brat, and when you find out how many people are "inside" the palace who are against him, you almost wonder why they ended up waiting for Yukiko to show up to recruit her into doing anything about it. Like - hello,
Spoiler
his own sister was against him. You're telling me she never had a chance to just kill the bastard?It was a decent enough story - and I appreciate the how the romance was handled - but, honestly, I think I'd be happier if it was a stand alone story. I'm just not invested in the world or the characters enough to really be all gung-ho for the next 2 books in the series.
I also worry that this is going to suffer once the plot becomes larger scale. I mean, despite the stakes in this book, it still felt, mostly, to be a personal story of Yukiko's and Buruu's growth and development as people and as a pair.
But once the story turns into a larger war and even more politics, then I'm worried it'll get even more bogged down that parts of this one already was.
I did get the next two out of the library, though, so I suppose we'll see.
I’ve heard nothing but great things about this series. A Japanese steampunk with a kick-ass heroine and a griffin? Sign me up! So when I saw this series on sale on Bookoutlet, I had to pick up all three books.
Even with all the great things I’d heard about this book, I had no idea of the depth and breadth of this world. Kristoff’s world is a poisoned world for which the sake of progress has destroyed everything else. The technology runs on the fumes of lotus, but the lotus fumes are poisonous to humans and other animals. The sky had turned red from pollution, and animals and plants have slowly died off in this world. But any rebellion or unhappiness with the lotus is quickly quashed by the Guild, a religious organization that has the secret of lotus, and the Shogunate, whose government rules with an iron fist. Yukiko’s father, Masaru, is the Master of the Hunt for the Shogun, which is a somewhat useless position now that most animals and mythical creatures are dead due to the lotus. However, one day, the Shogun orders Masaru to go hunt the arashitora, a legendary griffin thought to be extinct.
I love the concept and the background of the story, and the world in general. However, this was a very slow book to get through. It was very very heavy on descriptions, which I tend to skim over. It’s all great to read about the sky-ships and all, but when those descriptions take up more than half of the book, I just want to get to the story. I don’t need the author to describe to me where every piston is on the flying ships. Another thing is there were a lot of characters that got introduced, who had interesting motivations, but Kristoff killed them before they can be much of anything. For example, the Shogun’s sister, Aisha, could’ve been such a strong force in the series, and had such potential (I have a weakness for strong female characters at Asian courts), but no, let’s just get rid of her like an afterthought. That really disappointed me.
To be honest, the only character I liked in the entire book is Buruu, the arashitora. He’s a griffin! How can you not like him? However, his character softened up way too much during the book. In the beginning he was this wild beast ready to destroy anything and everything. But near the end he began rolling on the ground like a dog for Yukiko’s affection. I know that’s because of the growing bond between Yukiko and Burru, but it makes it harder to take him seriously as a beast of legend.
Yukiko was an OK character for me. I sympathized with her because her dad is pretty much a drug addict. Oh, did I mention that humans can smoke lotus and it is pretty much what opium was to China in the 1800s. Anyway, she had to take care of her dad because of his addiction. Among other things, it makes her a bitter main character, who still had a strong sense of morals. Yet, at times she hesitates too much. I don’t know, I had strong feelings about what she should’ve done, but her constant back and forth and guilt about her actions just annoyed me. I guess you can call it her growth throughout the book, but I wasn’t really that impressed with her.
Overall, I’d finish the rest of the series, because Kristoff has set up a world that held my interest. I hope there is less tedious description and more action happening though. I just wish I had been able to care more about the characters. Still, it was an OK book, as seen by the 3 stars rating.
Even with all the great things I’d heard about this book, I had no idea of the depth and breadth of this world. Kristoff’s world is a poisoned world for which the sake of progress has destroyed everything else. The technology runs on the fumes of lotus, but the lotus fumes are poisonous to humans and other animals. The sky had turned red from pollution, and animals and plants have slowly died off in this world. But any rebellion or unhappiness with the lotus is quickly quashed by the Guild, a religious organization that has the secret of lotus, and the Shogunate, whose government rules with an iron fist. Yukiko’s father, Masaru, is the Master of the Hunt for the Shogun, which is a somewhat useless position now that most animals and mythical creatures are dead due to the lotus. However, one day, the Shogun orders Masaru to go hunt the arashitora, a legendary griffin thought to be extinct.
I love the concept and the background of the story, and the world in general. However, this was a very slow book to get through. It was very very heavy on descriptions, which I tend to skim over. It’s all great to read about the sky-ships and all, but when those descriptions take up more than half of the book, I just want to get to the story. I don’t need the author to describe to me where every piston is on the flying ships. Another thing is there were a lot of characters that got introduced, who had interesting motivations, but Kristoff killed them before they can be much of anything. For example, the Shogun’s sister, Aisha, could’ve been such a strong force in the series, and had such potential (I have a weakness for strong female characters at Asian courts), but no, let’s just get rid of her like an afterthought. That really disappointed me.
To be honest, the only character I liked in the entire book is Buruu, the arashitora. He’s a griffin! How can you not like him? However, his character softened up way too much during the book. In the beginning he was this wild beast ready to destroy anything and everything. But near the end he began rolling on the ground like a dog for Yukiko’s affection. I know that’s because of the growing bond between Yukiko and Burru, but it makes it harder to take him seriously as a beast of legend.
Yukiko was an OK character for me. I sympathized with her because her dad is pretty much a drug addict. Oh, did I mention that humans can smoke lotus and it is pretty much what opium was to China in the 1800s. Anyway, she had to take care of her dad because of his addiction. Among other things, it makes her a bitter main character, who still had a strong sense of morals. Yet, at times she hesitates too much. I don’t know, I had strong feelings about what she should’ve done, but her constant back and forth and guilt about her actions just annoyed me. I guess you can call it her growth throughout the book, but I wasn’t really that impressed with her.
Overall, I’d finish the rest of the series, because Kristoff has set up a world that held my interest. I hope there is less tedious description and more action happening though. I just wish I had been able to care more about the characters. Still, it was an OK book, as seen by the 3 stars rating.
adventurous
medium-paced
This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read
So this book ended up taking me a lot longer to read than I expected it to. And I blame that on the fact that I was reading an e-book version. I feel like I would have understood what was happening a lot more and not been so hesitant to continue reading it if I had a hard copy. My main problem was the use of a lot of Japanese names for things that I didn't know what was being talked about (there is a glossary at the end of the book, which is why it was harder reading this as an ebook). I also had a few issues with the names of the characters, I found myself getting confused trying to figure out who I was with at a certain time (but I also attribute this to my taking so much time away from reading this book).
I was really intrigued from the beginning of the book, it starts out with an amazing beginning chapter that draws you in and makes you need to read the rest of the book to know what will happen. I always love a book that can grip you from the first page, I find that more books these days are quite slow going and you need to read on before getting into some of the bigger ideas. And though the story does slow down a little after the first chapter, Kristoff still adds in a lot of great action scenes to keep you interested and coming back to the story. And the world Kristoff created is amazing! Readers are transported into a world where it is dangerous to breathe the air and everyone has secrets.
What really kepot me coming back to the story was the friendship between Yukiko and Buruu (the thunder tiger). I loved how the slowly grow on each other and begin to have such strong faith in one another. A lot of the interactions between those two were amusing and you can see how they grow together. I found that I wasn't very interested in the story after the prologue until the point that we actually learn about Yukiko's history and when we finally meet the thunder tiger. I mean any book is better once you have something that is like a griffin introduced, the story can only get better from that point on (and this story definitely did!)
The ending of this book was amazing, and in my opinion made up for a lot of my issues I had when I started this book. I was so taken with everything that I found myself going back to the book more often just to find out what Yukiko would do in her situation. I really loved the huge fighting scenes at the end that keep you wanting more from the book.
Despite all my issues I really enjoyed this book. This is one book I recommend with it's great world building and characters who really capture your attention. But I do suggest if you pick this book up to pick up a hardcopy rather than buying it for you eReader, it will be so much easier to get into the story.
So this book ended up taking me a lot longer to read than I expected it to. And I blame that on the fact that I was reading an e-book version. I feel like I would have understood what was happening a lot more and not been so hesitant to continue reading it if I had a hard copy. My main problem was the use of a lot of Japanese names for things that I didn't know what was being talked about (there is a glossary at the end of the book, which is why it was harder reading this as an ebook). I also had a few issues with the names of the characters, I found myself getting confused trying to figure out who I was with at a certain time (but I also attribute this to my taking so much time away from reading this book).
I was really intrigued from the beginning of the book, it starts out with an amazing beginning chapter that draws you in and makes you need to read the rest of the book to know what will happen. I always love a book that can grip you from the first page, I find that more books these days are quite slow going and you need to read on before getting into some of the bigger ideas. And though the story does slow down a little after the first chapter, Kristoff still adds in a lot of great action scenes to keep you interested and coming back to the story. And the world Kristoff created is amazing! Readers are transported into a world where it is dangerous to breathe the air and everyone has secrets.
What really kepot me coming back to the story was the friendship between Yukiko and Buruu (the thunder tiger). I loved how the slowly grow on each other and begin to have such strong faith in one another. A lot of the interactions between those two were amusing and you can see how they grow together. I found that I wasn't very interested in the story after the prologue until the point that we actually learn about Yukiko's history and when we finally meet the thunder tiger. I mean any book is better once you have something that is like a griffin introduced, the story can only get better from that point on (and this story definitely did!)
The ending of this book was amazing, and in my opinion made up for a lot of my issues I had when I started this book. I was so taken with everything that I found myself going back to the book more often just to find out what Yukiko would do in her situation. I really loved the huge fighting scenes at the end that keep you wanting more from the book.
Despite all my issues I really enjoyed this book. This is one book I recommend with it's great world building and characters who really capture your attention. But I do suggest if you pick this book up to pick up a hardcopy rather than buying it for you eReader, it will be so much easier to get into the story.