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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I'm not sure what to think of this book. I honestly don't like steampunk, though the whole Japanese aspect of this book made it more creative and intriguing than any other steampunk I've seen (the unique premise is what saved this from a two-star review). But it never really pulled me in. There were a couple of reasons for this.
One was that I just didn't like the characters. Yukiko was bland (and pretty dumb, in my opinion--I can't stand girl characters who lose their heads over a guy), Kin was boring, and the rest were the same. The only one I liked was Buruu the griffin, and he honestly didn't do as much as I thought he would.
The other was that the author was just too descriptive in places. He went on and on about things that didn't need that much elaboration, and not enough about things that did. This meant that the world that was created never had that spark to make it seem real. It didn't help that he threw in all these unnecessary Japanese terms. Seriously, dude. You can just say tunic or sword or whatever. It was distracting and difficult to remember what all the things were.
(Also: chainsaw katana? those would be horribly inefficient. I think this is why I don't like steampunk.)
Bottom line: I never cared about the world, and so didn't care about the struggles of the main characters. And books like that are boring to read. We'll see how far I get into the ARC of the second one.
One was that I just didn't like the characters. Yukiko was bland (and pretty dumb, in my opinion--I can't stand girl characters who lose their heads over a guy), Kin was boring, and the rest were the same. The only one I liked was Buruu the griffin, and he honestly didn't do as much as I thought he would.
The other was that the author was just too descriptive in places. He went on and on about things that didn't need that much elaboration, and not enough about things that did. This meant that the world that was created never had that spark to make it seem real. It didn't help that he threw in all these unnecessary Japanese terms. Seriously, dude. You can just say tunic or sword or whatever. It was distracting and difficult to remember what all the things were.
(Also: chainsaw katana? those would be horribly inefficient. I think this is why I don't like steampunk.)
Bottom line: I never cared about the world, and so didn't care about the struggles of the main characters. And books like that are boring to read. We'll see how far I get into the ARC of the second one.
0.5, Praying for Rain ★★★★★
2, Kinslayer ★★★ and ¾
3, Endinger ★★★★ and ¼
4.5 stars
02/28/19
stormdancer is pretty much steampunk+dystopia with dictature&destroyed environment+samurais+some japanese myths, with lots of twists and turns. it is set in a edo period Japan-inspired land, called the Shima Imperium, which is at war with foreigners and they harness lotus for anything, be it fuel or drugs, they have also destroyed most of the nature in order to grow more lotus and eliminated all the yokais like a generation earlier, and because of the pollution, the sky and seas are painted red and people die due to the toxicity. in charge of the lotus is the Lotus Guild, who are fanatics and they tend to publicly execute people who have the ability to understand an animal's thoughts.
people are divided into four clans(ofc, there are a few who don't belong anywhere, but they are less respected), and Yukiko, our main character is from the Kitsune zaibatsu, she is the daughter of the main hunter of the imperial court, and she is gifted with the aforementioned talent. her and the other hunters are tasked by the shogun to capture an arashitora, a thundertiger, which is known to be extinct, but the shogun wants to win the war riding this beast as a legendary stormdancer.
writing summaries isn't my strong point as you can see, but i mean, one can try. i enjoyed this novel sooooo much more than for the first time. it takes a while to get into, the beginning is slow and you are bombarded with all the information of this world and its hierarchy and history, and it uses a lot of japanese words, vaguely knowing some common expressions might help a bit. however, i absolutely loved every fiber of this world. it's beautifully crafted, it's messed up, it's a weird mix of everything i'm into. it feels like Jay Kristoff took a deep dive into my subconscious and looked around, and based a whole world around what i always dreamed to see. this is very much a story of waking up, seeing things for what they are, betrayal, finding friends in places you have never wondered to look, revenge, complicated family relationships. there are so many memorable quotes i would carve into my heart and mind forever. i lived for the moral ambiguity presented in stormdancer. these characters aren't black or gray, they have suffered a lot, but most of them also made others suffer before realizing what they were doing. i loved the discussion on noticing the wrongs because you were personally hurt by them or when you could have it all-but you refuse to look away from the imperfections and injustice.
the characters aren't the most fleshed out yet, but there is a lot of room for development. i did like Yukiko a lot, her journey is very interesting to follow, how even though she sees this world, she doesn't really think about it, just accepts it for what it is. also, she is an absolute badass most of the time, and i loved her bond with Buruu, and how it changed both of them in different ways, slowly but steadily.
Buruu is definitely the best character in the novel, he is intelligent, but also has a very black and white world view at first and doesn't understand the nuances of human nature, but their relationship also improves him in certain aspects. and that fucking fight scene in Iishi? i've never felt more alive in my life.
the hunters are all interesting characters, who clearly have a long history behind them, i loved their dynamic and their relationships with Yukiko, even when at first not all of them were the best, like Kasumi and Yukiko.
however, the only part of the book that i, to some extent, disliked, was the romance. it was very insta-lovey at times, but especially regarding Hiro, it was more lust than love, and it's different to most ya romances, so i actually didn't mind it as much as for the first time(i really hated it back then), i think it actually made the story even better. i didn't like Kin though, at all, and her love for Yukiko felt unnecessary. my opinions obviously might change in the sequels, we shall see. but i still think that the book would have been completely fine without any romance.
so, if you want an interesting story about revolution, myths, a dying land, samurais(not enough chainsaw katanas tho), and all that good stuff, i'd definitely recommend reading Stormdancer, why the hell is it so underrated i don't get iiiit
other books by Jay Kristoff
The Nevernight Chronicle
1, Nevernight ★★★ and 3/4
Lifelike
1, Lifel1k3 ★★★
The Illuminae Files (cowritten with Amie Kaufman)
1, Illuminae ★★★★ and 1/2
2, Gemina ★★★★
3, Obsidio ★★★
The Aurora Cycle (cowritten with Amie Kaufman)
1, Aurora Rising ★★
2, Kinslayer ★★★ and ¾
3, Endinger ★★★★ and ¼
4.5 stars
02/28/19
“A conscience is easier to swallow on an empty belly, simpler to swing with a broken wrist.”
stormdancer is pretty much steampunk+dystopia with dictature&destroyed environment+samurais+some japanese myths, with lots of twists and turns. it is set in a edo period Japan-inspired land, called the Shima Imperium, which is at war with foreigners and they harness lotus for anything, be it fuel or drugs, they have also destroyed most of the nature in order to grow more lotus and eliminated all the yokais like a generation earlier, and because of the pollution, the sky and seas are painted red and people die due to the toxicity. in charge of the lotus is the Lotus Guild, who are fanatics and they tend to publicly execute people who have the ability to understand an animal's thoughts.
people are divided into four clans(ofc, there are a few who don't belong anywhere, but they are less respected), and Yukiko, our main character is from the Kitsune zaibatsu, she is the daughter of the main hunter of the imperial court, and she is gifted with the aforementioned talent. her and the other hunters are tasked by the shogun to capture an arashitora, a thundertiger, which is known to be extinct, but the shogun wants to win the war riding this beast as a legendary stormdancer.
writing summaries isn't my strong point as you can see, but i mean, one can try. i enjoyed this novel sooooo much more than for the first time. it takes a while to get into, the beginning is slow and you are bombarded with all the information of this world and its hierarchy and history, and it uses a lot of japanese words, vaguely knowing some common expressions might help a bit. however, i absolutely loved every fiber of this world. it's beautifully crafted, it's messed up, it's a weird mix of everything i'm into. it feels like Jay Kristoff took a deep dive into my subconscious and looked around, and based a whole world around what i always dreamed to see. this is very much a story of waking up, seeing things for what they are, betrayal, finding friends in places you have never wondered to look, revenge, complicated family relationships. there are so many memorable quotes i would carve into my heart and mind forever. i lived for the moral ambiguity presented in stormdancer. these characters aren't black or gray, they have suffered a lot, but most of them also made others suffer before realizing what they were doing. i loved the discussion on noticing the wrongs because you were personally hurt by them or when you could have it all-but you refuse to look away from the imperfections and injustice.
“It's easy to lose yourself in the idea of a person and be blinded to their reality.”
the characters aren't the most fleshed out yet, but there is a lot of room for development. i did like Yukiko a lot, her journey is very interesting to follow, how even though she sees this world, she doesn't really think about it, just accepts it for what it is. also, she is an absolute badass most of the time, and i loved her bond with Buruu, and how it changed both of them in different ways, slowly but steadily.
Buruu is definitely the best character in the novel, he is intelligent, but also has a very black and white world view at first and doesn't understand the nuances of human nature, but their relationship also improves him in certain aspects. and that fucking fight scene in Iishi? i've never felt more alive in my life.
the hunters are all interesting characters, who clearly have a long history behind them, i loved their dynamic and their relationships with Yukiko, even when at first not all of them were the best, like Kasumi and Yukiko.
however, the only part of the book that i, to some extent, disliked, was the romance. it was very insta-lovey at times, but especially regarding Hiro, it was more lust than love, and it's different to most ya romances, so i actually didn't mind it as much as for the first time(i really hated it back then), i think it actually made the story even better. i didn't like Kin though, at all, and her love for Yukiko felt unnecessary. my opinions obviously might change in the sequels, we shall see. but i still think that the book would have been completely fine without any romance.
so, if you want an interesting story about revolution, myths, a dying land, samurais(not enough chainsaw katanas tho), and all that good stuff, i'd definitely recommend reading Stormdancer, why the hell is it so underrated i don't get iiiit
other books by Jay Kristoff
The Nevernight Chronicle
1, Nevernight ★★★ and 3/4
Lifelike
1, Lifel1k3 ★★★
The Illuminae Files (cowritten with Amie Kaufman)
1, Illuminae ★★★★ and 1/2
2, Gemina ★★★★
3, Obsidio ★★★
The Aurora Cycle (cowritten with Amie Kaufman)
1, Aurora Rising ★★
I really wanted to love this book, and there were certainly a lot of elements that fed into my "top ten things I love in a book", but for some reason, I know if I hadn't read this as an audiobook, I wouldn't have finished it at all.
Perhaps its my busy schedule, so I need something that catches me and keeps me reading right off the bat. I found the first few chapters a bit slow, and I had trouble following the world. They use a political/societal structure that is similar to feudal Japan, but also varied. Similarly, I kept trying to make connections to Japan as it is and was in our history. The setting is vastly different from what I was expecting and what I thought it should be.
HOWEVER, once I got past my preconceived notions, I fell in love with the changes. The struggles that the empire goes through, that can only be classified in a steampunk light, as well as the overarching moral, environmental and economic impact of following that path were very well written. I look forward to reading more in this world, even if the only way I can fit it in to my busy schedule is by audiobook.
On that note, the audiobook was narrated very well. The characters were clearly brought to life, and the narrator did a wonderful job of adding Japanese enunciation/pronounciation and feel to all the dialogue. It brought the story even more to life.
Perhaps its my busy schedule, so I need something that catches me and keeps me reading right off the bat. I found the first few chapters a bit slow, and I had trouble following the world. They use a political/societal structure that is similar to feudal Japan, but also varied. Similarly, I kept trying to make connections to Japan as it is and was in our history. The setting is vastly different from what I was expecting and what I thought it should be.
HOWEVER, once I got past my preconceived notions, I fell in love with the changes. The struggles that the empire goes through, that can only be classified in a steampunk light, as well as the overarching moral, environmental and economic impact of following that path were very well written. I look forward to reading more in this world, even if the only way I can fit it in to my busy schedule is by audiobook.
On that note, the audiobook was narrated very well. The characters were clearly brought to life, and the narrator did a wonderful job of adding Japanese enunciation/pronounciation and feel to all the dialogue. It brought the story even more to life.
While reading this book I was highly aware of the problematic nature of the authors treatment of Japanese culture, the huge infodump at the beginning, the way character development and plot points seemed to happen very quickly, without much explanation, the "love interest" "relationship" and the heavy-handed treatment of TEH THEMES! Despite this, once I got into this book, I found myself drawn into the story and Yukiko's character. Do I wish that more research and respect had been given to Japanese culture? Absolutely! but I would class this book as a guilty pleasure, as even though I know there's so much wrong with it, I still found myself enjoying the story.
K tejto knihe som od začiatku pristupovala s istou opatrnosťou. Po prečítaní anotácie som sa dozvedela, že táto kniha nie je len plná japonskej mytológie a kultúry, takže sa v nej premávajú samuraji ako na bežiacom páse a rozprávajú sa príbehy o temných bytostiach a démonoch oni, ale takisto tu ľudia nosia podivné okuliare príznačné pre steampunk. Na prvý pohľad to vyzerá ako poriadne divoká kombinácia a aby som bola úprimná, nie je to len pocit, ale skutočnosť.
Prvá kapitola tejto knihy bola plná napätia, krvi a tajomstiev. Ale potom prišlo to oveľa menej príjemné – nekonečné opisovanie, ktoré bolo také podrobné a také únavné a takým spôsobom retardovalo dej, až som sa obávala, že mi v obchode klamali a ja som si domov v skutočnosti neodniesla knihu od Jaya Kristoffa, ale od niekoho úplne iného.
Siahodlhé opisy, ktoré na jednej strane boli potrebné, nakoľko som sa utne potrebovala dozvedieť viac o fungovaní sveta, o fungovaní samurajov a všetkých ostatných nevyhnutne podstatných detailoch. Na druhej strane ale nebolo potrebné opisovať niektoré záležitosť až do takých veľkých podrobností, nakoľko prvých cca 100 strán sa mi vlastne snažilo priblížiť udalosti predchádzajúce úplne prvej kapitole.
Našťastie sa po tomto úvode dej ako-tak rozbehol a to, čo mi Jay opisoval, ma aj viac zaujalo. Pretože sa prejavila jeho obrovská kvalita – v osnovaní rôznych sprisahaní, revolúcií a intríg. Takisto sa prejavila iná jeho kvalita. To, s akou láskou i nenávisťou buduje charaktery svojich postáv a akými skúškami ich nechá prechádzať.
Yukiko je naozaj zaujímavá hrdinka, je mladá a v mnohých ohľadoch naivná, ale udalosti v tejto knihe jej pomohli dozrieť a hlavne dospieť. Vývoj jej charakteru mi spríjemňoval čítanie v častiach, keď dej nebol až taký zaujímavý alebo dynamický, aby udržal moju pozornosť.
Ďalším úžasným prvkom tejto knihy bola samotná japonská kultúra a mytológia. V poslednom čase som čítala niekoľko kníh s podobnou tematikou a musím povedať, že táto je jednou z najkvalitnejších. Hlavne v tom, akú dôležitú úlohu zohráva česť v živote samurajov.
Keď sa teda dej konečne rozbehol, kniha mi konečne ukázala svoje kvality a ja som si uvedomila, že čítam zaujímavú a delikátnu kombináciu starých japonských mýtov, kultúry s prímesou trošku exotickejšieho steampunku. Hoci na druhej strane musím priznať, že hoci sa stempunk hodil ako vysvetlenie v niektorých situáciách, v skutočnosti by táto kniha neutrpela, ak by v nej žiadny steampunk nebol.
Postavy boli dostatočne zaujímavé, rozorvané a niekedy na hranici medzi dobrom a zlom, že vytvárali dostatok napätia a vzbudzovali moju zvedavosť. No a potom tu samozrejme bolo to veľmi zaujímavé stvorenie, údajne vyhynuté, ktoré si na stránkach tejto knihy vytváralo naozaj nádherné puto s veľmi nepravdepodobným spojencom.
Stormdancer je zaujímavo vystavanou knihou, ktorá však trpí tým istým, čím mnohé iné skvelé knihy – veľmi pomalým a zdĺhavým začiatkom. A ten dokáže naozaj veľa čitateľov odradiť. Osobne by som to nikomu nevyčítala, pretože aj ja sama som mala problém otáčať stránky a pokračovať v čítaní. Popravde ma poháňala len spomienka na úžasnú prvú kapitolu a zvedavosť, či niektoré postavy prežijú udalosti zo začiatku knihy.
Našťastie sa však dej neskôr rozbehol. Veľmi zaujímavé boli niektoré detaily, ktoré zo začiatku vyzerali naozaj nedôležito, ale nakoniec dokázali všetko ovplyvniť. Jediné náhodné slovo dokázalo o niekoľko desiatok strán neskôr otočiť význam niektorých scén. Okrem toho sa začali rozvíjať aj charaktery jednotlivých postáv, zo všetkých najviac práve hlavá hrdinka Yukiko, ktorá na stránkach dospieva. Tiež ju ovplyvňuje puto, ktoré si pomaly vytvára s divokým zvieraťom zo starých mýtov. Jej osobnosť sa krásne rozvíjala a s ňou aj samotný dej.
Udalosti sa na seba nabaľovali, napätie sa zvyšovalo a keď prišlo vyvrcholenie, prisahala by som, že som videla aj ohňostroj. Prakticky jediným nedostatkom tejto knihy ostáva jej začiatok. Keby bol o niečo kratší a menej zdĺhavý, bola by táto kniha naozaj epická. A tiež tu ešte ostávajú tie steampunkové prvky. V niektorých momentoch bola ich prítomnosť až logická, v iných častiach knihy zase pôsobili až prekombinovane. V prípade tejto knihy by som však povedala, že menej je niekedy viac.
recenzia: https://lili-darknight.blogspot.com/2018/06/japonsky-mytologicky-steampunk.html
Prvá kapitola tejto knihy bola plná napätia, krvi a tajomstiev. Ale potom prišlo to oveľa menej príjemné – nekonečné opisovanie, ktoré bolo také podrobné a také únavné a takým spôsobom retardovalo dej, až som sa obávala, že mi v obchode klamali a ja som si domov v skutočnosti neodniesla knihu od Jaya Kristoffa, ale od niekoho úplne iného.
Siahodlhé opisy, ktoré na jednej strane boli potrebné, nakoľko som sa utne potrebovala dozvedieť viac o fungovaní sveta, o fungovaní samurajov a všetkých ostatných nevyhnutne podstatných detailoch. Na druhej strane ale nebolo potrebné opisovať niektoré záležitosť až do takých veľkých podrobností, nakoľko prvých cca 100 strán sa mi vlastne snažilo priblížiť udalosti predchádzajúce úplne prvej kapitole.
Našťastie sa po tomto úvode dej ako-tak rozbehol a to, čo mi Jay opisoval, ma aj viac zaujalo. Pretože sa prejavila jeho obrovská kvalita – v osnovaní rôznych sprisahaní, revolúcií a intríg. Takisto sa prejavila iná jeho kvalita. To, s akou láskou i nenávisťou buduje charaktery svojich postáv a akými skúškami ich nechá prechádzať.
Yukiko je naozaj zaujímavá hrdinka, je mladá a v mnohých ohľadoch naivná, ale udalosti v tejto knihe jej pomohli dozrieť a hlavne dospieť. Vývoj jej charakteru mi spríjemňoval čítanie v častiach, keď dej nebol až taký zaujímavý alebo dynamický, aby udržal moju pozornosť.
Ďalším úžasným prvkom tejto knihy bola samotná japonská kultúra a mytológia. V poslednom čase som čítala niekoľko kníh s podobnou tematikou a musím povedať, že táto je jednou z najkvalitnejších. Hlavne v tom, akú dôležitú úlohu zohráva česť v živote samurajov.
Keď sa teda dej konečne rozbehol, kniha mi konečne ukázala svoje kvality a ja som si uvedomila, že čítam zaujímavú a delikátnu kombináciu starých japonských mýtov, kultúry s prímesou trošku exotickejšieho steampunku. Hoci na druhej strane musím priznať, že hoci sa stempunk hodil ako vysvetlenie v niektorých situáciách, v skutočnosti by táto kniha neutrpela, ak by v nej žiadny steampunk nebol.
Postavy boli dostatočne zaujímavé, rozorvané a niekedy na hranici medzi dobrom a zlom, že vytvárali dostatok napätia a vzbudzovali moju zvedavosť. No a potom tu samozrejme bolo to veľmi zaujímavé stvorenie, údajne vyhynuté, ktoré si na stránkach tejto knihy vytváralo naozaj nádherné puto s veľmi nepravdepodobným spojencom.
Stormdancer je zaujímavo vystavanou knihou, ktorá však trpí tým istým, čím mnohé iné skvelé knihy – veľmi pomalým a zdĺhavým začiatkom. A ten dokáže naozaj veľa čitateľov odradiť. Osobne by som to nikomu nevyčítala, pretože aj ja sama som mala problém otáčať stránky a pokračovať v čítaní. Popravde ma poháňala len spomienka na úžasnú prvú kapitolu a zvedavosť, či niektoré postavy prežijú udalosti zo začiatku knihy.
Našťastie sa však dej neskôr rozbehol. Veľmi zaujímavé boli niektoré detaily, ktoré zo začiatku vyzerali naozaj nedôležito, ale nakoniec dokázali všetko ovplyvniť. Jediné náhodné slovo dokázalo o niekoľko desiatok strán neskôr otočiť význam niektorých scén. Okrem toho sa začali rozvíjať aj charaktery jednotlivých postáv, zo všetkých najviac práve hlavá hrdinka Yukiko, ktorá na stránkach dospieva. Tiež ju ovplyvňuje puto, ktoré si pomaly vytvára s divokým zvieraťom zo starých mýtov. Jej osobnosť sa krásne rozvíjala a s ňou aj samotný dej.
Udalosti sa na seba nabaľovali, napätie sa zvyšovalo a keď prišlo vyvrcholenie, prisahala by som, že som videla aj ohňostroj. Prakticky jediným nedostatkom tejto knihy ostáva jej začiatok. Keby bol o niečo kratší a menej zdĺhavý, bola by táto kniha naozaj epická. A tiež tu ešte ostávajú tie steampunkové prvky. V niektorých momentoch bola ich prítomnosť až logická, v iných častiach knihy zase pôsobili až prekombinovane. V prípade tejto knihy by som však povedala, že menej je niekedy viac.
recenzia: https://lili-darknight.blogspot.com/2018/06/japonsky-mytologicky-steampunk.html
3.5 stars. It's hard to argue with "feudal Japanese steampunk" as a kick-ass story concept, so I won't! The story setting is vividly imagined, and the characters are fascinating and fun to follow. I thought the parallels between the "blood lotus" and "oil" in our modern society were perhaps a little overwrought and obvious, but it's a minor quibble. I'll definitely look forward to the next book.
I tried to read this a while back but after slogging through the first quarter it failed to hold my interest. I was super excited because steampunk?! Japan?! Samurais?! Mythical creatures?!! All a big yes! However the vast amount of info dumping and the slow start at the beginning killed my boner. Saying that, I may try it again in the future.
3.5 stars, going up to 3.75 stars by the end (and rounded up to 4 stars here). Stormdancer was not exactly what I expected it to be. Don't get me wrong - I did end up liking it by the time I reached the end. But it took a while for me to be interested in the characters (which is personally what I go for 95% of the time). There was heavy set-up in the first part, which was also intriguing, but definitely a ton to take in right away which was difficult. I did like it, but again, it took me a very long time to get used to the writing style. (On a random not, Buruu is my FAVORITE.)
This is going to be one of those book reviews wherein I don't feel like I have much to say. It all sort of boils down to this for me: Reading this book feels like watching an anime. Its resemblance to anime is both its strong point and its weakness.
On the plus side this book was very easy for me to visualize, in part because of how much it felt like it was riffing off of anime. There are strong visuals, a world that lifts off the page and comes to life, characters that are instantly recognizable (although they wander into trope-land at times), and plenty of action. It made for a fun fast read. While there were few surprises for me, I did find myself feeling for the characters and caring what happened to them.
The downside is that there isn't a lot of depth to be found. The characters fall into neat familiar categories, their relationship progressions feel more like plot movements than organic evolutions, the environmental angle (which I liked) was heavy handed, and the cultural appropriation was occasionally a bit cringe worthy. To put it another way, beneath the bright colors and shiny coating the bones were on the brittle side and don't stand up to intense scrutiny or pressure.
All of that said, to the best of my knowledge this is Kristoff's first published novel, and for a debut it holds up decently well. I liked the story and the characters enough that I'm planning on reading the rest of the series and seeing where the story goes, as well as how his writing chops improve. (I've read Illuminae and it was fantastic.) If a fast paced anime-esque romp through a not-quite-Japan steampunk fantasy setting sounds like fun to you give this one a try, just don't expect anything too deep or nuanced.
On the plus side this book was very easy for me to visualize, in part because of how much it felt like it was riffing off of anime. There are strong visuals, a world that lifts off the page and comes to life, characters that are instantly recognizable (although they wander into trope-land at times), and plenty of action. It made for a fun fast read. While there were few surprises for me, I did find myself feeling for the characters and caring what happened to them.
The downside is that there isn't a lot of depth to be found. The characters fall into neat familiar categories, their relationship progressions feel more like plot movements than organic evolutions, the environmental angle (which I liked) was heavy handed, and the cultural appropriation was occasionally a bit cringe worthy. To put it another way, beneath the bright colors and shiny coating the bones were on the brittle side and don't stand up to intense scrutiny or pressure.
All of that said, to the best of my knowledge this is Kristoff's first published novel, and for a debut it holds up decently well. I liked the story and the characters enough that I'm planning on reading the rest of the series and seeing where the story goes, as well as how his writing chops improve. (I've read Illuminae and it was fantastic.) If a fast paced anime-esque romp through a not-quite-Japan steampunk fantasy setting sounds like fun to you give this one a try, just don't expect anything too deep or nuanced.
I tend to be a pretty generous reviewer, and give more stars than most people normal. This is a book that I'm being generous for giving two stars. It's not terrible, it doesn't have (that I noticed) rape, it didn't have weird sexist stereotypes that don't make sense in the story, but I was just so disappointed by the story. I listened to it via audiobook, and quickly got tired of the constant repetitive descriptions that were to long and too constant to actually add anything to the story. A lot of the steampunk aspects added to the story feel more like trying to steampunk japan than to make it make sense. The story wasn't so bad, but I feel like it was letting me down a bit. I did like the adaption of the traditional Japanese beliefs into the story, but sometimes the lore took on too much of an info dump "look at my world building myths" verses actually needed for the story. Which, there is a lot there that could have been built on more that actually has to do with the story, verses world building. So two stars, I will never read it again, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. And for those who want a simple story, that is easy to follow with a touch of steampunk in Japan perhaps this story will before you.