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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This was such a cool story about feudal, steampunk Japan. I absolutely loved the worldbuilding, it was complex and rich but still understandable. Kristoff really did his research when forming the world, language and customs of Shima.
This story was also a cautionary tale of what happens to a society that ruins and poisons the land it lives on. I feel like it really reflected the current predicament with climate change really well and it made me a little afraid of what the future on Earth will look like.
My favorite part was definitely seeing Yukiko and Buruu, the arashitora, begin to bond throughout the course of the story. Buruu had a wicked sense of humor and always could make me laugh. The plot was a bit crazy at times, but I really loved the adventure Yukiko went on. So many things were not as they seemed and my head was definitely spinning by the end! Can't wait to see what this badass will do next!
This story was also a cautionary tale of what happens to a society that ruins and poisons the land it lives on. I feel like it really reflected the current predicament with climate change really well and it made me a little afraid of what the future on Earth will look like.
My favorite part was definitely seeing Yukiko and Buruu, the arashitora, begin to bond throughout the course of the story. Buruu had a wicked sense of humor and always could make me laugh. The plot was a bit crazy at times, but I really loved the adventure Yukiko went on. So many things were not as they seemed and my head was definitely spinning by the end! Can't wait to see what this badass will do next!
Okay, I love Buuru. This world is beautifully crafted, with a spunky protagonist ready to make a change in her world. Can't wait to read the next one!
adventurous
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Stormdancer was a surprise for me. Presented with a story about a fading empire, choking on its own innovation and expansion, and the addition of magic had me hooked. What I found in Stormdancer was much more than the familiar premise of the ad blurb. It’s a deep world full of a lot of interesting twists on Japanese folklore with industrial age tweaks. The story presents is ok, but it’s the world of Stormdancer that shines on the page.
This is the first entry in what is currently a trilogy, and it shows in all the best ways and the worst. The world building presented is fantastic. From the very first chapter the world of Stormdancer creates an interesting alternate history Japan where the appearance of a new resource made them an industrial superpower but has warped and poisoned the land. The consequence of this has led to the rise of the mechanical Lotus Guild and fall of the Youkai, the magical beasts and creatures of Japan’s legends. All of this creates great combinations of fox spirit ninjas fighting chainsaw wielding iron samurai while all of them float on airships in the red tinged sky of feudal Japan. This is a world full of imagination and excitement that I was happy to explore with the characters.
The downside of this being a first novel is that the fantastic world building really bogs down the story. Our main character, Yukiko the daughter of the Black Fox, doesn’t have a lot of time to grow as we explore the world that Jay Kristoff has created for us. Side characters appear and disappear only to introduce us to the political components of the empire and don’t take the time to develop themselves. Characters that are killed often haven’t been given enough personal time with us to let their deaths mean something, because for the majority of the time we were with them they were only there to build the world and not build themselves. Even the main characters primary mental growth is handled magically and so falls a little flat when we are asked to see her as a complete adult from the damaged youth she starts as.
Jay Kristoff gives us a story that I did enjoy. Though I thought the characters suffered some under the heavy world building, the basics of the plot are enough to move through the pages without much complaint. The constant building of the interesting world really shines and makes every page exciting to read if only to learn about the next twist of the world I know unfold in new ways. I am very excited to read the next parts of the series to see if Kristoff can expand on his characters in the rest of the series now that the world is established. This was an enjoyable read (A listen I guess since I caught this one on audible. Great narration by Jennifer Ikeda who lends credence to the Japanese words injected into the English but didn’t make it sound like a bad kung fu overdub.) and I would recommend to those interested in this alt-history world with an interesting story that sets up what I hope will be a great series.
This is the first entry in what is currently a trilogy, and it shows in all the best ways and the worst. The world building presented is fantastic. From the very first chapter the world of Stormdancer creates an interesting alternate history Japan where the appearance of a new resource made them an industrial superpower but has warped and poisoned the land. The consequence of this has led to the rise of the mechanical Lotus Guild and fall of the Youkai, the magical beasts and creatures of Japan’s legends. All of this creates great combinations of fox spirit ninjas fighting chainsaw wielding iron samurai while all of them float on airships in the red tinged sky of feudal Japan. This is a world full of imagination and excitement that I was happy to explore with the characters.
The downside of this being a first novel is that the fantastic world building really bogs down the story. Our main character, Yukiko the daughter of the Black Fox, doesn’t have a lot of time to grow as we explore the world that Jay Kristoff has created for us. Side characters appear and disappear only to introduce us to the political components of the empire and don’t take the time to develop themselves. Characters that are killed often haven’t been given enough personal time with us to let their deaths mean something, because for the majority of the time we were with them they were only there to build the world and not build themselves. Even the main characters primary mental growth is handled magically and so falls a little flat when we are asked to see her as a complete adult from the damaged youth she starts as.
Jay Kristoff gives us a story that I did enjoy. Though I thought the characters suffered some under the heavy world building, the basics of the plot are enough to move through the pages without much complaint. The constant building of the interesting world really shines and makes every page exciting to read if only to learn about the next twist of the world I know unfold in new ways. I am very excited to read the next parts of the series to see if Kristoff can expand on his characters in the rest of the series now that the world is established. This was an enjoyable read (A listen I guess since I caught this one on audible. Great narration by Jennifer Ikeda who lends credence to the Japanese words injected into the English but didn’t make it sound like a bad kung fu overdub.) and I would recommend to those interested in this alt-history world with an interesting story that sets up what I hope will be a great series.
Ugh, such an amazing read. At times I felt Yukiko was a little outrageous, as I didn't understand where some of her feelings came from in the beginning of the book. But as I read on, I came to understand her better, so MOST of her feelings seemed grounded.
Other than that small annoyance, I really enjoyed all of the characters. The book allows you to see many different facets of the story, which I really enjoyed. It allowed me to better understand the world in which Yukiko lived and the story plot.
Other than that small annoyance, I really enjoyed all of the characters. The book allows you to see many different facets of the story, which I really enjoyed. It allowed me to better understand the world in which Yukiko lived and the story plot.
4.5 stars mostly for the slow start but I'm excited to see what happens in kinslayer!!!
read October 2013 for the first time
Read September 2017 for the second time
Read September 2017 for the second time
My feelings about this book are... mixed, to say the least.
First of all, I really enjoyed the story, and I thought the characters were really interesting. I don't know if I can find much of a fault there off the top of my head.
The worldbuilding was good too, though unfortunately, there were some problems for me. First of all, the descriptions. I struggled not to DNF this book after the first five chapters because off all the exposition. I skimmed most of them and couldn't tell you what really happened. I was just longing at that point for the story to start, rather than having to struggle through pages of info-dumping. To be honest, all of it made my eyes and head hurt, and I am so glad it stopped the further into the story I got.
Secondly, while the concept of Japanese Steampunk was highly interesting, I was very thrown off by all of the Japanese terms. Now, let me preface this by saying that I am not Japanese, do not speak Japanese, and my knowledge of Japan and it's language come from my own time toiling away at research on the internet. There are several other reviews of this book that will go into more depth. However, even with my limited knowledge, even I could tell when words were used out of place - Like 'Hai' for yes, and 'Sama' in place of sir and not used as a suffix. If every other word in the dialogue was English, and there was no replacement word for Lady like there was for Sir, why not have just said yes and sir instead? Also, 'Aiya' was used a lot, and I am sorry to say that every time I came across it, all I heard was Uncle from The Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon.
There is a glossary at the back of the book for all of the Japanese terms used, but really, who flips to a glossary while they're reading? I don't exactly know how to fix the jarring-ness of the Japanese, I just want to warn you that if you don't know anything about Japanese weapons or traditional dress, you may find it harder to read.
Speaking of jarring, Buruu's (the 'griffin') thought-speak. It was always written in all-caps, and it always felt like he was yelling. I feel like an alternative way of punctuating when it was his thoughts (or just marking them with something like 'said') would have made them easier to read.
Also, just one last thing. I was a bit iffy on how the women were described in this book. It did feel like there was a bit of objectification going on, from boys spying on our main character as she was taking a bath (and it being written from their point of view and being described in detail), to every single woman being described as beautiful, no matter what. I swear there were never any average or ugly women anywhere. The men were varied and described as such, but the women were all thin and pale with pouty lips. It was like the written variant of same-face syndrome in art, and it did bother me the more I noticed it.
So, I would say this is a decent book, but jarring and a bit worrisome when it comes to the research and the gaze on the women.
Right now, I would say I am slightly interested in reading the next book, but I think I'll be borrowing it from the library rather than spending money on it.
First of all, I really enjoyed the story, and I thought the characters were really interesting. I don't know if I can find much of a fault there off the top of my head.
The worldbuilding was good too, though unfortunately, there were some problems for me. First of all, the descriptions. I struggled not to DNF this book after the first five chapters because off all the exposition. I skimmed most of them and couldn't tell you what really happened. I was just longing at that point for the story to start, rather than having to struggle through pages of info-dumping. To be honest, all of it made my eyes and head hurt, and I am so glad it stopped the further into the story I got.
Secondly, while the concept of Japanese Steampunk was highly interesting, I was very thrown off by all of the Japanese terms. Now, let me preface this by saying that I am not Japanese, do not speak Japanese, and my knowledge of Japan and it's language come from my own time toiling away at research on the internet. There are several other reviews of this book that will go into more depth. However, even with my limited knowledge, even I could tell when words were used out of place - Like 'Hai' for yes, and 'Sama' in place of sir and not used as a suffix. If every other word in the dialogue was English, and there was no replacement word for Lady like there was for Sir, why not have just said yes and sir instead? Also, 'Aiya' was used a lot, and I am sorry to say that every time I came across it, all I heard was Uncle from The Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon.
There is a glossary at the back of the book for all of the Japanese terms used, but really, who flips to a glossary while they're reading? I don't exactly know how to fix the jarring-ness of the Japanese, I just want to warn you that if you don't know anything about Japanese weapons or traditional dress, you may find it harder to read.
Speaking of jarring, Buruu's (the 'griffin') thought-speak. It was always written in all-caps, and it always felt like he was yelling. I feel like an alternative way of punctuating when it was his thoughts (or just marking them with something like 'said') would have made them easier to read.
Also, just one last thing. I was a bit iffy on how the women were described in this book. It did feel like there was a bit of objectification going on, from boys spying on our main character as she was taking a bath (and it being written from their point of view and being described in detail), to every single woman being described as beautiful, no matter what. I swear there were never any average or ugly women anywhere. The men were varied and described as such, but the women were all thin and pale with pouty lips. It was like the written variant of same-face syndrome in art, and it did bother me the more I noticed it.
So, I would say this is a decent book, but jarring and a bit worrisome when it comes to the research and the gaze on the women.
Right now, I would say I am slightly interested in reading the next book, but I think I'll be borrowing it from the library rather than spending money on it.